Canadian MP says Iran carries out collective punishment against Kurds

“It is also part of the collective punishment the regime in Tehran continues against Kurdish people in all parts of Kurdistan.”

 
 Wladimir van Wilgenburg 

Canadian Conservative Party MP Tom Kmiec (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Canadian Conservative Party MP Tom Kmiec told Kurdistan 24 on Monday that the bombing campaign carried out by Iran in the Kurdistan Region is a “collective punishment” against the “Kurdish people in all parts of Kurdistan.”

“The bombing campaign using missiles and drones is a violation of Iraqi territorial sovereignty,” he said

“It is also part of the collective punishment the regime in Tehran continues against Kurdish people in all parts of Kurdistan.”

The Canadian government has recently imposed sanctions on Iranian officials in response to the crackdown by Iran on protests and the death of Jina (Mahsa) Amini at the hands of Iran’s morality policy.

Also the Canadian government earlier strongly condemned Iran’s missile and drone attacks on Sept 28 against Iranian Kurdish opposition parties in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, "which have resulted in multiple civilian deaths and injuries.”

Nevertheless, Iran has continued to bomb the Kurdistan Region's border areas for the eleventh consecutive day amidst the widespread protests in Iran.

MP Tom Kmiec said he supports the “limited measures the Canadian government has taken so far under the Special Economic Measures Act but more must be done.”

“The spear of the autocratic regime in Tehran is the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and they must be listed as a terrorist organization.”

“Conservatives in Canada have been calling for years for the IRGC to be labeled officially as a terrorist group in Canada,” he said.

“This would allow criminal charges to be laid against its agents in Canada and direct our security agencies to treat them the way we do other terrorist organizations. Canada's security agency CSIS found the IRGC responsible for the downing of the civilian flight PS752.”

‘In 2018, Conservatives passed a parliamentary motion calling for the IRGC to be labeled a terrorist group and the federal government in Canada has ignored it since then.”

Moreover, he said Canada “should stop referring to the Iranian regime as elected, review the decision to grant economic sanctions relief in light of Iran's violations of the P5+1 nuclear deal, and finally the Canadian government should begin a campaign at the UN Commission for Women to have Iran ejected from that body because of its systemic violation of women's rights.”

During a passionate speech in the Canadian parliament on Monday, MP Tom Kmiec also said that the “response of Tehran to massive protests at the murder of Jina (Masha) Amini is a collective punishment of the Kurds Rojhlat (Iranian Kurdistan), and the persecution of Iranian protesters for simply demanding their rights be respected.”

Read More: 2,000 Kurds arrested, 23 killed in Iranian Kurdistan during Iran protests: Hengaw

“Over 2000 arrests have followed beatings, hangings and a bombing campaign across Bashur and Rojhlat, hitting civilians in places like Koya, Osnaniveh, Mariwan and sites in Iraq, including areas near Erbil and Sulaymaniyah,” he said.

He added in his speech that recently also 50,000 Canadians took to the streets in Toronto and all across Canada “to rally for free Iran and democratic rights.”

“Millions worldwide have joined in solidarity demanding justice for Jina Masha Amini, meaning the tip of the autocratic spear of oppressing the people of Iran and Rojhlat (Iranian Kurdistan) is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. There is only one moral ethical choice for Canada to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization in Canada.”

‘Weaknesses and shortcomings’: Iran’s president tries to assuage anger as protests continue

October 5, 2022

Dubai: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi appealed for national unity and tried to allay anger against the country’s rulers, even as the anti-government protests that have engulfed the country for weeks continued to spread to universities and high schools.

The recent disappearance and death of a 17-year-old girl in Tehran, however, has unleashed an outpouring of anger on Iranian social media.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

CREDIT:AP

Nika Shahkarami, who lived in the capital with her mother, vanished one night last month during the protests in Tehran, her uncle Kianoush Shakarami told Tasnim news agency. She was missing for a week before her lifeless body was found in a Tehran street and was returned to her family, Tasnim reported, adding relatives had not received official word on how she died.

Foreign-based Iranian activists allege she died in police custody, with hundreds circulating her photo and using her name as hashtag online for the protest movement. The prosecutor in the western Lorestan province, Dariush Shahoonvand, denied any wrongdoing by authorities and said was buried in her village Monday.

“Foreign enemies have tried to create a tense atmosphere after this incident,” he told the Hamshari daily, without elaborating on what happened.

President Raisi acknowledged on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic had “weaknesses and shortcomings,” but repeated the official line that the unrest sparked last month by the death of a woman in the custody of the country’s morality police was nothing short of a plot by Iran’s enemies.

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“Today the country’s determination is aimed at cooperation to reduce people’s problems,” he told a parliament session. “Unity and national integrity are necessities that render our enemy hopeless.”

The protests, which emerged in response to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her arrest for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code, have embroiled dozens of cities across the country and evolved into the most widespread challenge to Iran’s leadership in years. A series of festering crises have helped fuel public rage, including the country’s political repression, ailing economy and global isolation.

The scope of the ongoing unrest, the most sustained in over a decade, remains unclear as witnesses report spontaneous gatherings across the country featuring small acts of defiance — protesters shouting slogans from rooftops, cutting their hair and burning their state-mandated headscarves.

People hold signs and chant slogans during a protest against the death of Iranian Mahsa Amini and the government of Iran in Istanbul, Turkey.

The hardline Kayhan daily on Tuesday tried to downplay the scale of the movement, saying that “anti-revolutionaries,” or those opposed to the Islamic Republic, “are in the absolute minority, possibly 1 per cent.”

