Video shows Israeli strike collapse multi-storey building in Beirut
NewsFeed Video captured the moment an Israeli missile attack collapsed a multi-storey apartment building in southern Beirut. Published On 22 Oct 202422 Oct 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
How India and China pulled back from a border war — and why now
India and China have reached a deal to end a military standoff at their disputed frontier, four years after a deadly clash along their border in the western Himalayas plunged ties to their lowest point in decades. Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told an Indian TV channel on Monday that the agreement on border patrols signalled that “the disengagement process with China has been completed.” While the larger border dispute remains unresolved, the deal allows for the resumption of patrols along the border in the Ladakh region by soldiers of both countries – allowing them to underscore their respective territorial claims while ensuring that the other side is following the agreement arrived at on Monday. The announcement was made on the eve of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Russian city Kazan for the BRICS summit, in which China is also participating. The pact paves the way for improved political and business ties between the Asian giants, analysts say. It could also clear the path for a potential meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which would be the first since 2020. What is in the deal? The agreement has not been made public, and few details are known. Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the pact is aimed at the “disengagement” of troops at the Line of Actual Control, or LAC, which separates Chinese and Indian-held territories. The LAC stretches from Ladakh in the west to India’s eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, parts of which are also claimed by China. It spans 3,488km (2,167 miles). As its name suggests, the LAC divides the areas of physical control rather than territorial claims. Misri did not specify whether the deal would mean the withdrawal of the tens of thousands of additional soldiers stationed by the two countries in the Ladakh region. China on Tuesday confirmed the deal on military patrols along the frontier but did not explain whether the pact covered the length of the border or just hotspots that have seen clashes. A senior military officer told the Reuters news agency that both sides would pull back their troops a little from current positions to avoid face-offs but would be allowed to patrol according to a schedule that is being worked out. Monthly review meetings and regular monitoring of the contested areas by both countries would ensure there are no violations, he added. Manoj Joshi, an analyst at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, told Al Jazeera the lack of information provided by authorities suggests negotiations may be ongoing. “If there is a formal agreement and that agreement is publicised, then we may [have a clearer idea of] what is going to happen,” he said. Many questions remain unanswered, including whether “buffer” zones that had been demarcated along the LAC and which neither side is supposed to patrol will now be abolished, he said. How did we get here? India and China have disputed their border for the past seven decades. The two countries fought a brief and bloody war over the demarcation of the border in 1962. India suffered a humiliating defeat and lost a chunk of territory in Aksai Chin, in the extreme northeast of Ladakh, which has remained a point of contention between the two countries. Diplomatic relations recovered after a series of border agreements in the 1990s. While the 1993 and 1996 agreements are often regarded as milestones, the border arrangement between India and China — which allowed them to avoid any casualties along the border for more than half a century after 1962 — has increasingly come under stress in recent years. Their troops faced off in local incidents in 2013, 2014 — when Xi was visiting India — and 2017. In 2019, India repealed Article 370 of its constitution, which guaranteed a measure of autonomy to Indian-administered Kashmir, which also included the disputed areas of Ladakh. China saw India’s move as unilaterally affecting its territory and denounced the move at the United Nations Security Council. But the 2020 clash — and the resulting deaths — took the relationship to a breaking point. Michael Kugelman, director of the Washington, DC-based Wilson Center think tank’s South Asia Institute, said this week’s deal is significant but its importance should not be overstated. “It does not end the border dispute,” Kugelman told Al Jazeera. “This is an agreement that will allow things to return to how they were in Ladakh before that crisis.” “It does not appear to call for troop disengagement in the areas where mobilisations had taken place during the Ladakh crisis,” Kugelman said. “That’s why we need to be cautious about this new agreement.” What have been key moments in the India-China relationship since 2020? June 2020: Twenty Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed in hand-to-hand fighting with clubs and staves in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh in the first deadly clashes in nearly 60 years. The deaths triggered outrage and street protests in India. The heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries drew international concerns with the UN urging both sides “to exercise maximum restraint”. New Delhi restricted investments from China, banned dozens of popular Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, and severed direct flights. The number of banned Chinese apps eventually rose to 321. January 2021: Indian and Chinese soldiers engaged in what the Indian army described as a “minor face-off” along their frontier in the northeast Indian state of Sikkim. December 2022: Minor border scuffles broke out in the Tawang sector of India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, parts of which are also claimed by China. Beijing accused Indian forces of obstructing a routine patrol while New Delhi said Chinese soldiers encroached upon Indian territory and tried to “change the status quo”. August 2023: Modi and Xi agreed to intensify efforts to disengage and de-escalate when they met briefly on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. June: Jaishankar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in
