Germany’s health minister said Friday he expects the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to be approved for emergency use later in the day but possibly only for restricted use.
Speaking at a Berlin news briefing, German Health Minster Jens Spahn said Europe’s drug regulator, the Europe Medicines Agency (EMA) could approve the new vaccine with restrictions because data on its use on the elderly was “insufficient.”
Spahn said it was important to point out the difference between insufficient data and “bad” data.
Speaking at the same news conference, Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) President Klaus Cichutek, said there had been heated debate regarding the vaccine during the approval process this past week, but he believed the “essential groundwork” had been laid to approve the drug without an age restriction.
He said, “the basis for approval has to be, especially for vaccines, that the benefits far outweigh the risks,” and he believed the drug met that standard. The PEI is the research and regulatory agency within Germany’s health ministry.
Also at the same news conference, Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases (RKI) President Lothar Wieler warned of potential dangers from new COVID-19 variant strains.
He said characteristics of the variants aren’t fully known and it’s not known if they are more dangerous, and, in some cases, if people who already had COVID-19 or were vaccinated have immunity against them.
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Month: January 2021
Taliban: We Will Keep Killing Americans if They Stay in Afghanistan
The Taliban on Friday said its February 2020 agreement with the United States is meant to give American “invading” troops a “safe passage” out of Afghanistan, insisting the insurgent group expects President Joe Biden administration’s “review” of the document will not disrupt it.Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the deputy Taliban peace negotiator, made the statement during an ongoing visit to Moscow, where his delegation is meeting with top Russian officials.Stanikzai told a news conference that the Taliban signed the pact with a “legal, elected government in America” and the new U.S. administration reviewing it “is their “internal decision.” But it does not mean Washington is abandoning the treaty, he added.“In the history of Afghanistan, no one ever gave a safe passage to foreign invading troops. So, this is a good chance for the Americans that we are giving them safe passage to go out according to this treaty. We hope that when they are reviewing it they will come to the same positive [conclusion],” Stanikzai stressed.He also rejected as “completely false” allegations that the Taliban had received bounties from Russia for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan.“We do not need anyone to give us reward for the killing of Americans. Americans are the invaders and we are [have been] killing them since 2001,” Stanikzai said and stressed the need for Washington to stick to the mutually agreed troop withdrawal timeline.VOA has requested comment from U.S. military officials in the Afghan capital, Kabul. So far, there has been no response.The U.S.-Taliban agreement requires all American and NATO troops to leave the country by May in return for the insurgents’ counterterrorism guarantees and pledges they will negotiate with Afghan rivals a political deal to permanently end two decades of Afghan war.“If they remain in Afghanistan after this [the agreed deadline] we will also kill them even if somebody reward us or do not reward us. We take our reward from God. We fight the invaders without a reward, without any bounty,” Stanikzai warned.The U.S.-initiated Feb. 29 accord opened direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in September but the process has progressed slowly with both Afghan foes blaming the other for being serious in moving the dialogue further.Kabul has been demanding the Taliban declare a cease-fire for the talks to progress while the insurgents insist a political understanding must lead to its cessation of the conflict.“Without them [the Taliban] meeting their commitments to renounce terrorism and to stop the violent attacks on the Afghan National Security Forces … it’s very hard to see a specific way forward for the negotiated settlement, but we’re still committed to that,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Thursday.But Stanikza accused Washington of failing to meet their timelines outlined in the deal, such as removal of the names of Taliban leaders from a United Nations blacklist and release of all insurgent prisoners from Afghan jails.
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Pakistan Petitions Supreme Court to Review Acquittal of Prime Suspect in US Journalist’s Murder
Authorities in Pakistan on Friday petitioned the Supreme Court to review its decision to free Omar Sheikh and his three accomplices convicted of kidnapping and beheading the American journalist Daniel Pearl, the Pearl family lawyer has confirmed to VOA.The Biden administration has expressed outrage by Thursday’s decision by Pakistan’s highest court to acquit the British national convicted in 2002 of plotting the kidnapping and beheading of Pearl.Hours after the ruling, White House press secretary Jen Psaki also underscored the administration’s commitment to secure justice for Pearl’s family.“This decision to exonerate and release Sheikh and the other suspects is an affront to terrorism victims everywhere, including in Pakistan,” she said, calling on the “Pakistani government to expeditiously review its legal options including allowing the United States to prosecute Sheikh for the brutal murder of an American citizen and journalist.”US “outraged” by the Pakistani supreme court decision to acquit those who murdered FILE – Undated file photo of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. (Photo by Wall Street Journal/AFP)In April 2020, however, an appeals court in Sindh overturned the verdict, reducing Sheikh’s sentence to seven years in prison for kidnapping only and allowing him to be freed for time served. The ruling ordered that Sheikh’s accomplices be freed.Pakistani authorities have since prevented the four men from walking free.The April judgment prompted the parents of the slain U.S. journalist and the provincial government to swiftly file appeals in the Supreme Court to seek restoration of the 2002 convictions, leading to Thursday’s outcome.”The judgment of the Supreme Court is that these four people who were accused of kidnapping Daniel Pearl and allegedly murdering him, that judgment which was given by the trial court in 2002 has been set aside finally and put to rest,” attorney Sheikh explained.The Pearl family’s lawyer, Faisal Siddiqi, noted the three-judge Supreme Court panel ruled 2-to-1 in favor of upholding Sheikh’s acquittal.“Thursday’s decision is a complete travesty of justice and the release of these killers puts in danger journalists everywhere and the people of Pakistan,” the Pearl family said in a statement released by Siddiqi.”We urge the U.S. government to take all necessary actions under the law to correct this injustice,” they added.The Committee to Protect Journalists also criticized the court ruling.“We are deeply disappointed that Pakistan’s Supreme Court has acquitted and ordered the release of Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh, despite overwhelming evidence of Sheikh’s involvement in the kidnapping of Daniel Pearl, which led directly to his murder,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “Daniel Pearl deserves justice and Sheikh deserves to pay for his crime. Journalists everywhere are less safe today due to this decision.”Pearl was visiting Pakistan to report on Islamist militant networks in the country following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror strikes on U.S. cities before being kidnapped in Karachi, the capital of Sindh, and beheaded days later.Washington said last month that it “stands ready to take custody of Omar Sheikh to stand trial insisting the U.S. “cannot allow him to evade justice for his role in Daniel Pearl’s abduction and murder.” But legal experts in Pakistan maintain that the country’s laws do not allow another country to undertake such an intervention.