But another hardline newspaper, the Jomhuri Eslami daily, cast doubt on government claims that foreign countries were to blame for the country’s turmoil.

“Neither foreign enemies nor domestic opposition can take cities into a state of riot without a background of discontent,” its editorial read.

Iran’s security forces have sought to disperse demonstrations with tear gas, metal pellets, and in some cases live fire, rights groups say. Iran’s state TV reports that violent confrontations between protesters and the police have killed at least 41 people, but human rights groups say the number is much higher.

An escalating crackdown on the press, with dozens of journalists arrested in the last few weeks, has stifled most independent reporting on sensitive issues such as the deaths of protesters.

As the new academic year began this week, demonstrations spread to university campuses, long considered sanctuaries in times of turmoil. Videos on social media showed students expressing solidarity with peers who had been arrested and calling for the end of the Islamic Republic. Roiled by the unrest, many universities moved classes online this week.

The prestigious Sharif University of Technology in Tehran became a battlefield on Sunday as security forces surrounded the campus from all sides and fired tear gas at protesters who were holed up inside a parking lot, preventing them from leaving.
In one video on Monday, students at Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran marched and chanted, “Jailed students must be freed!” In another, students streamed through Khayyam University in the conservative city of Mashhad, shouting, “Sharif University has become a jail! Evin Prison has become a university!” — referring to Iran’s notorious prison in Tehran.



Iran
‘Did you clean your phone?’: The question that could be life or death for Iranian protesters

Protests also appeared to grip gender-segregated high schools across Iran, where groups of young schoolgirls waved their hijabs and chanted “Woman! Life! Freedom!” in the city of Karaj west of the capital and in the Kurdish city of Sanandaj on Monday, according to widely shared footage.

The response by Iran’s security forces has drawn widespread condemnation. On Monday, President Joe Biden said his administration was “gravely concerned about reports of the intensifying violent crackdown”.

The British foreign office summoned the Iranian ambassador in London.

“The violence levelled at protests in Iran by the security forces is truly shocking,” said British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

Security forces have rounded up an untold number of demonstrators, as well as artists who have voiced support for the protests. Local officials report at least 1500 arrests.

Shervin Hajipour, a singer who emerged as a protest icon for his wildly popular song inspired by Amini’s death, was detained last week. His lawyer said he was released on bail Tuesday and rejoined his family in the northern city of Babolsar.



Hundreds protest after death of woman in Iran


Hundreds have taken to the streets today to protest in support for

 women's rights after the death of a 22-year-old woman in Iran under police custody.

In his somber ballad, “For the sake of,” he sings of why Iranians are rising up in protest.

“For dancing in the streets,” he intones. “For my sister, for your sister, for our sisters.”

Raisi’s claims echoed those of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who blamed the United States and Israel, the country’s adversaries, for inciting the unrest in his first remarks on the nationwide protests on Monday. It’s a familiar tactic for Iran’s leaders, who have been mistrustful of Western influence since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran has also blamed the unrest on Kurdish opposition groups in the country’s northwest that operate along the border with neighbouring Iraq. On Tuesday, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard bombed three bases belonging to Kurdish militant groups in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region with drones and artillery, the semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported, without elaborating on casualties. It was the latest in a wave of Iranian bombardments that killed at least nine people last month.

AP

Iran: Teen protester Nika Shakarami's body stolen, sources say - BBC News

Oct 4, 2022

Iranian security forces stole the body of a 16-year-old protester, and buried her secretly in a village, sources close to the family have said.

The family had planned to bury Nika Shakarami on Monday, but her body was snatched and buried in a village about 40km (25 miles) away, the sources said.

Nika went missing for 10 days after protesting in Tehran on 20 September.

Unrest in Iran was triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who fell into a coma after being detained by morality police on 13 September for allegedly violating the law requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab, or headscarf. She died in hospital three days later.

Monday Briefing: As Iran’s protests spread, the regime pursues “maximum suppression”

October 3, 2022


Abdolrasool Divsallar
Non-Resident Scholar

The one-year-old Raisi administration pushed forward a controversial set of ultra-conservative social policies that increased the division between state and society and played a role in fueling the recent protests.

Islamic Republic leaders are choosing to move up the ladder of escalation rather than step back and revise their policies, believing they can make the protests too costly to continue.

The tragic death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian women arrested by the Islamic Republic’s so-called “morality police,” incited nationwide protests on Sept. 17. Like in previous incidents that sparked popular demonstrations, including after Iran’s downing of a Ukrainian airliner in 2020, the authorities initially denied responsibility for triggering the crisis. Instead, the state’s propaganda machine launched a fierce disinformation campaign, blaming Mahsa’s underlying health conditions for causing her death. But when protests refused to die down, the Islamic Republic adopted what has become its classic response: “maximum suppression,” utilizing all means of violence and imprisonment to stop the rallies.

Discontent in the Islamic Republic has been on the rise for at least the last decade. But a year into Ebrahim Raisi’s presidency, his administration, which represents the 1979 revolution’s ultra-conservative elements, pushed forward a controversial set of social policies that played a role in fueling the latest round of protests. Namely, amid the failure of the government’s economic policy as well as Iran’s continued international isolation due to its uncompromising stance in the nuclear talks, the administration sped up the implementation of a social engineering plan that included creating a “national internet” and the “restoration of the hijab” as its top priorities.

