Saturday, December 24, 2022

Opinion: Historic verdict in one of the last Nazi trials

Luisa von Richthofen
Commentary
December 20, 2022

Irmgard F. has been sentenced for her job as a secretary in the Stutthof concentration camp. Luisa von Richthofen, who followed the trial for DW, sees justice despite the lenient sentence.

Irmgard F., now 97, was underage when she worked in the Stutthof concentration camp

Christian Charisius/dpa/picture alliance

It was not quite business as usual in the otherwise quite average northern German town of Itzehoe. On Tuesday at shortly after 10 a.m., the verdict was passed in one of the last Nazi trials. Irmgard F., aged 97, was given a two-year suspended sentence. She was charged with accessory to murder in thousands of cases.

When she was young and underage, Ms. F. was a typist at the Stutthof concentration camp near the city of Gdansk, which was then part of Nazi Germany. As a secretary to the camp commander, she aided and abetted Nazi Germany's killing machinery. Now, she has to answer for that. For me, it's a historic verdict.

One of the last trials of its kind

First of all, it is because with Ms. F., one of the last links of a long chain of perpetrators and accomplices of the mass murder of European Jews was on trial. It is also the first such trial of a civilian employee of a concentration camp — that is, a non-SS member. The German judiciary is finally showing clearly that anyone and everyone who participated in the running of the concentration camp system during the Nazi era must answer for it one day.

Justice has been served,' says DW's Luisa von RichthofenImage: privat

Secondly, more has become known about Stutthof as a result of the verdict. Such proceedings always entail extensive investigations. In the 14 months since the trial began, the files have grown significantly.

Fourteen witnesses testified, eight of them were Stutthof survivors. Some told their stories to the public for the first time. None of this is legal paper-pushing. They are important historical testimonies and findings.

What it means for the survivors

Thirdly, this trial might have a healing effect in particular for the victims and their families. Here, before a German court, their suffering and their terrible experiences in the camp are recognized, something some of them have had to wait for all their lives. They told me about the distress and the self-doubt that haunted them for years, until they were no longer sure whether the horrors of the camps were not a bad dream. That has now come to an end. Fortunately.

Finally, there is perhaps hope that this message is a global wake-up call and a warning. And that the perpetrators of Bucha (Ukraine), Mai Kadra (Ethiopia) and Aleppo (Syria) can no longer move around the world with such impunity.

Many questions remain unanswered

Talking to people, I repeatedly sensed doubts that I, too, have had up to a certain point. Questions arise: Why only now, after 78 years? Why did this late inquiry into Irmgard F. take four years? What makes a fringe figure like her, an old woman, a symbol of the murderous system? Why drag an old woman into the glare of the international public while an actual perpetrator, like her boss, camp commander Paul Werner Hoppe, got out of prison after three years? Like many other Nazi criminals, he then lived an untroubled life in postwar Germany.

These questions can and must be asked. All in all, I feel justice has been served with this albeit fairly lenient verdict. And that in itself, despite all doubts, is a ray of hope in these dark days.

Will a Nazi poet's Christmas carol remain in book of hymns?

A Christmas carol by a Nazi poet loyal to the regime is still in the Protestant hymnal. Now, there is a discussion about removing the song by Hermann Claudius in the next edition.

Philipp Jedicke
December 22, 2022

Christianity and its customs were a thorn in the side of the National Socialists. After all, it was not Jesus Christ who was to be celebrated as the savior, but the "Führer" Adolf Hitler. Germans were supposed to place their faith and hope in him alone during the Christmas season. The Nazi regime made every effort to replace the Christian Christmas ideal with a nationally oriented, National Socialist Christmas cult.

In that crusade, Christmas carols also became the focus of the Nazis. All connections between the Christian faith and Judaism were to be obliterated. During the Nazi era, even the lyrics of popular Christmas carols were rewritten. Jewish names such as Jesse or Isaiah disappeared from "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" ("A Rose Has Burst Into Bloom," also known as "Behold a Rose of Judah") — standard repertoire on Christmas Eve — and entire lines were completely replaced. Songs like "Tochter Zion, freue dich" ("Daughter of Zion, Rejoice!") and "Zu Bethlehem geboren" ("In Bethlehem is Born") were banned altogether.

New Christmas carols during the Nazi era

Entirely new Christmas carols were also composed during the Nazi era, including the strongly propagated song "Hohe Nacht der klaren Sterne" ("Behold the Bright Stars on the Holy Night"). This continued to be sung in the post-war period by performers such as the German Schlager singer Heino.

The originally Christian content of the Swiss carol "Es ist für uns eine Zeit angekommen" ("Unto Us a Night Has Come") has since been almost entirely forgotten — in contrast to the Nazi-era re-phrasing, which describes a winter hike.

Among the newly written Christmas carols during the Nazi era was the piece "Wisst ihr noch, wie es geschehen" ("Do You Remember How It Happened") by poet Hermann Claudius (1878-1980), who was loyal to the regime.

He wrote the song in 1939. It is still in the Protestant hymnal today and, because of its simple but beautiful melody, is still sung with pleasure at Christmas time in numerous congregations. In contrast to many other Christmas carols from the Nazi era, which were full of pomposity and pathos, the lyrics of the song are rather nondescript.

Problematic author, unproblematic text

In fact, musicologist Udo Wennemuth noted in the book "Liederkunde zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch," a handbook addressing the Protestant hymnal, that the lyrics to "Wisst ihr noch, wie es geschehen" were written at the suggestion of a Christian publisher who did not want to support the "liturgical erosion" of Christmas.

In his career, however, Hermann Claudius also wrote lines such as "Herrgott, steh dem Führer bei, dass sein Werk das Deine sei" or "Lord God, help the Führer that his work may be Yours."

What is Germany's favorite Christmas song? The answer to that depends on whom you ask. According to the music-streaming service Spotify, the queen of the Yuletide season is demurely attired American songstress Mariah Carey. Her 1994 hit "All I Want For Christmas is You" tops the list of most-played

Even after the end of the Nazi dictatorship, the song "Wisst ihr noch, wie es geschehen" was not called into question, said Christa Kirschbaum, music director of the Hesse-Nassau regional church. That is why she finds it inappropriate to continue singing the piece in church services.

Ansgar Franz, professor at the department of practical theology at the University of Mainz, sees things differently, saying that it is not the song that is historically charged "but the author."

