The Great British Post Office scandal, explained
Public fury over a scandal which has ruined the lives of hundreds of British postal workers has reignited after a TV drama based on the affair was broadcast in the United Kingdom at the beginning of the new year. Faulty computer software resulted in some 230 post office workers being imprisoned on false charges of theft and fraud. Thousands of others were accused of similar misdeeds. Mr Bates vs the Post Office: The Real Story chronicled sub-postmaster Alan Bates’s legal battle against the Post Office, which had falsely accused him and some 3,500 others of defrauding the UK’s postal service. Following the airing of the four-part mini-series, the number of signatures on a long-running petition calling for an official honour to be stripped from former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells rocketed to more than one million. It had the desired effect. On Tuesday, Vennells bowed to pressure and pledged to “return my CBE with immediate effect”. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also weighed in, promising that the 700-plus postal workers who were prosecuted for crimes they never committed would “get the redress that they deserve”. What happened? Between 1999 and 2015, 736 Post Office branch managers were prosecuted and convicted of financial misconduct based on information generated by the organisation’s computing software. Horizon, the computer software which is still used by the Post Office today, wrongly indicated that sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses (the official titles given to post office managers) had been involved in a campaign of theft and false accounting, leading many to serve jail time. The miscarriage of justice came to light in 2019 when the High Court ruled that the Horizon software was to blame and the government ordered an inquiry into the affair in 2020. But, so far, only 93 people have had their convictions quashed after it was revealed that Horizon was riddled with faults. In 2021, the UK Court of Appeal overturned 39 of those convictions in a single ruling. The rest of the cases are still being evaluated, but the recent TV drama has triggered calls for the process to be expedited. What mistakes did the computer software make? The Post Office began the British rollout of Horizon computing software – manufactured by the Japanese company Fujitsu – in 1999. It was introduced to manage financial transactions in the UK’s Post Office branches. But staff soon began to report that Horizon was falsely indicating cash shortfalls and complained that the system was not fit for purpose. Their complaints to Post Office management that there were errors in the system went unheeded, and these financial irregularities continued to appear on branch accounts countrywide. Faced with these discrepancies and lacking support from management, some sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses attempted to plug the “financial holes” with their own money. But Post Office chiefs, convinced that they were being defrauded and refusing to admit to Horizon’s shortcomings, began to launch private prosecutions against employees in 2000. Some workers served prison sentences after being found guilty of theft. Many faced financial ruin after they were instructed to refund the money they were accused of stealing, and the breakdown of relationships, and several deaths by suicide have been linked to what was described by British barrister Jason Beer as “the worst miscarriage of justice in recent British legal history”. What impact has this had on the accused postal workers? Beer, who is counsel to the continuing public inquiry into the scandal, hearings for which officially began in February 2022, said that “reputations were destroyed, not least because the crimes of which the men and women were convicted all involved acting dishonestly.” He added, “People who were important, respected and integral parts of the local communities that they served were in some cases shunned. A number of men and women sadly died before the state publicly recognised that they were wrongly convicted.” Parmod Kalia was one of those wrongly imprisoned. Falsely accused of pocketing more than 20,000 pounds ($25,500 at the current rate), Kalia was given a six-month jail sentence in 2001. The southeast London postmaster had even been driven to borrow money from his mother to fill the supposed cash shortfall. But, convinced by the Horizon data, the Post Office pursued its prosecution against him. It wasn’t until 2021 that his conviction was overturned. Seema Misra was another. The English postal worker was eight weeks pregnant when she was given a 15-month prison sentence for fraud in 2010 after she was blamed for a cash discrepancy of 74,000 pounds ($94,000 at current rate). “I’d been warned there was a chance I could be jailed,” she recounted of her ordeal to a UK newspaper. “But I honestly just couldn’t see for a second how I could be punished like that for something I hadn’t done. I had faith in the justice system, at that point. When the judge said I’d been sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment, I passed out. If I hadn’t been pregnant, I would have taken my own life. I was at rock bottom.” Like Kalia, her conviction wasn’t quashed until 2021. What will happen next? Amid continuing political accusations that Post Office compensation payments to affected workers have been slow in coming, the TV dramatisation of the scandal has sparked new public outrage over the fact that most of those falsely accused have yet to receive justice. The UK government is now under huge public pressure to speed up the ongoing legal process of reviewing the convictions. The government is considering a number of options, including introducing legislation to quash all convictions of postal workers caught up in the scandal. The next stage of the public inquiry will be a disclosure hearing in London next week, with the full timeline for the inquiry expected to stretch into the middle of this year. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was interviewed on Sunday about the affair, called the convictions an “appalling miscarriage of justice”. Asked by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg whether the Post Office, which is owned by
Bengaluru CEO killed son as she didn’t want estranged husband to meet him
The woman was reportedly unhappy with a court order allowing her estranged husband to meet their son on Sundays.