These ideas have long been discussed among Iran’s hardliners, such as those at the Center for the Islamic-Iranian Model of Progress and the Office of the Supreme Leader. But what made these policies so seminal to the present situation is their implicit dismissal of the values held by the majority of Iranians, who fall outside the conservative camp. Rather than recognizing the heterogeneity of Iranian society, the authorities have pushed to unify the whole population around a state-driven ideology and way of life. The result has been a further restriction of social freedoms in Iran since the start of Raisi’s presidency.

Consequently, the Islamic Republic now faces a previously unseen level of division between the state and society, with the state’s influence over the population rapidly declining. Discontent has spread and hope in the prospects for change has waned, while the core of supporters of the Islamic Republic has shrunk. Street protests are now widely seen, especially by the new Generation Z, as the only viable way to achieve change.

Nonetheless, the Iranian security elites continue to judge their traditional techniques of suppression as effective. They follow a simple rationale: no matter the context, whether facing international condemnation of their nuclear program or a domestic crisis, the leaders of the Islamic Republic choose to ascend the ladder of escalation rather than take a step back and revise their policies. They believe keeping up the pressure will raise the costs for their opponents to the point where it is irrational to continue opposing Tehran. In the streets of Iranian cities, this obdurate approach has resulted in dozens of Iranians killed and thousands violently attacked by security forces. Meanwhile, the prospects for change within the Iranian leadership will remain highly limited so long as its members continue to see their current strategy as key to ensuring their hold on power.

Monday Briefing: As Iran’s protests spread, the regime pursues “maximum suppression” | Middle East Institute (mei.edu)

Students in Iran continue to defy police crackdown and demonstrate against government

By Euronews with AP • Updated: 04/10/2022
This video is not available in your location

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Protest over Iran unrest

- Copyright Richard Vogel/AP Photo


Students in Iran continued to defy the government and security forces on Tuesday, by protesting for more social freedoms in the aftermath of the death of a young Iranian woman in September.

Twenty-two-year-old Mahsa Amini died after being arrested by Iran's so-called morality police for allegedly wearing her mandatory Islamic headscarf too loosely. She died in hospital several days after being released from police custody.

Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi tried to relieve anger against the country's theocratic regime, as anti-government protests spread to universities and high schools.

Iran’s security forces have sought to disperse demonstrations with tear gas, metal pellets, and in some cases live fire, human rights groups say. Iran’s state TV reports that violent confrontations between protesters and the police have killed at least 41 people, but human rights groups say the number is much higher.

An escalating crackdown on the press, with dozens of journalists arrested in the last few weeks, has stifled most independent reporting on sensitive issues such as the deaths of protesters.

The recent disappearance and death of a 17-year-old girl in Tehran, however, has unleashed a renewed outpouring of anger on Iranian social media.

Human rights expert Hadi Ghaemi told Euronews that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's decision to blame the US and Israel for masterminding the protests was devoid of logic.

"To call them agents of Israel and America was a very tired rationale that Iran's supreme leader has used to justify his brutal rules, so many people thought it's really the last words of a dictator who refuses to acknowledge reality and wants to relate everything to a foreign-based enemy," Ghaemi, Director of Center for Human Rights in Iran said.

Mahsa Amini: Iran's security forces violently disperse protesters at Sharif University in Tehran

Mahsa Amini: Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamene blames unrest on foreign plot to destabilise Iran

Solidarity with Iran as worldwide protests staged over death of Mahsa Amini

There has been criticism of the US and the EU’s response to the Iran crisis. Ghaemi believes both powers are being too passive in addressing the repression of protests, which have left dozens of people dead.

"Europe and US have been very timid in reacting to the events unfolding. And it's clear to me that they're trying to gain a political point for their own purposes in the negotiations, toward a nuclear deal, which has been stalled. Let's remember for nearly two years. There is no rush to sign that deal right now. And give legitimacy to the Islamic Republic," Ghaemi said.

Officially, at least 1,500 people have been arrested since protests erupted on 16 September.

Among those was Shervin Hajipour, a composer and singer of a song in support of the protests that became an anthem for the demonstrators. He was released on probation on Tuesday.

Iran schoolgirls remove hijabs in protests against government

IMAGE SOURCE,TWITTER
In Shiraz, dozens of schoolgirls were filmed blocking a main road while waving their headscarves in the air

By David Gritten
BBC News

In an unprecedented move, schoolgirls have joined the protests that have swept Iran since the death of a woman detained for breaking the hijab law.

Videos verified by the BBC show teenage students in uniforms waving their headscarves in the air while shouting slogans against clerical authorities.

The chants echoed those heard at the wider protests over the past two weeks.

In Karaj on Monday, hijab-less girls were filmed forcing a man thought to be a local official out of their school.

The footage shows them shouting "shame on you" and throwing what appear to be empty water bottles at the man until he retreats through a gate.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

View original tweet on Twitter

In another video from Karaj, which is just to the west of the capital Tehran, students are heard shouting: "If we don't unite, they will kill us one by one."

In the southern city of Shiraz on Monday, dozens of schoolgirls blocked traffic on a main road while waving their headscarves in the air and shouting "death to the dictator" - a reference to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

View original tweet on Twitter

Further protests by schoolgirls were reported on Tuesday in Tehran and the north-western cities of Saqez and Sanandaj.

A number of students were also photographed standing in their classrooms with their heads uncovered. Some were raising their middle fingers - an obscene gesture - at portraits of Ayatollah Khamenei and the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

View original tweet on Twitter


The protests by the schoolgirls began hours after Ayatollah Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, broke his silence on the unrest and accused the United States and Israel, Iran's arch-enemies, of orchestrating "riots".

He also gave his full backing to the security forces, which have responded to the protests with a violent crackdown.

