Friday, April 01, 2022

In Iraq, Hair Can Set Off Violence

Published in:Al Araby

Karar Nushi, an Iraqi model well known for his long blond hair and flamboyant clothing, was found dead in Baghdad on July 2, 2017. Nushi was reportedly tortured and stabbed, and his body mutilated. His attackers also cut his hair. Indeed, friends of Nushi believe he was murdered by an armed group because of his long hair.

For lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, who are often pushed to the social margins, hair can be an especially significant form of self-expression. Styling can signal group affiliation, or simply distance from the mainstream. But in repressive settings, hairstyles can also be a liability, visible markers of difference, and even a catalyst for violence. In some contexts in Iraq, hair can trigger egregious acts of cruelty by armed groups, and, in numerous instances, even death.

Nushi’s case is one among many others Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented in a recently published report on Iraqi armed groups’ killings, abductions, torture, and sexual violence against LGBT people. In numerous accounts, the attackers shaved their victims’ hair, or demanded that they sign documents pledging they would cut their hair.

Springing up amid the breakdown of security after the US-led 2003 invasion, armed groups in Iraq feed on poverty when recruiting members, offering unemployed men a job and the prospect of gaining power and influence through violence. Although many armed groups in Iraq have claimed to be enforcers of their interpretation of Sharia (Islamic law), a Human Rights Watch report demonstrated how a 2009 killing campaign of men suspected of same-sex conduct, led by Iraqi armed group members, violated standards in Sharia law for legality, proof, and privacy. Stretching over the last two decades, violence directed against LGBT people in Iraq can be understood in the context of patriarchal social norms, the low social status of women, and a culture of impunity.

In Iraq’s environment of persistent violence, why would armed groups pay such close attention to something as seemingly inconsequential as a hairstyle? As many people told HRW, hairstyles are an important symbol of compliance and conformity with social norms and gender roles.

Policing hair has become a part of a crude enforcement of gender norms among some powerful armed groups in Iraq. When hairstyles publicly signal difference by breaking with rigid gender roles, they symbolise a perceived threat to the social order and an affront to authority.

Last year, an 18-year-old gay man was stopped by an armed group called Hashd al-Atabat in Karbala governorate in central Iraq. He was told it was due to his “shameful appearance,” in this case: having long hair. He said, “after the armed group’s leader came, he told his men to cut my hair and then let me go.”

Of the 54 LGBT people interviewed, 48 said that unconventional hairstyles were regarded by armed groups as a punishable offense. This means that men and transgender women with long hair, or women and transgender men with short hair, were perceived as deviant and hence more likely to be targeted. The consequences of having non-normative hairstyles can range from arrest to torture, rape, and even death.

Ahmad Majed al-Mutairi, known as Hammoudi, had been targeted and shot by suspected armed groups in 2018 due to his long hair. Hammoudi was popular on social media for posting pictures highlighting his feminine appearance. He was only 14 when he was murdered. A video of his gruesome murder circulated widely on social media. The attackers can be heard taunting him with homophobic slurs as Hammoudi, bleeding from his abdomen, pleads to see his mother.

These violent attacks are not new. In 2010 HRW documented attacks directed against young people who participated in  “emo” subculture, based on a form of alternative rock music, characterized by a distinctive style of dress, and unconventional haircuts. In the wake of systematic and fatal attacks, panicked “emos” scrambled to change their wardrobes and cut their hair.

Gender nonconforming hairstyles are also conflated with homosexuality, which is further construed as inherently anti-Islamic and pro-Western. One of the documented forms of punishments in the attacks on LGBT people is rape—and in particular male attackers sexually assaulting male subjects as a form of punishment for consensual same-sex activity, or gender non-conformity. Anti-sodomy laws which were reintroduced in Iraq in 1919 during the British Mandate, after the Ottoman Empire abolished them in 1858, and are still in use today. 

Some police and members of armed groups mete out brutal punishments that leave permanent scarring; those carried out in public are intended as a clear message to others. That message is that difference and freedom of expression outside of stereotypical gender roles will not be tolerated.

No one should be punished for how they style their hair. In addition to protecting LGBT people from violence, the Iraqi government should undertake public campaigns to end stigma against LGBT people and work with ministries, institutions, and civil society to raise awareness about respecting diversity in gender norms, including free expression through hairstyles.

PENDING PANDEMIC

Iowa to kill 1.5 million more hens, turkeys because of bird flu


The worst recent bird flu outbreak in the US happened in 2015, when more than 230 farms in 15 states had outbreaks.

The bid flu can spread from infected birds to people, but such infections are rare and haven’t led to sustained outbreaks among humans [File: Francois Lenoir/Reuters]

Iowa agriculture officials announced two more bird flu outbreaks in commercial flocks on Tuesday that will require the killing of more than 1.5 million hens and turkeys.

One of the new outbreaks will lead to the killing of 1.5 million chickens at an egg-laying farm in Guthrie County, about 60 miles (97km) west of Des Moines. The other was at a turkey farm in Hamilton County, about 65 miles (105km) north of Des Moines, where 28,000 birds will be killed.

After they are killed, birds typically are buried in compost pits on the farms.

Iowa State Veterinarian Dr Jeff Kaisand said it appears the infections are coming from migrating wild birds.

The United States Department of Agriculture says 17 states have had outbreaks in commercial or private outdoor flocks this year. The virus has been found in wild birds in at least 25 states.

With the addition of the new Iowa cases, the US poultry industry has had to kill more than 15.6 million chickens and 1.3 million turkeys since January 1. In Iowa alone, infections have been found in seven commercial flocks and two backyard flocks.

Iowa’s agriculture secretary, Mike Naig, said the situation could worsen since the spring migration is likely to continue for a few more months. Much depends on the weather and improved biosecurity on farms, he said.