Peruvian ex-president sentenced to more than 20 years in bribery case
Alejandro Toledo is the latest Latin American leader to be implicated in the Odebrecht corruption scandal. Peruvian ex-President Alejandro Toledo has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison, the latest Latin American leader to be jailed in connection with the Odebrecht construction firm corruption scandal. Toledo was convicted of taking $35m in bribes from the Brazilian construction firm in exchange for a freeway construction contract, and was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison on Monday. “I want to go to a private clinic. I ask you please to let me get better or die at home,” Toledo said at a hearing last week, saying that he was dealing with health issues stemming from cancer. The 78-year-old former leader of the Andean nation, who served in office from 2001 to 2006, received one of the harshest sentences yet handed out in connection to Odebrecht’s campaign of bribery in exchange for political favours across the continent. During a yearlong trial, Toledo consistently denied charges of money laundering and collusion levelled against him by prosecutors. He was first arrested in the United States in 2019 after Peru requested his extradition, and was sent back there in 2022 after years of legal debate over his potential extradition. Odebrecht-related scandals have led to the jailing of officials in Peru, Panama, and Ecuador. Probes of corruption by the construction giant have also occurred in countries such as Guatemala and Mexico. The company has since changed its name to Novonor. In 2019, Peru jailed 14 top lawyers while they were investigated for allegations of providing the firm with preferential treatment in public works contracts. Toledo will serve his sentence in a prison on the outskirts of the Peruvian capital of Lima, specially constructed to house former presidents. He may soon have additional company. Two more ex-presidents, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Ollanta Humala, are under investigation in similar cases related to Odebrecht. Former President Pedro Castillo is also being detained as he faces charges of “rebellion” after a failed attempt to dissolve Congress in 2022. Adblock test (Why?)
Southeast Asia deepening dependence on fossil fuels, report warns
ASEAN’s 10 members met the entirety of region’s rise in electricity demand last year through fossil fuels, report says. Southeast Asia is at risk of deepening its dependence on fossil fuels as it tries to meet surging demand for electricity, an environmental think tank has warned. The 10 nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met the entirety of the region’s 3.6 percent rise in electricity demand last year through fossil fuels, the United Kingdom-based think tank Ember said in a report released on Tuesday. ASEAN’s share of energy generated by renewables, meanwhile, fell to 26 percent compared with 28 percent in 2022 amid a decline in hydropower production due to droughts and other extreme events, the report said. Carbon emissions grew by 6.6 percent last year, representing an additional 44 million tonnes of CO2 in the atmosphere, according to the report. Top coal polluters included Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines, while Singapore and Thailand’s emissions mostly came from natural gas, according to the report. Ember said the region’s slow energy transition means it is missing out on the benefits of renewables, including the declining cost of solar and wind power, which are now cheaper than fossil fuels. “Continuing at this pace of transition risks ASEAN becoming more dependent on fossil fuels, missing opportunities presented by emerging clean energy technologies and economics, and failing to meet climate targets,” the think tank said in its report. “Meanwhile, electricity demand continues to grow rapidly, making it more important than ever to meet this demand with clean energy.” Ember said two of the most promising long-term solutions are solar power and wind power, as hydropower faces increasing reliability issues due to droughts and changing rain patterns. The report came as the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Tuesday warned that Southeast Asia would need to invest $190bn – or five times its current rate of investment – to achieve its climate goals by 2035. Even with clean energy sources projected to meet more than one-third of the growth in energy demand, the region is still on track to increase its carbon emissions by 35 percent between now and 2050, the Paris-based intergovernmental organisation said in a report. Demand for electricity in Southeast Asia is set to grow at an annual rate of 4 percent, according to the IEA report. “Clean energy technologies are not expanding quickly enough and the continued heavy reliance on fossil fuel imports is leaving countries highly exposed to future risks,” the IEA’s executive director, Fatih Birol, said. Courtney Weatherby, the deputy director of the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia programme, said that renewables like solar power have great potential but there are still many institutional roadblocks in the way. Many ASEAN countries are trying to modernise and expand their energy generation capacity at the same time, leading to conflicting priorities, Weatherby said, while renewables still face problems like storage, grid management and the inability to produce power on demand during peak hours. “Most countries in ASEAN are coming from a relatively low starting point for solar/wind deployment and this means that even rapid expansion will not lead to a full transition in a timely manner,” Weatherby told Al Jazeera. “More importantly, the mandate for power utilities is to ensure that the power supply is stable and reliable in order to ensure both access to power for consumers and also support ongoing economic development through attracting investment, often in manufacturing,” she added. Adblock test (Why?)
