US President Donald Trump threatened to deploy the military to in response to ongoing protests across the country, which he has termed “acts of domestic terror”.

Trump warned that if cities or states failed to "defend their residents" he would deploy the army and "quickly solve the problem for them,” adding that police and law enforcement would “dominate the streets”.

His statement came shortly before police officers used flash grenades and tear gas to disperse a crowd so that Trump could pose in front a church, holding a Bible - a move that was swiftly criticised by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.

Tens of thousands of protestors have taken to the streets in more than 100 US cities to protest against US police brutality and systemic racism towards the Black community. At least 4,400 people have been arrested by the US police, as video footage from across the country shows further acts of police violence, against protestors and journalists.

Protests began around the world following the murder of George Floyd by US police officers.

Following the murder of George Floyd, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, headed calls from several politicians and organisations condemning the killing of a black man by police officials.

“This is the latest in a long line of killings of unarmed African Americans by US police officers and members of the public,” Bachelet said.

“I am dismayed to have to add George Floyd’s name to that of Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Michael Brown and many other unarmed African Americans who have died over the years at the hands of the police -- as well as people such as Ahmaud Arbery and Trayvon Martin who were killed by armed members of the public,” she added.

While she welcomed the investigations, Bachelet insisted that “too many cases in the past, such investigations have led to killings being deemed justified on questionable grounds, or only being addressed by administrative measures.”

Bachelet added that she empathises that Floyd’s killing has causes anger and encouraged peaceful protest;

“Violence and destruction of property won’t solve the problem of police brutality and enshrined discrimination. I urge protestors to express their demands for justice peacefully, and I urge the police to take utmost care not enflame the current situation even more with any further use of excessive force.”

The police officer, Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on the neck of Floyd was arrested and charged, but only for third-degree murder, with investigations still ongoing. Protests and demonstrations continue to draw huge numbers of the country and the world but there are accounts of police brutality against many peaceful protestors.   

“Protesting such brutality is right and necessary. It’s an utterly American response,” said former US vice-president Joe Biden.

New York City Police Commissioner, Dermot Shea, said that the officer’s actions were “deeply disturbing”.

“There IS a need to DO something. If you wear a badge and you don’t have an issue with this ... turn it in,” tweeted City of Chattanooga Police Chief David Roddy.

Response in the UK

UK MP’s including Jeremy Corbyn, Keir Starmer, Bell-Ribeiro Addy and Ed Davey also condemned the murder of George Floyd.

In a joined statement, 22 Labour MP’s declared that “it is also crucial that we in the UK recognise that we are not immune from this disease of state-sanctioned racism” and expressed their solidarity to the George Floyd family and justice be attained for his murder.

Liberal Democrats party leader, Ed Davey tweeted the need to use the murder to review the racism prevalent in the UK;

“As we look in horror at the murder of George Floyd and its aftermath, we must reflect on the structural racism that made it possible.

We shouldn’t think such racism is confined to the US. Too many suffer injustice in this country too. We have a duty to fight & extinguish it #BLM”

Leader of the Labour party, Keir Starmer, tweeted “George Floyd must not become just another name. His shocking death should be the catalyst for change.”

With thousands taking to the streets across cities of the USA to protest against police brutality and the murder of George Floyd, state police forces are responding to protestors with violence and “military-style” tactics, during which a 20-year-old women was thrown forcefully to the ground and hospitalised .

Dounya Zayer, 20, was aggressively pushed to the ground by an NYPD officer and rushed to hospital in Brooklyn, yesterday night after he resultingly suffered a violent seizure. The officer called the protester a “stupid f–king bitch” before throwing her to the ground, according Newsweek reporter Jason Lemon.

“Stop making excuses for the police. They are supposed to be protecting us. Not hurting us,” tweeted Zayer on her Twitter account.

She also posted a video from hospital stating, “I did NOT spit in this officer's face. I was wearing a face mask. He told me to get out of the street and then immediately threw me out of the way.”

The murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers has incited feelings of anger, pain and injustices to ripple across national and international communities.

The ruthless killing of the unarmed black man, George Floyd, has sparked rage and an incessant myriad of protests and riots throughout the country. Despite many taking part in peaceful demonstrations, protestors have described some police officials aggravating and inciting riots and violent clashes during protests.

Evidence of police brutalising the protests have been shared across social media platforms. The use of excessive force by the police was witnessed in Brooklyn with one protest onlooker recording “pepper sprays, batons and several arrests” at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, said twitter user - @j0ncampbell.

Brian Gresko (Twitter: @briangresko) detailed a thread of his account where the “police brutalised the protestors” at the Barclays Center;

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In Seattle, the police department was seen abusing a protestor by “slamming them to the ground” and performing an “illegal choke hold” according to Dae Shik Kim Hawkins Jr (@daeshikjr) who shared multiple video evidences of the incident on his Twitter.