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Turkish Opposition Challenge Erdogan Over Uighur Silence
The fate of tens of thousands of Uighur refugees in Turkey faced with possible deportation to China is threatening to become an embarrassing political debacle for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has long positioned himself as an avowed defender of Muslim rights globally.FILE – Leader of the Good Party Meral Aksener gestures as she speaks during the party’s 4th Extraordinary Meeting in Ankara, Turkey, on Aug. 3, 2019.”They tell you that they’re the biggest [defenders of] Muslims, but they fail to hear the cries of our brothers and sisters who are tortured for saying they’re Muslim Turks,” said Meral Aksener of Turkey’s center-right Good Party in a speech Wednesday to her parliamentary deputies bashing Erdogan’s ruling AKP lawmakers.A simulcast of the speech broadcast by Turkish state television was cut the moment Aksener invited a Uighur refugee, Nursiman Abdurasid, to speak. The state broadcaster gave no explanation for the incident, but it went viral across social media labeled with the hashtag “AKPsilenceUigh.”Social media platforms broadcast the remainder of Abdurasid’s speech, in which she talked about how her siblings and parents were placed in Chinese detention camps and called on the Muslim world and humanity to help her community.But Erdogan, who regularly lambastes the West for mistreatment of Muslims and condemns the rising specter of Islamophobia, has refrained from publicly criticizing China’s treatment of its Uighur minority.A protester from the Uighur community living in Turkey, participates in a protest in Istanbul, Oct. 1, 2020, against what they allege is oppression by the Chinese government to Muslim Uighurs in far-western Xinjiang province.Largest Uighur diasporaSince opening its door to the predominantly Muslim ethnic minority escaping political persecution in China, Turkey is now home to the world’s largest Uighur diaspora community.Experts have warned that the rights of an estimated 50,000 Uighurs who’ve found sanctuary in Turkey, where they share a common linguistic, cultural and religious heritage, are threatened by a recent coronavirus vaccine agreement between Ankara and Beijing.In late December, rights advocates voiced alarm over the long-delayed arrival of COVID vaccines from China-based Sinovac, which came just days after Beijing’s abrupt decision to ratify a 2017 extradition deal with Ankara.Critics say Beijing agreed to ship the vaccines only after moving to formalize the extradition deal and pressuring Ankara to do the same — an allegation Ankara staunchly rejects.A protester from the Uighur community living in Turkey, holds an anti-China placard during a protest in Istanbul, Oct. 1, 2020.Economic ties”Erdogan champions the Muslim cause everywhere unless it disrupts Turkey’s economic or geopolitical interests,” said international relations teacher Soli Ozel of Istanbul’s Kadir Has University. “We see [it] with Turkey’s deafening silence over the abysmal treatment of the Uighur Muslims in China.”In 2009, Erdogan accused China of “genocide” against the Uighurs, provoking Beijing’s fury. But in recent years, Turkish-Chinese relations have markedly improved, especially in the fields of trade and technology. China is rumored to be helping to prop up the increasingly weak Turkish economy and currency.China is also Turkey’s leading supplier of COVID-19 vaccines. A further 6.5 million Chinese doses were delivered with much fanfare across Turkish state media on Monday.The Turkish parliament is expected to consider ratifying its own an extradition treaty with China, though no date has been set.Uighur community on edge”If this extradition agreement is approved in the parliament, we can foresee that this will involve the violation of the right to life for many or all of our clients,” warned lawyer Ibrahim Ergin of the Istanbul-based International Refugee Rights Association.In Ergin’s office, there are dozens of files of cases of Uighurs fighting Chinese extradition efforts. Ergin says the new extradition agreement removes most of the legal obstacles to China seeking the return of Uighurs.”In the case of my client Abdulkadir Yapcan, five witnesses that claimed my client is a terrorist in the evidence offered by China were executed,” said Ergin. “They have executed even the witnesses who accused my client.”FILE – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu attends a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, Aug. 25, 2020.Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, however, repeatedly has vowed that no Uighurs would be extradited under a new China treaty.Mayor of Istanbul metropolitan municipality Ekrem Imamoglu speaks during an interview to AFP on April 2, 2020 in Istanbul.On Wednesday, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a man widely viewed as Erdogan’s biggest potential political challenger, visited protesting Uighurs outside the Chinese Consulate in a blaze of publicity.”As a human being, I will do everything in my power regarding this matter,” he tweeted.
