Following days of violent protest against the alleged killing of a man by the Nigerian police’s notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Nigeria’s government has announced that all SARS with be abolished and officers will be redeployed to other roles.

SARS is a branch of the Nigeria Police Force founded in 1992 that was meant to deal with crimes related to armed robbery. However, SARS has since been accused of many human rights violations that have been documented and circulated on social media with the hashtag #EndSARS. These crimes include kidnapping, extortion, torture, and murder.

In June, an Amnesty International report listed 82 alleged cases of torture, ill-treatment and extra-judicial execution by the SARS between January 2017 and May 2020.

Whilst the social movement began in 2016, this October saw nationwide protests led by thousands of young Nigerians and international protests lead by the Nigerian diaspora in Europe and North America. These protests were sparked by further videos SARS officers engaged in violent human abuses. On October 9th #EndSARS began trending globally.

Muhammed Adamu, inspector general of police, said the unit has been disbanded unswervingly due to “the yearnings of the Nigerian people”.

Whilst the SARS force has been abolished, activists are protesting the decision to redeploy SARS officers into other roles.

“Nigerians want accountability,” said Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, executive director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre to Al Jazeera.

“Disbanding the unit without taking sanctions against those who perpetrated these acts, it means that when they are transferred to another unit, they could replicate the same atrocities.”

Despite the governments, announcements protests continue to be violent with protesters targeted with water cannons, beaten, tear-gassed and arrested.

Read more from Al Jazeera here and here 

On Taiwan’s National Day president Tsai Ing-wen promised to strengthen Taiwan’s defence and alliances with regions partners as China tensions heighten.

During her speech, she called for ‘meaningful dialogue’ with China however she added that “this is not something Taiwan can shoulder alone; it is the joint responsibility of both sides.”

Tsai Ing-wen further said Taiwan would continue to modernize its defence capabilities and enhance its capacity for asymmetric warfare, designed to make any Chinese attack difficult and costly. While also reaffirming the island's commitment to democracy and human rights.

China claims the island as its own territory and began exerting pressure on the island after Tsai was elected in 2016. China has intensified air force activity near the island's shores sometimes crossing the unofficial buffer zone located in the Taiwan Strait’s midline. Citing the United States growing support for the island as the cause.

In a speech to mark National Day, Tsai noted the sovereignty disputes in the Indo-Pacific, including the Beijing, imposed National Security Law in Hong Kong and said:

“we want to be an advocate for the forces of good, and share our progressive and good faith values with the whole world.”

Notably, Taiwan has offered itself as a sanctuary to Hong Kong activists.

Read more from Al Jazeera

(Photo of pro-Hong Kong independence protest 2020, Credit: Studio Incendo)

Nine people have been arrested by Hong Kong police under suspicion of assisting 12 activists that attempted to escape Hong Kong in August.

Those arrested, who range in age from 27 to 72, are suspected of “funding, providing a boat, providing transportation, and also providing accommodation before they (the 12 activists) abscond(ed) from Hong Kong,” said Ho Chun-tung, the Senior Superintendent of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau.

He added that cash, computers and mobile phones were also seized.

On August 23^rd the 12 Hong Kong activists trying to get to Taiwan were detained in China. And were eventually formally arrested for a myriad of charges including crossing the border illegally and activities linked to pro-democracy protests in 2019.

After Beijing imposed a National Security Law passed in June, Taiwan has offered itself as a sanctuary to Hong Kong activists.

Read more Al Jazeera

<p>15-year-old, Abou died in a hospital this week, after being evacuated from an Italian quarantine ship used to isolate refugees amidst the coronavirus.</p> <p>­­Italian officials are investigating the death after several witnesses reported Abou, who travelled from the Ivory Coast, as very ill, dehydrated, malnourished and with evident signs of torture on his body. However, he wasn’t transferred to a hospital until 30 September&nbsp;where he tested negative for Covid-19 and fell into a coma.</p> <p>In April, the Italian government mandated the use of ferries to hold rescued refugees under quarantine for 14 days before transferring them into the country. These boats carry hundreds of people each and have been criticized as harmful to the physical and mental health of people rescued at sea, as well as lacking adequate medical equipment.</p> <p>An Italian prosecutor stated that preliminary investigations revealed, “the presence of only one physician aboard the ferry, which was carrying over 600 migrants.”</p> <p>Mario Affronti, a physician said;</p> <blockquote><p> “These vessels aren’t only useless but they can also become very dangerous for the health of migrants.” He added, “Abou was a minor. And minors, according to national and international laws, should not be on those ships. It is unacceptable that a 15-year-old boy died because of anti-Covid measures.” </p></blockquote> <p>Read more from <strong><u><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/07/death-of-teenage-boy-on-i…">the Guardian</a></u></strong></p>

Technology entrepreneurs have petitioned the Indian government seeking support to create an Indian app store which would rival Google's market dominance in India, which government officials claims stands at 98% of Indian Android operating systems.

