With large prisoner numbers and detention times far in excess of European averages, pre-trial detention is being abused by the Greek justice system

Illustration by Una Rebić/Pod črto

04/01/2023 -  Nikos Morfonios Athens

Abuse of temporary detention measures in Greece has led to an entrenched regime of pre-trial punishment, with large numbers of detainees held for prolonged periods before trial. The Council of Europe's annual SPACE I 2021 report on prisons reveals that the average pre-trial detention rate among all prisoners was 30% over the past decade, while in 2021 one in four pre-trial prisoners were detained for longer than a year.

The report also shows that on 31 January 2021, out of a total of 11,334 prisoners in Greek prisons, 2,669 were in temporary custody (23.5%), with an average duration of pre-trial detention of 13.2 months. Looking at the General Secretariat for Anti-crime Policy data from previous years, the case was the same in 2020, when out of a total of 10,891 prisoners, 2,892 (26.5%) were in pre-trial detention. In 2019 and 2018, the number of remand prisoners in Greek prisons had reached 31.1% and 32.5% respectively, meaning that almost one in three prisoners were in temporary custody.

Pre-trial detention is an advance payment of the sentence

So, why are there such consistently high numbers of pre-trial detainees? "In Greece, pre-trial detention often acts as an advance on the sentence, although this is certainly not mentioned in the law", explains Kostas Kosmatos, professor of Criminology at the University of Thessaloniki. "Thus, when it comes to a serious crime, the gravity of the act – although the legislator says that this alone is not enough – is most often the crucial and decisive criterion used for the imposition of provisional detention."

The worst record of the last decade was registered in 2012 and 2013, with 34% and 34.6% respectively of prisoners across the country held in temporary detention. The average number of remand prisoners in Greece between 2010 and 2020 reached 30%.

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The use of pre-trial detention as a “pre-sentence” measure is also discussed by Nikolaos Koulouris, professor of prison policy at the University of Thrace. “An assessment is made by prosecutors and investigators, based – according to the law – on the existence of strong, ‘serious’ evidence that the act of which a person is accused has been committed and she/he is guilty. This is a pre-trial judgment of guilt, which may bias the judges, who can see which defendant comes to trial as a free person or on probation, and whether she or he has been transferred as a temporary prisoner. It is rare for such factors to go unnoticed, precisely because of the conditions laid down in the Greek Code of Criminal Procedure for provisional detention. These conditions, in addition to the presumption of guilt, are also related to the social and criminal situation of the defendant, namely their lack of known residence, their criminal history, their risk of committing other offences and, more generally, anything considered to indicate avoiding the imposition of the sentence and prior judicial involvement by judicial officers."

Pre-trial detention is one of three restrictive measures available to judicial authorities in the treatment of defendants ahead of trial. The other two measures are the common restrictive conditions (attendance at the police station once a month, prohibition to leave the country, etc.) and house arrest with electronic monitoring devices. So, when and under what conditions can judges decide to sentence a defendant to pre-trial detention?    

According to the Greek Code of Criminal Procedure, provisional detention may be imposed in the case of a felony when there are serious indications of guilt, in order to prevent the commission of new crimes or to prevent the accused from absconding. Provisional detention is imposed if restrictive measures or house arrest with electronic monitoring devices are deemed not sufficient, and the accused has no known place of residence or is planning to escape.

The maximum time limit of pre-trial detention for a single case is one year. "In wholly exceptional circumstances" described in the CCP, and when the charge is one that carries a life sentence or a maximum sentence of 15 years, the detention period may be extended by a further six months. However, even this constitutionally guaranteed maximum custodial sentence can be "broken" and extended by another year if a new prosecution for another offence is opened within the three months preceding the expiry of the 18-month period.

Legal requirements or the gravity of the alleged crime are not the only factors guiding judicial discretion. The remand decision, underlines Kosmatos, "can even be connected to the visibility of a case – the visibility of the case in the media and its impact on public opinion. I think public pressure can always influence to some extent the relevant judgement".  