Trump takes no chances as Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses approach
Under pressure to live up to expectations and win big in Iowa’s Jan. 15 Republican presidential caucuses, former President Trump is urging his supporters to turn out. “We don’t want to take anything for granted,” Trump told a crowd Friday as he campaigned in Mason City, Iowa. Trump encouraged his supporters to send a “thunderous” message on the night of the caucuses, which kick off the GOP presidential nominating calendar. The former president is the commanding front-runner for the Republican nomination, as he makes his third straight White House run. GREAT EXPECTATIONS: THE PRESSURE’S ON FOR TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND HALEY TO PERFORM IN IOWA’S CAUCUSES Trump made history last year as the first former or current president to be indicted for a crime, but his four indictments, including charges he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss, have only fueled his support among Republican voters. In Iowa, he holds a massive lead in the latest polls over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who are both fighting for a distant second place. “We’re leading by 30 to 40 points,” Trump touted to his supporters at multiple stops in the Hawkeye State this past weekend. However, he added that “the poll numbers are scary because we’re leading by so much.” DESANTIS TO JOIN FOX NEWS TUESDAY NIGHT FOR AN IOWA TOWN HALL A major concern is complacency. “We’re not taking any chances,” Trump emphasized at a campaign rally in Sioux City. “The biggest risk is, you say you know what? He’s winning by so much, darling. Let’s stay home and watch television. Let’s watch this great victory. And if enough people do that, it’s not going to be pretty. But we’re not going to let that happen.” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird told Fox News late last month that “President Trump’s poll numbers are unprecedented for a Republican running in the Iowa caucuses. So that is great news. The key thing to remember is that the only thing that matters is the one that happens on caucus.” Bird, who has endorsed the former president and is a top Trump surrogate in Iowa, said that “we are all focused on [the caucus]. His grassroots organization is focused on that. I’m a caucus captain myself in Guthrie County. I will be there at the caucus helping rally votes for President Trump on caucus night. We have to stay focused, and our people have to show up. The support is strong, it’s there, but we have to show up.” The Trump campaign in Iowa shifted into a higher gear weeks ago, and the former president picked up the pace of stops in the state. High profile surrogates are also parachuting into Iowa to campaign on the former president’s behalf. Additionally, the campaign trained nearly 2,000 caucus captains in precincts across the state. HALEY FIRES BACK AT TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND BIDEN AT FOX NEWS TOWN HALL IN IOWA “Their sole job is to run each individual caucus that takes place and making sure that the list of the targeted voters supporting President Trump show up,” Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita recently told Fox News. At campaign events, Trump’s team plays videos explaining the caucus process to first-time attendees, hosts panel discussions with precinct captains and gives out “limited edition” Trump-signed hats to campaign volunteers. The Trump campaign’s ground game operation in Iowa is leagues ahead of his 2016 effort, when he narrowly lost the caucuses to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. “Ted Cruz won in 2016 because his ground game was fantastic,” Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann, who remains neutral in the Republican nomination race, told Fox News. Pointing to the 2024 Trump campaign, Kaufmann said “their ground game has increased immensely.” Trump will return to Iowa on Wednesday to take questions from Fox News “Special Report” chief political anchor Bret Baier and “The Story” executive editor and anchor Martha MacCallum during a prime-time town hall in Des Moines. He will return again over the weekend