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Category: Crime

  • Philippine Supreme Court orders ‘temporary protection’ for abducted environmental activist

    By Jairo Bolledo in Manila

    The Philippine Supreme Court has granted temporary protection to an environmental activist abducted in Pangasinan earlier this year.

    In its resolution dated September 9 — but only made public this week — the court granted Francisco “Eco” Dangla III’s petition for temporary protection, and prohibited the respondents, including high-ranking soldiers and police officers, to be near the activist’s location.

    “Furthermore, you, respondents, and all persons and entities acting and operating under your directions, instructions, and orders are PROHIBITED from entering within a radius of one kilometer of the person, places of residence, work, and present locations of petitioner and his immediate family,” the resolution read.

    The respondents are:

    • Philippine Army chief Lieutenant General Roy Galido
    • Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Rommel Francisco Marbil
    • Brigadier General Gulliver Señires (in his capacity as 702nd Brigade commanding general Brigadier)
    • Ilocos Region police chief Police Brigadier General Lou Evangelista
    • Police Colonel Jeff Fanged (in his capacity as Pangasinan police chief)

    Aside from giving Dangla temporary protection, the court also granted his petition for writs of amparo and habeas data. A writ of amparo is a legal remedy, which is usually a protection order in the form of a restraining order.

    The writ of habeas data compels the government to destroy information that could cause harm.

    These extraordinary writs are usually invoked by activists and progressives in the Philippines as they face intimidation from the government and its forces.

    Dangla’s abduction
    Dangla and another activist, Joxelle Tiong, were abducted in Pangasinan last March 24.

    According to witnesses, they saw two men who were forced to board a vehicle in Barangay Polo, San Carlos City.

    The two activists, who who had been red-tagged for their advocacies, were serving as convenors of the Pangasinan People’s Strike for the Environment.

    They “vocally defended the people and ecosystems of Pangasinan against the harms of coal-fired power plants, nuclear power plants, incinerator plants, and offshore mining in Lingayen Gulf,” at the time of their abduction.

    Three days later, several groups announced that Dangla and Tiong were found safe, but that the two had gone through a “harrowing ordeal.”

    ‘Bruised but alive’: Missing environmental activists in Pangasinan found safe
    “Bruised but alive” . . . the environmental activists abducted in Pangasinan but found safe, Francisco ‘Eco’ Dangla III (left) and Joxelle ‘Jak’ Tiong. Image: Rappler

    The reality
    The protection given to Dangla is only temporary as the Court of Appeals still needs to conduct hearings on the petition. In other words, the Supreme Court only granted the writ, but the power to whether grant or deny Dangla the privilege of the writs of amparo and habeas data lies with the Court of Appeals.

    There have been instances where the appellate court granted activists the privilege of writ of amparo, like in the case of labour activists Loi Magbanua and Ador Juat, where the court issued permanent protection orders for them and their immediate families.

    Unfortunately, this was not the case for other activists, such as young environmentalists Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro.

    The two were first reported missing by activist groups. Security forces later said they were “safe and sound” and that they had allegedly “voluntarily surrendered” to the military.

    However, Tamano and Castro went off-script during a press conference organised by the anti-insurgency task force and revealed that they were actually abducted.

    In February, the High Court granted the two temporary protection and their writs of amparo and habeas data petitions. However, the appellate court in August denied the protection order for Tamano and Castro.

    Associate Justice Emily San Gaspar-Gito fully dissented in the decision and said: “It would be uncharacteristic for the courts, especially this court, to simply fold their arms and ignore the palpable threats to petitioners’ life, liberty and security and just wait for the irreversible to happen to them.”

    Republished with permission from Rappler.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • CPJ ranks Israel second-to-top on unpunished journalist murders index in Gaza ‘relentless war’

    Pacific Media Watch

    Israel is the world’s second-worst offender after Haiti in letting the murder of journalists go unpunished, according to a new report from the Committee to Protect Journalists, reports Al Jazeera.

    According to the CPJ’s 2024 Global Impunity Index, released yesterday, Somalia, Syria and South Sudan round up the list of the top five countries allowing journalists’ killers to evade justice.

    “What’s clear from our index is that Israel is not committed to investigating or punishing those who have killed journalists . . .  Israel has deliberately targeted journalists for being journalists,” CPJ chief executive Jodie Ginsberg told Al Jazeera.

    She said that in some cases, Israel had announced the killings, claiming without evidence the reporters were “terrorists”.

    In others, like the killing of three Lebanese journalists last week, it was clear they were targeted since nothing else was in the area.

    The CPJ index also noted that globally, nobody was held accountable for 80 percent of cases related to the murder of journalists, and in at least 241 killings there had been evidence that the journalists were directly targeted for their work.

    Rise of criminal gangs
    The index — which was launched in 2008 — comprises 13 nations this year and includes both democracies and non-democratic governments.

    Haiti, which tops the list, has been challenged by the rise of criminal gangs, who played a role in destabilising the country’s administrative and judicial institutions, resulting in the murders of at least seven journalists remaining unresolved in the country, the index said.

    Meanwhile, Israel, which ranks second on the list, has appeared on the index for the first time since its inception.

    The CPJ said the country’s “failure to hold anyone to account in the targeted killing of five journalists in Gaza and Lebanon in a year of relentless war”, had resulted in its ranking on the index.

    While the press freedom NGO is investigating the killings of at least 10 journalists, the CPJ said the number of murdered journalists might still be higher, considering the scale of Israel’s war in Gaza and Lebanon.

    Israel ‘deliberately targeted journalists’
    At least 128 journalists and media workers are among the tens of thousands of people Israel has killed in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon over the past year — the deadliest time for journalists since the CPJ began to track the killings more than four decades ago.

    However, some media freedom watchdogs put the death toll higher. The Gaza Media Office lists 182 Palestinian journalists killed by Israel since 7 October 2023.

    The CPJ index also noted that Mexico has recorded the highest overall number of unpunished murders of journalists – 21 – during the index period and ranks eighth on the index because of its sizeable population.

    Asian countries like Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan and the Philippines have been appearing on the index regularly since its inception.

    Calling on the international community to help journalists, Ginsberg said in a statement: “Murder is the ultimate weapon to silence journalists.”

    “Once impunity takes hold, it sends a clear message: that killing a journalist is acceptable and that those who continue reporting may face a similar fate.”

    Republished by Pacific Media Watch.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • PNG bus shooting: ‘This sort of revenge killing is unheard of’

    By Grace Tinetali-Fiavaai, RNZ Pacific journalist

    Papua New Guinea police say 10 people have been tragically killed after a series of violent “revenge killings” along the Laiagam-Sirunki Highway in the Highlands province of Enga.

    The attacks, which occured last Friday and Monday, are believed to be connected to an unresolved death that took place in March earlier this year.

    Police said that gunmen from the Mulapin tribe ambushed a vehicle packed with passengers from the Sakare clan near Tambitanis Health Centre in Sirunki on October 11 at 8am.

    The vehicle, carrying a body, was fired upon in a surprise attack. A woman lost her life, several others sustained serious injuries, and the gunmen escaped.

    An hour later on the same day, the Sakare clan retaliated by shooting the driver and his passenger from close range. They reached a nearby hospital but succumbed to their injuries on arrival.

    The leadership of the Kunalin and Lyain tribes is urging restraint and for the clans not to resort to violence, police said.

    They have also called for the immediate surrender of suspects from both the Mulapin and Sakare tribes to law enforcement.

    Investigation into ‘root causes’
    Assistant Police Commissioner Joseph Tondop, who is responsible for the state of emergency in Enga, is calling for an investigation into the root causes of the recent conflict.

    “This sort of revenge killing is unheard of in the history of tribal conflicts in Enga Province where innocent people unrelated to the conflicts where killed,” he said.

    “All tribal clans taking part in the conflicts (Sakars, Mulapian, Kunalins, Myom and people form Kulapi 4 in Porgera) are all under the scope and ordered to refrain from further escalating the situation.”

    The investigative teams will start their work immediately, and individuals or groups found to be involved will be apprehended, he said.

    “This task force is given strict orders to carry out a thorough investigation, leaving no stone unturned.”

    RNZ Pacific’s correspondent in PNG, Scott Waide, said the public was frustrated that police were yet to make arrests.

    He said police found it difficult to deal with the clans and arrest people who were armed.

    Waide said people were reluctant to give up weapons because it gave them a sense of security in tribal conflicts.

