Extremists could hijack coronavirus rallies in Germany, warns BfV head
Protests against coronavirus lockdown measures have been gaining momentum. Extremists could now use the movement for their own ends, the chief of Germany's domestic security agency, Thomas Haldenwang, told DPA.


The recent anti-lockdown protests have seen many different groups take to the streets to decry the government's efforts to curb the pandemic. However, right-wing extremists could use the protest movement for their own ends, the head of Germany's domestic security agency BfV, Thomas Haldenwang, said on Tuesday.

"Right-wing extremists and Reichsbürger [members] succeeded in occupying a resonant space, creating powerful images and thus exploiting the heterogeneous protest events," Haldenwang told the DPA news agency.

The 60-year-old lawyer has served as the head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, or BfV, since November 2018.

Read more: German government slams Reichstag far-right rush as 'shameful'

Authorities' concerns about the protests appeared to have been confirmed, added Haldenwang.

'Shameful' attempt to storm the Reichsta

Police had initially banned the anti-coronavirus lockdown protests on safety grounds. They were also concerned protesters would not obey social-distancing and coronavirus health guidelines.

But the rally went ahead in Berlin on Saturday after the police ban was overruled by a last-minute court ruling. Some 38,000 protesters attended.

During the protests, around 300 to 400 protesters rushed the steps of the Reichstag building, where the lower house of Germany's parliament convenes.


THE REICHSBÜRGER MOVEMENT IN GERMANY
What do Reichsbürger believe?
"Reichsbürger" translates to "citizens of the Reich." The nebulous movement rejects the modern German state, and insists that the German Empire's 1937 or 1871 borders still exist and the modern country is an administrative construct still occupied by Allied powers. For Reichsbürger, the government, parliament, judiciary and security agencies are puppets installed and controlled by foreigners.

International parallels, conspiracy theories

Reichsbürger have been seen waving Russian flags, leading to allegations that they are funded by Russia with the aim to destabilize the German government. Germany's Reichsbürger are also compared to US groups such as "freemen-on-the-land," who believe that they are bound only by laws they consent to and can therefore declare themselves independent of the government and the rule of law.

Author: Samantha Early, Rina Goldenberg

THE REICHSBÜRGER MOVEMENT IN GERMANY

Who are its members? One was Mr. Germany

According to German authorities, the average Reichsbürger is 50 years old, male, and is socially and financially disadvantaged. The movement's members are concentrated in the southern and eastern parts of Germany. Adrian Ursache, a former winner of the Mister Germany beauty pageant, is also a Reichsbürger and was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2019 for shooting and injuring a policeman.

MORE PHOTOS 1234567

Warnings were unheeded

The BfV has repeatedly warned that right-wing extremists could try to take the lead in the "very diverse demonstrations," Haldenwang commented to DPA.

Haldenwang's office had noted "increased mobilization by right-wing extremists" both before and during the demonstrations.

The agency has noted various right-wing groups at the rally, including the New Right, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) affiliated Young Alternatives — that has officially disbanded — as well as Reichsbürger members.

"We are observing closely whether the right-wing amalgamation takes on an even larger dimension and whether these actors are becoming capable of connecting with each other," Haldenwang told DPA.

Russia steps up support for Belarus' Lukashenko

Issued on: 02/09/2020 -

Belarusian law enforcement detained over 100 students at Tuesday demonstrations in Minsk - TUT.BY/AFP/File

Moscow (AFP)

Russia on Wednesday issued strong support for beleaguered Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko following weeks of opposition protests, stepping up official contacts and vowing to defend the ex-Soviet neighbours' alliance.

Moscow has recognised as legitimate disputed elections in which the Belarusian strongman claimed a sixth term, while opposition challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has declared herself the true winner.

Now the two governments have announced high-level political and military meetings in the coming days.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin will arrive in Minsk on Thursday. He will be the most senior Russian official to make a public visit since the political crisis broke out over disputed presidential polls on August 9, with economic aid likely to top the agenda.

The Kremlin earlier this week announced that President Vladimir Putin would host Lukashenko in the coming weeks.

Russia has close ties with Belarus and props up Lukashenko's regime, in place for 26 years, with economic support.

President Vladimir Putin is keen to fully unify the countries, a project Lukashenko has opposed. But Moscow has accompanied its offers of military aid with calls for tighter integration.

Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin is due to arrive in Moscow on Friday for a meeting of ex-Soviet defence chiefs.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made his most extensive comments on the crisis so far at a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makei in Moscow on Wednesday.