Naig said it’s too soon to estimate the economic loss this year.

“It’s a difficult time for poultry producers, not just those that have an infected site,” he said.

Food prices are already high because of inflation and supply chain problems, and if the bird flu outbreak expands to enough farms, chicken, turkey, and egg prices could climb higher.

Health officials say they don’t know of any people who have caught the bird flu in the US, and the disease doesn’t present an immediate public health concern. The virus can spread from infected birds to people, but such infections are rare and haven’t led to sustained outbreaks among humans.

The worst recent bird flu outbreak in the US happened in 2015, when more than 230 farms in 15 states had outbreaks leading to the killing of more than 50 million birds. The total economic loss was valued at $3.3bn, according to research published in 2019 by a group of Iowa State University scientists.

In 2015, cases didn’t surface in Iowa until mid-April. This year the first Iowa case was confirmed on March 1.

SOURCE: AP

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Facebook Small Advertisers Win Class-Action Status in Fraud Suit


The Facebook Inc. logo is displayed for a photograph on an Apple Inc. iPhone in Washington, D.C.

(Bloomberg) -- Meta Platforms Inc. failed to stop a lawsuit accusing Facebook of overstating its advertising audience from being expanded to include more than 2 million small ad buyers.

A federal judge in San Francisco ruled on Tuesday that the case can proceed as a class action on behalf of small business owners and individuals who bought ads on Facebook or Instagram since Aug. 15, 2014. 

The decision is another setback for the social networking giant after court filings in 2021 revealed that its audience-measuring tool was known by high-ranking Facebook executives to be unreliable because it was skewed by fake and duplicate accounts.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.

Why a new Titan’s stadium would be a taxpayer-funded boondoggle | Opinion

Funding stadiums with taxpayer dollars simply cannot justified or fair to the ordinary tax payer, many of whom will never attend a game or event.

Daniel J. Smith
Guest Columnist
Daniel J. Smith is the director of the Political Economy Research Institute at Middle Tennessee State University.


Given the higher-than-expected renovation costs of Nissan Stadium, Nashville policymakers are now considering investing potentially a billion or more of taxpayer dollars into a new home for the Titans. The evidence shows that subsidizing a new stadium would be a boondoggle for the Music City.

Stadium subsidies are frequently justified on the grounds that they will have an impact on game day that boosts local employment and economic growth. Stadium supporters in Nashville hope that a new stadium will also attract mega-events such as concerts and even a future Super Bowl.

While economists are often criticized for having conflicting opinions, they do reach an overwhelming consensus on sports stadiums. Economists have sliced and diced the data every which way, and the results are crystal clear: Claims about the economic impact of stadiums consistently turn out to be empty promises based on misleading assumptions and exaggerations.

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In a survey of the research done by academic economists, Dennis Coates and Brad Humphreys conclude, “we find near unanimity in the conclusion that stadiums, arenas and sports franchises have no consistent, positive impact on jobs, income, and tax revenues.”



The result makes sense considering people have set budgets for entertainment. If residents or tourists go to a Titans game, it means they are spending less on other entertainment options in the city.

Policymakers often also fail to recognize the negative effects on residents, who may opt to avoid game-day traffic rather than go out shopping and eating. However, the most important consideration is the economic activity, or alternative public project, that is lost when taxpayers find their wallets a little thinner.

Even if the city manages to keep its subsidy to $1 billion, that amounts to around $1,500 per resident.
New stadium will not boost economic growth


The evidence shows that even hosting additional mega-events, including the Super Bowl, does not boost economic growth. Super Bowl hosts can expect to raise five to ten million dollars in tax revenue, but that is hardly enough to justify the expense of a new stadium even if Nashville were guaranteed a chance to host it.

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It doesn’t take an economist to see that undertaking a billion-dollar gamble in the hopes of hosting an event generating a few million dollars in tax revenue is a losing bet. Especially since hosting a Super Bowl would likely require millions of dollars of additional infrastructure and security investments.

Subsidizing stadiums is clearly a raw deal for cities, but it would be downright financially irresponsible for Nashville. The Music City’s out-of-control debt and underfunded pension liabilities already makes it one of the most fiscally stressed cities in the nation.

It is also one of the NFL franchises with the lowest populations, meaning the costs of the stadium would be concentrated on a much smaller tax base than other franchises.

Funding stadiums with taxpayer dollars simply cannot be justified by economic criteria. Nor does it seem fair to force ordinary taxpayers, many of whom will never attend a game or event, to finance it.

The primary beneficiaries— including the franchise owners, sports stars and suite owners— certainly have the means to pay their own bill. Nashville leaders should take a note from this year’s winner and host of the Super Bowl; the SoFi stadium that the Los Angeles Rams played in was entirely privately financed.

King Henry certainly deserves a fitting palace to showcase his amazing talent, hopefully in a Super Bowl hosted in Nashville, but it shouldn’t be on the taxpayers dime.


Daniel J. Smith is the director of the Political Economy Research Institute at Middle Tennessee State University and professor of economics at the Jones College of Business. Twitter: @smithdanj1

Church of England leaders object to keeping slave trader memorial in college


More than 160 signatories want the memorial moved to a less prominent place of Jesus College, Cambridge


The plaque is displayed at Jesus College’s Grade I listed chapel. 
Photograph: Chris Radburn/AFP/Getty Images


Sally Weale 
Education correspondent
THE GUARDIAN
Tue 29 Mar 2022

Leading black figures in the Church of England including two prominent bishops are among more than 160 signatories to a letter objecting to a recent judgment that a memorial to the slave trader Tobias Rustat should remain in the chapel at Jesus College, Cambridge.

The letter to the Church Times, which is also signed by the former archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, warns the judgment could have far-reaching consequences for the Church of England, leading to a loss of respect and questions about the church’s authority and leadership.