    “It is a difficult situation that both lawmakers, citizens and police are in. The longer this drags on and guns are in the hands of ordinary people, killing will continue.”

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Deadly bus ambush in PNG’s Enga province kills, wounds many

    By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby

    A deadly ambush unfolded in Enga province between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. last night, leaving multiple people dead after a bus was attacked by armed men.

    Police confirmed to the Post-Courier that bodies were found both inside the bus and scattered in nearby bushland. Men and women attempting to flee the gunfire were gunned down before they could get far.

    Witnesses reported that the bus, a public motor vehicle (PMV), was riddled with bullets during the ambush.

    Blood and bodies lay strewn across the area when a distress call alerted police at Surunki station to the tragic scene.

    The PMV was later escorted to Wabag General Hospital, where the bodies were removed. Hospital staff have warned that more victims may still arrive.

    Local MP Aimos Akem attributed the deaths to escalating violence linked to ongoing conflict in Porgera, saying it continues to take a heavy toll on the people of Lagaip.

    Republished from the PNG Post-Courier with permission.


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • New York Mayor Blames Biden For His Scandals

    America’s Lawyer E117: New York City mayor Eric Adams has been criminally indicted for a bribery and corruption scheme that spans more than half a decade – we’ll bring you all the details. Journalist Ken Klippenstein has been permanently suspended from Twitter for publishing documents that were received via a hack of the Trump campaign. […]

    The post New York Mayor Blames Biden For His Scandals appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Kyrgyzstan prosecutors seek 6-year prison terms for 11 investigative journalists

    New York, September 26, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Kyrgyz authorities to drop the prosecution against 11 current and former staff of anti-corruption investigative outlet Temirov Live and release those in detention, after prosecutors on Thursday requested 6-year prison sentences for the journalists on charges of calling for mass unrest.

    “The conviction of even a single one of the 11 Temirov Live investigative journalists on such clearly contrived and retaliatory charges would deal a further severe blow to Kyrgyzstan’s international reputation,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Kyrgyz prosecutors should drop charges against 11 current and former members of Temirov Live, release those remaining in detention, and lift the travel bans against others. The government must stop its relentless campaign against the outlet and its founder, Bolot Temirov.”

    Kyrgyz police arrested the current and former Temirov Live staff during raids on the journalists’ homes and the outlet’s office on January 16. Four of the 11 journalists — Makhabat Tajibek kyzy, Aktilek Kaparov, Aike Beishekeyeva, and Azamat Ishenbekov — remain in detention. Jumabek Turdaliev has been released on a travel ban, while the other six — Sapar Akunbekov, Akyl Orozbekov, Tynystan Asypbekov, Saipidin Sultanaliev, Joodar Buzumov, and Maksat Tajibek uulu — were released under house arrest pending trial.

    A verdict in the case is expected October 3. Case materials reviewed by CPJ allege that videos by Temirov Live, a partner of global investigative network Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), and sister outlet Ait Ait Dese “discredit” the government and contain “indirect” and “subtextual” calls for mass unrest. Akmat Alagushev, lawyer for two of the journalists, told CPJ that the charges are “absurd,” saying that prosecutors’ resorting to the term “indirect calls,” which lacks basis in Kyrgyz legislation, shows that investigators were unable to find any actual calls for mass unrest in the outlets’ publications.

    Authorities deported Temirov in November 2022 and banned him from entering the country for five years in connection with his reporting.

    Since 2022, Kyrgyz authorities have launched an unprecedented crackdown on independent reporting in a country previously seen as a regional haven for the free press. A Russian-style “foreign agents” law approved in April could be used to target media outlets and press freedom groups.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Chinese gov should immediately free Ilham Tohti and end its “crime against humanity” in Xinjiang


    This content originally appeared on Human Rights Watch and was authored by Human Rights Watch.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Turkey investigates Kurdish journalist for ‘spreading disinformation’ over crime reporting

    Istanbul, September 23, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists urged the Turkish authorities on Monday to drop the disinformation investigation into Rabia Önver, a reporter for the pro-Kurdish news website JİNNEWS, and stop using house raids to harass journalists.

    “The police raid of JİNNEWS reporter Rabia Önver’s house was completely unjustified for an alleged disinformation investigation and is yet another example of the tactics frequently used in Turkey to intimidate journalists,” said Özgür Öğret, CPJ’s Turkey representative. “Turkish authorities should drop the investigation into Önver’s work, stop harassing journalists with house raids, and allow the media to report without worrying about retaliation.”

    On September 20, police in the southeastern city of Hakkari raided Önver’s house.

    The police had a prosecutor’s order to take the journalist into custody, but the warrant was discontinued after they did not find her at home, Önver’s lawyer Azad Özer told CPJ on Monday. The lawyer also confirmed that Önver was being investigated for “publicly spreading disinformation” due to her reporting on alleged corruption by some authorities involved in a possible narcotics trafficking and prostitution crime ring.  

    CPJ emailed the Hakkari chief prosecutor’s office for comment but received no immediate reply.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • The Cable News Cabal Normalizes Political Violence

    For the second time in three months, Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt, but this time the Secret Service was able to subdue the gunman before he fired off a shot. But this hasn’t alleviated any of the fears about political violence in this country. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: *This transcript was […]

    The post The Cable News Cabal Normalizes Political Violence appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Discrimination faced by indigenous Papuans ‘isn’t something new’, says disturbing new rights report

    By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist

    Racism, torture and arbitrary arrests are some examples of discrimination indigenous Papuans have dealt with over the last 60 years from Indonesia, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.

    The report, If It’s Not Racism, What Is It? Discrimination and other abuses against Papuans in Indonesia, said the Indonesian government denies Papuans basic rights, like education and adequate health care.

    Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono said Papuan people had been beaten, kidnapped and sexually abused for more than six decades.

    “I have heard about this day to day racism since I had my first Papuan friend when I was in my 20s in my college, it means that over the last 40 years, that kind of story keeps on going on today,” Harsono said.

    “Regarding torture again this is not something new.”

    The report said infant mortality rates in West Papua in some instances are close to 12 times higher than in Jakarta.

    Papuan children denied education
    Papuan children are denied adequate education because the government has failed to recruit teachers, in some instance’s soldiers have stepped into the positions “and mostly teach children about Indonesian nationalism”.

    It said Papuan students find it difficult to find accommodation with landlords unwilling to rent to them while others were ostracised because of their racial identity.

    In March, a video emerged of soldiers torturing Definus Kogoya in custody. He along with Alianus Murib and Warinus Kogoya were arrested in February for allegedly trying to burn down a medical clinic in Gome, Highland Papua province.

    According to the Indonesian army, Warinus Kogoya died after allegedly “jumping off” a military vehicle.

    President-elect Prabowo Subianto’s takes government next month.

    Harsono said the report was launched yesterday because of this.

    “We want this new [Indonesian] government to understand the problem and to think about new policies, new approaches, including to answer historical injustice, social injustice, economic injustice.”

    Subianto’s poor human rights record
    Harsono said Subianto has a poor human rights record but he hopes people close to him will flag the report.

    He said current President Joko Widodo had made promises while he was in power to allow foreign journalists into West Papua and release political prisoners, but this did not materialise.

    When he came to power the number of political prisoners was around 100 and now it’s about 200, Harsono said.

    He said few people inside Indonesia were aware of the discrimination West Papuan people face, with most only knowing West Papua only for its natural beauty.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Fiji 2000 coup leader George Speight granted presidential pardon

    RNZ Pacific

    The man behind the 2000 coup in Fiji, George Speight, and the head of the mutineers, former soldier Shane Stevens, have been granted presidential pardons.

    In a statement yesterday, the Fiji Correction Service said the pair were among seven prisoners who has been granted pardons by the President, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere, after recommendations by the Mercy Commission.

    “These pardons were formally granted on 18 September 2024. As a result, the named individuals have been officially discharged from custody today, Thursday, 19 September 2024,” the statement said.

    “The Fiji Correction Service and the government remain committed to the principles of justice, rehabilitation, and the rule of law, and the Mercy Commission plays a vital role in ensuring that petitions for clemency are considered carefully, with due regard to the circumstances of each case.”

    Speight was serving a life sentence for the charge of treason while Stevens was serving a life sentence for the charge of mutiny.

    Also released are Sekina Vosavakatini, Nioni Tagici, James Sanjesh Goundar, Adi Livini Radininausori and John Miller.