Here, he says, a distinction should be made: "The song does not represent the Nazi view of Christmas." Franz says there are no incriminated songs in the Christian hymnals, "but possibly authors who lacked the necessary distance to the regime during the period of National Socialism."
Re-examining the hymnal

During an interview with DW, Franz said, "In the Christian hymnals, there is not a single 'incriminated' song," meaning a song that spreads racist, xenophobic content, even if it is indirect or not immediately apparent. Franz also says he is unsure about examining every author's history before approving a hymn.

"But now to investigate every song considered 'good' to see if the author was politically and theologically correct? Does that make sense? How far should this go?" he asks. "I am very much in favor of thoroughly examining the songs, but how far should an examination of the authors go?"

Experts from Germany and Austria are currently working on a revision of the Protestant hymnal, which was introduced in the 1990s. Christa Kirschbaum is also a member of the commission that is deciding on its content. It is still unclear whether the Christmas carol from 1939 will be published there again, says Kirschbaum.

SOCCER CHINA

China's football focus switches to women

John Duerden

With the 2023 World Cup approaching, China recently unveiled a long-term plan for women's football. A similar plan for the men has yet to bear fruit, but the women's game might have a better opportunity to succeed.

When China started investing heavily in football in the early 2010s, there was an expectation that the men's team would be at the 2022 World Cup. That plan failed dismally, and the domestic game also has major issues with many professional clubs struggling financially.

It is not surprising then that the country's women are increasingly becoming the focus of football fans, and now they aren't alone. On October 24, the Chinese Football Association (CFA), the ministries of education and finance as well as the General Administration of Sport of China released details of a plan designed to take the women's game to the very top level.

The timing of the announcement is also noteworthy, coming just two days after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party during which Xi Jinping, who is known to be a fan of the beautiful game, secured an unprecedented third term as president.

"The plan, as issued by the central government rather than the sports-governing body only, is important in itself as is the timing," Beijing-based sports consultant Bi Yuan, told DW.

The plan outlines seven areas of focus that include better youth training, more qualified coaches and an improved national team. Ultimately, the goal is to win the right to host the 2031 World Cup and to raise the trophy as world champions four years later.

China's plan to make the men's program world class didn't go as well as had been hoped

Image: Li Jianan/Xinhua/picture alliance

Financial woes hamper Super League

It is reminiscent of a plan put forward for the men in 2016, which had the goal of being one of the best in Asia by 2030 and a global power by 2050. This was made at the height of spending in China. In the winter transfer window of 2017, Chinese Super League (CSL) clubs spent €392 million ($411 million) on players, more than any other league in the world.

Since then, however, a number of the companies owning clubs have run into major financial problems. The spending has stopped and the big stars have gone home, with clubs such as Jiangsu FC, owned by retail giant Suning, going out of business in 2021 when they were reigning CSL champions. At the same time, the national team does not seem to have improved, despite investments that were also made at the grassroots level.

Tom Byer, a renowned Japan-based American youth development coach was involved with that plan and worked as an advisor with the Ministry of Education in China and the State General Administration of Sports in rolling the program out to thousands of schools across the country. He told DW that Beiing's recent pivot to the women's game is a "no-brainer" given the way the men have been "underperforming."

While the men were struggling in qualifying for the men's 2022 World Cup, the women won the Asian Cup in dramatic fashion in February, coming back from 2-0 down to defeat South Korea 3-2 in the final.

While the men once again, missed out on the biggest tournament of all, the women are preparing for the 2023 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Tough climb towards 1990s success

That journey to the top is shorter for the women, who reached the 1999 World Cup final, than the men.

"There are many countries between China and the top of the men's world game but that is not the case when it comes to the women," Ivanhoe Li, CEO of Fangze Sports, a Beijing-based sports marketing company, told DW.

"The CFA is putting more effort into the women's team as there is a better chance to reap rewards. This has been understood since the women's team won titles in the 1990s. In China, women usually win way more medals in sport than men."

This century however, the women have fallen down the global pecking order and getting back to the top will not be quick or simple.

"The women's game has become much more competitive and the Europeans are starting to dominate," said Byer, adding that this development was always likely to be a game-changer.

"They have taken a giant leap forward because they are football cultures and European women are marinated in a football culture surrounded by men constantly talking about football systems, tactics, formations."

Off the pitch too, it remains to be seen whether the authorities in Beijing will manage to stay the course in supporting the women, something that appears to enjoy much public support. In 2021, a post on social media site Weibo calling for women to receive the same financial backing as the men received 110 million times views.

Having led China to the Asian Cup, Shui Qingxia's women are in a tough World Cup group

Javed Dar/Xinhua/IMAGO

"Their (the authorities') influence is limited given Chinese football's current situation," said sports consultant Bi. The economic slowdown in the country also won't help.

"There is still no off ramp from the "zero-COVID" policy, which has led to the relocation of the 2023 Asian Cup and the postponement of the 2022 Asian Games that were supposed to be held in Hangzhou," he noted. And all this was before the mass protests against the lockdown rules, which broke out in China in November.

Concrete goal for the 2023 World Cup

However, a good showing at the 2023 World Cup could go some way towards kickstarting China's new plan to make strides in the women's game. It will also be the first marker along the path to the 2035 World Cup China is aiming to win. The stated aim is for the women to make it to the last eight of the 32-team tournament down under.

China's group includes European champions England, as well as Denmark and the winner of a playoff series between Senegal, Chile and Haiti.

"The group is not easy," said head coach Shui Qingxia.

"The playoff winners will be tough and Denmark is strong, while England is the European champion. We will try our best and will do everything we can to prepare well and make the country proud. We know we have a lot of work to do and that starts now."

Edited by: Chuck Penfold

Pinocchio's director del Toro fears for Mexican cinema despite Hollywood success

The Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences announced that next year's Ariel Awards – the country's equivalent of the Oscars – have been postponed until further notice due to a "serious financial crisis".

(Screen grab: Netflix/Pinocchio)

24 Dec 2022

Despite his international success, including a new adaptation of the classic puppet tale Pinocchio, Oscar-winning Mexican director Guillermo del Toro fears that his country's cinema industry is facing "systematic destruction".

Del Toro's animated version of Pinocchio, in which an elderly woodcarver and his living puppet find themselves in 1930s fascist Italy, was the most watched film on streaming platform Netflix in the week of Dec 12 to 18.