He vowed that Moscow would "firmly respond" to any attempts to "sway the situation" in Belarus, accusing Moscow's foes of attempting to "tear Belarus away from Russia" and undermine their shared union state, which includes economic and military ties.

Lavrov also backed a proposal for constitutional reforms that Lukashenko has raised, while giving few details of what this would entail.

Lavrov acknowledged that many protesters are peaceful but alleged that foreign groups, particularly from nationalist groups in Ukraine, were pushing to spark violence.

He accused the European Union and NATO of "destructive statements" after NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged Russia not to "interfere" in Belarus and the EU agreed to draw up a list of people to target with sanctions.

Russia's top diplomat also ruled out the possibility of negotiation with the opposition's Coordination Council, set up to organise a peaceful handover of power, as its leaders have proposed.

"We think there's no point in meeting," Lavrov said.

- No 'colour revolution' -

One of the council's most prominent members, former diplomat and arts minister Pavel Latushko, said Wednesday that he had left the country for Poland and Lithuania, where he will meet Tikhanovskaya, who has taken shelter there.

"When I'll come back to Belarus, I don't know," he said, after being summoned for questioning along with other members in a criminal probe that the authorities have opened into alleged attempts to seize power. Several council members are now being held in detention.

Foreign minister Makei claimed that the situation in Belarus was calming down, despite police cracking down more harshly on daily protests.

"We agreed that internal contradictions in Belarus will be lifted within the nearest future," he said, stressing the country had avoided a "colour revolution" overthrowing a pro-Kremlin leader, like those seen in other ex-Soviet states such as Ukraine.

The latest of three huge protest marches was held at the weekend with more than 100,000 people attending. Police cracked down on student protests on Tuesday, detaining 128 people, according to the interior ministry.

The diplomatic meeting came as five Belarusian journalists who had been covering demonstrations faced a court hearing for participating in illegal protests. Lukashenko has sought to impede wide coverage of demonstrations and revoked accreditations of journalists for international media.

Lukashenko on Tuesday thanked Russian state television network RT for its "support", amid reports that the broadcaster sent staff to Minsk after some Belarusians working for state networks resigned in protest.

© 2020 AFP

After the Beirut blast: The hopes and fears of Lebanon's youth

REPORTERS © FRANCE 24

By:Cyril PAYEN|Bilal TARABEY

15 min

After the deadly explosion that hit the port of Beirut on August 4 and destroyed part of the city, amid a backdrop of government negligence, corruption and popular revolt, Lebanon is on its knees and seems trapped in a downward spiral. From the rubble of the central neighbourhoods of the Lebanese capital to the Shiite south along the Israeli border, our reporters Cyril Payen and Bilal Tarabey followed the daily life of a group of young friends. They tell us about their fears, hopes and dreams with the sincerity of those who have nothing left to lose.

‘Hollywood created a myth’: Hotel Rwanda hero’s tarnished reputation
Issued on: 02/09/2020 -
Consultant Paul Rusesabagina, who's story "Hotel Rwanda" is based on, signs the movie's poster for charity prior to the Q & A following the Variety Screening Series - "Hotel Rwanda" at the ArcLight Theater on December 6, 2004 in Hollywood, California. Getty Images/AFP - Stephen Shugerman

Text by:Sarah LEDUC

Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the film Hotel Rwanda by saving more than 1,200 fellow Rwandans during the 1994 genocide, was arrested by Rwandan police on Monday on charges including “terrorism”. Rusesabagina’s family accuses Paul Kagame’s government of wanting to silence a famous critic – but his reputation had already been tarnished.

Rusesabagina was arrested on August 31 in the Rwandan capital Kigale, accused of being “the founder, leader, sponsor and member of violent, armed, extremist terror outfits” in the Great Lakes region, the Rwanda Bureau of Investigation (RIB) wrote on Twitter.

The arrest was a bombshell for Rusesabagina’s family. This long-standing opponent of President Kagame, now a Belgian citizen and American resident, had been living in exile for more than twenty years. “We are not aware of how he got there [to Rwanda] and how this happened,” his daughter Anaise Kanimba told the BBC. “This is why we believe he was kidnapped because he would never go to Rwanda on his own will.”

Consequently, his family believe that he was kidnapped in Dubai and taken to Rwanda to be arrested there. “We believe he was kidnapped because he would never go to Rwanda on his own will,” Kanimba continued.

The RIB said that Rusesabagina had been arrested thanks to international co-operation, although its deputy spokesman Thierry Murangira refused to clarify the circumstances of the arrest, saying that it could jeopardise the investigation.

