US jury awards $25m in damages over Unite the Right rally

IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

Image caption,

Richard Spencer, who coined the term "alt-right", was among the defendants

A US jury has awarded $25m (£19m) in damages against the organisers of a deadly far-right rally in August 2017.

The defendants were found liable in four out of six counts over the bloodshed at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The civil lawsuit was filed by nine people who suffered physical or emotional injuries in the rally.

A woman was killed and dozens were hurt after an avowed neo-Nazi drove a car into counter-protesters.

In court, the jury awarded $500,000 in punitive damages against 12 defendants, and $1m against five white supremacist organisations. Punitive damages are awarded at a court's discretion to punish a defendant for conduct judged to be especially harmful.

A total of $12m in punitive damages was also imposed against the driver of the car in the fatal incident.

The jury of 11 deliberated for over three days following nearly a month of testimony at the trial in Charlottesville.

The two federal conspiracy charges that jurors could not agree on alleged that the defendants had plotted to commit racially motivated violence.

Roberta Kaplan, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said they plan to refile the lawsuit so a new jury can decide on those two charges.

The legal action alleged that the defendants "brought with them to Charlottesville the imagery of the Holocaust, of slavery, of Jim Crow and of fascism".

"They also brought with them semi-automatic weapons, pistols, mace, rods, armour, shields and torches," the lawsuit said.

The statue of General Robert E Lee was towed away from Market Street Park, Charlottesville

The defendants include several prominent figures in America's white nationalist and far-right sphere.

Among those found liable in the case were Jason Kessler, the rally's main organiser, and Richard Spencer, who came up with the term "alt-right" and spoke at the event.

Another defendant, Christopher Cantwell, became famous as "the crying Nazi" after an emotional YouTube video he posted once the rally went viral.

The lawsuit largely rested on an 1871 law passed after the US Civil War to protect black Americans, following their emancipation from slavery, from the Ku Klux Klan.

• US white supremacists face a legal reckoning

It allows private citizens to sue others believed to have committed civil rights violations - with the condition that the plaintiffs must prove that they conspired to do so.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs also collected more than 5.3 terabytes of data to help them make their case, including social media posts and chat exchanges.

The rally began as a protest against the removal of a Confederate statue.

Then-President Donald Trump came under fire after saying afterwards that there were "very fine people on both sides". In the same speech he also said neo-Nazis and white nationalists "should be condemned totally".

A counter-protester, 32-year-old Heather Heyer, was killed when James Alex Fields drove his car into a crowd. He was sentenced to life in prison in June 2019.

The civil case included testimony from survivors of the incident.

"It was a complete terror scene. It was blood everywhere," one of the plaintiffs, Marissa Blair, testified. "I was terrified."

The defendants sought to distance themselves from the violence and maintained that there was no conspiracy. They said none of them knew Fields and so they could not have predicted he would ram a vehicle into a crowd.

"None of these defendants could have foreseen what James Fields did," Mr Kessler's attorney said.

The defendants argued that their racist views were protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees free speech, and that their rhetoric before the rally was just bluster.

They also said they had acted in self-defence and that the police bore responsibility for failing to keep the two sides from fighting.

Court testimony, however, suggested that some of the organisers could have foreseen the violence.

Former extremist Samantha Froelich, for example, testified that the idea of using vehicles to target counter-protesters was discussed ahead of the event.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs have said they hope the lawsuit acts as a deterrent against further extremist rallies.

Amy Spitalnick, executive director of Integrity First for America, which backed the legal action, told the BBC in October that "a case like this can also have much broader impacts in making clear there will be very real consequences for violence extremism".

Dutch 'Bible Belt' targeted in Covid vaccine drive


Only around one-third of people have been jabbed in Urk as protests against vaccinations have spread across the Netherlands (AFP/Jeroen JUMELET)

Danny KEMP
Tue, November 23, 2021, 9:08 AM·4 min read

From his surgery in the remote Dutch fishing village of Urk, family doctor Wilco Bloed is trying to win over coronavirus vaccine hold-outs who believe that God is on their side.

Only around one-third of people have been jabbed in this community deep in the conservative Protestant "Bible Belt" region, fewer than anywhere else in the Netherlands.