The state violence was observed heavily across New York, with multiple incidents of unrest between protestors and police officers. One incident posted by Zach Williams (@Zachreports) with the caption “Cops losing patience” showed a police officer brutally attacking multiple protestors unprovoked.

Despite peaceful demonstrations, many protestors around the country have been arrested.  

_{(Photo credit: MSNBC)}

In the wake of growing tensions between police and protestors following the murder of George Floyd, bus drivers in Minneapolis and New York have shown their support for arrested protestors, by refusing to drive them to jail.

Union bus drivers in Minneapolis and New York insisted they are not willing to transport arrested protestors and help police officers in an act of solidarity. Workers in a bus garage in Minneapolis also refused to drive buses to help transport police officers.

The Minneapolis bus drivers’ union signed a petition on Thursday highlighting the “unacceptable police brutality” and how the “system has failed all of us in the working class, from the coronavirus to the economic crisis we are facing, but the system has failed people of colour and black Americans and black youth more than anyone else.”

Minneapolis bus driver and creator of the petition, Adam Burch, expressed his solidarity;

“As a transit worker and union member, I refuse to transport my class and radical youth. An injury to one is an injury to all. The police murdered George Floyd and the protest against is completely justified and should continue until their demands are met.”

After creating the petition he posted it on a Facebook group called “Union Members for #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd” which has recently brought together union workers to pledge and resist giving aid or labour to the policing of the protests.

More than 400 union workers have signed the petition, with the Minneapolis teacher union and an Amazon warehouse workers’ union also condemning the killing with their own statements.

Read more here.

_{(Photo credit: Twitter user - @briangresko)}

On Friday evening, bus drivers across New York city refused to aid police in transporting arrested protestors.

JP Patafio, vice president of TWU Local 100 stated, “I told MTA our ops won’t be used to drive cops around. It is in solidarity  [with Minneapolis’ bus drivers].”

Union leaders reassured their members that union contracts protect them against forced work in dangerous conditions and that legal resources will be administered to protect those who refuse to work.

Read more here.

 

US President, Donald Trump, has announced that he will cut funding for the World Health Organisation and redirect these funds into other organisations.

This order follows allegations raised by Trump that the WHO did not act appropriately in responding to the coronavirus. In a statement to the media, Trump claimed that China had “total control of the organisation”. The US is reported to also be taking measures to sanction Hong Kong officials responsible for the erosion of the region’s sovereignty.

The US is the largest contributor to the World Health Organisation, contributing $450 million whereas China only contributes $40 million.

Trump has further stated that he would support research being undertaken at US universities as opposed to relying on global health bodies. There are concerns that Trump’s decision will weaken efforts to combat the coronavirus.

Read more here.

Former Rwandan mayor and politician, Ladislas Ntaganzwa, was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the killing of over 25,000 people in the 1994 Rwanda genocide, yesterday.

58-year-old Ntaganzwa, who served as the mayor of Nyakizu in southern Rwanda, was today “sentenced to life imprisonment over genocide crimes committed during the genocide against Tutsi in 1994,” according to court spokesman, Harrison Mutabazi.

The ruling was made via a video conference and Ntaganzwa and his lawyers were able to follow it via Skype at Mpanga prison in Southern Rwanda.

In response to the verdict, Alexis Musonera, Ntaganzwa's lawyer, stated he would appeal the ruling;

“We plan to appeal because evidence in the hearing was based on witnesses' testimony but that was not enough as some witnesses were contradicting themselves. We are not happy about this lengthy life jail term.”

Indictment history

Ntaganza was indicted in 1996 by the lnternational Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, on multiple charges of genocide, murder and rape. The indictment stated that he congregated and surrounded Tutsis and instructed them to lay down their arms, before giving orders to initiate a massacre upon them.

During the last four months of the Rwandan Civil War, an estimated 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutus were killed as part of the genocide.

The indictment recalled that that the massacre began “whereupon the gendarmes and communal police shot at the crowd” and accused Ntaganzwa of attempting an execution of Rwanda’s Tutsi population. He was alleged to directly order the slaughter of tens of thousands of Tutsi civilians in his town in April 1994.

The tribunal was replaced five years ago by the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which had offices in both Arusha, Tanzania and The Hague, Netherlands.

Ntaganzwa was arrested in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in December 2015; he was then detained in Rwanda in March 2016 and labelled as one of nine remaining Rwandan war criminals sought by the International Criminal Tribunal, with the US offering up to $5m for information leading to his arrest.

Continued sanctioning

This verdict comes just days after the top-most fugitive, Felicien Kabuga, alleged for funding weaponry for the genocide and encouraging mass slaughter through controlled broadcasting, was arrested in France last week after 25 years on the run. 

