Airport screening officers launch labour action to protest 'disrespect' from Ottawa

The Canadian Press

Airport security screeners are taking action against what they call substandard pay and "disrespect" from the federal government.

Marty Warren, national director of the United Steelworkers union, says the screeners will be wearing street clothes at 42 airports starting today to draw attention to concerns over wages and working conditions amid negotiations over a new collective agreement.

Ottawa has been scrambling to respond to scenes of endless lines, flight delays and daily turmoil at airports -- particularly Toronto's Pearson airport -- caused in part by security and customs staffing shortages.

Despite hiring more than 850 screening officers since April, Warren says the federal government has failed to mandate sufficient funding for employee wages and conditions, pointing to staff turnover as a longstanding problem.

He says the union's response, which it dubbed a "Casual Monday action," will not disrupt service in any way.

Security screening officers are employed by one of three companies subcontracted by the federal government's airport security agency.

The Open The government has dropped the ball: Former Air Canada official on Pearson airport delays

Duncan Dee, former COO at Air Canada, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss the problems being faced by passengers at Toronto’s Pearson airport due to long delays and flight cancellations. He says both Air Canada and Westjet were well prepared for the schedules they offered to passengers, but the government was responsible for delays at Customs and security. He also says the U.S. decision to lift COVID test requirements for entering that country would make it a more attractive destination than Canada for global tourists.

Latin American leftist leaders hail Petro victory in Colombia
Agence France-Presse
June 20, 2022

Supporters of Colombia's president-elect Gustavo Petro celebrate his election victory 

Paola MAFLA AFP

Gustavo Petro's election on Sunday as the first left-wing president in Colombia's history sparked joy among fellow Latin American leaders with similar ideologies.

It also continued a trend in recent years that has seen many countries in the region swing to the left, although some would argue those are populist moves as much as ideological ones.

Argentina, Peru, Chile, Mexico, Bolivia and Honduras have all moved to the left in their last elections and Petro's victory sparked a feeling of fraternity amongst these leaders.

"Your victory validates democracy and ensures the path towards an integrated Latin America in this time when we demand maximum solidarity amongst brother peoples," said Argentina President Alberto Fernandez on Twitter.

Chile President Gabriel Boric, who was elected earlier this year to replace conservative Sebastian Pinera, said Petro's victory was a "joy for Latin America."

"We will work together for the unity of our continent in the challenges of a world changing rapidly," he tweeted.

Peru's Pedro Castillo, a rural school teacher and trade unionist, said he looked forward to working with an ally, something that has been in short supply in his homeland where the right-wing opposition dominates congress.

"We are united by a common feeling that seeks improved collective, social and regional integration for our peoples," he said.

"Latin American integration is strengthened," added Bolivia's Luis Arce.

Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Petro's success could heal the wounds in a country in which political assassinations are not uncommon.

He referenced the 10-year Colombian civil war that broke out following the 1948 assassination of leftist presidential candidate Jorge Eliecer Gaitan and was the precursor to the six-decade long conflict between the state and left-wing guerrillas.

"Today's triumph can be the end of this curse and the awakening for this brotherly and dignified people," said Lopez Obrador.

Maduro praises victory for 'democracy and peace'

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has a fraught relationship with outgoing conservative Colombian President Ivan Duque, was jubilant.

"The will of the Colombian people has been heard, it went out to defend the path to democracy and peace," said Maduro, who has been branded a dictator by the opposition in his own country.

Maduro broke off diplomatic relations with Colombia in 2019 after Duque backed attempts by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who claims to be the country's acting leader, to oust Maduro.

Henrique Capriles, another Venezuelan opposition figure, was more interested in the lot of the estimated two million migrants that fled economic and political crises in his country to Colombia.

"We hope the new President will govern with respect and without excluding them," he said on Twitter.

Miguel Diaz-Canel, the president of Cuba, which like Venezuela is subject to international sanctions and isolation, spoke of his hope for "advancing the development of bilateral relations for the wellbeing of our peoples."

The United States -- which riled many Latin American leaders by not inviting the authoritarian heads of Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela to the recent Summit of the Americas -- sent congratulations to "the people of Colombia for making their voices heard in a free and fair presidential election."

"We look forward to working with President-Elect Petro to further strengthen the U.S.-Colombia relationship and move our nations toward a better future," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a statement.

There were also warm regards from one of the few remaining conservative leaders in South America, neighboring Ecuador's Guillermo Lasso, who last year beat the leftist Andres Arauz in a rare recent success for the right.

