Drone Captures Moment of Defiance, Which Israel Says Was Yahya Sinwar’s Last

Drone captures moment of defiance, which Israel says was Yahya Sinwar’s last
While the room, the man’s clothing and the arm injury broadly match other visual evidence of Sinwar’s death, The New York Times could not independently verify his identity in the video

Aric Toler, Lauren Leatherby , Riley Mellen Published 19.10.24,

VideograbX/@LTC_Shoshani

It was a pivotal moment of the war in the Gaza Strip and, in a surreal twist of modern warfare, Israel said it was filmed by a drone.


Hunched in an armchair, his face masked by a kaffiyeh and his body covered in dust, is a man who Israel says is Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas. His right arm is gravely injured and bleeding. His fate is all but sealed.

The man, nearly motionless, watches as he is filmed, apparently recognizing the hovering Israeli drone for what it is. In his left hand he lifts a long object, possibly a stick, and puts it back down.

Then, after staring at the drone for at least 20 seconds, he defiantly throws the object at it. The video ends a few seconds later.

The Israeli military, which released the video, said it shows the last moments of Sinwar, an architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, before he was killed in Rafah on Wednesday. While the room, the man’s clothing and the arm injury broadly match other visual evidence of Sinwar’s death, The New York Times could not independently verify his identity in the video.

In modern warfare, militaries use drones to scope out enemy positions, and often release propaganda videos showing enemy soldiers being killed. On the battlefields in Ukraine, both sides in that conflict have released a steady stream of drone footage showing panicked soldiers moments before their deaths.

But here the drone footage shows a solitary figure remarkably close-up. In a war often seen from far away, in large explosions or wide vistas of broken buildings, the moment is remarkably personal.

There are many unknown details about the video, which was heavily edited before it was released. It does not show how the man’s arm was injured, nor does it show the moment of his death.

At the beginning of the clip, the drone enters a residential building in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, in southern Gaza, through a second-story window.

Photos of the building taken later show more damage, indicating that an explosion occurred at some point after the drone footage was taken.

In another video released by the Israeli military, two tanks are positioned nearby, one of which fires on the building.

Sinwar was killed soon after the drone footage was recorded. A sniper shot him in the head, and then a tank shell flattened much of the building, the military said.

The New York Times News Service

Hezbollah: ‘Sinwar stood up to US, Zionist occupation until his martyrdom’

October 19, 2024 

Yahya Sinwar, Palestinian leader of Hamas in Gaza Strip in Gaza City, Gaza on December 14, 2022. [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency]


Hezbollah expressed: “Its deepest condolences for the martyrdom of the leader of the Al-Aqsa Flood, head of the Hamas political bureau, the mujahid Yahya Sinwar,” to the Palestinian people, Hamas and the Arab and Islamic nation.

The party stressed in a statement on Friday that Sinwar: “Carried on the mission and the torch of leadership from the martyred leader Ismail Haniyeh (the former head of the political bureau, martyred on 31 July, 2024) in order to continue on the path of resistance, giving and sacrifices with the heroic Mujahideen and brave resistance fighters.”

Hezbollah noted that Sinwar: “Stood in the face of the US project and the Zionist occupation and sacrificed his blood for this until his martyrdom, reaching the highest ranks of dignity and excellence.”

The statement stressed: “We in the leadership of Hezbollah, who are facing with our resistant and steadfast Lebanese people the repercussions of the criminal Zionist aggression, affirm our support for our Palestinian people. We have full confidence in the divine promise and victory for His believing servants.”

The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas mourned the head of its political bureau, Sinwar: “Who ascended as a heroic martyr, advancing and not retreating, fighting and confronting the occupation army on the frontline, defending the land of Palestine and its sanctities. He inspires the spirit of steadfastness, patience, determination and resistance.”

Sinwar was killed in the Tel Al-Sultan area in Rafah, south of Gaza, on Wednesday after armed confrontations with the Israeli occupation army, in which drones and artillery were used.

READ: ‘Dying for Palestine is an unmatched honour’, says Al-Azhar following Sinwar assassination

Marzouki: ‘Sinwar was martyred defending the land where he was born’

October 19, 2024 

Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki in Tunis, Tunisia on September 1, 2019 [Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency]

Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki lamented that the head of the Hamas political bureau, Yahya Sinwar, was martyred defending the land where he was born.

Marzouki posted on his Facebook page: “Lame logic is that Israel, a nuclear state that violates all norms and laws and occupies the lands of others, has, according to the weak phrase they shamelessly continue to repeat, the right to defend itself, but its victims do not have the right to defend themselves even if they are burned in tents, starved and displaced.”

He added: “According to the same lame logic, Palestinians must accept the siege in Gaza, colonialism in the West Bank and apartheid in Israel; otherwise they are a terrorist and an anti-Semite! No, you scholars of logic, they are neither a terrorist nor an anti-Semite, they are just a resister.”

READ: Hezbollah: ‘Sinwar stood up to US, Zionist occupation until his martyrdom’

Al-Marzouki continued: “May God have mercy on Abu Ibrahim (Al-Sinwar). This resistance fighter did not die in a tunnel shielded by hostages as the typical lying claims say, but rather, he died on the ground in military uniform with his weapon in his hand, defending the land where he was born and martyred. Regarding 7 October, when will the Israelis get enough revenge for a catastrophe that they piled up the firewood for and when will they wake up from their rage after committing vengeful massacres that would make the entire human race sweat.”

The Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, officially mourned the head of its political bureau and the commander of the Al-Aqsa Flood battle, Yahya Sinwar, on Friday after he was killed in armed clashes with the occupation army in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Palestine tribes mourn Sinwar: ‘He was martyred fighting until his final moment on the front lines

October 19, 2024 

Palestinian leader of Hamas Yahya Sinwar makes a speech in Gaza City, Gaza on June 05, 2021 [Ashraf Amra/Anadolu Agency]


The Supreme Authority for Tribal Affairs in the Gaza Strip expressed its condolences to the Palestinian people, the Arab and Islamic nation and the free people of the world for the martyred national leader Yahya Sinwar “Abu Ibrahim”, head of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas and leader of Al-Aqsa Flood.

The Palestinian tribes added that Sinwar was martyred while fighting the occupier: “Until his final moment, on the front lines among his men in the field of honour, pride and dignity, watering the land of Palestine with his pure blood.”

The authority continued: “The Palestinian masses will remember the leader Yahya Sinwar for his patriotism, courage, honesty and loyalty to his people and cause.”

The authority stressed that the martyrdom of the leaders and fighters would not break the will of the Palestinian people to continue the struggle and jihad to eradicate the occupation from the land and establish an independent Palestinian state.

In letters to 10-year-old son, Sinwar sought to install a hatred for Israel — report

Young boy said to have sent father drawings of dead IDF troops, asked when the war would end, in months of correspondence captured near where terror chief was killed

By ToI Staff

Today, 12:25 pm

Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, speaks during a protest east of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip on April 6, 2018. (AFP/Said Khatib)


Troops searching homes near where Yahya Sinwar was killed found letters he sent and received, including correspondence with his 10-year-old son, in which the slain terror chief tried to imbue the child with a hatred for Israel, Hebrew media reported Friday.

According to Channel 12, Sinwar wrote his son several sermons excoriating Israel. The boy, in turn, reportedly sent his father drawings of dead Israeli soldiers, and at one point was said to ask when the war would end.

Sinwar was the architect of the onslaught that sparked the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill nearly 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.T

He was killed Wednesday in a chance encounter with Israeli troops operating in southern Gaza’s Rafah, where he had apparently fled from Khan Younis.

On his person, troops were said to find other correspondence containing highly valuable intelligence, as well as NIS 40,000 ($10,760) in cash and a fake ID.

Sinwar had served 23 years in Israeli prison for the murder of Palestinians whom he suspected of cooperating with Israel. In October 2011, he was one of over 1,000 terrorists Israel released in return for Gilad Shalit, a soldier Hamas kidnapped in 2006.