The unrest was triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who fell into a coma after being detained by morality police on 13 September in Tehran for allegedly violating the law requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab, or headscarf. She died in hospital three days later.

Her family has alleged that officers beat her head with a baton and banged her head against one of their vehicles. The police have denied that she was mistreated and said she suffered "sudden heart failure".

The first protests took place in Kurdish-populated north-western Iran, where Ms Amini lived, and then spread rapidly across the country.

Islamic Republic’s Misogyny Sparked Women-Led Uprising In Iran – US Envoy

Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah E. Lipstadt (left)

US envoy for battling antisemitism says the entire world as well as the Iranian people know that Islamic Republic’s inherent misogyny has sparked the current women-led uprising.

Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah E. Lipstadt said late Monday that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei "can blame ‘Zionists,' the US, or anyone else, but it’s clear to the world and the Iranian people that his regime’s violent misogyny ignited these women-led protests.”

She was referring to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s first reaction to ongoing unrest on Monday, saying that the protests were planned and not staged by "ordinary Iranians…I am saying explicitly and clearly, riots and insecurity were planned by America and the usurper, fake Zionist regime,” said the aging 83-year-old Khamenei who has ruled for 33 years.

Echoing Khamenei’s remarks, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said on Tuesday the ongoing protests – triggered by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini -- are a riot organized by the US and Israel in order to prevent the Islamic Republic’s progress.

Also on Monday, US Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Calif) said that “Today the Ayatollah erroneously tried to blame the US and Israel for Iran’s protests.”

Referring to a bipartisan and bicameral resolution to commemorate Mahsa Amini's death and to convey US support for the protests, the representative added that “through resolutions like this, the world is showing that the truth behind the protests is clear, and that the support behind those calling for equality and justice in Iran is resolute.”

Qatar 2022: Paris joins big screen boycott of World Cup over human rights claims

The decision announced by the deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports means it follows similar moves by other French cities, despite the country going in as the defending champion.

Tuesday 4 October 2022 

France supporters react in a fan zone at the Hotel de Ville before the World Cup semi-final in 2018

Paris will not broadcast World Cup matches on giant screens in public fan zones amid concerns over rights violations of migrant workers and the environmental impact of the tournament in Qatar.

It follows similar moves by other French cities, despite the country going in as the defending champion.

Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports, said the decision is due to "the conditions of the organisation of this World Cup, both on the environmental and social level".

He said in an interview with France Blue Paris that "air-conditioned stadiums" and the "conditions in which these facilities have been built are to be questioned".

Mr Rabadan stressed that Paris is not boycotting the tournament, but explained that Qatar's "model of staging big events goes against what (Paris, the host of the 2024 Olympics) wants to organise".


The move comes despite the city's football club, Paris Saint-Germain, being owned by Qatar Sports Investments.

A growing number of French cities are refusing to erect screens to broadcast World Cup matches to protest Qatar's human rights record.

The mayor of Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights, cited allegations of human rights abuses and exploitation of migrant workers in Qatar as the reason for cancelling public broadcasts of the World Cup.

"It's impossible for us to ignore the many warnings of abuse and exploitation of migrant workers by non-governmental organisations," Jeanne Barseghian said in a statement.

"We cannot condone these abuses, we cannot turn a blind eye when human rights are violated."

The World Cup is being held in Qatar in November and December. 

Pic: AP

Arnaud Deslandes, a deputy mayor of Lille, said that by cancelling public viewing of matches, the northern city wanted to send a message to FIFA about the irreparable damage of the Qatar tournament to the environment.

"We want to show FIFA that money is not everything," Deslandes told The Associated Press in an interview.

Read more:
England and Wales reflect football's delicate approach over rights violations in Qatar
Just how much Qatar 2022 might have cost

As for residents' reactions to the city's decision, he added: "I have yet to meet a person in Lille who was disappointed by our decision."

The gas-rich emirate has been criticised for its treatment of migrant workers, mostly from south Asia, who were needed to build the stadiums, metro lines, roads and hotels.

However, Qatar has denied these accusations and has repeatedly rejected allegations that the safety and health of 30,000 workers who built the World Cup infrastructure have been jeopardized.

Amnesty International UK

UK: Home Secretary’s Conference speech ‘frighteningly anti-human rights’

© Amnesty International

In response to the Home Secretary’s speech at the Conservative Party conference today, Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive, said:

“Suella Braverman’s speech was frighteningly anti-human rights and offered a vision of a Britain which rides roughshod over our basic rights and freedoms. 

“Threats to weaken the Modern Slavery Act and human rights laws, to double down on the unlawful Rwanda deal and bar anyone crossing the Channel from sanctuary in the UK, would be a shocking failure to behave lawfully let alone with compassion.

“The draconian Public Order Bill will introduce yet more restrictions on the right to peaceful protest, with protest banning orders and widespread stop-and-search powers even without suspicion - doing serious damage to any reputation the UK has for upholding the rule of law and protecting free speech. 

“Instead of defending the completely discredited Prevent programme, Braverman should be working on measures that can restore confidence and trust in all our communities.

“The Home Secretary’s suggestion that the UK should fail to comply with the European Court of Human Rights is dangerously discreditable, would reduce people’s rights and damage the international human rights system as a whole.

“Overall, it looks as if the cruelty and intolerance of recent Home Office policy on asylum, policing and the right to protest are set to intensify under Braverman’s stewardship.”

