Why Japan is rethinking its rape laws and raising the age of consent from 13

Japanese women hold a protest against sexual violence, in a movement dubbed the Flower Demo, on March 8, 2021, in Tokyo.

Kyodo News/Getty Images

By Jessie Yeung and Eru Ishikawa, CNN
Published  Fri June 16, 2023

Tokyo, Japan CNN —

When Kaneko Miyuki reported her sexual assault as a seven-year-old in Japan, she remembers the police laughing at her. “I was already confused and scared,” she said. “They wouldn’t take me seriously as a child.”

The following investigation made things worse. After being questioned, she was taken back to the scene of her assault without a guardian present, against all modern guidelines.

The police never did bring her attacker to justice. The whole experience was so traumatizing for Kaneko that she repressed her memory of it until she began having flashbacks in her twenties, and didn’t come to terms with the fact she had been sexually assaulted until her 40s.

Kaneko is among countless Japanese women who say their experiences of sexual assault and abuse were ignored because they “didn’t fit the criteria” of a victim. About 95% of survivors never report their assault to police, and nearly 60% never tell anyone at all, according to a 2020 government survey.

But that could be about to change. On Friday, the Japanese parliament passed a raft of bills overhauling the country’s sex crime laws, long criticized as outdated and restrictive, reflecting conservative social attitudes that often stigmatize and cast doubt on victims.

The new laws expand the definition of rape to place greater emphasis on the concept of consent; introduce national legislation against taking explicit photos with hidden cameras; and raise the age of consent to 16. The previous age of consent, at 13, had been among the lowest in the developed world.

It marks a major victory for sexual assault survivors and activists, some of whom have spent decades lobbying for these changes.

Kaneko Miyuki (second from the right) and a group of activists from Spring, an advocacy organization for survivors of sexual abuse.Courtesy General Incorporated Association Spring

“We … would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the victims of sexual violence who have raised their voices together with us,” Spring, a survivor advocacy group, said on Friday.

While cautioning there was still more work to be done, such as extending the statute of limitations and in recognizing power imbalances in cases involving authority figures, it said the bills were nonetheless a sign of progress.

“Our earnest wish is that those who have been victims of sexual violence will find hope in their lives, and that sexual violence will disappear from Japanese society,” it said.
A question of consent

One of the biggest reforms passed on Friday is to change the language used to define rape to include a greater emphasis on the concept of consent.

Rape had previously been defined as “forcible sexual intercourse” committed “through assault or intimidation,” including by taking advantage of a victim’s “unconscious state or inability to resist.”

The law had also previously required evidence of “intent to resist.”

But activists had argued this is too hard to prove in many cases, such as when a victim experiences the common “freeze” response, or is too afraid to resist physically.

Members of Spring, with Kaneko Miyuki in the center, during a news conference.

Tadokoro Yuu, a representative of Spring, said the law had discouraged victims from coming forward due to “a fear of acquittal” if courts found insufficient evidence of resistance.

The new law replaces “forcible sexual intercourse” with “non-consensual sexual intercourse,” and expands the definition of assault to include victims under the influence of alcohol or drugs, those with mental or physical disorders, and those intimidated through their attacker’s economic or social status. It also includes those unable to voice resistance due to shock or other “psychological reactions.”

Age of consent and voyeurism

Other major changes include raising the age of consent to 16 years old except for when both parties are underage – on par with many US states and European nations including the United Kingdom, Finland and Norway.

The amendments also expand protections for minors, establishing grooming as a crime for the first time. They further criminalize activity like asking those under 16 for sexual images, or asking to visit a minor for sexual purposes.

It also makes it easier to prosecute people accused of taking or distributing photos of a sexual nature without the subject’s knowledge or consent – a hot button issue in Japan where upskirting and hidden cameras taking explicit photos of women has long been a problem.

She won a civil case against her alleged rapist. But Japan's rape laws need an overhaul, campaigners say

A survey last year found that nearly 9% of more than 38,000 respondents across Japan had experienced this kind of “voyeurism,” according to public broadcaster NHK. Victims described having photos taken up their skirt and shared on social media; others had photos secretly taken in changing rooms and bathrooms.

They also described the long-term impact on their mental health, with many feeling unsafe in public spaces including trains and schools. Reporting the issue rarely helped: often, peers and even police officers would place the blame on their clothing, arguing that they had placed themselves at risk by wearing skirts, NHK reported.

Until now, laws against voyeurism have been enforced only by local governments, and can vary across prefectures, complicating matters.

In one notorious incident in 2012, a plane passenger took an upskirt photo of a flight attendant, was caught with several images on his phone, and admitted guilt – but was ultimately never charged, according to NHK. The problem? The crime had taken place midair on a moving plane – so it was impossible to know which prefecture they had been traveling over at the time, thus which location’s law should be applied.