Its debut on Dec 9 came a week before the release of Bardo, an autobiographical tale of a journalist-filmmaker returning home after years in Los Angeles, by fellow Mexican Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

Mexican actors have also enjoyed recent success in Hollywood, including Tenoch Huerta, the rising star of the sequel to Black Panther, the first major Black superhero movie.

Mexican director Guillermo del Toro holds a wooden puppet as he arrives for the premiere of Pinocchio during the 2022 American Film Institute Festival in Hollywood. (Photo: AFP/Aude Guerrucci/File)

Del Toro, Inarritu and Alfonso Cuaron represent a golden generation of Mexican filmmakers who have won the best director trophy at the Oscars five times since 2013.

Del Toro's fantasy romance The Shape Of Water earned Best Picture and Best Director at the 2018 Oscars.

The following year Cuaron scooped three golden statuettes for Roma – an intimate black-and-white movie about a family in turmoil in 1970s Mexico City.

"BRUTAL" DESTRUCTION

But in stark contrast to the international acclaim for the trio, dubbed The Three Amigos, del Toro has now warned that the country's film industry is facing "unprecedented" challenges.

"The systematic destruction of Mexican cinema and its institutions – which took decades to build – has been brutal," he tweeted recently.

A man is seen next to photographs of actors from the golden age of Mexican cinema at the Churubusco studios in Mexico City. (Photo: AFP/Pedro Pardo)

Del Toro highlighted an announcement by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences that next year's Ariel Awards – the country's equivalent of the Oscars – were postponed until further notice due to a "serious financial crisis".

The organisation said it regretted that "the support of public resources has decreased considerably in recent years.

"The state, which was the motor and support of the academy for a long time, has renounced its responsibility as the main promoter and disseminator of culture in general and of cinema in particular," it added.

Del Toro even offered to pay for the Ariel statuettes out of his own pocket.

"He's a generous colleague, an artist who is always aware of what is happening not only with Mexican cinematography but with the arts in general in the country," said Academy president Leticia Huijara.

She would, however, prefer an agreement with the state.

In the meantime, the Ariels have been postponed, Huijara confirmed to AFP.

PROMOTING INDIGENOUS FILM

Maria Novaro, the general manager of the Mexican Film Institute (Imcine), a government agency, thinks the warnings are exaggerated.

"Del Toro says that there is no more Mexican cinema in the year when there have never been so many productions," she said, hailing a "record" 256 films in 2021.

"And 56 per cent received support from public money. Imcine devotes 900 million pesos (S$63 million) a year to financing Mexican cinema," said Novaro.

"It's good that Netflix produces a lot of content in Mexico. But it does not replace what Imcine does," she added.

The president of the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences, Leticia Huijara, says that the country's equivalent of the Oscars has been postponed.

(Photo: AFP/Pedro Pardo)

Mexican cinema enjoyed a golden age between the 1930s and 1950s, featuring movie stars such as Dolores del Rio and Pedro Armendariz.

But the industry went through a quiet period before enjoying a revival, helped in recent years by the success of The Three Amigos.

Mexican cinema has now become decentralised and diversified, according to Novaro, mirroring President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's priorities to help impoverished and Indigenous Mexicans.

Since 2019, there has been a programme to encourage Indigenous and Afro-descendant cinema, with 56 such films in production, Novaro said.

"Films are starting to come out that tell about migration from the perspective of Indigenous migrants themselves," she added.

Source: AFP/bk

Argentine group finds 131st dictatorship-era 'stolen' child

Fri, 23 December 2022

More than four decades after being taken from his parents -- activists who "disappeared" under Argentina's military dictatorship -- a man raised by others has learned his true identity, an activist group has announced.

The man is the 131st child "stolen" during the dictatorship era to be identified under a decades-long fight by the group known as the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo -- and the first in nearly three years.

His assumed identity has not been divulged.

"We are happy to announce a new restitution of identity," the Grandmothers said in a statement Thursday after the man's DNA tests came back.

"As if the end of the year wanted to fulfill all our wishes," they said in reference to Argentina's recent World Cup victory, "we celebrate the discovery of a new grandchild, number 131."

Almost 300 other men and women "living among us with falsified identities" after being taken from their parents under the 1976-1983 dictatorship remain to be found, the Grandmothers added.

Now 44 years old, the man was the son of Marxist activists Lucia Nadin and Aldo Quevedo, from Mendoza, detained in Buenos Aires in October 1977.

Nadin, 19, was nearly three months pregnant at the time.

Grandmothers president Estela de Carlotto, 92, told reporters Nadin likely gave birth to her son at the notorious Navy Mechanics School (ESMA), which served as the country's largest detention and torture facility.

"We are told that he is a sweet, calm person," de Carlotto said. "He (did not react) with refusal or sadness" to discovering his true identity.

But she said he would need time to fully digest the stunning news before being presented to the public.

"He just took it as a reality, a new reality for him," said de Carlotto.

- 30,000 people lost -

The Grandmothers group was founded in 1977 by women trying to find their arrested daughters -- and the babies they bore in captivity.

They take their name from the Plaza de Mayo square in Buenos Aires, where women defied authorities to hold protests demanding information on the whereabouts of their loved ones. They did so in vain.

As many as 500 children were taken from their imprisoned mothers, most of whom then disappeared under the country's brutal military rule.

VIDEO Argentina identifies 131st baby taken during dictatorship – DW – 12/24/2022

Most of the children were given to childless people close to the dictatorship, keen to have them raised as regime loyalists.

Many of those aided by the Grandmothers reached out after experiencing doubt over their identity -- because of a lack of physical resemblance to their parents, the absence of photos of their mothers while pregnant, or holes in the family history.

This was the first new identification since June 2019. The coronavirus pandemic had put the brakes on the Grandmothers' research and interviews with potential victims.

Six of the original grandmothers died during the pandemic.

Rights groups say some 30,000 people died or disappeared under Argentina's military dictatorship.

dm/dga/mlr/bbk

BEST PLACE FOR WHITE-COLLAR CRIME SENTENCING

Charges dropped against Israeli diamond tycoon suspected of money laundering

Beny Steinmetz, who has been convicted of corruption in Switzerland, to pay NIS 17 million as part of civil forfeiture deal with prosecutors

By AFP

23 December 2022

Israeli businessman Beny Steinmetz at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court on August 14, 2017. (Flash90)

Israeli authorities have dropped all criminal charges against Beny Steinmetz, a French-Israeli billionaire suspected of money laundering, and instead agreed to a financial settlement, according to court documents seen by AFP on Friday.

