• China detains monk for ‘inciting’ self-immolations

    Dec 08

    A monk and his nephew have been arrested in Sichuan province for “goading” Tibetans to self-immolate in protest of China’s control over Tibet, reported Xinhua news agency.

    Lorang Konchok (40) is said to have taken orders from the Dalai Lama and his followers, and recruited his nephew to encourage more protests.

    "At the requests of the media liaison team, Lorang Konchok took advantage of his position and influence in the monastery and often encouraged others to self-immolate, telling local monks and followers that self-immolation was not against Buddhist doctrines and those who did it were 'heroes'," said the news agency.

  • Egypt opposition to boycott referendum
    Egypt’s opposition, the National Salvation Front (NSF) has said that it will boycott the referendum on the new draft constitution.

    Despite President Mursi’s decision to annul most of a controversial decree giving him sweeping powers, protests against him and the draft constitution have not receded.

    Sameh Ashour, the head of the Lawyers Syndicate, in a statement on behalf of the NSF coalition, said:
    "The referendum will cause further division and polarisation and the Front [NSF] refuses the draft constitution which cements presidential oppression and tramples freedoms and liberties,"
    "To have a referendum now with the threat of Muslim Brotherhood militias and threats and intimidation against the opposition, and absence of security, is grossly irresponsible. The Front calls on Egyptians to continue to peacefully protest on Tuesday against the constitution and a president who ignores his people."

    See full report on Sydney Morning Herald here.
  • EU human rights record slammed by Russia

    Russia has attacked the EU’s failure to address human rights abuses in member states.

    In a foreign ministry report, all 27 members of the EU are scrutinised using publications by the EU and NGOs.

    A spokesman from the Russian foreign ministry said human rights and democratic freedoms were "continuing to deteriorate".

    "At the level of institutions, the European Union is not taking adequate steps.” said Konstantin Dolgov.

    "We think that time has come for our European partners to change the situation to ensure the observance of international obligations by all the EU members."

    "We believe that nobody should have the monopoly to assess the human rights situation in other countries,"

    Issues addressed in the report include far-right extremism, police brutality and CIA secret prisons.

  • Syrian rebels choose new military commander

    The Syrian opposition have chosen a new military commander to lead the fight against the Assad regime.

    Brigadier Selim Idris is a former officer in the army, who defected during the uprising.

    Idris was elected on Saturday by 30 military and civilian members of the military command at talks taking place in Antalya in Turkey. The talks have been attended by Western and Arab security officials.

  • Exiled Hamas leader visits Gaza

    The exiled Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal, visited Gaza for the first time today, via the Egyptian border crossing, after his safety was assured.

    Travelling with a convoy of masked Hamas fighters from the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades - Hamas' military wing, Meshaal visited the charred remains of Ahmed al-Jaabari's car, the military commander of Hamas who was killed by an Israeli airstrike last month.

    Meshaal was appointed leader after Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was assassinated by Israel in 2004.

    Speaking later that day, Meshaal said:

    “I hope God will make me a martyr on the land of Palestine in Gaza.”

    An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Yigal Palmor, said,  

    “This visit by Meshaal, which follows that of the Qatari emir and the Egyptian Prime Minister and other officials, proves there is no Israeli blockade on Gaza.”

  • Protesters break through army barricades in Cairo

    Tens of thousands of protesters broke through the barbed wire military barricades to demonstrate outside Egypt's presidential palace.

    The swelling of protests comes after the Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi had refused to consider opposition demands to withdraw the proposed constitution, in a defiant televised address on Thursday.

    Stating that he respected peaceful protests, Mursi blamed "thugs" and "infiltrators" for the violence that has already killed seven.

    Defending his widening of powers for himself, Mursi said, “it is my duty to safeguard the state against any tampering."

  • Task beyond strength' of Syrian government says Russia

    A senior Russian politician has stated that the Syrian government has not been capable of doing its job, in a sign that Russia may be trying to distance itself from its long-standing ally, reported Reuters.

    The head of President Putin's party group in the State Duma lower house Vladimir Vasilyev, was quoted as saying,

    "We have shared and do share the opinion that the existing government in Syria should carry out its functions. But time has shown that this task is beyond its strength,"

    "We have tried to create conditions for the internal forces in Syria to be able to get the situation under control,"

    "Unfortunately, by no means does our position decide everything - our influence on the Syrian leadership is very limited".

    Meanwhile United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon visited a refugee camp in Turkey and called on the international community to provide more humanitarian relief for Syrian refugees. He commented,

    “I appeal to the international community, do not close your eyes when people are suffering... We have to help them.”

  • China warns India over oil exploration in South China Sea

    China announced made it clear to India on Wednesday, that it would oppose any “unilateral” oil exploration in the disputed South China Sea.

    Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said,

    “China opposes any unilateral oil and gas exploration activities in disputed areas in the South China Sea and hopes relevant countries respect China’s sovereignty and national interests, as well as the efforts of countries within the region to resolve disputes through bilateral negotiations.”