On the other hand, as Koulouris stresses, judicial bodies "with preconceived notions of what a dangerous criminal is, have an unfavourable, discriminatory approach towards people belonging to certain social groups. In other words, there are certain exogenous factors that influence their judgement. If, for example, the accused person is a foreigner or immigrant, or a user of addictive substances involved in their traffic, the decision in favour of temporary detention is more easily taken compared to a case involving a well-off citizen accused of a financial crime. Authorities will argue that the first category presents a greater and very real risk of absconding. However, a forensic reading suggests that certain social characteristics create, let’s say, an unconscious bias, which is also reflected in judgments deciding whether or not to impose provisional detention."

The data in the Council of Europe's report fully supports Koulouris here: out of a total of 2,662 remand prisoners in 2021, foreigners amounted to 1,718, while Greek nationals amounted to 944. Thus, foreign detainees were 64.5% of all remand prisoners in Greece.

"These numbers reflect the criminalisation of poverty and immigration", comments Kostas Papadakis, a long-serving lawyer and former member of the Board of Directors of the Athens Bar Association. Papadakis adds that "xenophobic prejudices contribute to the discriminatory treatment of the foreign population and lead to their disproportionate detention. These people are often treated as third-class citizens, forced to apologise during interrogation and trial without understanding much – if anything – of the case files, with a translator who often translates into an intermediate language, such as English, instead of their native language."

Over a year in prison until trial 

There is another important element here that not only differentiates our country from other European countries, but also further reveals how entrenched pre-trial detention is in the Greek criminal justice system as a form of advance punishment. According to analysis of the Council of Europe data, the average duration of pre-trial detention in Greece is 13.2 months, while the corresponding European median is just 4.5 months. In fact, among the EU countries where data is available, Greece tops the list, followed by Portugal with an average duration of 11.3 months, and Italy with 7.6 months. The European (albeit non-EU) country that surpasses Greece is Serbia, with a median duration of 17.9 months.

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"The maximum time allowed for pre-trial detention under the Constitution and procedural law, i.e. eighteen months, combined with the slow administration of criminal justice, is a framework that facilitates prolonged time in prison pending trial, sub-judice", Koulouris says of the report's findings. Kosmatos is in agreement, emphasising that "it certainly has to do with the sluggish administration of criminal justice, and in multi-person trials this is even more difficult".

However, the problem extends to the whole interrogation apparatus as well as the required infrastructure, both in terms of material and personnel. For example, Kosmatos notes, "in order to translate the case file, it has to be sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which can take from 2 to 6 months. In cases involving finance, banking, etc, an expert will be appointed by the panel and will submit his report after months of investigation. The investigative process involves more than gathering witness and defendant testimonies. There is a whole series of investigative operations, involving laboratories, forensic experts, expert witnesses – services that are not under the jurisdiction of the courts."

At the same time, abuse of pre-trial detention has an evident collateral impact on the known problem of chronic overcrowding in Greek prisons. Covid-19 did nothing to alleviate the problem, since the Greek state, unlike most European countries, took no measures to reduce congestion, as the MIIR/IMEdD investigation on the spread of Covid-19 in Greek prisons has shown  . Indeed, the prison population increased by 3.6% in 2021 compared to 2020. Meanwhile, the occupancy rate based on a comparative analysis of the actual prison population and spots in each institution exceeded  111% (111.4 prisoners per 100 spots), the second worst performance in the EU after Romania.

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Jailed for 7 months for rioting, while playing basketball

The criteria that prosecutors and investigators typically use to proceed with provisional detention occasionally provoke public outcry, especially when it comes to selectivity. Clearly, the injustice inflicted to defendants subsequently found innocent that yet have been subjected to extended deprivation of liberty and various other consequences, tends to arouse public sympathy.

An emblematic recent example is the unjust 7-months detention of 30-years-old Alexandros M. (also referred to in the media as "Indian") following a mass demonstration against police violence in March 2021 in Nea Smyrni. The march included widespread clashes between protesters and police forces, during which an on-site police officer was assaulted and the episode caught on camera. That evening, Prime Minister Mitsotakis issued a statement about the officer's injury, but not about the police officers' violence. Three days later, Alexandros M. was arrested outside his workplace.

"Alexandros was the embodiment of a scapegoat, produced in order to show the public that the guilty party was found", his lawyer Pavlos Sarakis tells us. On that day, and at the time he allegedly assaulted the supervising police officer, Alexandros was playing basketball in the neighbourhood of Elefsina, an area 35 minutes by car (without traffic) away from where the clashes happened. This was proven by video footage, and known from the first moment by the investigating authorities. Nevertheless, Alexandros was deprived of his liberty for seven full months before he was released from prison. It took 14 months for the Athens Judicial Council to officially exonerate him.

