(Photo Credit: bobbsled)

Around 100 vulnerable asylum seekers, including minors, have been relocated to Finland and Germany from Greece and Cyprus refugee camps, according to the EU’s asylum coordination agency.

On 24 July Germany welcomed 83 refugees from families with seriously ill children who were relocated from Greece, in one of the first relocations of an EU plan to relocate 1,600 minors to various European countries.

On 27 July, 16 Somali and Congolese asylum seekers from single-parent families with small children were relocated from Cyprus to Finland.

All asylum seekers who were relocated were tested for coronavirus before the flight and all were found negative, as stated by the European Asylum Support Office, (EASO).

Refugee camp conditions in Greece

Greece houses about 5,00 refugee minors, most of them in deteriorating living conditions and overcrowded refugee camps.

Due to the problem of overcrowding, many makeshift camps have sprung up, angering locals.

Euro-Med Monitor’s response

Euro-Med Monitor’s response to recent events included, “the German and Finnish governments’ absorption of dozens of refugees from EU-Mediterranean states shows symbolic acknowledgment of the serious dangers posed to the lived of asylum seekers in overcrowded refugee camps, particularly during the Coronavirus pandemic,”

They also went on to say, “EU member states are urged to move from symbolic initiatives to more practical large-scale programs that effectively alleviate pressure on over-populated and ill-reputed camps.”

 

Read more from Al Jazeera, Scoop, YLE and In-Cyprus

 

 

 

 

^{Photograph: Twitter}

New York City police have come under criticism after a viral video showing officers, including some in plainclothes, were seen arresting a protester and taking her away in an unmarked van as protest continued across the country.

Videos of the arrest have circulated on social media, attracting scrutiny from politicians and civil rights groups.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, “There is no excuse for snatching women off the street and throwing them into unmarked vans,” connecting these actions to authoritarianism.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) similarly drew attention to the video, saying, “Law enforcement must be held accountable.”

The New York Police Department (NYPD) responded saying, “a woman taken into custody in an unmarked van was wanted for damaging police cameras during 5 separate criminal incidents in & around City Hall Park.”

This arrest comes after reported unmarked van arrests in Portland, where the governor has announced federal agents will begin to withdraw from the city. Despite this announcement, President Trump has said federal agents are “not leaving until they secure their city.”

Mayor Bill De Blasio of New York City said the NYPD’s arrest was, “the wrong time and the wrong place,” given the current climate. “A lot of us have been watching in pain what’s going on in Portland, Oregon,” he said. “Anything that even slightly suggests that is, to me, troubling, and it’s the kind of thing we don’t want to see in this city.”

 

^{[Video from NewYorker]}

US Congresswomen, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – who was subject to a verbal attack by Florida Republican Representative Ted Yoho – slammed the comments and the apology made by Yoho, at the House Chamber, in Washington, D.C.

She emphasised the incident as extending the “culture of lack of impunity and accepting of violence and violent language against women” and that “an entire structure of power supports that”.

Ocasio-Cortez responded to the comments made by Yoho last week, where he called the congresswoman “disgusting” for talking about how poverty can drive crime and a “f*cking b*tch” which was overheard by a nearby reporter.

“[T]his is not new, and that is the problem. This issue is not about one incident,” she said.

Ocasio-Cortez also criticised Yoho for his supposedly insincere apology, where he stated, “I am sorry if you understood me to be saying. . . .” but that “no one was accosted, bullied, or attacked.”

Yoho had also claimed that he had experienced poverty when he was young. “I cannot apologize for my passion or for loving my God, my family, and my country,” he said.

Ocasio-Cortez underlined that Yoho should not use his family as a “shield” for his comments.   

“Having a daughter does not make a man decent. Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man. And when a decent man messes up, as we all are bound to do, he tries his best and does apologize,” she said. “I am someone’s daughter, too.”

The video of Ocasio-Cortez’s passionate speech was retweeted more than 95,000 times with more than 220,000 likes within 24 hours of its release, bringing praise and inspiring conversations about experiences of women and men around the world, whose realities are marred by modalities of sexism.

Read more here. 

Photo of Benny Tai by Etan Liam

The University of Hong Kong has fired an associate law professor, Benny Tai, under criminal charges for his role in the 2014 pro-democracy “umbrella protests.”

Benny Tai, 56, was convicted of public nuisance charges last year and was sentenced to 16 months in prison, but the professor was granted bail in August, pending an appeal. 