He said he spoke to Petro by telephone and "reiterated the availability of our government to strengthen friendship and cooperation, prioritizing development and the integration of our peoples."

© 2022 AFP

French working-class candidates beat President Macron’s party representatives

Surprising winners who beat the odds against ministers and long-time politicians

Shweta Desai |20.06.2022


PARIS

A chambermaid, a policeman, a school teacher, and a school principal are some of the surprising winners from the working class who beat the odds against President Emmanuel Macron’s party candidates to win the legislative elections and secure a seat in the French parliament.

Rachel Keke, 48, a former cleaning lady at a Paris hotel beat Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu from Macron’s Ensemble alliance to win the second round of the legislative elections.

Keke stepped into politics as a candidate for the newly formed left party coalition NUPES after successfully heading a nearly two-year strike against Accor group’s Ibis Batignolles hotel in Paris demanding higher wages for the service staff.

“The National Assembly will tremble," Keke exclaimed on Twitter following the announcement of the result. A native of Cote d'Ivoire, Keke became a naturalized citizen in 2015. She will represent the constituency of Val-de-Marne located in the Ile-de-France region at the National Assembly.

According to the official results, Macron’s Ensemble (Together) alliance won 245 seats, left-wing political coalition NUPES (New Ecological and Social Popular Union) got 131 seats, and far-right Marine Le Pen’s National Rally obtained 89 seats.

Two other NUPES candidates, Eva Sas in Paris and Jerome Guedj in Essone defeated Macron’s party-established politicians.

With 54.04% of the votes, Sas took down Laetitia Avia, a spokesperson for the 'Republic on the Move' party. Guedj received 53.36% of votes as he beat Environment Minister Amelie de Montchalin who got 47% of the vote.

Following their defeat, Maracineanu and Montchalin will both resign from Macron’s government.

School principal Leo Walter, Melanie Thomin, 38, a French school teacher both representing NUPES also won the elections against veteran politicians. Walter scored 51.49% of the vote against 48.51% former Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, to win the seat from Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Thomin, a young social activist, will become a member of parliament from Finistere, in Brest city of western Brittany. She beat Richard Ferrand, president of the National Assembly, by just over 500 votes, France Blue reported.

“We are going to create the alternative on the left after five years of liberal politics,” she wrote on her website.

A former policeman, 33-year-old Romain Baubry, from the far-right party National Rally won the seat in Bouches-du-Rhone, after obtaining 53.85% of the vote against 46.15% vote for Macron’s candidate Marie-Laurence Anzalone.

Premier Elisabeth Borne, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, disability, and solidarity minister Damien Abad, left party leader Jean Luc Melenchon and far-right leader le Pen are some of the popular French politicians who retained their seats.

Turkish assassination of Syrian Kurdish leader  in Iraq sends a warning message to Iran

Ankara is telling Iran and the Kurdish authorities in Sulaymaniyah, that Ankara will not hesitate to target any Kurdish leader being given freedom of movement by Iran and its allies.

Monday 20/06/2022

A file picture of Hussein Shibli, the co-chairman of the council of the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. (Facebook)

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq-

Analysts consider the assassination by Turkish intelligence operatives of Hussein Shibli, nicknamed Farat Drake, the co-chairman of the council of the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, in Iraq's Sulaymaniyah, as a blow to both the Democratic Union Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Moreover, it was also seen as a demonstration of the extent of Turkish infiltration into a zone long considered part of Iran's areas of influence.

Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported on Sunday that the Turkish intelligence service managed to "neutralise the Syrian terrorist Hussein Shibli, the co-chair of the so-called Central Executive Council of the Syrian Autonomous Administration of the terrorist PKK organisation, in the city of Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq."

It said that Turkish security sources believed Shibli was “assigned a mission in Iraq by the leadership of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).” The sources added that Shibli was close to Farhad Abdi Shaheen, one of the leaders of the YPG/PKK in Syria.

The Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) described Shibli as a “martyr” who had played a major role as “a political leader in building and achieving organisational, intellectual and social construction projects” in Syria.

The Syrian Kurdish Autonomous Administration said Shibli was targeted while in a civilian car on visit for medical treatment in the Iraqi province of Sulaymaniyah, by a Turkish drone.

Independent observers questioned Iraqi Kurdistan’s Autonomous Administration’s claim that Shibli was killed by a Turkish drone strike. They suggested instead that the assassination was carried out by a locally-operated suicide drone or by the detonation of an explosive device under his car. They say talk of the participation of a Turkish drone in the killing aimed only to dispel any suspicion of possible cooperation between Turkey and Kurdish leaders.