In response to the issue of overseas tech giants dominating India’s digital app sector, India's government has stated that it would enforce a 30% commission on in-app purchases. Government officials note that whilst the company's market share stands at 98% in India it is much lower in other countries including the US. As a result, the Indian government “is not averse to the idea” of an Indian digital app ecosystem considering “this may be unfair trade practice which builds a strong case for having an alternative,” officials told the Economic Times.

Officials are considering the scaling up the existing digital store for government apps, which include the health app Aarogya Setu, India’s coronavirus contact-tracing app

However, critics consider pre-loading government apps on phones, a method for the state to closely monitor citizens. Citing privacy concerns and fears that the data would be harvested by the state. Bearing in mind the weak data protection laws in the country.

Vivek Wadhwa, technology entrepreneur and academic said the digital industry can break away from tech giants without the governments help: 

“they [developers and entrepreneurs] can just crowdsource […] If it (the local app store) is scaled up globally after being initially successful in India, developers around the world will be happy to be on an alternative platform where they don’t have to shell out a hefty 30%.”

Read more from Economic Times.

<p>Thousands of migrants and asylum seekers were expelled to Niger by Algerian authorities during roundups of mostly sub-Saharan Africans across at least nine cities, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday.&nbsp;</p> <p>Migrants were pulled from streets, homes, and work sites before being crammed into trucks and buses before being expelled to Niger.&nbsp;</p> <p>Rokia Tamara, a 23 year old from the Ivory Coast, said she and her two children were apprehended in July. “The police forced their way into our house, grabbed us, didn’t explain why, didn’t ask for documents,” she said. “I explained that I was recovering from a Caesarian operation, but they took me anyway. The children were sleeping, and they took them too.”</p> <p>During these roundups, unaccompanied children or children separated from their families are detained and deported without knowing where their parents are.&nbsp;</p> <p>Since early September, Algeria has expelled over 3,400 migrants of at least 20 nationalities to Niger. While the all-Nigerian convoys were accepted by Niger, according to a 2014 bilateral oral agreement, mixed-nationality groups were not. Nigeriens were crammed into trucks or buses and handed to Niger’s army and mixed-nationality convoys were left in the desert near Niger’s border.&nbsp;</p> <p>Over 1,600 people of various nationalities — mostly West and Central Africans — were left in the desert, and abandoned at a location known as “Point Zero,”. Authorities ordered them to walk 15 kilometres to Assamaka, Niger’s closest village without guidance. Temperatures can reach 45°C (113°F) during the day, and drop sharply at night.&nbsp;</p> <p>Six migrants told Human Rights Watch that Algerian authorities deported them to the border without an opportunity to collect their belongings, challenge their removal, or ask for a lawyer.&nbsp;</p> <p>“They told us, ‘You came to Algeria with nothing, and you will leave with nothing,’” said a 28-year-old Ivorian man.</p> <p>Two migrants said they saw Algerian authorities destroy some migrants’ documents during the roundups. “I saw the gendarmes tear up my friend’s legal work documents and throw them in the trash,” said a Guinean. &nbsp;</p> <p>All six migrants said the authorities confiscated everything they had on them, including phones and money, and the items were never returned.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Algeria is entitled to protect its borders, but not to arbitrarily detain and collectively expel migrants, including children and asylum seekers, without a trace of due process,” said Lauren Seibert, refugee and migrant rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Before moving to deport anyone, authorities should verify their immigration or asylum status individually and ensure individual court reviews.”</p> <p>Read more from Al Jazeera <u><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/9/algeria-abandons-thousands-of-…">here</a></u>.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Writing in the Australian paper, The Age, Rawan Arraf, Director of the Australian Centre for International Justice, argues that Australia needs a “dedicated and permanent program” to investigate and prosecute war criminals in Australia.