Acquittals prompt outrage

These amendments build on the work of an entire generation of activists who have tried with little success to push forth change, said Nakayama Junko, a lawyer and member of the non-profit Human Rights Now.

“It’s been a long time … It’s not just a movement that has been going on for 50 years, it’s a voice that has been heard for decades,” she said.

These previous attempts were blocked by governmental inertia and sometimes outright opposition from parliament members who believed the changes unnecessary, she said. Many people, including Japanese media, had a limited understanding of consent and believed “the crime of rape was being properly punished,” meaning little attention was paid to the issue.

Things began to change in 2019 when the country was gripped by several high-profile rape acquittals, handed down within the span of a few weeks.

In the most controversial case, a father was acquitted of raping his 19-year-old daughter in the central Japanese city of Nagoya. The court recognized that the sex was non-consensual, that the father had used force, and that he had physically and sexually abused his daughter – but judges argued she could have resisted, according to Reuters, which reviewed the verdict.

Around 150 protesters demonstrate against several rape acquittals in Tokyo, Japan, on June 11, 2019.

Alessandro Di Ciommo/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The father’s acquittal prompted nationwide protests, with women from Tokyo to Fukuoka taking to the streets for months and calling for legal change. Demonstrators held flowers as a sign of protest, and signs with slogans against sexual violence, including #MeToo.

In the Nagoya case, the father’s acquittal was eventually overturned by Japan’s high court. But the spark had been lit, finally setting into motion the proposed reforms that have for years failed to take hold.

The protests “conveyed (that) the reality of the damage was very significant,” Nakayama said, calling it a “main driving force that led to this amendment.”

A long road ahead

Both nonprofit organizations CNN interviewed praised the bills as an important step forward – but cautioned that much work remains to be done.

Japan still lags far behind other developed nations in its ideas toward sex and consent, Nakayama said. Other countries have already begun amending their laws to reflect a “Yes means yes” mentality – meaning sexual partners should seek clear affirmative consent, rather than assuming consent unless told otherwise. Meanwhile, “in Japan, it seems that (the concept of) ‘No means no’ has just been communicated,” she said.

Tadokoro, the Spring representative, echoed this point, saying it was important to recognize that consent isn’t inherently or permanently granted between couples, and can be withdrawn; that “it’s wrong to assume it’s a ‘yes’ even if they come over, or do not say no clearly.”

Ignored, humiliated: How Japan is accused of failing survivors of sexual abuse

There are other legal reforms they want to tackle in future amendments: better laws protecting people with disability from sexual abuse, and outlining the ways they can give consent, and extending the statute of limitations since many survivors go decades before coming to terms with what happened to them – as in Kaneko’s case.

Others spend most of their life dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health consequences, before reaching a point where they have healed enough to consider pursuing justice.

But perhaps the biggest obstacle is the Japanese public itself, and the harmful views on sexual abuse and victimhood that are still widespread.

“When I talk to other people about (my assault), I get avoided, and am not accepted,” said Kaneko, recalling people who told her she would “forget with time” or that that’s just life.

Sometimes their responses are far crueler. “I get ruthless reactions like, ‘You got done?’” she said.

There are some positive signs of change, she said, pointing to public awareness campaigns by the government and increasing sexual education in schools. But there is still a gaping lack of systemic support for survivors like counseling, therapy, and public services to help them re-enter society.

Japan's powerful patriarchy often sidelines women. Fixing that won't be easy

“Survivors of sexual assault like myself cannot even work, or go about your life – you become mentally ill, and you can’t take care of yourself,” she said.

Authorities also need to introduce trauma-informed training for law enforcement and other workers dealing with survivors, said Tadokoro, adding that “some police investigators understand (how to approach the situation), while others do not understand at all.”

For Kaneko, who went on to become the general secretary of Spring, the damage done at the police station when she was seven years old compounded the trauma from her assault – leaving scars that took decades to untangle.

“I was implanted with a distrust of people when I experienced that kind of thing in an institution that is supposed to protect citizens, such as the adults and the police,” she said.

“For many years, despite a lot of pain, I had no idea what (the source) was for many years … Having PTSD is not easy to heal on your own.”

CNN’s Junko Ogura and Junko Fukutome contributed reporting.

How "toxic" are men in Germany?

How can Andrew Tate, a TikTok star and self-proclaimed misogynist, be a role model? The results of a new survey on masculinity in Germany are disturbing.


Stephanie Höppner

DW

June 17, 2023

Toxic masculinity: violence, dominance, homophobia

Image: Westend61/Iamgo Images

A survey revealing that many young people in Germany find domestic violence is "acceptable," women belong in the kitchen, and public displays of homosexuality are to be rejected has come as a shock.