Kabuga has most recently been denied bail. A former commander of the Presidential Guard of the Rwandan Armed Forces, Protais Mpiranya, remains on the wanted list, for his role in the genocide. Another genocide suspect, former Defence Minister Augustin Bizimana, who was one of the most-wanted fugitives, had died last week.  

Read more here.

Myanmar has been accused of genocide against the Rohingya people by the humanitarian organisation Refugees International which has called on UN Security Council to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

This follows an order from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for Myanmar to take “all measures within its power” to prevent crimes of genocide against the Rohingya.

Whilst the ICC has launched an investigation into crimes against the Rohingya people; this investigation is limited to crimes within Bangladesh, an ICC member country. Refugee International has called for the investigation to be widened and strengthened.

Defending their accusation of genocide, Refugees International states:

“This is not a conclusion that Refugees International reaches lightly […] But the evidence of the widespread, systematic nature of the attacks on the Rohingya, and the intent reflected in the rhetoric and actions of the Myanmar military, leads inevitably to this conclusion. Nearly 900,000 Rohingya refugees remain among the most vulnerable to the looming threat of Covid-19, and another 600,000 Rohingya people face the ongoing risk of genocide inside Myanmar.”

Over a million fled in response to the military onslaught in 2016 and found shelter in, Cox’s Bazar, the largest refugee camp in Bangladesh. There are now concerns over the spread of coronavirus as the camp has an average population density approximately at least six times that of Wuhan, China.

Sudarshan Kodooru, Tearfund’s country director in Bangladesh, stated on the matter:

“Sanitation and hygiene facilities in the camp are already inadequate, and the streets are narrow and crowded; so social distancing is extremely difficult, and currently there aren’t enough hand-washing facilities”.

Tearfund is offering support to these refugee camps and communities. It has successfully installed “200 community washing facilities and giving food to those in quarantine.”

Read more from Church Times

<p>Hong Kong Security forces cracked down on protesters who opposed a new draconian national security law which threatens dissidents and Hong Kong independence activists.</p> <p>During the protests, police fired tear gas and pepper spray on thousands who had taken to the streets, despite the lockdown measures intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Over 180 people were arrested during protests on Sunday.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Responses from state officials</strong></p> <p>Tam Yiu-Chung, Hong Kong's sole delegate to China's National People's Congress Standing Committee, maintains that the bill will pass through into legislation swiftly and the matter would be resolved by the end of June.</p> <p>Hong Kong Secretary for Security, John Lee, has defended the proposed bill stating:</p> <blockquote><p> "Terrorism is growing in the city and activities which harm national security, such as 'Hong Kong independence [...]</p> <p>"In just a few months, Hong Kong has changed from one of the safest cities in the world to a city shrouded in the shadow of violence," </p></blockquote> <p>Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary also defended the bill stating it would only affect a minority of people and not affect the rights of the general public.</p> <p>Former Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung claimed that whilst the bill is not designed to deter people from protesting it would combat “terrorism” and stamp out calls for independence.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Calls for independence</strong></p> <p>During the rally, participates were heard chanting:</p> <blockquote><p> "Hong Kong independence, the only way out," </p></blockquote> <p>Ray Chan, a pro-democracy member of Hong Kong's Legislative Council, has responded to the government crackdown by stating on social media:</p> <blockquote><p> "Call us terrorists, whatever you want, after the Wuhan Virus outbreak, China has no more credibility in the world." </p></blockquote> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Responses from the international community</strong></p> <p>The US, Australia, Britain, and Canada have raised concerns over this new national security bill as it threatens the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents. The US has warned that if China continues with this new legislation it may face sanctions</p> <p>Commenting on the matter, US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, stated:</p> <blockquote><p> "It looks like with this national security law they're going to basically take over Hong Kong and if they do ... Secretary [of State Mike] Pompeo will likely be unable to certify that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy".&nbsp;&nbsp; </p></blockquote> <p>When Hong Kong was handed over to mainland China in 1997, it was granted the status of Special Administrative Region, which promised a high degree of autonomy.</p> <p>Read more from Al Jazeera <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/crackdown-hk-security-chief-warn…">here </a>and <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/china-hk-national-security-law-l…">here.</a>&nbsp;</p>

The president of Somaliland has called on the international community to recognise the independence of the region and warned that unless Somalia “accepts the reality of two independent nations,” his government will explore international legal avenues.

Though Somaliland was a former British Protectorate, it came under control of Somalia, just five days after the region gained independence in 1960. However, on May 19, 1991, Somaliland seceded from Somalia and declared independence, and still awaits widespread international recognition. A 2001 referendum reaffirmed the country’s independence from Somalia.

Somaliland’s President Muse Bihi, in his speech to mark the 29th anniversary of the independence declaration, said that “the only agenda that can bring Somaliland and Somalia to a negotiating table is one based on two countries talking mutual interests and good neighbourly relations”.