This call follows Australia’s Brereton inquiry, an inquiry lead by Major-General Paul Brereton, who has been investigating unlawful killings by Australia’s Special Air Force, since 2016. The inquiry has thus far investigated more than 55 incidents of alleged unlawful killings and cruel treatment of Afghan civilians and captured combatants. Australia’s Federal Police (AFP) is investigating three incidents but has been put on notice to prepare for more.

Read more here: Australia SAS chief admits elite troops committed war crimes in Afghanistan

Drawing on the model of Australia’s Specialised Investigations Unit, set up in 1987 to investigate the presence of alleged Nazi war criminals in Australia, Arraf maintains that the AFP is in need of “specialist training, skills, and resources to undertake” war crimes investigations.

He further notes that:

“Authorities often find the challenges involved in investigating and prosecuting crimes committed extraterritorially daunting, and consequently choose not to prioritise these cases”.

The Special Investigation Unit was disbanded in 1994, Arraf notes however it moved operations to overseas and recently was successful in bringing “the financier of the Rwandan genocide, Felicien Kabuga” to justice. Kabuga was on the run for over 25 years.

A failure to thoroughly investigate allegations of war crimes committed in Afghanistan, warns Arraf, may lead to a referral to the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

He further notes that countries such as “the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Britain and the US” all have “long-established war crimes units that are actively investigating atrocities”.

Read Arraf’s original piece in The Age.

(Photo of a destroyed house in south Sanaa, Yemen, Credit: Ibrahem Qasim)

According to government statistics, the UK has ranked as the second-largest arms dealer in the world for the past decade, second only to the US.

In 2019, UK arms deals made up 16 per cent of the global sale of arms and secured £11bn worth of contracts for military equipment and services. This is down from 2018 when £14bn worth of deals were made, this was the second-highest year for the UK in arms sales since 1983.

Whilst the government has defended its contracts; claiming it has generated thousands of high-skilled jobs and helped to keep the country safe; Campaign Against the Arms Trade has accused the government of “arming and supporting repression around the world”.

According to data from the UK Defence and Exports, since 2010 the UK has signed £86bn worth of contracts with 60 per cent going towards the Middle East and Saudi Arabia being the top client.

Andrew Smith, a spokesperson for Campaign Against Arms Trade, described these sales as “a source of great shame” and further stated:

"UK-made weapons have played a devastating role in the Saudi-led bombing of Yemen, helping to create the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

Wherever there is conflict there will always be arms companies trying to profit from it. This profiteering does not just enable war, it actively fuels it”.

The gang rape and murder of two Dalit women in the last recent weeks has sparked outrage across India, with calls for the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh to resign.

Both murders took place in the Northern state of Uttar Pradesh, with the two women belonging to India’s marginalised Dalit caste.

One of the women, a 19-year-old teenager was gang raped on September 14th in the Hathras district by ‘upper-caste’ men, and left ‘naked, bleeding and seriously injured in a field’ affirms her mother. She fought for her life for two weeks before passing away. The police supposedly claimed that she was not raped; however, the Delhi hospital to which she was initially admitted holds records that she was raped and strangled. “We didn't even get to see her one last time’’ stated the 19-year-olds family, accusing the police of hurriedly cremating the teenager’s body overnight without their permission, in an attempt to destroy evidence.  Five senior police officials, including the chief officer of Hathras have since been suspended over the conduct of the investigation, and four ‘higher-caste’ men have been arrested on gang rape and murder charges. 

The second woman, a 22-year-old was hauled into a car and raped while she was on the way to apply for admission at a neighbourhood school in the Balrampur district, around 300 miles away from where the 19-year-old was killed in Hathras. "They broke my daughter's leg, they broke her waist," stated her mother, adding that she was drugged before being raped and then sent home in a rickshaw. According to police officials, two men have been detained on gang rape and murder charges, however, their identities have not been revealed. 

Five senior police officers have been suspended over their handling of an investigation into the gang-rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman that has sparked outrage across India and triggered days of protests https://t.co/sF3reqnx32 pic.twitter.com/Sawl7RVpsT

— AFP news agency (@AFP) October 3, 2020

The murders have drawn extraordinary attention on social media, particularly that of the teenager, with thousands of tweets from political leaders and Indian citizens denouncing the murders. 

Students in Delhi and Hyderabad held protests on October 1^st, demanding protection for women, as well as burning an effigy of a senior elected official of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, and called for his resignation.