A month after his release, Sinwar, then 49, married Samar Muhammad Abu Zamar, then 31. They had three children, whose respective names, ages and fates are unclear

Iraqi youth set fire to MBC's office in Baghdad

Tehran, IRNA – Some Iraqi youth have set fire to the Saudi broadcaster MBC's office in Baghdad after the TV channel insulted the martyred commanders of the Resistance.

The Iraqis, who were angry at the Saudi channel for its insult, entered the MBC office near the Baghdad University and wrecked the equipment in its headquarters, IRNA cited from the Iraqi media early on Saturday.

The security forces present in that area could not prevent the Iraqi people from storming the building of the broadcaster.

During its program on the weekend, the MBC had released a report in which it called the Resistance leaders terrorist.

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, in a statement, called the Saudi media move as a moral decline, and it urged the MBC officials to apologize for their insult.

The resistance groups in Iraq have warned that they would attack the MBC office in Baghdad if it did not close.

The Iraqi users shared the link of the Saudi network and called on the people to publicly ask for its closure.

Some Resistance commanders and leaders include the former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Qods Force General Qassem Soleimani, the leader of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the leader of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh.

Video

The security forces present in that area could not prevent the Iraqi people from storming the building of the broadcaster.

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During its program on the weekend, the MBC had released a report in which it called the Resistance leaders terrorist.

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Protesters storm Saudi broadcaster MBC's office in Baghdad over remarks against Iran-backed groups

Report on ’terrorism‘ in the region sparked anger among militia group supporters

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Sinan Mahmoud

Erbil

October 19, 2024

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Supporters of Iran-backed groups ransacked the Baghdad office of Saudi broadcaster MBC early on Saturday, a security source told The National, over a report that referred to commanders of Tehran-aligned militias as “terrorists”.

More than 400 people entered the channel's office in the Al Jamia neighbourhood of the Iraqi capital after midnight. They started a fire in the yard before breaking into the building where they damaged equipment and furniture, a security officer with the Interior Ministry said.

Iraqi security forces later sealed off the area, blocking all roads leading to the building, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. There has been no official statement from authorities.

Excerpts of the MBC report sparked anger and criticism on social media and Telegram channels belonging to the Iran-backed militias. The report focused on terrorism in the region, and referred to Yahya Sinwar as being the latest “terrorist” to be killed. The Hamas leader was killed by Israel on Wednesday.

Qassem Suleimani, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force who was killed at Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020, was described as a “symbol of terrorism”. Other key figures such as Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, killed alongside Suleimani, and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, also recently killed in an Israeli strike, were mentioned.

Shiite MP Mustafa Sanad vowed to work to cancel the network's licence. “There is no place for you in Iraq,” Mr Sanad wrote on X. “You listen to the report as if you are listening to [Israeli] Channel 14, which is affiliated with the [Zionist] entity,” he said.

Hamas issued a statement condemning the report and demanding an apology from the broadcaster.

Videos online showed the protesters waving flags of the Popular Mobilisation Forces and the Hezbollah Brigades – one of the most influential Iraqi Shiite militias. Others shouted “No, no to America” and “no, no to Israel”.

Tension and conflict has been escalating in the region as Iran-backed groups – Hamas and Hezbollah – as well as allies in Yemen, Syria and Iraq have been at war with Israel for more than a year. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a shadow group consisting of various militias, frequently claims responsibility for drone strikes launched at Israel.

MBC's Baghdad office was also attacked in 2020. A programme aired on MBC1 suggested that Iraqi militia leader Al Muhandis was involved in arranging an attack in Lebanon nearly 40 years ago. At the time the channel said it would place the matter in the hands of Iraqi authorities to protect MBC’s Iraq employees and the organisation.

Updated: October 19, 2024, 4:11 AM

VIDEO: 

Watch Hezbollah drone hit's BIBI's Home

in central Israel

TEHRAN, Oct. 19 (MNA)

Watch Hezbollah drone flying alongside Israeli chopper

TEHRAN, Oct. 19 (MNA) – Footage shows a Hezbollah drone flying alongside an Israeli regime's helicopter.

EZLN IN STRUGGLE

Otomí in Mexico City celebrate four years of occupation

For four years, the former state "Institute for Indigenous Affairs" (INPI) in Mexico City has been occupied.


JONAS ALTER

ANF
MEXICO CITY
Thursday, 17 October 2024


For four years, the former state "Institute for Indigenous Affairs" (INPI) in Mexico City has been occupied. Now renamed "Casa de los Pueblos Samir Flores" (House of the Peoples Samir Flores), it has become a center of indigenous resistance against social marginalization and destructive megaprojects. Additionally, it serves as a hub for the EZLN's support network in the capital.

October 12th marked the fourth anniversary of the occupation, but it is also the 532nd anniversary of the colonization of Latin America—a day to celebrate the resistance that has managed to fight for and preserve indigenous cultures, languages, ways of life, and self-governance.

But how did it come to be that the Mexican government's Institute for Indigenous Affairs was occupied by the Otomí people?

Joaquina in front of the occupied office building (Source: Jonas Alter)

The Background

Joaquina, one of the residents of the occupation, told me that many Otomí, including her parents, came to Mexico City from Santiago Mexquititlán in the 1980s.
"When they arrived here, they had no place to stay and had to sleep on the streets. When it rained or thieves passed by, our parents and their children were in great danger." When the 1985 earthquake damaged and destroyed many buildings in the city, they took over some of the vacant properties and made them habitable again. "Our community organized and decided to occupy these empty spaces in Colonia Juárez and Colonia Roma to at least provide a roof over their children’s heads." She grew up in one of these occupations. However, the 2017 earthquake changed everything—the houses completely collapsed, and from that moment on, they lived in tents on the street in front of their former homes.

Otomí camp in 2018 in front of the building they previously inhabited 

(Source: Radio Zapatista)

"We suffered a lot because we didn’t have water. We had to walk far to fetch water so that we could bathe our children so they could go to school." She points to a tree by the roadside and explains that they got water from wherever they could find it—often from the irrigation of parks and roadside trees.

The Occupation

Their attempts to find other buildings or negotiate a loan with the state for a new one were unsuccessful. They were attacked by neighbors, and once, their camp was violently dismantled by a hundred police officers, leaving around 20 injured. The conditions were unbearable

.

CaptionInjured people from the police attack in the Otomí camp (Source: Radio Zapatista)

"We had been outside for a long time. I think we had already lived there for about three years, and it was the rainy season. We told the government to take our side, as we were suffering, our children were suffering, and we couldn’t sleep because the heavy rain soaked the tents and everything in them. But unfortunately, we had to stay there because we had no other place to go. During this time, the community continued to organize and hold meetings. In our assembly, we said, 'They will never defeat us.' We must keep going, and that's why we, as a community, decided to take over this building."

On the morning of October 12, 2020, they entered the INPI offices—not to negotiate, but to take them over.

Initially, the occupation was only intended to last for one or two weeks, but the supposedly progressive, left-wing government didn’t respond. To this day, the Otomí have not been offered a loan or alternative housing, so they have stayed.

A play performed by the children of the occupation, wearing the ski masks typical of the EZLN (Jonas Alter)

More Than Just Housing

The community's children perform a play to celebrate the four years of the occupation—and the 532 years of indigenous resistance. For 532 years, the Otomí have not lost their culture and language. They celebrate the resistance they have built over these four years. On the other hand, it also highlights the city's failure—four years of inaction. And even more years in which the government has ignored the Otomí’s basic right to decent housing. But their struggle is about more than just meeting basic needs.

"They didn’t care about the indigenous peoples; on the contrary. That’s why we decided to truly use this so-called Indigenous Institute for the peoples." "Here, he (Adelfo Regino Montes, the head of INPI) also gave the approval. He signed off on the construction of destructive megaprojects like the Maya Train, the Interoceanic Corridor, and the Santa Lucía Train. The Maya Train, the comrades from Oaxaca and Puebla, whose water was stolen, right? That’s why we were angry and decided to occupy this building, to tell them to stop. All the different collectives and peoples from different regions should come here, speak their word, and share their struggles. Every people, and we still uphold this, this is now the House of the Peoples."

