politicodiary

Despite the hue and cry over freedom of speech and the fourth estate, media has been restricted to do its job over the FIFA event in Qatar  Media is having a hard time in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar , as the mini but rich Middle eastern country is preventing media from reporting anything from there. Apparently, the international media has been banned from the international sporting event. None of the well-known media houses are going to be allowed under a ban to report anything from Qatar . This includes the well-known names as BBC, ITV under the so-called filming permits that are given away by the Qatari government. In focus will be things like the accommodation sites of migrant workers, apart from footage “near or within” government buildings, universities, places of worship and hospitals, along with recording on “any privately owned property”, even with the owner’s consent. All this is prohibited and could lead to imprisonment as well. Media will be allowed to access onl...

An exiled Iranian group has sought help from the American judiciary to bring President Ebrahim Raisia to trial for his active participation in political massacre of 1988. There is trouble brewing inside the power pockets of Iran as an exile group has now announced a New York lawsuit against the Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisia little before he is to attend the UN General Assembly. There is a challenge been placed on the table for the US authorities. Only when things were looking as they were going to stabilize for the nuclear deal, skeletons from the closet are coming out to stall the process. There are mixed opinions over whether the deal should at all go through. The exiled group is called the National Council of Resistance of Iran that has accused Raisia for having played a key role in the massacre and inhuman killing of about 30,000 political prisoners. Under the Geneva Convention, political prisoners are to be treated fairly and they have the right to decent hygienic means ...

In a completely shocking and bizarre incident a Saudi woman has been sentenced to imprisonment as many years as her actual age of 34 years. Apparently, the lady is a PhD student at the University of Leeds (UK) and was returning home when she was booked for creating religious disharmony. The individual is Salma al-Shehab, who has been accused of retweeting views of dissidents and activists on Twitter. The ruling which initially meant three years imprisonment was later changed to 34 years, leading to a outcry amongst human rights organisations. Quite a few Middle Eastern nations have had issues with free speech, especially those that goes against the religious sentiments of the country. This has been termed as the longest sentence ever awarded to a peaceful activist by the Kingdom. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom said: "Shehab's religious identity as a Shi'a Muslim is believed to have been a factor in her arrest and harsh sentencing."...

Prisoners of conscience is a reality in Egypt, a country that has been chosen as the venue for the COP27 Summit. But environmentalists and human rights activists are wondering how these aspects can be ignored and the country favored to be the venue? There is gross violation of human rights ongoing for years where thousands of prisoners of conscience are awaiting justice, locked up in prisons in inhuman living conditions. According to a report filed by the Amnesty International in January 2021, ‘prison officials in Egypt have subjected prisoners of conscience and others held for political reasons to torture, cruel and inhuman conditions of detention and are deliberately denying them health care to punish dissent, Amnesty International said in a new damning report today highlighting how prison authorities’ callousness has led or contributed to deaths in custody and irreparable harm to prisoners’ health’. Many activists are now of the belief that this event would lead to a convenient ...

Human rights groups are not in favour of the callous manner in which Lebanon is trying to get rid of Syrian refugees in large numbers. The estimated repatriations are being estimated to 15000 a day. In an interview with a Lebanese state news agency, the caretaker Minister of the Displaced Issam Charaffedine has said that the plans will continue despite UNHCR’s position on the whole thing. Lebanon might have their reasons to do so as it is struggling with keeping its head above the waters. Its economy is not reviving and debts are mounting still. aptly being called a ‘troubled country’ struggling with a prolonged economic meltdown, hosts the Middle East’s highest number of Syrian refugees per capita. More than one million Syrians have sought refuge there, escaping a country racked by a decade of war. While these reasons can justify as to why the Lebanese government is quickly repatriating the Syrian refugee population, in many years, the latter have only been seen as a scapegoat i...

Indonesia is going to have more provinces to itself. This was decided through a legislation that was passed recently by the Indonesian parliament. The three new provinces would be created in the underdeveloped region of Papua. This might create issues for the autonomous powers at hand, political analysts feel. But the government is of the opinion that this decision will help spur development, improve public service delivery, and create more opportunities for Papuans to become civil servants in the resource-rich area that remains one of the country's poorest regions. According to official sources, this is being done to help the development and growth of indigenous people living in Papua. Surprisingly, this development has led to problems and protests in Papua. What is being witnessed is a low-level independence conflict since a disputed 1969 UN-supervised vote brought Papua under Indonesian control. Is Indonesia trying to work on a ‘divide and rule’ policy is what many critics a...

Would you imagine an organization like the United Nations being instrumental in cases of sexual harassment going unreported? This is truer than it can get. A number of cases against women who were sexually harassed and, on some occasions, raped as well, have gone unnoticed and no one (except one) is talking about it. Purna Sen was appointed the spokeswoman on harassment, assault and discrimination in 2018  for the United Nations. She spoke to a leading British media house that recently developed a documentary on how women have been harassed at work front under the title, ‘The Whistleblowers: Inside The UN’, said there were women at the UN who had been "approached, accosted and raped". The more men were allowed to get away with it, she said, "the more they will keep doing it". Ms. Sen did not mince her words as she announced that the treatment of whistleblowers at the United Nations really needed some serious examination and couldn’t have been rubbished so easily...

