Biden denounces Florida abortion ruling as ‘outrageous’ as state vote looms
United States President Joe Biden has denounced a Florida Supreme Court decision that allows a six-week ban on abortion to take effect, calling it “outrageous” and “extreme”. In a statement released on Tuesday, Biden lashed out at Republicans for limiting reproductive rights in Florida and other US states, a key election issue in 2024. “Florida’s bans — like those put forward by Republican elected officials across the country — are putting the health and lives of millions of women at risk,” he wrote. The statement comes in response to a series of rulings from Florida’s highest court on Monday, one of which upheld a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. But that same decision is expected to pave the way for the six-week ban to go into effect, too. In April of last year, the conservative-dominated Florida state legislature passed the six-week ban to replace the 15-week one, and Governor Ron DeSantis signed it into law. However, the 15-week ban had been the subject of long-standing legal challenges. The six-week ban’s implementation hinged on whether the 15-week one could withstand the lawsuits it faced. Prior to the 15-week ban, Florida had allowed abortion through the second trimester of pregnancy, which made it a destination for those seeking the procedure from nearby states with tighter restrictions. Abortion headed to the ballot box Monday’s string of decisions from the Florida Supreme Court also tees up another battle over abortion access in the state, set to unfold in the midst of November’s heated general elections. The justices allowed a measure to be placed on the ballot that would amend the state constitution and protect abortion access “before viability” — up to around 24 weeks of pregnancy. The ballot measure passed by a vote of four to three and is known as Amendment 4 or the “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion”. It calls for the following language be inserted into the Florida constitution, “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health.” Biden referenced the ballot measure in his Tuesday statement, reaffirming his commitment to protecting “reproductive freedom in Florida and across the nation”. “Vice President [Kamala] Harris and I stand with the vast majority of Americans who support a woman’s right to choose, including in Florida, where voters will have the opportunity to make their voices heard in support of a reproductive freedom ballot initiative this November,” he wrote. Biden faces a tight campaign for re-election this November, as he is expected to run against former Republican President Donald Trump in a rematch of their 2020 race. Florida was once considered a swing state, with Republicans and Democrats competing neck and neck in key races. But in recent years, Florida has swung rightwards, with Trump winning the state over Biden in 2020. The last time Florida had a Democratic governor, for instance, was in 1999, nearly a quarter century ago. Still, experts see the question of abortion access as weighing in Democrats’ favour. The Pew Research Center found that 56 percent of adults in Florida believed abortion should be “legal in all/most cases”. Another poll (PDF), published last November by the University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab, found that 62 percent of survey participants planned to vote for the constitutional amendment protecting abortion access, if it were to appear on the ballot. A ‘blueprint’ for the US Florida is the third most populous state in the US, and as such, it carries significant weight in the Electoral College, the system the country uses to determine who wins its presidential elections. The state is entitled to 30 Electoral College votes, out of a total of 538. It is also considered a bellwether for trends in legislation nationwide, with Governor DeSantis calling Florida a “blueprint for America’s revival” in a recent book. DeSantis, a prominent conservative and former 2024 presidential contender, signed the 15-week abortion ban into law in 2022. But abortion providers and groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Reproductive Rights quickly filed complaints to prevent it from being implemented. However, in June 2022, within months of the bill’s passage, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, the 1973 decision that upheld the federal right to an abortion for nearly a half a century. That placed the question of abortion rights in the hands of the states, creating a shifting patchwork of restrictions across the country. Plaintiffs in the case before the Florida Supreme Court this week argued that the 15-week abortion ban violated the state constitution’s privacy protections, but the justices rebuffed that argument in a six-to-one vote. Privacy protections had also been the basis for the now-defunct Roe precedent at the federal level. The decision to overturn Roe featured heavily in the Florida court’s decision on Monday. “The US Supreme Court abandoned Roe’s position that the right to abortion was grounded in any sort of privacy right,” the justices wrote. “This demonstrates the tenuous connection between ‘privacy’ and ‘abortion’ — an issue that, unlike other privacy matters, directly implicates the interests of both developing human life and the pregnant woman.” The ACLU of Florida responded to the decision by calling on voters to turn out for the November election. “These strict bans have and will continue to lead to multiple tragedies as patients are unable to receive needed care after the arbitrary deadline,” it wrote in a statement. “In the face of a six-week abortion ban, Floridians now have the chance to assert their will at the ballot box, shaping a Florida that is free from government interference in abortion.” Adblock test (Why?)