Tai was one of the founders of the “umbrella protests” that paralyzed Hong Kong’s business districts for weeks.

Writing in a Facebook post, the professor said; 

“This decision marks the end of academic freedom in Hong Kong,” and “academic staff in education institutions in Hong Kong are no longer free to make controversial statements to the general public about politically or socially controversial matters.”

However, the Hong Kong Beijing Liaison Office, representing Beijing’s government in Hong Kong, went on to say, “the University of Hong Kong’s decision to fire Benny Tai is a move that punished evil and praises the virtuous.”

The push to remove Tai comes just weeks after China adopted its National Security Law, which criminalizes secession, acts of treason, sedition and subversion, however many argue the terms are loosely drawn as to infringe upon individual liberties.

The Pro-democracy Protests

The 2014 Umbrella movement, inspired by Tai, was a largely peaceful protest to push for more direct democracy in Hong Kong.

Thousands took to the streets, occupying major roadways in the city for 79 days, in what was called a “violation of the rule of law” by government officials.

Police forces used pepper spray and tear gas to disperse protestors and many government officials claimed the west played an “instigating” role in the protests.

The 79-day sit-in ended without any political concessions from the government.

Read more from The Hill, the New York Times and, the BBC

Australian supreme court granted a bid on Sunday to prevent Black Lives Matter protests from happening in Sydney, accepting police concerns about possible coronavirus outbreaks.

Several thousand people had been expected to gather in Sydney on Tuesday to protest the deaths of Aboriginal people in custody, building on the recent international Black Lives Matter protests due to the killing of George Floyd.

The protest was organized by the family members of David Dungay Jr, 26, an indigenous man who died after being restrained by police at a Sydney jail in 2015, where footage showed him repeatedly telling officers “I can’t breathe.”

Supreme court justice Mark Ierace granted the bid to halt protests as police cited concerns about the spread of coronavirus to protestors, the public and police officers.

The New South Wales police “strongly urged” people to not attend the “now unauthorised” protest, as “police will not hesitate to take appropriate action if required.”

 

Protestors will continue to march regardless of the ruling

Thousands of protestors are vowing to march Tuesday, regardless of the Supreme Court blocking the demonstrations.

NSW Police Minister David Elliot warned those planning to attend the rally that action by law enforcement will be swift and those who attend could face fines or six months in jail.

However, organizers have indicated they plan to lodge an appeal and they will march regardless of the threat of large fines or jail.

Dungay’s family accused the police of “trying to silence black voices” and went on to say, “we won’t stop until there is justice for David Dungray Jr.”

Read more from Reuters, Insider, Chronicle Herald 

Two people have been killed and between 20-30 injured by security forces during renewed anti-government protests on Sunday in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, over corruption, rising unemployment, and poor public services.

Tahrir Square, also known as Liberation Square, has been taken over by demonstrations once again after months of quiet during the Covid-19 pandemic. Citizens had been protesting against recent power cuts in the middle of a summer of scorching heatwaves, temperatures reaching above 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in Iraq. Protestors were seen to chant slogans and burn tires.

Protestors had started marching from the landmark protest location towards the nearby Tayaran Square, blocking access to two main intersections in the city, when Iraqi security forces unleashed tear gas and opened fire. Sources have described ‘plain-clothed officials’ using live ammunition against the crowds late on Sunday. On Monday, medics in Baghdad reported the two killed as having been hit in their head and neck by tear gas canisters which are known to be capable of piercing the skull if fired directly rather than lobbed an arc.

New Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Khadhimi, has released a statement acknowledging the recent “unfortunate events’ and has agreed to launch an investigation into Sunday’s events for accountability, however, his office maintains that security forces have instructed to resort to violence only where it is absolutely necessary.

Recent demonstrations have resumed after a period of quiet since last October in which Iraq saw its largest anti-government protests in decades. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis rallied to demand jobs, better public services and the removal of a government ruled by an allegedly corrupt elite. The conflict between protesters and security forces leftover 550 killed and nearly 21,000 injured.

According to commentary by the think tank, Chatham House, the dominant parties are financially supported by companies who award contracts to companies intricately linked to the politicians in exchange for government protection.

The protests resulted in the resignation of ex-Prime Minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi. Al-Khadhimi is already being likened online to his predecessor after failing to deal with an economic crisis due to crashing oil prices and a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases.