Harvey Weinstein diagnosed with bone marrow cancer, reports say
Jailed Hollywood producer is being treated in prison for chronic myeloid leukaemia, US media outlets report. Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been diagnosed with bone marrow cancer, media outlets in the United States have reported. Weinstein, who became the most infamous face of the #MeToo era after dozens of women accused him of sexual harassment and assault, is being treated in prison for chronic myeloid leukaemia, NBC News and ABC News reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources. Chronic myeloid leukaemia, also known as chronic myelogenous leukaemia, is a type of cancer that starts in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow and invades the blood, according to the American Cancer Society. It makes up about 15 percent of leukaemia cases in adults, according to the organisation. The reports come as Weinstein is awaiting a new trial in New York after an appeals court threw out his 2020 convictions for rape and sexual assault. The New York State Court of Appeals ruled 4-3 that the judge in the original case had wrongly allowed prosecutors to present allegations that were not part of the charges. Weinstein was not released from prison after the decision as he is also serving a 16-year prison sentence in Los Angeles for rape and sexual assault. He is also being prosecuted over a newer allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman at a Manhattan hotel in 2006. The 72-year-old film mogul last month pleaded not guilty to one count of criminal sex act in the first degree in that case. He has insisted that all sexual encounters he was involved in were consensual. Weinstein, whose production house Miramax released blockbusters such as Shakespeare In Love and Pulp Fiction, has reportedly faced a myriad of health issues since his imprisonment. Last month, he underwent emergency heart surgery to remove fluid in his lungs and heart, according to his representatives. In July, the once-powerful film executive was hospitalised for a range of conditions including COVID-19 and double pneumonia, according to his representatives. Adblock test (Why?)
Does Musk’s daily $1m giveaway constitute election interference?
Billionaire Elon Musk has pledged to award $1m every day until election day in the United States on November 5 to randomly selected registered voters who sign a petition to “support the constitution” launched by his pro-Donald Trump America Political Action Committee (PAC). Musk announced the giveaway on Saturday at an America PAC-hosted rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The scheme has come under scrutiny by legal experts as well as Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, who on Sunday asked law enforcement to launch an investigation into potential election interference. Here is more about Musk’s giveaway: Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk, who supports Donald Trump, appears on stage during an America PAC town hall in Folsom, Pennsylvania, on October 17, 2024 [Rachel Wisniewski/Reuters] Why is Elon Musk giving away money? From October 17 to November 5, Musk said he will give $1m to a randomly selected winner each day if: He or she is a registered voter. He or she is from one of the following swing states: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin or North Carolina. He or she has signed an online petition created by America PAC. Musk, 53 – who is a founder and the CEO of the electric car company Tesla and rocket producer SpaceX and owns the social media network X – has a net worth of $274.4bn, according to the Forbes real-time billionaires list. What is in the America PAC petition? Musk has repeatedly called the petition one that “upholds the US Constitution”. More precisely, the petition on a webpage belonging to the America PAC website, says: “The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I am pledging my support for the First and Second Amendments.” The webpage states, “EARN 1,000,000” in big, bold letters, flanked by two money bag emojis. Individuals who sign are supposed to enter their first name, last name, email address and cellphone number. Next to the cellphone number field in the form, a note says the number is required only to confirm that the petition signee is a legitimate voter and “no other purpose”. “Our goal is to get 1 million registered voters in swing states to sign in support of the constitution,” the website added. On Friday, the day before the giveaway announcement, the Reuters news agency reported that Alysia McMillan, who canvassed for America PAC in Wisconsin, said field organisers had reported they were missing their daily goals in terms of enlisting voters and were expecting to fall short of their ultimate goal of contacting 450,000 voters by election day. In Pennsylvania, each registered voter who signs the petition will automatically receive $100 as compensation, and an additional $100 is paid for each person who signs upon their referral. In other swing states, individuals will get $47 per successful referral. The date the petition was