The same observers pointed out that the targeting of the Kurdish leader in Sulaymaniyah indicated the existence of ties between him and Iran. Their view is that a well-known Syrian Kurdish figure of this level could not move around in Sulaymaniyah without some Kurdish/Iranian cover, especially since the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the ruling party in Sulaymaniyah, is known for its close ties to Iran and to the PKK. PUK is in fact said to host a number of PKK leaders, whether in secret or in public, with the blessing of Iran.

The assassination sends a message about Ankara’s intentions in Syria and Iraq. It comes at a time when Turkey is preparing to invade areas in the north of Syria controlled by the Kurds, and is trying to expand its area of influence.

Analysts see Ankara as consolidating the hold of its armed Islamist groups , trying to separate the geographical swathes of land controlled by the Kurds east and west of the Euphrates and besiege Kurdish troops in the east of the Euphrates in advance of its incursion.

The Turkish message carries warnings to both Iran and the Kurdish authorities in Sulaymaniyah, that Ankara will not hesitate to target any Kurdish leader being given freedom of movement by Iran and its allies in areas where it they wield strong influence and that it will launch strikes at the time and place of its choosing.

A Turkish drone strike on Friday killed four Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and injured one in Iraq's province of Sulaymaniyah, said Friday AFP quoting Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service said.

The five people were driving their vehicle in the town of Kalar at around 6 am GMT when the drone strike hit them, the counter-terrorism service said in a statement. Following the attack Turkey's defence ministry said it had neutralised "six PKK terrorists" in the area where its military operation is taking place.

There has been a long-running Turkish campaign in Iraq and Syria against Kurdish militants of the PKK and the Syrian YPG militia, which are both regarded as terrorist groups by Ankara.

Turkey regularly carries out air strikes into northern Iraq and has sent offensive commandos to support its operations.

On Wednesday, two people were killed, including a child and were seven injured in Turkish air strikes against the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a militia affiliated with the PKK.

The attack occurred two days after a similar Turkish bombing targeted a "PKK centre where senior leaders of the party were meeting" and is located in Sinjar in northern Iraq.

The PKK, which Ankara and its Western allies classify as a "terrorist organisation", has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and is based in remote mountainous areas in Iraq.

In mid-April, Turkey, which has established military bases in northern Iraq for 25 years, announced a new operation against Kurdish fighters based in Iraq.

SDF issues statement about Ferhat Şibli

The SDF issued a statement about Ferhat Şibli, who was killed in the attack carried out by the Turkish state in Kelar.

ANF
QAMISHLO
Sunday, 19 Jun 2022

The General Command of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) issued a written statement about Ferhat Şibli and his friends, who were killed in the attack carried out by the Turkish state on 17 June in the Kelar district of Sulaymaniyah with a drone.

The SDF General Command said: "It was with a cowardly action that Ferhad Shibli was targeted by the invading Turkish army. The Turkish state still continues its terrorist attacks in order to prevent our people's struggle to save their lands and people from terrorism."

The statement continued: "We know fighter Ferhad for the great struggle and sacrifice he made in Northern and Eastern Syria. He was a strong fighter, unwavering in his work, and held a strong stand in the cause of his people. He was a humble, optimistic and loyal personality in his struggles. He devoted his whole life to building a new life under difficult conditions.

Martyr Ferhad's long political and organizational journey played a great role among our people and cadres in the establishment of the Northern and Eastern Syria Autonomous Administration. He established the spirit of common life among all the components of the region, based on the principles and ideas of the fraternity of peoples. He played his main role as a political commander for the implementation of political, thought and social projects. It became a part of the gains made by our martyrs during the long war."

The statement added: "The targeting of Martyr Ferhad shows the crimes committed by the invading Turkish state against our fighters and our people. At the same time, it explains the legitimacy of the political, military and social struggle waged by our people and forces against the constant hostile attacks of the invaders.

Attempts to target our heroes cannot stand in the way of the selfless struggle of our people and forces. We will increase the preparations for more organization, commitment to the values ​​and achievements of the martyrs, and also to liberate the occupied territories.

Our forces, which bear the burden of protecting the people and the land, will not forgive the occupiers' crimes and any crimes they have committed in the past. We will retaliate with legitimate and appropriate military means and escalate the struggle until the last invading soldier is expelled from our lands.

In this context, we express our condolences to the families, friends and people of our martyrs. We hope that the efforts of our martyrs will lead to a new initiative and a great political organization in Northern and Eastern Syria."

