On November 21, when three International Criminal Court judges issued arrest warrants for leaders of Israel and Hamas, the decision drew a frenzy of hostile and often ill-informed reactions from many American lawmakers and defenders of Israel. The incoming senate majority leader, John Thune, had already called the charges against Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister […] Source link
TotalEnergies contracted a Mozambican security unit to defend the plant despite warnings that some soldiers had allegedly carried out human rights abuses. The energy company told POLITICO it had “no knowledge of the alleged events described” nor “any information indicating that such events took place.” The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, responding to written questions from members of the European Parliament, said Wednesday that he and the Commission had “taken note of the article” and “the alleged actions of the Mozambican army against civilians.” He said that EU legislation going into effect in 2027 would make European companies accountable for the impact of their operations on human rights and the environment inside and outside Europe and require EU countries to “ensure that any victims receive compensation.” “As such, TotalEnergies will have to comply with the directive should they decide to resume their operations in Cabo Delgado,” Borrell said. The directive, adopted in July, compels companies to safeguard the environment and human rights in their supply chains. The revelation of alleged atrocities at TotalEnergies’ …
Sri Lanka knows political turbulence. The island nation has survived, among other calamities, a twenty-five-year civil war, two insurrections, and pogroms. Yet the two-plus years leading to this past September’s presidential election were unprecedented even by these standards. The crisis began in the spring of 2022, when the country ran out of fuel, cooking gas, and milk. Soon ordinary life was unravelling: twelve-hour power cuts; nonfunctional schools, hospitals, and factories; an inflation rate second only to that of Zimbabwe. Over 80 percent of the population struggled to find sufficient food, per a World Food Programme survey.“Without gas, without kerosene oil, we can’t do anything,” a part-time chauffer in Colombo lamented to Reuters. “Last option what? Without food we are going to die. That will happen, hundred percent.” That spring of want gave way to a summer of fury. In July a popular uprising overthrew the main author of the crisis: the incumbent president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. At the 2019 presidential election, Rajapaksa had been the overwhelming choice of the majority Sinhala community. His impressive 52 percent of …
Forced displacement can amount to a war crime. So can using starvation as a weapon of war. Since October 1 the Israeli military has ordered some 400,000 people in northern Gaza to leave their homes and blocked aid from reaching them—risking both crimes again and again. Israeli military operations in Gaza have been ongoing for more than a year, after Hamas-led fighters committed crimes against humanity in southern Israel, killing hundreds of civilians and taking scores of hostages. From the outset, senior Israeli officials said that they held everyone in Gaza responsible for the October 7 attack. They closed Gaza’s crossings, blocked aid, and cut the supply of electricity and drinking water. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to turn Gaza into “cities of ruins.” For a year, in violation of three provisional orders from the International Court of Justice, Israeli authorities have allowed only a trickle of aid to enter Gaza, impeding humanitarian missions, especially to Gaza’s north, decimating the civilian infrastructure, and killing aid workers. Almost everyone in Gaza is struggling to get …
As Afghanistan’s rulers mark three years in power, the future of an entire generation of girls is ‘in jeopardy’, UN says. Afghanistan’s Taliban government has “deliberately deprived” at least 1.4 million girls of their right to an education during its three years in power, according to the United Nations. About 300,000 more girls are missing out on school since UNESCO last carried out a count in April 2023, it said on Thursday and warned that “the future of an entire generation is now in jeopardy”. Taking into account the number of girls not going to school before the Taliban came to power in August 2021, the UN’s educational and cultural agency said 80 percent of Afghan school-age girls – a total of 2.5 million – are now being denied their right to an education. “UNESCO is alarmed by the harmful consequences of this increasingly massive drop-out rate, which could lead to a rise in child labour and early marriage,” it said in a statement. Afghanistan is the only country in the world to stop girls …