    Speight sought pardon
    In June 2023, Speight had applied for a presidential pardon under a mercy clause, raising the possibility of his release from prison after serving more than 20 years of a lifetime sentence.

    Speight’s 2000 coup was the only civilian to raise an armed group to overthrow the government.

    In 2002, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka — who started the coup culture in Fiji with two coups in 1987 — had stated a pardon for Speight would be a catastrophe and could pave the way for more coups.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Democrats Embrace Neocon War Whores

    America’s Lawyer E115: A gunman was apprehended on Donald Trump’s golf course over the weekend, sparking new fears of domestic terrorism and potential assassination attempts. We’ll bring you the latest details. Boeing is in deep trouble as workers have gone on strike demanding better wages. This strike came after 16 years of workers being forced […]

    The post Democrats Embrace Neocon War Whores appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • PNG police chief Manning declares emergency for Porgera

    The National

    Papua New Guinea’s Police Commissioner David Manning has declared emergency orders to safeguard infrastructure and residents in Porgera due to escalating law and order issues brought about by illegal miners.

    Manning said police would be increasing the legitimate use of force to remove combatants in order to protect critical infrastructure, including the Porgera Mine, a critical asset for the national economy facing increasing threats.

    Enga Governor Peter Ipatas on Sunday called on the government to implement a state of emergency due to escalating law and order issues in recent weeks.

    Ipatas said: “if these security challenges are not addressed promptly, there is an ongoing risk of the mine being shut down to safeguard its operations and personnel, which could have significant economic impact for the country”.

    Manning said: “This worsening situation is caused by illegal miners and settlers who are using violence to victimise and terrorise the traditional landowners.

    “Emergency orders have been declared to protect life and important infrastructure in the valley, where I have directed police to remove illegal miners and settlers.

    “We have 122 security personnel on the ground, including mobile squad, dog squads and Sector Response Unit as well as personnel from Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF).”

    He said Deputy Commissioner (Regional operations) Samson Kua was deployed to effect on-the-ground command in Porgera and would be aided by Assistant Commissioner Joseph Tondop.

    “Security personnel will use legitimate lethal force where appropriate to protect the innocent, meaning that any person carrying an offensive weapon in public will be considered a threat and dealt with accordingly, with force,” Manning said.

    “Porgera station is declared off-limits to people who are non-residents and a curfew is in effect between 6pm to 8pm, which will be strictly enforced along with a total liquor ban.”

    Governor Ipatas issued an urgent plea to the government following a surge in tribal violence in Porgera Valley over the past few days.

    “The violence has led to loss of many innocent lives, displacement of people, property destruction and heightened fears for the safety of local residents and businesses,” he said.

    “This situation is dire. We have witnessed innocent lives being claimed and properties destroyed within days. The current situation can’t continue,” said Ipatas.

    “The government must act swiftly to implement the SOE for Porgera Valley to restore peace and order.”

    Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • 20 dead – PNG women, girls flee tribal fighting in Porgera mine valley

    By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby

    Women, girls, the elderly, and young boys have rushed to pack any vehicle they could as they escaped heavy tribal fighting that has erupted in Papua New Guinea’s Porgera Valley.

    The sound of gunfire erupts in the peaceful valley, shouts of war follow the gunfire, and amid the chaos, women and girls have been hiding, ever keeping a close eye on the scenes unfolding before them.

    The fight in the golden valley of Porgera started earlier this week when two factions of illegal miners fought among themselves and one faction of the group killed two men from the other faction.

    And the fight erupted from then on. With no leader since the death of their local member of Parliament, Maso Karipe, the valley has seen fighting intensify since Wednesday.

    Caught smack in the middle are security personnel who have tried their best to bring peace to the mining township.

    Papua New Guinea celebrates its independence from Australia on 16 September 1975 this weekend with a national holiday tomorrow.

    The PNG Post-Courier attempted to make contact with security personnel but could only hear gunfire as the men continued to protect the mining site and each other.

    Mass exodus of 5000
    Porgera has seen a mass exodus of more than 5000 people.

    The 20 people killed include two local mine workers and the numbers increase steadily each day. The electorate is run by gunmen, with all local services stopped and prices of goods the highest the electorate has seen in years.

    The main road via Mulitaka has been closed since the May 24 landslide. The bypass road is yet to be completed.

    A state of emergency must be declared, says Lagaip member Aikem Amos as his electorate borders the mining township.

    He said that the government had often said short-term pain for long-term gain. However, that had fallen on deaf ears as gunmen moved into the valley laying waste to those who dared stand up against them.

    Akem has called on the national government to intervene to stop the recent fight that has escalated.

    He confirmed that all the schools, hospitals, aid posts, and other government services, including the BSP banking service in Porgera, were all closed in fear of this tribal warfare that is flaring like wildfire, costing a lot of lives.

    Warlords ‘in control’
    He said the fight was not confined to the Porgerans themselves but men from Lagaip districts and Mulitaka LLG were also involved in this fight.

    “The fight is said to be covering all the Porgera valley,” Akem said.

    The Lagaip MP said there was no road network, no communications, and even the price of goods and services had sky-rocketed in the last few days due to the fight and the road reconstruction in Mulitaka.

    “The only thing that seems to be working is the Porgera gold mine,” Akem said.

    He added there were not enough policemen and soldiers to maintain peace in the valley.

    A few security personnel who were there were protecting the mine site and the nearby area and outside the mine premises all was in the hands of warlords.

    “I as the member for Lagaip call for the government to intervene and declare a state of emergency in Porgera Valley now,” Akem said.

    ‘Peaceful golden valley’ gone
    “If the government takes longer time to stop the fight in Porgera now, we might never have a mine in the next two weeks or months and years to come,” he added.

    He said that there was no leadership in Porgera and the place once called a “peaceful golden valley” was in the hands of warlords now as we were were speaking.

    Akem said without the late Maso Karipe there was nobody in Porgera to provide leadership.

    “I am a leader for the people of Lagaip and I cannot look after Porgera District too given the status of my capability. But as a leader, I will always call for the national government’s intervention,” he said.

    Prime Minister James Marape and coalition members were reminded in Parliament this week that law and order was the number one priority.

    PM Marape said: “In this meeting, this body of leaders, on behalf of the coalition government, has elevated the fight for law and order as a number one priority as we move our country into 50 years of Independence and beyond.

    “We resolved that, in the face of many competing needs, this government must, at the very earliest, explore every possible means to uphold the rule of law in our country, strengthen law enforcement, and ensure that the police and all systems of justice are functioning properly.

    Concerted effort needed
    “While we work on the economy, fixing health and education, and developing infrastructure through Connect PNG, every concerted effort must be made in the area of law and order, including fighting corruption.

    “This is the number one focus for our coalition government.”

    Prime Minister Marape emphasised that this initiative built upon the government’s ongoing efforts in the law and justice sector, including targeted personnel training to bolster ongoing force and the broader justice system.

    According to sources on the ground the New Porgera mine had shut down its operations for a day as fighting continued on Wednesday.

    However, by Thursday, the mine had reopened.

    Miriam Zarriga is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • 20 dead – PNG women, girls flee tribal fighting in Porgera mine valley

    By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby

    Women, girls, the elderly, and young boys have rushed to pack any vehicle they could as they escaped heavy tribal fighting that has erupted in Papua New Guinea’s Porgera Valley.

    The sound of gunfire erupts in the peaceful valley, shouts of war follow the gunfire, and amid the chaos, women and girls have been hiding, ever keeping a close eye on the scenes unfolding before them.

    The fight in the golden valley of Porgera started earlier this week when two factions of illegal miners fought among themselves and one faction of the group killed two men from the other faction.

    And the fight erupted from then on. With no leader since the death of their local member of Parliament, Maso Karipe, the valley has seen fighting intensify since Wednesday.

    Caught smack in the middle are security personnel who have tried their best to bring peace to the mining township.

    Papua New Guinea celebrates its independence from Australia on 16 September 1975 this weekend with a national holiday tomorrow.

    The PNG Post-Courier attempted to make contact with security personnel but could only hear gunfire as the men continued to protect the mining site and each other.

    Mass exodus of 5000
    Porgera has seen a mass exodus of more than 5000 people.

    The 20 people killed include two local mine workers and the numbers increase steadily each day. The electorate is run by gunmen, with all local services stopped and prices of goods the highest the electorate has seen in years.

    The main road via Mulitaka has been closed since the May 24 landslide. The bypass road is yet to be completed.

    A state of emergency must be declared, says Lagaip member Aikem Amos as his electorate borders the mining township.