Kagame’s government has mainly criticised Rusesabagina for his role in financing the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, an armed group active in the east of DR Congo formed by Hutus responsible for the 1994 genocide. In 2018, Rwandan authorities filed an arrest warrant against Rusesabagina for funding a guerrilla war, in which the armed group has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Rwanda.

Kanimba, who lives in Washington, argued that the charges against her father are politically motivated. Describing him as a defender of human rights, she said the charges against him are “baseless” and called on the US and Belgium to “help us get him home”.

During his years in exile, Rusesabagina founded the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change and for years criticised Kagame for silencing opposition. In power since 1994, Kagame has often been accused of authoritarianism, of suppressing all forms of internal dissent and exiling critical voices. Human Rights Watch has accused his government of summary executions, unlawful detentions and torture.

In making the case for the US and Belgian authorities to help her father, Kanimba highlighted his heroic role as a rescuer during the Rwandan genocide. This role saw his life turned into a Hollywood film when Terry George made Hotel Rwanda in 2004 – featuring the “true story” of the manager of the Hotel des Milles Collines in Kigali, who did everything he could to prevent the genocidal regime’s forces from entering the hotel.

Rusesabagina took charge of the luxury establishment on April 12, 1994, when ethnic Tutsis were being hunted down across the country. Many sought refuge in this renowned hotel, and 1,248 people were saved.

After the film’s release in 2004, Rusesabagina became an international hero. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush in 2005 – the year before he published his memoir An Ordinary Man, which was translated into several languages. He held audiences to tell his story with such public figures as Muhammad Ali, Barack Obama and Condoleezza Rice.

But little by little, the hero’s image faded. In 2012, an article for German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung described the former hotel manager as a “cynical profiteer” who made money through genocide, making his hosts pay for their survival. Rusesabagina did not deny making profits, but highlighted the lives he saved.

“Hollywood created a myth; it wasn’t real,” Étienne Nsanzimana, president of the Ibuka association representing victims of the genocide, told FRANCE 24. “Rusesabagina saw the hotel in 1994 and decided to take it over to serve his own interests – then he sold his story.”

This article was translated from the original in French.

Australia enters first recession in almost three decades

Issued on: 02/09/2020

People wearing masks walk through the city centre as the state of New South Wales continues to report low numbers for new daily cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Sydney, Australia, August 28, 2020. © REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Text by:NEWS WIRES

Australia has entered its first recession since 1991 after the economy shrank 7 percent in the second quarter, official figures showed Wednesday, as the country reels from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics said it was the fastest quarterly contraction on record and ends a three-decade run of economic growth that was undented even by the global financial crisis.

The bureau's head of national accounts, Michael Smedes, said the pandemic and containment efforts were to blame for the "unprecedented" drop that exceeded previous records "by a wide margin".

A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction. Australia's economy shrank 0.3 percent in the previous three months.

The widely expected result is in line with earlier government predictions that gross domestic product would contract seven percent in April-June.

"The June quarter saw a significant contraction in household spending on services as households altered their behaviour and restrictions were put in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus," Smedes said.

Hours worked fell almost 10 percent while cash payments of social benefits rose more than 40 percent, both records for the country.

Trade also took a hit during the quarter, with imports of goods down 2.4 percent and exports of services dropping 18.4 percent, the bureau's figures showed.

The government has stumped up tens of billions of dollars to fight the economic fallout from pandemic. Australia's forced shutdown earlier in the year crippled the economy and a current lockdown of five million people in Melbourne has compounded its problems.

The country was already reeling from a prolonged drought and massive bushfires that had rattled the economy before the disease struck.

Australia has now confirmed almost 26,000 cases of Covid-19 and 663 deaths from the virus, the vast majority in Melbourne and its surrounds since July.

The government in July predicted a return to growth in the third quarter as virus restrictions eased. But the closure of non-essential businesses in Melbourne, the country's second-biggest city, could stifle the recovery.

Authorities expect national unemployment to peak at 9.3 percent in December and the budget deficit to blow out to almost a tenth of GDP by mid-2021.

(AFP)

Is France's unapologetic 'freedom to blaspheme' in peril?



Issued on: 02/09/2020 - 07:56Modified: 02/09/2020 - 07:58

A woman walks past a painting by French street artist and painter Christian Guemy, known as C215, in tribute to members of Charlie Hebdo newspaper who were killed by jihadist gunmen in January 2015, in Paris, on August 31, 2020. AFP - THOMAS COEX

Text by:NEWS WIRES


Their nation born of revolt against Church and Crown, the French have long cherished provocation and irreverence as part of their revolutionary identity.

And with it the freedom to blaspheme.