Read more from Al Jazeera and Chatham House

The UN human rights office has called on U.S. police security forces to limit their use of force against protestors and journalists on Friday, due to recent clashes between federal agents and protestors in Portland, Oregon.

UN human rights spokesperson stated that:

“[Peaceful demonstrations] really must be able to continue without those participating in them and also the people reporting on them, risking arbitrary arrest or detention being subject to the unnecessary, disproportionate or discriminatory use of force, or suffering other violations of their rights.”

Recent racial injustice protests

Protests raged in the US after George Floyd, an unarmed African American man, died in handcuffs after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Millions of peaceful protestors filled U.S. cities, in what the New York Times has called “the largest movement in US history,” to protest the racial injustices at the hands of the U.S. police. 

Trump’s response to recent protests

President Trump, eager to quell the unrest, deployed federal forces to Portland, sparking outrage among city officials who oppose the move.

Reports emerged of unidentified federal officers snatching Portland protestors and taking them away in unmarked vehicles without probable cause.  

Trump then went on to defend his actions stating unrest in Portland is “worse than Afghanistan,” stating he would also consider sending forces to Chicago and New York.

New rules protecting demonstrators right to protest

The Department of Homeland Security investigated the recent incidents with unidentified federal officers arresting protestors. Judge Micheal H. Simons, the acting judge, barred officers “from arresting, threatening to arrest, or using physical force against journalists or other legal observers without probable cause.”

UN spokesperson, Elizabeth Throssell, stated federal and local security forces must be “properly and clearly identified.” They must also use force only when necessary and in accordance with international standards.

Read more from the Washington Post here and here, and the New York Times.

Malaysian authorities confirmed the arrest of a Bangladeshi worker who has been critical of the government’s treatment of migrant workers in a recent documentary by broadcaster Al Jazeera.

Mohammed Rayham Kabir has also had his work permit revoked and is to be expelled from the country after being quoted in the Qatar-based media outlet’s documentary on the detention of undocumented migrant workers during the recent lockdown. Malaysian authorities have refused to comment on the particular reasons behind his arrest or whether there was a suspicion of criminal activity.

Broadcasted on July 3rd, the documentary, “Locked up in Malaysia’s Lockdown”, focuses on the recent raids carried out in Kuala Lumpur by Malaysian government during the Covid-19 pandemic, in which several hundred migrant workers have been arrested and have been transported to detention camps.

The Deputy Director of the NGO’s Asian division, Phil Robertson, has stated on Twitter, “Hauling migrants away to crowded detention camps will increase Covid19, and prompt others to hide and refuse to cooperate.” The United Nations has also called for the release of children and vulnerable individuals from the detention camps in which the migrants are being held.

 

Government responses

Malaysian police have launched an investigation against the broadcaster upon claims of sedition, defamation and violation of the country's Communications and Multimedia Act. Several journalists who were involved in the documentary were subjected to police questioning on Friday 24 July. The police have also interviewed other journalists and activists who have spoken out on the matter, including Tashny Sukumaran, a correspondent for Hong Kong-based- South China Morning Post.

Defense Minister, Ismail Saabri has accused the documentary of being “deceptive and unethical,” adding that allegations of racism and discrimination against undocumented migrants were untrue. He has also demanded that Al Jazeera “apologize to all Malaysians.”

The Chief of Police, Abdul Hamid Bador, informed the state news agency that the operation was carried out “to ensure that they did not move around and spread the disease”. Images related to the raids show a significant number of enforcement agents dressed in full-body protective suits. Images and videos shared by Human Rights Watch also depict hundreds of people seated within close proximity of each other on the ground.

Al Jazeera has strongly rejected these allegations, insisting on "the professionalism, quality and impartiality of its journalism”, and has expressed concern over the recent developments.

 

Read more from Reuters, Al Jazeera, and BBC

A hospital in Lyon, France is testing a new breathalyzer-style machine that can tell doctors whether a patient has Covid-19 within seconds.

The French hospital, Hôpital de la Croix-Rousse, is entering its second trial phase of the new machine after three months of use on dozens of both infected and healthy people.  

Christian George the director of research at the National Centre of Scientific Research at the French hospital stated the new breathalyzer machine will “register the molecules in the exhaled air and then detect the traces of the sickness.”