AANES official among those killed in Turkish drone attack in South Kurdistan

The deputy chairman of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria was martyred in the deadly Turkish drone attack in the countryside of the Sulaymaniyah city in South Kurdistan on Friday.

ANF
SULAYMANIYAH
Saturday, 18 Jun 2022

Four people were killed and another person injured in a drone attack on a car near the village of Berlut in the north of the Kelar town near Sulaymaniyah city of South Kurdistan (North Iraq) on Friday morning. It was not initially known who the victims were, and which state the drone belonged to. The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) announced today that one of the four victims was Ferhad Şiblî, the deputy chairman of the AANES Executive Council. Turkey reportedly bombed a civilian vehicle from the air. No information is yet available on the identities of the other dead and injured.

Ferhad Şiblî was in Sulaymaniyah for medical treatment and talks, the AANES stated: "The attack aims to systematically destroy the Autonomous Administration and our people. The Turkish state is disregarding all international legal standards and is carrying out a genocide. The Autonomous Administration calls on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) government and Iraq to fulfil their responsibilities and take a clear stance on the Turkish terrorist attacks.”

Iraqi airspace is controlled by the USA. On Wednesday, a Turkish drone bombed the Sinune town in Shengal (Sinjar), killing one child and injuring seven people, some of them critically. Shengal is the last contiguous settlement area of the Yazidi people.

Aerial attack on a car kills 4 in South Kurdistan

An aerial attack targeted a car on the move in the countryside of Sulaymaniyah city in South Kurdistan (North Iraq) on Friday.According to local reports, the car was targeted by an unmanned comba...

ANF News

PUK urges the Iraqi Parliament to act against ever-increasing Turkish attacks
Earlier today, an aerial attack targeted a car on the move in the countryside of Sulaymaniyah city in South Kurdistan (North Iraq) on Friday. According to reports, the car was targeted by an unmann...

ANF News

YPJ International: Rojava is a model for the entire Middle East

Comrade Dilan from YPJ International said that all components in Rojava participated in the revolution and the construction of a democratic society, and that the Rojava Revolution model could offer a solution for the entire Middle East.

MUSTAFA ÇOBAN
HESEKÊ
Monday, 20 Jun 2022, 09:23

Comrade Dilan from YPJ International said that YPJ International is the place for women who seek freedom and who want to work to understand, develop and defend the women's revolution.

Women who come to Rojava voluntarily from all over the world continue to play a role in the construction of a free life.

Comrade Dilan from YPJ International talked to ANF about the work and aims of the organisation.

What is YPJ International and what are its aims?

YPJ International is an internationalist organizational structure within the Women’s Defense Units of Rojava. It organizes and educates internationalist volunteers in line with the framework of Democratic Confederalism, enabling their active participation in the women’s revolution and building global alliances. Since the battle of Kobane in 2015, there has been a worldwide interest in the YPJ and more and more women have reached out to us, asking how they can join. It was then that we saw the need to organize an internationalist battalion within the YPJ, and since then YPJ International has become a place in which women receive ideological and military training, learn the Kurdish language and become ready to work in the different areas of work within the YPJ.

Why is it important to organize for self-defense as women and why do internationalists join the defense forces of Rojava?

Every living organism has its own system of defense, like a rose has thorns to protect its beauty. From the dawn of human life, self defense was a task naturally organized by society. With the institutionalization of patriarchy, the accumulation of capital and the emergence of the class system, the capacity for self defense was seized by the ruling class and men and women were stripped of their means of self defense. Armies were established, and rather than being used to protect society they are used as murderous war machines that exploit peoples around the world.

When we take up arms, we do so in opposition to patriarchal militarism, with the aim of defending women and our people, not the interests of capital or nation-states. The YPJ sees itself as part of a historical legacy of women defending their land against fascism and occupation or protecting revolutions like the Mujeres Libres in the Spanish Civil War, the female partisans fighting Nazism during the Second World War and the Vietnamese women defending their land against occupation.

The Rojava Revolution built up a grassroots democracy that organizes society through local communes and councils. Women are building autonomous women’s structures at all levels of society. The co-chair system guarantees women’s participation in any political body, education for women is organized extensively through academies, and women’s cooperatives give women the chance to gain economic independence. Jineoloji - the science of women – provides a scientific basis for the women’s revolution without reproducing positivist doctrines, women’s justice councils aim to create justice, and with the YPJ women created their own self-defense forces. Those achievements are made for the women across the entire world, and seek to benefit the development of true democracies.