“We (women) are not actually free, even though India is independent” stated a woman at a recent protest in Delhi. “This is something I want to raise my voice against. And I just wish all the people get united and they understand that it is high time to do something about it.”

India has been under the spotlight since 2012, when a student referred to as ‘Nirbhaya’ was gang raped and murdered in Delhi, leading to massive protests and modifications to the country’s rape laws; a case that has become a symbol of the country’s issues with sexual violence. The four gang rape and murder convicts were hanged in March 2020, in ‘a day for all women of the country’ as stated by a victim’s father. Nevertheless, the annual Crime in India 2019 report by the National Crime Records Bureau illustrates an increase of 7.3% of recorded crimes against women in 2019 from 2018, with the highest number of rape cases in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. 

India remains one of the world’s most dangerous places for women with a rape occurring every 15 minutes, according to federal data.

<p>On Wednesday, Afghanistan’s top peace official, Abdullah Abdullah, stated he does the expect the results of the anticipated US presidential election to change the Afghan peace process or troop withdrawal plans.</p> <p>The Trump administration has brokered peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban to end 19 years of war. The US Taliban Agreement negotiated on February 29 2020, concluded that US armed forces would withdraw from Afghanistan under pretences of a truce.</p> <p>Abdullah is not worrying, however. “Nobody can say with certainty what would be the impact of the outcome of the elections in the United States but based on my experiences and interactions, the policy will not change that much,” he states with confidence.</p> <p>“Neither Democrats nor Republicans would want to see all the gains or all the sacrifices they have made in Afghanistan in vain…(or) be hurt once again from Afghanistan or because of Afghanistan,” Abdullah tells Reuters in an interview at the end of his three-day visit to Pakistan.</p> <p>The US’s decision to withdraw all of its forces from Afghanistan will have an important impact and percolate urgency throughout the Afghan public that will mean a quick resolution to conflict.</p> <p>“But eventually it is us who have to find a way of working together, living together in peace, without posing a threat to our own citizens, or to the neighbourhood, or to the rest of the international community,” Abdullah says.</p> <p>Read more <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-talks-pakistan-idUS…">here</a>.&nbsp;</p>

 

A special court in India has acquitted 32 men, including former deputy prime minister LK Advani, a sitting BJP politician, and three leaders from the party, of the destruction of Babri mosque (masjid) which led to religious riots and the massacre of 2,000 people, mostly Muslims.

The court’s decision is seen as yet another “victory for the Hindu nationalist government”.

The ruling follows another controversial decision by India’s Supreme Court in November 2019 which overruled the lower courts and granted the land for the development of another Hindu temple. The court further allotted a five-acre plot in Dhannipur for the rebuilding of the Babri mosque, 11 miles from Ayodhya, its original site.

The mosque was originally destroyed in 1992, when a Hindu mob organised by the Vishva Hindu Parishad and included BJP and RSS (a militant Hindu nationalist organization) members, led the assault. This follows claims that they had made that the Babri masjid had been built on the ruins of a former Hindu temple and was the original birthplace of Lord Rama.

The mosque was originally established in 1528-29 by Mughal emperor Babur and has been a focal point for tensions between Hindus and Muslims since the 18^th century. The destruction of the mosque has been read as a major historic event signalling the rise of fundamentalist Hindu nationalism in India.

Commenting on the decision Kapil Komireddi, author of Malevolent Republic: A Short History of the New India, highlights that the evidentiary burden of the case was very high and it was therefore “not surprising” the authorities had failed to meet it. He further stated:

“The men who mobilised Hindus against Muslims were then treated by the state as villains. Now they are exonerated and treated as heroes. Their journey is one measure of India’s transformation into an awful majoritarian state.”

Zafaryab Jilani, a lawyer for the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, made a statement saying that they will contest the verdict.

Read more from the Guardian

 