But with Covid-19 cases soaring nationwide, doctors in Urk have started their own vaccination campaign to reach out and convince people to get the shot.


"We started the initiative because Urk is the place in the Netherlands with the lowest vaccination rate, under 30 percent, and because the contaminations were really going up," Bloed told AFP.

"So as family doctors we have decided to offer vaccinations in the practices (instead of vaccination centres)."

It will "offer a possibility to have a conversation (with a trusted person) and remove barriers, and to get the vaccination rate up", he added.

Rates have since risen to 35 percent since the scheme started at the beginning of November, but that is still far below the national adult vaccination rate of 84.7 percent.

"The aversion to vaccination was quite large... it is true that people in Urk can be quite stubborn," said the doctor, who moved to the village 15 years ago.

- 'God's providence' -

Urk was "ground zero" for the Netherlands' worst riots in decades, which erupted in January over a coronavirus curfew.

Since then the village has seen scuffles with journalists outside churches that held services during lockdown, and a small outbreak of unrest on Saturday night as fresh rioting gripped the country.

The village with its picture-postcard harbour and fishermen's cottages was an island until 70 years ago when it was joined to the Dutch mainland by a land reclamation project, and it maintains its isolated mentality.

"If the rest of the Netherlands does one thing, Urk does the other," said Jacob, a 21 year old from Urk fishing on the harbour with his friend, who did not want to give his full name.

Urk has above all retained the strict Calvinist beliefs of the so-called Bible Belt that stretches through the heart of the Netherlands.

The church's beliefs on vaccination too have long been a key factor in low uptake rates for all kinds of jabs, with a measles outbreak in Urk two years ago.

Vaccination is seen by some as intervening in God's will, but the issue is complex, says Reverend Alwin Uitslag, of the Christian Reformed Eben-Haezerkerk church in Urk.

"On the one hand the Bible says that you can take precautions. So you may prepare for certain crisis," such as coronavirus, Uitslag told AFP.

"Another part says vaccinating is not allowed because you intervene in God's providence."

- Not just religion -

He described his church as "strict", with rules that also include two church services on Sundays, on which shops are closed and people may not go to work.

Women are required to wear dresses and to put on headscarves for worship.

But when it comes to Covid vaccines, the final choice was left to people's "individual conscience", said the pastor.

"It is my job to give good information to the church members, it's not my job to give them direction to do it or not to do it," he said, without revealing whether he had been jabbed.

In this village where science and religion collide, doctors and pastors say they have been talking to try to find the best way forward.

Religion was however "actually a very small part" of the problem, said Bloed.

Instead it was "largely fear of side effects", coupled with Urk's isolation from the government in The Hague, disinformation, and a young population that is more likely to be resistant to vaccination.

The results of the campaign, being carried out with the Dutch GGD health authority and local municipality, have so far been encouraging although there is far to go.

"In the first week and a half, the same number of injections was given as the GGD did four weeks before, though we see it slow down a bit," said Bloed.

But the doctor, who is also a member of the village's Reformed churches, said he kept his own religious beliefs out of things.

"Look I'm also Christian. And yes you don't have to agree on everything," he said.

dk-jcp/gw

EU parliament greenlights farm subsidy plan


French farmers are again set to receive the biggest share of EU subsidies 

(AFP/JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER)

Tue, November 23, 2021, 9:11 AM·2 min read

The European Parliament gave its final green light on Tuesday to the EU's vast farm subsidy programme despite the opposition of environmentalists, who denounced its terms as "greenwashing".

The sums involved are huge. The common agricultural policy, or CAP, runs to 387 billion euros ($472 billion) over seven years -- a third of the EU's total multi-year budget -- with 270 billion euros going in direct aid to Europe's farmers.

The EU's spending bonanza will come into effect in 2023 and France remains the main beneficiary country. MEPs overwhelmingly voted in favour of the three texts that made up the total subsidy package.

The reform, which took months to conclude with EU member states, pays premiums to farmers who partake in greener activities, use more environmentally friendly techniques or help improve animal welfare.

In theory, member states will have to devote an average of 25 percent per year of direct payments to these "eco-regimes" between 2023 and 2027, with the possibility of devoting only 20 percent in the first two years.

"This is a first," said German MEP Peter Jahr, who led on one of the programme's three legislative texts.