Celebration of the 40th anniversary of the EZLN's founding in the House of the Peoples (Source: Facebook Otomi Rebelde)

The former office building, now the "Casa de los Pueblos Samir Flores," serves as a gathering place and a center for political organization for many indigenous peoples resisting the Mexican government and international corporations. Events of the National Indigenous Congress (CNI) are held here, as well as meetings to organize against megaprojects like the Maya Train and the planned Interoceanic Corridor, the movement for water, and many others. The occupation also coordinates the EZLN support network, the indigenous paramilitary group from southern Mexico that launched an armed uprising for the self-determination of the peoples and a dignified life in 1994. From a state agency meant to control and assimilate, the building has become a center of indigenous resistance.

Repression and Attacks

In these four years, the government hasn’t simply stood by and watched as its former building was taken over. "They cut off our electricity so that we would leave the building; they’ve done this six or seven times." When the power is out, the residents can’t use the stove, the refrigerator stops working, there’s no water, and the toilets don’t function. "It limits us a lot, that we can’t go to the bathroom, that the sewage pump doesn’t work. But even then, we show them that we will continue, even if they do a thousand things to us. We will continue resisting."

A resident injured in a police attack behind one of the barricades erected for defense (Source: Facebook Otomi Rebelde)

The strongest repression came last year. Just days after the 3rd anniversary, the police attempted to clear the occupation with about 500 riot police. The quickly mobilized resistance networks prevented this, but 20 residents were injured. That same night, masked motorcyclists drove by the house and fired shots at residents standing outside. Fortunately, none were hit. But the shock remains.

A bullet casing from the fired shots (Source: Facebook Red de Apoyo Iztapalapa Sexta)

The Future of the Occupation

"I don’t want my son to experience the same conditions we lived in, where we had no water, electricity, or sewage on the properties. I don’t want my children to live without these things. I want them to have a home so they can live well. I don’t want the same story to repeat itself, the one I lived through." Their goal, the community's goal, is to finally secure decent housing. No more half-collapsed houses without water and electricity, no more tents, and no more occupied office buildings. "We are not exhausted by staying here, but we also want a place where we can finally live in peace, because they have tried to evict us here."

Welcoming the celebration of the anniversary of the occupation (Source: Jonas Alter)

On October 23rd, they have a meeting with the newly elected city administration. Their goal is to finally establish a dialogue to secure a loan for a new property. It could mean that the Otomí finally move into proper housing after decades, though the response of previous governments, regardless of party, leaves them with little optimism.

PKK/YPJ LEADER OCALAN

TURKISH POLITICAL PRISONER

Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan Campaign: Global Days were a resounding success

The Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan: A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question campaign, thanked all participants in the Free Öcalan: Global Days.


ANF
NEWS DESK
Saturday, 19 October 2024

The Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan: A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question campaign, issued a statement to thank all those who participated in the Free Öcalan: Global Days earlier this month from October 1st to the 10th.

The campaign committee said: "After reviewing the results, we can confidently say that it was a resounding success!

During those ten days, over 250 events were held in 50 countries around the world, involving the participation of tens of thousands of people."

The statement added that "in European capital cities we saw seminars on democratic confederalism in Italy and Switzerland, activities by trade unions in Spain, Catalunya, Basque Country, the UK and Scotland, parliamentary questions in Germany and Spain, women’s marches in over 20 countries, demonstrations in front of the EU Parliament in Brussels, press conferences in different national parliaments and international institutions, protests in London’s Trafalgar Square, and rallies in the “birthplace of democracy” of Athens.

There were also public meetings in Vienna and Copenhagen; seminars on social ecology and jineology in The Hague and Berlin; informational tents in Hamburg, Duisburg, and Stockholm; and govend-dancing from Darmstadt to Liverpool. Meanwhile, Kurdish Revolutionary Youth marched through the UK and Catalunya, Kurdish cultural groups held a procession through the middle of Amsterdam, and Lucerne formed a human chain stretching throughout the local park. In Italy, there were banners in Marzabotto and Bari, photo exhibits and interpretative dances in Milan and 9 other cities, and meetings with the local government in Montopolis di Sabina."

The statement also underlined that "the graphic novel ‘Freedom Shall Prevail: The Struggle of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish People’ was launched in the UK; the film ‘History of Fire’ was screened by the Arin Mirkan Women’s Council in Switzerland; and the Kurdish People’s Assembly brought together Kurdish parties from across the four regions of Kurdistan (KNK, MSD, Gorran etc.) under the headline: “Let’s tear down the walls of Imrali with our organizational power!”

From South African supporters holding events in Johannesburg and Cape Town, to twenty new billboards of Öcalan’s face going up around Berlin as part of Ali Zülfikar’s new art exhibit, to the Jineology network singing with a local chorus at the train station in Marseille—our message was loud and clear, that we will not be silent as long as the illegal isolation on Imrali Island continues."

That message, said the organizing committee, "was further endorsed by all the autonomous regions (Basque, Catalunya etc.) trade unions, and was shouted and spoken about in events in varied places such as Andalucia, Galicia, Catalunya, Madrid, St. Gallen, Liège, Edinburgh, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Frankfurt, and Geneva. With one local CDK co-chair summarizing our position by announcing: “We will be in the streets until our Leader is free!”

But this message was not just limited to Europe, as large rallies were held in Qamislo, Rojava, and a historic one was held in the center of Amed in Northern Kurdistan, which featured members of the DEM party standing shoulder to shoulder with Öcalan’s brother’s Mehmet and his lawyers, who have not spoken to him in 3.5 and 5 years respectively. Such pressure also caused hundreds of lawyers in Turkey to march in front of the Turkish Constitutional Court in Ankara, with a banner asking them to: Apply the Law on Imrali, End the Isolation."

As part of the Global Days, the campaign also launched a global ‘tweet storm’ under the hashtag of #FreeAbdullahÖcalan, which was soon trending across the world with over 25,000 posts in English, German, Kurdish, and Turkish.

Moreover, a new documentary titled ‘Abdullah Öcalan: Life & Legacy’, was released and watched over 20,000 times in English on our X / twitter page, and 16,000 times in German on our campaign’s YouTube channel.

The statement added: "From Finland to Mexico, Indonesia to Ireland, and Cyprus to Australia, those who believe in Öcalan’s philosophy chanted, “His freedom is our freedom!”, while a diverse assortment of student groups, women’s organizations, trade unions, artist collectives, and political parties joined forces to show the regime in Turkey that they cannot imprison his ideas on human liberation, which continue to transcend all of Imrali Island’s barriers.

Furthermore, 1,524 attorneys from 35 countries around the world signed a petition calling for action to secure Öcalan’s freedom. On behalf of the signatories, a press conference was held in Brussels by representatives from the Association for Democracy and International Law (MAF-DAD), the Brussels Bar Association, the Brussels Bar Institute for Human Rights, the European Lawyers’ Association for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH), and the European Democratic Lawyers (AED).

That petition was a prelude to the 1507th meeting by the Committee of Ministers (CoM) of the Council of Europe (CoE) from 17-19 September 2024. As part of their monitoring the implementation of European Court of Human Rights’ rulings, the CoM finally addressed Turkey’s continued refusal to enact the Court’s 2014 decisions regarding life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, where Ankara is in breach of the ‘Right to Hope’ principle. By not allowing Öcalan the ability for release after 25 years, Turkey is in violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which prohibits inhuman and degrading treatment. For their part, the CoM expressed deep concern over the lack of progress and urged Turkey to act, while announcing that they would review the matter in September 2025 and instructed the Secretariat to draft an interim resolution if no changes are made. And although this was a positive sign, we believe their response is insufficient, as it amounts to permission for Turkey to continue its inhumane and illegal actions of both internal and domestic law for one year more."

The statement continued: "Nevertheless, we will remain steadfast in our knowledge that we are on the right side of history. Abdullah Öcalan has not given up despite a quarter-century on a prison island, so we refuse to abandon his mission and will continue to stand with him! As Öcalan himself stated, “Our struggle is not only for the liberation of the Kurdish people, but the liberation of the humanity of the world. The loftiness of the Kurdish people will, in the final analysis, mean the loftiness of the world’s humanity too.”