One-in-three men surveyed by the non-governmental organization Plan International said they were okay with occasional violence toward women; 34% said they get rough with women at times "to make them show respect." In March, 1,000 men and 1,000 women between the ages of 18-and-35 took part in a standardized written online survey for Plan International's latest survey on tensions surrounding the idea of male identity.

Other statements also present an unsettling image of masculinity. According to the survey, 48% of the respondents feel bothered when men are openly gay. The role models they name include US entrepreneur Elon Musk and Andrew Tate — an influencer who presented himself as a self-proclaimed misogynist on TikTok and made a name for himself with statements like "females are the ultimate status symbol" and "masculine life is war."

The survey initially caused a great stir in the media, followed by fierce criticism. Users on social networks questioned whether the study was really representative, especially since the survey was conducted virtually and so clearly targeted an online-savvy group.

Others criticized the fact that concrete questions were missing. However, the main focus was whether or not young men in Germany really think and act that way.

'Totally unacceptable'

Experts agree the organization's survey has pitfalls. "I would have liked to have seen more detail on how the study was designed," says Dag Schölper from the Bundesforum Männer, an advocacy group for boys and men. He told DW that unfortunately it is not exactly clear how the answers were given either.

"All the same, even if one-third of 1,000 random men give an affirmative answer — they may not be entirely serious when saying whether they could imagine beating their partner — they still said yes rather than automatically saying, that is totally inacceptable," says Schölper. He adds that statistics on violence show that such an attitude exists and is acted upon in parts of society. The numbers prove him right. About 143,000 people experienced violence at the hands of their partner or ex-partner in 2021, according to an analysis of criminal statistics by Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA).

In about 80% of cases, the victims were women and the vast majority of perpetrators were male. Compared to the previous year, it marks a slight decrease but a look at the past five years shows an increase.

Prejudice against women

The figures concerning the perception of masculinity and possible prejudices are somewhat lower, but still disconcerting. A 2017 survey by the German government's anti-discrimination agency, for instance, says about 40% of respondents said they were bothered by publicly displayed homosexuality.

About 90% of respondents in a United Nations survey for the 2023 Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) said they harbored prejudices against women. Two-thirds of respondents did not trust women with political leadership roles. One-in-four said it is okay for a man to hit a woman. Despite numerous campaigns, the GSNI shows "no improvement in prejudice against women in a decade," the organization said earlier this week.

Gender equality: the pendulum swings back

But why is so-called toxic masculinity still so predominant? "There are always pendulum swings, and they are also reflected in the survey," says Schölper. "Homosexuality and queer life are increasingly visible in public, they don't just take place in secret. People who find that problematic feel challenged, perhaps threatened."

Crises like the coronavirus pandemic also revive traditional gender roles, when people return to the traditional to create a sense of security. During the pandemic, women once again took over more care work, and domestic violence increased according to sociologists. And according to Schölper, there is a worldwide backlash movement that has bolstered rigid, narrow ideas of gender.

The figures are clear mandate, says the expert. "We need to work with boys and men," he says, arguing that municipalities must understand that a counseling structure for men is a public service to make sure that when they have problems, they don't turn to the internet "and people like Andrew Tate to seek advice."

This article was originally written in German.

ECOCIDE

Whimpers of Protest in Russia Against Kremlin’s ‘Destructive’ War Against Ukraine

Dissenting Russian local government officials condemn catastrophic consequences of the war.

by Kyiv Post | June 17, 2023

This general view shows partially submerged buildings in Kherson on June 8, 2023. 

Oleksii FILIPPOV / AFP

The ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment of June 16, 2023 carried the following report:

Select current and former Russian municipal officials signed an open letter calling on the Russian forces to return to the “universally” recognized Russian borders due to the crisis caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (KHPP) dam.

Municipal officials from Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as Moscow and Leningrad oblasts signed the document, which argued that the destruction of the KHPP dam will affect the ecosystem of the planet, health issues, and the economy for many decades.

The letter stated that Putin’s actions since Feb. 24, 2022 have caused unspecified catastrophic events but did not cite continued Russian military operations in Ukraine as a reason for the withdrawal of Russian forces.

Non-Kremlin aligned Russian officials may be using public concern about the environmental and humanitarian situation associated with the destruction of the KHPP dam to voice opposition to the war in Ukraine without directly criticizing the war effort itself.

The Kremlin has widely set the conditions for crackdowns against anti-war dissent. Russians who hold anti-war sentiments may use the destruction of the KHPP to voice their opposition to the war in a very limited fashion.

See the original here, and a more detailed report from RFE/RL in Russian here.

German archeologists find Bronze Age sword so well preserved it ‘almost shines’
AP
17 Jun, 2023


The sword was found during excavations last week in Noerdlingen, between Nuremberg and Stuttgart in southern Germany. Photo / Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege

A bronze sword made more than 3000 years ago that is so well-preserved it “almost still shines” has been unearthed in Germany, officials say.