"Our task was to have a coherent reform within the time limit and we have succeeded," he said.

Under the law, Brussels will verify that member states comply with the bloc's objectives of reducing greenhouse gases as well as reducing pesticides by half by 2030. A quarter of the land is also to be reserved for organic farming.

But climate campaigner Greta Thunberg said ahead of the vote that the plan was "disastrous to the climate and environment", while Greens MEP Benoit Biteau called it a "gift for the Eurosceptics, agribusiness and climate sceptics who have worked to ensure that this CAP serves the largest farms."

Critics argue that the vast majority of subsidies come without climate-friendly conditions or oversight and that the green aspects have been watered down since the previous multi-year package.

The proposal now goes back to EU member states for a final vote, before it officially goes into effect.

alm/arp/dc/tgb

India announces bill to ban cryptocurrencies

Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned last week that Bitcoin presents a risk to younger generations 

Nivrita GANGULY
Tue, November 23, 2021, 

India's government will introduce a bill to ban private cryptocurrencies and create a framework for a central bank-backed digital money, parliament said in a shock announcement late Tuesday.

The proposed bill "seeks to prohibit all private cryptocurrencies in India", the Lok Sabha said, and comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned last week that Bitcoin presents a risk to younger generations and could "spoil our youth" if it ends up "in the wrong hands".

It is the latest such move by a major emerging economy, after China declared all cryptocurrency transactions illegal in September.

India's crypto market has boomed since the country's Supreme Court overturned a previous ban in April last year, growing more than 600 percent over the past year according to research by Chainalysis.

Between 15 and 100 million people in Asia's third-largest economy are estimated to own cryptocurrencies, with total holdings in the billions of dollars.

Their investments will now face an uncertain future.

India's central bank announced in June that it is working to introduce its own digital currency by the end of the year, while warning it has "serious concerns" about private cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and others.

The bill, to come before the new legislative session, will allow for some exceptions to promote cryptocurrency technology, according to parliament's bulletin of upcoming business, but no further details about the proposed legislation were released.

The market price of Bitcoin appeared unaffected and was up 1.67 percent in Tuesday's trade.

But the phrasing of the proposed bill sent alarm bells ringing among local traders and enthusiasts.

"The wording has created a panic," Kashif Raza, founder of crypto-education platform Bitinning, said, adding that the industry expected the government to take a more favourable view after recent consultations with the industry.

"Obviously there will be a shutter-down on the industry," he added. "The industry will die in its natural way. Intellectual capital will move away, investors will face losses."

- Under scrutiny -

Cryptocurrencies have been under scrutiny by Indian regulators since first entering the local market in 2013.

A surge in fraudulent crypto transactions following the Modi government's demonetisation of nearly all banknotes in 2016 led to the country's central bank banning crypto transactions in April 2018.

The Supreme Court lifted the ban two years later and investments have surged in the time since.

Indians have been bombarded in recent months with advertisements for CoinSwitchKuber, CoinDCX and other home-grown crypto exchanges across television channels, online streaming services and social media.

These platforms spent more than 500 million rupees ($6.7 million) on advertising spots during the recently concluded T20 cricket World Cup, research by TAM Sports showed, with viewers subjected to an average of 51 cryptocurrency advertisements per match.

Analysts say regulation would be central to addressing security risks, with crypto exchanges increasingly targeted by cyber criminals as virtual currency prices soar.

ng/grk/gle/je

French military convoy blocked in Burkina Faso as protests continue

A convoy of French troops in Burkina Faso was stopped en route to Niger on Friday by a human barricade of protesters opposed to France's involvement in a regional conflict with jihadists. Anger is rising in the former French colony over the inability of Burkinabe and international forces to prevent rising violence by Islamist militants as FRANCE 24's Senior Reporter Cyril Payen explains.

State of emergency for Guatemalan town battling nickel mine


Guatemalan troops on patrol in October El Estor, an indigenous municipality in northeastern Guatemala that has been rocked by protests against a nickel mine (AFP/Johan ORDONEZ)

Henry MORALES ARANA
Tue, November 23, 2021

Guatemala has decreed a state of emergency in El Estor, an eastern town of mainly indigenous people in conflict with a Swiss-owned nickel mine they accuse of polluting their lake.