And it is under that hopeful message that our campaign to end his isolation and bring about his freedom so that he can ne

Eleonora Bonaccorsi: Öcalan is a reality, we must fight for his freedom

Eleonora Bonaccorsi, President of the Fonti di Pace Association of Italy, said that the Imrali torture system is a terrible injustice, and added: "This isolation is unprecedented in the world. Öcalan is a reality, we must fight for his freedom."


ANF
MILAN
Saturday, 19 October 2024, 09:55

44 months have passed without any news from Abdullah Öcalan. The Kurdish people’s leader has been held in severe isolation conditions in the Imrali torture system since 1999. His rights to see a lawyer and family have been denied as a whole, engulfed in a state of absolute lack of communication. The 'Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, Political Solution to the Kurdish Question' international campaign was launched globally on 10 October 2023, and continues to mobilize to demand freedom for the Kurdish people’s leader.

One of the supporters of the global freedom campaign is the Italian NGO Fonti di Pace. The association’s president, Eleonora Bonaccorsi, spoke to the ANF about the İmralı torture system and the importance of Abdullah Öcalan’s ideas.

‘Imrali isolation is unparalleled in the world’

Eleonora Bonaccorsi, said the conditions in which Öcalan is in are "horrific and unprecedented" and added: "This isolation cannot be explained by any law."

Bonaccorsi said: "We are all responsible for the conditions in which Abdullah Öcalan is in. Italy is particularly responsible for it and must face this responsibility. Öcalan was in Italy; he was taken prisoner after being forced to leave. Although Italy does not accept this responsibility, we are aware of what happened."

Bonaccorsi continued: "We are following the conditions in which Öcalan is kept very closely. I have attended many meetings in the European Parliament to discuss this issue and to mobilize civil society movements. We have a responsibility to explain the lawlessness that Öcalan is facing everywhere. We, as a people, have expressed our opposition to this isolation, but the European authorities prefer to remain silent. The reason for this silence is that they do not want to harm their relations with Erdoğan."

‘We are trying to implement Öcalan’s ideas’

Bonaccorsi said that "the paradigm put forward by Abdullah Öcalan is truly very advanced. He deeply addresses many of the problems experienced today and offers an alternative and solution with the ideas he puts forward. We strongly defend Öcalan’s paradigm and try to implement it.

We also economically support projects that spread Öcalan’s paradigm and try to implement it. We stand in solidarity with everyone who implements Öcalan’s ideas both in Europe and Kurdistan, because we believe that this paradigm must be defended."

‘We must continue to fight for Öcalan’s freedom’

Bonaccorsi said: "Öcalan is a reality. We cannot close our eyes to the conditions Öcalan is in and ignore the unlawfulness that is taking place. Therefore, we must continue to fight until we achieve his freedom."

Award-winning author Wilson: Abdullah Öcalan's leadership sends important messages to the world

Comics are on the rise and are becoming more sophisticated. It's a great time for comic artists, said Sean Wilson, author of the graphic novel "Abdullah Öcalan. An illustrated biography".


HIKMET ERDEN/NEJLA ARİ
LONDON
Thursday, 17 October 2024

Scottish author Sean Wilson has published 45 comics so far and, in his work, has dealt with figures such as Jeremy Corbyn, Noam Chomsky, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, among others. Three years ago, at the presentation of the comic book "Fight the Power!" in London, he met Estella Schmid, who has been working for Peace in Kurdistan for forty years. This meeting led him to write a graphic novel about the life of Abdullah Öcalan.

The comic book, written by Wilson, was illustrated by Keko, a Kurdish cartoonist living in Spain, and has been published in several languages. The German version was published by Unrast Verlag under the title "Abdullah Öcalan. An illustrated biography" and presented in Berlin on the occasion of Öcalan's 75th birthday in April. The English edition is called “Freedom shall prevail” and was presented as part of the Global Free Öcalan Days by Sean Wilson and Reimar Heider from the International Initiative Edition in Cambridge and London.

ANF spoke to Sean Wilson at the presentation in London.

The book has been translated into many languages ​​and presented in several countries. What kind of reactions do you get, for example, from people who hear about Abdullah Öcalan for the first time?

A British anarchist was here earlier. He said he came to the event specifically because of this book. I couldn't discover how he found out about the book. There was also another guy from Iran who had somehow heard about the book. I got mostly positive reactions. Some said: why a comic? Because when they think of comics, they think of humor.

The interesting thing about this situation is that there is nothing new in terms of the general approach. Nowadays, complex comics are called "graphic novels" and there are many graphic novels that deal with various topics. For example, history, medicine, psychology, climate issues. Almost everything that can be called an interesting and difficult topic has already had a comic written about it. So it is a very established genre.

The special thing about this project is that it is the first book on this topic. And that's great because, while many art forms are declining, comics are on the rise and are becoming more deep and sophisticated. It's a great time to be a comic artist.


Comics are very new to Kurdistan...

The new generation doesn't read many books. Comic books are more used and are an important tool to reach the younger generation. And now this comic has become a textbook for children in Rojava. I think today's generation can get to know the Kurdish movement and Abdullah Öcalan better in this way.

Various studies at universities around the world have shown how people who are presented with a pure textbook, a magazine or a comic can absorb information more easily from a comic and - this is very important - remember it better. There is no point in getting information if you can't remember it. It is now very clear that graphic novels are a very good art form for presenting and remembering complex topics.

Also, a 17-year-old who is presented with a text of two or three hundred pages is usually intimidated. But if you present the same thing in a comic format, he immediately thinks, "Oh, that's interesting." This removes a psychological barrier to learning, and that's a very important point.

Why were you interested in Kurdistan, and why did you choose Abdullah Öcalan? Why did you get involved in this project?

When the idea came up, I started to find out about Öcalan, because up until then I knew almost nothing. And when I learned something about the Kurdish struggle, I immediately saw that it interested me, because it is about people who are trying to build a democratic society. The Kurds are also very gentle, they thanked me for writing such a book. That brought me closer to the struggle of the Kurdish people.

A very important point was also that this movement corresponds to my political views. I have an anti-capitalist and almost anarchist philosophy and I think democratic confederalism is a very good way to achieve a really better society.

As to Abdullah Öcalan, there are two things that are widely known: his personal pain, his personal struggle, but perhaps more importantly, the fact that he did not turn this democratic cause into a dictatorship or an oppressive structure, as many people have done throughout history. This is extremely important. This is true of the Communards in the 19th century, the Spanish in the 20th century, or the Kurdish people today. In trying to establish a truly democratic system, it must not turn into a dictatorship. And Öcalan seems to understand this and wants it to remain democratic. This is an important message to the world.

What impressed you most about his life?

The beginning of the book is about Abdullah Öcalan's childhood. We go back to his childhood and see how his childhood experiences are reflected in his current paradigm and philosophy. The experiences he had with other children at the age of seven led him to develop a strategy. And he is incorporating this strategy, which was born out of disputes between Kurdish children, into the struggle in the future. He has experience in people's lives, and that is how democratic confederalism was formed. You can see how he has incorporated his experiences into this paradigm.

Also, Abdullah Öcalan's experiences with violence and the oppression of women in his childhood were a basis for shaping the women's liberation struggle in the future. This is very impressive and can be recreated in the comic. You feel as if you are experiencing it yourself.

Do you think his ideas can solve the deadlocked conflicts, war and violence in the Middle East?

Yes, I think there are two points here. If we ask: "Are Abdullah Öcalan's ideas useful and practical?" then absolutely yes. But if we ask: "Will these ideas be able to be implemented?" then probably not. Because for the last 200 years, every movement that has tried to create a better system than capitalism, there has always been a powerful group that has come and blocked you, not just blocked you, but shot you. So the challenge is not whether the ideas are feasible, but whether you should give them a chance.

Those are two completely different points. I think that these ideas are feasible, and that is very important, because most people in Britain, in Turkey, in the world, believe that there is no feasible alternative to capitalism. That is wrong. There is such a space. We can create it. We can build that space. But there are powerful groups that don't want us to try. That is the difficulty. If we can overcome that obstacle, we can make these ideas a reality.