Israel’s planned Al Jazeera ban condemned
NewsFeed A new Israeli law that permits the banning of foreign news networks, including Al Jazeera, is being received with sharp criticism from governments and press freedom groups. Published On 2 Apr 20242 Apr 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Violence flares again in Haiti as PM questions promised political solution
Panic descends in Haiti’s capital as police and gangs exchange fire overnight, while political leaders continue to debate the formation of a transition council. Violence has flared again in Haiti, with gangs engaging in running gun battles with police, as the effort to push forward with a political solution to the crisis drags on. Gangs launched an armed attack overnight on Monday, clashing with police in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The violence came as Prime Minister Ariel Henry appeared to question the promised establishment of a transitional council, planned to oversee the instalment of a new government. Witnesses said gunfire broke out in the area of Champ de Mars, a big public park near the national palace, which is the presidential residence. The renewed violence, following weeks of chaos, ignited panic among residents. At least five people were reported to have been killed around the city overnight, while scores were trapped for hours in the city centre. At least four police officers were reported to have been wounded. Local media reports said police were forced to flee an armoured vehicle, which was then set on fire by the gangs. The violence flared as outgoing Prime Minister Ariel Henry cast doubt upon the promised formation of a broad transitional council. Racked for decades by poverty, natural disasters, political instability and gang violence, Haiti has had no president since the assassination of Jovenel Moise in 2021 and it has no sitting parliament. Its last election was held in 2016. It descended into chaos in late February, when the country’s powerful armed gangs launched a campaign of violence, attacking police stations, prisons, and the airport. More than 1,500 people were killed in the first three months of this year and about 60 were lynched by vigilante groups operating where police presence was lacking, according to a United Nations report. The gangs demanded that Henry, who took power without being elected following Moise’s death, step down. Henry, who remains stranded outside Haiti, announced on March 11 that he would do so once a transitional council, which would name a new prime minister, had been established. However, its formation has been mired in disagreement among political parties and other stakeholders since. Further raising the stakes, in a statement on Monday, Henry’s office suggested that the council has not yet been formed because Haiti’s constitution does not allow for such a body. Henry is seeking advice from CARICOM, the Caribbean regional body overseeing this urgent transition process, the statement said. Mexican citizens board a helicopter while being evacuated from Haiti by the Mexican Navy, in Port-au-Prince on Monday [Mexican Foreign Ministry/Handout via Reuters] In the meantime, as the gang violence continues, Haitians are ensnared in a severe humanitarian crisis with shortages of food, medicine and other basics. The new US ambassador to Haiti, Dennis Hankins, arrived in the country on Monday, as the United States and other nations continue evacuating their citizens. Mexico evacuated 34 of its nationals the same day, including seven minors and four diplomatic officials, on board a military ship. Adblock test (Why?)