    He said that the government had often said short-term pain for long-term gain. However, that had fallen on deaf ears as gunmen moved into the valley laying waste to those who dared stand up against them.

    Akem has called on the national government to intervene to stop the recent fight that has escalated.

    He confirmed that all the schools, hospitals, aid posts, and other government services, including the BSP banking service in Porgera, were all closed in fear of this tribal warfare that is flaring like wildfire, costing a lot of lives.

    Warlords ‘in control’
    He said the fight was not confined to the Porgerans themselves but men from Lagaip districts and Mulitaka LLG were also involved in this fight.

    “The fight is said to be covering all the Porgera valley,” Akem said.

    The Lagaip MP said there was no road network, no communications, and even the price of goods and services had sky-rocketed in the last few days due to the fight and the road reconstruction in Mulitaka.

    “The only thing that seems to be working is the Porgera gold mine,” Akem said.

    He added there were not enough policemen and soldiers to maintain peace in the valley.

    A few security personnel who were there were protecting the mine site and the nearby area and outside the mine premises all was in the hands of warlords.

    “I as the member for Lagaip call for the government to intervene and declare a state of emergency in Porgera Valley now,” Akem said.

    ‘Peaceful golden valley’ gone
    “If the government takes longer time to stop the fight in Porgera now, we might never have a mine in the next two weeks or months and years to come,” he added.

    He said that there was no leadership in Porgera and the place once called a “peaceful golden valley” was in the hands of warlords now as we were were speaking.

    Akem said without the late Maso Karipe there was nobody in Porgera to provide leadership.

    “I am a leader for the people of Lagaip and I cannot look after Porgera District too given the status of my capability. But as a leader, I will always call for the national government’s intervention,” he said.

    Prime Minister James Marape and coalition members were reminded in Parliament this week that law and order was the number one priority.

    PM Marape said: “In this meeting, this body of leaders, on behalf of the coalition government, has elevated the fight for law and order as a number one priority as we move our country into 50 years of Independence and beyond.

    “We resolved that, in the face of many competing needs, this government must, at the very earliest, explore every possible means to uphold the rule of law in our country, strengthen law enforcement, and ensure that the police and all systems of justice are functioning properly.

    Concerted effort needed
    “While we work on the economy, fixing health and education, and developing infrastructure through Connect PNG, every concerted effort must be made in the area of law and order, including fighting corruption.

    “This is the number one focus for our coalition government.”

    Prime Minister Marape emphasised that this initiative built upon the government’s ongoing efforts in the law and justice sector, including targeted personnel training to bolster ongoing force and the broader justice system.

    According to sources on the ground the New Porgera mine had shut down its operations for a day as fighting continued on Wednesday.

    However, by Thursday, the mine had reopened.

    Miriam Zarriga is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • RSF calls on UN to investigate Israeli attack killing photojournalist Issam Abdallah

    Pacific Media Watch

    A month before the anniversary of the death of photojournalist Issam Abdallah — killed by an Israeli strike while reporting in southern Lebanon — Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 10 organisations have sent a letter to the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel.

    The letter supports a request made by Abdallah’s family in July for an investigation into the crime, reports RSF.

    According to the findings of Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agencies, and the NGOs Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, the shooting that killed Abdallah and injured journalists from AFP, Reuters, and Al Jazeera on 13 October 2023 originated from an Israeli tank.

    A sixth  investigation, conducted by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), found that “an Israeli tank killed Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah in Lebanon last year by firing two 120 mm rounds at a group of ‘clearly identifiable journalists’ in violation of international law,” according to Reuters.

    Based on these findings, RSF and 10 human rights organisations sent a letter to the United Nations this week urging it to conduct an official investigation into the attack.

    The letter, dated September 13, was specifically sent to the UN’s Commission of Inquiry charged with investigating possible international crimes and violations of international human rights law committed in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories since 7 October 2023.

    With this letter, RSF and the co-signatories express their support for a similar request for an investigation into the circumstances of Abdallah’s murder, made by the reporter’s family last June which remains unanswered at the time of this writing.

    Rare Israeli responses
    Rarely does Israel respond on investigations over journalists killed in Palestine, including Gaza, and Lebanon.

    Two years after the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank on 11 May 2022, and a year after Israel’s official apology acknowledging its responsibility, justice has yet to be delivered for the charismatic Al Jazeera journalist.

    At least 134 journalists and media workers have been killed since Israeli’s war on Gaza began.

    Jonathan Dagher, team leader of RSF’s Middle East bureau, wrote about tbe Abdallah case:

    “Issam Abdallah a été tué par l’armée israélienne, caméra à la main, vêtu de son gilet siglé ‘PRESS’ et de son casque.

    “Dans le contexte de la violence croissante contre les journalistes dans la région, ce crime bien documenté dans de nombreuses enquêtes ne doit pas rester impuni.

    “La justice pour Issam ouvre une voie solide vers la justice pour tous les reporters.

    >“Nous exhortons la Commission à se saisir de cette affaire et à nous aider à mener les auteurs de cette attaque odieuse contre des journalistes courageux et professionnels à rendre des comptes.”

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Parents Are Finally Being Held Responsible For School Shootings

    The tragic school shooting in Georgia has reignited debates about gun control in America. That may be a problem that never gets solved – but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a solution out there, and the way that this case is being handled could offer us an answer to help prevent more tragedies. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss […]

    The post Parents Are Finally Being Held Responsible For School Shootings appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Election Oracles Predict The Next President

    America’s Lawyer E114: The oracle of American politics has unveiled his prediction for which candidate he believes will win the White House this year, so we’ll tell you who it is and why they are the favorite to win. New York governor Kathy Hochul is in deep trouble after one of her aides was arrested […]

    The post Election Oracles Predict The Next President appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • New Caledonia crisis: Another church burns, spate of attacks continues

    ANALYSIS: By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk

    Another church has been set alight in New Caledonia, confirming a trend of arson which has already destroyed five Catholic churches and missions over the past two months.

    The latest fire took place on Sunday evening at the iconic Saint Denis Church of Balade, in Pouébo, on the northern tip of the main island of Grande Terre.

    The fire had been ignited in at least two locations — one at the main church entrance and the other on the altar, inside the building.

    The attack is highly symbolic: this was the first Catholic church established in New Caledonia, 10 years before France “took possession” of the South Pacific archipelago in 1853.

    It was the first Catholic settlement set up by the Marist mission and holds stained glass windows which have been classified as historic heritage in New Caledonia’s Northern Province.

    Those stained glasses picture scenes of the Marist fathers’ arrival in New Caledonia.

    Parts of the damages include the altar and the main church entrance door.

    In other parts of the building, walls have been tagged.

    A team of police investigators has been sent on location to gather further evidence, the Nouméa Public Prosecutor said.

    250 years after Cook’s landing
    The fire also comes as 250 years ago, on 5 September 1774, British navigator James Cook, aboard the vessel Resolution, made first landing in the Bay of Balade after a Pacific voyage that took him to Easter Island (Rapa Nui), the Marquesas islands (French Polynesia), the kingdom of Tonga and what he called the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu).

    It was Cook who called the Melanesian archipelago “New Caledonia”.

    Both New Caledonia and the New Hebrides were a direct reference to the islands of Caledonia (Scotland) and the Hebrides, an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland.

    Five churches targeted
    Since mid-July, five Catholic sites have been fully or partially destroyed in New Caledonia.

    This includes the Catholic Mission in Saint-Louis (near Nouméa), a stronghold still in the hands of a pro-independence hard-line faction (another historic Catholic mission settled in the 1860s and widely regarded as the cradle of New Caledonia’s Catholicism); the Vao Church in the Isle of Pines (off Nouméa), and other Catholic missions in Touho, Thio (east coast of New Caledonia’s main island) and Poindimié.

    Another Catholic church building, the Church of Hope in Nouméa, narrowly escaped a few weeks ago and was saved because one of the parishioners discovered packed-up benches and paper ready to be ignited.

    Since then, the building has been under permanent surveillance, relying on parishioners and the Catholic church priests.

    The series of targeted attacks comes as Christianity, including Roman Catholicism, is the largest religion in New Caledonia, where Protestants also make up a large proportion of the group.

    Each attack was followed by due investigations, but no one has yet been arrested.

    Nouméa Public Prosecutor Yves Dupas told local media these actions were “intolerable” attacks on New Caledonia’s “most fundamental symbols”.