There is no information about Abdullah Öcalan and people all over the world are taking to the streets for his freedom.

Abdullah Öcalan must be released. When people talk about Abdullah Öcalan, they always make a connection with Nelson Mandela. His release is not completely impossible. However, I think Abdullah Öcalan himself would say that the freedom of the Kurdish people is more important than his own freedom. But these two things are connected.

1649452211.rsc.cdn77.org/20241009094011_2024-10-09-londra-sean-michael-wilson-iskoc-yazar-ocalanin-liderligi-dunyaya-onemli-bir-mesaj-1.mp4

Heider: It is important to reach out to peoples other than Kurds to ensure Öcalan's freedom

Reimar Heider from the International Initiative for the Freedom of Abdullah Öcalan said: “Isolation can only be broken through struggle. For the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan, it is necessary to reach out to peoples other than Kurds.”


HİKMET ERDEN / NEJLA ARİ
LONDON
Tuesday, 15 October 2024, 15:08

Reimer Heider, the project editor of the graphic novel ‘Freedom Shall Prevail: The Struggle of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish People’ said that in a world where fascism is on the rise and wars are raging, peoples see Abdullah Öcalan as a hope for revolution with his ideas. According to Heider, what makes Abdullah Öcalan different is not only his struggle and resistance against ISIS and Turkish state colonialism, but also the fact that he has ideas that transcend all these.

The promotion meetings of the graphic novel ‘Freedom Shall Prevail: The Struggle of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish People’ continue. The award-winning author of the book is Sean Michael Wilson from Scotland and the Project Editor is Reimar Heider of the International Initiative for the Freedom of Abdullah Öcalan.

Speaking to ANF, Reimar Heider said that the interest in the book's promotional meetings was very good and added: “It is especially important that this book reaches the reader in the form of a graphic novel, with an artistic presentation. The fact that both Abdullah Öcalan's life and a part of the Kurdish freedom struggle are illustrated makes it palpable. This is the main difference of this book.”

Reimar Heider commented on the fact that it was a first for the Kurds to reflect a political story as a graphic novel and said, “Of course, we have previously published a book on the life of the Kurdish People's Leader by translating it into different languages. We edited it. But this one tells it from a slightly different perspective. It is not a book that is difficult to read. It describes the struggle in a language that is more understandable and attractive to everyone. It tells it in a way that everyone from children to the elderly, from academics to workers can easily access it.”

'Almost all of them had some knowledge of Abdullah Öcalan'

Referring to the intense interest at the presentation meeting at Cambridge University, Heider said: “Most of those who were there had either read one of the defences Öcalan had written in prison or had read the pamphlets. Some of them were influenced by the idea of Jineoloji (Women’s Science). Some were influenced by democratic confederalism. Some were influenced by the Rojava system. Almost all of them had some knowledge of Abdullah Öcalan. Cambridge University was a little different. Some were so impressed by Abdullah Öcalan that they brought their mothers to the introductory meeting. There were Portuguese, Italians, Irish, English people.”

‘They see Öcalan as a thinker who laid the foundations of the Rojava Revolution’

Describing the perspective of university students on Abdullah Öcalan's ideas, Heider said: “They are quite impressed by Abdullah Öcalan. Especially in these difficult times, in such a Middle East, in such a world where fascism is on the rise on all sides, where there are wars in which religious extremists are massacring people, they see Abdullah Öcalan as a leader who really creates hope. And they see and recognise Abdullah Öcalan as a thinker who laid the foundations of the Rojava Revolution, which proves that not only everything is going badly, but that there are also good things, that revolution is still possible.”

‘A unique situation in the history of revolutions’

Expressing that they were astonished that Abdullah Öcalan developed the paradigm of Democratic Confederalism in an island prison, Heider said, “All this thought process takes place in prison and he makes suggestions to his movement, looks at them, discusses them and does something and a revolution emerges. This is a unique situation in the history of revolutions. Of course, it arouses curiosity. It is seen as extraordinary that he creates hope with his thoughts and practical power in this way.”

'Everyone agrees that isolation can only be broken through struggle'

Heider said everyone agrees that absolute isolation is unacceptable and that isolation can only be broken through the struggle of the peoples: “If we want to expand the struggle for Abdullah Öcalan's freedom, we need to reach out to peoples other than Kurds. There is great potential. Kurds may be organised in Europe, but there is a numerical limit. It is important to reach out to other peoples to ensure Abdullah Öcalan's freedom.”

'I was influenced by Öcalan’s ideas and ideology'

Asked about his belief in Abdullah Öcalan and the reason for his efforts in the struggle despite him not being Kurdish, Heider stated: “What makes Abdullah Öcalan different? There is a struggle against ISIS, there is a struggle and resistance against the Turkish state colonialism. But more than that, people are influenced by Abdullah Öcalan's ideas. It is not only resistance and armed struggle, but the fact that Abdullah Öcalan has ideas that transcend all these makes him different and impressive. Making a proposal to create a more democratic and new system, explaining it well, describing its historical roots, creating its philosophy; this is Abdullah Öcalan's difference. Unfortunately, these ideas are not always examined thoroughly. It is not enough just to say to the peoples of the world, ‘We want the freedom of our leader’. His ideas are important because thoughts and ideas affect peoples. His ideas also affected me. As a young student, I met the Kurdish freedom struggle years ago. I witnessed the resistance of the Kurds, the persecution they suffered, and it influenced me. But more than that, it is Öcalan’s ideas and ideology.”

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Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader committed to defeating Israel

His understanding of the everyday hardships and brutal realities in Gaza was well-received by Gazans and made people feel at ease.

Reuters Published October 17, 2024

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar remained unambiguous about the October 7 attacks a year ago, people in contact with him said, despite it triggering a devastating Israeli invasion that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, laid waste to Gaza and rained destruction on ally Hezbollah.


On Thursday, the Israeli military claimed that it had killed Sinwar, 62, architect of the Hamas cross-border raids that became the deadliest day in Israel’s history.

For Sinwar, armed struggle remained the only way to force the creation of a Palestinian nation, four Palestinian officials and two sources from governments in the Middle East said, speaking in weeks leading up to the Oct 7 anniversary.

The Oct 7 attacks killed 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and captured 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies, in the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

Israel responded by launching a massive devastating offensive, killing 42,400 people and displacing 1.9 million, according to Palestinian health authorities and UN figures.

Now the conflict has spread to Lebanon, with Israel heavily degrading Iranian-backed Hezbollah, including killing most of its leadership. Hamas patron Tehran is at risk of being pulled into open war with Israel.

Sinwar drew Iran and its entire “Axis of Resistance” — comprising Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and Iraqi militias — into conflict with Israel, said Hassan Hassan, an author and researcher.

“We’re seeing now the ripple effects of Oct 7. Sinwar’s gamble didn’t work,” Hassan said, suggesting that the Axis of Resistance may never recover.

“What Israel did to Hezbollah in two weeks is almost equal to a whole year of degrading Hamas in Gaza. With Hezbollah, three layers of leadership have been eliminated, its military command has been decimated, and its important leader Hassan Nasrallah has been assassinated,” Hassan added.

Sinwar’s grip on Hamas remained unwavering, despite some signs of dissent among Gazans.

He was chosen as the movement’s overall leader after his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh was killed in July by a suspected Israeli strike during a visit to Tehran. Israel has not confirmed its involvement in the strike.

Operating from the shadows of a network of labyrinthine tunnels under Gaza, two Israeli sources said Sinwar and his brother, also a top commander, had appeared to have survived Israeli airstrikes, which have reportedly killed his deputy Mohammed Deif and other senior leaders.

Dubbed “The Face of Evil” by Israel, Sinwar operated in secrecy, moving constantly and using trusted messengers for non-digital communication, according to three Hamas officials and one regional official. He was not seen in public since Oct 7, 2023.

Over months of failed ceasefire talks, led by Qatar and Egypt, that focused on swapping prisoners for hostages, Sinwar was the sole decision-maker, three Hamas sources said. Negotiators would wait for days for responses filtered through a secretive chain of messengers.