Tourist numbers up in post-war Afghanistan
His soldier son toured Afghanistan with fighters in his crosshairs, but US traveller Oscar Wells has a different objective – sightseeing promoted by the Taliban’s fledgling tourism sector. Marvelling at the 15th century Blue Mosque in northern Mazar-i-Sharif, 65-year-old Wells is among a small but rising number of travellers visiting Afghanistan since the war’s end. Decades of conflict made tourism in Afghanistan extremely rare, and while most violence has now abated, visitors are still confronted with extreme poverty, dilapidated cultural sites and scant hospitality infrastructure. They holiday under the austere control of the Taliban authorities, and without consular support, with most embassies evacuated following the fall of the Western-backed government in 2021. They must register with officials on arrival in each province, comply with a strict dress code and submit to searches at checkpoints. ISIL (ISIS) attacks also pose a potential threat in the country. The number of foreign tourists visiting Afghanistan rose 120 percent year on year in 2023, reaching nearly 5,200, according to official figures. The Taliban government has yet to be officially recognised by any country, in part because of its heavy restrictions on women, but it has welcomed foreign tourism. “Afghanistan’s enemies don’t present the country in a good light,” said Information and Culture Minister Khairullah Khairkhwa. “But if these people come and see what it’s really like,” he added, “they will definitely share a good image of it.” Wells, on a trip with travel company Untamed Borders, which also offers tours of Syria and Somalia, describes his visit as a way to connect with Afghanistan’s people. He describes a “sense of guilt for the departure” of United States troops. “I really felt we had a horrible exit, it created such a vacuum and disaster,” he said. “It’s good to help these people and keep relations.” For solo traveller Stefanie Meier, a 53-year-old US citizen who spent a month travelling from Kabul to Kandahar via Bamiyan and Herat in the west, it was a “bittersweet experience”. “I have been able to meet people I never thought I would meet, who told me about their life,” she said, adding that she did not face any issues as a woman on her own. She did experience “disbelief that people have to live like this”, she added. “The poverty, there are no jobs, women not being able to go to school, no future for them.” Adblock test (Why?)
Anti-Assad Syrians lead protests against prison torture by rebel group
Binnish, Syria – Despite the dangers of dissent, people in northwestern Syria have been taking to the streets in recent weeks to protest an armed group formed out of an al-Qaeda breakaway faction. The protests against Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls a large portion of Idlib province, began on February 25 in Sarmada, near the Syria-Turkey border. Prompted by the treatment of prisoners by the group’s security arm, the General Security Service (GSS), protesters carry banners calling HTS prisons “slaughterhouses”. Protests with hundreds of participants have now taken place across Idlib. In Binnish, 29-year-old Mohammed Ali Basha spent the night before an anti-HTS protest last week preparing flags and banners with his friends. The activist painted three red stars on the green, white and black backdrop of the Syrian opposition’s flag. A large banner being prepared displays the message Basha and his fellow protesters want to put across: that the Syrian revolution – which began in 2011 – is not just against the country’s President Bashar al-Assad, but against all “tyrants”. “All of them means all of them,” it says, a slogan long adopted by members of the Syrian opposition to indicate their opposition to autocrats of all persuasions. And for Basha, that includes HTS and its leader, Abu Mohamad al-Jolani. “Our protests against HTS resemble our early demonstrations against Bashar al-Assad and his regime because in both cases we have taken to the streets to denounce injustice and preserve our dignity and freedom,” Basha told Al Jazeera. “Over the past few years, I have noticed the injustice practised against the people of the liberated areas [not controlled by al-Assad], and how the security branches affiliated with HTS have begun to commit the same criminal acts committed by al-Assad’s security forces, such as killing under torture and arbitrary detention.” Mohammed Ali Basha, right, and a friend prepare flags for their anti-HTS protest [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] Tortured to death Ahmad Alhakim said he knows all too well what can happen in an HTS prison. His brother, Abdulqadir, was tortured to death in one, he told Al Jazeera. Abdulqadir, 27, a father of three and a fighter in the Jaish al-Ahrar opposition group, was arrested by HTS last year on charges of dealing with foreign powers. “They abducted my brother for 10 months without us being able to know his whereabouts, any information about him, or even appoint a lawyer to pursue his case,” Alhakim said. In mid-February, Alhakim was told by a released detainee that Abdulqadir had died after being tortured in prison. His death was confirmed to Jaish al-Ahrar by HTS on February 22. “We demanded that the General Security Service hand over my brother’s body, but they told us that they buried him and gave us the address of the burial place,” Alhakim said, describing it as a large trench where many bodies were buried – a mass grave. “There were many graves