The co-founder of mining firm Beny Steinmetz Group Resources was detained in August 2017 and then released as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering.

“A total of NIS 17 million ($4.8 million)… will be confiscated, as part of a civil forfeiture agreement under the money laundering act,” the Israeli prosecutor’s office said in a statement, noting that the accord was signed on Thursday.

The deal with Israel’s tax authorities “puts an end to the dispute” with Steinmetz, the statement added.

The magnate, who made his fortune in the diamond industry, has long featured on Forbes magazine’s annual list of Israel’s wealthiest people.

A statement sent to AFP from Steinmetz’s lawyers Nati Simchony and Ronen Rosenbloom said the agreement showed the allegations against their client were “baseless.”

“For more than 10 years, he has been at the center of an international campaign against his reputation and his integrity,” the lawyers said.

Although Israeli authorities have dropped their charges, Steinmetz still awaits the outcome of an appeal bid against a corruption conviction in Switzerland.

Steinmetz was found guilty in 2021 of setting up a complex financial web to pay bribes to ensure his company could obtain permits in Guinea’s southeastern Simandou region, which is estimated to contain the world’s biggest untapped iron ore deposits.

He was sentenced by a Geneva court to five years in prison and ordered to pay 50 million Swiss francs ($53 million) in compensation.

In December 2020, a Romanian court sentenced him in absentia to five years in prison in a property-related case dating back to 2006-2008.

Steinmetz and a co-accused were found guilty of “the creation of an organized criminal group” in a case that cost the Romanian state $145 million.

SUNAK'S SCABS

Military plugs gap as passport control staff strike at UK airports

23 Dec 2022

Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union take part in a border force workers strike action near Heathrow Airport, in London, Britain, on Friday. Reuters

Military personnel stood in for passport control staff at UK airports on Friday as Border Force officers walked out in an escalating wave of public sector strikes over pay.

Around a quarter of a million passengers were due to arrive at the six affected airports on Friday ahead of the busy Christmas holiday weekend. But while passengers were warned they may face delays, Gatwick and Heathrow both insisted their immigration halls were operating as normal on Friday after the government drafted in armed forces' personnel and civil servants.

Around 1,000 workers at Heathrow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow and Manchester, and the southern port of Newhaven, took part in the stoppage organised by the Public and Commercial Services (PCS).

It is the first of eight planned between Friday and Jan.1, taking place every day for the rest of the year, except December 27.

It follows stoppages this week by nurses and ambulance workers, angered by the government's refusal to increase pay following years of wage stagnation and a cost-of-living crisis that has left inflation running at nearly 11 per cent.

Nurses will strike again on Jan.18 and 19, the Royal College of Nursing announced on Friday.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said many Border Force employees were struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. "Forty thousand of our members are using food banks, 45,000 of them are claiming in-work benefits. They are the in-work poor," he told BBC radio, adding that the dispute was also about pensions and job security.

'Reduce inflation'

The past year has seen strike action in a range of sectors from dock workers to lawyers as decades-high inflation has eroded earnings.

The government insists on more modest increases for public sector workers, based on recommendations by independent pay review bodies, in order to bring inflation under control.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "sad and disappointed" the Border Force action had gone ahead but that the government would not give in to strikes.

"I think we all know that the major economic challenge we all face now is inflation. It's inflation that's eating into everyone's pay packets... and I want to make sure that we reduce inflation," he said.

Postal delivery staff belonging to the Communication Workers Union (CWU) also walked out on Friday for the fifth time this month.

National Highways workers responsible for motorways and major roads in London and southeast England, represented by the PCS, are also conducting their own four-day walkout which started on Thursday.

Railway workers will stage another strike from 6:00 pm on Saturday, Christmas Eve, lasting until early Tuesday.

Also on Saturday, some London bus workers and Environment Agency employees will also launch separate waves of action.

Agence France-Presse

Passport control staff strike at six UK airports for better pay

More than 1,000 Border Force officers are expected to walk out at six airports over pay amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Published On 23 Dec. 2022

Passengers at United Kingdom airports experienced long delays after Border Force officers walked out as part of the latest strikes of public sector workers across the country.

More than 1,000 passport control staff are expected to walk out on the first day of a strike that is planned to last until New Year over pay, according to the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS).

The walkout is the latest addition to strikes of nurses, paramedics, and workers in the rail and postal sectors in the biggest wave of industrial action over pay and conditions in Britain for decades.

Following stoppages, the government refused to increase pay following years of wage stagnation and a cost-of-living crisis that has seen inflation running at nearly 11 percent.

The strike, organised by the PCS, is the first of eight planned between Friday and January 1 at six UK airports.

The government has drafted in armed forces personnel and civil servants to operate passport booths at the airports – Heathrow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow and Manchester and the southern coast port of Newhaven.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said many Border Force employees were struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.

“Forty-thousand of our members are using food banks; 45,000 of them are claiming in-work benefits. They are the in-work poor,” he told BBC radio, adding that the dispute was also about pensions and job security.

‘Should be prepared for disruption’

Travellers were warned to expect delays as they might face long queues at passport control that could lead to people being held on planes, disrupting subsequent departures.

“During the periods of industrial action, travellers should be prepared for disruption,” Border Force Chief Operating Officer Steve Dann said.

Heathrow, Britain’s busiest airport, reported “minimal queueing” in its arrivals halls.

“Immigration halls are free flowing … with Border Force and the military contingency providing a good service,” a spokesperson said.

Gatwick, Britain’s second busiest, said passengers should expect longer wait times at passport control between Friday and the end of the year.

“We … anticipate some disruption, but flights are operating normally, arrivals and departures, and we expect that to continue,” Adam Jones, head of passenger operations, told Sky News.

About a quarter of a million passengers are due to arrive at affected airports on Friday.

National Highways workers responsible for motorways and major roads in London and southeast England, represented by the PCS, were also on Friday continuing their own four-day walkout, which started on Thursday.

Railway workers will stage another strike from 6pm (18:00 GMT) on Friday, through Christmas Eve until December 27.

And on Saturday, some London bus workers and Environment Agency employees will also launch separate waves of action.

The Border Force strikes will take place every day for the rest of the year, except for December 27.