    Why the Catholic church?
    Several theories about the motives behind such attacks are invoking some sort of “mix-up” between French colonisation and the advent of Christianity in New Caledonia.

    Nouméa Archbishop Michel-Marie Calvet, 80, himself a Marist, said “there’s been a clear determination to destroy all that represents some kind of organised order”

    “There are also a lot of amalgamations on colonisation issues,” he said.

    Nouméa archbishop Monsignor Michel-Marie Calvet on the scene of destroyed Saint Louis Mission – Photo NC la 1ère
    Nouméa Archbishop Monsignor Michel-Marie Calvet on the scene of the destroyed Saint Louis Mission. Image: NC la 1ère screenshot

    “But we’ve seen this before and elsewhere: when some people want to justify their actions, they always try to re-write history according to the ideology they want to support or believe they support.”

    While the first Catholic mission was founded in 1853, the protestant priests from the London Missionary Society also made first contact about the same time, in the Loyalty Islands, where, incidentally, the British-introduced cricket still remains a popular sport.

    On the protestant side, the Protestant Church of Kanaky New Caledonia (French: Église Protestante de Kanaky Nouvelle-Calédonie, EPKNC), has traditionally positioned itself in an open pro-independence stance.

    For a long time, Christian churches (Catholic and Protestants alike) were the only institutions to provide schooling to indigenous Kanaks.

    ‘Paradise’ islands now ‘closest to Hell’
    A few days after violent and deadly riots broke out in New Caledonia, under a state of emergency in mid-May, Monsignor Calvet held a Pentecost mass in an empty church, but relayed by social networks.

    At the time still under the shock from the eruption of violence, he told his virtual audience that New Caledonia, once known in tourism leaflets as the islands “closest to paradise”, had now become “closest to Hell”.

    He also launched a stinging attack on all politicians there, saying they had “failed their obligations” and that from now on their words were “no longer credible”.

    More recently, he told local media:

    “There is a very real problem with our youth. They have lost every landmark. The saddest thing is that we’re not only talking about youth. There are also adults around who have been influencing them.

    “What I know is that we Catholics have to stay away from any form of violence. This violence that tries to look like something it is not.

    “It is not an ideal that is being pursued, it is what we usually call ‘the politics of chaos’.”

    Declined Pope’s invitation to Port Moresby
    He said that although he had been invited to join Pope Francis in Port Moresby during his current Asia and Pacific tour he had declined the offer.

    “Even though many years ago, I personally invited one of his predecessors, Pope John Paul II, to come and visit here. But Pope Francis’s visit [to PNG], it was definitely not the right time,” he said.

    Monsignor Calvet was ordained priest in April 1973 for the Society of Mary (Marist) order.

    Jean Marie Tjibaou
    Assassinated FLNKS leader Jean Marie Tjibaou in Kanaky/New Caledonia, 1985. Image: David Robie/Café Pacific

    He arrived in Nouméa in April 1979 and has been Nouméa’s Archbishop since 1981.

    He was also the chair of the Pacific Episcopal Conference (CEPAC) between 1996 and 2003, as well as the vice-president of the Federation of Oceania Episcopal Conferences (FCBCO).

    In 1988, charismatic pro-independence leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou, as head of the FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front), signed the Matignon-Oudinot Accords with then French Prime Minister Michel Rocard, putting an end to half a decade of quasi civil war.

    One year later, he was gunned down by a member of the radical fringe of the pro-independence movement.

    Tjibaou was trained as a priest in the Society of Mary order.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Kyrgyzstan Supreme Court upholds shuttering of investigative outlet Kloop

    New York, August 29, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the decision by Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court in July to uphold the liquidation of Kloop Media, a nonprofit that runs the investigative news website Kloop.

    “The forced shuttering of international award–winning investigative outlet Kloop is a shameful episode in the history of modern Kyrgyzstan — a country long viewed as a haven for press freedom in Central Asia — and is a clear indication that under President Japarov this reputation no longer holds,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Kyrgyz authorities should immediately reverse their repressive course against the media and allow Kloop and all other independent outlets to work freely.”

    On Thursday, Kloop reported that the Supreme Court on July 16 had upheld a lower court’s refusal to hear its appeal against a February liquidation order. The decision, which Kloop learned of on August 22, marks the end of the outlet’s hopes of overturning that liquidation.

    Kloop founder Rinat Tuhvatshin said the decision was “expected” but that the organization plans to keep publishing “the most penetrating investigations, the most balanced news, and the sharpest commentary.”

    Kyrgyz prosecutors applied to shutter Kloop, a local partner of the global investigative network Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), in August 2023 and blocked its website amid a series of corruption investigations into relatives of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and other top state officials.

    Under Japarov, Kyrgyz authorities have launched an unprecedented crackdown on independent reporting in a country previously seen as a regional beacon for the free press.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Thousands of women abused as children may be unable to get justice due to legal anomaly

    Exclusive: ‘Loophole’ in England and Wales from Sexual Offences Act is being challenged in human rights court

    Thousands of women who were sexually abused as children could be unable to obtain justice because of an anomaly in the law of England and Wales that is being challenged at the European court of human rights.

    The case has been brought by Lucy (not her real name), who was 13 when a man 22 years her senior began having sex with her. Despite him admitting it, police told her charges could not be brought because she did not report the alleged offence in time.

    Continue reading…

    This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.

  • Golam Azam was not in the emergency building at the time of R G Kar crime: Multiple testimonies support his alibi

    The two persons who have been most frequently named in social media theories as accused in the R G Kar rape and murder case in Kolkata are Arshean Alam and Golam Azam. Both of them work as house staff at the same hospital where the female postgraduate trainee’s (PGT) body was found on August 9. An Alt News investigation has already established that Arshean Alam was at his home at the time of the commissioning of the crime and is being targeted without any evidence of involvement whatsoever. This story is about Golam Azam and his whereabouts on the night of the incident.

    Right-wing X user Hindutva Knight (@HPhobiaWatch) tweeted images of Arshean and Golam, claiming that the Bengal government was trying to protect them. The tweet has garnered 22 Lakh views and has been retweeted over 7,000 times. This claim was further amplified by Right-wing columnist Madhu Kishwar, who shared a list that included Arshean and Golam’s names. Kishwar alleged that all the people on the list had been absconding. She claimed that their names “explain(ed)” why there was a “determined attempt to shield them” and added that one man (arguably referring to Sanjay Roy, the prime accused and only person arrested in the case) had been “tricked into raping her dead body.”

    Click to view slideshow.

    Media outlet ABP Live mentioned Golam Azam’s name in a report.

    Twitter user @MrNationalistJJ tweeted pictures of the social media profiles of three individuals, one of which is Golam. This user claims that these three, whom he identified as ‘the culprits’, had left the country. (Archive)

    Golam’s name was circulated with the same claim by various other social media users. On Facebook, a post mentioning his name as a suspect was published on a group page named West Bengal Doctors Forum. (Archives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

    Click to view slideshow.

    Facebook has since been flooded with these claims. Below is a 40 second screen recording of some posts on Facebook making the same allegation.

    Alt News Investigation

    Dr Golam Azam, a 2018-entrant into the MBBS course at R G Kar medical College and Hospital, completed his mandatory one-year internship and subsequently became a house staff at the chest medicine department of the same hospital, much like Arshean. He was on duty on the night of the alleged rape and murder.

    During investigation, Alt News recorded three testimonies: one from a source within the Kolkata Police, one from a doctor who was also on duty at the emergency ward that night, and one from another junior doctor from the chest medicine department.

    The emergency ward is on the ground floor of the emergency building, while the seminar room, where the body was found, is on the third floor. 

    Below is a graphical representation of the corroborating testimonies that we got:   

    Testimony I: Kolkata Police

    A Kolkata Police source gave their testimony to Alt News based on their examination of the CCTV footage. They told us, “On that day, Dr Golam’s duty was on the ground floor. He went twice to the third floor, first to have dinner. He had dinner with the victim and others, and that was between 12 and 1 am. Then he came down. Then CCTV clearly shows that he is going to the third floor around 3 am. He is seen entering a room where some tests are conducted. After that, he’s seen coming out with certain papers and going towards the seminar room, and within 5-6 minutes he comes back and comes down to the ground floor. Around 3:15, he is seen leaving the hospital and never comes back again that night. While on the third floor, he peeps into the seminar hall momentarily to look for Dr ***. (Alt News is withholding this name. This is not the victim.) He comes back in the morning after people inform him that this is what has happened.”