Hamas and Israel did not respond to requests for comment. Sinwar’s high tolerance for bearing hardship, both for himself and for the Palestinian people, in the name of a cause, was apparent when he helped negotiate the 2011 exchange of 1,027 prisoners, himself included, for one kidnapped Israeli soldier held in Gaza. The kidnapping by Hamas had led to an Israeli assault on the coastal enclave and thousands of Palestinian deaths.

Half a dozen people who knew Sinwar told Reuters that his resolve was shaped by an impoverished childhood in Gaza’s refugee camps and a brutal 22 years in Israeli custody, including a period in Ashkelon, the town his parents called home before fleeing after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

The question of hostages and prisoner swaps was deeply personal for Sinwar, said all the sources, who requested anonymity to speak freely about sensitive matters. He had vowed to free all Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

Sinwar became a member of Hamas soon after its founding in the 1980s, adopting the group’s ideology, which seeks to establish an Islamic state in historic Palestine and opposes Israel’s existence.

The ideology views Israel not only as a political rival but as an occupying force on Muslim land. Seen in this light, hardships and suffering were often interpreted by him and his followers as part of a larger belief in sacrifice, experts on Islamist movements say.

“What lies behind his resolve is tenacity of ideology, tenacity of goal. He’s ascetic and satisfied with little,” said one senior Hamas official who requested anonymity.
From sackcloth to leader

Before the conflict, Sinwar would sometimes tell of his early life in Gaza during decades of Israeli occupation, once saying his mother made clothes from empty UN food-aid sacks, according to Gaza resident Wissam Ibrahim, who has met him.

In a semi-autobiographical novel written in prison, Sinwar described scenes of troops bulldozing Palestinian houses, “like a monster crushing its prey’s bones”, before Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005.

An enforcer tasked with punishing Palestinians suspected of informing Israel, Sinwar then made his name as a prison leader, emerging as a street hero from a 22-year Israeli sentence for allegedly masterminding the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians. He then quickly rose to the top of the Hamas ranks.

His understanding of the everyday hardships and brutal realities in Gaza was well-received by Gazans and made people feel at ease, four journalists and three Hamas officials said, despite his fearsome reputation and explosive anger.

Sinwar was regarded by Arab and Palestinian officials as the architect of Hamas’ strategy and military capabilities, bolstered by his strong ties with Iran, which he visited in 2012.

Before orchestrating the Oct 7 raids, Sinwar made no secret of his desire to strike his enemy hard.

In a speech the year before, he vowed to send a flood of fighters and rockets to Israel, hinting at a war that would either unite the world to establish a Palestinian state on land Israel occupied in 1967 or leave the Jewish nation isolated on the global stage.

By the time of the speech, Sinwar and Deif had already hatched secret plans for the assault. They were even running training drills in public that simulated such an attack.

His goals have not been fulfilled. While the issue is once again at the top of the global agenda, the prospect of a Palestinian nation is as distant as ever. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has categorically rejected a post-conflict plan for Gaza that would include a firm timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
‘Head harder than a rock’

Sinwar was arrested in 1988 and sentenced to four life sentences, accused of orchestrating the abduction and murder of two Israeli soldiers and four suspected Palestinian informants.

Nabih Awadah, a former Lebanese Communist militant who was imprisoned with Sinwar in Ashkelon between 1991-95, said the Hamas leader viewed the 1993 Oslo peace accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority as “disastrous” and a ruse by Israel, which he said would only relinquish Palestinian land “by force, not by negotiations”.

Calling him “willful and dogmatic”, Awadah said Sinwar would light up with joy whenever he heard of attacks against Israelis by Hamas or Lebanon’s Hezbollah group. For him, military confrontation was the only path “to liberating Palestine” from Israeli occupation.

Awadah said Sinwar was an “influential model to all prisoners, even those who were not Islamists or religious”. Michael Koubi, a former official with Israel’s Shin Bet security agency who interrogated Sinwar for 180 hours in prison, said Sinwar clearly stood out for his ability to intimidate and command.

Koubi once asked him, then aged 28 or 29, why he was not already married. “He told me Hamas is my wife, Hamas is my child. Hamas for me is everything.” Sinwar married after his release from prison in 2011 and has three children.

In jail, he continued to pursue Palestinian spies, Awadah said, echoing reports from Shin Bet interrogators.

His sharp instincts and caution allowed him to identify and expose Shin Bet informants infiltrating the prison, Awadah said.

He said Sinwar’s leadership was pivotal during a hunger strike in 1992, in which he led over 1,000 prisoners to survive solely on water and salt. Sinwar negotiated with prison authorities and refused to settle for partial concessions. He also used his time in prison to learn fluent Hebrew.

Awadah said Sinwar frequently recalled that Ashkelon, where they were imprisoned together, was his family’s ancestral hometown.

When playing table tennis in the courtyard of Ashkelon jail, in present-day Israel, Sinwar would often play barefoot, saying he wanted his feet to touch the land of Palestine.

“Sinwar often told us: ‘I’m not in prison; I’m on my land. I am free here, in my country.’”

Header image: Head of the political wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar attends a rally in support of Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque in Gaza City on October 1, 2022. — AFP

Pakistan’s climate victory: A seat at the table, but is the funding enough?

Developing countries like Pakistan must grasp the finance architecture for operationalising loss and damage, as it will be key at the upcoming COP.

Ali Tauqeer Sheikh

Published October 18, 2024

DAWN


The announcement of the Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) at the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt was a significant diplomatic victory for Pakistan, as was its formalisation at COP28 last year in the United Arab Emirates.

In the last two years, Loss and Damage (L&D) — referring to irreversible costs of climate change beyond ecosystems’ adaptive capacities — has emerged as a central focus of L&D finance, even if it has yet to become operational. Regrettably, the allocated funds remain woefully inadequate, amounting to approximately $700 million against an estimated need of $290-580 billion by 2030.

To fully leverage the potential of L&D, countries like Pakistan have to understand the two foundational mechanisms that preceded the LDF: the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) and the Santiago Network. Together, these three mechanisms form the core architecture for enabling developing countries to respond to Loss and Damage.
Out of sync

WIM and the Santiago Network are not financing entities. WIM is a coordinating platform that provides technical support and guidance on approaches to address L&D. The Santiago Network, on the other hand, is an L&D capacity-building initiative. Their interconnectedness and respective mandates will be pivotal in the discussions at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

WIM, established in 2013, offers an overarching framework from which both the Santiago Network and the Loss and Damage Fund were developed. Mandated as the conceptual umbrella, it has spearheaded technical studies across five key L&D areas: 1) slow-onset climate events, 2) non-economic losses, 3) comprehensive risk management, 4) displacement and 5) action and support. These studies have fostered the development of several methodologies and guidelines that enable the testing and piloting of community-led projects in diverse ecosystems.

At the same time, these studies have enhanced the technical capacities of participating countries, as they help in distinguishing L&D from adaptation, demonstrating how the latest climate science can inform policymaking relevant to averting, minimising and addressing L&D. This body of literature has also sparked a process of distinguishing L&D from adaptation in order to facilitate a distinct financing stream under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Regrettably, Pakistan’s weak technical capacity and lack of coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which represents Pakistan in the WIM Executive Committee, and the Ministry of Climate Change (MOCC), which represents Pakistan in the Santiago Network, have hindered its effective engagement.

As a result, our climate and other sectoral policies, including the Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plan, are not informed by these five crucial areas of L&D action. Pakistan’s absence from technical groups has been a missed opportunity in augmenting national capacity.

Established under the WIM in 2019, the Santiago Network is a vital initiative aimed at providing technical assistance to particularly vulnerable countries like Pakistan. Its mandate is to facilitate technical assistance, connecting nations with relevant organisations, networks and experts. At present, it is still trying to scale up its activities since its operationalisation in 2022.

Despite its limitations, including limited staffing and financing, the network remains critical in supporting vulnerable nations in their efforts to cope with adverse climate effects through targeted technical assistance, knowledge sharing and capacity-building. The network’s efforts will assume a greater importance in helping countries develop the capacity to effectively access and utilise financial support from the LDF.