for another campaign swing. However, his schedule in the state is much lighter than that of his rivals, and it also pales in comparison to his campaigning in Iowa leading up to the 2016 caucuses. TRUMP STARTS 2024 IN ‘STRONGEST POSSIBLE POSITION’ One reason is Trump’s busy legal schedule, as he juggles numerous court cases and trials. The former president was in federal court in the nation’s capital on Tuesday, as his lawyers argued that he is immune from prosecution on charges he attempted to illegally override the 2020 election results. However, the lack of time on the ground in Iowa — compared to his rivals — does not appear to have hurt Trump, who is an extremely well-known commodity in a state he has repeatedly visited since first campaigning here in 2015. As Trump and his campaign team aim for an overwhelming victory in Iowa, as part of their plan to wrap up the nomination race as quickly as possible and pivot to a general election rematch with President Biden next November, they are also facing great expectations. Trump, aware of the expectations, recently took aim at a familiar target — the media. “If we win in a massive number — but if it’s a little bit less than that, they’ll say, ‘Oh, he didn’t beat expectations,’” Trump told his supporters. Longtime Republican strategist David Kochel recently told Fox News that Trump is “driving his own expectations up… It’s all expectations and Trump’s are sky-high.” “If he’s under 50%, it’s a problem for him given his poll average now is well over 50,” said Kochel, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns nationally and in Iowa. Seasoned Iowa-based Republican strategist Jimmy Centers said if Trump “wins by more than 20 points and he’s over 50%, my goodness, this thing is over before it even begun.” “But if it’s under 15 points, then I think we have a race if the field consolidates,” added Centers, a veteran
‘A puppet’: Some Americans say old age, weak guidance inhibiting Biden from being an effective leader
Americans in Silicon Valley shared whether they believe President Biden’s leadership has been effective enough to earn him another term ahead of the 2024 election, with several pointing to his age as a concern. “I do feel like he’s a little too old,” Travis said in San Jose. “I kind of see him more as a puppet. He just kind of signs and goes with the flow.” WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE But Richard disagreed. “I think he’s doing a great job,” Richard said. “The public perception — in particular, a lot of the advertising focused on his age and moments when he looks on camera to be a doddering old man — is a weakness, but his actual record is very impressive.” Over three-quarters of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll published in September said Biden — the oldest chief executive to serve — is too old to be president. The survey also found the 81-year-old and former President Trump would tie in a hypothetical election. Earlier this month, a JPMorgan strategist predicted that Biden would drop out of the 2024 race sometime between Super Tuesday and Election Day due to health reasons. AMERICANS DELIVER BLUNT ASSESSMENT OF BIDEN’S RE-ELECTABILITY AHEAD OF 2024: ‘RETIRE AND MOVE ON’ “I think his leadership is weak, but I think people are kind of bought into it,” Steve told Fox News. “I don’t think most people are excited about Biden, but I think they are less enthusiastic about change with anyone else.” YOUNG EX-BIDEN SUPPORTERS ‘BAILING’ ON PRESIDENT, AGONIZING OVER 2024: ‘COULD NOT LIVE WITH MYSELF’ Ken said he prefers Biden over former President Trump. “It’s better than the leadership we had prior,” he said. Biden’s approval rating, which ended 2023 at 39%, is the lowest among modern presidents seeking re-election at this point in their terms, according to a Dec. 22 Gallup poll. That’s a slight rise from Biden’s 37% approval rating over the past two months. “I think there’s some good qualities and some bad qualities,” said Sarah, who voted for Biden in 2020. “I would not be excited about voting for him again, and I don’t know that I would,” Sarah told Fox News. “I would just like a new candidate to vote for in 2024.”