But observers say a deep-rooted tradition of unapologetically poking fun at men and gods alike may be in peril five years after the deadly jihadist attacks on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, the national flag-bearer of outrageous commentary.

As many as two million people and 40 world leaders marched in Paris after the massacre in January 2015, in a fierce defence of freedom of expression eternalised by the rallying cry: "I am Charlie".

But as 14 suspected accomplices go on trial over the attacks on Wednesday, some seem to have lost their appetite for affront.

Only half of French respondents to a survey conducted by pollsters Ifop for Charlie Hebdo in February this year said they supported the "right to criticise, even outrageously, a religious belief, symbol or dogma."

Most opponents were under 25.

This is a shift for the first country in Europe to decriminalise blasphemy -- officially in 1881, but in practice already in the aftermath of the 1789 revolution.

"In a world that calls itself secular, a France that describes itself as less and less religious, blasphemy has paradoxically become a major taboo," said Anastasia Colosimo, a professor of political theology at the Sciences Po university in Paris.

"Anti-clericalism or atheism is increasingly seen as offensive. It is no longer fashionable."

Defiant as ever, Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday republished hugely controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed to mark the start of the trial, including a cartoon of the prophet drawn by its cartoonist Cabu, who lost his life in the massacre.

"All of this, just for that," the front-page headline said. Director Laurent "Riss" Sourisseau wrote in an editorial: "We will never lie down. We will never give up."

French President Emmanuel Macron responded to the news by paying tribute to the victims of the attack on Charlie Hebdo and defending the "freedom to blaspheme".

'Heart of identity'

"The refusal of the concept of blasphemy is imprinted in the very origins of the (French) republic," political historian Jean Garrigues told AFP.\\

"It is linked to the history of the Church, to the supremacy of the Catholic Church in French society and (its) association with the monarchy" overthrown by revolutionary republicans.

"It is something that truly goes to the heart of French identity."

But some have pointed to a creeping tendency to self-censor, driven partly by fear of violent retribution of the kind unleashed on Charlie Hebdo by brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi five years ago that killed 12 people, including five cartoonists.

"With the attack of 2015, the reality of risking one's life resulted in even stronger self-censorship," said Colosimo.

Charlie Hebdo prides itself on being an equal-opportunity offender of bigots and religious leaders of all persuasions. But it came in for particular criticism for some of its Mohammed drawings, and not only from Muslims.

'Consensual' cartoons

Others say the publication has lost its zest, and one of its most outspoken journalists, Zineb El Rhazoui, quit in 2017 claiming it has gone soft on Islamist extremism.

But she applauded its decision to reprint the cartoons, describing it as a victory for the "right to blaspheme".

Riss, who lost the use of his right arm but survived the 2015 attack by playing dead, told AFP in January there was a general tendency in France for political cartoons to be "extremely consensual".

Critics say freedom-of-expression protections have progressively been watered down.

In 1972, the so-called Pleven Law, in a bid to fight racism, created the offences of insult, defamation, and incitement to hatred, violence or discrimination.

Holocaust denial has been illegal in France since 1990.

"Since the Pleven Law, we have only toughened prohibitions, increased penalties and reduced ... rights," said Colosimo.

'Insult' to religion

In January, a renewed debate about freedom of expression erupted when a teenager received death threats for calling Islam "a shitty religion" in an expletive-laden Instagram rant.

France's then-justice minister Nicole Belloubet, while decrying the threats against the girl, came in for widespread criticism for saying she had committed an "insult to religion".

President Emmanuel Macron came out in a strong defence of the teenager, Mila, and the right of all French people "to blaspheme, to criticise, to caricature religion".

"Freedom of expression does not exist to protect pleasant discussions," said Colosimo. "It is there to protect discussions which offend, which shock, which alarm."

(AFP)

South Africa: Streets of Standerton strewn with rubbish as municipal workers strike for PPE


SOUTH AFRICA / STRIKES - 09/01/2020

Residents of the South African town of Standerton saw waste piling up on their streets as municipal utility workers went on strike over inadequate pay and a lack of personal protective equipment. Photos and videos posted online show the shocking scene of a main street in Standerton covered in hundreds of bags of uncollected rubbish. Videos went viral on social networks showing residents dumping their rubbish in front of a local municipal building on August 23 as they protested the ongoing strike.

Standerton is the seat of the Lekwa Local Municipality, a district in eastern South Africa. The office of the municipality in Standerton is the site of intermittent unrest as well as a dumpsite for residents angry at the lapse in public services.