 UK to propose asylum ban on English Channel migrants

By Andrew MacAskill and Kylie MacLellan

REUTERS - Yesterday 

Migrants arrive into the Port of Dover onboard a Border Force vessel after being rescued while crossing the English Channel, in Dover

© Reuters/HENRY NICHOLLS

BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) -British interior minister Suella Braverman set out plans on Tuesday for new powers which would ban migrants who cross the English Channel from claiming asylum and said it was her "dream" to see a government flight deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda.


British Attorney General and Conservative leadership candidate Suella Braverman attends the Conservative Way Forward launch event in London

© Reuters/HENRY NICHOLLS

The government has been under pressure to deal with the rising number of people making dangerous journeys despite plans to deport those arriving illegally to Rwanda.

More than 30,000 people have made the crossing in small boats so far this year, already surpassing last year's record. Government officials have warned the total could reach 60,000 by the end of 2022.

Braverman used her speech to the governing Conservative Party's annual conference to commit to looking at new legislative powers so the government can deport those who come to Britain illegally.

"We have to stop the boats crossing the Channel. This has gone on for far too long," Braverman said.

"I will pledge to you today that I will bring forward legislation to make it clear that the only route to the United Kingdom is through a safe and legal route."

The new powers would go further than existing legislation and were designed to create a blanket ban on anyone who enters Britain illegally, including on small boats across the English Channel, from claiming refuge, a government source said.

'BARBARIC'

The charity Care4Calais called the government's proposals "barbaric, untruthful and unnecessary" and said most asylum seekers who come to Britain are genuine refugees. LIKE HER FAMILY WERE

This "is blatant victim blaming of incredibly vulnerable people, simply for the purpose of grabbing headlines," said Clare Mosley, the founder of the charity.

The previous prime minister Boris Johnson had hoped that a plan to deport those arriving illegally to Rwanda would act as a deterrent to those arriving in dinghies and small boats, but numbers hit record levels over the summer.

The first planned deportation flight in June was blocked by a last-minute injunction from the European Court of Human Rights.

Braverman said earlier at an event on the fringes of her party's conference that she will work to prevent the court from overruling the British government in future, but does not expect any planes to take off until after Christmas, because of continuing legal challenges.

She said seeing a flight leaving to take asylum seekers to Rwanda is her "dream" and "obsession".

The U.N. refugee chief has called the policy of deportation to Rwanda "catastrophic" and the entire leadership of the Church of England denounced it as immoral and shameful.

Braverman said she wants to stop migrants from using slavery laws to avoid deportation.

Braverman, whose parents arrived in Britain in the 1960s from Kenya and Mauritius, said in her speech that the government will continue to help genuine asylum seekers. But she will say that changes are needed to stop it being abused.

"It’s not racist for anyone, ethnic minority or otherwise, to want to control our borders," she said. "It’s time to tackle the small boats – no ifs, no buts."

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill and Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa, William Maclean and Grant McCool)

Home Secretary's desire for UK to leave European Convention on Human Rights branded 'worrying'

Tuesday 4 October 2022 


Campaigners have condemned the Home Secretary's new solution to the Channel crossings crisis as "barbaric and unnecessary". ITV News' Correspondent Rachel Younger reports

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has broken with party policy to call for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as she urged a crackdown on illegal migration.

She said it was her personal view and acknowledged government policy was to work within the boundaries of the convention, which is interpreted by the convention.

But it is another sign of indiscipline within Liz Truss’ administration at the Tory conference in Birmingham

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Home Secretary Suella Braverman leaves the stage after speaking at the Tory party conferenceCredit: Aaron Chown/PA

A senior Government source told the PA news agency: “As Suella acknowledged, her personal views are contrary to Government policy and if she wishes to make those views known within Government she should do so in a more appropriate setting.”

Ms Braverman campaigned on the issue when she stood for the Tory leadership in the contest won by Ms Truss.

She told a Spectator event at the Tory conference in Birmingham on Tuesday: “I was pretty blunt about this issue in my leadership campaign.

“My position personally is that ultimately we do need to leave the European Convention on Human Rights.

“That is not government policy, I should say, government policy is to do everything we can within the convention, within the boundaries of the convention.

“But if that doesn’t work, then we will have to consider all options.”

Home Secretary Suella Braverman seen during the Conservative Party annual conference at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham.Credit: PA

She added: “I don’t think we need to be subject to an institution born out of the post-war era which is a bit analogue in the way that it operates, which has centralised power, which is distant and which is politicised, which is pursuing an agenda which is at odds with our politics and our values.

“I don’t think that’s the direction that the world is going in, that’s not the direction that people called for with Brexit.”

An intervention by the European court contributed to the grounding of the first flight under the Government’s policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda.

In her main conference speech, Ms Braverman said migrants crossing the Channel will face a ban from claiming asylum in Britain.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman vows action to end ‘abuse’ of immigration rules
Leaked document raises potential legal issues of Rwanda asylum seeker policy

The new laws – which go further than the Nationality and Borders Act which came into force in June – will impose a blanket ban on anyone deemed entering the UK illegally from seeking refuge.

The announcement marks the latest attempt by the Government to curb the growing numbers of Channel crossings after its flagship policy to send migrants on a one-way trip to Rwanda stalled amid the legal challenges.

So far this year more than 33,500 people have arrived in the UK after making the journey from France.


Liz Truss to claim disruption worth it for a ‘new Britain’

Liz Truss refuses to rule out scrapping 45% tax rate for top earners in future

Ms Braverman told the conference in Birmingham the law “simply isn’t working” and legislation was being “abused” by people smugglers, people making “multiple, meritless and last-minute claims” and – taking aim at lawyers – by “specialist small boat-chasing law firms”, adding: “This cannot continue.”