"Alexandros, a man of extremely low means, suffered severely, both physically and psychologically", Sarakis tells us, leaving aside accusations of political expediency against the government and the Ministries of Justice and Citizen Protection, as well as the judicial authorities, since the latter decided on remand "because the alleged victim was a police officer."

One in five prisoners in preventive detention in Europe

According to a recent Civio's investigation for EDJNet  , one in five prisoners in European prisons is in pre-trial detention. A total of 100,000 pre-trial detainees were in European prison cells in 2021, with the European median pre-trial detention rate at 21.6%.

The SPACE I report's general category of "prisoners not serving a final sentence" was used for this analysis, since the legal status is the same in the majority of countries, while several countries do not distribute their data across all categories. For example, Greece and Austria identify prisoners on remand with this category, while France includes prisoners on remand but also includes the small minority of detainees awaiting appeal (7%). A detailed breakdown of the number and percentages of prisoners in preventive detention by EU Member State is shown in the map below.

The maximum legal limits permitted for pre-trial detention vary among European countries, so that no uniform conclusions can be drawn. A common rule, established by the European Convention on Human Rights, is that a person in preventive detention has the right "to be tried within a reasonable time or to be released". The problem is that “reasonable time” is relative. With different systems of criminal assessment, extensions of the permissible limits, as well as variations depending on the when the crime was committed, the maximum time a defendant can spend in pre-trial detention (and sometimes only for certain crimes) is six months in Germany and Croatia, one year in Italy, 18 months in Greece and Bulgaria, and between one and four years in Hungary, Spain and France, depending on the seriousness of the charge.

European Court of Justice review of the detention and shaming of 27 HIV-positive women

Turn the clock back to May 2012, the year when the Greek police, on the orders of the Ministries of Citizen Protection and Health, launched raids against HIV-positive women in the centre of Athens, on the ground of public safety and health reasons. Hundreds of women were brought in and subjected to forced medical testing for HIV, and 27 of these women were taken into custody on charges of intentional grievous bodily harm for knowingly spreading the virus – despite not knowing they were HIV-positive – while being shamed by the publication of their details and photographs. More arrests followed, but did not lead to the release of personal details, due to international outcry and the reaction of several Greek organisations and institutions.

In the following years, the women were acquitted. Meanwhile, several of the accused spent up to 11 months in custody while their personal details and photographs, though removed from the official police website, are still circulating on the internet to this day. One woman committed suicide after her acquittal, while 6 others died for reasons related to hardship, precarious health and lack of a supportive environment.

"One may argue that these deaths are not necessarily tied to the raids and detention. However, these vulnerable women received no support from the state and certainly no redress or reparations for what they suffered due to the actions of state officials and functionaries that scarred them forever", says lawyer Eleni Spathana, who, together with other lawyers from the Lawyers' Group for Refugee and Migrant Rights, defended many of these women. "Actually, these women were imprisoned, vilified, stigmatised for life and after death, and used in a clear operation of political expediency just before the 2012 elections. At that time, under the doctrine of public order and security, and the 'protection of public health' that went along with it, the leaderships of the Ministries of Health and Citizen Protection engaged in a witch-hunt, with Health Minister Loverdos issuing statements about 'health bombs in parts of Athens', ‘immigrants spreading infectious diseases', etc. and the issuing of the despicable Health Ordinance, which forced, among other things, medical examination and hospitalization in designated areas, interfering with the privacy of the person, and illegally interfering with living quarters". Spathana also indicates "the enormous responsibility of the investigating and prosecuting authorities, who co-signed the flimsy indictment that put them in prison".

With the assistance of lawyers from the Lawyers' Group, applications have been filed by 13 HIV-positive women to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for violations of Article 3, for subjection to inhumane and degrading treatment, unlawful deprivation of liberty and conditions of detention, forced HIV testing, as well as Article 8, relating to shaming and invasion of the sphere of personal and family life. Spathana adds that the lawyers have asked the Court "to take action and to include in the sentencing judgments the deceased women, as the Court has done in similar, exceptional cases of human rights violations that have significant, broader consequences for population groups and have been of concern to society and public opinion." The ECHR's decision on the appeals has yet to come.