Because the local @MYANC municipality is in shambles, trash has not been collected for four months in addition to lack of power, water and other basic services, people decided to dump in town! A letter was sent to @CyrilRamaphosa on this but we know nothing is gonna happen! pic.twitter.com/OrslhhYg7m
Mthandeni (@Mtimande_N) August 23, 2020

Local residents are seen dumping rubbish bags into the street in a video posted to Twitter on August 23.

Standerton...my hometown. Words fail me 💔💔💔😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/Y9MhQp3zmp
Sakina Kamwendo (@SakinaKamwendo) August 25, 2020

A video posted on Twitter on August 25 shows the extent of the rubbish in front of the Lekwa Local Municipality building.

‘It was shocking’

South African broadcaster Newzroom Afrika reporter Mweli Masilela saw the streets filled with trash when he visited Standerton:

It was shocking. All the people that I’ve spoken to said that this was the first time ever they’ve seen that area in that state. And even myself, I’ve never seen that area in that position.

Standerton public utility workers from the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) went on strike on August 4. Their complaints included a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), inadequate pay and dangerous working conditions. After a month of striking, SAMWU Workers apologised to the public for the lack of services but said they will not return to work until their demands, including a pay raise of 6.25 percent, are met. 

Standerton Chronicle

about a week ago

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN... EMPLOYEES WANT TO WORK

Municipal workers reckon they are not on strike, they are ready to work, according to them they just need the correct PPE, tools, and spares.

It was added that the Lekwa management is rather the ones that are on strike by not doing their jobs.

...See More

+4

33

9

16

In photos posted on Facebook August 25, signs describe municipal workers complaints and demands.

Standerton Advertiser

on Tuesday

Small group of protesters burn tyres

The newspaper was greeted with 'Ons gaan nie opgee nie'.

The main municipal building is once again the target. 

...See More

8

5

2

Photos posted on Facebook on September 1 show municipal workers burning tyres in protest outside the Lekwa municipal building.

Masilela explained:

The municipal workers asked the manager at the Lekwa municipality to step down because of allegations of corruption [Editor’s note: the Lekwa municipality has been accused of spending money on cars and private bodyguards while public infrastructure deteriorates]. They believe that the people at the municipality are compromising their safety because they end up not being able to do the right thing in terms of providing personal protective equipment.

Amid South Africa’s battle with Covid-19, local residents also fear the health risks of waste piling up. As municipal workers continue to strike, the rubbish has been cleaned up sporadically by a local group funded by private citizens, known as the Lekwa Clean Up Crew.

Masilela said that when he visited Standerton last week, the streets were mostly cleared.


During this time you expect that we must try by all means to be clean. So if there’s trash all over, it worsens the situation. I think that is why community members decided that they should do something themselves.

LCUC STILL FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF STANDERTON

On 31 August, the Lekwa Clean Up Crew (LCUC) is still hard at work despite the turbulent times in Standerton.

They do refuse removal, repair potholes and replant stop signs.

...See More

95

13

8

Photos posted on Facebook on August 31 show the Lekwa Clean Up Crew.


Public service failures

In addition to a growing waste problem, Standerton residents have been dealing with intermittent power shutoffs and poor water quality. Locals say that public services have been intermittent since South Africa began its Covid-19 lockdown on March 26, which came with an increase in electricity consumption in homes.

Electric utilities are paid to the municipality by residents. The municipality then pays Eskom, the South African public electricity provider. The Lekwa Local Municipality owes over 1 billion rands (€50 million) to Eskom, and the company charges upwards of 5 percent interest. Intermittent power outages are used to avoid a total blackout while the municipality remains in debt, the mayor said. However, these outages affect other utility services including water pumps and treatment plants.

‘There’s no meat in stock anymore because it ends up rotting in the fridge’

Masilela explained the effect on local residents and businesses:

They'll go for about eight hours without electricity, which is very problematic because there are some old-age homes, so those people end up not being able to prepare food during the pandemic. Many businesses had to close because of this electricity situation. Some have actually resorted to alternative sources of power, like solar and generators, which is very costly. Without electricity, it's difficult to run a business. For butchers, there’s no meat in stock anymore because it ends up rotting in the fridge.

This isn’t the first time that Lekwa’s debt to Eskom has caused harmful outages. Last year, Eskom penalties against the municipality resulted in raw sewage being polluted into the Vaal River, an important local water source

On August 31, a judge ordered Eskom to restore essential electricity service to Lekwa residents. Meanwhile, Lekwa Municipal Manager Gugulethu Mhlongo-Ntshangase has been charged with failing to provide adequate services to the public.

This article was written by Pariesa Young.