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Haitian Journalists Protest Police Brutality
Dozens of journalists, lawyers and former police officers held a peaceful march around Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, Thursday to denounce police brutality.Some of the protesters held photos of reporters who had been injured while in the line of duty. Others held posters depicting scenes of police brutality during demonstrations.As they made their way around town, they chanted, “When they don’t get paid, we’re the ones they call!” a reference to the role journalists often play giving a voice to citizens’ efforts to hold the government accountable.Members of the Haitian media allege they are often targeted by aggressive law enforcement officers while covering protests and other news events. They say they also face intimidation and death threats.“I think the point of this protest is to say journalists’ rights must be respected. That is what we are fighting for. That is our objective,” Radio Zenith reporter Robeste Dimanche told VOA.Daniel Lamartiniere, a reporter for Impartial Info, told VOA he is a recent victim of police brutality.Impartial Info reporter Daniel Lamartiniere said he’s a victim of police brutality. (Matiado Vilme/VOA)”On Wednesday January 20, 2021, I was … doing a live update when I saw a policeman in a beige and blue uniform start shooting. When I realized he was firing a gun, I ran for cover so I wouldn’t get shot. But I miscalculated (in choosing) a shelter because that is exactly where a rubber bullet hit me in the eye,” he said.Lamartiniere had a plastic shield over his left eye as he spoke to VOA.Complaints about abusesDimanche told VOA he delivered a letter on behalf of the journalists to the Office for the Protection of Civilians (OPC) before the protest started to complain about police brutality. Dimanche said he spoke to Jacques Desrosier, the official responsible for human rights issues, and was well-received.”I think that (the) OPC is going to act on the message we delivered. And what we asked for is what we have been asking all along — we denounce police brutality. We listed the barbarian acts committed by police against journalists, and that’s basically what is contained in our complaint,” he said.In an exclusive interview with VOA, Haitian Ambassador to the United States Bocchit Edmond said he was surprised to hear police were deliberately targeting reporters covering protests.FILE – Bocchit Edmond, Haiti’s ambassador to the United States. (Twitter)Protesters and journalists, including VOA Creole reporters in Port-au-Prince covering the demonstrations, say police often target them with tear gas and behave aggressively toward them, despite no evidence of illegal behavior on their part.”We will always support the right of the people to protest peacefully on any issue, because this is a right recognized by the constitution,” Edmond told VOA. “But any society in any country, whenever protesters are trying to behave in a disorderly manner — burning public goods, burning public property — the police has to step in and put a stop to it.”Edmond advised victims of aggression to file a complaint with the PNH (national police) inspector general’s office.Leon Kersivil of Radio Vision 2000, told VOA it was important for him to participate in the protest because the list is long of colleagues who are also victims.”There are many journalists I can name, such as our colleague Reginald Remy from (radio-television) Caraibes FM, who was shot multiple times by police with rubber bullets in the Carrefour Aeroport (neighborhood of the capital). There are many other journalists who have been victimized,” he said. “Today, this march is our way of demanding justice, as well, for all members of the press who have been victims of criminal acts.”Remy was covering an anti-government protest and wearing a press badge when he was shot and wounded in the arm by police using rubber bullets.Press freedoms erodedPress freedom deteriorated substantially in Haiti in 2020, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which described working conditions for journalists as “dangerous and precarious.”On a scale of one to 100, the Caribbean nation’s ranking fell from 62 in 2019 to 83 in 2020. RSF’s annual report cites multiple factors for the deterioration, including corruption and increasing hostilities.The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) and RSF have called on the Haitian government to investigate attacks on journalists.Reporter Robenson Alphonse of Magik 9 FM was covering the protest and lending support.”We insist that law enforcement must be professional and follow the law when they interact with journalists who are covering protests,” he told VOA. “Just as the Association of Haitian Journalists has deplored the aggression toward the Radio-TV Caraibes journalist, I believe we must remind people that it is necessary to protect the press and act responsibly always. This is fundamental, and that is why I’m participating in this protest.”The march ended peacefully without incident or police interference, according to the VOA Creole reporter who covered the event.
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Haiti’s President Did Not Order Ex-Senator’s Arrest, Ambassador Tells VOA
President Jovenel Moise did not order the arrest of former opposition Senator Nenel Cassy last week, Haiti’s ambassador to the U.S., Bocchit Edmond, says.”To make it clear, there is no truth in that. President Moise did not order the arrest of Mr. Cassy,” Edmond told VOA in an exclusive interview. “The arrest was made onsite at the rally. The rally turned violent. The national police had to step in.”But Cassy offered a different version of the events in a conversation with reporters after his release from a Miragoane jail on Jan. 22.Cassy, who represented former President Jean Bertrand Aristide’s Lavalas party in parliament and is a native of the region, says he traveled to Miragoane, a coastal town in Haiti’s western department on Jan. 21 to seek the release of political activists who had been arrested during an anti-government protest earlier in the day. They were charged with committing “flagrant delinquent acts” but were released with Cassy, hours after being detained.”The attorney general arrived at the police station where lawyer Andre (Michel) and I were talking to the departmental director. Two policemen were present, and Andre was asking them to release the activists. When he (Jean Ernest Muscadin, the attorney general for Miragoane) arrived, he said, ‘We’re going to arrest the senator.’ He said, ‘The president of the republic has asked me to arrest Senator Cassy.’ When I asked him, ‘Which president? Jovenel?’ He responded, ‘Yes, Jovenel said I must arrest you today,’” Cassy said.The former senator said when he asked Muscadin what he was to be charged with, he was told, “This is an order from the president.””He (the attorney general) told me tremendous pressure had been exerted by the president to make the arrest and he (Moise) threatened to fire him if he didn’t do it,” Cassy said. “‘If I went against the order, I’d have to flee the country,’ he told me.”FILE – Bocchit Edmond, Haiti’s ambassador to the United States. (Twitter)Cassy said the attorney general then handcuffed him.Muscadin, during an interview on a Haitian radio show, confirmed that Moise had asked him to arrest Cassy.Ambassador Edmond offered a different version of events:”According to the police report, (former) Senator Cassy was apparently trying to stop police arrests of some of those who were participating in the event. I believe he went to the police precinct trying to get his people (out). I believe it is something that happened on the site (police station). But President Moise was not aware of that,” he told VOA.”President Moise has no interest in giving orders to arrest the former senator,” the ambassador added. “That is not going to serve any good for what we want to do.”Pressed on whether President Moise had any involvement whatsoever in the arrest or release of Cassy, Edmond noted that the administration respects the separation of powers.”I don’t think he (President Moise) intends to get involved in any judiciary process because the executive and the judiciary are two separate branches of the government. Therefore, he cannot call to ask for a release and so on. There is a minister for justice, and it is his role to deal with them. But the president is not going to (get) involved in issues like that,” the ambassador told VOA.Moise has not commented on the arrest. But in a Jan. 18 speech, Moise warned his political opponents that the country’s new intelligence agency was keeping watch and that any “vagabonds” found to be handing out money to encourage people to protest would face consequences.News of Cassy’s arrest was placed on social media and went viral, sparking outrage from Haitians and the diaspora. VOA Creole reporters said they saw tires burning on some streets of the capital and that makeshift barricades were erected, including in front of the police station where Cassy was being held.The former senator’s arrest also unified opposition politicians, who tend to disagree on most topics. They rallied to support their colleague, called on Moise to rescind the arrest order and demanded an investigation.This week, the opposition announced a series of nationwide protests between Jan. 28 and Feb. 7 to demand the president resign.