KEEP READING

UK ambulance workers join widening strike for above-inflation pay

Thousands of UK’s rail workers strike over below-inflation pay

UK: Wave of strikes sour Christmas mood, disrupt travel

December 23, 2022

Border control workers at six major airports have walked off their jobs ahead of the Christmas holiday, disrupting thousands of passengers. France also faces similar strike action.

Border control workers were the latest to join a group of public employees in the United Kingdom who have walked off their jobs this year, in an effort to enforce higher pay rises amid a once-in-a-generation cost-of-living crisis.

The UK government pumped in military personnel and civil employees to keep airports running on Friday, during one of their busiest times of the year.

The strike coincides with train strikes, as well as nurses, ambulances and paramedics strikes that have taken place or were planned for this week. More strikes are scheduled in the new year.

In neighboring France, a strike action among public workers has also soured the Christmas mood. Train strikes on Friday affected many French residents planning to visit their families for Christmas.

Why is the UK striking?

Economic stagnation caused by the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing lockdowns, closely followed by the economic aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has taken its toll on the global economy.

The UK has also been dealing with the exit from the European Union, which has also had an impact on the British economy.

Double-digit inflation, reaching almost 11%, has triggered a cost-of-living crisis, the first of its kind in decades.

VIDEO Rising costs in UK push more people into poverty
02:30

Public sector workers have been trying to use strikes as a tool to pressure the Conservative government to give them pay increases that can address what they see as a the dire situation.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the only way to improve economic conditions was by bringing down inflation.

In statements on Friday, Sunak was vocal about his rejection of the strike action.

"I am really sad, and I am disappointed about the disruption that is being caused to so many people's lives, particularly at Christmas time,'' he said during a visit to a homeless shelter in London.
Who is striking in the UK?

Border control employees are planning on extending their strikes until the end of the year, with a break only on December 27.

Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, told BBC radio that the strikes follow disputes over pensions and job security, in addition to cost-of-living struggles.

"Forty thousand of our members are using food banks, 45,000 of them are claiming in-work benefits. They are the in-work poor," he said.

The British nurses strikes this month are considered unprecedented in the profession's some 100 years of serviceI

mage: Henry Nicholls/REUTERS

They join thousands of National Health Service nurses who walked off their jobs on Tuesday for 24-hours. The strike was the second this month, in unprecedented action by nurses in some 100 years. Further strikes are planned for January 18 and 19.

Ambulance drivers, paramedics and dispatchers have also announced a strike for December 28, after walking off earlier this week. Other striking professions include post workers and highway maintenance workers.

Strikes are also expected to affect trains and buses on Saturday, Christmas Eve.

Strikes in France

Eastward, in France, the shaky global economy this year has also driven public workers to walk off their jobs.

The Christmas weekend could see nearly half of the country's train conductors striking. One third of scheduled train services were canceled on Friday, with 40% more canceled during the weekend, the national rail authority said.

Train strikes disrupted the journeys of many passengers eager to go home for Christmas

Image: NOEMIE OLIVE/REUTERS

Striking employees are demanding higher pay and more staff, as a similar cost-of-living crisis bites through the economy.

The strikes come as several residents of the UK and France looked forward to a more normal Christmas, after the pandemic disrupted the holiday season during the past two years.

rmt/jcg (AFP, AP, Reuters)

FARC dissidents announce unilateral Christmas ceasefire in Colombia

Story by Daniel Stewart •

Dissidents of the now defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group announced Saturday a unilateral Christmas ceasefire that will last until January 7, although they stressed that they reserve the right to defend themselves against possible attacks.

Archive - Guerrilla of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) - FARC© Provided by News 360

"We want to inform the population of nortesantandereana, south of Bolivar, northeast Antioquia and Magdalena Medio, our unilateral will to decree a ceasefire against military and police forces in our areas of operations from 06.00 hours on December 24 of this year," said a spokesman for the group through a video.

He also stressed that FARC dissidents reserve the right to defend themselves against attacks and called for progress in the peace dialogue with the Colombian government. "We must read the historic moment the country is going through and stop killing each other," he said, according to Colombian radio station Radio Caracol.

The FARC dissidents dissociated themselves from the peace agreement signed by the state and the guerrillas in 2016 and include historical figures of the militia such as Luciano Marín Arango, alias 'Iván Márquez'.

Following this, Petro has stated in his account on the social network Twitter that "at this moment, both the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the second Marquetalia, the Central General Staff, the armed groups of the Sierra Nevada and Buenaventura have begun a unilateral truce". "We hope that real peace processes will be consolidated," he said.

For his part, the High Commissioner for Peace has indicated on Twitter that "listening to the communities and organizational processes, the EMC FARC declare unilateral ceasefire". "The Government of Gustavo Petro remains firm in the construction of peace and awaits the appointment of spokespersons for dialogue," he added.

The FARC dissidents' announcement came just two days after the High Commissioner for Peace called for a cessation of hostilities during the Christmas period, after the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas announced a ceasefire for these dates.

The ELN clarified that the truce could be interrupted if its fighters consider that their lives are endangered by the actions of the forces of law and order. Thus, it will be in force between December 24 and the morning of January 2, in order to build "an atmosphere of peace".

Source: (EUROPA PRESS)

‘My heart is crying’: Afghan refugees wait on family members to join them in Canada

By Canadian Press

Dec 22, 2022 |

TORONTO — Khalid Khogiani arrived in Canada from Afghanistan through Pakistan more than a year ago and has been waiting for the Canadian government to process the refugee applications for his wife, mother and siblings ever since.

The 34-year-old, who worked as a computer assistant and interpreter with the Canadian Armed Forces in Kandahar between 2009 and 2011, said he applied for asylum at Canada’s embassy in Kabul and got his visa before the Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital in August 2021. He arrived in Canada two months after the takeover, but the rest of his family stayed in the family’s house in Afghanistan.

“When I remember my mother, I cry, my heart is crying, my mind is crying,” he said.

“We spend difficult time … when you are separated from your family and you come to Canada and your family is in Afghanistan, you know the pain.”

Khogiani is among the Afghan refugees who came to Canada on their own or with some of their family members since the fall of Kabul. Many who applied for their loved ones to join are left to wait for their applications to be approved.

The federal Liberal government initially promised to settle 20,000 Afghan refugees and then doubled that commitment to 40,000 during the election campaign in 2021.More than 26,000 Afghan refugees have already arrived in Canada.