Khmer Rouge prison commander 'Comrade Duch' dies at 77 in Cambodia

Issued on: 02/09/2020

Former Khmer Rouge S-21 prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, stands in a courtroom during a pre-trial in Phnom Penh, Dec. 5, 2008. © REUTERS/Tang Chhinsothy/Pool (CAMBODIA)/File Photo

Text by:NEWS WIRES|

Video by:Andrew HILLIAR

The Khmer Rouge commander known as 'Comrade Duch', Pol Pot's premier executioner and security chief who oversaw the mass murder of at least 14,000 Cambodians at the notorious Tuol Sleng prison, died on Wednesday. He was 77.

Kaing Guek Eav or 'Comrade Duch' was the first member of the Khmer Rouge leadership to face trial for his role within a regime blamed for at least 1.7 million deaths in the "killing fields" of Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.

Duch died at 00:52 a.m. (1752 GMT on Tuesday) at the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh, Khmer Rouge tribunal spokesman Neth Pheaktra said. He gave no details of the cause, but Duch had been ill in recent years.

In 2010, a U.N. tribunal found him guilty of mass murder, torture and crimes against humanity at Tuol Sleng prison, the former Phnom Penh high school which still stands as a memorial to the atrocities committed inside.

He was given a life sentence two years later after his appeal that he was just a junior official following orders was rejected. Duch - by the time of his trial a born-again Christian - expressed regret for his crimes.

Under Duch's leadership, detainees at Tuol Sleng prison, codenamed "S-21", were ordered to suppress cries of agony as Khmer Rouge guards, many of whom were teenagers, sought to extract confessions for non-existent crimes through torture.

The guards were instructed to "smash to bits" traitors and counter-revolutionaries. For the Khmer Rouge, that could mean anyone from school teachers to children, to pregnant women and "intellectuals" identified as such for wearing glasses.

Beneath Tuol Sleng's chaotic facade, Duch - himself a former maths teacher - had an obsessive eye for detail and kept his school-turned-jail meticulously organised.

"Nothing in the former schoolhouse took place without Duch's approval. His control was total," wrote photographer and author Nic Dunlop, who found Duch in 1999 hiding near the Thai border, two decades after the Khmer Rouge fell.

"Not until you walk through the empty corridors of Tuol Sleng does Stalin's idiom that one death is a tragedy - a million a statistic, take on a terrifying potency," Dunlop wrote in his account of Duch and his atrocities, "The Lost Executioner".

At S-21, new prisoners had their mugshots taken. Hundreds are now on display within its crumbling walls.

Norng Chan Phal, one of the few people to have survived S-21, was a boy when he and his parents were sent to Duch's prison and interrogated on suspicion of having links to the Khmer Rouge's mortal enemy, Vietnam.

His parents were tortured and killed but Chan Phal survived to give testimony at Duch's trial in 2010.

"He was cooperative, he spoke to the court frankly. He apologised to all S-21 victims and asked them to open their hearts. He apologised to me too," Chan Phal told Reuters.

"He apologised. But justice is not complete".

(REUTERS)

 

Who were the Khmer Rouge?


Issued on: 02/09/2020

Khmer Rouge torturer Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch during his trial in Phnom Penh in 2008 Mak Remissa POOL/AFP/File

Phnom Penh (AFP)

The Khmer Rouge's interrogator-in-chief Kaing Guek Eav, better known by his alias Duch, died Wednesday in Cambodia's capital at the age of 77.

The former teacher ran a notorious prison for the regime, overseeing the deaths of some 15,000 people -- a fraction of the estimated two million who died.

Here's what we know about the Khmer Rouge.


- Who were they? -

The ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 under the leadership of "Brother Number One" Pol Pot -- a charismatic intellectual who studied in France.

Today Pol Pot's name is synonymous with terror and genocide, and his bid to create an agrarian utopia is blamed for the deaths of some two million Cambodians.

The movement started in the northeastern jungles of the kingdom, where Pol Pot recruited supporters and waged guerilla warfare against the repressive governments of Cambodia of the time.

CAMBODIA WAS RULED BY PRINCE SIHANOUK SUPPORTED BY CHINA

On April 17, 1975, Khmer Rouge troops marched into Phnom Penh, toppling the dictatorship of General Lon Nol -- who had staged a coup against then-Prince Norodom Sihanouk.

Millions of Phnom Penh residents were evacuated to the countryside, separating families into communes across the country.

- What did they do? -

The Khmer Rouge demanded unquestioning loyalty to "Angkar" -- which translates to "the organisation" in Khmer, and any ties to family or friends deemed "impure" was dangerous.