Bavaria’s state office for the preservation of historical monuments says the sword, which is believed to date back to the end of the 14th century BC — the middle of the Bronze Age — was found during excavations last week in Noerdlingen, between Nuremberg and Stuttgart in southern Germany.

Bavaria’s state office for the preservation of historical monuments says the sword, which is believed to date back to the end of the 14th century BC. 

Photo / Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege

It has a bronze octagonal hilt and comes from a grave in which three people — a man, a woman and a boy — were buried in quick succession with bronze objects, the Bavarian office said in a statement this week. It is not yet clear whether the three were related to each other and, if so, how.

Read More

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“The sword and the burial still need to be examined so that our archeologists can categorise this find more precisely,” said the head of the office, Mathias Pfeil. “But we can already say that the state of preservation is extraordinary. A find like this is very rare.”

It’s unusual to find swords from the period, but they have emerged from burial mounds that were opened in the 19th century or as individual finds, the office said.

Brazilian police find plan on Bolsonaro aide’s phone to block handover to Lula, report says

Brazil’s Federal Police have found a detailed planning document for a military intervention to block the handover of power in last year’s election on the phone of an aide to former President Jair Bolsonaro, news magazine Veja reported.


Issued on: 17/06/2023 -



Supporters of Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro refused to accept his election defeat against Lula and stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace in January, 2023 - a week after the inauguration of his rival, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. © Eraldo Peres, AP / File picture

Text by: NEWS WIRES

It was unclear who wrote the document and whether it reached Bolsonaro, a far-righter and a former army captain who narrowly lost the October presidential election to leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

A similar, less detailed document was found in January at the home of former Justice Minister Anderson Torres, part of a growing body of evidence that members of Bolsonaro’s inner circle were looking at ways to block Lula from taking office and strip the powers of Brazil’s top federal courts.

Citing a Federal Police report, Veja reported that the plan was found on the phone of Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, one of Bolsonaro’s personal assistants who stayed on as an aide after he stepped down. Cid is currently under arrest for the alleged falsification of Bolsonaro’s COVID-19 vaccination card.

Cid’s lawyer Bernardo Fenelon said in a statement that his client would only defend himself to investigators.

According to Veja, the three-page document provided a road map for how to block Lula’s inauguration, using the military as a “moderating force.” To justify such an institutional rupture, the document alleged unconstitutional actions by the judiciary and media to favor Lula in the election.

The document calls for the nomination of an “intervener” with power over the armed forces and all of Brazil’s federal public security agencies. Offending justices in the Supreme Court and the federal electoral court would be investigated, removed and replaced.

The revamped electoral court would oversee fresh elections that would only take place once the military had decided the constitutional order had been reestablished.

Brazil’s army said any “opinions and personal comments do not represent the thinking of the ... chain of command, nor the official positioning of the Force.”

“Any individual conduct judged to be irregular will be dealt with in court,” it added.

(Reuters)

Teachers in Hungary protest 'revenge' education reform bill

Teachers in Hungary protest 'revenge' education bill, 16 June, 2023

 - Copyright Euronews

By Euronews with AFP • Updated: 17/06/2023 

The main teachers union, the PDSZ, says the latest new rules pile pressure on over-worked and underpaid staff by revoking their status as public employees, increasing workload, and tightening performance evaluation.

Several thousand Hungarian teachers and students rallied Friday in Budapest against a draft education reform bill they say punishes teachers for protesting for better pay and working conditions.

Dubbed a 'revenge law' by critics, the legislation which regulates pay grades and working hours in schools has fuelled unrest among teachers protesting over broader education reforms since last year.

Teachers supported by student groups have been staging regular unauthorised strike action and holding rallies outside the Interior Ministry which oversees education.

"Yesterday was my last day in my little group, I resigned," said Laura Vag, a kindergarten teacher, as lawmakers debated the bill inside parliament.

Several teachers have been fired by local education authorities for work stoppages.

The main teachers union the PDSZ says the latest new rules pile pressure on over-worked and underpaid staff by revoking their status as public employees, increasing workload, and tightening performance evaluation.

"It's hopeless, there are fewer and fewer of us, the government is chasing teachers from the profession," 41-year-old Vag told AFP as protesters held up placards reading "Free country, free education!" and "Who is listening to us?"

With the new law "we will work more for even less money and fewer rights," said Valentina Kiss, 29, a school IT worker.

Hungary is in the grip of a chronic teacher shortage, with few young people joining the profession and around half of teachers aged over 50.

Hungarian teachers are also the lowest paid of any EU member in the OECD, at just 60 of other Hungarian university graduates, according to EU figures.

The government acknowledges pay is too low. But it has tied a planned series of raises - to 80 per cent of the average graduate salary by 2025 - to long-awaited EU funding held up over concerns over Hungary's corruption and slipping democratic standards.