With this latest bout in shooting, the US has entered the 233 rd case in mass shooting. This info has been shared by the Gun Violence Archive. In the most recent incident, a gunman is said to have used a rifle and hand gun too, in the shooting on the St. Francis Hospital campus. Four people, including the shooter, were shot to death and several were left injured. While police arrived, shots could be heard from the second floor. Police and public were both taken aback by the sudden outburst of gunshots. The attack might have been condemned but gun violence is becoming a dangerous part of American life and the law genuinely needs to be done with, that gives Americans the right to hold guns. Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt has been quoted by the media condemning the incident and saying, “What has happened in Tulsa is a senseless act of violence and hatred.” Mayor GT Bynum has been offered all state resources he might need to respond to those who have lost their lives and t...

The Nobel laureate and celebrated iconic leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi has been found guilty on some 18 counts by the military styled government that has been running the show. Out of these 18 counts, there are some 11 offences of corruption. If proven guilty, she would have to serve a lifetime in prison where the cumulative sentence comes to 190 years. After having defeated her efforts to create a stable government and democracy through a military coup, she was kept in house arrest and later in jail since February of last year. Pre her detention, Ms. Suu Kyi had held the country’s affairs for a span of 5 years but was later overthrown from her position of state counselor and de facto leader of the country . Obviously, there are reasons for her to deny these allegations, which she has termed as ‘absurd.’ It was not immediately clear if Suu Kyi would be transferred to a prison. She has been held in an undisclosed location, where junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said she coul...

Prolonged droughts, loss of livestock and similar climatic challenges have pushed many young girls from the continent of Africa into city bounds, fending for themselves through sex trade. A human rights report found out that from the Hwange district in northwestern Zimbabwe itself, many teenage girls have moved to urban areas to escape the effects of climate change. Speak to residents and they agree that this has happened as their fields are just not producing enough to feed people at home. Do these girls send money back home? This isn’t a guarantee either. Many are with friends and have shifted to sex trade post pandemic as there was not work to support their livelihood in the cities either. The city of Hwange is said to be notorious for sex trade, drug trafficking and violence amongst young. Teenage girls can be seen gathering at a spot popularly known as the ‘booster’, where a tall communications tower shoots into the sky. During the day, the area is quiet, with few people a...

Recently, the home of Mahmoud Salhiya was demolished in Sheikh Jarrah by the Israeli forces. His house was located on the east part of the road which travels from north to south through Jerusalem and separates Israeli and Palestinian sectors. The demolition could be seen as a way to control the Palestinian and Israeli activists. The demolition happened in a very dramatic way as the authorities arrived at the site at the early hours of the day, on one the coldest night of the year. The Israeli police forcibly removed the 15 members of the Salhiya’s house and the house was bulldozed thereafter. Later, they arrested Mahmoud Salhiya and five members of his family, as well as some of their supporters, both Palestinian and Israeli activists. There is an ongoing attempt to displace the Palestinians from their homes. Recently, this has been done not just in Sheikh Jarrah but also in other places such as Silwan. Also, the outskirts of the Old City of Silwan have become a place for continu...

The comments made by Pakistan Prime Minister on defending the Taliban’s treatment of women in Afghanistan has invited a wave of criticism from across the world. He commented that world cannot force the Taliban to take steps on women’s rights that are against the Pashtun culture. These comments came at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Islamabad. His comment has brought in angry comments from many Afghan women activists in particular who panned Khan for his “immaturity” and “boorish attempt to defend the Taliban”. In a letter on behalf of the Afghan women’s to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation says that the Pakistan Prime Ministers’ comments has reconfirmed the Taliban mindset and justify the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s education and employment. The letter to OIC reads “We specifically would like to draw your attention to the call of the Afghan women coalition that the statement made by Prime Minister Imran Khan on the Afghan traditions regarding ...

Uzbekistan is in human rights violation and the American senate is putting pressure on the administration for the country to take onus for it. In a letter, this has been stated clearly and the letter has now been made public. Those who have raised their voices include Senator Bob Menendez (Democrat-New Jersey), the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, and five other Senate Democrats called on the U.S. administration. All are asking that Uzbekistan's leaders should be pressed on human rights issues during an upcoming dialogue session. The senators are now insisting that the Central Asian nation should conduct sweeping reforms ‘as promised by President Shavkat Mirziyoev’ earlier. This conversation is starting as both nations are slated to meet soon in the year over the first Strategic Partnership Dialogue. Uzbekistan is responsible for curtailing freedom of speech of people and media and lack of progress towards political liberalization. The letter states that 'Despite much-...