The measure was adopted Monday by the government, which said it aimed to "restore order and public security" threatened by "criminal groups and sectors opposed to mining activities."

Valid for 15 days, the state of emergency restricts gatherings and free movement, replacing a so-called "state of siege" that expired after a month on Monday.


That measure was announced by President Alejandro Giammattei in October after weeks of protests and road blockades by members of the Mayan Q'eqchi' indigenous group.

For a month now, the community of some 100,000 people has been under a night curfew enforced by 1,000 police officers and soldiers, while the "state of siege" also allowed for warrantless arrests and banned protests.

El Estor's subsistence fishermen say the Fenix mine operated by the Guatemalan Nickel Company (CGN), a subsidiary of the Swiss-based Solway Investment Group, is polluting Lake Izabal and diminishing fish stocks.

The mine's owners deny the allegation, saying adequate environmental protections are in place.

Frustrated residents mounted a protest against the mine in October that was put down by security forces using tear gas.

The confrontation left four police officers wounded, and followed on three weeks of blockades of truck traffic to the mine.

The community accuses CGN of continuing to mine at Fenix despite a 2019 Constitutional Court order for it to suspend operations until consultations are held with locals.

The company said the order related only to Fenix's extraction activities, and did not affect a processing plant operated by sister company PRONICO.

CGN president Dmitry Kudryakov recently told AFP the pollution allegations were mere "speculations" by a "small group".

ec-ltl/mlr/jh

NEOLIBERAL  PROTECTIONISM

Mexico president defends move to shield megaprojects


Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has moved to speed up megaprojects in the country that he says are vital to national security (AFP/PEDRO PARDO)


Tue, November 23, 2021

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday defended his government's move to speed up approval of major infrastructure projects considered vital to national security.

A decree published in the Official Gazette on Monday said that provisional authorization for public works in areas such as energy, tourism and transport must be issued within five business days.

Such infrastructure projects are in the "public interest" and part of "national security," it said.

Lopez Obrador has championed several megaprojects such a new Mexico City airport and his "Maya Train" that will link Caribbean resorts with ancient archaeological sites.

Legal challenges have led to delays, which experts said the decree appeared aimed at preventing in the future.

In the case of the Maya Train, indigenous communities allege that the railway will destroy fragile jungle ecosystems, and argue that prior consultations were insufficient.

Lopez Obrador rejected suggestions that the decree would make it hard to audit his flagship projects.

"It has nothing to do with transparency," he told reporters, saying government ministries were obliged to produce accounts.

"We all have the conviction to act honestly, (with) zero corruption," he added.

nc/dr/jh

STATIST POLICING 

Emirati general accused of torture up for Interpol top role




General Raisi (L) has been campaigning to become Interpol president, despite allegations of torture against him (AFP/Ozan KOSE)

Remi BANET
Tue, November 23, 2021

Interpol may on Thursday find itself with a new president, an Emirati general accused of torture, adding to concerns the global police agency risks being co-opted by repressive regimes.

General Ahmed Nasser Al-Raisi, head of the United Arab Emirates' security forces, has been seeking election to the largely ceremonial and voluntary role since last year.

That follows years of generous funding for the Lyon, France-based body by the Emirati regime and accusations that Interpol's system of so-called "red notices" for wanted suspects has been abused to persecute political dissidents.

Only the Czech Republic's Sarka Havrankova -- a veteran officer overseeing the country's international cooperation in police matters -- is standing against Raisi in elections at this year's Interpol General Assembly in Turkey for the four-year post.

"The election of General Al Raisi would undermine the mission and reputation of Interpol and severely affect the ability of the organisation to carry out its mission effectively," three European Parliament members wrote in a letter dated November 11 to European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen.

While the position of president is symbolic, endorsement of the general by the group's 195 members "would send a signal to other authoritarian governments" that using Interpol to pursue critics abroad "is okay", said Edward Lemon, an assistant professor specialising in transnational repression at Texas A&M University.

- 'Torture and barbarism' -

In October 2020, 19 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, expressed concern about the possible choice of Raisi, who they described as "part of a security apparatus that continues to systematically target peaceful critics".

Complaints of "torture" were filed against the general in recent months in France and Turkey, which is hosting the general assembly in Istanbul this week.