According to the government, the new law will ensure that teachers who work more and at higher performance levels are paid more, on condition that the EU funds arrive.

Tensions High as Chinese Vessels Shadow Vietnam's Oil, Gas Operations

 
June 17, 2023
Govi Snell

A Vietnamese coast guard officer speaks on a radio as he monitors a Chinese vessel (top) in the South China Sea, about 210 km off Vietnam's shore, May 15, 2014. Chinese incursions into Vietnamese waters have increased since early May 2023.

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM —

China is sending more ships to Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and the frequency and length of those trips, which have picked up since early May, is raising tensions in the South China Sea.

After a nearly monthlong incursion of a survey ship and its large entourage, more Chinese vessels are sailing through sensitive locations within Vietnamese waters. Vietnam’s EEZ extends out 200 nautical miles from the country's coast.

The presence of Chinese research, coast guard and civilian ships in these waters, in addition to harassing Vietnamese oil and gas operations, showcases Beijing’s push of contested claims in the resource-rich waters, experts say.

Hanoi rejects Beijing’s "nine-dash line," a map demarcation that China uses to claim near-total jurisdiction over the South China Sea, and that sentiment is apparently not limited to government officials.

"China thinks they are stronger, they are better, so they have the right to trespass anywhere they want in the East Sea even though they know it's illegal," a 26-year-old living in Ho Chi Minh City told VOA, requesting anonymity because of potential repercussions for discussing political matters and using the Vietnamese term for the sea.

"The conflict between Vietnam and China is a political hot potato," he said.

Ray Powell, who leads Stanford University's Project Myoushu on the South China Sea, told VOA last month that China's intrusion "has become routine."

"China wants to normalize it to the point that Vietnam no longer reacts or protests," he said.

On June 10, China's patrol ship Zhong Goo Yu Zheng 310 and a luxury passenger vessel, San Sha 2 Hao, sailed through Vietnam's EEZ near oil and gas fields close to Vanguard Bank, a Vietnamese outpost and flashpoint between the countries. In 2019, a China coast contingent and Chinese survey vessel operated around Vanguard Bank, resulting in a monthslong standoff between Vietnamese and Chinese coast guards and diplomatic outcry.

Vietnam, international backlash

"They spent about 30 hours in Vietnam's EEZ, mostly in and among its oil and gas operations," Powell wrote. "[It's] simply communicating to Hanoi that China has 'jurisdiction' over these waters."

This was far from the only recent incursion.

The world's largest coast guard vessel, China coast guard ship 5901, was active near Vanguard Bank on June 8.

China's coast guard ship 5403 was also operating near oil drilling initiatives in Vietnam's EEZ from May 23 to June 4.

In the most "heavy handed" intrusion since 2019, according to Powell, the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10 operated in the country's EEZ for nearly a month. From May 7 to June 4, the research vessel – flanked at times by as many as 12 ships – operated primarily around joint oil and gas operations led by Russian and Vietnamese firms.

Although countries are allowed through foreign EEZs, unauthorized surveys are not and are considered hostile if done without prior notice.

Oddities in Xiang Yang Hong 10's route pointed to Beijing's assertion of its disputed jurisdiction. During the four-week stretch, the research ship would go to China's Fiery Cross Reef, before returning to Vietnamese waters. Instead of taking a direct route, the vessel used a northeastern path that took it approximately 85 nautical miles away from Nha Trang, a city on Vietnam's south-central coast.

"It was just one more way that they showed they can cross Vietnam's EEZ whenever they want to, " Powell said. "There's no reason to go past there other than sending a message."

Beijing's aims, Hanoi's response

While intimidating energy exploration is the most obvious aim, it is seen as likely just part of Beijing's overall agenda.

"Exploring the deep South China Sea has become China's strategy for obtaining valuable information for economic development and military intelligence," wrote Vietnam-based researcher Van Pham, head of the nonprofit South China Sea Chronicle Initiative, which monitors maritime traffic.

China has been rotating research and survey vessels in foreign EEZs in the South China Sea consistently, Pham said. Coast guard ships also operate at sensitive locations in disputed territory "on a daily basis," Pham added, and the organization has observed Chinese fishing boats near Vietnam's oil and gas blocks.

Vietnamese fishermen are often caught up in the conflict. Between 2014 and 2022, 98 Vietnamese boats were destroyed by Chinese vessels.

Responding to China's intrusion is a tricky balancing act for Hanoi, said Nguyen The Phuong, an international relations lecturer at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance.

"Any small misstep on the Vietnamese side could escalate the conflict," Phuong said. "It is extremely difficult."

Call for 'respect'

At a May 18 press conference, Hanoi made a rare statement in response to the monthlong intrusion of Xiang Yang Hong 10.

Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang urged China to withdraw the research vessel, coast guard and fishing boats and "respect Vietnam’s sovereignty and jurisdictional rights."