In addition to recourse to the European courts, legislation in Greece provides for a right to compensation for those who have been unjustly imprisoned. According to the CPC, this amount can range from €20 to €50 for each day of imprisonment, depending on the financial situation of the victim.

"The amounts provided for in the Code are meagre", Papadakis comments. "It only adds to the victim’s sense of shame to ask for tax returns and to make the amount of compensation depend on their financial situation. As if a stay in prison alone is not a loss to be compensated", he adds scornfully. "And apparently no man would consider it a commensurate quid pro quo against the unjust deprivation of his liberty."

Data visualizations: Corina Petridi

This article is published in collaboration with the European Data Journalism Network   and it is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0   license.

Greek courts abuse pre-trial detention / Greece / Areas / Homepage - Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (balcanicaucaso.org)

Elgin Marbles could ‘soon be returned to Greece’ as part of ‘cultural exchange’


Current laws prevent British museums from legally giving away items considered national treasures

Alana Calvert



The so-called Elgin Marbles could soon be returned to Greece
(PA)

The so-called Elgin Marbles could soon be returned to Greece as the British Museum reportedly closes in on a landmark deal.

George Osborne, chairman of the British Museum and former Tory chancellor, is understood to have drawn up an agreement with Athens as part of a “cultural exchange”, according to The Daily Telegraph.

It comes after the Government rejected Tory peer Lord Vaizey of Didcot’s call for a law change to make it easier for UK museums to deal with restitution requests.

Current legislation prevents treasures from being legally given away by the museum, but Mr Osborne, its chairman, is reportedly seeking to repatriate the antiquities as part of a long-term “cultural exchange”.

However, according to the Telegraph, the loan deal will not end the long-running dispute over the 17 sculptures and part of a frieze that decorated the 2,500-year-old Parthenon temple at the Acropolis.

The 2,500-year-old marbles were taken by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century when he was the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and have been the subject of controversy over where they should be displayed.

Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for the marbles to be returned to Greece on many occasions, even offering to loan some of his country’s other treasures to the British Museum in exchange.

A Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) spokesperson told the PA news agency: “The Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum are legally owned by the Trustees of the British Museum, which is operationally independent of Government. Decisions relating to the care and management of its collections are a matter for the trustees.”

Last month the museum said in a statement it had “publicly called for a new Parthenon Partnership with Greece” and would “talk to anyone, including the Greek government about how to take that forward”.

It added: “We operate within the law and we’re not going to dismantle our great collection as it tells a unique story of our common humanity.

“But we are seeking new positive, long term partnerships with countries and communities around the world, and that of course includes Greece.”

Singapore-based AlterPacks turns food waste into food containers

Catherine Shu@catherineshu / •January 4, 2023

Credits: Keeratikorn Suttiwong 

(opens in a new window)/ Getty Images

Food waste and food packaging take up a significant portion of the world’s landfills. AlterPacks is tackling both issues with technology that turns food waste into takeout boxes and other containers. The Singapore-based startup has raised $1 million in pre-seed funding led by Plug and Play APAC and Seed Capital, with participation from Earth Venture Capital and angel investor Alice Foo.

The new funding will be used for AlterPacks’ commercialization, including production and supply, in markets like Asia, Australia and Europe.

Founded in 2019 to tackle single-use plastics, AlterPacks’ main raw material are spent grains, a by-product of manufacturing foods like beer. Spent grains are usually used for animal feed, fertilizer or disposed of. Through its manufacturing process, AlterPacks turns spent grains into food containers that can be molded into different shapes, are freezer and microwave-friendly and home compostable.

Founder and CEO Karen Cheah told TechCrunch that she became interested in developing alternatives to disposable containers when she was traveling and saw communities struggling with the amount of plastic containers and food waste thrown away. AlterPacks uses spent grains because they are easily available.

AlterPacks founders Steven Tan, Karen Cheah and Herbin Chia

“The properties of spent grains and the volume of grains available globally were two key factors,” she said. “By upcycling the grains, we are creating new economic value and putting what would have been a by-product disposed as animal feed, or headed to landfills and compost, back into the supply chain as food containers that can be used to replace plastic disposables.”

Cheah explained that the process of converting spent grains into AlterPacks’ food containers is similar to paper pulp manufacturing. AlterPacks can manufacture containers at scale with automated machines that clean raw materials, mix its formulation and then press it into different shapes of containers.