Even Cambodians' deep religious devotion to Buddhism was regarded with suspicion by cadres, who defrocked monks and defaced temples across the kingdom.

In the name of Angkar, Cambodians were forced to toil in rice fields under extreme conditions, work in factories and oversee the mass executions of those considered "impure".

Intellectuals, former civil servants and members of the police and armed forces often fell into this category, while ethnic minorities -- including Vietnamese and Cham Muslims -- were also systematically targeted.

Towards the end of the regime, the Khmer Rouge devoured its own with repeated purges -- driven by paranoia from the leadership that the revolution's enemies were hidden within.

- Who supported them? -

The regime's biggest backer was China, who pledged a billion dollars in aid to Pol Pot, according to Sebastian Strangio, author of "In the Dragon's Shadow" and "Hun Sen's Cambodia".

The US also indirectly helped to bolster the ranks of the Khmer Rouge, as carpet-bombings in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos bred resentment among locals against the Western superpower.

After the Khmer Rouge was ousted by Vietnamese-backed troops in 1979 it received some backing from the US, which saw them as a check on communist Hanoi.

- What was the role of now-premier Hun Sen? -

Asia's longest-serving leader Hun Sen rose through the ranks of the Khmer Rouge to become battalion commander before fleeing the country for Vietnam in 1977 to escape one of the many internal purges.

Local history books play down the role he played during the Khmer Rouge's rule, but credit him with leading Vietnamese troops into the country to oust Pol Pot from power in January 1979.

Attempts to investigate the role of other individuals has been restricted by the current government, which contains several former Khmer Rouge members.

Hun Sen has said he wanted a UN-backed tribunal to only investigate the regime's top echelon.

- What justice has there been -

Launched in 2006, the tribunal -- which costs hundreds of millions of dollars -- has so far convicted just three people.

Duch was the first member of the Khmer Rouge to face judgement and his testimony revealed aspects of the secretive regime that was never known to the public.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012.

The other two convicted were Nuon Chea, "Brother Number Two" and chief ideologue of the regime -- who died last year -- and Khieu Samphan, the former head of state who served as the Khmer Rouge's public face to the world.

Critics have castigated interference by the government and the pace of proceedings.

Judicial processes are "complex, politicised, and in many ways doomed to fail", said Robert Carmichael, author of "When The Clouds Fell From the Sky", which chronicles Duch's trial.

But his trial and conviction "were viewed as beneficial" because of the details revealed about regime, he told AFP.

© 2020 AFP

Protests after LA police fatally shoot Black man stopped for riding bicycle
Issued on: 02/09/2020

Sheila Jackson (2nd L), aunt of Dijon Kizzee, speaks against the shooting of Dijon Kizzee by Los Angeles sheriff's deputies, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 1, 2020. © REUTERS/Patrick T. Fallon

Text by: NEWS WIRES

Protesters demanded answers on Tuesday as they gathered in a south Los Angeles neighbourhood where sheriff's deputies shot and killed a black man during a violent confrontation the previous day.

The man, identified as 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee, was riding his bicycle when deputies tried to stop him for a code violation, according to the sheriff's department.

Kizzee ran away and when deputies caught up to him, he punched one of them in the face while dropping a bundle of clothing he was carrying, authorities said.

"The deputies noticed that inside the clothing items that he dropped was a black semiautomatic handgun, at which time a deputy-involved shooting occurred," Lieutenant Brandon Dean, of the LA County Sheriff's Department, told reporters.

Dean said it was unclear which vehicle code Kizzee allegedly violated.


Soon after the deadly confrontation, more than 100 people gathered at the scene demanding answers.

A small crowd gathered again Tuesday evening at the site of the shooting and peacefully marched, along with a caravan of cars, to the sheriff's station nearby as a police helicopter hovered overhead.

Some of the protesters carried a banner that read "Stop Killer Cops."

The shooting came as protests against police violence and racism have roiled the country in recent months following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

Civil right attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Kizzee's family, said he was shot more than 20 times and urged witnesses on Twitter to contact him with any information.

"They say he ran, dropped clothes and handgun," Crump, who is also representing Floyd's family, said in a tweet. "He didn't pick it up, but cops shot him in the back 20+ times then left him for hours."

Deja, a woman who witnessed the shooting told AFP that she yelled "don't shoot him, don't shoot him" as the deputies tried to stop Kizzee.

'We are tired'

"They were trying to grab and take his stuff away from him and then finally when it failed, he turned around to run and they tased him in the back of his leg," said Deja, who would only give her first name. "He turned around and then they shot him."