without names, only numbered.” Protesters have braved potential reprisals from HTS to denounce it and its leader, Abu Mohamad al-Jolani [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] Calls to overthrow al-Jolani It was Abdulqadir’s death that sparked the protest movement, which quickly spread to Idlib’s main towns. In Binnish the next day, Basha and his fellow activists took their banners and flags and headed to the town centre to join the few dozen people who had gathered. Much of the anger was directed towards the HTS leader al-Jolani, with protesters calling for his removal in areas controlled by HTS and its affiliated Salvation Government, and its replacement by an elected body. “The era of slavery and tyranny ended with the start of the Syrian revolution in 2011, and the Syrian people, after paying dearly to gain their freedom and dignity, will not allow it to be taken away from them,” Basha said. It is a brave stance to take. Idlib province largely remains under the control of Syrian opposition fighters, dominated by HTS after it gradually forced out other opposition factions and monopolised governance of the region. HTS – designated a “terrorist” group by the European Union, Turkey and the United States – formed in 2017 as an alliance of several factions opposed to al-Assad in the country’s ongoing war. The principal force in the alliance was Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly an affiliate of al-Qaeda known as the Nusra Front. HTS has attempted to rebrand itself over the years, severing ties with al-Qaeda and portraying itself as a more moderate group with local aims, with al-Jolani even going as far as to give an interview to US media outlet PBS. It became the most powerful rebel group in northwestern Syria but opposition to its rule is increasing, with activists deeming it vital to break the silence over the group’s violence and grip on security. At an event in Idlib city, 30-year-old activist Abdulrahman, who did not wish to give his full name, reiterated the movement’s demands. “We want the release of all prisoners of conscience, the disclosure of the fate of those missing in the prisons, and dissolving and restructuring the General Security Service,” he said. Promises to meet demands As an initial response to the protests, HTS held meetings – chaired by al-Jolani – between ministers in the Salvation Government and community elites and village elders who presented the protesters’ demands and received promises to fulfil them. “The protests … in the streets against Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham and the Salvation Government are natural and we do not view them in any other context,” said the HTS media office. “We’re confident that those who work make mistakes and all protests aim to correct these mistakes that have recently transpired.” HTS told Al Jazeera the protesters’ demands were complex and resolving them would require some time. For example, it said, wider participation in the group’s leadership Shura Council would take time to recruit community representatives from different areas. Anti-HTS protests have continued in Idlib despite these attempted assurances. However, as of yet, there have been no confirmed
DR Congo president names Judith Suminwa Tuluka as first woman PM
Judith Suminwa says she will work for peace and the development of the country, after being appointed by President Tshisekedi. Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi has appointed the country’s first-ever female prime minister, naming planning minister Judith Suminwa to the role. An economist, she takes over as prime minister from Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, following Tshisekedi’s sweeping re-election as president on December 20. Tshisekedi’s inauguration for a second term in January kick-started a lengthy search for a majority coalition in the National Assembly – a key step before a prime minister could be named and a government formed. “I am aware of the great responsibility … We will work for peace and the development of the country,” Suminwa said on national television on Monday. Tshisekedi officially triumphed with 73.47 percent of the vote in December, and the election passed largely peacefully in a country long torn by violence and instability. The opposition branded the ballot a sham. Voting was officially extended by a day due to logistical snarls, and polls were open for days afterwards in remote areas. PM’s challenges Parties supporting Tshisekedi garnered more than 90 percent of the seats in parliament, allowing him to legislate with ease. The new prime minister will be tasked with pushing the president’s declared priorities of employment, youth, women and national cohesion for the nation of about 100 million people. Tshisekedi first became president in 2019 promising to improve living conditions in the DR Congo – which boasts mineral riches but has a largely impoverished population – and put an end to 25 years of bloodshed in the east. The president failed to keep those promises, but he campaigned for a second term on his achievements such as free primary medication, asking for another mandate to “consolidate” the progress. According to the United Nations, some seven million people have been internally displaced by conflict in the DR Congo, one of the world’s poorest countries. The security situation has worsened in North Kivu province, where a Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 has seized swathes of territory over the last two years. Adblock test (Why?)