One of the complainants, British national Matthew Hedges, said he was detained and tortured between May and November 2018 in the United Arab Emirates, after he was arrested on false charges of espionage during a study trip.

In another complaint, lawyers for the Gulf Centre for Human Rights accuse the Emirati general of "acts of torture and barbarism" committed against government critic Ahmed Mansoor.

Mansoor has been detained since 2017 in a four-square-metre (43-square-foot) cell "without a mattress or protection against the cold" and "without access to a doctor, hygiene, water and sanitary facilities", the lawyers said.

These complaints have not resulted in any formal proceedings against Raisi.

Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock, who handles day-to-day management of the organisation, told journalists he was "aware of these accusations, which are currently an issue between the parties involved".

"It will be on Thursday the role of the member countries of Interpol to decide" on whether Raisi should get the role, said Stock, who was given a second five-year term in 2019.

South Korean Kim Jong-yang has been president of the organisation since the 2018 arrest of his predecessor Meng Hongwei in China, where he had served as a vice minister of public security.

"The questionable reputation of Raisi... whether deserved or not, is an important factor for the organisation," said Mathieu Deflem, sociology professor at the University of South Carolina and author of books on Interpol.

A report by a former British director of public prosecutions, Sir David Calvert-Smith, that was published in March concluded that the UAE hijacked the system of red notices -- international wanted notices -- to put pressure on opponents.

- 'Stymie reform' -

If he is elected on Thursday, Raisi would "likely work with like-minded governments to stymie reform efforts pushing for greater transparency in Interpol", Texas A&M's Lemon said.

Lemon said the UAE donated $54 million (48 million euros) to Interpol in 2017 -- an amount almost equivalent to the required contributions of all the organisation's 195 member countries. This amounted to $68 million (60 million euros) in 2020.

The UAE gave or had pledged to Interpol around 10 million euros in 2019, approximately seven percent of its total annual budget.

"Such funding reduces other members' ability to influence the organisation," Lemon said.

The Emirates hosted the general assembly in 2018 and wanted to host it again in 2020, he said.

That meeting was postponed due to Covid, and went to Turkey instead -- though the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan also faces accusations of mass detentions, abuse of trial process and repression.

Czech candidate Havrankova also believes these "very serious allegations" might prevent her rival's election.

"I'm just trying to bring the alternative," she said.

"It's for the delegations to decide how they want their organisation to be led."

rba/ach/raz/fo/pbr

1. The International Anti-Anarchist Conference of 1898 and ...
   https://www.jstor.org/stable/260577 · PDF file

   The International Anti-Anarchist Conference of 1898 and the Origins of Interpol The International Anti-Anarchist Conference which met in Rome in 1898 is one of those events that has slipped into virtual historical limbo. Apparently baffled by the secrecy that enshrouded the ses-sions and final resolutions of the Rome meeting, one historian has

1. Terrorism | Crime areas | Europol
   https://www.europol.europa.eu/crime-areas-and-trends/crime-areas/terrorism

   The report addresses terrorism in all its forms, namely: Jihadist terrorism. Ethno-nationalist and separatist terrorism. Left-wing and anarchist 

Interpol: Torture Accusations against UAE Candidate

JUSTICE, 22 Nov 2021

Kersten Knipp | Deutsche Welle - TRANSCEND Media Service

17 Nov 2021 – The new head of Interpol will be elected next week. However, one of the candidates — Major General Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi from the United Arab Emirates — has been accused of torture.

The UAE’s candidate for the new president of Interpol is highly disputed and accused of torture.

Politicians, human rights organisations and former foreign detainees are concerned about a candidate from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who is running for presidency of the International Police Organization (Interpol).

If elected, Major General Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi would succeed Kim Jong-yang of South Korea, who has been in office since 2018.

Controversial candidate: Major General Al-Raisi, pictured here in 2018 on Interpol’s Twitter account, following his election as Asia representative to the organization’s executive committee

There is also concern here in Germany. Earlier this week, three German politicians, Kai Gehring (the Greens), Peter Heidt (Free Democrats) and Frank Schwabe (Social Democrats) published a joint statement highlighting their fear for serious consequences for Interpol’s legal culture.

“Given the devastating human rights record of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the appointment of Mr Al-Raisi as president would be in blatant contradiction to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the organization’s mission,” they said, adding: “If nothing else, it would jeopardize Interpol’s international reputation.”