“We write with disappointment at the recent decision to retain the Rustat memorial in the chapel at Jesus College, Cambridge, and grave concern for what this will mean for the Church of England,” it says.

“It is our firm hope that an appeal will be possible, and that the result of the appeal will be the relocation of the memorial from the chapel to a suitable site within Jesus College.”

Other signatories include: the Bishop of Willesden, Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy; the Bishop of Woolwich, Dr Karowei Dorgu; the church’s former race adviser Dr Elizabeth Henry; the Dean of Manchester, Rogers Govender; and the Archdeacon of Croydon, Rosemarie Mallett. The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has already expressed his support for the memorial to be removed.

Jesus College applied to the Diocese of Ely to move the memorial to its 17th-century benefactor from its prominent position in the Grade I listed chapel to another site in the college because its presence was having a negative impact on the mission and ministry of the church.

Rustat, a former courtier to King Charles II and one of the college’s most significant benefactors, was involved with the Royal Adventurers and the Royal African Company that trafficked and traded enslaved Africans.

Last week a church court ruled that widespread opposition to the memorial was based on “a false narrative” about the scale of the financial rewards Rustat gained from slavery, and it ordered that the memorial should remain in the chapel.


Church court rejects Cambridge college bid to move slave trader memorial


The Church Times letter, which has been widely shared on Twitter, warned that the continued presence of the memorial would “lead people within and beyond Christianity, and within and beyond the college’s membership, to distrust, reject, and lose respect for the Church of England.

“This case raises real questions about authority and leadership in the Church of England, and this judgment may have far-reaching consequences.”

The letter said that a recent report, From Lament to Action, commissioned by the Church of England’s General Synod, stated that in order for the church to be a credible voice in calling for change across the world “we must now ensure that apologies and lament are accompanied by swift actions leading to real change”.

“If memorials to the likes of Rustat will not be removed or repositioned, will any?” it said. Jesus College has said it is considering whether to seek leave to appeal.
Arab Coalition announces halt to military operations in Yemen as peace talks begin

US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking landed in the region to “continue leading US diplomatic efforts to advance a durable, inclusive resolution to the conflict in Yemen and bring immediate relief to the people of Yemen.”


A screen grab of Arab Coalition spokesman Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki during a press briefing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 8, 2022. (Supplied)

Al Arabiya English
Published: 30 March ,2022

The Arab Coalition on Tuesday announced that it would cease all military operations in Yemen during the month of Ramadan to help create “propitious conditions” for peace talks to end the yearslong war in the country.

The Coalition’s statement came hours after GCC Secretary-General Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf called for a cessation of military operations coinciding with the Yemeni-Yemeni peace talks being held in Saudi Arabia.

“With the view of creating propitious conditions needed for successful consultations and a favorable environment for the Holy Month of Ramadan to make peace, and achieve security and stability in Yemen, the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition hereby announces cessation of military operations in Yemen beginning at (0600) Wednesday, March 30, 2022, in response to His Excellency’s request,” Coalition Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Turki Al-Malki said in a statement.

He added: “This falls under the context of international efforts and initiatives championed by the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Yemen and the Saudi Initiative to reach a comprehensive political resolution to end the Yemeni conflict.”

The Coalition also reaffirmed its “steadfast position” in supporting the internationally recognized government of Yemen.

Saudi Arabia opened the first day of peace talks on Tuesday as the UN and US work to reach a truce between the Yemeni government and the Iran-backed Houthi militia.

The Houthis have refused to attend the talks and have repeatedly rejected peace talks over recent years.

Separately, US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking landed in the region to “continue leading US diplomatic efforts to advance a durable, inclusive resolution to the conflict in Yemen and bring immediate relief to the people of Yemen.”

The State Department said Lenderking would also participate in the opening of the Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue and engage with Yemeni participants.

“The United States welcomes opportunities for Yemenis to come together, to represent their diverse experiences and perspectives, and to identify solutions and reforms that can improve the lives of citizens,” a statement from Washington read.

“Yemenis deserve a more peaceful, prosperous country where they can live in safety and dignity.”

#KASHMIR IS #INDIA'S #GAZA

Kashmir Film Sharpens Political Divisions in India

March 29, 2022 

An auto rickshaw moves past a banner of Bollywood movie "The Kashmir Files" installed outside a cinema hall in the old quarters of Delhi, March 21, 2022.

The phenomenal box-office success of a new film set in 1990s Kashmir has sharpened political divisions in India and prompted a re-examination of a violent campaign against Hindus in the Muslim-majority region three decades ago.

“The Kashmir Files,” directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, depicts the flight of Kashmiri Hindus, known as “Pandits,” from the region in early 1990s. It is a fictional narrative about a college student who learns that his Kashmiri Hindu parents were killed by Islamist militants, not in an accident as he was told by his grandfather.

The film is being enthusiastically promoted by India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which pursues a Hindu nationalist agenda and has been accused of fomenting animus toward the nation’s 200 million Muslims as an electoral strategy.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally met with the director and producer of the film immediately after its release and expressed his appreciation.

Celebrities and political leaders also have urged people to see the film. The Union minister for Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani, tweeted, “Watch … so that this history soaked in the blood of innocents may never repeat itself #TheKashmirFiles.”



A goods and services tax that boosts the price of movie tickets has been waived in most BJP-ruled states including some of India’s most populous. In the central state of Madhya Pradesh, police have been offered a day off work to watch the film. In the national capital territory of Delhi, however, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal rejected a demand from BJP legislators to declare the film tax-free, saying, “Well, put it on YouTube, it will be free.”

Sushil Chaudhary, the founder and chairman of the digital movie theater chain Picture Time DigiPlex, told VOA he was pleased that the controversial subject had been addressed in a film.