Trump attorney argues Biden is ‘prosecuting his number one political opponent’ at immunity hearing
Former President Trump’s attorney argued before a federal appeals court Tuesday that the former commander-in-chief and 2024 frontrunner has presidential immunity from charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation, while warning that President Biden is “prosecuting his number one political opponent and his greatest electoral threat.” Both Trump and Smith attended the hearing before the federal D.C. Appeals Court on Tuesday. TRUMP SET TO ATTEND PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY HEARING IN DC COURT AMID PUSH FOR DISMISSAL OF JACK SMITH CASE The panel of three judges, two of whom were appointed by President Biden, heard arguments from Trump attorneys and Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team. Trump attorney D. John Sauer argued that the president has “absolute immunity,” even after leaving office — an argument that the judges appeared to be skeptical of. Judge Karen Henderson, an appointee of former President George H.W. Bush, fired back, saying: “I think it’s paradoxical to say that his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed allows him to violate criminal law.” But Sauer argued that Biden, “the current incumbent of the presidency is prosecuting his number one political opponent and his greatest electoral threat.” JACK SMITH DISPUTES TRUMP’S PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY CLAIM IN APPEALS COURT Meanwhile, Smith’s team argues that presidents are not entitled to absolute immunity and that Trump’s alleged actions fall outside a president’s official job duties. “The president has a unique constitutional role but he is not above the law. Separation of powers principles, constitutional text, history, precedent and immunity doctrines all point to the conclusion that a former president enjoys no immunity from prosecution,” prosecutor James Pearce said, adding that a case in which a former president is alleged to have sought to overturn an election “is not the place to recognize some novel form of immunity.” Henderson pressed Pearce on how the court could come to its decision in a way that would not open the “floodgates” of investigations against ex-presidents. Pearce said he did not feel there would be “a sea change of vindictive tit-for-tat prosecutions in the future,” and said the allegations against Trump are unprecedented. SUPREME COURT DECLINES TO ISSUE EXPEDITED RULING ON TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE “Never before has there been allegations that a sitting president has, with private individuals and using the levers of power, sought to fundamentally subvert the democratic republic and the electoral system,” Pearce said. “And frankly, if that kind of fact pattern arises again, I think it would be awfully scary if there weren’t some sort of mechanism by which to reach that criminally.” Pearce said the country would be in for a “frightening future” if Trump is not prosecuted for alleged crimes. But Sauer pushed back and said that the “floodgates will be opened.” “We are in a situation where we have prosecution of the chief political opponent who is winning in every poll in the national election upcoming next year and is being prosecuted by the administration he’s seeking to replace,” Sauer said. “That is the frightening future that is tailor-made to launch cycles, recrimination that will shake our republic for the future.” It is unclear when the court will make its decision. Trump spoke outside the courtroom shortly after the hearing concluded. “I think it is very unfair when a political opponent is prosecuted by Biden’s DOJ,” Trump said. “They are losing in every poll, they are losing in almost every demographic.” Trump added: “I think they feel this is the way they are going to try and win. It is a very bad precedent.” Trump said his prosecution would be “the opening of a Pandora’s box, and it is a very sad thing that’s happening with this whole situation.” “They talk about a threat to democracy–that’s the real threat to democracy,” Trump said. Trump stressed that as president, “you have to have immunity,” and maintained he did “absolutely nothing wrong.” The 2024 GOP frontrunner said he believes that “by normal standards, if it weren’t me, it would be the end of this case.” “But sometimes they look at me differently than they look at others. Its very bad for our country,” he said. Trump added: “You can’t have a president without immunity… A president has to have immunity.” Trump again said he did “nothing wrong” and said 2020 was “a rigged election.” “And everybody knows it,” Trump said. Smith’s case against Trump is on pause as Trump’s attorneys appeal the case and argue that presidential immunity protects him from being prosecuted. The trial had been set to begin on March 4. In August, Trump pleaded not guilty in federal court to all four federal charges stemming from Smith’s investigation into 2020 election interference and the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. Smith filed an argument to dispute Trump’s claim of presidential immunity in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected Smith’s appeal to expedite their assessment of the immunity claim before it went fully through a federal appeals court. Trump’s legal team asked the court to deny Smith’s request. Fox News’ William Mears and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mike Pence’s brother not running for House re-election in 2024
Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind., brother of former Vice President Mike Pence, announced he is not running for re-election to the House of Representatives this year. “In 2017, I ran for Congress because I was Ready to Serve Again. As a former Marine Officer, I approached the job with purpose. After three terms, I’ve made the decision to not file for re-election,” Greg Pence said on Tuesday morning. “For the remainder of my term this year, our team will continue to focus on delivering outstanding constituent services. To the voters in Indiana’s 6th District – it is a privilege and honor to represent you in our Nation’s capital.” HUNTER BIDEN, MAYORKAS, FAUCI: HOUSE LAWMAKERS RETURN FROM HOLIDAYS FOR A HIGH-PROFILE WEEK Greg Pence is the latest lawmaker to announce he is leaving Congress, joining more than a dozen House Republicans who have said they are not seeking another term at the end of 2024. It comes against the backdrop of a tumultuous 118th Congress, which saw several historic firsts, including the House toppling its own speaker for the first time. With just a razor-thin majority, the House GOP Conference has been fraught with division over both social and fiscal issues. HOUSE, SENATE RELEASE BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT ON GOVERNMENT FUNDING AS SHUTDOWN DEADLINES LOOM The 2024 election cycle is expected to see many of those same tensions flare up, particularly with former President Trump expected to win the GOP presidential nomination. Greg Pence represents Indiana’s 6th Congressional District, which was held by his brother, the former vice president, for roughly a decade until 2013. WHERE NO CONGRESS HAS GONE BEFORE: FACING GALACTIC-SCALE FISCAL CLIFF AND BORDER SECURITY THREATS The former vice president’s relationship with Trump ruptured in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump criticized Mike Pence for not rejecting the 2020 electoral college results, prompting the former president’s supporters to turn on him. Rioters who broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6 were heard calling for Mike Pence to be hanged. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Mike Pence, who challenged Trump for the 2024 nomination but dropped out in late October, has maintained that he did the right thing in certifying the election results and accused the former president of endangering his family.