    Lei was responding to the remarks made by India’s Navy Chief Admiral D K Joshi who had earlier said that Indian Navy was gearing up to be dispatched to the South China Sea to protect India’s “economic interests.” 

  • India security forces commit widespread abuses in Kashmir - report

    The Indian army has been accused of widespread human rights abuses in Indian-administered Kashmir, according to a report by human rights organisations based in the territory.

    The International Peoples’ Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Indian-Administered Kashmir (IPTK) and the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) have jointly released a report, naming over 500 soldiers, police and paramilitary officers, including those of senior ranks, and accused them of severe human rights abuses.

    The alleged abuses include murder, abduction, torture and rape.

    214 offences were analysed in the report and the roles of officials in 70 deaths and over 8,000 disappearances are detailed.

    "For the victims, the wait for proper justice seems perpetual. In its approach to justice, the Indian state has not moved beyond cash relief or the promise of re-investigation,” said Kartik Murukutla, one of the authors of the report.

    "The state has wilfully lowered the standard of justice as well as the crimes perpetrated," he said.

  • Colombia and Farc resume peacetalks

    Peace talks between Farc rebels and the Colombian government have resumed, after air raids by the government killed over 20 rebels earlier in the week.

    A Farc negotiator refused to comment on how the strikes, just few days after the first phase concluded, will affect the talks, reported the BBC.

    The government has ruled out a truce, while the rebels are still abiding by a unilateral ceasefire, declared last month.

    President Juan Manuel Santos has set November 2013 as the deadline to reach an agreement and said that the government will continue to attack rebel positions until a final treaty, renouncing the armed, struggle is signed.

    The leftist guerrillas have said that no deadline can be set as the issues that are being addressed are too complex.

  • Tuareg rebels renounce hopes for independence

    Tuareg separatists in Mali have given up hopes for an independent state in the north of the country.

    The rebels made the announcement after talks with the Malian government in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on Tuesday.

    The talks, between the government, Tuareg forces and Islamist rebels, also saw the Islamist Ansar Dine, pledge to reject all forms of extremism.

    Rebels are currently in control of northern Mali, with Ansar Dine causing international outrage by destroying historic cultural sites in Timbuktu.

  • Desperate Assad could use chemical weapons - Clinton
    The USA's Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has vowed to take swift action if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad uses chemical weapons.

    After a meeting with fellow foreign ministers of NATO, Clinton said:
    "Our concerns are that an increasingly desperate Assad regime might turn to chemical weapons, or might lose control of them to one of the many groups that are now operating within Syria."
    "We have sent an unmistakable message that this would cross a red line and those responsible would be held to account."

    Syria has not signed the international chemical weapons treaty banning the use of poison gas, and US officials have announced this week that they have obtained intelligence that Syria may be preparing to use chemical weapons.

    Syrian officials however, including Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Maqdad, have said that the regime would never use such weapons on its own people.

    See here for full report on Reuters.
  • Nato approves missile defence in Turkey

    Nato has approved the deployment of the Patriot missile defence system on the Turkish border with Syria, as fears grow over the use of chemical weapons by Assad’s regime.

    The bloc declared its “determination to deter threats and defend Turkey” in a statement released on Tuesday.

    “In response to Turkey’s request, NATO has decided to augment Turkey’s air defence capabilities in order to defend the population and territory of Turkey and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the Alliance’s border.

    “NATO’s ultimate task is the protection and defence of our members. Today, we underline once again our steadfast commitment to the security of this Alliance, and our full solidarity and resolve to protect our populations and territories.”

  • Police crackdown on Egyptian protesters
    Protests are being held in Cairo against Egypt's new draft constitution which was rushed to completion last week and is due to go before voters in a referendum scheduled for December 15th.

    Egyptian riot police fired tear gas at tens of thousands of demonstrators who were gathered outside the presidential palace.

    It is reported that the police retreated quickly after firing one round of gas canisters, to avoid further clashes.

    The protests were organised by secular and anti-Islamist groups who say that the draft constitution gives religious authorities too much influence, even likening it to the blueprints drawn up in pre-1979 revolution Iran by Ayatollah Khomeini.

    The demonstrators are undecided on whether to push for Egyptians to vote against the constitution or for an outright boycott of the referendum.

    See here for full New York Times report.
  • Serb Commander's war crimes convictions upheld by the ICC

    The sentences of two ex-paramilitary Bosnian Serb commanders have been upheld by the International Criminal Court.

    The two former members of the 'White Eagles' Serb paramilitary group, were contesting their guilty verdicts, on the back of Serbian protests against the tribunal’s unfair targeting of Serbs.

    Dispelling Serbia’s allegations of unfair treatment, the war crimes tribunal upheld the life sentence handed to one of the ex-paramilitary members and reduced the second member’s life sentence by 3 years.

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