"Vietnam needs to be very careful on how to protect its sovereignty from the outside and from the inside how to manage nationalism in a way that it could not damage the state's legitimacy," Phuong said.

This discord is likely to increase.

"This will happen in the future again [and will be] much more intense," Phuong said.

For now, a 28-year-old Ho Chi Minh City native is confident the Vietnamese government is doing enough to maintain stability.

"The Vietnamese government will understand how to deal with these situations," he said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. "I think the Vietnamese government is good at dealing with them to avoid war."

Syrians tell CMG about fear of speaking out over 'U.S. oil theft'

A reporter from China Media Group (CMG) recently interviewed an informant in the oil-producing region of northeastern Syria who explained the process by which he claimed Syrian oil is stolen by U.S. forces.

CGTN
Middle East 17-Jun-2023

U.S. military vehicles drive pass the oil-rich town of Rumeilan in the al-Hasakah Governorate in the northeast of Syria, July 1st, 2020. /CFP

For a long time, the U.S. military has collaborated with local opposition armed groups, transporting dozens of oil tanker carrying stolen oil out of the country almost every day, the informant said. "Under the high-pressure control of the U.S. military and opposition armed groups, local residents dare not speak out," he added.

More than 80 percent of Syria's daily oil production was illegally smuggled by the U.S. military in the first half of 2022, according to the Syrian government.

U.S. forces and mercenaries stole an average of 66,000 barrels of oil per day in Syria, according to Syria's Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources, which said the country's average daily oil production is estimated to have reached 80,000 barrels in the period.

A U.S. military vehicle drives in one of the villages that was subject to bombardment the previous week in the countryside east of Qamishli in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province, August 21, 2022. /CFP

'We are all witnesses': People of Hasakah province

The informant told the CMG reporter that U.S. patrol teams escort convoys of oil tankers to transit points. There have been cases where individuals attempting to capture footage with cameras or mobile phones were arrested and, in some instances, even lost their lives, the informant claimed.

The U.S. military has also installed detectors in the area to prevent civilians from using their phones to capture footage, the informant said. Whenever a convoy of U.S.-escorted oil tankers passes through, the entire area experiences communication disruptions, he added.

During the past month, the informant has conducted interviews with several eyewitnesses and sources about illicit oil extraction activities. CMG learned that the U.S. military has maintained a longstanding partnership with local opposition armed groups, transporting dozens of oil tankers carrying stolen oil across the border on a daily basis. Due to safety concerns, very few individuals are willing to reveal themselves directly to the camera.

Locals in Hasakah province told the CMG reporter that Syrian oil is being stolen, and the people of Hasakah province are all witnesses. They said the U.S. military escorts oil tankers across the border and sells the oil, but that they don't know where it goes next. This has been happening since 2015 and continues, they told the reporter.

Syrian political expert Muhammad Omari told CMG that the plundering of Syrian oil is a component of the U.S. regional policy, which, along with economic sanctions, infrastructure destruction and food looting, aims to incite the Syrian people against the government, perpetuate and intensify the poverty situation in Syria, and lead to chaos and the spread of terrorism.

"Most importantly, they prevent the Syrian government from accessing economic resources, hinder the return of Syrian refugees, and impede the reconstruction of Syria," he added.

U.S. soldiers patrol near an oil field in al-Qahtaniyah in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province, June 14, 2023. /CFP


'They took away resources and brought poverty'

Locals told CMG that due to U.S. control over Syria's most important resources and the country's sources of income, things have become challenging for all aspects of the lives of the Syrian people.

"If I want to drive, I have to consider how to refuel. Despite having many oil fields in our country, we are facing an energy shortage issue because of the U.S. oil theft," a Syrian named Ahmed Hassan said.

"The resources of our country, such as oil, wheat, cotton, have been plundered by the illegal occupation of the United States in northeastern Syria," said Majid Rossi, "they have taken these resources from the hands of the Syrian people, leading to poverty, hunger, and disease among the Syrian people."

The Syrian government has repeatedly condemned the actions of the United States, stating that they flagrantly violate international law and the Charter of the United Nations, causing catastrophic consequences for Syria.

The presence of the U.S. military has become a nightmare for the local people, they told CMG. Locals said the U.S. disregards human rights in pursuit of its own interests and added that this is a manifestation of its hegemonic ideology.

SOUTH SUDAN
Bentiu oil refinery plans to export refined products by August


Bentiu Refinery could export refined petroleum products to the East African region by August of this year, according to the refinery’s owner SNP Group.

NSP is a joint venture between South Sudan’s Nile Petroleum Corporation and Russia’s Safinat.

Located in Unity State, the refinery has faced several challenges in becoming operational, including flooding, COVID-19 and technical failures.