Turkish fascism and Islamist groups like ISIS are attacking the liberated areas of North and East Syria. They try to occupy our liberated land and seek to implement their misogynist, oppressive system. Additionally, hegemonic powers try to misrepresent the Rojava Revolution and make it out to be a project of Kurdish separatism, presenting the war they force on us as an inter-ethnic conflict. But the Rojava Revolution is not a Kurdish revolution. It is based on Abdullah Öcalan’s paradigm of Democratic Nation which includes every religious, cultural or ethnic group within the region. It aims to create unity between the different peoples of the region. People from all of the ethnic communities of Rojava are involved in the revolution and the building up of a democratic society. Because the Rojava Revolution offers a political model for religious, cultural and ethnic cooperation, it can offer a solution for the whole Middle East. The hegemonic powers have turned the Middle East into a playground in which they turn different ethnic groups against each other, and the Rojava Revolution undermines this plan, so it is dangerous to them.

The volunteers of YPJ International understand the potential of this revolution and see it as their own, not as perspective restricted to Kurdish people. The three international revolutionaries Ivana Hoffman from Germany, Anna Campbell from England and Alina Sanchez from Argentina became martyrs within the ranks of the YPJ. Their commitment is proof to us that women who came to Rojava found what they were looking for: a concrete way of liberating themselves from 5000 years of women’s oppression. Women from around the world find freedom here and therefore are willing to defend it.

Based on the experiences you have had with internationalist, what do you think are the main attacks on women in capitalist modernity and what are your strategies to counter them?

Although our members come from different regions of the world we have a common enemy. Imperialism, colonialism, war and fascism are existential threats to women around the world. Capitalism oppresses women twice; they need to sell their labor-power for less money than men do and at the same time are forced to be unpaid workers responsible for reproductive labor in their homes. We know that it is those economic conditions that push women into dependence on men, which makes them more vulnerable to violence.

Capitalism is turning everything into a commodity. One of the largest industries in the world, the sex industry, uses women as commodities, making profit from their sexual exploitation. Reducing everything to simply its material value is denying intangible and ethical values. But we believe that ethical values are vital to keeping communities strong. We need to understand that this system has even degraded the meaning of love to the extent that “love” has become a legitimate excuse for the killing of women. This system is an attack on life itself and we are not willing to let this murderous machine keep going.

On an ideological level, we see liberalism as a major attack on women and their struggle. It tries to placate us by integrating women in the exploitative system. By using female bosses and leaders as supposed proof of women’s emancipation, it aims to make our demands for liberation seem unnecessary. The influence of liberalism on feminism is preventing radical struggle and change. Any choice made by a woman is presented as a “feminist” choice, and women are convinced that oppression is not oppression as long as they are free to choose it. We need to understand that this completely denies the material and historical conditions under which women make choices. It cuts women off from their history, pretending that just the individual and the moment is important. It breaks everything down to individual choices, distracting us from the real cause of our problems, which is the exploitative patriarchal system. We can see that this approach prevents any critical debate because individual autonomy is used as something that can never be questioned or challenged. We see individualism as something that prevents building up strong communities and have noticed that women are getting more and more isolated from each other. If women are separated from each other, they are easier to control. And what is even more dangerous is that it makes women less willing to stand up for each other.

In the discussion we had within YPJ International, we could see how these strategies are affecting the psychology of women. Not seeing the system as the source of their oppression makes women believe that it is their own fault if they face exploitation and violence. We can see that shame and guilt are common patterns in our biographies. This is why we see liberalism as an ideological attack on women. We see that all around the world women are waking up, not accepting patriarchy any longer. But we also see with great concern that liberalism is offering itself as a solution, preventing women from engaging in revolutionary politics. This is why we see an urgent need to offer education about the dangers of liberalism and spread a revolutionary narrative instead. A narrative that analyses the system of oppression and enables women to struggle for liberation.

YPJ International is a space in which women can educate themselves in a revolutionary context, free from the control and repression of nation-states and bureaucracy. Against the oppressive system’s strategy of isolation, we aim to build unity and love among women. We create education about the history of women’s oppression but also about the history of women’s freedom. We teach the Women’s Liberation Ideology, a concept rooted in the Kurdistan Women’s Movement, which offers core principles to guide how women can liberate themselves. We believe in the strength of education and know that the system is afraid of educated, revolutionary women. This is why we see the need to build up women who can inspire others and spread the revolution to the world.