“And the storytelling was very different compared to other Indian films. The way the director handled the film — it was quite amazing, at the same time very sensitive. This film has huge impact and reminded me of the much-celebrated ‘Schindler's List,’” a 1993 film about a German businessman who rescued more than 1,000 Jews from the Nazi Holocaust.

On social media, commenters have described the movie as “the most hard-hitting film” about Kashmir made to date.

BJP’s support of ‘The Kashmir Files’

The film also has detractors, many of them in the conflict-torn region of Jammu and Kashmir itself. While expressing appreciation for the movie’s dramatic qualities, these critics say it oversimplifies the complex history of the conflict, and that it offers a clichéd representation of Kashmiri Muslims.

“Hindu supremacists in India have weaponized the Kashmiri Pandit exodus” wrote Nitasha Kaul, a Kashmiri Pandit and novelist based in London.

“The movie dwells on Kashmiri Pandit suffering alone and makes ample use of Islamophobic tropes – all Muslims in the movie are violent, barbaric or lecherous,” she wrote.

She argued that the movie “feeds into cycles of hate and revenge. It collapses Kashmir’s history and politics into an Islamophobic morality tale that is palatable and profitable to Hindutva India.”

Ashok Swain, the head of the department of peace and conflict research at Sweden’s Uppsala University, told VOA he believes the film was made purely for political purposes by a Hindu right-wing filmmaker with support from the ruling authorities.

The purpose of the movie is not to tell the history or support the cause of displaced Kashmir pundits, Swain maintained, “but to make economic gains for the filmmaker and political gains for the ruling regime by selling Muslim hate in the country.”

Regional take

The movie also has been met with criticism by Muslim leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, a Kashmir-based regional political bloc. PDP leader and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has accused the BJP of doing nothing for the Kashmiri Pandits who remained in Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, she said the move is “ill-intentioned” and will not contribute to healing old wounds.

Mufti also argued that while the filmmakers were mainly interested in profits, Modi and the BJP were supporting the film in order to instigate people along religious lines.

Kashmir resident Sameer Kaul told VOA that some of the gory incidents portrayed in the documentary-style film actually occurred, but that the movie falsely suggests the entire Kashmiri Muslim community played a part in the violence. In fact, he said, some Muslims opposed the violence and others were simply frightened.

Kaul said the impact of the movie will be to increase religious polarization and potential intercommunal discord. “Never before has the justification for institution of an unbiased judicial probe by central government seemed as convincing. Truth should hopefully pave the way for closure, reconciliation and desperate peace.”

A similar view has been expressed by one Kashmiri Pandit girl, Sagrika Kissu. “Not every Muslim is a terrorist/militant or a terrorist sympathizer,” she posted on social media. “We should be very sensitive when we paint all of them in one color. This movie sets in a very bitter emotion for Kashmiri Muslims as whole.”



Real-life impact

Meanwhile, the impact from the movie is being felt in real life. A hotel in Delhi recently refused to accommodate a Kashmiri man even after he provided appropriate identification and other credentials.

The hotel’s receptionist said the Delhi Police had told the hotel not to accept reservations from guests from Jammu and Kashmir. A video of the incident went viral, prompting Delhi Police to deny having issued any such order.

In an immediate reaction, the hotel chain Oyo Rooms removed the hotel from its platform.

Nevertheless, the film is doing blockbuster business despite a lack of promotion and marketing, appearing on 700 screens across India and grossing $3 million since its release on March 11. It is also being shown in the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia, taking in $1.38 million in its first week on international screens.

“IT WAS NOT ALEXEI WHO WAS SENTENCED TODAY, BUT THE WHOLE RUSSIA”

Mar 29, 2022

Alexei Navalny, the most prominent critic of the Putin regime, was sentenced to nine years in a maximum-security penal colony.

On March 22, 2022, the Lefortovsky Court in Moscow sentenced Alexei Navalny to nine years in a strict regime penal colony for “fraud and contempt of the court.” The trial took place not in Moscow, but in a penal colony in the Vladimir region, where Navalny has been serving his sentence on the Yves Rocher case since last year. Four days before the verdict, Judge Margarita Kotova was promoted to the Moscow City Court.

VERDICT


A judge of Moscow’s Lefortovo Court sentenced politician Alexei Navalny to nine years in a strict regime penal colony and a fine of 1.2 million rubles, finding him guilty of fraud and contempt of court. Earlier the state prosecution asked the court to sentence Alexei Navalny to 13 years in a strict regime penal colony and a fine of 1.2 million rubles.

The sentence announced on March 22 will probably not be fully added to the term of imprisonment that the politician is already serving in the colony. However, the exact term of imprisonment he faces has not yet been explained.

The new term will commence on the moment of sentencing, that is, from March 22, 2022. If his imprisonment is not interrupted earlier, Navalny will be released from prison in 2031.

Alexei Navalny, who has been in the penal colony for more than a year after his suspended sentence in the “Yves Rocher” case was replaced with a real one, will be transferred to a strict regime penal colony. This means that he will be allowed fewer visits and can receive fewer parcels and other deliveries.

After Navalny was sentenced, the politician’s lawyers Olga Mikhailova and Vadim Kobzev were seized outside the penal colony. They were detained while giving an interview and were taken to the city police department. Subsequently, they were released.

WHAT IS THE ESSENCE OF THE CHARGES AGAINST NAVALNY

The investigation alleged that Alexei Navalny, acting together with his associates Leonid Volkov and Roman Rubanov, committed fraud by collecting donations to conduct anti-corruption investigations and for the 2018 presidential campaign. In the latter case, according to investigators, Navalny misled supporters because he could not be a candidate due to his criminal record. Navalny and his associates allegedly intended to spend the collected money “for personal purposes as well as for the activities of the non-profit FBK.”