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Britain Upholding ‘Freedom and Autonomy’ With New HK Visas
Britain’s government vowed Friday to stand by the people of its former colony, Hong Kong, against a Chinese crackdown as it prepared to launch a new visa scheme potentially benefiting millions. Starting Sunday, holders of British National (Overseas) status — a legacy of British rule over Hong Kong up to 1997 — will be able to apply to live and work in Britain for up to five years, and eventually seek citizenship. Before the change, BN(O) passport holders have had only limited rights to visit Britain for up to six months and not to work or settle. Britain says it is acting in response to the National Security Law imposed by China last year, which has devastated Hong Kong’s democracy movement and shredded freedoms meant to last 50 years under the 1997 handover accord. FILE – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson”I am immensely proud that we have brought in this new route for Hong Kong BN(O)s to live, work and make their home in our country,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement. “In doing so, we have honored our profound ties of history and friendship with the people of Hong Kong, and we have stood up for freedom and autonomy — values both the U.K. and Hong Kong hold dear.” Any Hong Kong resident born before 1997 is eligible for BN(O) status. The new visa path opens up entry to the United Kingdom to an estimated 2.9 million adults in Hong Kong and another 2.3 million of their dependents. In practice, London projects that up to 322,400 of Hong Kong’s 7.5 million population will take up the visa over five years, benefiting the British economy by up to $4 billion. FILE – Protesters against the new national security law gesture with five fingers, signifying the “Five demands – not one less” on the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China from Britain in Hong Kong, July. 1, 2020.The new pathway will not be cheap. A five-year visa will cost a relatively moderate $343 per person. But a mandatory surcharge to access Britain’s state-run health service will run to $4,280 per adult, and $3,224 for those under 18. Shorter, cheaper visas for 30 months will also be available. Security law “We have been clear we won’t look the other way when it comes to Hong Kong. We will live up to our historic responsibility to its people,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said. FILE – Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab”China’s imposition of the National Security Law in Hong Kong constitutes a clear and serious breach of the [pre-handover] Sino-British Joint Declaration contrary to international law,” he added. The security law was imposed on Hong Kong last June in response to 2019 protests, targeting acts Beijing deems to be secession, subversion, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces. Mass arrests of pro-democracy figures have followed. Some have fled Hong Kong for the West, including to Britain. Between July and this month, about 7,000 people with BN(O) status and their dependents have already been given exceptional leave to live in Britain. China, furious at Britain’s new visa pathway, has in turn accused London of flouting the handover agreement and demanded Western countries stay out of Hong Kong’s affairs.
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Poles Take to Streets in Protest as Near-total Abortion Ban Takes Effect
Protesters took to the streets of the Polish capital, Warsaw, late Wednesday and more demonstrations were scheduled for Thursday after the government implemented a court ruling that placed a near-total ban on abortions.The ruling, which was made October 22 but came into force Wednesday, permits abortions only in cases of rape and incest, and when the mother’s life or health is endangered. Doctors performing illegal abortions in Poland face jail.The implementation had been delayed by Poland’s conservative government after nationwide protests in October. But publishing the law late Wednesday triggered a new round of protests in Warsaw, with the promise of more, wider-spread protests Thursday, carried out in defiance of COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings.The constitutional court is made up mostly of Law and Justice Party appointees who ruled on a motion brought by lawmakers from the party.Adam Bodnar, Poland’s commissioner of human rights, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Warsaw, July 16, 2019.Poland’s top human rights official, Ombudsman Adam Bodnar, published a statement condemning the ruling, saying the publication of the ruling meant the government was risking women’s lives and, in many cases, “condemning them to torture.”Bodnar said the Constitutional Tribunal and the government proceeded with publishing the ruling without consultations, social debate or parliamentary consideration. He said the government’s decision was not based on social will, but on “political, ideological or religious premises.”The ombudsman or, commissioner of human rights, is independent from the Polish government.Predominantly Catholic Poland already had one of Europe’s most restrictive laws on abortion. There are fewer than 2,000 legal abortions every year and women’s groups estimate that an additional 200,000 women abort either illegally or abroad.