What are the requirements for joining YPJ International and how can women contact you?

YPJ International is a place for women who are searching for freedom and are willing to give energy and effort to understanding, developing and defending the women’s revolution. We don’t expect anyone to have read a lot of theory but rather we ask people to be open to learning and living values like collective care, compassion and selflessness in daily life. Anyone who is open to educating and developing herself is welcome to join us. To be part of a revolution means to make the revolution take place inside yourself as well. In our daily life, we use the method of criticism and self criticism to analyze, learn and grow together.

But of course this process needs time and so patience is needed when coming to Rojava. Although the women in Rojava have made a lot of achievements, there is still a long way to go. People shouldn’t expect a perfect revolution in which all problems or contradictions are solved. In order to have time to learn the language, get to know the culture, receive military training and understand the philosophy of the revolution, volunteers should stay one year minimum. Previous military experience is not needed.

People can reach us via email (womensrevolution@protonmail.com) and find us on twitter @YPJ_volunteers. We want to emphasize that we are especially interested in strengthening our alliances with women in Latin America, Asia and Africa and we invite them to contact us. From the heart of the women’s revolution, we send greetings to all our sisters who are resisting the capitalist- patriarchal system and we give you our word that we will do everything to defend and spread the women’s revolution.

Vigil for Öcalan in Strasbourg enters 11th year

The vigil in Strasbourg launched for the freedom of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan is entering its 11th year.

ANF
STRASBOURG
Monday, 20 Jun 2022, 

The vigil to demand the freedom of Kurdish leader Öcalan in Strasbourg, the longest action of the Kurds in Europe, is going to mark its 11th year on June 25.

Friends of the Kurdish people have today started to distribute leaflets outside the Council of Europe to mark the 10th anniversary of the vigil that started in 2012.

The leaflet stated that the Kurdish leader has been subjected to systematic isolation for more than 23 years and that all human rights which are norms within international law have been violated.

The leaflet included the following information:

“Prolonged isolation is defined as torture according to the UN as well as the European Convention on Human Rights. Even though the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have been reporting for the last two years that the conditions at Imrali should not be accepted and be changed, the isolation of the Kurdish leader has been further aggravated. Last year’s disciplinary punishments against him reveal the Turkish state's disregard for international law. However, the Council of Europe has the opportunity to stop violations of the Turkish state through penal sanctions, and it also has a responsibility to do so.”

The friends of the Kurdish people will distribute leaflets to lawmakers during the sessions of the PACE this week, calling for the Council of Europe to fulfil its responsibility.

On June 23, friends of the Kurdish people, together with the lawmakers of the Council of Europe, will hold a press conference for Kurdish leader Öcalan. A freedom vigil will also be carried out for Öcalan for a week.

Afghan envoy to India condemns attack on Karte Parwan Gurdwara, says it’s against entire civilized population of Afghanistan

 June 20, 2022  AlJazeera

New Delhi [India], June 20 (ANI): Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India, Farid Mamundzay, on Monday condemned Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) attack on Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul and said that the attack is against the entire civilized population of Afghanistan.

“This attack was not just on a Sikh Gurdwara but the entire civilized population of Afghanistan. Sadly, this isn’t the first incident in the last few months. We condemn this violent and heinous attack,” said Mamundzay.

He also asserted that Sikhs have been living in the country for centuries and it is their country and said that preparations are being made by the Indian government to bring those who are willing to come to India.

“Sikhs have been living in Afghanistan for centuries. It’s their country. We are in touch with several leaders & preparations are being made by the Indian government to bring those who are willing to come here,” said Mamundzay.

He was in New Delhi to attend the last rites of Sawinder Singh, who was killed in the attack.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri handed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s letter to members of the Afghan Sikh community living in India as he participated in the last rites for Sawinder Singh, a Sikh man who was killed after Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) attacked Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Afghanistan’s Kabul city, and offered his deepest condolences to the family and Afghan Community living in India.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has granted e-visas to over 100 Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan on priority, said government sources on Sunday.

On Saturday, (ISKP) attacked Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul. According to ISKP, ‘Abu Mohammed al Tajiki’ carried out the attack which lasted for three hours.

The group claimed that besides submachine guns and hand grenades, four IEDs and a car bomb were also used in the attack.

It further claimed that about 50 Hindu Sikhs and Taliban members were killed in the attack and the attack was conducted as revenge for the insult of Prophet Mohammed by an Indian politician.

However, in the attack, only two people were killed and seven others were wounded.