This will extend the network’s role beyond mere technical assistance. The review of the WIM has been a contentious issue since COP24, with ongoing debates over COP/CMA governance. This lack of agreement has stalled meaningful progress on WIM’s long-term vision.

Last year’s climate summit, COP28, in Dubai, marked a critical juncture for these climate finance mechanisms. For the Santiago Network, the discussions also touched on how to integrate it more closely with the LDF to ensure seamless support from technical assistance to financial support.

Pakistan successfully secured a seat on the governance structures of both the LDF and the Santiago Network, represented by this author at the LDF and by the climate ministry secretary at the Santiago Network. Frequent posting and transfers of officers at MOCC has further hampered Pakistan’s participation in the Santiago Network.

While the WIM serves as the overarching framework, the Santiago Network focuses on technical assistance, and the LDF represents the financial backbone required to implement robust climate action. This tripartite structure reflects a holistic approach to tackling climate vulnerabilities.

The existence of these three mechanisms encourages policy coherence at national and international levels, enabling countries to align their climate strategies and leverage support across all three areas. As these mechanisms evolve and mature, they have the potential to bridge the gap between those most affected by climate change and the resources they desperately need.

At COP29 in Baku, the interplay between these three mechanisms is expected to resurface. Key discussions will likely involve establishing clear criteria for accessing support and ensuring transparency in decision-making processes. There will likely be a strong push for greater integration among the three mechanisms, focusing on strengthening the WIM’s capacity to provide strategic guidance to the other two mechanisms, ensuring coherence and maximising their collective impact.

This could involve creating streamlined processes for countries to access technical support through the Santiago Network in tandem with financial aid from the LDF. Developing robust methodologies for measuring the impact of interventions, in such areas as non-economic loss and damage (NELD), supported by these mechanisms will be vital for demonstrating their value and securing ongoing support.

Additionally, expanding the network of partners involved in the Santiago Network and diversifying funding sources for the LDF are likely to be on the agenda. There may be increased attention on how these mechanisms can better address non-economic losses and damages, such as the loss of culture and biodiversity.

Another key aspect is ensuring that LD finance is integrated into the New Collective Quantified Goals (NCQGs). However, developed countries have so far resisted including any specific L&D financing targets within the NCQG framework.

As climate impacts intensify, the global community’s ability to operationalise and harmonise these mechanisms will be critical. The discussions at COP29 in Baku will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of climate finance for L&D. The effectiveness of these mechanisms in delivering timely, efficient and comprehensive support to those on the frontlines of climate change will serve as a litmus test for global solidarity.

Header Image: Climate and human rights activists in a rally organised by the Asia Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development at Karachi Press Club, Pakistan in September, 2024 (Credit: Pakistan Press International/Alamy)

This article was originally published in Dialogue Earth and has been reproduced here with permission.

Pakistan

Rights review

Rabiya Javeri Agha

Published October 17, 2024 

DAWN

LIKE any country in the world, Pakistan is host to multifaceted and complex human rights issues. The country’s marginalised groups, women, minorities, and children frequently face systemic rights violations that are rooted in entrenched power structures.

Perpetrators enjoy impunity, with little rehabilitative support offered to victims. It is thus of little surprise that Pakistan’s performance on international indexes is faltering. Pakistan ranked 164 out of 193 countries under the latest Human Development Index, placing it firmly in the “low human development” category in terms of education, health and income levels.

The situation on the ground is worrying, especially when one considers the Government of Pakistan’s international commitments under the seven core United Nations human rights treaties it has ratified. These treaties are more than just paper. They create concrete obligations for the government to respect and fulfil key civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of all those in its territory. On Oct 17, 2024, the Government of Pakistan’s performance pertaining to civil and political rights, as enshrined under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), will come under review before the UN Human Rights Committee. The committee will engage in a constructive dialogue with the government, at the end of which a list of recommendations will be issued.

While Pakistan has ratified the core UN human rights treaties, its commitment to upholding the rights within remains fragile. The upcoming review underscores the importance of reform. The National Commission for Human Rights (NHCR) plays a pivotal role in this process. In its capacity as an official, independent rights watchdog under the NCHR Act of 2012, it has resolved over 7,900 cases and played a key role in advocating for human rights at home and abroad. Through its research and advocacy, the NCHR has successfully challenged discriminatory practices, secured the release of prisoners, and worked to maintain our operational independence despite challenges. However, these efforts alone are not enough to reverse the systemic issues that hold Pakistan back. Our report to the UN committee outlines Pakistan’s legislative and administrative strides, but also highlights persistent challenges in enforcement.


Pakistan’s commitment to upholding human rights remains fragile.

An area of grave concern is violence against women. Despite constitutional and legal protections, 23 per cent of married women in Pakistan report physical abuse, while 26pc face emotional abuse. These alarming statistics point to systemic flaws in law enforcement and the judiciary, where patriarchal norms limit justice for victims. With only 18pc of reported rape cases reaching court, the path to justice is fraught with challenges. The economic cost of this violence, estimated at $189.7 million annually, is a further burden Pakistan can ill afford. Strengthening legal frameworks, providing better protection, and empowering women must become national priorities.

Religious minorities in Pakistan also face escalating violence and discrimination. The misuse of blasphemy laws led to 705 people being jailed by mid-2024, and continues to cause concern, while forced conversions — especially of Hindu girls — underline the vulnerabilities of marginalised communities. While legislative measures exist, enforcement is weak, leaving minority groups exposed to socioeconomic and religious persecution. The NCHR has worked diligently to address these issues but recognises that more comprehensive reforms are urg­e­ntly needed, particularly in tackling extremism and reforming re­­ligious education.

Torture and ill-treatment by law enforcement rem­ain troubling rea­lities. Despite the passage of the Tor­-ture and Custo­d­ial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act in 2022, implementation has been slow. Torture is not only a violation of human dignity, but a symptom of larger institutional flaws. Inhumane prison conditions, exacerbated by overcrowding and inadequate medical care, add to the suffering, with pre-trial detainees making up a significant portion of the prison population.

Pakistan’s international human rights obligations are not just boxes to be ticked — they represent the rights and dignity of its people. As we approach the next ICCPR review, the NCHR will continue to advocate for reforms that bring us closer to fulfilling these commitments. The government must act decisively to improve conditions for women, minorities, and the incarcerated, ensuring that no one in Pakistan is left behind. The future of human rights in Pakistan depends on meaningful action. It’s time to turn rhetoric into reality.

The writer is the chairperson of the National Commission for Human Rights.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2024

PAKISTAN

Bracing for impact

Editorial 

Published October 18, 2024 

DAWN

CLIMATE change is here to stay. As Pakistan confronts serious structural imbalances, recurring natural calamities — from massive floods and prolonged droughts to intense heat stress and food insecurity — are posing an existential threat to the country’s economic future. That the IMF has advised the authorities to spend at least 1pc of GDP annually on climate-resilient infrastructure highlights the expanding gap between what is being done and what needs to be done to combat this growing threat across Pakistan. Rising water shortages, desertification, rapid glacial melt, and unseasonal and intense monsoons accompanied by frequent large-scale flooding are all signs that it is necessary to take quick action. The need to improve climate resilience and adaptation in order to cope with and “prepare for recurring extreme weather events, and sustain economic growth, and reverse inequalities” has never been more urgent.