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Departing US Envoy Warns Ethiopia Against Violence
Calling Ethiopia “the critical actor in Horn of Africa stability,” outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Michael Raynor voiced confidence in a strengthened bilateral relationship but warned that violence – especially in the northern Tigray region – threatens the country’s progress. “We remain concerned about ethnic violence around the country and the threat it poses to achieving the country’s potential,” Raynor said of Ethiopia, speaking at a press conference Monday in Addis Ababa, the capital. It was Raynor’s final news briefing as ambassador, a post he has held since September 2017. He has focused on Africa for many of his FILE – Youngsters walk next to an abandoned tank belonging to Tigrayan forces south of the town of Mehoni, Ethiopia, Dec. 11, 2020.Rivalries among some of Ethiopia’s 80 ethnic groups have spawned deadly violence, including the January 12 killings of more than 80 civilians in Metekel, a town in the western Benishangul-Gumaz region, TFILE – People stand at the doors of houses that were damaged by shelling in the town of Mehoni, in southern Tigray, Ethiopia, Dec. 11, 2020.He also brought up the U.S. assessment that FILE – Ethiopians read newspapers and magazines reporting on the military confrontation in the country, one of which shows a photograph of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, on a street in the capital, Addis Ababa, Nov. 7, 2020.During his tenure as ambassador, Raynor said, the U.S. government “brought well over $3 billion” to support Ethiopia’s governance, development and humanitarian priorities. These range from enhancing the country’s food security and health systems to reforming judicial activities and updating economic policies to encourage private investment. Raynor also observed that Ethiopia’s ability “to focus on our areas of partnership has been strained by some degree due to the rate of ethnic tensions and Ethiopian-on-Ethiopian violence and certainly the current Tigray crisis. But by and large I feel very optimistic about the trajectory we have been on and that my successor will be able to build upon.” A successor has not yet been named. “This is a pivotal time for Ethiopia,” Raynor said. “What Ethiopia does in the coming months — particularly in promoting democracy, organizing free and fair credible elections this year, protecting basic human rights including freedom of the press and freedom of expression, resolving conflict and addressing ethnic tension, maintaining regional harmony and promoting economic opportunity — will impact this country’s prospects for generations to come.” Correction: Hailemariam Desalegn served as Ethiopia’s prime minister for over five years, not 23, as mistakenly appeared in an earlier version of this story.
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Pentagon Warns Taliban on Failure to Meet Commitments on Violence, Terrorism
The Biden administration believes it is hard to see a way forward for a negotiated settlement with the Taliban unless the militant group meets its commitments under a 2020 deal, although Washington remains committed to the effort, the Pentagon said Thursday.Killings of civilians in Afghanistan’s conflict rose to more than 2,900 last year, the country’s human rights commission has said, despite stepped-up diplomacy to end the war, including peace talks taking place in Qatar.The deaths are part of a wider increase in violence that threatens a delicate peace process, undermining international calls for a cease-fire as the Afghan government takes part in peace negotiations with the Taliban.”Without them meeting their commitments to renounce terrorism and to stop the violent attacks on the Afghan National Security Forces … it’s very hard to see a specific way forward for the negotiated settlement, but we’re still committed to that,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.FILE – In this Feb. 29, 2020, photo, U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group’s top political leader, sign a peace agreement between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar.The February 2020 agreement with the Taliban calls for a complete U.S. troop withdrawal by May 2021 in return for the insurgents fulfilling security guarantees.U.S. officials and diplomats have said that ties between the Taliban, especially its Haqqani Network branch, and al-Qaida remain close.”Thus far, the Taliban have been, to put it politely, reticent to meet their requirements,” Kirby added.US drawdownThe United States drew down to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan this month under the then-outgoing Trump administration, the lowest level of American forces there since 2001.Kirby said no decision had been made by President Joe Biden’s administration about future troop levels in Afghanistan.Diplomats have raised concerns that rising violence, particularly by the Taliban, is undermining trust needed for successful peace talks.White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told his Afghan counterpart last week that the United States would review the peace agreement reached with the Taliban.
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Greek Students, Teachers Defy Weeklong Ban on Protests
Thousands of students and teachers held peaceful demonstrations in Greece’s two biggest cities Thursday against proposed education reforms, defying a weeklong ban on protests imposed as part of measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. About 4,000 people, wearing masks against the virus, marched through the streets of Athens, while another roughly 1,500 demonstrated in the northern city of Thessaloniki. Protesters oppose reforms that include plans to set up a state security division at university campuses. On Tuesday, the government announced a ban on protests attended by more than 100 people until February 1, as part of the measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Violations are punishable by fines of up to 3,000 euros ($3,650) for individuals organizing rallies or demonstrations, and 5,000 euros (about $6,000) for groups or organizations. A university student holds a banner during a rally against education reforms in Athens, Jan. 28, 2021.It was not immediately clear if any fines would be imposed on the organizers of Thursday’s protests. The protests ended peacefully in the early afternoon. Left-wing parties criticized the demonstration ban, with the main opposition Syriza Party describing it as “arbitrary and undemocratic.” Greece has been under lockdown-type restrictions since early November when a surge in COVID-19 infections placed the health system under strain. Although hospitalizations in intensive care units have eased, the number of new daily cases has not fallen significantly, despite the restrictions. On Wednesday, authorities reported 858 new confirmed infections and 32 new deaths. The country of around 11 million people has registered a total of just more than 54,000 infections and 5,724 deaths. It began a vaccination drive in the last days of December, and so far, more than 213,000 shots have been administered.