created and the number of signatures amassed so far were not visible on the America PAC webpage. What is America PAC? PACs raise and spend money to advocate for or against a candidate in an election. Musk formed America PAC in May to support former President Trump’s election bid this year. On October 16, it was reported that Musk had poured $75m over three months into America PAC. Originally from South Africa, Musk obtained US citizenship in 2002. For years, he voted for Democratic Party candidates. However, the relationship between Musk and the Democrats has soured during President Joe Biden’s time in office. Musk did not immediately become a Trump supporter. Instead, he threw his weight behind one of Trump’s competitors for the Republican presidential nomination, Ron DeSantis, in 2022. Trump has a vacillating history with X, formerly known as Twitter. His tweets made the news regularly leading up to his first campaign for president in 2016, which he won. He was banned from X on January 8, 2021, two days after the US Capitol was attacked by Trump supporters over the results of the 2020 election, which Biden won. However, Musk bought Twitter in October 2022. The next month, Trump’s account was reinstated. Musk posted a supportive message of Trump on X, stating: “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” after an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. Musk attended a Trump rally on October 5, wearing a black cap saying, “Make America Great Again” (MAGA), which is Trump’s campaign slogan. Why has Musk rolled out this prize scheme? Musk said the reason he is giving away the money is to generate more awareness about the America PAC petition. “The legacy media won’t report on it. Not everyone’s on X,” he said in a video of the Harrisburg rally posted on the X account of America PAC. “I think this news is going to really fly.” “You don’t even have to vote, you just have to sign a petition,” Musk said in another video posted on the same account. Is Musk’s $1m plan legal? Making a payment to someone “for registering to vote or for voting” is a federal crime, according to a document published by the US Department of Justice in December 2017. It adds that this payment does not have to be money but can also be other valuables like liquor or lottery tickets. Brendan Fischer, a campaign finance lawyer, told The Associated Press that Musk’s giveaway approaches a legal boundary. That’s because the PAC is requiring registration as a prerequisite to become eligible for the $1m prize. “There would be few doubts about the legality if every Pennsylvania-based petition signer were eligible, but conditioning the payments on registration arguably violates the law,” Fischer told the news agency. “It’s not quite the same as paying someone to vote, but you’re getting close enough that we worry about its legality,” Michael Kang, an election law professor at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, told AP. “Though maybe some of the other things Musk was doing were of murky legality, this
US veteran Daniel Penny on trial in New York for fatal subway chokehold
Penny faces up to 15 years in prison for manslaughter in the racially-charged trial. A former United States Marine is set to go on trial for putting a man in a deadly chokehold while riding a New York subway in 2023. The veteran, 25-year-old Daniel Penny, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter and four years if found guilty of the lesser offence of criminally negligent homicide. Jury selection for the high-profile trial begins Monday and could last up to a week. The trial itself could last six weeks, legal experts say. The court proceedings are putting a spotlight back on a case that sparked a national debate about race and criminal justice. Protesters gather outside the Manhattan Criminal Court on the first day of former US Marine Daniel Penny’s trial for the death of Jordan Neely in New York City, US, October 21, 2024 [Caitlin Ochs/Reuters] Homeless man Penny, who is white, is accused of “recklessly causing the death” of Neely, a black homeless street performer who witnesses say was acting erratically on a subway train on May 1, 2023, when Penny tried to restrain him. Witnesses to the incident said Neely – who relatives say had struggled with drug addiction and mental illness – was shouting and demanding money when Penny approached him. Penny pinned Neely to the ground with the help of two other passengers and placed him in a chokehold for more than three minutes until Neely’s body went limp. The medical examiner’s office ruled the death a homicide caused by compression of the neck. Penny’s lawyers argued that he didn’t intend to kill Neely, just to hold him down long enough for police to arrive. Penny, who is from Long Island to the east of the city, has claimed Neely shouted, “I’m gonna’ kill you” and that he was “ready to die” or go to jail for life. Penny’s attorney, Steven Raiser, said the defence plans to offer up other potential causes for Neely’s death, including high levels of the synthetic cannabinoid known as K2 found in his body. They’ll also argue that footage