Press releases from the Investigative Committee claimed that 356 million rubles out of the 588 million collected by Navalny had been spent for personal purposes. Four victims where presented in the case, who cumulatively transferred about 2.7 million rubles. Two of them were pronounced fake by the opposition leader’s associates, while the other two were real supporters of Navalny whom investigators had blackmailed into write statements because of their own legal problems.

The fraud case was combined with a contempt of court case, brought forth as a result of last year’s defamation trial. According to the investigation, during the trial Navalny insulted the judge and other participants of the process.

THE CONDUCT OF THE HEARING

The Moscow Lefortovo court heard the case in Correctional Colony No. 2 in the Vladimir region, where Navalny is being held. This is very rare — such off-site sessions most often concern petitions for parole and other issues related to serving one’s sentence. There are no known examples of when a Moscow court held a session in another region at all. Navalny’s defence indicated that such a decision was taken to close the process from the public.

The trial was held in the assembly hall, but most journalists were following the process from another location via video broadcast. They could enter the assembly hall itself without electronic equipment — only with a notebook and a pen. The sound and picture quality was simply awful; sometimes the broadcast was completely cut off. This happened, in particular, on the penultimate day, when Navalny spoke during the debates and his final speech.

“Fake” victims are considered by Navalny’s associates to be the handyman Alexei Koshelev, who donated 1.02 million rubles in 2020 and then allegedly disappointed, and pensioner Mikhail Kostenko, who transferred 50,100 rubles in 2017 (and then sued Leonid Volkov for the return of this amount). The size of Koshelev’s donation — just over a million rubles — corresponds to the size of the amount, after embezzlement of which a case of fraud on a particularly large scale can be initiated. The size of Kostenko’s donation – a little over 50 thousand rubles – allowed for his lawsuit to be considered in the district court, not in the magistrate’s court.

Navalny’s lawyers drew attention to the fact that Koshelev transferred money using an account number that was not publicly available. Questions were also raised about the significant size of the donation — Koshelev himself said that he earned about a million and a half rubles per year. Koshelev was unable to substantively answer these claims in court. The victim also demands that Navalny compensate him for moral damages because his daughter was allegedly detained at a rally in support of Navalny and is now “drinking antidepressants.”

Pensioner Mikhail Kostenko, who had already sued Navalny’s associates over his donation, appeared in court via video link. He said that he had been helped to write his statement by lawyer Ilya Remeslo, a man who positions himself as an opponent of Navalny and, for example, appears as an “expert” on the oppositionist on federal television. Remeslo represented him in court in 2017 and was a witness for the prosecution at this trial; as Navalny’s team told us, Remeslo is an old acquaintance of Mikhail Kostenko’s son-in-law. During the trial, the pensioner, according to broadcasts from the court, answered many questions that he did not remember, refused a civil suit against Navalny, and said that he had no claims against him.

Vyacheslav Kuzin of Samara, who donated 957,000 rubles over several years, spoke in closed session. According to Navalny’s side, he is under house arrest for his “past banking activities” and faces up to 10 years in prison. Entrepreneur Alexander Karnyukhin, who donated a total of 665,000 rubles, admitted during the hearing that he only felt like a victim when he was invited to the Investigative Committee. “They explained to me in the Investigative Committee from the very beginning that the organization [FBK] is extremist, which means that the money was not used as intended,” he said.

The highlight of the trial was the recantation of testimony by Fyodor Gorozhanko, a former FBK employee whom the prosecution had brought in as a witness. Gorozhanko had a conflict with Navalny’s associates — a year ago they accused him of stealing the database left on the website by Navalny’s supporters; he denied everything.

At the trial, Gorozhanko said that he intended to act as a witness for the defense and called the case against Navalny absurd and “falsely staged.” He also said that the investigators put pressure on him, demanding that he memorize the wording of the indictment.

After his speech, Gorozhanko left Russia. Only when he found himself abroad, he confessed that on the eve of his trial he had been to the IC, where he was not only forced to learn the wording of his testimony, but also hinted that he himself, as a former FbK employee, could become a defendant in a criminal case. On March 22 — the day of the verdict — Gorozhanko, together with Navalny’s associates, published a recording of the investigator’s statements.

Numerous defense witnesses also spoke in support of Navalny at the trial, including The New Times editor-in-chief Yevgenia Albats, who called her regular donations to Navalny’s projects her “best investment in life,” politician Ilya Yashin, human rights activist Sergei Davidis, journalist Bozhena Rynska, and other donors who said they did not believe they had been misled by Navalny.

“NUMBERS DON’T MATTER. IT’S A PLAQUE ABOVE THE PRISON CELLS.” WHAT NAVALNY SAID AFTER THE VERDICT


After the verdict was pronounced, Navalny posted a statement on his social networks in which he urged his supporters to continue their activities.

Here is his statement in full:

“Nine years of maximum security.

My spaceflight is a bit delayed — the ship got caught in a time loop.

It occurs to me that I’m like that guy from “Interstellar” in this saga. Remember, the main protagonists enter the station, having come up from a planet where time flows several times faster. And they are greeted by a dude with a beard in a bathrobe, “I’ve been waiting for you for 23 years, 4 months and 8 days.”

However, I immediately dismissed this thought. First of all, I have neither a beard nor a bathrobe. And secondly: it’s all nonsense. Numbers don’t matter. It’s a sign above the bunkhouse, that’s all. And just “wait” neither I nor my comrades will.

As I said in my “last word,” we are not just continuing the work of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, we are taking it to a new level. The Fund will become a global international organization. And we need you very much in it. Come on in.

The monetary part of the Sakharov Prize awarded to me by the European Parliament will be the first contribution to this fund. The citizens of the EU, through their representatives, gave me this prize for the fight against corruption. I am grateful and I will use their money to continue this fight.