Arizona governor declares protecting groundwater, tackling school voucher costs top priorities for 2024
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has vowed to bring accountability to a school voucher program that’s expected to top $900 million this year and update laws that allow for the nearly unfettered use of groundwater in rural areas of the drought-stricken state. The Democratic governor, making her second annual state of the state address Monday as the Legislature began its regular session, also leveled criticism at the federal government. She blamed it for closing a key port of entry along the Arizona-Mexico border for one month because of a surge of immigrants and touted her decision to send National Guard members to the international boundary in response to the crisis. The state is facing a $400 million shortfall in this current budget year and another $450 million deficit in the coming year. Those numbers are mainly due to the skyrocketing costs of a 2022 expansion of the voucher program and a 2021 tax cut that took full effect last year and reduced incoming tax revenues by about 30% from July through November. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS USING FAKE PASSPORTS TO POSE AS MINORS WHEN CROSSING US-MEXICO BORDER Budget analysts say the shortfall will likely grow when the state’s next revenue forecast is released later this month. Democrat lawmakers concede the tax cut won’t likely go away, but they want to overhaul the voucher program. “We will rein in wasteful spending without sacrificing public safety and public education,” Hobbs said in the prepared text. “We will establish guardrails on unaccountable programs without hurting hard-working families.” Hobbs also called for creating a new division in state government to oversee the affordability of prescription drugs, capping prices on commonly used drugs such as insulin and preventing huge price hikes. And she promised to work to help solve Arizona’s housing crisis with initiatives including a new mortgage assistance program for working-class families. Water will also be a focus for the Legislature amid a severe, long-term drought in the arid southwestern state. Concerns are growing in Arizona about future shortages from the Colorado River system, which supplies about 40% of the state’s water. Hobbs noted her crackdown last year on a Saudi-operated farm that residents feared was depleting precious groundwater for thirsty alfalfa crops. And she promised to do more to protect water this year. “For decades, rural Arizonans who have begged, demanded, and fought to protect their groundwater have been ignored,” she said. “Now, after forty years of waiting, it’s time we finally take action and update our groundwater management laws.” ARIZONA FARMS FACE WATER CRISIS AS DROUGHT DEPLETES AQUIFERS Hobbs said she had directed the Arizona Department of Water Resources to finalize a new, alternative way for water providers and communities to achieve a 100-year assured water supply through the reduction of groundwater pumping and contributions of new water sources. That would affect far-flung communities in metro Phoenix where subdivision construction has been paused due to concerns about insufficient groundwater. Kathryn Sorensen, director of research for Arizona State University’s Kyl Center for Water Policy, said she was struck by Hobbs’ promise to legislators who have refused to act on water issues: “If you don’t, I will.” Sorensen also said Hobbs’ call for bipartisan cooperation on the future of Arizona was important as she “reminded everyone that water is a nonpartisan issue and we can achieve more by working together.” Regarding education, the school voucher program that Hobbs wants to rein in lets parents use public money for private-school tuition and other education costs. It started in 2011 as a small program for disabled children but was expanded repeatedly over the next decade and became available to all students in 2022. Originally estimated to cost $64 million for the current fiscal year, the program could ultimately top $900 million, budget analysts say. Critics say the expansion is a drain on the state, while backers say the expansion lets parents choose the best school for their children. Sen. John Kavanagh, a Republican who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Hobbs’ ideas for changing the voucher program won’t have any chance of getting through the Legislature. “We are not going to regulate schools that parents choose and are working well,” Kavanagh said. THESE STATES PLAN AN AGGRESSIVE UNIVERSAL SCHOOL CHOICE PUSH IN 2024: ‘TEACHERS UNIONS OVERPLAYED THEIR HAND’ Hobbs vowed to bring accountability when she began her term a year ago as the first Democratic governor since 2009. Despite her criticism, the budget proposals negotiated by Hobbs last year didn’t include any caps on the expansion, leading Democratic lawmakers to express dissatisfaction with the lack of action. She’s now proposing such changes as requiring private schools that receive voucher funding have minimum education requirements for teachers and that students attend public school for 100 days before becoming eligible for the vouchers. She reiterated a desire for accountability and transparency in the program. Before the speech, Republican Sen. Jake Hoffman said Hobbs’ approach to vouchers would “destroy an empowering program that has helped hundreds of thousands of people, not just in their academic studies, but throughout their life.” Hobbs also lambasted what she said has been Washington’s “ongoing failure to secure our southern border -– a failure decades in the making under both Democratic and Republican administrations.” Among the “misguided efforts” by federal officials was the recent monthlong closure of the border crossing in Lukeville, Arizona, Hobbs said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection called the move necessary to free up personnel to help Border Patrol agents apprehend and process hundreds of migrants entering the U.S. illegally. But the closure “did nothing to actually solve our immigration crisis but did hurt businesses and families,” Hobbs said. ARIZONA BORDER CROSSING REOPENS FOLLOWING CLOSURE DUE TO ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ INFLUX OF ILLEGAL CROSSINGS She noted that she had sent National Guard troops to the border to help support overwhelmed Border Patrol agents with support duties and is now seeking funding for her Operation SECURE, an office inside the Arizona Department of Homeland Security that aims to better coordinate the state’s response to border issues.
‘They’re targeting us’: Sudan’s army cracks down on democracy activists
When the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces captured Sudan’s second-largest city, Wad Madani, tens of thousands of people fled and sought safety in regions still under the army’s control. Mohamad Osman* was among them, but military intelligence arrested him as he was trying to flee on December 27. He was taken to a secret detention centre – commonly referred to as a “ghost house” in Sudan – where the army quickly found out that he was a member of the Kalakla resistance committee, one of many neighbourhood groups that spearheaded the pro-democracy movement before the war. For five days, Osman was electrocuted and forced to look at seven corpses rotting on the cold concrete floor. He was going to be number eight. Luckily, a friend in the military bailed him out. Osman is one of dozens of Sudanese activists who have been arrested and tortured in ghost houses by military intelligence in recent weeks, even as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) threatens to defeat the army and capture all of Sudan. “The first thing they asked him was if he was a member of the resistance committees,” said Somaya Noon*, a spokesperson for the Kalakla resistance committee. “We know they’re targeting us.” Many of those being detained are members of the resistance committees, which played an instrumental role in organising mass protests to bring down Sudan’s autocratic former President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. People displaced by the conflict get on top of a truck in Wad Madani on December 16, 2023 [AFP] Four years later, the RSF and army – former bedfellows and relics of al-Bashir’s regime – ignited a devastating civil war by turning on each other. The former has been accused of grave crimes including ethnically motivated killings and sexual violence against women and girls. The army, which is suspected of harbouring Bashir-era loyalists tied to Sudan’s Islamist movement, is also accused of failing to protect civilians and settling scores against pro-democracy activists, according to several resistance committee members. “What is happening is the political revenge by cadres of the former regime who are in the security forces,” said Hassan al-Tayb*, a resistance committee member in Port Sudan, the army’s stronghold and Sudan’s de facto administrative capital since the war. ‘Sleeper cells’ The army frequently accuses resistance committee members of being RSF sleeper cells, but activists believe this is a pretext to punish them for their role in bringing down al-Bashir. “There are some people in the army that say volunteers and activists cooperate with the RSF. But this is not correct,” said Yousif Omer*, a resistance committee member in the city. “I believe these are political arrests. Many of the activists being taken were active during the revolution [that brought down al-Bashir]. Now, they are facing baseless accusations,” Omer told Al Jazeera. Sudanese Armed Forces General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan speaks in Khartoum, Sudan [File: Marwan Ali/AP Photo] Al Jazeera sent messages to army spokesman Nabil Abdallah asking him for comment about the arrests of activists, but received no response by the time of publication. Meanwhile, Sudanese activists accuse the army of devoting more efforts to crack down on them than to fight the RSF. Many pointed to the army’s rapid withdrawal from Wad Madani in mid-December, which allowed the paramilitary to capture the city. Wad Madani was a safe haven for hundreds of thousands of people displaced from the capital Khartoum and surrounding cities earlier in the war, many of whom just had to flee again when the RSF attacked. Some activists went to nearby Sennar state, where they were arrested by military intelligence. “Many friends were detained … there isn’t just one case but quite a few. We just hope they will be released soon,” Omer told Al Jazeera. Threat to legitimacy? Since the war erupted in April 