The implementation of these breathalyzer tests means doctors will have test results instantly speeding up the diagnosis and treatment of infected patients.

The new machines are non-invasive and could phase out the uncomfortable polymerase chain reaction tests which usually require swab samples from the back of the nose and throat area.

Timeline for implementation of new machines

Jean-Christophe Richard, head of intensive care at Croix-Rousse hospital, stated the objective was to have the machines fully operational by the end of the year.

Bruno Lina, and independent virus expert, commented on the machines stating it was too expensive for widespread use, however, goes on to say, “we could see second or third-generation machines that cost less and that would specifically hone in on the markers of the infection that we have identified.”

Read more from Reuters and CBC.

^{Kashmir (VOA)}

Villagers living in the Pakistani-controlled disputed region of Kashmir accused Indian forces of “intentionally targeting” civilians with mortar fire. 

Indian officials have not responded to the claims, but they have previously accused Pakistan of violence in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir.

One villager, Asad Zubair, told reporters that he was wounded by Indian artillery fire. Another, Abdul Aziz, says he was wounded July 3rd by shrapnel from an Indian mortar.

“We are no longer afraid of death. It can come anywhere. We will live and die here,” Asad Zubair told reporters. 

“Even our last child will fight to defend Kashmir if India attacks us,” added Aziz.

Last August, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, stripping residents of the region of their rights to self-governance. Since this revocation, the violence and repression in the region has continued, with over one hundred militants killed and many civilians affected by violence.

Pakistan has called for negotiations with India through the UN, requesting that Kashmiris are given the choice to merge with India, Pakistan, or become their own independent state.

See more from the Washington Post here.

<p>On the 19th July, in an interview with the BBC, China's ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, has refuted reports that Uighur women in the western Xinjiang region are the subjects of a calibrated sterilisation.</p> <p>Xiaoming was challenged with drone footage that seems to show Uighurs being blindfolded and herded onto trains. The “not beautiful coverage” of Xinjiang depicts the Uighurs kneeling, blindfolded and shaven. The video posted anonymously online last year, has resurfaced recently, and gained much attention.</p> <p>"I cannot see this view," he stated, before probing the credibility of the source.</p> <p>Reports and eyewitness accounts have blamed China of trying to eradicate the Uighur population in Xinjiang by forced sterilisation.</p> <p>Directly contrasting his own local government statistics on the Uighur population growth, he stated that:</p> <p>“Four, five years ago it was 4, 5 million, now its 11 million people [in Xinjiang] and people say we impose, we have ethnic cleansing, but the population has doubled in the 40 years.”</p> <p>The Uighurs are a&nbsp;minority ethnic group&nbsp;originally deriving from East and Central Asia. Mostly Muslim, they are the second largest predominantly Muslim ethnicity in China.&nbsp;Many have accused the Chinese government of issuing a policy of cultural colonialism and refer to the same policy as a genocide of Uighurs.</p>

UN Human Rights Chief, Michelle Bachelet, has warned that Israel’s annexation plans, which have been temporarily suspended, could endanger “lasting peace in the region” and “entrench, perpetuate and further heighten serious human rights violations”.

Israel’s proposed annexation of the West Bank and parts of Jordan Valley have come from an emergency coalition government which includes the main opposition party, the Blue and White Party. The international community has widely condemned the annexation of Palestinian territory as illegal. The UN Human Rights Chief warning that it would “likely be disastrous for the Palestinians, for Israel itself, and for the wider region."

 

UN condemnation

Bachelet has maintained that annexations are in violation of the UN Charter which prohibits any acquisition of territory by war or force. She has stated on the matter:

“Any annexation. Whether it is 30 per cent of the West Bank or 5 per cent […] Annexation is illegal. Period.”

Bachelet's office further warns that entire communities currently not recognised under Israeli planning would be at high risk of "forcible transfer”, losing access to their home and land.

The West Bank is home to nearly 3 million Palestinians and as a region has faced years of occupation through Israeli settlements. 

 

US support for Israel

Israel’s proposed annexation follows the announcement earlier of the US’s “Middle East Plan” which would grant Jerusalem to Israel as well as recognising Israeli sovereignty over Palestinian territory in the occupied West Bank.

The US proposal would enable a demilitarised Palestine over disjointed regions but would deny Palestinians East Jerusalem which Palestinian Authority seek to make the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Enclaves of the Palestinian population are likely to suffer significant harm to their freedom of movement and access to vital services such as healthcare, education, and humanitarian aid.