By the way, notice that my “last word” was jammed by interrupting the broadcast.

Of course, words have power. Putin is afraid of the truth, I’ve always said so. Fighting censorship, getting the truth to the people of Russia has remained our priority.

The Kremlin is demolishing the media, and we are creating new ones in response. On March 5, I announced “The Popular Politics” [Navalny’s team new YouTube channel] — it now has almost a million subscribers. Join us, and together we will make the best media in Russia.

I’m very grateful to everyone for their support. And, guys, I want to say: the best support for me and other politicians is not sympathy and warm words, but action. Any activity against Putin’s lying and thieving regime. Any opposition to these war criminals.

The next thing I wrote when I heard my first sentence in 2013, and I repeat it now: don’t be idle. This toad sitting on the oil pipe is not going to throw itself off.

Hugs and love to all!”

REACTION TO THE VERDICT


Amnesty International called the verdict on Alexei Navalny “a cynical violation of human rights.” “Navalny faces nine years in prison for accusing the Russian elite of corruption and abuse of power. This sentence was predictable, but it has not become any less shocking. The world should not ignore this sentence and its significance against the backdrop of the horrific human rights violations we are witnessing as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia director.

The European Union condemned the new conviction of Alexei Navalny and the extension of his “politically motivated imprisonment.” This was said in a statement by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Joseph Borrell, released on Tuesday, March 22. According to him, Russia’s crackdown on civil society, independent media, journalists, and human rights defenders is “intensifying against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing military aggression against Ukraine,” and the Russian government “continues to blatantly ignore” all international obligations to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Sergei Davidis, a member of the board of the human rights center Memorial, says: “This is yet another stage in the transformation of the instruments of criminal prosecution and the judicial system into pure fiction. In the past, they tried to give the repressions at least some semblance of legal form. The process of constantly shedding the scenery has long been under way, and these charges and the trial and conviction of Alexei Navalny are just another milestone along the way. Because the accusation is absolutely absurd, it contradicts the accusation that he is facing in other criminal cases. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever.”

“The new Navalny sentence is all you need to know about Putin’s real popularity inside Russia. If he were so popular, he would not need to keep in prison Navalny. It’s just that simple,” former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul tweeted.

“The hypocrisy of the sentence handed down today to Alexei Navalny is disgusting. The prosecutor demanded thirteen years, the «humane” court gave nine. In fact, the term does not make any difference. Neither thirteen nor nine years can last this regime. The trial was clearly designed to make Alexei a high-security prisoner. Well. Now the whole of Russia has turned into a strict regime zone, and soon it will turn into a special regime. Freedom to Alexei Navalny. Freedom to Russia,” wrote Russian writer and social activist Boris Akunin.

“For Alexei Navalny, strength, stamina, and a soon release. The formal deadline, of course, does not matter. He will be released on the same day that Putin “leaves” the Kremlin. And it’s very likely that they will switch places,” Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza commented on the court verdict.

“Nine years of strict regime. Forgive us sinners, Alexei. You did everything you could to bring the beautiful Russia of the future closer, you believed in it, as you believed in Russians, and this belief that we are just like the Europeans, we only need to change the authorities <…> Russians will now pay for the dream of reason and conscience with a long and painful payback. It was not Alexei who was sentenced to a strict regime today, but the entire country,” Russian journalist Andrei Loshak wrote about the verdict.

The politician’s wife Yulia Navalnaya also commented on the verdict. “Since Alexei quoted what he wrote after his first sentence, I will also remember 2013 and say what I already said at the Sakharov Prospekt rally: family is the strength of any normal person, especially a real politician. We have been together for more than 20 years, and year after year we learn how to be good parents and good spouses, but if we have to constantly resist pressure, we will learn this science, too. And the number nine doesn’t mean anything at all.”
Israeli settlers attack Palestinians across West Bank after shooting
Local activists says village 'went through hours of terror' during the attacks, and that settlers have targeted the village before


Israeli settlers gather near the settlement of Bat Ayin in the occupied West Bank on 21 June 2021, as right-wing activists and settler leaders hold marches in Area C (AFP)

By Shatha Hammad in
Ramallah, Palestine
Published date: 30 March 2022 

Israeli settlers launched multiple attacks on Palestinians and their property on Tuesday hours after a gunman killed five people in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish area in Tel Aviv.

The assailant, identified as 27-year-old Palestinian Diya Hamarshah, was later fatally shot by police.


'We live in a state of tension and preparedness for any new attack from the settlers, and we fear for our lives'

- Nisfat al-Khuffash, activist in Marda

Local media said he was a former prisoner from the occupied West Bank city of Yabad near Jenin.

The incident has triggered settler violence in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In the village of al-Lubban al-Sharqiya, near the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, settlers cut down around 170 olive trees and damaged villagers' homes and vehicles with stones, eyewitnesses told Middle East Eye.

Villager Raja Owais told MEE that a settler bus protected by Israeli army and police vehicles stopped near his land at midnight on Tuesday. He discovered the next morning that settlers had cut down olive trees on his eight dunams (roughly two acres) of land.

The trees were planted 12 years ago and were the main source of income for his family.

"I raised these trees as I raise children... Today I feel that I have lost my children, the feeling is very painful," he said.

Owais said his village “went through hours of terror” during the attacks, and that settlers have targeted the village before.

Israel's week of deadly attacks: What you need to know
Read More »

"The settlers use any event as a pretext to attack us. We are victims of these attacks on a daily basis... but the attacks have increased exponentially since the beginning of the year," he said.

In the village of Marda, near the city of Salfit in the central West Bank, a group of settlers attacked a number of vehicles by smashing their windows and damaging their wheels, before fleeing.