<p>China’s National Day has previously been a day of pro-democracy expression in Hong Kong but this year thousands of police officers smothered most forms of protest and free expression.</p> <p>China marks its founding on October 1, but last year saw heavy clashes between protesters and Hong Kong police anti-government violence following the impostition of national security legislation earlier in the year. Thousands of protesters took to the streets to directly challenge China’s increasing leverage over their city.</p> <p>This year, anti-government protests have become smaller as the authorities increased police presence citing coronavirus and used the Beijing imposed National Security law to silence pro-democracy demonstrations. Subsequently, activists have been forced to seek creative ways to express discontent such as publicly reading the pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily with slogans stating, “Protect the children, hold on to your conscience.”</p> <p>Police continued to round up and search dozens of people at a time, targeting young people wearing protest colours and arresting at least 60 people, under suspicion of protest.</p> <p>Police warned demonstrators that they were violating a ban on gatherings of over four people. However, police did not deter groups of pro-government supporters gathering in the Wan Chai district to sing the Chinese national anthem. Luo Huining, the director of China’s representative office in Hong Kong said in a speech before the holiday, “As a Chinese person, loving the country is not a choice, but a duty and the right course.”</p> <p>Last month, prominent pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, was arrested by Hong Kong police for his participation in an unauthorised assembly in October 2019 and for violating the city's anti-mask law.&nbsp;</p> <p>“No matter what happens,” Wong said, “I will still continue to resist and hope to let the world to know how Hong Kongers choose not to surrender.”</p> <p>Since the National Security law came into effect on June 30, and Beijing has had unfound power to shape life in Hong Kong, by eliminating protests and limiting freedoms of expression. The police have already arrested more than 20 people under the new law citing political crimes. Leading many activists fleeing the city under fear of arrest.</p> <p>Read more from the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/01/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-china…">here</a> and here.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Amnesty International announced on Tuesday that it has closed it's Indian offices after the government froze its bank accounts as part of their crackdown on human rights defenders and organisations.&nbsp;</p> <p>Amnesty described the Indian government’s campaign against activist organisations, as a “witch hunt,” adding that fund-raising and operating have been made impossible. The actions, they believe, are in response to “unequivocal calls for transparency in the government.” And exposing human rights violations by publishing reports on the Delhi police’s role in fomenting anti-Muslim violence and torture in Kashmir.</p> <p>The Indian government responded in a statement that the allegations from Amnesty were “unfortunate, exaggerated and far from the truth,” citing repeated violations of the country’s rules on foreign funding, which are intended to combat money laundering as the pretext for the freezing Amnesty’s bank accounts.</p> <p>The statement continued, “All the glossy statements about humanitarian work and speaking truth to power are nothing but a ploy to divert attention from their activities which were in clear contravention of laid-down Indian laws.”</p> <p>Amnesty International India denied the accusations stating, “The continuing crackdown on Amnesty International India over the last two years […] is not accidental.”</p> <p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government began introducing restrictions on foreign donation seeking NGO’s in 2014, then in 2018, the licenses of nearly 20,000 nongovernmental organizations were cancelled by the Indian Home Affairs Ministry.</p> <p>Harsh Mander, an Indian human rights activist, said “This government is openly at war with the people” adding the government was targeting activists to crush the remaining dissident voices.</p> <p>Read more <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/world/asia/india-amnesty-internation…">here</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

(Photo: Bloody Sunday Mural by Keith Ruffles)

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS), the principal prosecution authority in Northern Ireland, has concluded that there is “insufficient to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction of any of the 15 soldiers” who were charged with the unlawful murder of 13 civil rights activists in January 1972, during Bloody Sunday.

The PPS has only brought charges against one British soldier for his conduct. The soldier has been dubbed “Soldier F” in the case. He is to stand trial for the murder of James Wray and William McKinney in Derry as well as five counts of attempted murder.

This decision follows a review of the case of 15 veterans who are accused of opening fire on civil rights activists protesting detention without trial. The incident, which took place in Londonderry, in January 1972, led to the murder of 13 people and 15 people being injured.

Responding to the decision, the Taoiseach (Ireland’s Prime Minister) has expressed “deep disappointment” at the results and stated that the decision will "bring back pain and loss" for the Bloody Sunday victims and families. He further added that space should be given to families to decide where to challenge to the decision in the High Court.

Lawyers representing the families and victims of Bloody Sunday maintain that a further 10 soldiers should be facing prosecution charges.

Ireland’s Social Democratic and Labour Party leader, Colum Eastwood, maintains that the families of the victims would not be deterred now.

"They are people who have walked this very long walk, full of dignity and full of pride and not deterred by anybody".

Kate Nash, whose brother William was among those killed, expressed disappointment with the decision but maintained that she would “carry on” her pursuit for justice. Her solicitor Darragh Mackin said they would now be seeking a judicial review of the decision.

John Kelly, whose brother Michael was killed, also maintained that despite the knockback they would “continue on to achieve truth and justice”.

"Michael was 17, Michael cannot speak for himself. I will do it for him."

Read more from the BBC and the Guardian