“Somalia and anybody else who wishes to mediate between the two of us should accept the inalienable, undeniable reality of a sovereign Somaliland talking with a sovereign Somalia on issues that foster brotherly relations, our people and the region,” he added.

“I repeat in a loud voice that unless Somalia accepts the reality of two independent nations talking on equal terms, it should forget a dialogue between the two.”

“We will submit our case to an international court if Somalia continues to insist on a Somaliland it rules.”

See more from EABW news here.

Myanmar has complied with a deadline set by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and submitted a report on steps the government has taken to prevent acts of genocide against the Rohingya people.

A foreign ministry official confirmed to Anadolu Agency that the report was submitted on Saturday, adding that it was based on three directives issued by the president’s office in April. The directives, issued in response to the ICJ ordering Myanmar to protect the Rohingya population from genocide, called on officials not to destroy evidence of genocide, to prevent the committing of genocidal acts and to prevent hate speech against the Rohingya.

“What I know is that the report was based on what we done and what we are doing regarding these three directives,” said the official.

US ambassador-at-large for war crimes David Scheffer said the report was "an important milestone," reports Al Jazeera.

"The world should learn whether Myanmar not only is complying with an international order, but whether it has done so truthfully and without deception or obfuscation," he said.

Rohingya activists meanwhile say that Myanmar is ignoring its own directives, with ongoing abuses being committed by security forces.

"Myanmar has not taken any serious action to protect the Rohingya," said Muhammed Nowkhim, a Rohingya activist in Bangladesh.

"They're always playing the same old game," added Stella Naw.

See more from Al Jazeera here and Anadolu Agency here.

The United Nations confirmed that the remains of a former Rwandan defence minister who was wanted over the country’s 1994 genocide, have been identified in a grave in Congo.

Augustin Bizimana, who was indicted on 13 charges, including genocide, murder and rape, is believed to have died in the Republic of the Congo, in 2000. His remains were identified by DNA testing, according to United Nations war crimes prosecutor Serge Brammertz.

“Bizimana was alleged to be responsible for the murders of former Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana and 10 Belgian United Nations peacekeepers, and for the murder of Tutsi civilians” Brammertz said in a statement.

He is believed to have died around August 2000, "based on the conclusive identification of Bizimana's remains in a gravesite in Pointe Noire, the Republic of the Congo".

The announcement was made after Félicien Kabuga, one of the main financiers of the Rwandan genocide, was arrested in France last week.

Félicien Kabuga, one of the main financiers of the Rwanda genocide, has been arrested in France under charges from the International Criminal Tribunal of genocide and crimes against humanity.

The Rwanda genocide claimed the lives of 800,000 Tutsi’s and political opponents in 1994. The US was supportive of this arrest, offering $5 million reward for information leading to Kabuga’s arrest. Kabuga is accused of paying the militant’s who carried out massacres during this genocide.

Kabuga also founded and funded Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM), which actively encourage the persecution and massacre of Tutsis.

Kabuga was living in France under a false identity before he was arrested on Saturday.

Read more from the BBC

<p>Clashes between pro-government and separatist forces in the Zinjibar and Abyan province in Yemen, have led to the deaths of 14 including 10 pro-government soldiers.</p> <p>The conflict has been described by Al Jazeera as the first major confrontation since separatists declared self-rule on 26 April in southern Yemen. According to Al Jazeera, both sides exchanged missile and artillery shelling on these two fronts.</p> <p>Separatists have claimed that they captured 40 pro-government soldiers as well as their military equipment.</p> <p>Read more from <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/clashes-separatists-pro-gov-forc…">Al Jazeera.</a></p>

<p>Yemen’s government vows to continue their fight against the Southern Transitional Council (STC) as both sides clash on the outskirts of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan.</p> <p>The clash led to the deaths of 2 government soldiers and 2 separatists; 13 government soldiers were also wounded, and 11 separatists were wounded. The conflict was sparked by the offensive military manoeuvre in the region by pro-government troops.</p> <p>Al Jazeera notes that on 25 April, the STC declared self-rule in the port city of Aden and nearby areas.</p> <p>Yemen’s Foreign Minister has urged the STC to implement a power-sharing agreement which is known as the Riyadh pact. This was brokered by Saudi Arabia in November to help resolve tensions in the region.</p> <p>The STC leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, has urged southern forces to be prepared to “defend their national gains”.</p> <p>The latest clashes follows calls from the UN Chief for a global ceasefire to stem the spread of the coronavirus. In Yemen, there are 58 confirmed cases of coronavirus, most are within the southern city of Aden.<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Read more from <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/yemen-gov-vows-fight-separatists…">Al Jazeera </a>and <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-yemen-security-south/yemen-govt-says-…">Reuters</a></p>