Deja said she didn't see Kizzee holding a gun and added that deputies handcuffed him after the shooting. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Kizzee's aunt Fletcher Fair told reporters she believes her nephew's race was a factor in the shooting.

"They (police) don't kill any other race but us and this don't make any sense," she told a press conference.

"Why us? You have Asians ... Hispanics even don't get killed as much as we do. It's just us and we're tired," she said.


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Sheriff Alex Villanueva offered his sympathy to the family, saying a member of his own department is one of Kizzee's cousins.

Last week, police in Kenosha, Wisconsin also shot a black man -- Jacob Blake -- in front of his three young sons and left him paralysed following an altercation.

The shooting prompted demonstrations in several cities and led to violent clashes in Kenosha that left two people dead.

President Donald Trump visited the city on Tuesday despite pleas to stay away and claims he is dangerously fanning tensions as a re-election ploy.

(AFP)

Trump visits Kenosha, calls protests for racial justice 'domestic terror'

Issued on: 02/09/2020 -

Text by:NEWS WIRES


President Donald Trump Tuesday took his tough law and order message to Kenosha, the latest US city roiled by the police shooting of a black man, as he branded recent anti-racism protests there as "domestic terror" by violent mobs.

Trump has been hoping for months to shift the election battle against Democrat Joe Biden from a verdict on his widely panned handling of the coronavirus pandemic to what he sees as far more comfortable territory of law and order.

And in the Wisconsin city of Kenosha, in upheaval since a white police officer shot 29-year-old African American Jacob Blake in front of his three young sons, the Republican found his mark.

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"These are not acts of peaceful protest but really domestic terror," Trump said after touring damage in the city, describing multiple nights of angry demonstrations last week that left two people dead.

Crowds lined the barricaded streets where the president's motorcade passed, with Trump supporters on one side and Black Lives Matter protesters on the other, yelling at one another from a distance and in sometimes tense face-to-face encounters.


"Thank you for saving our town," read the sign of one supporter along the road. "Not my president," read another.

Under heavy security that blocked off the road, Trump visited a burned out store where he told the owners "we'll help you rebuild."

"These gentlemen did a fantastic job," he said, in reference to law enforcement units that quelled the violent protests.

"This is a great area, a great state," Trump said, adding later that his administration was committing at least $47 million to Wisconsin law enforcement, small businesses and public safety programs.

"We'll get Kenosha back in shape," he said.

Trump suggested in Washington that a meeting with the Blake family was possible during his high-profile trip but it did not materialize.

'They choke'

A microcosm of the racial and ideological tensions of the Trump era, Kenosha has seen Black Lives Matter protests, riots, and the arrival of armed, white vigilantes, culminating in an incident in which a 17-year-old militia enthusiast, Kyle Rittenhouse, allegedly shot dead two people and badly injured another.

Democrats and police reform advocates view Kenosha as a symbol of institutional racism.

They see Rittenhouse, a Trump supporter, as emblematic of right-wing militias that are increasingly brazen about brandishing weaponry in political settings.

Trump, however, came with a different priority: countering what he has repeatedly described as the "anarchy" in Democratic-led cities.

Trump has refused to condemn the growing presence of armed vigilantes on the streets, calling the alleged killings by Rittenhouse "an interesting situation."

"We have to condemn the dangerous anti-police rhetoric," he said at a command center set up in a Kenosha high school.

In an interview Monday Trump likened police officers who err when making split decisions to golfers who "choke" under pressure.

"Shooting the guy in the back many times. I mean, couldn't you have done something different?" he said. "But they choke. Just like in a golf tournament, they miss a three-foot putt."

Fanning 'flames'

Wisconsin's governor and Kenosha's mayor, both Democrats, had urged Trump not to visit but he ignored their pleas -- and Biden has accused him of deliberately fomenting violence for political gain.

"We need a president who will lower the temperature and bring the country together -- not one who raises it and tears us further apart," Biden tweeted as the president flew into Kenosha.

Trump for his part accuses Biden of weakness in addressing violent protests in cities like Kenosha and Portland, seeking to paint the Democrat as incapable of controlling the party's left wing


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Trump's visit came as new protests were planned in Los Angeles following the fatal shooting by sheriff's deputies of a black man, identified as 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee, after a violent altercation.

Last week's unrest in Kenosha rekindled a months-long surge of protest against police violence and racism, unleashed by the death of an unarmed African American, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

But watching from her front porch as police closed nearby streets in Kenosha, resident Nicole Populorum took issue with Trump's statement that he saved her city from burning down by deploying the National Guard.

"The community came together, so for him to say if it wasn't for him there would be no Kenosha is ignorant and insulting," Populorum said.

(AFP)