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Impact of Canadian Spy Case Resonates 10 Years Later
Ten years ago, a police raid occurred in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that would permanently change the way Canada deals with national security and intelligence — and send long-lasting ripples through its relations with major allies. It was December 2011 when Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers accompanied by military authorities raided the house of Canadian navy officer Jeffrey Delisle, acting on a tip from authorities in the United States. Within weeks, Delisle had confessed to spying for Russia. The arrest was a blow not only to Canada but also to several key allies. Delisle had been working at HMCS Trinity, a secretive intelligence facility in the Halifax naval dockyard that coordinates intelligence-sharing among a group of countries known as the Five Eyes: Canada, the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. Ten years later, what has been learned? VOA talked to Canadian intelligence experts, local journalists and Canada’s Department of National Defense to find out what steps were taken to prevent a recurrence. Wesley Wark, an intelligence expert and frequent contributor to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC), said the security breach led to short-term and long-term changes that are still being felt. Security clearance Wark told VOA that immediately after Delisle was caught, the facility in which he worked was “stripped apart and rebuilt” to make sure Delisle had not left behind any listening devices or compromised any of the computers. FILE – Naval intelligence officer Jeffrey Delisle is shown in this still image taken from video of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police videotaped interrogation of the confessed spy in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, Jan. 13, 2012.Next, Wark said, the Canadian government tightened the process of gaining a security clearance and the monitoring of people with those clearances. Delisle had been allowed to have continued access to classified information, even though his security clearance had lapsed. Had Delisle been reinvestigated for a renewed clearance, the red flags would have been obvious, even to a nonintelligence expert. “Among the warning signs was that he had some issues around credit cards and credit debt,” Wark said. “He actually had a government corporate credit card that he had drawn on and never repaid.” Wark added that Delisle had previously aroused the suspicion of Canadian border authorities upon returning from a trip to Brazil. Border guards noticed that Delisle was behaving suspiciously and was unable to explain why he was carrying a large amount of money.Constant monitoring Equally embarrassing for Canadian authorities was the ease with which Delisle sold out his country. According to media reports, he simply walked into the Russian Embassy in Ottawa three years before his arrest and offered to sell them top-secret classified information for $10,000. He was believed to have been in financial distress at the time. Wark said there are now measures in place to keep an eye on anyone with a top-secret security clearance. These include “the requirement that people’s habits are constantly monitored. Any changes in their circumstances, financial, domestic … constant monitoring of people with top-secret clearances.” FILE – A flag is pictured outside the Russian embassy in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, March 26, 2018.Delisle was sentenced in 2013 to 18 years in prison on top of time served and was paroled six years later after having conducted himself as a model prisoner. But he was not the first spy to be caught in Atlantic Canada. Stephen Joseph Ratkai was arrested in Newfoundland in 1988 for spying for the Soviet Union as a result of a clever sting operation involving a female U.S. Navy intelligence officer. The American had pretended to defect to the Soviets by dramatically boarding a Soviet research vessel docked in a Newfoundland harbor, claiming she was sick of being held back in a male-dominated military. The intelligence she gathered led to Ratkai’s arrest. Wark said it was after this event that the Five Eyes facility where Delisle worked was built. Lingering resentmentCanada’s Department of National Defense (DND) was also happy to speak with VOA about the Delisle case, although individual navy and intelligence personnel declined, as it is still considered a very sensitive topic in Nova Scotia. “The Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defense take information security extremely seriously,” DND spokesperson Jessica Lamirande said. “Cases such as this one have the potential to damage both the reputation of Canada and its ability to collaborate with international intelligence partners. “A strong, sustainable information security program is essential to meeting the country’s defense needs, and we will continue to assess and monitor systems to ensure our personnel, operations and capabilities are protected.” The subject also remains sensitive for many other residents of Halifax, which hosts an annual security forum that attracts world leaders, members of the U.S. Congress and international media. In addition to the Five Eyes facility, the city is home to NATO facilities and numerous military installations, plus five international universities. “Halifax is a navy town. Always has been,” said former CBC reporter Rob Gordon. “People here have a deep connection to the navy and military. When Delisle was charged, it sent a shock wave through the city. And there was a certain amount of anger. “The documents leaked included threat assessments to Canadian warships. That meant a brother in the navy or a father serving on ship in the Arabian Sea could be directly impacted by Delisle’s betrayal. “There is no real difference between civilians and navy folks here. His betrayal had the potential to impact thousands of households in Halifax.”
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Sudanese Journalists Accuse Military of Blocking Access to Troubled Darfur
The Sudanese Journalists Network (SJN) has accused Sudan’s military of blocking journalists from the troubled Darfur region. Recent clashes there left hundreds of people dead and more than 100,000 displaced. Sudan’s military initially cited the security situation for the ban, but in a statement Wednesday denied any such ban exists.The issue began when a correspondent for Al Jazeera television applied for a travel permit to Darfur and her application was rejected. Many other journalists say they were also denied permission to go to Darfur. The Sudanese Journalists Network (SJN) called on the journalists to stand up for freedom of the press. Khalid Fathi, a member of SJN, says the network is taking a strong stand against this decision, as they refuse any attitudes or practices by the former regime. He says journalists shall stand against any attempt to take away the freedom of press and free expression and will not allow it at all.The Sudanese military is denying the allegations. It says it has been facilitating access for the journalists and correspondents in different volatile regions of Sudan, including the tense northeastern border with Ethiopia. Sudan’s ministry of information issued a press statement Wednesday backing up the military’s stance. Yousif Hindosa is part The Committee to Restore the Sudanese Journalist Union, which was shutdown after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir. Hindosa condemned the denials. Hindosa says this is so disappointing that as journalists, we can’t do our duty to inform the people and the world what is going on in El-Genina. There are thousands of displaced families, killed and injured people. Only a journalist could reflect what is going on in the ground. To restrict a journalist is an apostasy and a disappointing attitude from a government supposed to represent the revolution.The Sudanese Journalists Network was honored with Press Freedom Award last year by Reporters Without Borders for its stance on freedom of the press and its role in pushing for political change in Sudan. U.N. agencies say at least 117,000 people have been internally displaced because of last week’s inter-communal clashes in Darfur, with thousands fleeing to neighboring Chad.
