With historic turnouts, left-wing candidate Gabriel Boric has won the presidency in Chile securing 56% of the votes compared to the 44% secured by his rival Pinochet-admirer, Jose Antonio Kast. In accepting the speech he pledged to be “the president of all Chileans” and was immediately recognised as the victor by Last who phoned him to congratulate him. At 35, Boric is set to become Chile’s youngest-ever President. This election follows as a run of election to a fiercely contested vote in November in which Cast claimed almost 28% whilst Boris secured 26%. Political analysts have noted that...
On Friday the UN Human Rights Council voted to establish an international probe to investigate atrocities committed by both sides of the conflict in Ethiopia and prosecute those responsible. The resolution highlighted the atrocities which included "unlawful killings and extrajudicial executions, including wilful killings on the basis of ethnicity, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of civilians and captured combatants, arbitrary detentions, abductions and enforced disappearances, and widespread sexual- and gender-based violence against women, girls, men and...
Human rights campaigners have welcomed the announcements of US sanctions on Bangladesh's notorious paramilitary unit, the Rapid Action Battalion, as well as the country's national police chief, but have called for further action. The sanctions were announced by the US on 10 December, International Human Rights Day and come as part of a raft of sanctions and visa bans targetting human rights abuses in countries such as China, North Korea, Russia, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. In their statement the State Department detailed: "Benazir Ahmed, current Inspector General of the Bangladesh Police and...
Faced with the threat of further US sanctions over the aggressive posturing of China and Russia, Chinese President Xi Jingping and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a virtual conference in which they sought to “more effectively safeguard the security interests of both parties”. “A new model of cooperation has been formed between our countries – one based on foundations like non-interference in domestic affairs and respect for each other’s interests,” Putin told reporters. The New York Times writes that both leaders discussed forming an “independent financial infrastructure” to reduce...
Writing in the Guardian, Tamil human rights lawyer at MTC Solicitors, Naga Kandiah, slammed the British government’s proposed Clause 9 to the nationality and borders bill which could see dual nationals stripped of their citizenship without notice. The New Statement’s research, based on the 2011 census, reveals that as many as 5.6 million people living in England and Wales could be affected by the rule change. Kandiah’s piece follows the case of Shamima Begum which has been in the public focus with regards to this rule change. Begum was stripped of her citizenship when she left the UK to join...
Last week Hindu-nationalist Chief Minister of Haryana offered support to Hindu vigilantes who have been harassing Muslim worship in the city of Gurgaon by claiming that namaz, Muslim prayer, "would not be tolerated" in the open. The statement follows months of harassment by vigilante groups who have targeted public spaces which have been used for namaz. The mob chanted slogans such as "shoot the traitors" and attempted to shout down Muslim prayers with Hindu songs. They have also resorted to littering these sites with cow dung leading police to have to intervene so as to hold back the mob...
Responding to sweeping US sanctions imposed on dozens of people and entities tied to China, Myanmar, North Korea and Bangladesh; China's Foreign Minister, Wang Wenbin, urged America to "immediately withdraw the relevant wrong decision and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs". “If the US acts recklessly, China will take effective measures to strike back resolutely,” Wang told reporters on Monday. The US sanctions follow the conclusion of the Biden administration's "Summit for Democracy" and come alongside the first new sanctions on North Korea under Biden's presidency and targetted...
Gen Bipin Rawat, the Indian Chief of Defence Staff, died in a helicopter crash that took place in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, along with his wife and eleven others who were travelling in the chopper. The Indian Air Force (IAF) confirmed the deaths and said it was a “tragic accident” in a Twitter post. An investigation into the cause of the accident has been launched. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin immediately made a visit to Coonoor from Chennai and made inquiries regarding the incident with the army and police. முப்படைகளின் தலைமைத் தளபதி சென்ற ஹெலிகாப்டர் விபத்தில் சிக்கிய செய்தி அறிந்ததுமே...
On Wednesday Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, announced that Australia would join the US in its diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022, over concerns of the genocidal treatment of Uighur Muslims. The announcement comes as China continues to face criticism over their detention of over one million Uighurs in “re-education camps”. Detainees have reported being tortured, sexually abused, and forcibly sterilised whilst in detention. Human rights campaigners have charged the Chinese government with genocide against the Uighur population. Akin to the US, whilst...
French police announced on Monday that they had arrested a suspect in the murder and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi and former member of the Saudi royal guard, Khalid Alotaibi. Alotaibi was detained as he prepared to board a flight for Riyadh at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. He is alleged to be part of a 16-member team involved in Khashoggi's execution and is the first alleged member to have been arrested. French officials have noted that Alotaibi was travelling under his own name but could not explain how he managed to enter France undetected. Turkish...