AlterPacks’ containers have been available commercially since December. Its go-to-market strategy is a B2B model and includes working with distribution partners that sell supplies to F&B businesses like restaurants and hotels. AlterPacks containers have been on the market since December. The startup is also in the process of developing bio-pellets as a replacement for petroleum-based resins use in manufacturing machines. They are made out of spent grains, and other agricultural waste like coconut shells.

In a statement about Plug and Play APAC’s investment, managing partner Jupe Tan said, “We got to know AlterPacks while sourcing for relevant startups for the Alliance to End Plastic Waste Innovation Program and they have gained significant interest from the members of the Alliance, which is naturally a signal for us to do further due diligence for investments. We are glad that we managed to tap into our partnership with SEEDS Capital to co-lead and invest in our very first sustainability startup in APAC and we hope this will be the first of many other sustainability investments with SEEDS Capital.”

Big Business Marathon 2022 | Big Business | Insider Business

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From Mexican mezcal and Indian desert salt to Ghanaian cocoa and Portuguese sardines, in 2022, we took you behind the scenes of some of the world’s biggest industries. 00:00 Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History 12:26 The oldest fish cannery in the world in Portugal 20:19 Mezcal in Mexico 36:48 Ceramics in India 44:05 Saffron, The world's most expensive spice 55:27 Junior's Cheesecake 1:05:47 Kombucha 1:15:00 Houseplants 1:23:33 Chocolate in Ghana 1:35:44 Matzoh in Ukraine 1:44:55 Oranges in Florida 1:56:41 Desert salt in India 2:10:38 Brazil nuts 2:19:46 Limestone in Egypt 2:29:29 Incense sticks in Vietnam 2:26:45 Snails in Italy 2:45:23 Silk in Vietnam 2:55:08 Sponges 3:06:03 Quinoa in Peru 3:16:00 Food commercials 3:25:24 Limes in Mexico MORE BIG BUSINESS VIDEOS: How 5,000 Villages Keep Rare Crafts Alive In Vietnam | Big Business | Business Insider https://youtu.be/wNbtUDd7Sjc Mezcal Is The Fastest-Growing Liquor In The US. Why Aren't Mexican Producers Cashing In? https://youtu.be/BcfR8j1c31I How Junior's Bakes 5 Million Cheesecakes During A Cream Cheese Shortage | Big Business https://youtu.be/hktm2mvQKc0

Ben-Gvir’s Aqsa visit ‘puts Israel in fight with half of world’: Lapid

Itamar Ben-Gvir enters Al-Aqsa Mosque complex amid warning of unrest

4/01/2023 Wednesday
AA


Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday criticized the visit of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the al-Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem.

"In order to allow Ben-Gvir to enjoy 13 minutes on the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa Mosque complex)", Israel was put in a fight with half of the world,” said Lapid, who is now the opposition leader.

The former premier termed Ben-Gvir's tour as "irresponsible on a national scale and only emphasizes the weakness of (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu in the face of his ministers."

Early on Tuesday, the far-right minister entered the flashpoint site, a day after announcing he postponed the visit amid warnings of unrest.

The visit drew Palestinian and international condemnations, including the US, Jordan, Türkiye, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, call the area as the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.

UN calls for upholding status quo in Jerusalem holy sites

Xinhua

  15:54 UTC+8, 2023-01-04       

A spokesman for the United Nations on Tuesday underscored the importance of upholding the status quo in the holy sites, in reaction to the controversial visit by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has always stressed the importance of upholding the status quo in the holy sites, "in line with the special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan," Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres, told a regular press briefing.

The secretary-general calls on all to refrain from steps that could escalate tensions in and around the holy sites, he added.

Source: Xinhua   Editor: Zhu Qing

UAE and China call for urgent UN Security Council meeting after Ben-Gvir's Al Aqsa visit

Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned 'storming of Al 

Aqsa Mosque courtyard' by Israeli minister

Diplomats say a UN Security Council meeting to discuss Itamar Ben-Gvir's visit 

will likely take place on Thursday. Photo: UN

Ismaeel Naar

Jan 03, 2023

The UAE and China have called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Diplomats say a session to discuss the issue is likely to take place on Thursday.