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Despite Pressure, Haiti President Won’t Resign on Feb. 7, Ambassador Tells VOA
President Jovenel Moise will not be stepping down on Feb. 7, Haitian Ambassador Bocchit Edmond told VOA in an exclusive interview Wednesday.Opposition leaders are calling for nationwide protests in the days leading up to Feb. 7, the day in 1986 when dictator Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier was overthrown. Feb. 7 is also the date that the Haitian constitution stipulates newly elected presidents be sworn in.Moise was sworn in on Feb. 7, 2017, for a five-year term, the ambassador noted. But the opposition insists the president’s term should end this year.”They know squarely it is not true because they know the constitution states the president’s term lasts five years, and the president was sworn in on Feb. 7, 2017, for five years, which is going to be 2022,” Edmond said.The opposition, which accuses Moise of being a corrupt autocrat who has not done enough to curb the rash of kidnappings that have terrorized the nation, says a transition government should take control of the country after Feb. 7.Edmond thinks that is a bad idea.”It is time for Haiti to leave that cycle — that cycle of using illegitimate people to replace elected officials,” he told VOA. “Every time we have elections, we have to reverse the electoral votes. We have to ask the president to go, (only) to be replaced by a transitional government, which has never served the good of the Haitian people.”The Moise government’s plan is to hold a referendum on a new constitution in April 2021, followed by legislative and presidential elections in September. But the Provisional Electoral Council (KEP) named by the president faces criticism for not being representative of civil society, and the opposition vows to boycott any elections organized by it.”What about those who want to go to elections? They are also citizens. They have the same rights. That’s the issue,” Edmond said. “But at the end of the day, what I always invite my fellow citizens to understand (is) we will never have agreement on all the issues. There will always be disagreement. But the most important thing is, let us work on what we agree upon.”But the opposition announced that the nationwide mobilization in all 10 departments of the country will begin Jan. 28-31, followed by a general strike on Feb. 1 and 2, then again on Feb. 7 to force the president to leave power.“Stop fighting me,” Moise said in a national address earlier this week. “We fight too much. We don’t need to fight against each other. Let’s fight for each other.”Asked how the Moise government will deal with mass demonstrations on Feb. 7, Edmond reaffirmed the people’s right to peacefully protest, as guaranteed by the constitution.”The government will respect the right of the people to protest peacefully. But any society in any country, whenever protesters are trying to behave in a disorderly manner — burning public goods, burning public property — the police has to step in and put a stop to it,” Edmond told VOA. “We will always support the right of the people to protest peacefully on any issue because this is a right recognized by the constitution.”There are concerns, however, about the lack of security and possible attempts by law enforcement to target civilians taking to the streets. Protesters and journalists, including VOA Creole reporters in Port-au-Prince covering the demonstrations, say police often target them with tear gas and behave aggressively toward them, despite no evidence of illegal behavior on their part.Mario Joseph, a lawyer for the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Port-au-Prince, denounced the national police Wednesday as a “tool of repression.” He alleged their goal is to force the people to accept a 2022 presidential departure date.Joseph said article 134-2 of Haiti’s amended constitution states clearly that the president’s term will end on Feb. 7, 2021.”BAI is extremely concerned that the corrupt PHTK (Pati Ayisyen Tet Kale ruling party) government has weaponized the PNH (national police force) to use bullets, (tear) gas, physical aggression, arbitrary arrests and imprisonment to crush popular protests,” Joseph said during a press conference Wednesday.”On the other hand, the government used the PNH to protect the G-9 (gang) militants, who call themselves ‘legal bandits’ during their protest on January 22, during which they demanded President Moise fire the Social Affairs minister,” he said.Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe replaced Social Affairs Minister Nicole Altidor on Tuesday, announcing the decision on Twitter. But it is unclear if the decision was in direct response to the G-9 protesters’ demand. Mwen enstale aprè midi a nouvo minis (pa enterim) Zafè sosyal ak Travay la, Marie Gislhaine Mompremier. Mwen mande minis la pou li remete ministè a sou de pye l, pou li aplike politik ak priyorite gouvènman an kòmsadwa. Paske lapè ak lòd dwe vit retounen nan ministè sa a. @MASTHtpic.twitter.com/4izoe7mSoa— Joseph Jouthe (@JoutheJoseph) January 27, 2021Edmond cast doubt on allegations that the national police apply two different standards when moderating protests, but he stopped short of refuting it outright.”Not being a security expert, I don’t want to say anything that could be misinterpreted,” he said. …”But what I know (is), whenever the police behave badly, there is always a way to complain through the inspector general’s office of the national police.”Looking ahead to Feb. 7, Edmond told VOA the government would only observe the protests as long as they remain peaceful. Matiado Vilme and Renan Toussaint contributed to this report from Port-au-Prince, Haiti
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Belarus Media Crackdown Intensifies, Rights Groups Say
The Belarusian government is escalating its clampdown on the media that began after Alexander Lukashenko won a disputed presidential election in August, according to two news freedom rights groups.The Belarus Journalist Association (BAJ) and Reporters Without Borders said Thursday they referred to the United Nations 15 cases of journalists who were arbitrarily arrested after Lukashenko’s victory, which his political opponents and many Western countries have deemed questionable.The groups demanded an end to media censorship, website blockages, internet blackouts and cancellations of journalists’ accreditation credentials.Women wearing carnival masks march down the streets under umbrellas with the colors of the former white-red-white flag of Belarus to protest against the Belarus presidential election results in Minsk, on Jan. 26, 2021.They said Lukashenko’s government has taken a more threatening turn since the beginning of 2021, with phony criminal charges being placed against journalists that could lead to several years in prison.In addition to allegations of raiding journalists’ homes, the rights groups accused the Belarusian government of threatening reporters over their coverage of the election and the mass anti-government protests that began before the election, and which have since gained momentum.