At least one member of the Taliban forces and a Hindu was killed in the incident, said Abdul Nafay Takor, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior Affairs, adding that seven people were wounded, reported Tolo News.

The holy Guru Granth Sahib from Gurudwara in Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul was retrieved from the complex, from which plumes of smoke were seen billowing out after the attack early this morning, according to visuals posted on social media.

Visuals posted by locals on social media show a barefoot man carrying the Guru Granth Sahib on his head. The visuals show two or three more people, all walking without footwear accompanying him.

According to Sikh religious belief, the Saroop, a physical copy of the Guru Granth Sahib is considered a living guru. The transportation of Guru Granth Sahib is governed by a strict code of conduct and as a mark of respect, the Guru Granth Sahib is carried on the head, and the person walks barefoot.

According to reports, the Holy Book was taken to the residence of Gurnam Singh, president, of Gurdwara Karte Parwan.

Religious minorities in Afghanistan, including the Sikh community, have been targets of violence in Afghanistan post the Taliban came to power last August.

In October, last year 15 to 20 terrorists entered a Gurdwara in the Karta-e-Parwan District of Kabul and tied up the guards.

In March 2020, a deadly attack took place at Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib Gurudwara in Kabul’s Short Bazaar area in which 27 Sikhs were killed and several were injured. Islamic State terrorists claimed responsibility for the attack. (ANI)

This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

Source: The Print

Israel/ OPT: Palestinian prisoner arrested as a child, Ahmad Manasra, still in prison despite worsening mental health

Ahmed Manasra (L), Palestinian prisoner arrested at the age of 13

 (Photo credit: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

June 17, 2022

Israeli authorities must immediately release Ahmad Manasra, a 20-year-old Palestinian man who has developed serious mental health problems since his arrest as a child seven years ago, Amnesty International said today. On Sunday 19 June a parole board will review Ahmad Manasra’s case.

In 2015 Israeli authorities arrested Ahmad Manasra, who was then 13 years old, and harshly interrogated and threatened him without a lawyer present. He has been in prison ever since, and in solitary confinement since early November 2021. Ahmad has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, is suffering from psychotic delusions, and is severely depressed with suicidal thoughts. On Wednesday he was moved to the Ramleh prison hospital in central Israel due to his deteriorating mental state.

“Ahmad Manasra has been subjected to a catalogue of injustices by the Israeli authorities, including deleterious effects of incarceration on his development and prolonged solitary confinement. He endured ill-treatment during interrogations, which were conducted without his parents or lawyers’ presence, and was denied the right to a fair trial. He should have been released a long time ago, yet he remains in unnecessary suffering in Israeli prisons,” said Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“Pending his release from detention, he must be given access to adequate medical care and never be placed in solitary confinement again. Allegations of torture and other human rights violations that Ahmad has suffered must be effectively and transparently investigated.”

Ahmad Manasra was arrested on 12 October 2015 in relation to the stabbing and injury of two Israeli citizens in Pisgat Zeev, an illegal Israeli settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. Despite being found by the courts not to have participated in the stabbings, he was convicted of attempted murder in 2016 in proceedings marred by allegations of torture, and despite the fact that he was below the minimum age of criminal responsibility at the time.

On 19 June 2022, Ramleh Magistrate’s Court will review Ahmad Manasra’s eligibility for early release under Israel’s Parole Law of 2001.

Israel, a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), has obligations to ensure that depriving children of their liberty is “used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time”.

Prolonged solitary confinement

Ahmad Manasra has been held in prolonged solitary confinement since the beginning of November 2021, in violation of the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. The Israel Prison Service asked to renew Ahmad’s solitary confinement for a further six months on 17 April 2022. A hearing that was scheduled to be held on 15 June 2022 with regards to his solitary confinement was postponed to a later date.

Ahmad Manasra’s mental health worsened during his incarceration. In October 2021 an independent Israeli clinical psychologist working with Physicians for Human Rights – Israel (PHRI) diagnosed him with severe psychiatric conditions, and stated these had developed since his incarceration.

Ahmad Manasra’s parents said in February 2022 that their son had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, is suffering from psychotic delusions, and is severely depressed with suicidal thoughts.

His lawyer, Khaled Zabarqa, told Amnesty International:

“We have asked the Israel Prison Service to release Ahmad into home and community care as a matter of urgency because there is a real danger to his life. The prison doctors themselves recognized as much in their report on 13 June which led to his transfer from the prison cell to the prison hospital.”