‘Directly involved in multiple cases’

The German MPs accuse the major of being “directly involved in human rights violations in a number of high-profile cases.”

They also see the major, who was appointed Emirati director general for “central operations” in 2005 and inspector general of the Interior Ministry in 2015, as an active representative of an authoritarian system.

“As a UAE state representative, Mr Al-Raisi is part of a security apparatus that systematically targets peaceful dissenters,” the three MPs wrote.

The statement further outlines that civil and political rights are severely restricted in the UAE and that dissidents, journalists and human rights defenders are subject to harsh reprisals, including enforced disappearances, torture, and arbitrary detentions under draconian anti-terror laws.

Those three German politicians are not the only ones voicing their concerns.

In late October, Human Rights Watch — together with 18 other human rights groups — had already expressed concerns about Al-Raisi’s candidacy.

In France, 35 French members of parliament called on President Emmanuel Macron to oppose Al-Raisi’s candidacy.

UAE rejects allegations

The UAE categorically rejects such accusations. “As a current member of Interpol’s Executive Committee, Major General Al-Raisi is a distinguished professional with a 40-year track record in community and national policing,” the UAE embassy in Germany wrote in a statement to DW.

The statement further says that “as the President of Interpol, he will remain committed to protecting people, making communities safer and providing global law enforcement the latest tools in the fight against sophisticated criminal networks.”

It continues by highlighting that the UAE is proud to be one of the safest countries in the world.

“The UAE also is the most progressive force for positive change in the world’s most difficult region. As an elected member of the UN Human Rights Council, the UAE prioritizes the protection of human rights at home and abroad, including the promotion of women’s empowerment, religious co-existence, and acceptance of people of determination.”

Complaints by former detainees

However, not only politicians but also formerly detained foreigners in the UAE are worried about the candidate.

Matthew Hedges (left) says he’s incredulous about news that al-Raisi could become head of Interpol

In May 2018, the British political scientist and security expert Matthew Hedges was arrested at Dubai airport after a two-week research stay during which he had conducted several interviews for his doctoral thesis.

The authorities accused him of spying for the UK.

In November that year, he was sentenced to life in prison, however, he was pardoned a few days later.

In May 2021, Hedges brought charges against four representatives of the Emirati authorities —  including Major General Al-Raisi —  who were allegedly linked to his arrest and the conditions of his detention.

He was physically intimidated and threatened, Hedges said in an interview on the phone with DW.

“I was told that nobody knew where I was and that I had no choice,” he continued and added that guards had also kept him from sleeping.

He had suffered panic attacks, after which his guards had forced him to drink a narcotic cocktail. Eventually, he even had suicidal thoughts. “All this was not just unacceptable behavior, but systematic abuse of power,” Hedges told DW.

The mere idea that Major General Al-Raisi could now be elected president of Interpol is inconceivable to Hedges. “He is responsible for torture. How can such a man become one of the world’s leading police officers? It’s ridiculous.”

Interpol headquarters in Lyon

A second British citizen, Ali Issa Ahmad, told DW on the phone about his time in detention in the UAE.

Ahmad had traveled to the UAE in January 2019 for the Asian Football Championship.

During the Qatar vs Iraq match on January 22, he had put on a Qatari team shirt. However, at that time, the Emirate was effectively considered a political enemy of the UAE following a former boycott initiated by Saudi Arabia. Employees of the UAE security authorities took the shirt from Ahmad.

Claiming that he didn’t know it was forbidden, Ahmad wore another Qatari team T-shirt the next day on the beach, and was arrested. Ahmad reports in an interview with DW that he was beaten, and at times, a plastic bag was pulled over his head. During his detention, he was also kept from sleeping.

While this cannot be verified independently, it is consistent with similar reports from international human rights groups.

Ahmad has filed a complaint against six representatives of the UAE security authorities — among them Major General Ahmed Naser al-Raisi.

“When I heard that he could possibly become president of Interpol, I was shocked,” Ahmad said.

Abuse of red notices?

The German Green MP Kai Gehring is convinced that “a repressive state that disregards elementary human rights and the principles of the rule of law in such a way should not be given such influence over the most important international police organization.”