“The Belarusian authorities are pursuing a new tactic in which they permanently lock up journalists to prevent them from covering the protests, which have continued for more than five months despite the crackdown,” said Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. Ten journalists are currently in Belarusian jails, six of whom are subject to criminal investigations, a situation the BAJ and RSF considered serious enough to prompt them to refer 15 cases of arbitrary arrests to the U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression.Among those jailed during the protests was a popular blogger, Ihar Losik, who is facing an eight-year prison term and recently ended a six-week hunger strike. Belarus accuses him of helping organize riots.FILE – Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya speaks during a news conference in Brussels, Belgium, Sept. 21, 2020.Also under arrest are four members of the Belarus Press Club accused of large-scale tax fraud, a claim rejected by rights groups that call the charges retaliatory, and three journalists facing charges of organizing mass protests and disclosing information about a protester that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who lost the disputed election to Lukashenko, said was “killed by the regime’s cronies.”According to the BAJ, independent journalists were detained in Belarus more than 470 times last year, 50 media websites were blocked, and 15 journalists currently are facing criminal charges.Tsikhanouskaya said earlier this month at an informal meeting of the U.N. Security Council that unrest in Belarus “has only worsened” since September and that Lukashenko’s government continues to attack media outlets in the former Soviet country of 9.5 million people.Tsikhanouskaya said she and her supporters have refused to recognize Lukashenko’s victory, contending the election results were riddled with fraud.Lukashenko has been reelected as president of Belarus every five years since 1994.The former Soviet Republic was ranked 153 out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2020 World Press Freedom Index.
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Effects of Trump-Era Travel Ban Expected to Linger
Coffee shops in downtown Tripoli, Libya, are closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, so Mohammed Abdulwaheb, 37, got his ”to-go” and drank it in the parking lot. Libya and other countries had been subject to the Trump-era “travel ban” for four years before it was lifted last week. Back then, Abdulwaheb had wanted to attend graduate school in the United States. But that was a long time ago, he said. “The ban wasn’t fair,” Abdulwaheb added. “And of course it impacted our lives. The end of the ban will especially improve the lives of Libyans in America.” But experts say it will take time to unravel the regulations that grounded so many travelers. And locals in Libya, Nigeria and Sudan — three impacted countries — say resolving the personal setbacks experienced by individuals may take even longer. FILE – Demonstrators opposed to President Donald Trump’s travel ban listen to speakers during a rally outside the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, in Richmond, Virginia, Jan. 28, 2020.When former president Donald Trump introduced the policy in 2017, critics quickly dubbed it the ”Muslim ban” because it initially applied to Muslim-majority countries and came after Trump had promised to close U.S. borders to Muslims. The administration had said the ban was needed to keep the country safe. But the measure was introduced so abruptly that travelers were left stranded in airports around the world. It separated families and sparked protests at airports across the U.S. By the time newly inaugurated President Joe Biden declared the ban canceled last week, it applied to 13 countries in various forms. Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and Nigeria were added to the list in 2020, which by then also included Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, North Korea and Venezuela. Residents of Sudan and Tanzania were prohibited from immigrating through the U.S. Diversity Visa lottery. “Hopefully, with the removing of this ban, we will see a lot of change now,” said Abdulwaheb in Tripoli. “Hopefully.” Missed chances Thousands of kilometers south in Abuja, Nigeria, Wole Olaoye, a leading local journalist, was less sanguine about the ban. His son had already been accepted to a graduate program in California doing research on artificial intelligence when Nigeria was added to the list in early 2020. His son’s visa was subsequently rejected. “I think America needs to make up its mind on whether it wants foreign students or not,” said Olaoye in a phone interview on Wednesday. “You cannot allow your universities to go through the motions of requesting transcripts from universities, processing applications for students, taking initial deposits, only for you to say the students are a ’no go.'” FILE – Volunteer immigration attorneys organize to help as people grappling with President Donald Trump’s executive order travel ban, at Los Angeles International Airport, Jan. 31, 2017.Besides students, the ban kept out potential workers and tourists, and separated families for years, said Sarah Pierce, a policy analyst at the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute. “Immigration is one of the greatest resources for the United States,” she argued. “So the idea that we are just indiscriminately blocking certain populations is a huge loss to the United States. It’s a loss of family reunification. It’s a loss of potential workers and a lot of other intangible things that we can’t quite measure.” But the end of the ban will not necessarily mean a quick solution for hopeful visa applicants, Pierce said. Rejected applications will have to be reviewed or resubmitted, and many people in the affected countries are expected to put in new applications as the coronavirus pandemic subsides and travel becomes safer. “It will be difficult,” she said. “But at the very least it is something that the administration is already looking into it.” Long-term impact The lifting of the travel ban is a cause for celebration in Sudan, a country that has long suffered from international isolation. For decades Sudan has not just been on the U.S. travel ban list, but on a list of states the U.S. said sponsored terrorism. In December, Sudan was also removed from the “terror” list. Mohammed Ahmed, a 38-year-old civil servant, says it may take a long time for Sudan to feel the impact of the lifting of the travel ban and other restrictions, in Gadarib, Sudan, Jan. 27, 2021 . (VOA/Yan Boechat)In a crowded cafe in Gadarib, Mohammed Ahmed, a 38-year-old civil servant, said the lifting of the travel ban is of little significance to many Sudanese who are more concerned about rising prices and increasing insecurity. But after decades of sanctions and travel restrictions, it could mean an increase in investment, development and general prosperity. “For me the issue is different,” Ahmed said. “I can see a long-term impact.”
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