“[The refinery] is operational and in good shape. We have been providing products to Sudan. With the current situation in our neighbouring country, we are looking to the East African region. We have already been contacted by a number of companies in the region, as well as the Congo,” said David Galla, Vice President of SNP Group, at the South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) conference on Friday.

“By August or September, the product will be ready to be shipped across the region,” he added.

This milestone would be significant for South Sudan, who despite having the third-largest oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa, has suffered from limited refining capacity to date and imports the majority of its local refined oil demand.

“The viability of these plans is supported by the high quality of production from the refinery, of which “70% has close to zero sulfur content. This is very rare,” noted Galla.

He pointed out that SNP Group is also seeking to build an internal market for its low-sulfur, heavy fuel oil, which could be used to generate power, stimulate industry and reduce local costs of power consumption.

The energy event in Juba is organised by Energy Capital & Power in partnership with the Ministry of Petroleum, South Sudan to unite the country’s energy stakeholders with global investors to discuss opportunities within the burgeoning industry.

South Sudan struggling to maintain oil exports

Awow Daniel Chuong, a technical advisor at the Ministry of Petroleum. (File photo)

JUBA - 17 JUN 2023

South Sudan is battling to secure critical oil equipment and supplies for production due to the ongoing war in Sudan, a senior official said.

South Sudan sends its crude oil to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast of its northern neighbour via a 1600-kilometre pipeline.

Oil accounts for up to 90% of government revenues.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj during the Oil and Power Conference in Juba on Friday, Awow Daniel Chuong, a technical advisor at the Ministry of Petroleum, said the war in Sudan is affecting the supply of essential materials required for oil production.

“Oil cannot run without the critical materials that are required for production because the oil route that we used to rely on, especially in the oilfields, is the route of Port Sudan, and now the crisis in Sudan is not making things simple today, things are very difficult,” Daniel said.

Daniel said the government is considering an alternative oil export route through Ethiopia to Djibouti. In September 2022, Juba bought land in Djibouti to build a new export terminal.

“Djibouti route is one of the routes that has already been explored a long time ago but today, people are working very hard so that this route is opened so that we can have an alternative route. The route of Sudan will continue to be there, but also still we need an alternative route, the route of Kenya is there, but also in terms of costs, it can be very difficult,” he said.

The ethnical adviser announced the country currently produces 170,000 barrels of oil per day.

“Oil production is picking up now. It dropped drastically to less than 120,000 barrels per day, but it is picking up. It is 170,000 barrels per day now, but again we are being constrained by the crisis in Sudan, which will make it drop again because of logistics,” he said.

Peter Biar Ajak, a South Sudanese scholar in the Belfer Centre's International Security Programme in the US, recently told Al Jazeera that the country is concerned that if the fighting continues the pipeline could be damaged.

UN demands urgent action after Greece migrant boat tragedy

The United Nations has called for in-depth investigations into the migrant boat sinking off Greece this week, believed to have left hundred dead, and urgent action to prevent further tragedies.

Medical staffs carry a survivor on a stretcher outside a warehouse at the port in Kalamata town, Greece, on 15 June, 2023. © AFP - Angelos Tzortzinis

Text by: RFIFollow
Issued on: 17/06/2023

On Wednesday, a fishing boat overloaded with migrants capsized and sank off the Peloponnese, killing at least 78 people. Around 104 people were found alive.

While the number of people on board at the time remains unclear, the UN pointed on Friday to various witness accounts suggesting it was somewhere between 400 and 750.

The UN agencies for refugees and migrants called in a joint statement for "urgent and decisive action to prevent further deaths at sea following the latest tragedy in the Mediterranean, the worst in several years".Hope fades for hundreds still missing in Greece migrant boat disaster

They insisted states had an obligation to come together to address the dangerous gaps in search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean, pointing out that "the duty to rescue people in distress at sea without delay is a fundamental rule of international maritime law".

In particular, they rejected efforts to criminalise those who try to help in such situations, reiterating that "search and rescue at sea is a legal and humanitarian imperative".

The agencies also insisted that search and rescue operations should always be conducted in a manner aimed to prevent loss of life at sea, and said they welcomed that an investigation had been ordered in Greece into the circumstances that eventually led to the boat capsizing.
Human traffickers

The UN rights office meanwhile called for "thorough" investigations into the "horrific tragedy".

Spokesman Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva there was a need to investigate "people smugglers and human traffickers and ensure they are brought to justice", and that more broadly "there are a lot of questions that need to be asked".

A undated handout photo provided by the Hellenic Coast Guard shows migrants onboard a boat during a rescue operation, before their boat capsized on the open sea, off Greece, on 14 June, 2023. © Hellenic Coast Guard / Reuters

Federico Soda, head of the International Organisation for Migration's (IOM) emergency department, said the tragedy once again showed the approach to migrant crossings in the Mediterranean needed to change.