He is particularly critical of the possible use of so-called red notices to locate individuals wanted for serious crimes by the UAE security apparatus. These could be misused to have political opponents arrested, Gehring fears.

Among those is Ahmed Mansoor, an activist and blogger who has been imprisoned in the UAE since 2017. Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accuse the UAE of treating Mansoor in violation of human rights standards.

As a result, the Gulf Center for Human Rights has charged Al-Raisi in a French court. It accuses him of being responsible for the torture of Ahmed Mansoor.

Detained: Activist and blogger Ahmed Mansoor

And yet, the UAE’s embassy argues that they have been a proud and committed member of Interpol since 1973.

“The country has a distinguished track record working in partnership with fellow members to disrupt criminal networks and bring fugitives to justice,” the embassy wrote in a statement addressed to DW.

The statement further highlights that “between 2018 and 2021, 516 lawbreakers wanted by 58 countries were arrested and handed over by the UAE for crimes relating to criminal association, theft, fraud, money laundering, terrorism, and other crimes.”

However, human rights issues weren’t mentioned in this context at all.

__________________________________________________

This article was adapted from German by Jennifer Holleis.

Coal, an unavoidable pollutant in the harsh Afghan winter
 

Caroline TAIX
Tue, November 23, 2021

At a Kabul market, coal is arriving by the tonne as the winter cold sets in.

Even as prices rise, Afghans have few options but to burn it for heat, creating some of the world's most dangerous air.

"Pollution causes serious respiratory diseases ... All Afghans know what coal does," customer Amanullah Daudzai, dressed in a traditional beige shalwar kameez, tells AFP.


More than three months after the Taliban drove the Western-backed government out of the country, Afghanistan's economy is facing collapse.

In such desperate conditions, Daudzai says coal is still cheaper than the alternatives.

"If we had electricity and gas, people wouldn't use coal," says one of the market traders, Abdullah Rahimi.

None of Rahimi's 40 or so employees seems to have escaped the black dust that has crept deep into the wrinkles of the older workers.

It is already well established under the nails of the younger staff, and is probably inside their bronchial tubes as well, though some are not yet 15 years old.

They throw blocks of coal to each other, push wheelbarrows loaded with bags, make piles with shovels, and load customers' vehicles.

- 'Hotter and hotter' -

It is a long way from this month's COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, where nearly 200 nations signed a deal to try to halt runaway global warming, naming coal use among the main culprits.

Afghanistan, one of the world's poorest countries, remains a relatively modest polluter.

In 2018, the average Afghan caused 0.2 tonnes of CO2 emissions, compared with about 15 from the average American, World Bank figures show.

Nevertheless, Kabul is often ranked in the top 10 worst cities for pollution globally.

Every winter the air in the capital, located at an altitude of 1,800 metres (5,900 feet), becomes toxic, filled with smoke from domestic heaters burning coal, wood and any other waste that can be burned, from household garbage to car tyres.

From the surrounding mountains, the thick cloud of smog that covers the basin where at least five million people live can clearly be seen.

"Global warming is a problem for the whole world. We are aware of it here," says Daudzai.

"It's getting hotter and hotter, we don't get snow every winter like we used to."

- Buying coal to survive -

Plagued by decades of war, and still reeling from the consequences of the Taliban takeover in August, the environment is rarely a priority for Afghans.

International aid has dried up and the economy has come to a standstill, while climate change-related drought is spreading hunger.

Coal prices have risen by nine percent in the past year, partly because of more expensive transport.

"Before, we used to sell one or two truckloads a day. Now we need 15 or 20 days," says the trader Rahimi.

Mohammad Yusuf Mangal, a 21-year-old real estate agent, has just negotiated to buy five tonnes. He will need six more to keep himself warm all winter.

Business is suffering, but "we have to buy coal to survive" the winter, he says.

At another market, Sharifa Atayee, a 38-year-old widow with five children who had come to ask about prices, gives up.

"It's too expensive this year," she says.

She does not know when she will be able to buy more. She used to work in the police force, but has been unemployed since the arrival of the Taliban.

Now without a salary, she has sold all her gold and jewellery, but it is not enough.

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Coal, an unavoidable pollutant in the harsh Afghan winterCoal dust coats a worker at a coal yard on the outskirts on Kabul (AFP/WAKIL KOHSAR)