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Israel's Ben-Gvir visits Al Aqsa as Palestinians condemn 'unprecedented' provocation

The UAE Foreign Ministry on Wednesday strongly condemned the “storming of Al Aqsa Mosque courtyard by an Israeli minister under the protection of Israeli forces”.

“The ministry underscored the need to respect the custodial role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan over the holy sites and endowments in accordance with international law and the historical situation at hand, and not to compromise the authority of the Jerusalem Endowment Administration and Al Aqsa Mosque,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would also seek a Security Council condemnation, the Palestinian Wafa News Agency said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "calls on all to refrain from steps that could escalate tensions in and around the holy sites," his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

This follows a call between the foreign ministers of the UAE and Jordan, during which they stressed their condemnation of the visit.

Also on Wednesday, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdulla also spoke to his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu during which they “underlined the importance of preserving the status and sanctity of holy places in Jerusalem and increasing coordination against such unacceptable acts”.

“They reiterated the need to provide full protection for Al Aqsa Mosque and halt serious and provocative violations taking place there and called upon Israeli authorities to assume responsibility for reducing escalation and instability in the region,” the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.

In a further threat to escalating the tensions, videos posted on social media early on Wednesday showed at least a dozen Jewish settlers performing Talmudic rituals near the Bab Al Rahma (Gate of Mercy) near the Eastern Wall area of the Al Aqsa compound.

Mr Ben-Gvir was surrounded by heavy security during the visit, after Palestinian warnings that his presence at the site would cause “an explosion”.

The minister, leader of the far-right Jewish National Front party, was sworn into office on Thursday.

Tensions continued on Wednesday with several Israeli police cars entered Jerusalem's Silwan neighbourhood accompanied by a bulldozer.

The Palestinian neighbourhood lies below the southern walls of the Old City, with Al Aqsa mosque – the third holiest site in Islam – visible from the streets below.

Israeli police escort Jewish visitors to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem. AP

He has previously visited the compound as a member of parliament and has called for Jewish worship there.

This is banned under an agreement with Jordan.

Under a longstanding status quo, non-Muslims can visit the site at specific times but are not allowed to pray there.

Jordan, the custodian of Al Aqsa Mosque compound, summoned the Israeli ambassador and said the visit had violated international law and “the historic and legal status quo in Jerusalem”.

Türkiye, UAE discuss Israel's storming of Al-

Aqsa mosque

In phone call, countries' top diplomats also discuss mutual concerns over Taliban's recent ban on women’s access to education

 3/01/2023 Tuesday


The foreign ministers of Türkiye and UAE on Wednesday discussed the recent developments in Afghanistan and Israel's Tuesday storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

In a phone call, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan "discussed mutual concerns over Taliban's recent ban on women’s access to education and their exclusion from national and international non-governmental and humanitarian organizations."

Affirming Türkiye's expectation from Afghanistan to reverse its decision on women's access to education, Cavusoglu also "emphasized the importance of coordinated efforts in this regard, particularly through the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation."

The ministry further noted that the UAE's minister said the decision "as well as the earlier bans on girls from accessing secondary education, violate fundamental human rights."

He "emphasized that Islam devoted significant attention to women, granted them a privileged position, and safeguarded their rights," according to the ministry.

The Emirati minister also "affirmed the need to guarantee women's rights, as well as the importance of full and equal participation of women and girls in all aspects of life."

"During the phone call, the ministers also reiterated their condemnation of the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque yesterday by an Israeli minister. They underlined the importance of preserving the status and sanctity of holy places in Jerusalem and increasing coordination against such unacceptable acts," it added.

Emphasizing the "need to provide full protection for Al-Aqsa Mosque and halt serious and provocative violations taking place there," the two ministers "called upon Israeli authorities to assume responsibility for reducing escalation and instability in the region."

Cavusoglu and Al Nahyan also discussed issues related to the bilateral agenda.

Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich: Israel’s power couple

Their critics fear that they will change the Jewish state forever, but their incredible electoral success is proof that the change has already happened.

COLUMN
KSENIA SVETLOVA

(January 4, 2023 / JNS) Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, the outgoing chief of the Israel Defense Forces general staff, probably never thought he would need to call the incoming prime minister over a political matter in his last month of service. But in December, Kochavi’s concerns over Religious Zionist Party head Bezalel Smotrich’s proposal to create a new position in the Defense Ministry went public. The new position would oversee civilian matters in areas of the West Bank that are fully controlled by Israel. According to the press, Kochavi had urged Netanyahu to stop Smotrich’s interference in military affairs. A few days later, Smotrich hit back—he demanded that generals wait 10 years after the end of their military service before entering politics, and accused Kochavi of politicization.