"It is clear, that the current approach to the Mediterranean is unworkable," he said in the statement.

"Year after year, it continues to be the most dangerous migration route in the world, with the highest fatality rate."

UNHCR deputy chief Gillian Triggs also stressed the European Union's obligation to "put safety and solidarity at the heart of its action in the Mediterranean".

"In view of the increased movements of refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean, collective efforts, including greater coordination between all Mediterranean States, solidarity and responsibility sharing are essential to save lives," she said in the statement.

(with AFP)

UNHCR: Migrant boat disaster could have been avoided

Greek migrant boat disaster may be ‘worst ever tragedy’ in Mediterranean sea, EU commissioner says

By Florence Davey Attlee, Elinda Labropoulou, Zahid Mahmood, Mostafa Salem, Nadine Schmidt, Eyad Kourdi, Sharon Braithwaite and Heather Chen, CNN

Published  Sat June 17, 2023

CNN —

The sinking of a packed migrant boat off the coast of Greece may be “the worst tragedy ever” in the Mediterranean sea, according to the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson.

Dozens of people were killed and hundreds more left missing when the boat, traveling from the coastal city of Tobruk in Libya to Italy, capsized off the coast of Greece earlier this week. The true toll of the disaster is yet to become clear.

“We don’t have all information yet on what has happened but it seems like this is the worst ever tragedy we’ve seen in the Mediterranean,” she told a press conference in Brussels on Friday.

The tragedy has shone a spotlight on the EU refugee crisis in which every year, tens of thousands of migrants fleeing war, persecution, climate change and poverty risk treacherous routes to Europe.

Johansson condemned the role of “smugglers” who put people on the boats. “They are not sending them to Europe, they are sending them to death. This is what they’re doing and it’s absolutely necessary to prevent it,” she said.

Relatives searching for loved ones after Greek migrant boat disaster, as hundreds more feared dead

“Unfortunately, we have seen this coming because since the start of the year, there was a new modus operandi with these fishing boats leaving from the eastern part of Libya… and we’ve seen an increase of 600% of these departures this year,” she added, stressing the need to find “different ways to fight the smugglers and save lives.”

“When it comes to fighting the smugglers, we can’t rely on only one way to do that. We have to use intelligence – we have to use common police investigations together with countries of origin, with countries of transit, with countries of departure,” she said.

Other global bodies such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) called for “urgent and decisive action” to prevent further deaths in the Mediterranean and emphasized “the duty to rescue people in distress at sea without delay.”

Denial from authorities

Greek authorities have faced criticism for how the disaster was handled.

Nine arrested over capsized migrant boat, as Greek authorities criticized for failure to respond

On Friday, they denied claims that the boat had capsized after the coast guard attempted to tow it to shore.

Authorities had initially said the coast guard kept its distance but their assistance “had been declined” after they threw a rope to the vessel to “stabilize and check if it needed help.”

Speaking to Greek national broadcaster ERT, government spokesperson Ilias Siakanderis said the coast guard arrived two hours before the boat capsized after its engine broke down and there had been “no connection” between the two.

“The engine broke down at 1:40 a.m. and at 2:00 a.m. it sank – therefore there can be no connection between (the coast guard approaching the boat and the time of its sinking),” he told ERT.

“A rope was used only to give provisions by the two merchant ships. A rope, not a mooring rope, was also used when the coast guard approached,” he added. “Those on board took the rope for a few minutes, then threw it in the sea and continued their journey.”

“It was a rope thrown in order to approach, stabilize, and check if they needed help – they refused… and continued their journey.”

Tarek Aldroobi, who had three relatives on board, told CNN that they had seen Greek authorities towing the vessel with ropes, but says they were tied in the “wrong places” – which caused it to capsize.

“Their boat was in a good condition and the Greek navy tried towing them to the beach but the ropes were tied in the wrong places,” Aldroobi said. “When the Greek navy tried pulling them it caused the boat to capsize.”

CNN has reached out to Greek authorities regarding the allegations.

Desperate search

A huge search and rescue operation took place, with rescue workers managing to save some people. Egyptians, Syrians, Pakistanis and Palestinians were among those saved.

Just over 100 people were rescued and at least 78 people died while some reports put the number of those aboard at up to 750.

Relatives of those on board are now desperately searching for survivors.

Ayman Abu Mahmoud, a spokesperson of Horan Free League, the biggest media activism group in the southwestern Syrian city of Deraa, told CNN that one of the survivors told him the boat “malfunctioned” and Greek guards were “trying to drag the boat to safety with a rope.”

“When they were dragging, the boat leaned on its side and the disaster happened,” Abu Mahmoud said.

“The coastal guard boat drove away for 3 kilometers after the drowning happened and those who were able to swim that distance made it,” he said, quoting a survivor who gave him an account of what happened.