“I will look to bring forward legislation to make it clear that the only route to the United Kingdom is through a safe and legal route … So if you deliberately enter the United Kingdom illegally from a safe country, you should be swiftly returned to your home country or relocated to Rwanda. That is where your asylum claim will be considered.”
Liz Truss to claim disruption worth it for a ‘new Britain’

Campaigners condemned the plan as further “attacks” on “genuine refugees” and branded them a “blatant breach” of Britain’s international obligations under the Refugee Convention.

Clare Mosley, founder of refugee charity Care4Calais, said the proposal was “barbaric and unnecessary” while claiming the Government’s rhetoric on Channel crossings was “simply false”.

More migrants arrived in the UK on Tuesday after Channel crossings

Credit: Gareth Fuller/PA

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, branded the proposals “deeply worrying and out of step with the majority of the public who support giving refugees protection”.

Zoe Abrams, executive director at the British Red Cross, said: “We need more safe routes for people at risk. The vast majority of people that make it to our shores go on to have their asylum claim approved.”

Setting out her intention to ensure UK immigration policy is not “derailed” by modern slavery laws, the Human Rights Act or the European court, Ms Braverman also said she would “work closely with the French to get more out of our partnership”.

How to help victims of Hurricane Ian in Cuba

World Oct 4, 2022 PBS

A vintage car passes by debris caused by the Hurricane Ian as it passed in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, September 27, 2022. 

REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini/File Photo

By — Gabriel Pietrorazio

In the week since Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cuba, leveling buildings and knocking out the island’s electrical grid, protests have erupted in the streets over lingering power outages, resulting in food spoilage and further civil unrest.

Ricardo Torres Pérez, a Cuban-born economist and faculty fellow at American University, said the Category 3 hurricane that tore through the island’s western region has been a crushing blow to an already struggling economy.

“This is a tragedy for thousands of Cubans. There’s no way to underestimate this,” Torres Pérez said. “It’s not catastrophic because it’s not the entire country, but it’s a severe impact on the very weak economy.”

Tobacco production, in particular, has come to a grinding halt in the Pinar del Río province, according to Torres Pérez.

“It’s an industry that was already having troubles,” he said. “All of the infrastructure associated with the industry is gone, so they have to start from scratch. That’s a major impact and will be felt this and next year in terms of those revenues.”

Michael Doering, the Latin America liaison at World Help, went to Cuba to meet with the Christian humanitarian organization’s network of congregations and house churches, numbering in the thousands islandwide.

“The stories that I was hearing were just disastrous,” Doering said. “Basically entire villages that were destroyed, and none of the crops survived. There’s really no other way to describe it.”

Delivering disaster relief to the largest island in the Caribbean can be difficult in the face of sanctions, embargos and political tensions between the U.S. and Cuba.

Manolo De Los Santos, co-executive director of the New York City-based People’s Forum, spent six years at Global Ministries’ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Center in Havana. He stayed connected with the Cuban religious institution after returning stateside, and a partnership between the center and the People’s Forum has grown to include thousands of grassroots organizers across the island. Despite these connections, they still face limitations in getting and delivering aid to the largest island in the Caribbean.

“The center is definitely taking donations, but they have a major challenge, which is the bank they use, for example, in Cuba is sanctioned by the U.S. government,” said De Los Santos. “We’re scratching our heads trying to figure out how to get resources directly to them.”

Members of the United Nations General Assembly have continued their calls for the U.S. to end its economic blockade on Cuba through consecutive resolutions for nearly three decades, since 1992.

Earlier this year, the State Department lifted caps on donative remittances, allowing anyone from the U.S., regardless of Cuban origin, to send an unrestricted amount of money to individuals on the island. The Biden administration made the announcement in May, and the policy went into effect at the beginning of June.

Torres Pérez said the move can alleviate financial burdens incurred amid humanitarian crises, including Ian.

“It happened in a timely fashion,” he said. “People have their right to help their relatives, by all means. They will have new channels to legally transfer funds to their close friends in Cuba.”

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control authorizes the necessary licenses to send disaster relief to Cubans. Although an embargo is still in effect, there are exemptions allowing for certain forms of humanitarian aid to the island, including food and medicine.

“The aid that we have been sending has to be channeled officially. It requires getting permission to import the containers,” Doering said.

Even when aid does arrive at the island, distribution can also be a challenge.

“Cuba today is still a totalitarian society where the state is the sole provider of emergency or humanitarian assistance,” said Sebastián Arcos, associate director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University. “Even when assistance is offered by foreign governments, entities or Cuban exiles, the Cuban government prefers to collect and distribute any such help.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that Cuba’s government has asked for assistance from the U.S. in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

Arcos said the distribution of disaster aid is considered to be “a highly political issue” by the Cuban government and “a threat to its absolute control of society.”

“The only exception to this rule is the Cuban Catholic Church,” Arcos added, “which has been able to channel humanitarian assistance in a limited manner.”

Catholicism plays a prominent role in Cuba. The Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba once estimated baptizing 60 percent of the island’s 11 million residents.

Over the course of two decades, Catholic Relief Services has cultivated relationships with the Cuban Catholic Church and its humanitarian arm, Caritas Cuba, said Haydee Díaz, who oversees aid responses in the Caribbean for Catholic Relief Services.

The international humanitarian faith-based organization is shipping non perishable food items, like rice, beans, oil, pasta, sardines, salt and sugar, as well as hygiene items, like soaps, detergents and diapers, to Cuba.

