CounterVortex

Africa

Protests rock Togo after ‘constitutional coup’

At least seven have been killed and many more injured in anti-government protests that broke out in Togo’s capital, Lomé. The demonstrations were called over recent constitutional reforms that could cement President Faure Gnassingbé’s long hold on power. Gnassingbé, who has ruled since his father’s death in 2005, was sworn in last month as president of the Council of Ministers, a powerful new post without term limits, allowing him to be re-elected by Parliament indefinitely. Gnassingbé’s family has ruled Togo since 1967, and the new “Hands Off My Constitution” movement denounces the government reform as a “constitutional coup.” (Photo via Twitter)

Europe

Europe, Ukraine to establish tribunal for crime of aggression

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset agreed to establish a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. The agreement, supported by all 46 Council of Europe member states, will establish a tribunal to address crimes of aggression in response to Russia’s ongoing invasion. The crime of aggression refers to the decision by a state leader to wage a war that may violate Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. The tribunal’s jurisdiction may also extend to Russian allies participating in the conflict. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Palestine

UN warns of ‘weaponized hunger’ in Gaza

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) announced that the recent killing of Palestinians trying to receive food from aid hubs may constitute a war crime, warning of a policy of “weaponized hunger” in the Gaza Strip. Jonathan Whittall, the head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza and the West Bank, reported that more than 400 people have now died in the process of trying to reach food distribution points. “We see a chilling pattern of Israeli forces opening fire on crowds gathering to get food,” Whittall said, adding that “Israel’s militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism is in contradiction with international standards on aid distribution.” (Photo: Maan News Agency)

South Asia

Pakistan: drone terror in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Amnesty International expressed concern over recurrent drone strikes conducted by Pakistan’s military, which have caused unlawful loss of civilian lives. The rights group stated that the strikes in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have resulted in the deaths of 17 people this year, hitting homes and even, in one case, a volleyball game. The statement urged authorities to investigate these incidents and hold those responsible accountable. (Map: Google)

Iran

Iran: wave of repression in wake of bombardment

One result of the 12 days of war has been the intensification of repression inside Iran under the name of “defending the homeland” or “fighting espionage.” According to reports, at least 700 people have been arrested on accusations of cooperating with Israel. Six political prisoners (all with serious legal irregularities in their cases) have already been executed, labeled as “spies.” And this could be only the beginning. The “Islamic Gestapo” (Basij) have turned urban areas like Tehran into militarized zones. They roam the streets, hunting for “suspicious agents.” (Photo: Wikipedia)

Iran

Podcast interview: Iranian-American activist Frieda Afary

In Episode 284 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg interviews Frieda Afary of the blog Iranian Progressives in Translation, author (most recently) of Socialist Feminism: A New Approach, and a longtime voice for democratic-secular opposition movements in Iran. How is the situation of Iran’s civil resistance complicated by the US-Israeli air-strikes on the country, and how should progressives in the West respond? Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon.

Iran

Iran’s retaliation: choreographed charade?

Two days after the US carried out air-strikes against Iran’s nuclear sites in what is being dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran launched missiles at al-Udeid air base in Qatar, headquarters for US Central Command’s regional operations and host to some 8,000 US troops. The US said nearly all the missiles were intercepted and there were no casualties. In a post on TruthSocial, President Trump shortly later claimed a ceasefire between Israel and Iran has been reached, with Israeli media reporting that the truce was brokered by Qatar. Sources also told Reuters that Iran had tipped off Qatar authorities before the attack, who then warned the US—accounting for the light damage and raising the possibility that, as in US-Iran brinkmanship of early 2020, the supposed Iranian retaliation was choreographed to allow Tehran to save face. The US, Israel and Iran alike are now all claiming victory, and it remains unclear how seriously Tehran’s nuclear capabilities have in fact been degraded. (Image of al-Udeid air base: Wikimedia Commons)

Africa

Convictions in CAR war crimes case

Amnesty International welcomed the conviction by the Central African Republic’s Special Criminal Court of six former combatants for war crimes and crimes against humanity, calling the decision “a breakthrough in the fight against impunity in the country.” However, Amnesty said that the trial in the Ndélé 2 case was “tarnished” by the fact that four out of six defendants were convicted in absentia. (Map via Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection)

Iran

Tehran vows retaliation after US strikes nuclear sites

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed retaliation against US and Israeli targets following American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. “Operation True Promise 3 continues, and the aggressors must await responses that will make them regret and will go beyond their calculations,” the IRGC said in a statement, adding that “American bases in the region are not points of strength but rather factors of their greater vulnerability.” (Image: Pixabay)

New York City

Podcast: Zohran Mamdani and the weaponization of anti-Semitism

New York City’s mayoral race has become embroiled in the national and global dilemmas, with progressive candidate Brad Lander getting arrested by ICE and progressive frontrunner Zohran Mamdani being aggressively baited as an anti-Semite by the campaign of the overall frontrunner, disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo. Joining Cuomo in this propaganda offensive, not surprisingly, is the pro-Israel doxxing operation Canary Mission. In the current fraught atmosphere, this is a serious matter; Mamdani has received death threats and his campaign is boosting security measures. In Episode 283 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg examines the accusations against Mamdani that have been hyped by the New York Post and even the supposedly more objective Politico, and weighs them against Mamdani’s own responses. (Photo: CounterVortex)

Greater Middle East

Civilian toll of US bombing in Yemen

A late May ceasefire between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and the US appears to be holding, although Israel and the Houthis are still in conflict, with the latter saying this week that they have joined Iran’s war effort. A new report from casualty monitor AirWars looks at the civilian death toll during the 53 days of “Operation Rough Rider,” when Trump escalated a long-running US bombing campaign in Yemen. The monitor says at least 224 civilians were killed between the operation’s start in mid-March until the May truce, marking a massive escalation from previous US campaigns. If you also include the 258 civilians counted as killed in the previous 23 years of US operations against the Houthis, al-Qaeda, and other groups, it takes the overall civilian toll from US bombing in Yemen to almost 500. (Photo: CENTCOM)

Planet Watch

Global peak in displacement amid funding gap

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that forced displacement has doubled globally in the last decade, while “brutal” funding cuts mean a lack of resources to accommodate the increased number of displaced people dependent on the UNHCR for support. The agency said the increase has been “largely driven by protracted conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine,” with a total of 123.2 million people displaced worldwide at the end of 2024. (Photo: Roman Deckert via Wikimedia Commons)