Nisfat al-Khuffash, an activist in the village, told MEE that people from the Ariel settlement snuck into the village and attacked four vehicles. “It seemed that they were planning a larger attack, but the vigilance of the villagers prevented the attack from continuing, and the settlers fled quickly,” he said.

Settlers target the village of Marda almost every day. Their assaults often intensify when there is news of violence elsewhere.

"We live in a state of tension and preparedness for any new attack from the settlers, and we fear for our lives, especially since the settlers are armed and carry out their attacks while guarded by the Israeli army."

Marda is surrounded by the separation wall and military gates are shut completely when there is a security incident - even far away. “The village and its people are isolated," said al-Khuffash, "and each closure may extend for up to five days.”
Map of attacks

In the village of Qaryut, south of Nablus, settlers set up caravans on nearby land on Wednesday.

A Palestinian official in charge of settlement affairs in the northern West Bank, Ghassan Daghlas, said that the settlers set up two caravans in the Al-Batain area of Qaryut, located between the settlements of Shiloh and Eli.


A 41-year-old Palestinian, Zaki Abdel Rahim Eleiwi, was attacked by settlers near the Shavei Shomron settlement, northwest of Nablus, on Wednesday.

The director of accident and emergency at the Red Crescent in Nablus, Ahmad Jibril, said that Eleiwi, from the town of Sebastia, sustained a broken hand and was transferred to Rafidia Governmental Hospital in the city for treatment.

Israel-Palestine: Israeli settlers erect new outpost on Unesco World Heritage site
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Meanwhile, two other young men from Al-Tur and Silwan in Jerusalem were wounded when settlers tried to run them over.

The attacks have concentrated on the main settlement highways across the West Bank. In Hebron, settlers from Telem and Adora, to the west, Kiryat Arba to the east of the city, and Neghut to the south, attacked Palestinian vehicles with stones, and smashed some of their windows.

Dozens of settlers, under the protection of the Israeli army, closed the main street linking the town of Ithna with the city of Hebron, and Farsh al-Hawa Road, throwing stones at vehicles.

Settlers also attacked Palestinian vehicles near Burin, south of Nablus; Burqa, northwest of the city, near the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah and at the northern entrance to the city of Al-Bireh.

Others attacked vehicles near Deir Sharaf, west of Nablus, and at the Zaatara checkpoint, to the south of the city.

The attacks coincide with the 46th anniversary of the first Land Day, which Palestinians have marked every 30 March since 1976, when Israeli police shot dead six Palestinian citizens of Israel who were protesting against the expropriation of Palestinian land in northern Israel for Jewish settlers.

Israel's Bennett urges citizens to carry guns, says 'this is the time'

Israeli prime minister called on volunteers to reinforce army and police, and also announced he was establishing a new 'border police brigade'


Israeli border police members gather by the Via Dolorosa (Street of Suffering) on 28 March 2022, as Israel raises its security measures (AFP)

By MEE staff
Published date: 30 March 2022

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called on gun owners to arm themselves in public after five people were killed in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish area in Tel Aviv.

"After a period of quiet, there is a violent eruption by those who want to destroy us, those who want to hurt us at any price," Bennett said in a video statement from his home on Wednesday where he is quarantined after testing positive for Covid-19.

"What is expected of you, Israeli citizens? Vigilance and responsibility. Whoever has a gun licence, this is the time to carry a gun."

"We are also currently evaluating a larger framework to involve civilian volunteers who want to help and be of assistance," he added.

His remarks came hours after Tuesday's shooting, which came days after two similar incidents left six people dead and several others wounded.
Three of the four assailants in the attacks, all fatally shot in the aftermath, were Palestinian citizens of Israel.

"We are experiencing a murderous terror wave and as in all previous waves, this time we will also overcome," Bennett said.

The premier said his government agreed to form a new "border police brigade" that would track those who ever had any connection to the Islamic State (IS) group, and said he was looking at ways to incorporate volunteers, "citizens who want to assist".

In the wake of Tuesday's attack, Israeli police announced they had raised alert levels to the highest since May last year.

Violence spiked last Ramadan when Israel tried to expel Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah, a neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem, to make way for Israeli settlers.

This prompted widespread protests across the occupied West Bank and the Palestinian community inside Israel, and rockets were fired from armed groups in Gaza, triggering Israel's large-scale military operation on the besieged Strip which killed 260 Palestinians, including 66 children, according to the UN. In Israel, 12 people were killed by rockets launched from Gaza.

The Israeli army on Wednesday said an additional 12 battalions had been deployed along the fence separating Israel from the West Bank and a further two battalions were deployed along the Gaza Strip.

The office of Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said 1,000 trained soldiers were also to be sent to assist Israeli police in "internal security operations".

Troops will assist in gathering intelligence and guiding security operations against Palestinians who may be in Israel without a permit.
Former general warns of another Nakba

Meanwhile, requests for arms purchases by Israeli citizens have been on the rise, according to the Walla news website.

According to data from the ministry of public security, requests increased three and a half times from the same period last year, Walla reported.

More than a thousand gun purchase applications have been submitted since the beginning of March, and the number of applications has doubled in the past two weeks.

The latest incident has triggered numerous instances of settler violence in the occupied Palestinian territories, and in Bnei Brak - the scene of Tuesday's attack - scores of Israelis gathered and could be heard chanting anti-Palestinian slogans, including "death to Arabs".

Late on Tuesday, Uzi Dayan, a former Israeli army general and member of Israel's parliament, warned the Palestinians of another Nakba.

"The thing we need to tell the Arab community, even those who didn't participate in the attacks, is to be careful," he said.

"If we reach a civil war situation, things will end in one word and a situation you know, which is Nakba," he added. "This is what will happen in the end."

The Nakba, or "the catastrophe", is the name Palestinians gave to the massacres and forced expulsions they endured at the hand of Zionist militias in 1948.