2023, resistance committees have mobilised to evacuate civilians from neighbourhoods caught in the crossfire, power hospitals and distribute food and medicine to those in need. But activists are now pausing their initiatives for fear of arrest. “Right now, I stopped all my work,” Omer said. “To be honest, we’re scared of military intelligence. We just don’t feel like we can move freely to do our work.” Other activists said the army has imposed heavy security measures and set up checkpoints that restrict the movement of civilians and hampered the delivery of aid. River Nile State issues order disbanding neighbourhood service committees. They have been crucial since 2019 in securing basics for their neighbourhoods. This could be a major blow for the local emergency rescue committees in River Nile State. It is a blow to grassroots activism. https://t.co/ZmY6dVcYqZ — Mohanad Hashim (@moehash1) January 8, 2024 In River Nile state, the governor even issued an order to disband resistance committees and reform them according to strict guidelines set by the governor, who also barred members of old committees from joining the new ones. Hamid Khalafallah, a Sudanese expert and an active member of the resistance committees before he fled the country in May, told Al Jazeera that the army is restricting and impeding international aid. “There is a bit of a shift by international aid agencies, who now wish to work with local groups because they have seen that [working through the army] has resulted in very little aid reaching people,” Khalafallah told Al Jazeera from Manchester, United Kingdom. He added that because the army feels that resistance committees threaten its legitimacy and tries to disrupt them, vulnerable communities will face more hardship if local relief is stamped out or scaled back. “I imagine the military is not very happy about possibly losing an opportunity to exploit or divert aid,” he added. Crushing civil space Resistance committees have also drawn ire for calling for an end to the war, for the RSF to dissolve and for the army to surrender to a civilian government, according to al-Tayb from Port Sudan. “The [army] is against any activist that does not support the war or the return of the former regime,”
Former US President Donald Trump attends court for immunity hearing
The presidential candidate is accused of plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden. Former US President Donald Trump has arrived at a Washington court for an appeals hearing as he seeks to be declared immune from prosecution on charges that he plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost. The outcome of the arguments heard in the court will not only have ramifications for the criminal case against Trump but also for the broader and legally untested question of whether an ex-president can be prosecuted for acts committed while in the White House. Special counsel Jack Smith, who brought the case against Trump, is eager to get the case to trial before November’s election, in which Trump is running again. The case has been put on hold for the appeal. Trump’s lawyers are not only seeking to dismiss the case but are also hoping to benefit from a protracted appeals process that could delay the trial past its scheduled March 4 start date, even potentially after the election. Trump is not required to attend Tuesday’s arguments, especially as the Republican presidential caucuses in the state of Iowa are one week away, but his appearance signals how important this case is for his re-election campaign. “Of course I was entitled, as President of the United States and Commander in Chief, to immunity,” Trump wrote on social media. “I was looking for voter fraud, and finding it which is my obligation to do, and otherwise running our Country.” While former presidents have enjoyed broad immunity, no former leader before Trump has ever been indicted, so courts have never addressed whether that protection extends to criminal prosecution. Trump’s lawyers argue that it does, that his prosecution would represent a departure from more than two centuries of American history and would open the door to future “politically motivated” cases. But Smith’s team argues that presidents are not entitled to absolute immunity and the acts that Trump is alleged to have carried out in the indictment – including scheming to get supporters as fake electors in battleground states and pressing his vice president, Mike Pence, to reject the count in favour of now-President Joe Biden – fall outside a president’s job. “Immunity from criminal prosecution would be particularly dangerous where, as here, the former President is alleged to have engaged in criminal conduct aimed at overturning the results of a Presidential election to remain in office beyond the allotted term,” Smith’s team wrote in a brief. “A President who unlawfully seeks to retain power through criminal means unchecked by potential criminal prosecution could jeopardise both the Presidency itself and the very foundations of our democratic system of governance,” it added. A federal judge overseeing the case against Trump had sided with Smith. Now judges on the US Court of Appeals will decide. It’s not clear how quickly they will rule on the appeal, but the court has signalled they intend to work quickly. Adblock test (Why?)