I still remember the outrage of many—on the right as well as the left—when Smotrich first became a member of Knesset in March 2015. He had helped organize the notorious anti-LGBTQ “Beast Parade,” had been detained by the Shin Bet in 2005 on his way to protest Gaza disengagement and proudly identified with the “Hilltop Youth” (young settler activists who set up illegal outposts)—a blatant provocation and a challenge to the system. But in just a few years, Smotrich would become the system.

Back in 2015, when Smotrich took his first steps as a lawmaker (quite successfully, one has to say), his future partner—Itamar Ben-Gvir—was a lawyer busy representing Jews charged with assaulting Arabs. One of his clients was Amiram Ben-Uliel, who was later given three life sentences plus 20 years for the murder of three members of the Dawabsheh family, including an 18-month-old, who were burned to death in their home in the Palestinian village of Duma in 2015.

In the November 2022 elections, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich joined forces and ran together with another far-right party, gaining an impressive 14 seats in the Knesset. Over 600,000 Israelis gave their votes to Ben-Gvir and Smotrich this time, with two out of 10 soldiers supporting the Religious Zionism Party. Smotrich is now the finance minister and Ben-Gvir the minister of national security, overseeing the Border Police. What does this say about their place in Israeli society?

In the recent past, it would have been difficult to imagine an extreme right-wing politician—who only served 14 months in the military and had been detained by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet)—publicly defying a celebrated general. However, Israel is changing. According to the military’s own public opinion surveys, motivation to serve in the military is declining among secular Israelis, while the percentage of those who will never serve—ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arab citizens of Israel—is rapidly growing. By 2050, these two groups will comprise nearly half the Israeli population.

In the past, army leaders—the heads of elite military units, the generals, the chiefs of staff—were everyone’s heroes. Their path from the military to politics was secured (unless they wanted to head some defense-related company). Now, with the waning of existential threats (other than Iran), successful economic development and normalization of relations with Arab countries, Israel is becoming less enchanted with its men and women in uniform.

Soon it wasn’t only Arabs throwing stones and trash at Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. The “Hilltop Youth” in the most extreme settlements were doing it too. In ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, spitting at a soldier in uniform or assaulting him became the norm. This is the environment in which Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich evolved. A military commander who warned against settler extremism became an enemy. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich became the new patriots, claiming to be more concerned with the safety of the Jews in Israel and the settlements than the heads of the military.

Both Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir are lawyers by training. Smotrich came to the Knesset to work, not to engage in mere performance. While Ayelet Shaked, once his party’s co-leader, was busy garnering headlines, Smotrich was focused on getting more funding for the West Bank settlements and paving roads between them. He was knowledgeable, persuasive and hard working, and knew how to use the law to promote his goals. There is no doubt that as finance minister, Smotrich will use his new powers to maximize the gains for his constituents.

There is no such thing as bad publicity

While Bezalel Smotrich brought a proven track record of legislative and administrative work, it was Ben-Gvir who stole the show. Although he was only in the third position on the joint Religious Zionism Party list, there is no doubt that many Israelis are enchanted with him. An eternal agent provocateur who had publicly wished for Ariel Sharon to “join Lily” (his deceased wife) after Sharon led the Gaza disengagement in 2005, Ben-Gvir is now perceived not as a dangerous pyromaniac but as a truth teller who will restore law and order. During the months that preceded the elections, Ben-Gvir became the main star of the Israeli media. Everybody wanted to talk to him and host him; his media presence exploded.

“There is no such thing as bad publicity,” said Phineas T. Barnum, the 19th century American showman and circus owner. Ben-Gvir would likely agree. He’s not afraid of hard questions, of not knowing the answer, of journalists who cite his past sins. It all serves the cause of normalizing Ben-Gvir, Smotrich and the rest of the gang. Today it seems that this mission is complete.