Whilst the plans have been rejected by the Palestinian leadership, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has described the plans as a “historic opportunity”. However, Bachelet has warned that it is “likely to be disastrous for the Palestinians, for Israel itself, and for the wider region."

US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has responded to criticism stating, “Decisions about Israelis extending sovereignty to those places are decisions for the Israelis to make.” As the US Presidential elections in November draw closer, political commentators, have remarked that Israel is acting with a sense of urgency whilst they have the support of the Israel-friendly Trump administration.

The current delay in annexation plans are believed to be, in part, due to the reliance on American support. Despite the statement that "anything unrelated to the battle against the coronavirus will wait until the after the virus”, the Jerusalem Post has quoted multiple sources that suggest that annexation plans have not fully been finalised yet between the US and Israel.

 

Palestinian response

Photo Credit: Visualising Palestine 

In protest, the Palestinian Authority has broken off all security cooperation with Israel which has affected police and intelligence work that benefited both sides. The authority also stopped accepting taxes collected on its behalf by Israel. This has resulted in a budget crisis in which many officers are receiving only partial pay, resulting in many already dropping out.

Israel’s incremental expansion of its territory has continued since 1967 and now threatens the possibility of a two-state settlement. These policies have been accelerated by longest-serving Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

 

Read more from Al Jazeera, JPost and the New York Times.

 

Photo of Stutthof concentration camp

A former 93-year-old Nazi concentration camp guard was convicted of thousands of counts of being an accessory to murder, in what might be one of the last verdicts to be handed down to a living participant in the Holocaust.

German courts convicted Bruno Dey of 5,232 counts of accessory to murder, one for each person believed to have been killed during his service at Stutthof concentration camp between 1944-1945.

Dey was 17 at the time of his alleged crimes, and therefore his case was heard in a juvenile court, where he was given a two-year suspended sentence.

Many survivors and those representing them criticized the sentence as being too lenient.

 

Stutthof concentration camp and its history of horror

Stutthof was established by the Nazis in 1939, and housed a total of 115,000 prisoners, and was one of the last camps to be liberated.

Prisoners of Stutthof were killed by being shot in the back of the neck, poisoned with Zyklon B gas, and through deliberate mass starvation.

Dey acknowledged hearing screams from the camp’s gas chambers and watching as corpses were taken to be burned. He stated, “images of misery and horror have haunted me my entire life.”

 

Dey’s controversial plea for acquittal

Bruno Dey’s attorney, Stefan Waterkamp, argued for an acquittal stating, “How could an 18-year-old step out of line in a situation like this?”

Christopher Heubner, from the International Auschwitz Committee, stated: “the image of him sitting above the camp in his tower is reflective of the view he had of himself as above those who were suffering.”

One of Judge Meir-Goering’s last remarks were, “the lesson of the trial must be to honour human dignity at all costs – even when the price is your own safety.”

Read more from Euro News, CNN and the New York Times.

Hajj in 2018

Saudi Arabia has announced that it will drastically limit those allowed to perform annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca to help the fight against coronavirus.

Hajj is an integral part of the nation’s self-proclaimed identity as the leading Muslim country in the world, with Hajj being a once-in-a-lifetime duty for able-bodied Muslims.

In the past decade, Saudi Arabia has seen between 1.9 to 2.3 million pilgrims per year internationally, however, this year’s event will be limited to about 1,000 pilgrims from within Saudi Arabia.

Of the 1,000 pilgrims permitted, 70% will be foreign residents of the kingdom and 30% will be drawn from Saudi health care workers and personnel who have recovered from the virus.

One Saudi citizen, Nour al Ghamdi, stated;

“hajj this year is for the heroes who saved the country and saved our people, they deserve it ... I personally would have loved to go but there are priorities.”

In the past, the hajj has been restricted and suspended due to conflict or disease, but 2020 is the first year to see such significant limits to the number of pilgrims.

Hit to the Saudi Tourism Industry

Official figures also show the haj pilgrimage generates about 12 billion a year, with the new limit imposed on the number of pilgrims, this revenue will be lost.

Due to the recent pandemic, Saudi Arabia has seen huge drops in the current demand for oil, which when paired with the hit to the tourism industry, will hurt government finances.

Read more from Reuters, the Conversation, the New York Times and the Washington Post.