In Washington, DC: Celebrating Ramadan, protesting Israel’s siege of Gaza
Washington, DC – Forty-eight folding chairs, but will it be enough? “It’s OK, some of us will stand,” said 60-year-old Haitham Arafat, a soft-spoken, bespectacled man in a keffiyeh and a canary yellow shirt. But soon, more chairs arrived, and were quickly lined up along 40 metres (131 feet) of table that stretched along a street facing the Israeli embassy in the northwest corner of this US capital city. A row of Ramadan lanterns lit the place settings ahead of the iftar meal. “We break fast here every day,” said Arafat, who has been coming to the embassy for the last 21 days as part of a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week protest. “But today is special.” The long-haul demonstration began 35 days ago, inspired by a sister demonstration outside the Virginia home of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. That protest – dubbed Kibbutz Blinken – has been going for 68 consecutive days. Protesters set up an iftar table in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC [Joseph Stepansky/Al Jazeera] But on Sunday, family and friends of protesters were invited to attend an iftar meal at the Israeli embassy. Arafat described it as the latest effort to show the community’s resolve as the killings and deprivation in Gaza continue. Like many of those gathered, Arafat simply would not entertain the notion that fasting for Ramadan was a burden, noting that he has personally lost about 100 relatives in northern Gaza since October 7. “With the massacres that are happening in Palestine, the starvation, this is nothing compared to what they are experiencing,” he said, his voice growing sharper as he spoke. “If we can just experience a little bit of their hardship, just to show them that ‘Hey, we think of you every day, we’re doing our best to stop this madness.’” Soon, Nora Burgan began dispensing hot drinks and cups of tomato and lentil soup to ward off the brisk air of early spring. Salad, dates, kebabs, rice and hummus were spread along the table’s expanse. People took their seats, sitting along one side of the table under a sky that had threatened rain earlier but was now beginning to clear. Nora Burgan loads cups of soup onto a tray for iftar [Joseph Stepansky/Al Jazeera] “It’s not meant to be a feast,” Burgan told Al Jazeera. “It’s not perfect, but we will share whatever food we have … very simple, humble and accepting of community and this moment.” “We want to always think about Gaza, a free Gaza and a free Palestine,” she told those who had gathered for iftar. As of Monday, the official death toll in Gaza had reached 32,845, with humanitarian organisations continuing to warn of impending famine while accusing Israel of blocking the delivery of food, medicine and other supplies to the enclave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that Israeli forces will move ahead with an offensive in the southern city of Rafah, where most of Gaza’s displaced have fled. Meanwhile, warnings from US President Joe Biden’s administration have not yielded any substantive changes on the ground in Gaza. Last week, the Washington Post reported the administration had signed off on yet more weapons transfers to Israel, including one-tonne (2,000-pound) bombs linked to mass casualty events. Ahmed Afifi hands out food during iftar at a protest in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC [Joseph Stepansky/Al Jazeera] ‘Unapologetically out here’ As the day’s fast broke and the evening turned a darker shade of blue, Hazami Barmada, the activist who spearheaded the camps at Blinken’s home and the Israeli embassy, stood over the now-crowded span of table. “We are unapologetically out here breaking bread, side by side in solidarity on a main road, in front of the very thing that does not want us to be here,” said Barmada, whose watermelon earrings danced while her 16-month-old son shifted his weight in her arms. Barmada has learned a lot about this type of protesting in recent months. The demonstration at Blinken’s home began with just Barmada and a few others, who began to stay around the clock. At the end of February, she landed in the emergency room with a fever of more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). But the effort has become more formalised since, with schedules and rotating shifts to relieve some of the pressure on the protesters, as well as providing them with a support system to help with needs such as child care or transportation. Barmada believes that the unrelenting demonstration is unique in its ability to shine a light on the public outrage over what is happening in Gaza. A protest camp is seen in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC [Joseph Stepansky/Al Jazeera] Barmada has also become adept at making sure the demonstrations remain peaceful and in compliance with local regulations, while also managing to confront counterprotesters, angry embassy staff and the ever-present US Secret Service and local police. Demonstrators document their interactions to avoid false charges that could conceivably shut down the protests, she said. ‘Part of resistance is finding joy’ Some protesters have been involved