It has often been pointed out that Pakistan is among the top 10 nations in the world most affected by the changing climate. As such, it faces a significantly higher rate of warming than the global average, and increasing and greater climate variability. In emphasising the need for “proactive investment in climate-adaptive infrastructure”, as it could help “reduce the negative growth impact of a natural disaster shock by one-third while ensuring a quicker return of Pakistan to its previous GDP level by increasing its climate resilience and buffering climate shocks”, the new IMF policy note, in fact, paints a grim picture of the difficult task ahead. The reality is that an ever-widening resource crunch and regular economic crises have constrained the ability of the country to invest in climate resilience and adaptation. The world is not helping either. For example, only a fraction of what was committed to aiding Pakistan in the task of rebuilding infrastructure destroyed by the floods of 2022 and rehabilitating millions of affected people, has materialised. Nonetheless, it would be unfair to lay the entire blame for our poor climate-related investments at the door of others. Our own policymakers have failed to grasp the situation and plan accordingly. Take the country’s energy policy. Rather than encouraging investments in cleaner renewable solar and wind power, we remain focused on dirty coal, without realising its future costs to the environment, human health and livelihoods. Investments alone will not work without correcting our development policy course.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2024

AGRICULTURE: LOSING THE LUSCIOUS LYCHEE

Muhammad Sadaqat 

Published October 13, 2024
DAWN

A lychee tree in an orchard in Khanpur | Photo by the writer

Malik Fiaz, now 70, has been involved in lychee farming in the Panjkatha area of Khanpur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Haripur district for decades. It started with his father, and now his children and grandchildren are also working as pre-harvest fruit contractors.

But with the onset of unusual climatic events, particularly over the last few years, there has been a steady decline in produce and food size, resulting in shrinking profits. “Not too long ago, the Khanpuri lychee used to fetch a handsome amount of foreign exchange every season, with high demand in the Gulf states,” Fiaz tells Eos. “But now, we often worry about breaking even,” he adds.

Khanpur’s Panjkatha [Five Watercourses] is a conglomeration of over a dozen small and large countryside localities. The majority of its dwellers resettled there following displacement by the Khanpur Dam project in the 1970s. With fertile soil and abundant water, the area is known as the fruit basket of the district, with lychee among its most sought-after produce.

A recent survey, conducted by Dr Waseem Ahmed, an adjunct professor in the horticulture department at the University of Haripur (UoH), found that around 5,000 farmers across Haripur were growing lychee over roughly 1,500 hectares of land. The fruit is harvested between June and July, with an estimated yield of 15,000-20,000 metric tonnes, and an appraised yearly worth of Rs1.5-2 billion (USD 10-15 million), says Dr Ahmed.



Until a few years ago, lychee farmers in KP’s Haripur district were earning Pakistan hefty foreign exchange from export of their much sought-after fruit. But climate change and environmental deterioration have meant they are now scrambling to meet even domestic demand

It also provides employment opportunities to hundreds of unskilled and skilled workers, with Dr Ahmed telling Eos that the flowering to ripening duration of the fruit lasts between 120-150 days, with processes such as pruning, fertilisation, pest/disease management and irrigation involving 150-200 people per hectare.

ORIGINS OF LYCHEE

The lychee is a native to Southeast Asia and has been a favourite fruit of the Cantonese since ancient times, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. China is the main producer of lychees, followed by India, with production also occurring in other countries in Southeast Asia.

According to the records of the provincial agriculture department, the Nursery Fruit Farm, locally known as Sarkari Bagh and spread over 128 kanals (one kanal is approximately 500 sq metres), was established during British rule in 1913. It included a lychee farm of around 180 trees, spread over 22 kanals.

Octogenarian Haider Khan, a retired teacher, relying on oral history, says his grandfather told him that lychee was first cultivated in Haripur during the early days of Sikh rule. “The Sarkari Bagh was established by General Hari Singh Nalwa in 1822, and its original name is Hari ka Bagh or Garden of Hari Singh Nalwa,” Khan tells Eos.

A 2008 paper, published in Acta Horticulturae, contends that lychee was first introduced in Pakistan in the 1930s by Sardar Faqir Singh from Dheradun in India, and remained an exotic plant until the 1960s, when commercial production started from few orchards located near Lahore. Owing to its good fruit quality and profitability, large scale plantations expanded to Haripur, Hazara and, later, to parts of Sindh.

CLIMATIC CHANGES

In the last few years, farmers tell Eos, the fruit size and harvest quantity of lychee has decreased drastically, due to climatic events. These include changes in temperature and precipitation levels, unpredictable rainfall and increased frequency of extreme weather events, such as flash floods and droughts,

The rise in temperature causes lychee flowers to bloom earlier, making them more vulnerable to frost damage. The warmer temperatures are causing the lychee growing season to shift, potentially leading to missed flowering and fruiting stages.

Changes in precipitation patterns and increased evaporation due to warmer temperatures are also affecting irrigation water accessibility, impacting lychee yields.

Fiaz Malik says that recent wildfires in the surrounding hilly areas have added to the increase in temperature — going as high as 45 degrees Celsius — and there is a shortage of irrigation water from Khanpur Dam, causing the fruit’s skin to crack, also known as ‘lychee browning.’

“These two key factors have reduced the yield by 60 percent,” he tells Eos. “We used to export lychee, but now we are unable to meet the local market’s needs.”

Moreover, the orchards’ proximity to the Hattar Economic Zone, home to over 600 industries, is also cited as a reason for the decline in output. Ahsan Khan, a development practitioner from the area, tells Eos that these industries are major emitters of greenhouse gases. “They also contribute water and soil pollutants in the area, due to non-compliance of National Environmental Quality Standards [NEQs], as a result of legal and administrative shortcomings,” he adds.

UNRELIABLE DATA SETS

According to data from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Directorate of Crop Reporting Services, Haripur had 10,456 hectares of irrigated land in 2017-2018, out of a total cropped area of 84,324 hectares. In that year, the province-wide production of kharif [monsoon] fruits, such as guava, apple, apricot, banana, plum (including lychee, which was placed in the ‘others’ column of the report) was reported to be 343,081 tonnes, which was 3.2 percent less than the previous year. The report said the kharif fruit crops were spread over 36,637 hectares. It added that, in Haripur, 565 hectares were used for kharif fruit crops, and total production in the district was 5,088 tonnes, with lychee not mentioned as a separate fruit despite its significance.

Interestingly, statistics for 2022, from the local crop reporting service of Haripur — which reports to the provincial department — show that 88 hectares of land was under kharif fruit crops, including lychee, with gross production at 4,943 tonnes. This would mean a nearly 85 percent decrease in coverage area and a 2.8 percent decrease in production.

When this disparity was highlighted to the directorate in Peshawar, its officials said that the local record was reliable as the data was based on information collected by the revenue department. The department said the reduction in coverage area and orchards was due to the unplanned growth of residential societies and commercialisation.

One local fruit contractor tells Eos that the Panjkatha area has around 125 acres (around 50 hectares) of lychee orchards left. “Around 50 acres of orchards were cut down due to water shortage and unchecked growth of residential societies during the last four years,” says Muhammad Murtaza.

IN SEARCH OF Solutions

Experts agree that farmers growing the lychee crop need to take adaptive measures, such as selecting resilient lychee varieties, adjusting planting schedules, implementing water management strategies, and adopting climate-smart agricultural practices to mitigate the effects of climate change.

This includes, according to Dr Ahmed, using known approaches to counter lychee browning. “One approach to control it involves using abscisic acid to reduce polyphenol oxides and peroxides activity, effectively controlling peel browning,” he tells Eos.

Another method includes treating lychee fruit with a melatonin solution before harvesting, followed by cleaning with acidic electrolysed water and storing the fruit in modified-atmosphere packaging with polythene film bags, resulting in reduced disease occurrence and peel browning, Dr Ahmed continues.

Dr Abdul Qayum, a climate change expert at the agronomy department of the University of Haripur recommends the development of climate-resilient lychee varieties, and the implementation of efficient irrigation systems and management practices to reduce water stress and optimise water use.

Meanwhile, the agriculture department has planted different fruit species over an area of 250 hectares in Haripur as part of a World Bank-funded project to achieve climatic resilience through horticulture. “We are also educating farmers to adopt and adapt climate-resilient agriculture practices,” says Mumtaz Khan, the department’s district director in Haripur.

Ahsan Khan, the local development practitioner, says there is a need to bring under control the hazardous industrial emissions and chemical-laden sewers from the industries in Hattar in order to protect the ecosystem, especially fruit orchards.

The writer is a freelance journalist and human rights defender based in KP.

 X: @MSadqat

Published in Dawn, EOS, October 13th, 2024