shared widely on social media proves Penny was not applying pressure consistently enough to render Neely unconscious, let alone kill him. Prosecutors, in their court filings, have argued that Penny’s actions were reckless and negligent, even if he didn’t intend to kill Neely. After Neely’s death in 2023, protesters took to the streets demanding that authorities arrest Penny, while others gathered outside the courthouse to show their support once he was charged. Police officers operate as people protest the death of Jordan Neely in New York City, US, May 8, 2023 [Andrew Kelly/Reuters] Numerous right-wing US politicians took up Penny’s cause, with Florida governor and failed Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis saying: “We stand with Good Samaritans like Daniel Penny. Let’s show this Marine … America’s got his back.” The New York City subway system is one of the world’s largest public transit systems, with 472 stations and 399km (248 miles) of routes, and a daily ridership of approximately 3.6 million people. Penny, who served four years in the Marines, has been free pending his trial on a $100,000 bond. Neely’s uncle, Christopher Neely, said he and his other family members are hopeful about the outcome of the trial. “Justice for Jordan is all we think about,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Seoul demands ‘immediate withdrawal’ of North Korean troops in Russia
South Korea summons Russian ambassador over Pyongyang’s alleged dispatch of soldiers to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine. South Korea has summoned the Russian ambassador to criticise Pyongyang’s decision to send hundreds of soldiers to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says as it calls for their immediate withdrawal. In Pyongyang’s first such deployment overseas, about 1,500 special forces soldiers have arrived in Russia and are likely to head to the front lines after acclimatising, Seoul’s spy agency said Friday, adding that additional forces are set to depart soon. South Korea has long accused the nuclear-armed North of supplying Russia with weapons for use in Ukraine, and the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un, signed a military deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June. Seoul expressed its “grave concerns regarding North Korea’s recent dispatch of troops to Russia and strongly urged the immediate withdrawal of North Korean forces”, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun told Russian Ambassador Georgiy Zinoviev on Monday. Seoul’s spy agency released detailed satellite images showing what it said was the first batch of 1,500 North Korean special forces from the elite “Storm Corps” to arrive in Vladivostok on Russian military vessels. Any military cooperation between the two countries violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, Vice Foreign Minister Kim said. “We condemn North Korea’s illegal military cooperation, including its dispatch of troops to Russia, in the strongest terms,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry quoted him as saying. “We will respond jointly with the international community by mobilising all available means against acts that threaten our core security interests.” Zinoviev “stressed that cooperation between Russia and North Korea … is not directed against the interests of South Korea’s security”, the Russian embassy said in a statement. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said on Monday that Moscow will “continue developing this cooperation further”. “North Korea is our close neighbour and partner, and we develop relations in all areas, and it’s our sovereign right,” he told journalists in Moscow while declining to comment on whether Russia is using North Korean troops. Later on Monday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol spoke to NATO chief Mark Rutte, urging the alliance to take “concrete countermeasures” against growing Russian-North Korean cooperation. NATO has not yet confirmed the North Korean troop deployment, but Rutte said in a post on X that it “would mark a significant escalation” in the conflict. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who was in Seoul on Monday, called Russia’s actions “reckless and illegal” and added that London would work with Seoul to respond, according to Yoon’s office. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Pyongyang of preparing to send 10,000 soldiers to Russia and on Sunday called for a strong international reaction. The United States said on Friday it could not confirm reports that North Korean troops were fighting but said, if true, it would be a “dangerous development” in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel ‘demolished’ watchtower in latest attack on UN Lebanon peacekeepers