in the marathon demonstration since the beginning, and others have just joined. “I think it’s a moral boost for us coming out here and being in a community,” said 41-year-old Jinan Deena, who waved a Palestinian flag in front of the embassy in what she said was her second day of protesting there. Hazami Barmada glances at the Israeli embassy as she speaks to those gathered for iftar [Joseph Stepansky/Al Jazeera] “But also seeing the symbolism of an Israeli embassy being occupied by Palestinians. It’s kind of like a reverse occupation,” Deena said. The scene reflects the deep divide that is inherent in the conflict, with photos of bloodied Gazan children surrounded by Palestinian flags and signs reading “Genocide is Not Self Defense” and “Israel bombs babies”. On the embassy’s grounds, Israeli flags are planted in the grass or hung on external walls, next to photos of
US doubles down on its defence of arming Israel despite Gaza atrocities
Biden administration says ‘too many civilians’ killed in Gaza but reasserts commitment to supporting Israel in war. Washington, DC – The United States has defended its arms transfers to Israel, reasserting its commitment to the country’s security despite growing concerns about rights abuses in the Gaza Strip. Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller was asked on Monday whether recent weapons transfers, which included fighter jets and 900kg (2,000lb) bombs, damaged the “credibility” and “sincerity” of US statements decrying the crisis in Gaza. “I do not agree with that at all. We have been very clear that we want to see Israel do everything it can to minimise civilian casualties. We have made clear that they need to operate at all times in full compliance with international humanitarian law,” Miller said. “At the same time, we are committed to Israel’s right to self-defence, and this is a long-term commitment the United States has made.” The administration of President Joe Biden has been facing criticism over its policy of arming Israel, which critics say violates US laws prohibiting military aid and weapon sales to countries engaged in rights abuses. The Washington Post reported last week that the US had approved the transfer of billions of dollars in weapons to Israel, including thousands of bombs. Miller said on Monday that the weapons were pre-approved, stressing that the administration had notified Congress about the transfers. He gave what he called a fictional example to describe the situation: “Let’s say they requested 100 planes. We make a decision. We notify Congress. That doesn’t mean that they take 100 planes tomorrow. … They draw those down over time, and sometimes it takes years to fulfil those requests.” Still, the administration has the final say over what it chooses to transfer to Israel. Unlike with military aid to Ukraine, the Pentagon and State Department have not publicly announced and detailed what the Israeli drawdowns would entail. The weapons transfers come amid accusations that Israel is committing widespread violations of international humanitarian law — a set of rules aimed at protecting civilians in armed conflicts, including the Geneva Conventions. Witnesses and rights groups have accused Israel of indiscriminate bombing in Gaza, targeting civilian infrastructure, mistreating detainees, extrajudicial executions and using humanitarian aid as a weapon of war, among other abuses. But last week, the State Department said it has not found Israel to be in violation of international humanitarian law in any incident. On Monday, Miller argued that the ongoing US arming of Israel is not just about the war in Gaza but is also designed to help the country against regional adversaries, including Iran and Hezbollah. US officials, including Biden, have criticised Israel’s tactics in Gaza. But so far, his administration has rejected calls to place conditions on its military aid to Israel. Miller stressed that Washington regularly urges Israel to use its weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law. “We have had very frank conversations with them about the fact that far too many civilians have died through their operations and that they need to do better and take into account the need to minimise civilian harm, and we’ll continue to do that,” he said. Several progressive lawmakers have urged Biden to end his unconditional support for Israel. On this Easter, let’s ponder Netanyahu’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, which has killed more than 20,000 women and children, and his restriction of humanitarian aid, which has pushed Palestinians to the brink of famine. — Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) March 31, 2024 On Sunday, Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley invoked the Easter holiday to slam the war on Gaza. “We must also recognize that America is complicit in this tragedy by resupplying Israel with bombs and failing to use America’s leverage to increase aid delivered into Gaza,” he wrote in a series of social media posts. “Reflecting on the admonition to feed the hungry and assist the stranger, and ‘blessed are the peacemakers,’ let’s push Team Biden to do better. More aid. No bombs.” Adblock test (Why?)