As many more wait, the situation in Afghanistan is further deteriorating — especially for girls and women. The Taliban rulers banned female students from attending university this week in their latest crackdown on women’s rights and freedoms.

The Taliban was ousted from power by a U.S.-led coalition, that included Canada, in 2001 in the aftermath of 9/11, but returned last year after the U.S. abruptly and chaotically departed.

Khogiani said his horrific one-and-a-half-month journey from Kabul to Toronto started when agents working with Canada smuggled his brother and him through the border to Pakistan at night.

They had to hide from the Pakistani police in Islamabad until his flight to Canada was finally booked, he added.

He tried to bring the rest of his family, but the Canadian government told him that adding others to his application would jeopardize his evacuation.

“I said to the (immigration department), I have my family there, so I cannot go to Canada without my family,” Khogiani said.

“They said, ‘if you want to include your other family members, your case will be delayed. Do not do that’.”

The Afghan refugee, who now works as a technician with Bell Canada in Bradford, Ont., said he eventually decided to come to Canada on his own and apply from here for his family members to join him.

His brother landed in Toronto a few weeks after him but the rest of his family members, who recently moved to Pakistan, are still waiting for their refugee applications to be processed, he said.

“I was scared. I was worried. So, I decide I need to go alone,” Khogiani said.

Mona Elshayal, co-founder of a volunteer group called Canadian Connections that has been helping Afghan refugees to come to Canada, said many of the Afghan refugees who arrived here last year filled out the forms to bring their family members right after landing in Canada.

“People who came (after) August 2021 who are trying to bring their families, other family members, who helped the Canadian government or military and followed their processes, called in, registered them, filled in the paperwork, there’s no updates on their paperwork,” she said.

“There’s no way to get an update on the application — if anybody is ever going to come.”

She said the delay has a negative affect those who came here, but it’s devastating those who are waiting overseas to be united with their loved ones in Canada.

“There’s people who have travelled outside Afghanistan waiting for the Canadian government to bring them in and there’s no update on their application,” she said.

“They’re in limbo, because they’re stuck. They can’t go back. They don’t know if the Canadian government is ever going to bring them.”

A spokeswoman for the federal immigration department said the government recognizes that’s it’s important to keep families together but it’s facing a “significant challenge” to process the family reunification applications for Afghan refugees as many of the family members are still in Afghanistan.

“We are navigating a constantly evolving situation in Afghanistan in which the government of Canada has no military or diplomatic presence,” Michelle Carbert said in a statement.

“Movement out of Afghanistan by air and land continues to be very difficult and dangerous, and the absence of stable conditions and ever-changing circumstances around exit documentation requirements impacts our ability to move people quickly.”

Carbert said the government is generally unable to process an application until applicants reach a third country, submit their biometrics and meet other requirements.

“Applications continue to be processed as quickly as possible both remotely and digitally through our network of visa officers,” she said. “These cases are also often very complex and processing will take longer as we work to receive information and work through their application. Every step along the way can bring a unique challenge depending on the individual’s circumstances.”

Stephen Watt, co-founder of Northern Lights Canada, a non-profit that’s been helping Afghan refugees in Toronto, said Canada’s response to the refugee crisis in Afghanistan has not met the expectations and needs of those who helped Canada in Afghanistan.

“Canada talks about trying to be humanitarian and help these people, but then it handicaps its own programs with things like quota limits and paperwork requirements.”

“The consequence of all this is not that people (here) feel happy that they’re able to help people (in Afghanistan) who deserve it, they just feel frustrated and dismayed and disappointed.”

The government introduced a new program in September to allow Canadian individuals and organizations to privately sponsor up to 3,000 Afghan refugees who don’t have refugee status from the United Nations refugee agency or a foreign state.

But for Watt, it is another example of Canada’s lacklustre response to the crisis in Afghanistan because it was not only capped at 3,000 applications, but it also required private sponsors to complete a special training course.

“If Canada really meant what it said about being a humanitarian country that has close ties with Afghan people, especially the ones who have relatives here or who have helped us, they would make things easier, not harder every time,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2022.

Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press

Ottawa urged to pressure Pakistan not to deport Afghan refugees in line for Canada

The federal Liberal government is facing calls to intervene amid reports that Pakistan is preparing to arrest and expel Afghan refugees, many of whom are waiting to escape to Canada.

Ottawa urged to pressure Pakistan to stop deporting Afghans, speed up refugee claims© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Liberal government promised in August 2021 to resettle 40,000 Afghans who have fled their country to escape the Taliban.

That includes thousands of Afghans with connections to Canada, including former interpreters who served alongside the Canadian Armed Forces.

But only about 27,000 Afghan refugees have arrived in Canada more than a year later, with thousands waiting in Pakistan for word on when they can depart.

Now there are fears that Pakistan will start arresting and deporting Afghans who have sought temporary refuge, including hundreds already approved to come to Canada, at the end of the month.

The Pakistan government has set a deadline of Dec. 31 for foreigners without visas, or with expired visas, to leave. If not, they face the risk of arrest and deportation.

The fear is that if sent back, they will face persecution or death at the hands of the Taliban.

"This threat will compound what is already one of the world's worst humanitarian crises ever," said Wendy Cukier of Lifeline Afghanistan, an organization that has been helping bring Afghan refugees to Canada.

"Canada must use every means at its disposal ⁠— diplomacy, humanitarian aid, even trade negotiations and economic partnerships ⁠— to persuade Pakistan to work with Canada to resolve this issue."

The Canadian government has received assurances from Pakistan that it will not arrest or deport Afghans after the Dec. 31 deadline, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Dubois said in a statement on Friday.

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"While there have been concerns that some Afghan refugees in Pakistan may be returned to Afghanistan or jailed after the Dec. 31 expiration of this waiver, the government of Pakistan has indicated that the only enforcement action that could be taken against foreigners overstaying their visas will be the re-imposition of fines and potentially being blacklisted from returning to Pakistan," she said.

"Canada appreciates the ongoing efforts by the government of Pakistan to facilitate the safe passage of Canada-bound Afghan refugees," Dubois added.

"We continue to advocate for streamlined procedures and strengthened protections for vulnerable Afghans and appreciate Pakistan's support in helping secure routes of safe passage."

But that is cold comfort to NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan, who says she has been warning the government about the impending deadline since the Pakistan government first announced its plan in October.

Kwan pointed to numerous reports in recent weeks of Pakistan authorities checking foreigners' visas and making arrests as proof of the threat.