Beyond the impasse

After unsuccessful attempts to separate from the Palestinians—first in Oslo in the 1990s and then in Gaza in 2005—the pool of ideas in Israel went dry, both on the right and the left. Although Netanyahu continues to preach “conflict management” and the idea of a two-state solution, today that seems just as feasible as ending world hunger, leaving most Israelis in limbo. What shall we do? How should Israel get out of this mess? How do we stop terror attacks? What is the solution to the conflict with the Palestinians, and what is the meaning of “the Jewish state”?

In this state of impasse, with tensions between Jews and Arabs rising, this powerful duo bluntly put their ideology on the table. Restore law and order, no to a division of the historic land of Israel, no to any form of power sharing with the Arabs in Israel. Today their voters are eager to see how the new government and new ministers will implement this ideology. The voters of the other camp are mortified by every statement made by Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, fearing that the Israel that they knew will change forever.

Israel has already changed. The unbelievable success of Smotrich and Ben-Gvir in the November elections clearly manifests this change. And, of course, Israel being a dynamic young country, with a strong center-left following, a future change in the other direction is not just possible but probable.

Ksenia Svetlova is a research fellow at the Institute for Policy and Strategy at Reichman University (IDC Herzliya) and a director of the program on Israel–Middle East relations at Mitvim Institute. She is a former Knesset member. @KseniaSvetlova

This article was first published by the Jerusalem Strategic Tribune.

THE WHOLE WORLD IS LA NOW

Air pollution snags flights in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Environment Ministry urges public to stay indoors, prohibits holding sports and cultural events due to air pollution

1:08 . 4/01/2023 Wednesday
AA


Heavy air pollution and thick fog in Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital Sarajevo caused air traffic to be suspended on Tuesday.

Planes were unable to land at Sarajevo International Airport on Tuesday morning, said airport officials in a statement.

As visibility was considerably reduced, some flights were diverted to Zagreb, the capital of neighboring Croatia.

The Environment Ministry urged people living in many parts of Sarajevo to be prepared for air pollution and recommended staying indoors, especially in the morning and evening when the concentration of pollutants in the air is the highest.

When outdoors, in urban areas, the public was recommended to use protective masks with appropriate filters to mitigate the harmful effects of the polluted air.

Holding organized sports and cultural activities in the open area in areas affected by pollution was also prohibited.

Flights at the airport returned to normal around midday, after the pollution decreased.

UNION BUSTING ROBBER BARON

Twitter employees bring toilet paper to work after Elon Musk's cost-cutting move: Report

Updated on Jan 04, 2023 

According to a report by the New York Times, Twitter's new owner Elon Musk has also made employees work from two floors of the social networking firm's San Francisco headquarters and closed the other four.

SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk bought Twitter in a $44 billion deal in 2022.(REUTERS file)

BySharangee Dutta, New Delhi

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter last year, the social networking company has undergone several changes. In a latest report, it has come to the fore that the world's second-richest man's cost-cutting measures at Twitter have forced employees to bring their own toilet paper to office. 

According to New York Times, the development came after Musk fired the company's janitors at its San Francisco headquarters for demanding higher pay and going on strike.

The New York Times report stated that janitorial and security services are no longer available at Twitter's office, which have resulted to dirty bathrooms at the place. A source told the newspaper that the San Francisco office has a niff of “leftover takeout food and body odour”.

The Chief Twit has also made employees work from two floors and shut down the other four floors. The NYT report further stated that Twitter stopped paying rent in its Seattle building due to which the employees were asked to work from home, leaving the company with offices only in San Francisco and New York.

Musk also had fired cleaners and security guards at some of its New York offices.

Furthermore, the NYT report said, Twitter has missed paying rent at its San Francisco office.

Also Read | ‘This is complete nonsense’: Elon Musk denies report of toilet paper shortage at Tesla

In the past, the tech billionaire has been vocal about his criticism of how finances of the company are managed. At a Twitter Spaces event in December 2022, he equated the company with an individual on a plane that is “headed toward the ground at high speed with the engines on fire and the controls don’t work”.

“That is why I spent the last five weeks cutting costs like crazy,” he added.

The Chief Twit said that multiple cost-cutting measures that he has termed as “zero-based budgeting”, were necessary to avert a $3 billion budgetary shortfall.

Besides the firing of janitors and closing four floors, another notable such measure by Musk includes shutting down Twitter's data centres in Sacramento, California. When employees had pointed out that the shutting down of data centres will impact the site's performance, they were reportedly told cost cutting was more important.