Iran’s persecution of Baha’is branded ‘crime against humanity’
New report says minority group faces a ‘spectrum of abuses’, including arbitrary arrest and property confiscation. Iran’s persecution of its Baha’i minority has been branded “a crime against humanity”. Human Rights Watch alleged in a report released on Monday that Iran’s largest non-Muslim minority has faced a “spectrum of abuses” since the Islamic revolution of 1979. The New York-based NGO suggested that the case fits the remit of the International Criminal Court (ICC). HRW said among the persecution endured by the Baha’is are arbitrary arrest, property confiscation, restrictions on school and job opportunities, and the right to a dignified burial. “The cumulative impact of authorities’ decades-long systematic repression is an intentional and severe deprivation of Baha’is’ fundamental rights and amounts to the crime against humanity of persecution,” the report says. HRW argues that this falls within the scope of the ICC, whose statute defines persecution as the intentional and severe deprivation of fundamental rights contrary to international law on national, religious or ethnic grounds. The findings in the report relied on a number of varied sources, including government policies, court documents, and interviews with Baha’is in and out of Iran. According to HRW, while the intensity of violations against Baha’is “has varied over time”, the persecution of the community has remained constant, “impacting virtually every aspect of Baha’is’ private and public lives”. “In recent years, as Iranian authorities have brutally repressed widespread protests demanding fundamental political, economic, and social change in the country, the authorities have also targeted Baha’is,” the report notes. “Authorities have raided Baha’i homes, arrested dozens of Baha’i citizens and community leaders, and confiscated property owned by Baha’is.” Iran holds “extreme animus against adherents of the Bahai faith” and repression of the minority is enshrined in Iranian law and is official government policy, the report asserts. “Iranian authorities deprive Baha’is of their fundamental rights in every aspect of their lives, not due to their actions, but simply for belonging to a faith group,” said Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at HRW. “It is critically important to increase international pressure on Iran to end this crime against humanity.” This is believed to be the first time a leading international organisation has labelled Iran’s treatment of the Baha’is as a crime against humanity. Unlike other minorities, Baha’is do not have their faith recognised by Iran’s constitution and have no reserved seats in parliament. How many members of the community remain in Iran is not known, but activists believe there could still be several hundred thousand. HRW said as a religious minority unrecognised in Iran’s constitution Baha’is are prohibited from freely holding prayers, even in private. Adblock test (Why?)
Key India opposition leader sent to jail until April 15 in corruption case
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s custody extended less than three weeks before the country begins to vote in a seven-phase election. An Indian court has sent Delhi Chief Minister and key opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal to jail until April 15 in a corruption case, less than three weeks before the country begins voting in a seven-phase national election. India’s financial crimes investigating agency, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), had arrested Kejriwal last month in connection with allegations related to the capital city’s liquor policy and he had been remanded to the agency’s custody until April 1. ED lawyers on Monday said Kejriwal had been “non-cooperative” and was “giving evasive replies”, asking the court to remand him to judicial custody for 15 days, news website Live Law reported. Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) says he has been “falsely arrested” in a “fabricated” case ahead of the polls, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deny political interference. Kejriwal blamed Modi for his arrest. “What the prime minister is doing is not good for the country,” he told reporters on his way to the court. All the senior leaders of AAP were already imprisoned in the same corruption case before Kejriwal’s arrest. The action against the high-profile leader led to protests in the capital and the northern state of Punjab, which is also governed by his party, last week. The court’s decision came a day after the INDIA bloc, an alliance of 27 opposition parties including AAP, came together at a rally in New Delhi to protest Kejriwal’s arrest and accused Modi of seeking to rig the election. Besides AAP, several other opposition parties, including regional groups, are also facing action from federal agencies, which they say is “politically motivated”. The country’s main opposition Congress party says it has been hit with large income tax demands which it says is an effort to “cripple it financially” before the election. Modi and the BJP have denied the allegations. During a hearing in the Supreme Court on Monday, India’s Income Tax department said it will not pursue a 35-bn rupee ($420m) payment from the Congress until after the completion of the election in June. The court set July 24 for the next hearing on the tax matter. The seven-phase election is set to be held from April 19 to June 1 and votes to be counted on June 4. Kejriwal’s arrest has also drawn international attention, with the United States and Germany urging a “fair” and “impartial” trial, causing New Delhi to strongly object by asking them to stay away from its “internal” affairs. Adblock test (Why?)