No ‘true leader’ In 1919, the British rounded up all members of the Talai – Koitalel’s clan and the longstanding leaders of the Nandi – and banished them to an isolated island-like village called Kapsisiywo in the heart of Nandi territory. Situated between two rivers, which encircle the whole area of Kapsisiywo, about 30 Talai families, consisting of at least 150 people, were separated from the rest of their tribe for decades. “Along the edges of the river, the British made sure to place the homesteads of colonial chiefs [Nandi who were loyal to the British],” Chomu told Al Jazeera. “This prevented any Talai from leaving Kapsisiywo.” More than a century later, most Talai still live there. The British missionaries moved on to instil fear about the Talai into the rest of the Nandi population. Once revered for their supernatural and prophetic abilities, the missionaries spent decades convincing the Nandi that the Talai were evil witch doctors who were responsible for their state of misery under colonialism. Before the arrival of the British, the Talai …
And now, we face another: Last month, the California-based Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC), where I served as the first chief prosecutor, to investigate Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev for genocide against Armenians in Armenia — and it’s a petition the ICC should consider. The challenge in substantiating genocide often lies in proving intent to destroy — in whole or in part — a designated group. That’s why the massive dossier presented to the ICC on Apr. 18 by U.S. Orange County Superior Court Judge Gassia Apkarian, who represents the Center for Truth and Justice, is remarkable. It presents the consistent declarations made by Aliyev over the last decade, unequivocally demonstrating his intention to destroy ethnic Armenians. To be clear, this isn’t just about the Armenian community in Nagorno-Karabakh — a disputed, self-governing enclave within Azerbaijan. The communication is focused on different forms of genocide committed against Armenians in Armenia itself. As early as April 2015, Aliyev published a statement on the Azerbaijan government’s official website, warning ethnic Armenians: …
When Egypt hosted in 2022, activists used the event to highlight the government’s crackdown on political opponents. Last year saw widespread criticism when COP28 host the United Arab Emirates appointed the man tasked with expanding the country’s oil and gas output to lead the talks. Likewise, the incoming president of COP29 is a former Azerbaijani oil and gas industry executive — though he was later tapped to lead the country’s ecology ministry. Still, Baku has been unapologetic about its intention to use the conference to promote its own economic interests. Aliyev used a speech as host of the talks to brand his country’s natural gas reserves “a gift of the gods” and to push for more investments in the fossil fuel industry, in addition to renewable projects — climate critics be damned. Europe has increasingly turned to Azerbaijan in recent years as a replacement for the Russian fossil fuel it shunned after Moscow invaded Ukraine. | Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images “As a head of the country, which is rich with fossil fuels, of course, we will defend …
In December 2021, Denmark signed an agreement with Kosovo to rent a prison in a small town south of the capital Priština. Over a span of 10 years — and in exchange for €210 million — 300 inmates sentenced to deportation are to be relocated. The plans are still on hold, however, since the treaty has not been adopted by the Kosovo parliament. “We want to further intensify cooperation between our countries in the area of security and the fight against organized crime,” Karner said. At the migration conference, over 250 political leaders and international organizations discussed solutions through partnerships with non-EU countries to manage refugee arrivals and facilitate returns. Critics say the deportation plans undermine asylum regulations in the EU and violate human rights. Karner, a fan of the Rwanda model, has previously demanded a change to “EU regulations” to facilitate deportations from EU countries. Source link
Thousands of demonstrators protested in French cities on Sunday at what they called an “offensive” against transgender rights after right-wing Senators tabled legislation on gender transition for minors. Issued on: 06/05/2024 – 00:18 1 min Thousands of demonstrators protested in French cities on Sunday at what they called an “offensive” against transgender rights after right-wing Senators tabled legislation on gender transition for minors. Activists, left-wing members of parliament, trade unionists and young people rallied, chanting and brandishing placards calling for “health resources for transitions”. “Anti-patriarchy, anti-capitalism, solidarity with trans people all over the world,” chanted protesters in Paris. More than 800 groups and personalities launched the call for demonstrations, including the left-wing party France Unbowed and the Socialists. Some 10,880 people demonstrated across France, including 2,500 in Paris, according to the Interior Ministry. In Paris, protesters gathered at Place de la Republique in the early afternoon. Demonstrators also rallied in Lyon, Marseille and Montpellier over the weekend, as well as in Brussels and Liege in Belgium, according to organisers. Hundreds joined the Montpellier protest, which included a sit-in and speeches. Two …