"The situation on the ground for people who are trying to escape persecution from the Taliban is that this is not reassuring at all," she said. "The reality is that they are living in fear every day."

Kwan said she has personally received text messages about Pakistani police having raided a hotel where Afghan refugees were staying.

"And the only way I'm told that people cannot get arrested in that process is to pay heavy bribes," she said.

"The reality is that people have been hiding, and they have not been working. They don't really have the resources to be able to afford to pay these hefty bribes. That is what's happening on the ground for people."

The federal government has been repeatedly criticized for the pace of its work to bring Afghan refugees to Canada, facing anger and frustration over delays and what many see as a lack of urgency.

Kwan echoed Cukier's call for the government to put whatever pressure possible on Pakistan not to act on its Dec. 31 deadline, and for Ottawa to speed up resettlement efforts.

"There are people who served Canada, they are the loved ones of people who put their lives at risk in serving Canada, and now the Taliban is hunting them down aggressively," she said.

"So, the government needs to make good on their promise that they would bring these Afghans to safety."

Amid clashes with Kabul, Pakistan tells Ottawa it won't deport Canada-bound paperless Afghan migrants

Story by Raffy Boudjikanian •

In an apparent reversal from an announcement this fall, Pakistan's government has told Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada it will not deport paperless Afghan migrants or throw them in jail after the end of this month, but rather impose fines or perhaps a ban on their return to Pakistan.

"The Government of Pakistan has indicated that the only enforcement action that could be taken against foreigners overstaying their visas will be the re-imposition of fines and potentially being blacklisted from returning to Pakistan," the Immigration Department said in a statement to CBC.

As a country neighbouring Afghanistan, Pakistan has been a go-to destination for Afghan migrants hoping to qualify for Canada's resettlement program. Twenty-one charter flights carrying Afghans from Islamabad have come to Canada this year, according to IRCC.

In October, Pakistan's Ministry of the Interior had started running ads on television and social media telling migrants to the country whose visas had expired that they would risk deportation or jail time after Dec. 31, 2022.

Those ads did not explicitly target any ethnicity but ran in Urdu, Pakistan's national language, as well as Pashto and Dari, two languages that are commonly spoken by Afghans.

In November, Pakistan's High Commission in Ottawa told CBC News that Afghans with valid visas/documents for onward travel would be "facilitated by the government of Pakistan."

This latest change comes as the country's relationship with Afghanistan has deteriorated. Pakistan continued to hold diplomatic ties with the Taliban after it took over Kabul in September 2021.

But since last month, the two countries have been involved in border clashes. As well, inmates belonging to a Pakistan off-shoot of the Taliban took over a Pakistani jail and there was a gunfire attack on Pakistan's embassy in Kabul.

Pakistan caught in 'murky politics:' expert

With no sense of how much worse the conflict could get, one observer of the region said migrants could well remain in limbo.

"The murky politics of the region are now coming home to roost for Pakistan," said Elliot Tepper, a professor of international relations at Carleton University in Ottawa.

He said Islamabad supported the Taliban for years until the latter's return to power in 2021, hoping to foster a regional ally.

"They thought they were buying that strategic depth, the friend in Kabul that they required," he said. "Now that the Taliban are back in power, they are looking after their own traditional interests, and those interests conflict with Pakistan's."

Tepper said this has left Afghan migrants who were former Canadian military personnel in the lurch.

Related video: Afghan-Canadian documents dismantling of women's rights under Taliban (cbc.ca) Duration 3:45 View on Watch

Taliban ban women from working for domestic, foreign NGOs

ABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban government on Saturday ordered all foreign and domestic non-governmental groups in Afghanistan to suspend employing women, allegedly because some female employees didn't wear the Islamic headscarf correctly. They also separately banned women from attending religious classes at the mosques in the capital of Kabul.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The bans are the latest restrictive moves by Afghanistan's new rulers against women's rights and freedoms, coming just days after the Taliban banned female students from attending universities across the country.

Afghan women have since demonstrated in major cities against the ban — a rare sign of domestic protest since the Taliban seized power last year. The decision has also caused international outrage.

The NGO order came in a letter from Economy Minister Qari Din Mohammed Hanif, which said that any organization found not complying with the order will have their operating license revoked in Afghanistan. The ministry's spokesman, Abdul Rahman Habib, confirmed the letter's content to The Associated Press.

The ministry said it had received “serious complaints” about female staff working for NGOs not wearing the “correct" headscarf, or hijab. It was not immediately clear if the order applies to all women or only Afghan women working at the NGOs.

More details were not immediately available amid concerns the latest Taliban move could be a stepping-stone to a blanket ban on Afghan women leaving the home.

“It’s a heartbreaking announcement," said Maliha Niazai, a master trainer at an NGO teaching young people about issues such as gender-based violence. “Are we not human beings? Why are they treating us with this cruelty?”

The 25-year-old, who works at Y-Peer Afghanistan and lives in Kabul, said her job was important because she was serving her country and is the only person supporting her family. “Will the officials support us after this announcement? If not, then why are they snatching meals from our mouths?” she asked.

Another NGO worker, a 24-year-old from Jalalabad working the Norwegian Refugee Council, said it was “the worst moment of my life."

“The job gives me more than a ... living, it is a representation of all the efforts I've made," she said, declining to give her name fearing for her own safety.

The United Nations condemned the NGO order, and said it will seek to meet with the Taliban leadership to get some clarity.

“Taking away the free will of women to choose their own fate, disempowering and excluding them systematically from all aspects of public and political life takes the country backward, jeopardizing efforts for any meaningful peace or stability in the country,” a U.N. statement said.

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Calls on Taliban to reverse ban

In another edict, a spokesman for the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs, Fazil

Mohammad Hussaini, said late Saturday that “adult girls" are barred from attending Islamic classes in mosques in Kabul, although they could still go to standalone madrassas, or religious schools.

He gave no further details, and did not elaborate on the ages affected with the ban or how it would be enforced. It was also not explained why the measure only applies to Kabul mosques.

Earlier on Saturday, Taliban security forces used a water cannon to disperse women protesting the ban on university education for women in the western city of Herat, eyewitnesses said.

According to the witnesses, about two dozen women were heading to the Herat provincial governor’s house on Saturday to protest the ban — many chanting: “Education is our right” — when they were pushed back by security forces firing the water cannon.