    The autopsy of the slain doctor put the time of death between 3 and 5 am. Further, Sanjay Roy, the prime accused, was seen entering the emergency building of the hospital around 4 am and leaving the building 40 minutes later.

    Keeping the above time frame in mind, several significant details come out from the above testimony.

    1. Golam Azam went to the third floor around 3 am.
    2. He is seen with some papers in his hand peeping into the seminar room.
    3. He comes back to the ground floor within 5-6 minutes.
    4. He leaves the emergency building at 3.15 am and comes back only on the following morning.

    Alt News found in its probe that after leaving the emergency building, Azam went to the hostel on the campus. This was corroborated by the Kolkata Police source. They confirmed to us that they had examined footage from the CCTV camera outside the hostel.

    Testimony II: Doctor at the Emergency Ward who was on Duty that Night

    Alt News spoke to a doctor in the emergency ward who was on call on the same day. Their duty hours overlapped with that of Golam’s. According to their statement, Golam’s duty hours began at 9 pm on August 8.

    This doctor told us, “He went upstairs around 1 am to have dinner with the victim and other colleagues. Later, he mentioned that there were no more chest patients, so he was leaving. I saw him taking his bag and exiting the emergency ward. I, too, was in the emergency ward at that time. I don’t recall the exact time he left, but it was after 2:30 am. The ER was very busy that night, so I didn’t check the time.”

    The most crucial detail in this testimony is that Golam left the emergency some time after 2.30 am that night. This corroborates the testimony from Kolkata Police. Although the second testimony does not have the exact time Golam left, they confirmed that Golam met them in the emergency and informed them he was leaving because there were “no more chest patients.” He then took his bag and left.

    It is worth noting that under normal circumstances, people generally don’t keep track of exact timings for events that seem routine at the moment.

    Testimony III: Doctor at Chest Medicine Department

    Alt News also spoke to a doctor at the chest medicine department of R G Kar Hospital who is in the know of Golam’s whereabouts from that night. They told us, “Golam was on duty at the emergency on the night of the incident. He visited the third floor twice — first at around 1 am to have dinner with colleagues, including the victim. The second visit was at 3 am to retrieve lab results. Afterwards, he went to the seminar hall to find another doctor posted at the chest department, but the doctor wasn’t there. Instead, Golam found the victim sleeping in the hall. He left the third floor within five minutes and returned to the emergency ward.”

    Alt News tried multiple times to speak to Golam Azam directly, but he declined to comment. We can, however, confirm that he is not absconding and is cooperating in the investigation.

    All these corroborating testimonies establish the whereabouts of Golam Azam in the emergency building between 3 and 3.15 am on the night of the alleged crime. And at 3.15 am he leaves the building and does not come back till the next morning, Kolkata Police sources confirmed to us upon the examination of CCTV footage. The prime accused is seen entering the emergency building around 4 and leaving around 4.40 am. Taken together, these establish the fact that Golam Azam can not be involved in the commissioning of the crime at R G Kar hospital that night. The social media trial of him, as such trials often are, is not backed by any evidence whatsoever.

     

    The post Golam Azam was not in the emergency building at the time of R G Kar crime: Multiple testimonies support his alibi appeared first on Alt News.

    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Shinjinee Majumder.

  • Supreme Court did not say R G Kar crime scene was altered; false claim by editor of propaganda outlet

    A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud heard the Kolkata R G Kar rape and murder case on August 22, 2024. This was the second hearing of the matter in the apex court. During the hearing, several questions were raised about the chronology of events on August 9, when the body of the junior doctor was discovered in the third-floor seminar room of the state-run hospital.

    In this context, the editor-in-chief of Right-wing propaganda website, OpIndia, Nupur J Sharma claimed in a tweet that the Supreme Court said that the crime scene at the R G Kar hospital had been altered.

    The tweet has been viewed close to 2.5 Lakh times and retweeted over 7,200 times.

    Several X (formerly Twitter) users amplified the claim. Among them are handles such as Keh Ke Peheno
    (@coolfunnytshirt), 𝑫𝒓. 𝑲 ✨ (@smilesalotlady_),Ravi Kukreja (@RaviKuk15405190),Bharat Suthar (@bharat_sut78304), AG (@akg7091), कृष्णा (मोदी अंध भक्त) (@MyindianKrishna), 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 भारतीय 🇮🇳🤝🇮🇱 (@NarendraVictory), Pradeep Jakhar (@PradeepkJakhar) and others.

    Click to view slideshow.

     

    Most of the above tweets, including the one by Nupur J Sharma, were shared in response to a tweet by Kolkata police from August 15, in which they asserted that the vandalism on the previous night had not impacted the seminar room.

    Fact Check

    To verify the claim, we looked at the X timeline of Live Law and Bar and Bench. Both these legal-reporting handles live-tweeted the proceedings from the Supreme Court.

    Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) reported at 11:49 am on August 22 that the CBI counsel, Tushar Mehta, the solicitor general of India (SG), said they did not possess any medical examination report of the accused in the case. He added that they had entered the investigation on the fifth day and everything was altered by then.

    The body of the junior doctor was found on August 9. The Calcutta high court handed over the investigation to the central agency on August 13. The CBI took over on August 14.

    Below is the Live Law tweet:

    The same was live-tweeted by Bar and Bench exactly at the same time (11:49 am).

    The Bar and Bench also published a full report of the Court proceedings. The relevant part is highlighted below.

    The proceedings were also live telecast. We procured the video of the court proceeding from the X handle of media outlet Mirror Now (@MirrorNow), where we located the conversation:

    0.20-seconds onward in the above video, we can hear the SG saying, “My lord, we entered on the fifth day.. Whatever was collected by the local police, my lord was given to us, and our investigation starts.. And that is itself a challenge by itself.. The scene of offence is altered…” (sic)

    We went through the entire proceedings of August 22 but we could not find the CJI or the other members of the Bench stating that the crime scene had been altered.

    All major newspapers carried the comments by the CBI counsel on their August 23 editions. Below are a few examples:

    Click to view slideshow.

    None of them mentioned the court having made the observation.

    Therefore, the claim by OpIndia editor Nupur J Sharma and the others is false. The Supreme Court did not state the crime scene was altered. It was a claim made by CBI counsel Tushar Mehta, the solicitor general of India.

    Interestingly, OpIndia itself published a report on the SC hearing where the headline mentioned that the CBI said in court that the crime scene had been altered.

    Ankita Mahalanobish is an intern at Alt News.

    The post Supreme Court did not say R G Kar crime scene was altered; false claim by editor of propaganda outlet appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Ankita Mahalanobish.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • What’s the difference between a war crime and a crime against humanity?


    This content originally appeared on Human Rights Watch and was authored by Human Rights Watch.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Seminar room at R G Kar Hospital – the crime scene – was not impacted by the midnight violence after Kolkata rape & murder

    A week into the alleged rape and murder of a doctor (a postgraduate trainee at the pulmonary medicine department) at Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, several theories have surfaced in public discourse about the circumstances in which she was killed. The body of the young doctor was found in the seminar room on the third floor of the emergency building of the hospital on the morning of August 9. Before the investigation was handed over to the CBI on August 13, Sanjay Roy (31), a civic volunteer, was arrested by Kolkata Police as the prime suspect in the alleged crime.

    On the intervening night of August 14 and 15, even as large crowds gathered at various prime locations in Kolkata to protest against the horrific crime and seek justice, miscreants barged into the R G Kar hospital premises after midnight, damaged property and pelted stones at the police personnel. At least 30 people have been arrested in this case at the time of this article being written.

    Soon after, the claim that the seminar room had been vandalized to destroy crucial evidence in the case started doing the rounds on social media. This correspondent received a screenshot of a WhatsApp group chat among doctors at 1.48 am on August 15 when the vandalism was still on. One person in the chat says, “The seminar room is probably burnt”. Another participant confirms this saying, “Yes. Completely”. The screenshot later went viral.

    At 2.02 am — this was the time police had the situation under some control — senior journalist Barkha Dutt tweeted, “The emergency room at #RGKarCollege where the rape and murder took place has been destroyed by a violent mob.”

    On August 17, Republic World published a report titled, “Did Rioters Vandalise RG Kar Seminar Room On Purpose to Destroy Evidence? New Video Surfaces”.

    As seen above, the blurb below the headline says, “A shocking video has surfaced which hints at the fact that the seminar room was vandalised by the mob on purpose, to destroy evidence.”

