Tag: Cyprus

Denounce Israel’s treatment of flotilla activists

Gaza FlotillaCanadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Israel's treatment of detained flotilla activists is "appalling" and "unacceptable" during a call between the two. This marked the latest in a wave of backlash after Israel's Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself taunting bound and kneeling detained activists. The activists were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international coalition sailing to Gaza to deliver food and medicine, as well as attempt to break the Israeli blockade of the territory. Forty-five vessels of the most recent convoy were intercepted by the Israel Defense Forces in the territorial waters of Cyprus. The activists were detained without charge, with allegations circulating of beatings and mistreatment in custody. Of the hundreds of detained activists, 12 were Canadian. Nine were returned to Canada last weekend, while one is in Turkey receiving urgent medical care following "appalling abuse." (Photo: FreeGaza via Wikimedia Commons)

UN demands civilian protection amid Middle East escalation

MinabThe United Nations urgently called for civilian protection amid growing violence and instability in the Middle East—and particularly in regard to the ongoing US and Israeli military operations against Iran. The UN urged a thorough investigation into a deadly strike on a girls' school in Iran, and requested the disclosure of all relevant information. The attack in the southern coastal city of Minab reportedly killed 168 people. According to Iran's Ministry of Education, the overwhelming majority of the slain were schoolgirls aged seven to 12. The strike came on the first day of coordinated US and Israeli airstrikes officially targeting Iranian infrastructure and military facilities. (Photo: Mehr via Wikimedia Commons)

Syria

Lebanon, Cyprus violate rights of Syrian refugees: HRW

LebanonHuman Rights Watch (HRW) accused Lebanon and Cyprus of violating the human rights of Syrian refugees with indirect financial support from the European Union. In a new report, HRW details how both countries intercepted and have forcibly returned refugees to Syria in a coordinated effort to prevent them from seeking asylum in Europe. According to the rights organization, Syrian refugees who tried to leave Lebanon by boat were intercepted by the Lebanese army and then expelled to Syria. Meanwhile, the Cypriot Coast Guard intercepted refugees who reached Cyprus, sending them back to Lebanon, where they often faced immediate deportation to Syria. (Photo of Lebanon coast via Wikimedia Commons)

Syria

Syrian refugees face illegal ‘push-backs’

LesvosThe Cyprus spokesperson for the United Nations Refugee Agency, Emilia Strovolidou, has urged the country to stop forcibly pushing away Syrian refugee boats arriving from Lebanon, a practice that violates international human rights law and the principle of non-refoulment. Strovolidou accused Cyprus authorities of using "violent" tactics to "destabilize" boats in order to thwart refugees from arriving on the island's shores. Meanwile, Human Rights Watch says Lebanese authorities have "arbitrarily detained, tortured, and forcibly returned Syrians to Syria in recent months." (Photo: Syrian refugees arriving in Lesvos, Greece. Greek authorities have also been accused of push-backs. Via Wikimedia Commons)

Syria
Kurdish refugees

‘Ceasefire’ or ethnic cleansing in northeast Syria?

VenezuelaPresident Trump issued an executive order declaring a "national emergency" a to block judicial processes from being instituted against Venezuelan oil funds held in the US, on the basis that it would "materially harm the national security and foreign policy of the United States." This order follows statements from Trump that US oil companies will invest billions in Venezuela, with his Energy Secretary Chris Wright saying that the US will control and market Venezuela's oil "indefinitely." However, the CEO of ExxonMobil, Darren Woods, expressed concern about conditions in Venezuela, saying that country is currently "un-investable." Trump responded angrily that he was "inclined" to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela. Companies including ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips say that Venezuela owes them billions of dollars over lost investments. Trump's executive order could hinder these companies from recovering their claims. (Map: Perry-Castañeda Library)

Greater Middle East

EU resolution suspends Turkey’s admittance

TurkeyThe European Union adopted a resolution against Turkey's accession as a member of the EU. The resolution passed in the European Parliament notes ongoing human and civil rights violations and lack of respect for minority religious and cultural rights. It mentions the "shrinking space for civil society," arrests and suppression of journalists, and dismissal of dissident academics, as well as the treatment of refugees and migrants within Turkey's borders. The body noted that Turkey's government has violated the due process rights of its own citizens under the guise of counter-terrorism. It has also intimidated its citizens abroad and abused Interpol arrest warrants to extradite its own nationals back to Turkey. (Map: CIA)

Palestine

Gaza: a war for oil?

Development of the Gaza Marine 1 and 2 offshore blocs has been held up by conflict over the Strip and its waters. Is "Protective Edge" aimed at securing them under Israeli control?