Video shared with the AP shows the women screaming and hiding in a side street to escape the water cannon. They then resume their protest, with chants of “Disgraceful!”

One of the protest organizers, Maryam, said between 100 and 150 women took part in the protest, moving in small groups from different parts of the city toward a central meeting point. She did not give her last name for fear of reprisals.

“There was security on every street, every square, armored vehicles and armed men,” she said. “When we started our protest, in Tariqi Park, the Taliban took branches from the trees and beat us. But we continued our protest. They increased their security presence. Around 11 a.m. they brought out the water cannon.”

A spokesman for the provincial governor, Hamidullah Mutawakil, claimed there were only four-five protesters.

“They had no agenda, they just came here to make a film,” he said, without mentioning the violence against the women or the use of the water cannon.

There has been widespread international condemnation of the university ban, including from Muslim-majority countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as warnings from the United States and the G-7 group of major industrial nations that the policy will have consequences for the Taliban.

An official in the Taliban government, Minister of Higher Education Nida Mohammad Nadim, spoke about the ban for the first time on Thursday in an interview with the Afghan state television.

He said the ban was necessary to prevent the mixing of genders in universities and because he believes some subjects being taught violated the principles of Islam. He also added the ban would be in place until further notice.

Despite initially promising a more moderate rule respecting rights for women and minorities, the Taliban have widely implemented their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, since they seized power in August 2021.

They have banned girls from middle school and high school — and now universities — and also barred women from most fields of employment. Women have also been ordered to wear head-to-toe clothing in public and have been banned from parks and gyms.

Afghan society, while largely traditional, had increasingly embraced the education of girls and women over the past two decades of a U.S.-backed government.

In the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, dozens of Afghan refugee students protested on Saturday against the ban on female higher education in their homeland and demanded the immediate reopening of campuses for women.

One of them, Bibi Haseena, read a poem depicting the grim situation for Afghan girls seeking an education. She said was unhappy about graduating outside her country when hundreds of thousands of her Afghan sisters were being deprived of an education.

Riazat Butt, The Associated Press

Activist Malala Yousafzai on Taliban education ban

Story by Analisa Novak • Yesterday -CBSNEWS

Nobel Prize laureate and activist Malala Yousafzai told "CBS Mornings" that she is not shocked that the Taliban banned women and girls from attending universities and from getting higher education in Afghanistan.

She said that ever since the Taliban captured power over 15 months ago, conditions for women are getting worse and years of change are being erased in front of the world's eyes.

"It was their activism that made it possible for them to get access to education, to get jobs, to be part of the parliament, to be part of everyday public life. And suddenly that public life is taken from them. That women are erased from public life," Yousafzai said.

Yousafzai was shot in the head in Pakistan in 2012, when she was 15, after being targeted by the Taliban for speaking out on education for young women. She became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, at 17, for her work in education advocacy.

The hardline religious Taliban ruled over Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, before U.S.-led armed forces removed the group from power, before the group retook the country following the U.S. withdrawl in May 2021. They have since deprived girls of their fundamental rights by banning secondary education for grades six and above.

Education activist Malala Yousafzai on the Taliban banning women from universities
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"They're failing in the cultural justification, the religious justification, as well. And it's really about the future of the Afghan people. It's up to the Afghan people to decide how they want to live their life. It's not up to men to decide their futures for them," said Yousafzai.

In a statement Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. "condemns in the strongest terms" the Taliban's decision to ban women and girls from attending universities in Afghanistan.

Yousafzai is calling on more world leaders to address the issue and to be allies for Afghan women who have been leading mass protests for months.

"The truth of protests will be when leaders respond and hear their call to action," she said.

Afghan Men Show Support For Women After Taliban College Ban

Eltaf Najafizada
Thu, December 22, 2022

(Bloomberg) -- More than a dozen male university teachers in Afghanistan have resigned and several male students walked out of their classrooms in support of female students who were forced out of higher education following a Taliban decree.

“I don’t wish to continue working somewhere where there is an organized discrimination against innocent and talented girls of this country by those in power,” Obaidullah Wardak, a Kabul University professor who quit in protest Wednesday, said on Twitter, calling the the ban on women education “unjust and immoral.”

Some women and girls also took to the streets in the capital Kabul on Thursday, chanting “education for all.” Local media reported Taliban soldiers hit the protesters with sticks and whips, while detaining five of them along with two journalists covering the event. Elsewhere, a social media post by Afghan Peace Watch showed several male students walking out of their classes in protest, while video footage showed girls weeping inside a class when hearing about the ban from a teacher.

The solidarity shown by some Afghan men draws parallels with neighboring Iran, where months of protests continue to simmer following the death of a 22-year-old woman in police custody in September after she was arrested for allegedly flouting Islamic dress codes by the country’s so-called morality police. The outcry, largely led by girls and women, has garnered support from thousands of men.

The Taliban’s Minister of Higher Education, Neda Mohammad Nadeem – one of its most conservative members – late Tuesday announced the ban on women attending university. Members of the militant group wasted no time in enforcing the decree. At one point on Wednesday a female student reported that Taliban members pointed guns at them to prevent their entry into a Kabul campus.

Late Thursday, Nadeem justified the decree in an interview with a Taliban-controlled TV channel. He cited the lack of male escorts for female students who leave remote towns for other provinces to attend universities and the lack of segregation of male and female students in classrooms as the main reasons for the ban.

“High-level work is ongoing to address these problems that meet Islamic demands,” Nadeem said.

The decision to bar women from universities sparked outrage in the country and across the world. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the decision would stymie the Taliban’s efforts to gain recognition and support at a time when the country is suffering from severe poverty. The US Charge D’affaires to Afghanistan, Karen Decker, backed the protests and resignations for showing solidarity with women and urged the ruling militant group to reverse their decision.

Even Pakistan, which has close ties to the militant group, and Qatar — the host of a Talibal political office in Doha and facilitator of peace talks between the group and the US — expressed disappointment and urged the group to reconsider its decision.

The abrupt decree prompted several Afghan social media handles to post a six-month-old Piers Morgan interview with Suhail Shaheen, who heads the Taliban’s political office in Doha, where he states that his own daughters attends school.

They are “observing hijab” so they haven’t been denied education, Shaheen said at the time. He didn’t respond to a text message from Bloomberg News seeking comment.

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Saturday, December 24, 2022

Taliban ban women from working for domestic, foreign NGOs

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