    The claim went viral on social media as well. Here are a few Facebook posts claiming the same:

    Click to view slideshow.

    Several X (Twitter) users, too, made the same claim while tweeting images of the midnight violence.

    Click to view slideshow.

    Fact Check

    To begin with, we noticed that the official X handle of Kolkata Police had quote-tweeted journalist Barkha Dutt and wrote that the crime scene “is Seminar Room which is intact and has not been touched.”

    To this, the journalist replied saying that her tweet was factually correct and she did not claim that the seminar room had been destroyed.

    Next, we checked footage from the reportage by various news outlets from the R G Kar Hospital after the vandalism. Independent journalist Tamal Saha of NTT went to the spot and livestreamed a report which starts at a time when police can be seen trying to bring the situation under control.

    Around the 42-minute mark in the livestream (Saha mentions that the time is 2.30 am), the journalist enters the hospital building and checks out the gates through which one can go upstairs. He also speaks to the private security guards. Around the 58-minute mark onward, he takes the stairs to the upper floors. The live report shows a wooden door of a store room on the second floor broken and partially separated from its frames. However, the doors of the third (this is the floor where the seminar room is located) and the fourth floors are intact. This is clearly seen in the video and asserted by the journalist who physically checks them. A private security guard who accompanies him confirms that the miscreants could not reach the upper floors and those were locked.

    ABP Ananda, too, telecast footage of the attack, where some of the perpetrators are heard saying, ‘Let’s go to the seminar hall.” The bulletin, however, points out that the miscreants could go only as far as the second floor which is one floor below the place of occurrence of the crime, the chest department seminar hall. Journalist Sandip Sarkar’s reporting on ABP Ananda corroborates the reporting by Tamal Saha. The ABP Ananda footage shows the second floor wooden door broken. 

    The kicker in Bengali on the above screenshot from the ABP Ananda footage says: “Seminar Hall on third floor, miscreants went up to second floor”.

    Alt News is in possession of a photo taken at 11.52 pm on August 16, 2024. This image shows the seminar room locked, sealed and intact from outside. Five policemen can be seen guarding it. We accessed the photo through police sources and we are not permitted to publish it.

    Alt News also spoke to a faculty member from the same department at R G Kar Hospital. They confirmed to us that the vandalism on the intervening night of August 14-15 did not cause any damage to the chest department seminar hall (that crime scene).

    To sum up, the viral claim that the seminar hall of the chest department of R G Kar hospital in Kolkata, where the body of the slain doctor was found, was destroyed/burnt down in the vandalism on the intervening night of August 14 and 15 is false.

     

    The post Seminar room at R G Kar Hospital – the crime scene – was not impacted by the midnight violence after Kolkata rape & murder appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Indradeep Bhattacharyya.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • NYC Journalist Faces Hate Crime Charge for Allegedly Filming Gaza Protest Action; Police Raid Home


    This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • NYC Journalist Faces Hate Crime Charge for Allegedly Filming Gaza Protest Action; Police Raid Home

    Seg3 action

    Press freedom groups are raising alarm after New York police arrested and charged videographer Samuel Seligson for allegedly filming pro-Palestinian activists hurling red paint at the homes of top officials of the Brooklyn Museum, part of a campaign by activists demanding the institution divest from Israel. Seligson faces eight counts of criminal mischief with a hate crime enhancement, which is a felony. Police also raided his home twice. Seligson is a well-known local journalist whose work has appeared on major news outlets, and his attorney Leena Widdi says the charges are an attack on constitutionally protected press freedoms. “It is an extremely concerning assault on the First Amendment. The reason why the freedom of press is so strongly protected is because there’s some underlying belief that in order for the public to meaningfully participate in a democracy, they must be actually informed,” Widdi tells Democracy Now!


    This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Indonesian human rights groups seek independent probe of NZ pilot’s death in Papua

    By Victor Mambor in Jayapura and Pizaro Gozali Idrus in Jakarta

    Indonesian human rights groups have called for an independent investigation into the death of a New Zealand helicopter pilot in a remote part of Papua province earlier this week.

    The pilot, identified as Glen Malcolm Conning, was reportedly killed by an armed group shortly after landing in Alama district in Mimika regency on Monday.

    Amnesty International Indonesia’s executive director, Usman Hamid, described the killing as a serious violation of humanitarian law and called for an independent probe into the death.

    “We urge the Indonesian authorities to immediately investigate this crime to bring the perpetrators to justice, including starting with a forensic examination and autopsy of the victim’s body,” he said.

    “The protection of civilians is a fundamental principle that must always be upheld, and the deliberate targeting and killing of civilians is unacceptable,” Usman told BenarNews in a statement.

    The Papuan independence fighters and security forces are blaming each other for the attack and have provided conflicting accounts of what happened on the airstrip.

    Indonesian rights groups want independent probe of New Zealand pilot’s death in Papua
    A photograph of New Zealand helicopter pilot Glen Malcolm Conning, who worked for PT Intan Angkasa Air Services, in front of his coffin at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, on August 7. Image: Antara Foto/Muhammad Iqbal

    The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) — the military wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) — ​​has denied it was responsible.

    Suspicions of ‘orchestrated murder’
    In a statement, a spokesman, Sebby Sambom said: “We suspect that the murder of the New Zealand helicopter pilot was orchestrated by the Indonesian military and police themselves.”

    He alleged that the killing was intended to undermine efforts to negotiate the release of another New Zealand pilot, Phillip Mehrtens, who has been held by the rebel group since February last year.

    He said photos showing the pilot’s body and the helicopter without apparent signs of burns contradicted the police’s claims that they were burned.

    The photos, which Sambom sent to BenarNews, appear to depict Conning’s body collapsed in his helicopter’s seat, with his left arm bearing a deep gash.

    Four passengers who Indonesian authorities said were indigenous Papuans, including a child and baby, were unharmed.

    Police said the attackers ambushed the helicopter, forcibly removed the occupants, and subsequently executed Conning. They said in a statement that the pilot’s body was burned along with the helicopter.

    Responding to the rebel group’s accusations, Bayu Suseno, spokesperson for a counter-insurgency task force in Papua comprising police and soldiers, insisted that the resistance fighters were responsible for the pilot’s death.

    “The armed criminal group often justify their crimes, including killing civilians, migrants, and indigenous Papuans working as healthcare workers, teachers, motorcycle taxi drivers, and the New Zealand pilot, by accusing them of being spies,” he told BenarNews.

    No response over contradictions
    He did not respond to a question about the photos that appear to contradict his earlier claim that Conning’s body was burned with the helicopter.

    Sambom said on Monday that if Conning was killed by independence fighters, it was because he should not have been in a conflict zone.

    “Anyone who ignores this does so at their own risk. What was the New Zealander doing there? We consider him a spy,” he said.

    Bayu said another New Zealand pilot, Geoffrey Foster, witnessed the aftermath of the attack.

    Foster approached Conning’s helicopter and saw scattered bags and the pilot slumped in his seat covered in blood, prompting him to take off again without landing, Bayu said.

    Executive director of the Papua Justice and Human Integrity Foundation Theo Hesegem expressed concern and condolences for the shooting of the pilot and supported efforts for an independent investigation into the incident.

    “There must be an independent investigation team and it must be an integrated team from Indonesia and New Zealand,” he told BenarNews .

    Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission, Komnas HAM, condemned the attack and said such acts undermined efforts to bring peace to Papua.

    ‘Ensure civilian safety’
    “Komnas HAM asks the government and security forces to ensure the safety of civilians in Papua,” said the commission’s chairperson Atnike Nova Sigiro in a statement on Wednesday.

    The perpetrators of the attack must be brought to justice, Komnas HAM said.

    The attack is the latest by an armed group on aviation personnel in the province where Papuan independence fighters have waged a low-level struggle against Indonesian rule since the 1960s.

    Another New Zealand pilot, Phillip Mehrtens, was abducted by insurgents from the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) 18 months ago and remains in captivity.

    Mehrtens was seized by the fighters on February 7 in the central highlands of Papua. The rebels burned the small Susi Air plane he was piloting and released the Papuan passengers.

    While his captors have released videos showing him alive, negotiations to free him have stalled. The group’s demands include independence for the Melanesian region they refer to as West Papua.

    Copyright ©2015-2024, BenarNews. Published with the permission of BenarNews.

  • On Being a Patriot

    Journalist and political analyst Caleb Maupin put out a video “Scott Ritter’s home raided by the FBI.” Maupin affirmed his solidarity with Ritter, a staunch opponent of US militaristic support for Ukraine and Israel.