“We’re essentially trying to make sure that we can support the Cuban Catholic Church by getting these very basic supplies to help people deal with the first few days after the disaster,” Díaz said.
Here are some ways to help

Catholic Relief Services is working with Caritas Cuba to distribute non-perishable food, water and hygiene items to Cubans in need. Online donations support these efforts, as well as fund long-term shelter repairs to strengthen the island’s fragile housing infrastructure.

World Help is raising funds to ship food, clean water and clothing to Cuba in the coming days and weeks.

The People’s Forum is seeking donations to fund the purchase of roofing materials in Mexico, which can be shipped directly to their Cuban partners on the ground.
How to avoid charity scamsDetermine whether the organization, nonprofit or group has a proven track record of delivering aid to those in need.

Identify local initiatives and efforts that are based within the areas most affected by the natural disaster.

Beware of phone calls and emails soliciting donations.

Avoid unfamiliar agencies and websites. There is a history of scammers creating websites that look like donation pages after a major tragedy, but in reality were scams.

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Go Deeper

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hurricane ian
By Gabriel Pietrorazio

NFL star Tua Tagovailoa told to retire at 24 due to concussion fears in damning claim

NFL megastar quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been told to retire despite being just 24 years old, after the Miami Dolphins star suffered a concussion just days after a scary injury in a separate game

Tua Tagovailoa suffered a severe concussion on Thursday

NEWS
By Charlie Wilson

4 Oct 2022

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been told that he should retire from the NFL with immediate effect after potentially suffering two concussions in just four days.

Tagovailoa shockingly suffered what looked to be a severe concussion on Thursday night's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, just days after many believed him to have suffered one in the win over Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins have been highly-criticised for their handling of the situation, with a number of world-renowned neuroscientists warning of the dangers of having two concussions in a short space of time.

And now, Dr Bennet Omalu, the first doctor to discover and publish findings on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in American Football players has stated that Tagovailoa should retire from the NFL for the good of his health.

Dr Omalu's work was portrayed by Will Smith in the Hollywood film Concussion in 2015, with CTE now being heavily studied worldwide after his findings were published in 2005. He has since continued his work in the field at the University of California.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Dr Omalu said his message to Tagovailoa would be: "If you love your life, if you love your family, you love your kids -- if you have kids -- it's time to gallantly walk away. Go find something else to do."

In the first incident against the Bills, Tua looked like he suffered a hit to the head, before getting up and running gingerly as he then fell to the ground. Many had stated that this was symptoms of a concussion, and if so, he should be taken out of the game. However, he was allowed to remain.

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Miami Dolphins star Tua Tagovailoa has been warned he should retire at 24

The doctor who cleared the quarterback to re-enter the game has now been fired by the NFL, with investigations into the incident continuing.


Just days later, Tagovailoa was slammed to the ground, as he would look like he would go into the 'fencing position'. This is defined as when a person experiences an impact that's strong enough to cause traumatic brain injury, such as a concussion, their arms often go into an unnatural position.

Fellow neuroscientist, Chris Nowinski, had tweeted before the game: "If he has a second concussion that destroys his season or career, everyone involved will be sued & should lose their jobs, coaches included. We all saw it, even they must know this isn't right."

And after the concussion sadly happened, he added: "This is a disaster. Pray for Tua. Fire the medical staffs and coaches. I predicted this and I hate that I am right. Two concussions in 5 days can kill someone. This can end careers. How are we so stupid in 2022."



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Stadium tragedy exposes Indonesia’s troubled soccer history

By JOHN DUERDEN

yesterday

1 of 9

Players and officials of the soccer club Arema FC pray outside the Kanjuruhan Stadium where many fans lost their lives in a stampede Saturday night in Malang, Indonesia, Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. Police firing tear gas at Saturday night's match between host Arema FC of East Java's Malang city and Persebaya Surabaya in an attempt to stop violence triggered a disastrous crush of fans making a panicked, chaotic run for the exits, leaving a large number of people dead, most of them trampled upon or suffocated. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)


SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Gaining the right to host next year’s Under-20 World Cup was a major milestone in Indonesia’s soccer development, raising hopes that a successful tournament would turn around long-standing problems that have blighted the sport in this country of 277 million people.

The death of at least 125 people at a league game between host Arema FC of East Java’s Malang city and Persebaya Surabaya on Saturday is a tragic reminder, however, that Indonesia is one of the most dangerous countries in which to attend a game.

“Do remember that the FIFA U-20 World Cup will be the worldwide spotlight since the event will be joined by 24 countries from five continents,” Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said last month as he pushed for thorough preparations for the tournament.

Since Saturday, the domestic league has been suspended. Widodo has ordered the sports minister, the national police chief and the soccer federation to conduct a thorough investigation into the deadly stadium crush.

Indonesia was the first Asian team ever to play at a World Cup — participating in 1938 as Dutch East Indies — but despite an undoubted national passion for the sport, it has never returned to the global stage because of years of corruption, violence and mismanagement.

Data from Indonesia’s soccer watchdog, Save Our Soccer, showed 78 people have died in game-related incidents over the past 28 years.

Those accused are often associated with supporter groups that attach themselves to clubs, with the biggest boasting hundreds of thousands of members.

Arema’s intense rivalry with Surabaya meant that no visiting fans were allowed in the stadium on the weekend. Yet violence broke out when the home team lost 3-2 and some of the 42,000 Arema fans, known as “Aremania,” threw bottles and other objects at players and soccer officials.

Restrictions on visiting fans also have failed in the past. In 2016, despite Persib Bandung supporters being banned from a game with bitter rival Persija Jakarta, they were blamed for the death of a Jakarta supporter.