Has Pakistan’s top court cleared former PM Sharif’s way back to power?
Islamabad, Pakistan — Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appears poised to compete in the country’s February 8 legislative elections that could see him return to power, after the nation’s Supreme Court reversed its six-year-old verdict disqualifying politicians found to not be “honest and righteous”. But while some analysts said that the top court’s Monday verdict helps balance the power scales between the political class and Pakistan’s dominant military establishment, others questioned its timing. The majority 6-1 decision by a bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa overturned the Supreme Court’s own earlier judgment banning people from political participation for life if they are found guilty of a constitutional provision that demands that lawmakers have an upright moral character. The earlier judgment, the court said this week, “abridges the fundamental right of citizens to contest elections and vote for a candidate of their choice”. Raza Ahmad Rumi, a political analyst, journalist and author, said that the verdict was “not only a reversal of miscarriage of justice, but more importantly, it is a clear acknowledgement of the mistake that was made in the past under the pressure of the then-military establishment leadership.” Rumi, who is also the director at the Park Center for Independent Media (PCIM) at Ithaca College in the United States, added that the decision should not be only seen in the context of Sharif getting relief. “This is a welcome development for the entire political class,” he told Al Jazeera. “Historically, we have seen that disqualification of politicians is used as a cudgel by Pakistan’s civil and military bureaucracy since the inception of this country in 1947, and it is one of the easiest methods to eliminate them from the political arena via misuse of disqualification laws,” he said. Usama Khawar, a Lahore-based constitutional lawyer, also said that the Monday ruling would “remove the sword of Damocles” hanging over politicians who fall out of favour with the military establishment. Yet the biggest immediate beneficiary is Sharif. The then-prime minister was disqualified from office in July 2017 for violating the constitutional requirement for parliamentarians to be “honest and righteous”, after he was shown to have hidden his assets. Subsequently, in April 2018, a five-member bench of the Supreme Court led by then-Chief Justice Saqib Nisar ruled in a separate case that disqualifications like the one imposed on Sharif stand for life. Sharif, who served as prime minister twice in the 1990s, and was in the midst of a third term starting in 2013 when he was disqualified, was arrested and sent to jail days before the 2018 elections. His archrival Imran Khan, who led multiple demonstrations against Sharif on allegations of corruption, emerged victorious in those elections. Khan’s critics said the victory was made possible by help from the country’s powerful military establishment, which allegedly worked towards removing Sharif. Now those roles — and the allegations — have been reversed. Sharif’s critics say he is the beneficiary of the military’s support. No Pakistani PM has ever managed to complete their tenure, while the military has directly ruled the country for more than three decades. Khan, the former cricketer-turned-politician, was himself ousted in April 2022 through a parliamentary vote of no confidence. He is currently imprisoned on charges of corruption and leaking official state secrets. Khan blames a US-led conspiracy, in collusion with the Pakistani military, for his ouster and legal troubles. Meanwhile, Sharif, who was in jail till November 2019 before he was allowed to fly to the United Kingdom on account of his ill health, stayed there for four years, before returning in November last year. Aasiya Riaz, joint director of the independent political think-tank the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), said that it did appear that Sharif’s return was conditioned on a commitment from the military that legal cases against him would be dropped — as has happened. But she pointed out that Sharif himself had been the victim of the army’s ire previously. Asad Rahim Khan, a constitutional lawyer, said the judgement would have been “the reversal of a historical wrong if an empowered parliament had amended the Constitution.” The country’s political history, she said, showed that Pakistani politicians needed to band together in order to truly strengthen the country’s democracy. “The right to an opposition, the centrality of parliament, and the need for governments serving out their complete, five-year tenures are points to unite on,” the Lahore-based lawyer said. “If they don’t, they will continue being picked off one by one via the deep state.” Adblock test (Why?)