In a bizarre manner, the Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who is in a power-sharing agreement to take over as Prime Minister from incumbent Naftali Bennett in two years, has type casted some human rights organisations as terrorist groups. Much as under Benjamin Netanyahu, Gantz’s stance speaks of ill will to support the growth and emancipation of Palestinians. It is worth noting that most of these organisations are working for the upliftment of Palestinian people and are US funded. Post such designation last week, Israel administration has in its power to freeze the funds, seize assets, close offices, question, arrest or withhold employees without interim notice, warning or permission. In it therefore no surprise that Congresswoman Betty McCollum, chair of the US House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, has now introduced a resolution condemning Israeli authorities for labeling the six human rights organizations as “terrorist groups.” Without mincing her words, she has called Gantz mo...

  Change of guard has not brought good news for Afghanistan.... In happy days, when kids weren't suffering from malnutrition  Afghanistan has no aid to support its hospitals. Its accounts have been frozen, creating another huge humanitarian catastrophe; the first one of the century being witnessed in Yemen. What this has resulted in is dried out hospital facilities and rising malnutrition amongst children. Food and supplies are scarce in Afghanistan and the way Taliban is moving around trying to assert its mad power, it isn’t too bothered about the welfare of its people either.   It is now common knowledge that since the Taliban’s military took over in August, Afghanistan has been thrown into a deep economic and humanitarian crisis as almost $10 billion in bank funds – most of them private assets – remain frozen and the majority of aid has been put on hold.   As the military style governance now handles their own internal power fights, it is oblivious to the ...

Photo courtesy: www.livemint.com India isn't turning its face away from the democratic mess that has resulted from Afghanistan. It is ready to fight and stand by its promise of help while most Moslem nations are wishing to steer clear of any trouble from a fellow Islamic nation.   In a recent move, India and Russia have both agreed upon a 2 way street for Afghanistan that will help counter dissemination of the terrorist ideology and the drug threat emanating from the territory of Afghanistan. While Taliban has completely taken control over the country, it is difficult to say how far this co-operation can actually go. Definitely, the Taliban are looking at getting a seat at the table. In the past, Iran has also been on the peace bandwagon for Afghanistan. This is again a time, when it has opened its doors to all those Afghanis who have fled their own land to find refuge elsewhere. No Moslem nation is agreeing to home then. Some are willing to only give a 15-20 day funnel period for ...

  Did US desert Afghanistan or what its exit good for Afghan's evolution? Picture courtesy: www.theallineed.com As the US sensibly decided to pull its hands back from Afghanistan, it is still trying to hold the fort for humanity. Taliban has wrecked havoc on the lives of civilians and there is no end to their plight. India is trying to do its bit as well. It is sensible to let the nation run its course. But whether Afghanistan can sustain its government is something that has come under questioning. As American troops have been withdrawn, it seems, Afghanistan has found it difficult to sustain itself. Taliban mercilessly has taken over the various cities, looting and plundering the women. It has been history repeating itself yet again. The so called war for religion has become a human rights nightmare, where young girls have been forced to marry the Taliban soldiers. We know it well as to why.  People are running for their lives. The scene of so many clinging to the wheels of U...

Known for intolerance for alternate points of view Iran has once again imprisoned a woman human rights activist with dual citizenship.... Iran has done it again. They have gone and sentenced a citizen (aka human right's activist) with imprisonment over charges of propaganda. The country does not believe in freedom of speech and does not want its citizens or anyone else to speak up in the open about anything it finds in contrast to its ideology. This time it is again an individual with a dual citizen and a woman.  This is not the first time that this has been done by Iran. In fact the country is known for intolerance and severe treatment against those that speak out freely. It was i n October 2020  that Nahid Taghavi was detained at her Tehran residence. Then the ordeal became more and more harrowing for the middle aged activist.  Taking to twitter, her daughter expressed how her mother was later sentence to an imprisonment of 10 years in one of the worst jail facilit...

Belarus opposition leader has roped in Washington to raise her voice against dictatorship and she is getting all the support she needs....  The leader of Belarus opposition isn’t keeping quiet. In fact, Ms. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has made sure she makes a lot of noise about the way Belarus is being run by a dictator, again. She has made it her personal agenda to bring back the focus to democracy and human rights violation. This time, she is seeking the attention of the White House.  She had the opportunity to meet with the American President whose manifesto has spoken about democracy and steps to maintain it at every cost. The way he has opened doors for African American and indigenous people’s representation in his administration, speaks for the moral standards his office is committed to.  Her meeting has sent a clear message to the serving President of Belarus, Mr. Alexander Lukashenko and even Russian President Vladimir Putin that “there can be no normalization u...

The world has seen enough military coups and we don't want just another one in Myanmar The political upheavals, the military coups and the civil wars are not the wars that any nation’s people want to fight- because at the end of the day, they destroy everyone’s life. The story of Myanmar is no different, with military coup have robbed the nation of hope of a democracy. The war that Aung San Suu Kyi fought locked up in prison for decades has comes to knot end.   As her cabinet fell off the favour with the military heavy political party, the hope of democracy has once again become a faint light at the far end of the tunnel. Meanwhile, harried people are fleeing from Myanmar to Thailand. On March 28, official reports state that an estimated 3,000 people had crossed the river dividing the two countries into Thailand's Mae Hong Son province following two days of aerial attacks. It is another exodus of people looking for safe haven-something similar to the situation that has tr...