    Ritter’s anti-imperialist stand is nothing new. He first came to wider attention with his opposition to US plans to attack Iraq for having weapons-of-mass-destruction. Ritter, the then United Nations weapons inspector, said that Iraq was “fundamentally disarmed.” History has proven Ritter correct. The US government was wrong.

    Nonetheless, many patriots often trot out the canard “my country, right or wrong.”

    Scott Ritter, a former US marine intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector, is a fierce critic of US militarism. Yet, he does not equivocate when it comes to his patriotism: “I’m an American Patriot who puts my country and its security first.”

    This fidelity called patriotism is universal. For example, it is one of the 12 goals of socialism in China. Generally, it is understood to mean “love of country.” Thus, the Chinese characters for love and country.

    Patriotism: “devotion to and vigorous support for one’s country.”

    To vigorously support one’s country? Right or wrong? And what exactly is a country? Is it specific to a geographically defined dimension?

    Country: “a nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory.”

    This definition of country does not clarify precisely the orbit of patriotism. Is it government? It couldn’t be that because people, who consider themselves to be patriots, in countries with elections are often voting governments out. And one can often hear citizens venting displeasure with their government. Does this mean they are not patriots? Ritter, undeniably, does not hide his displeasure with government.

    Nation: “a large body of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory.”

    Well, the United States often describes itself as a melting pot: “a term that was used to describe Americanization in which immigrants adopt American culture and abandon culture from their home country.”

    So, US culture is the result of abandoned cultures?

    Previously, I asked why people like Scott Ritter and colonel Douglas Macgregor keep professing their love of the US while pointing out its dishonesty, bullying, war crimes, warmaking, corruption, etc. Why love such a country?

    Ritter points out the multitudinous crimes of US empire, the racism, the crimes against whistleblowers and publishers (e.g., Julian Assange), the crimes of US allies (e.g., Israel; it took him a while to realize the evil of Zionism, but credit to him that he rejected a previously held position that he later found to be intellectually and morally untenable), the unfair “trade” practices (e.g., sanctions, theft of another country’s assets), the deterioration of US infrastructure (e.g., water in Flint, MI), the destruction of the environment, the inequality, homelessness, poverty, etc. Yet, he always says he is an American patriot and that he loves his country.

    The logical disconnect seems huge, but it is also understandable. Why? If Ritter didn’t praise his American citizenship to the heavens, then he would likely be dismissed as anti-American, and people who swallow the patriotism Kool-aid would tune him out. A sad state of affairs.

    If Ritter, Macgregor, and other American voices that speak in opposition to the imperialist agenda did not profess their love of the US of America, an entity that came into existence because of a massive genocide, then they all know that they would be silenced.

    The world needs contrarian voices to be free to speak, and not just contrarian voices, all voices. People must have the opportunity to consider what the voices say. Are their facts verifiable, is their logic sound, and is their message morally based?

    Ritter educates many of us about US militarism, what the fighting in Ukraine is about, who the actors are and why they are involved.

    Back to Maupin

    I do not always agree with Ritter, and I have expressed some of my reservations and my reasons for them. Likeliest, Ritter would like to revisit and amend some of his formulations, as most of us would. But Ritter is a cut above; he is experienced; he does his homework; he talks straight and extemporaneously.

    A friend who started checking out Ritter’s geopolitical views on my recommendation, came across disturbing news about Ritter and asked me about it. The news of the FBI raid on Ritter’s domicile, has provided the monopoly media the opportunity to dredge up his past indiscretions and criminal activities. However, these should not just be brushed aside or dismissed. And neither should Ritter’s views be brushed aside. Whatever the facts are of the unsavory matter, Ritter had been punished. Now the state is piling on. Because past actions are past, we cannot undo them; the best we can do is atone.

    Some might question whether a person with certain criminal deficiencies could be trusted about their reporting on geopolitics and militarism? The answer seems obvious. The focus ought to be on whatever information, from whoever. By all means, take into account the source; regarding the information, take what is good and factual and relegate what is bad and dubious to a lesser file.

    Ritter is an important voice. The assumption is that the FBI raid was only about Ritter’s expressing his first amendment rights. Regardless, I have no problem to standing in solidarity with Ritter against imperialism, warring, and Zionism.

    The common refrain “I love my country…” is almost mandatory in the US if uttering any criticism of the state. As ex-military and a declared patriot, Ritter had created a space to function as a critic of the international crimes of America. That space appears to have severely narrowed. To express non-allegiance with America – despite it being a moral abomination – would invite the wrath of the state. For one, these critics would be slandered and have their communication platforms targeted, as Maupin knows well since his book Kamala Harris & the Future of America was banned by Amazon. This is another example of the government and its allies undermining free speech.

    As Maupin said in the video, an injustice to one is an injustice to all. It is a call for the free speech rights of Ritter, and it emphasizes the same rights for all of us.

    The post On Being a Patriot first appeared on Dissident Voice.

    This post was originally published on Dissident Voice.

  • Landmark PNG Supreme Court ruling toughens cybercrime law

    By Boura Goru Kila in Port Moresby

    People accused under Papua New Guinea’s Cybercrime Code Act may not always find free speech protection offered by the Constitution.

    In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has ruled that this law does not contravene the provisions of Section 46 which provides for freedom of expression.

    The decision is a serious warning to offending users of social media and the internet that they might find themselves with fines of up to K1 million (NZ$430,000), or jail terms of between 15 and 25 years.

    A Supreme Court panel comprising Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika and Justices Les Gavara-Nanu, David Cannings, Kingsley Allen David and Derek Hartshorn made this determination in Waigani on Friday.

    The constitutional reference was made by National Court judge Teresa Berrigan during the trial of Kila Aoneka Wari, who was charged with criminal defamation under section 21 (2) of the Cybercrime Code Act 2016.

    Judge Berrigan then referred for Supreme Court interpretation on whether Section 21 contravened the Freedom of Expression provision of the National Constitution.

    Reading the judgment on behalf of his fellow judges, Sir Gibbs said: “We (Supreme Court) consider there is a clear and present danger to public safety, public order and public welfare if publication of defamatory material by use of electronic systems or devices were allowed to be made without restriction, including by criminal sanction.”

    Sir Gibbs said the court had determined that the regulation and restriction of the exercises of the right to freedom of expression imposed by section 21 (2) of the Cybercrime Code is “reasonably justifiable in a democratic society having a proper respect for the rights and dignity of mankind.”

    ‘Necessary’ for public safety
    Sir Gibbs said the court was satisfied that the first, second and third interveners had discharged the burden in showing that section 21 (2) of the Cybercrime Code complied with the three requirements of section 38 (1) of the Constitution in that:

    •  FIRST, it has been made and certified in accordance with section 38 (2) of the Constitution.
    •  SECONDLY, it restricts the exercise of the right to freedom and expression and publication that is “necessary” for the purpose of giving effect to the public interest in public safety, public order and public welfare; and
    •  THIRDLY, it is a law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society having a proper respect to the rights and dignity of mankind.

    “We conclude that no, section 21 (2) of the Cybercrime Code Act is not invalid. Although it (Cybercrime Code Act) restricts the exercise of the right to freedom of expression and publication in section 46 of the Constitution it is a law that complies with Section 38 of the Constitution and the restriction it imposes is permissible under section 46 (1) (C) of the Constitution.

    The questions that Justice Berrigan referred to the Supreme Court were:

    •  DOES section 21(2) of the cybercrime Code Act regulate or restrict the right of freedom of expression and publication under section 46 of the Constitution?
    •  IF yes to question 1, does section 21 (2) of the Cybercrime Code Act comply with section 38 of the Constitution?
    •  IS section 21(20 of the Cybercrime Code Act) invalid for being inconsistent with section 46 of the Constitution?

    The court answered yes to questions and one and two and answered no to question three.

    The court also ordered that each intervener will bear their own costs.

    Wari is the fourth intervener in the proceedings.

    Others are Attorney-General Pila Niningi (first intervener), acting public prosecutor Raphael Luman (second intervener), Public Solicitor Leslie Mamu (third intervener).

    Section 21(2) of the Cybercrime Code Act is the law on defamatory publication.

    It makes any defamatory publication using any electronic device as an offence with a penalty of K25,000 to K1 million fine, or imprisonment not exceeding 15 to 25 years.

    Boura Goru Kila is a reporter for PNG’s The National. Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.