Tag: politics of cyberspace

Europe
EuroParliament

Ex-MEP imprisoned in pro-Russia influence-buying

The former Wales leader of right-wing populist political party Reform UK, Nathan Gill, was imprisoned after pleading guilty to accepting bribes from Kremlin-linked figures. The Central Criminal Court sentenced Gill to 10 years and six months under the Bribery Act of 2010. Gill served as a member of the European Parliament from 2014 up to the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union in 2020. During the course of his membership, it was found that Gill accepted bribes in exchange for including pro-Russian rhetoric in his statements to EuroParliament. The man who arranged the bribes was identified as Oleg Voloshyn, a former pro-Russian Ukrainian MP who is a friend of Russian President Putin. Victor Medvedchuk, chairman of the pro-Russian Ukrainian political party Opposition Platform–For Life, was named as the source of the payments to Gill and initiator of the bribery scheme. (Photo: Steven Lek via Wikimedia Commons)

Greater Middle East
MBS

Trump dismisses Saudi human rights concerns

President Donald Trump praised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as “incredible in terms of human rights” during an Oval Office meeting, preemptively deflecting questions about the kingdom’s extensive record of abuses as the crown prince pledged $1 trillion in US investments. The comments came despite weeks of pressure from human rights advocates urging Trump to confront the crown prince over Saudi Arabia’s recent grave abuses, an incomplete list of which is said to include record numbers of executions, torture of dissidents, systematic repression of women, and the killing of hundreds of Ethiopian migrants at the Yemen border. Human Rights Watch pointed out that Trump’s meeting with bin Salman came just five months after Saudi authorities executed journalist Turki al-Jasser, who had been arrested for social media posts critical of the regime in 2018 and charged with “high treason.” Executions in Saudi Arabia are carried out by beheading with a sword. (Photo of Mohammed bin Salman’s 2017 White House visit via Wikimedia Commons)

New York City
NYPD

NYPD documents reveal ‘surveillance abuses’

Amnesty International and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP) released more than 2,700 New York Police Department (NYPD) documents obtained after a five-year lawsuit. The groups say that the documents reveal extensive and discriminatory surveillance practices. The records, ordered to be disclosed by a New York state court in 2022, show repeated use of facial recognition technology (FRT) against individuals engaged in everyday activity as well as political expression. According to the organizations, the disclosures detail how the NYPD relied on FRT to identify people flagged by police reports that labeled them “suspicious” for speaking a foreign language or wearing culturally distinctive clothing. Advocates say the documents demonstrate that racial and cultural profiling frequently served as the basis for surveillance. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Africa
Tanzania

Post-electoral violence rocks Tanzania

Protests have escalated in Tanzania following elections widely viewed as a sham. Violence erupted on polling day over the exclusion from the ballot of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s two biggest challengers, and increasing government repression. The protesters defied a heavy security presence to target polling stations, police vehicles, and businesses connected to the ruling party, some chanting “We want our country back!” An unknown number of people were shot dead, and Amnesty International has called for an investigation. Protests continue despite an internet blackout and the deployment of soldiers to enforce a lockdown. (Photo via Twitter)

Afghanistan
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Fighting breaks out along Durand Line

According to reports in Pakistan’s media, the Afghan Taliban and affiliated militants launched an attack from the Afghan side of the border, killing at least 23 Pakistani troops and injuring some 30 others. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated that troops responded to cross-border raids by “Fitna-e-Khawarij and Fitna-e-Hindustan terrorist elements.” This appears to be a reference to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of providing sanctuary to. In contrast, a statement from Hamdullah Fitrat, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said that conditions on the “imaginary line” with Pakistan are under control. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been fraught with tension, especially around the disputed Durand Line border. Established in 1893 between British India and Afghanistan, this border has never been officially recognized by any Afghan government since the partition of India in 1947, leading to a persistent territorial dispute. (Map: Google)

South Asia
Muzaffarabad

Unrest erupts in Azad Kashmir

The politically volatile region of Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu Kashmir has once again plunged into a crisis of civil unrest. Local protests over government plans to drop subsidies for wheat and electricity rapidly transformed into a broader movement demanding comprehensive reform and regional economic relief. The demonstrations have pressured the government into negotiations and legal concessions, after initial harsh repression only further fueled public dissent. (Photo of Muzaffarabad via Wikimedia Commons)

North Africa
Tunis

Tunisia: activist gets death sentence for Facebook post

Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a statement condemning the Tunisian justice system for sentencing a man to death for Facebook posts dissenting from government actions. Saber Ben Chouchane was sentenced for posting pictures of himself at recent protests, and statements calling for citizens to take to the streets to demand the release of political prisoners on the upcoming anniversary of the Tunisian revolution of January 2011. HRW called for the Tunisian government to “stop detaining and prosecuting people solely for exercising their right of expression.” (Image: Grunge Love)

Africa
Madagascar

‘Gen Z’ uprisings in Morocco, Madagascar

Youth-led protests demanding better education and healthcare in Morocco escalated into violent clashes with security forces. The protests were organized online by a loose network calling itself “GenZ 212,” after Morocco’s country code. In the southern cities of Tiznit, Inzegane and Ait Amira, as well as the eastern city of Oujda and Temara near the capital Rabat, hundreds of protesters hurled stones at security forces attempting to disperse the gatherings. At least two protesters were killed when police opened fire in Lqliaa, near the coastal city of Agadir. But there was far worse violence in Madagascar, where President Andry Rajoelina announced the dissolution of the government in response to youth protests over power and water shortages. The UN criticized Malagasy authorities’ response to the demonstrations, reporting at least 22 people killed and hundreds injured. The Madagascar demonstrations were also organized under the banner of “Gen Z.” (Photo via Mika R/Twitter. Madagascar protesters use appropriated image from One Piece manga series.)

South Asia
Kashmir

India: deadly repression at Ladakh autonomy protest

Amnesty International urged Indian authorities to promptly investigate the use of live fire during protests in Leh, Union Territory of Ladakh, after at least four people were killed and more than 50 injured. Clashes erupted as demonstrators pressed long-standing demands for statehood and constitutional protections for land and jobs. Police said they responded after the crowd turned violent, with vehicles and a ruling Bharatiya Janata Party office set ablaze, and claimed officers fired in self-defense. Authorities imposed a curfew in Leh and restricted mobile internet services. (Map via Wikipedia)

South Asia
Nepal protests

Nepal: ‘Gen Z’ uprising brings down government

Protests in Nepal turned violent as security forces opened fire on demonstrators, resulting in at least 19 deaths and over 400 injuries. Young activists who had been protesting government corruption on social media started filling the streets of Kathmandu and other cities after the government blocked access to the online platforms. The subsequent deadly repression only enflamed the situation, and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned from his post after his home was set on fire. (Photo: हिमाल सुवेदी via Wikimedia Commons)

Palestine
GREAT Trust

White House plans revealed for mass displacement of Gazans

Future plans for the Gaza Strip currently circulating among United States government officials call for for the relocation of the entire population to make way for construction of tourist resorts and tech industry hubs under a decade of US administrative control, according to a Washington Post exclusive. The 38-page document obtained by the newspaper includes full-color artist renderings of the envisioned “Riviera of the Middle East.” The prospectus, yet to be officially approved, would see the US take the Strip under trusteeship for at least 10 years, overseeing “voluntary departures” of the residents to third countries or into “restricted” zones within the territory. A “Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration & Transformation Trust” (GREAT Trust) would be established to coordinate the effort. (Image via Mada Masr)