UNIFIL says Israeli forces ‘deliberately’ damaged one of its positions in southern Lebanon. United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon have said the Israeli army “deliberately” damaged one of their positions in southern Lebanon, in the latest incident reported by the force that remains deployed in all of its positions. An Israeli “army bulldozer deliberately demolished an observation tower and perimeter fence of a UN position” in southern Lebanon, the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement, adding that its forces remain in all positions “despite the pressure being exerted”. “We remind the [Israeli forces] and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times,” the statement said. It called on Israel to stop breaching UN positions, which is considered “a flagrant violation of international law”. Israel had recently claimed that the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was attacking Israel from positions located in close proximity to posts of the UN peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon – an accusation that Hezbollah denies. On Wednesday, UNIFIL said that an Israeli tank had fired on one of its watchtowers in southern Lebanon. This came after UN peacekeepers in Lebanon had come under fire several times days before, with at least four soldiers injured. Last week UNIFIL said two Israeli tanks “destroyed” the main gate at one of its positions in southern Lebanon and “forcibly entered the position”. Israel has fired on several front-line UNIFIL positions since it launched a ground incursion into southern Lebanon in early October, claiming it aims to dismantle the infrastructure of Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese group that has been trading fire with the Israeli army in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Israel’s strikes have been widely condemned, including by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said that attacks against UN peacekeepers were a violation of international law and “may constitute a war crime”. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he demands Guterres get UNIFIL troops out of “combat zones”, alleging that their presence was providing a “human shield” for Hezbollah. But the UN maintains that the mission – with members from 50 countries – is not going anywhere. UNIFIL has monitored the border region between Israel and Lebanon since 1978. More than 10,000 troops from more than 50 countries have been deployed to the mission. Netanyahu has been pushing for the removal of UN peacekeepers as Israel escalates its attacks in southern Lebanon. Adblock test (Why?)
Priest shot dead in southern Mexico after leaving Sunday service
Community remembers Marcelo Perez as outspoken champion of Indigenous, labour rights in Mexican state of Chiapas. A priest known for his activism in defence of Indigenous and labour rights in Mexico has been killed after leaving church services, local authorities said. Catholic priest Marcelo Perez was returning home from church on Sunday when two men on a motorcycle pulled alongside his vehicle and shot him, prosecutors in the southern state of Chiapas said. “Father Marcelo has been a symbol of resistance and has stood alongside the communities of Chiapas for decades, defending the dignity and rights of the people and working toward true peace,” the Jesuits, Perez’s religious order, said in a statement. The killing comes amid a period of heightened violence in the southern state, which recorded about 500 murders between January and August this year. Along with the rights of Indigenous people and farmworkers, the Jesuits said Perez was also a vocal critic of organised criminal groups. “This region doesn’t just suffer from murders, but also forced recruitment (into criminal groups), kidnappings, threats and ransacking of its natural resources,” the religious order said. Mexican human rights activists and environmental defenders have long condemned violent harassment and intimidation by criminal groups and state security forces. Perez was himself a member of the Tzotzil Indigenous peoples and had served the community in Chiapas for two decades, developing a reputation as someone who could help settle disputes, especially over land. “We will collaborate with all the authorities so his death doesn’t go unpunished and those guilty face the courts,” Chipas Governor Rutilio Escandon said in a social media post, calling the assassination “cowardly”. But in Mexico, accountability for murder is the exception rather than the rule, with about 95 percent of all homicides going unsolved. Rights activists and Indigenous land defenders face high levels of violence and intimidation in Mexico. A 2023 Amnesty International report found that those groups face high levels of criminalisation and persecution as part of a “broader strategy of disincentivizing and dismantling advocacy for land, territorial and environmental rights”. The rights group also said Mexico “ranks among the countries with the highest number of murders of environmental defenders”. On Sunday, the United Nations human rights office in Mexico said “several national and international organizations had publicly warned about the growing number of threats, attacks and acts of criminalization against” Perez, the priest. It said those threats “have intensified in recent years due to his tireless work in favor of justice and the rights of Indigenous peoples”. Adblock test (Why?)