A month earlier, a Persib fan had been beaten to death by Jakarta followers.

In 2018, local media reported a seventh death in six years related to Indonesia’s biggest soccer rivalry.

Soccer fans have accused security officials of being heavy-handed in the past and on the weekend, with witnesses describing officers beating them with sticks and shields before shooting tear gas canisters directly into the crowds. In 2016, police were accused of killing 16-year-old supporter Muhammad Fahreza at a game between Persija and Persela Lamongan, resulting in mass demonstrations demanding an end to police brutality.

“The police who were in charge of security violated FIFA stadium safety and security regulations,” soccer analyst Akmal Marhali told Indonesian media on Sunday, referring to the use of tear gas on Malang fans who entered the pitch after their team’s defeat. That sparked a rush for exits in an overcrowded stadium.

“The Indonesia Football Association may have been negligent for not informing the police that security procedures at a football match are not the same as those at a demonstration.”

FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, advises against the use of tear gas at stadiums by on-field security or police who control and have responsibility for safety operations.

Indonesia’s national soccer association, known locally as PSSI, has long struggled to manage the game domestically.

In 2007, Nurdin Halid was imprisoned on corruption charges but was able to continue as the organization’s president until 2011. After Halid was banned from running for another term, a rival league, federation and national team emerged.

But chaotic administration continued until FIFA suspended Indonesia in 2015, a sanction that was lifted the following year.

In 2019, when FIFA awarded Indonesia hosting rights for the Under-20 World Cup, it was seen as a vote of confidence.

In June, a FIFA panel inspected the country’s soccer facilities and planning for the May 20-June 11 tournament and proclaimed its satisfaction.

“We are very pleased to see the preparations in Indonesia,” Roberto Grassi, Head of Youth Tournaments for FIFA said. “A lot of refurbishment work has been done already. We have had an encouraging visit and are confident of support from all stakeholders involved.”

Kanjuruhan Stadium, the site of the disaster on Saturday, is not among the six venues listed for the Under-20 World Cup, although nearby Surabaya Stadium is scheduled to host games.

FIFA has not yet commented on any potential impact on the Under-20 World Cup but the weekend tragedy is likely to damage Indonesia’s bid to host the 2023 Asian Cup. It is vying with South Korea and Qatar to become host of the continental championship after China relinquished its staging rights in May.

Indonesia has already co-hosted the tournament, sharing the event in 2007 with Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam and hosting the final in Jakarta, where Iraq beat Saudi Arabia for the title.

That was the last time Indonesia staged a major international soccer tournament. The Asian Football Confederation is expected to announce its decision on the 2023 tournament on Oct. 17.

There is unlikely to be any soccer played before then as people in Indonesia, and football followers around the globe, come to terms with one of the deadliest disasters ever at a sporting event.

Families and friends of some of the people who died after the match wailed in grief as the bodies of the victims were returned home Monday. Seventeen children were among the dead.

___

Duerden covers soccer in Asia for The Associated Press.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

KILLER KOPS
Police wrongly used tear gas at fatal Indonesian football match stampede, official says

Officials from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation are due to visit the country as investigations into the tragedy continue.

By Guy Birchall, news reporter
Tuesday 4 October 2022



Police wrongly used tear gas inside the soccer stadium where at least 125 people died in a stampede in Indonesia over the weekend, an official has revealed.

Chaos erupted at the Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang, East Java, when fans of Arema FC began rioting and invading the pitch after their team lost.

Hundreds of spectators were crushed as they tried to flee the overcrowded stadium after police fired tear gas into the ground, causing a stampede leading to one of the worst stadium disasters in history.

Indonesia's soccer federation (PSSI) said the club's security officer and the head of its organising committee would be banned from the sport for life and fined the club 250 million rupiah (£14,424).

"There were many weaknesses from the organising committee," Erwin Tobing, head of the association's disciplinary committee, said.

The PSSI also confirmed officials from the world football governing body FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation are set to visit the country, while UEFA announced a moment of silence would be held at all European fixtures this week.

There were no orders to use tear gas on the crowd, said Albertus Wahyurudhanto, an official with the National Police Commission, an oversight body that reports to the country's president.

"Tear gas was supposed to be (fired) outside...there are suspicions of a violation of instructions," he told reporters, adding the Commission will share its findings with a fact-finding team set up by the government.

Play Video - At least 125 killed in Indonesia

The use of "crowd control gas" and weapons at matches is banned by FIFA.

Fans of the winning team, Persebaya Surabaya, had been banned from attending the game for fear of clashes, so most of the victims, which included 33 children, were the home club Arema's supporters.

There is still some uncertainty about the death toll with police putting it at 125 died, while the Malang city health department says 131 lost their lives.

Read more:
Indonesian football fans' passion can have 'devastating results'

Thirty-two children among dead as Indonesia football stampede death toll rises

Football fans invaded the pitch following the game at the Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang. Pic:AP

While the stadium in Malang has several exit gates, police have now said the gates could only accommodate two at a time. Spectators have also claimed some were locked, all of which contributed to the fatal crush.

Medics have said victims mainly appear to have died of suffocation and head injuries.

Mr Wahyurudhanto said it was unclear why some exits had been locked.

 Tearful mourners for Indonesia stampede

Hooliganism is not unusual at Indonesian football matches, meaning police are frequently heavy-handed when dealing with supporters.

Choirul Anam from Indonesia's human rights body, Komnas HAM, said that if tear gas hadn't been fired "maybe there wouldn't have been chaos".

Dozens of police officers have been placed under investigation and at least nine have been suspended, a police spokesperson said on Monday.