This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.


Tunisia: President dissolves parliament after it votes online to reject his power grab

Kais Saied denounced parliament's move as a 'coup attempt,' saying those responsible had 'betrayed' the nation


Tunisian President Kais Saied chairing the National Security Council, 30 March 2022 (AFP)
By
MEE and agencies
Published date: 31 March 2022

Tunisia's President Kais Saied on Wednesday dissolved the country's parliament and said MPs would be prosecuted, extending an eight-month power grab and intensifying the country's political crisis.

Saied made the announcement at a meeting of the National Security Council, hours after parliamentarians held a plenary session online and voted through a bill against "exceptional measures" taken by Saied last year.

"Today, at this historic moment, I announce the dissolution of the Assembly of Representatives of the people, to preserve the state and its institutions," he said in a statement carried on state TV.

He denounced parliament's move as a "coup attempt" and said those responsible had "betrayed" the nation.

"They will be criminally prosecuted," Saied said.

The country's official gazette confirmed Saied had issued a decree late on Wednesday dissolving parliament.

Zoom and Teams down

The online video applications Zoom and Teams had stopped working across Tunisia on Wednesday afternoon as the country's lawmakers held their first session online since Saied's suspension of parliament.

Tunisian journalists and Middle East Eye sources on the ground confirmed that the two platforms were inaccessible from 2pm on Wednesday, when the online parliamentary meeting was scheduled to begin on Zoom.

Tunisia: Parliament votes to reject Saied's 'coup' with Zoom and Teams down
Read More »

The official website of parliament was also blocked, according to the same sources.

After the two platforms were blocked, the MPs moved their meeting to the GoToMeeting platform, a source from the Ennahda party's media office told MEE.

Some 123 MPs took part in the session, which was convened to vote on controversial measures taken by Saied last July, including the suspension of parliament and the sacking of the prime minister, along with the seizure of vast judicial and legislative powers.

The move has been denounced as a coup by most political parties.

Towards the end of the session, 116 MPs voted in favour of the law that was intended to invalidate Saied's power grab.

Parliament required 109 votes to pass a law.

Power grab

On 25 July, Saied announced a raft of controversial measures, revealed by Middle East Eye two months earlier, including the suspension of parliament and the sacking of the prime minister.

The president also shut down the country's independent national Anti-Corruption Authority and sidelined the Independent High Authority for Elections.

Last month, he dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council - the body that deals with judicial independence - and granted himself control over the selection and promotion of judges.


Saied has cited rocketing unemployment, rampant corruption and the coronavirus pandemic as reasons for his power grab.

His measures have been followed by a crackdown on the opposition and their protests.

Many have faced trials before military and civilian courts and given jail sentences for charges denounced by rights groups as politically motivated.

House Democrats raise concerns with Biden over Tunisia's democratic backslide

Lawmakers raise 'serious doubts' about Tunisian President Kais Saied's commitment to democracy and call on White House to promote good governance initiatives

A woman holds a copy of the Tunisian constitution during a demonstration in the capital Tunis against President Kais Saied's recent decrees, on 13 February 2022 (AFP)

By MEE staff
Published date: 29 March 2022 

A group of House Democrats are calling on the Biden administration to consider Tunisia's "democratic backsliding" when reviewing US assistance to the North African country for the coming fiscal year.

In a letter sent to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on 25 March, the 23 Democratic members of Congress said the State Department should prioritise programmes that support the restoration of democratic governance, due process, and the rule of law in the country.

The letter also called for assistance to the country's internal security force to be "carefully reviewed", given its role in the repression of Tunisian citizens.


Tunisia's Saied warns lawmakers against holding sessions of suspended parliament
Read More »

Since 2011, Tunisia has received nearly $685m in assistance from Washington through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

"The president's public statements rejecting the principle of a directly elected national legislature and characterizing critics as traitors are deeply concerning and raises serious doubts about his commitment to democratic checks and balances in any new Tunisian political system to emerge from this process," the lawmakers said.

"The power of Tunisia's positive example of peaceful democratic pluralism must not be a casualty of the real frustrations many Tunisians express over ongoing economic stagnation, high-level corruption and abuse of office, and police brutality."

The effort was led by Congressman Gregory Meeks, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Congressman Ted Deutch, chair of the Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee.

The letter comes amid a series of moves taken by President Kais Saied that have caused concern in Washington, including the dissolution of the Supreme Judicial Council and a draft law that could end the foreign funding of civil society groups.
US stresses importance of inclusive reform

Last month, Saied cemented his grip on power by dissolving the Supreme Judicial Council - the body that deals with judicial independence - and granted himself control over the selection and promotion of judges.

The move came months after he suspended parliament and assumed executive powers, in a move seen by critics as a coup.

In addition to freezing parliament, he also shut down the country's independent National Anti-Corruption Authority and sidelined the Independent High Authority for Elections.


Tunis and the IMF are currently in preliminary talks, with an eye on a potential multibillion-dollar rescue deal for an economy that has been battered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Biden urged to press Tunisia's Saied on restoring democracy
Read More »

For months, the Biden administration's response to Tunisia's democratic backsliding has been filled with ambiguity, with the White House urging Saied to restore the country's parliamentary democracy but stopping short of calling the power grab a coup.

In December, when Saied announced a political "roadmap", the State Department issued a statement welcoming the news and saying it remained "committed to the US-Tunisia partnership".

Last week, Uzra Zeya, the State Department's undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy, and human rights, visited Tunisia and met with a number of government officials including Prime Minister Najla Bouden and Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi.

During her meetings, she voiced US concerns for Tunisia's democratic trajectory and "the importance of an inclusive political and economic reform process that gives civil society a strong voice".

But the undersecretary was also "heartened by government assurances of inclusivity during implementation" of Saied's political roadmap.