Israeli discrimination against Palestinian children

Israel continues to perpetrate widespread as well as systematic human rights violations against Palestinians, including children, against a backdrop of decades of state-sponsored discrimination, segregation and persecution. There is evidence that the treatment of Ahmad Manasra fits a wider pattern of discrimination against Palestinian children in the Israeli criminal justice system. According to Amnesty International’s records, some 170 Palestinians currently imprisoned were arrested when they were children. In many of these cases, children were denied fair trials in line with international standards and protection under the child justice system. In other cases, children were subjected to torture or other ill-treatment.

For decades, the Israel Security Agency, Israel Prison Service and Israeli security forces have tortured or otherwise ill-treated Palestinian detainees, including children, during arrest, transfer and interrogation. The Israel Security Agency uses particularly harsh methods to obtain information and “confessions”.

In contrast, few Jewish citizens of Israel, including children, are convicted of violence against Palestinians, and those who are arrested are afforded basic rights which are denied to Palestinians.

“Israel’s widespread and systematic use of arbitrary arrest, administrative detention and torture on a large scale against Palestinians is a flagrant violation of international law, and is a key component of the apartheid system,” said Heba Morayef.

Ahmad Manasra is one of countless Palestinians, whose rights as a child, have been swept up in Israel’s deeply flawed justice system, and he must be released.Heba Morayef, Amnesty International

Background

A month after Ahmad Manasra’s arrest in November 2015, footage of his interrogation was made public. The 10-minute video, reviewed by Amnesty International, shows Ahmad being interrogated by three men, without the presence of his lawyer or parent in violation of international standards. He appears increasingly distressed as his interrogators continue to shout at him, directing insults and threats. This video is evidence of several violations of Manasra’s rights as a child and as a detainee. To Amnesty International’s knowledge, there have been no investigations into the conduct of police and security officers.

Saudi Arabia: Arrested at 14, tortured, now faces execution: Abdullah al-Huwaiti

June 20, 2022Index Number: MDE 23/5715/2022

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA CHILDREN

Abdullah al-Huwaiti, who was arrested when he was 14, is at imminent risk of execution in Saudi Arabia. On 13 June 2022, the Appeals Court upheld his death sentence after a grossly unfair trial. During his time in detention, he was held in solitary confinement, denied access to a lawyer, and forced to “confess” under duress. On 2 March 2022, he was re-sentenced to death by a Criminal Court in Tabuk on charges which included armed robbery and the murder of a security officer. Amnesty International calls on the Supreme Court and the King to not ratify Abdullah al-Huwaiti’s death sentence, quash his conviction, and re-try him in proceedings that are fully consistent with international fair trial standards, without resort to the death penalty.

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Iranian FM: Israeli Terrorism, Sabotage Acts Endangering Region


TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian warned of the Zionist regime's acts of sabotage and support for terrorists, and called it a danger to the entire region.

Amir Abdollahian made the comments in phone conversation with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan on Sunday.

During the phone talks, the two sides discussed bilateral, regional and international issues.

"The presence of al-Quds occupying regime is the cause of instability and insecurity as well as terrorism and sabotage in the entire region,” Amir Abdollahian said.

He added that the Islamic Republic of Iran seeks security and progress for its neighbors and the region, while considering the presence of foreigners as an impediment to the establishment of regional security.

Amir Abdollahian said that Iran’s foreign policy gives priority to its neighbors, stressing the need to further boost cooperation and expand relations between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Al-Nahyan, for his part, said his country will not allow destructive measures to be taken from its territory against neighboring countries.

The two sides also stressed the necessity of increasing contacts and consultations between the two countries.

In relevant remarks in February, Amir Abdollahian in a phone conversation with his UAE counterpart had also warned against Israel's finding a foothold in the region, describing the regime's presence as a threat to regional security.

During the phone talks, Amir Abdollahian and Al Nahyan discussed the latest developments pertaining to mutual relations and regional issues.

Amir Abdollahian, for his part, pointed to the military campaign being waged on Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition, to which the UAE is a party, saying, “We believe that the continuation of war and the spread of conflicts and disputes will not be in the interests of any of the sides and the region."

He cautioned the UAE against Israel’s presence in the region, days after the regime’s president Isaac Herzog visited the Persian Gulf kingdom. Abdu Dhabi normalized ties with Tel Aviv over a year ago under a US-mediated deal, which has been widely condemned by the Palestinians and supporters worldwide.

“Efforts should be made to prevent initiators of tension from establishing a foothold in the region,” Amir Abdollahian sai