Sunday August 20 2017 In Summary

Attacks on independent voices, intimidation and intolerance are clear signs of a country steadily and systematically sliding towards authoritarianism and dictatorship.

Events of the past week have thrown us back to the dark days of the oppressive Kanu regime and are a notice to Kenyans to keep vigil and guard against a relapse to that era.

The government launched a crackdown on human rights organisations as it sought to deregister the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and Africa Centre for Open Governance (Africog).

The two groups have been vocal against governmental excesses and were reportedly keen to file a petition against President Uhuru Kenyattas re-election.

But the States move was met with public outrage, forcing acting Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi to intervene and suspend the clampdown.

On Sunday, human rights activist and lawyer Maina Kiai was detained at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, en route to the Czech Republic in an apparent continuation of the onslaught on the independent voices.

He had to call Immigration Director Gordon Kihalangwa to intercede to enable him to travel.

Notably, this was just few days after Electoral and Boundaries Commission official Roselyn Akombe was also detained and stopped from travelling to the US and had to seek the assistance of the American embassy before she could be allowed to proceed.

The pattern is worrying and Kenyans have to be alarmed. It is particularly disconcerting that this is happening in this day and age; when the country is operating under a progressive Constitution with an elaborate Bill of Rights.

It took blood and sweat to remove the despotic regime. Many lives were lost, limbs battered and property destroyed.

Those sacrifices were not in vain, and anyone seeking to return us there must be resisted.

Those in authority must live to the reality that times have changed. We abhor and condemn this emerging trend of intolerance and suppression. Attempts to intimidate independent voices to acquiescence are doomed and unacceptable.

Both the National Assembly and the Senate to sit next Thursday.

Electoral commission waiting for National Assembly speaker to declare the seat vacant.

Continued here:

Reject attempts to restore oppression - Daily Nation

I recently heard a young man, who by coincidence has an incredible amount of influence and power in our government, say we dont need to read books or look at history.

The topic he was discussing when he uttered this statement was Mideast peace. His influence and power is not the result of education or experience; it was granted by virtue of who he married.

Sadly, this statement wasnt a surprise. But, it did get me thinking about history, books and critical thinking, among other things.

I recently attended a high school reunion. During that visit down memory lane I contacted a professor I had during junior college. His specialty was history. He is still living, in relatively good health, and had a wonderful memory and agile intellect at 87 years young.

He told me he remembered me, and proceeded to tell a few tales that I had forgotten but he had remembered. We had a wonderful time catching up and I got the long overdue opportunity to let him know that he had a positive impact on a young student. He opened the door for me to history, how it impacts the present and the future. He influenced where I went to college. He was excellent at imparting the necessity and skills of how and why critical thinking is so important. It really is becoming a lost art.

We continue to face the same issues many civilizations before have navigated, some with success, some with success yet to come. We are privileged to have a plethora of historical experts and data available to show us what happens with dictatorial regimes, nuclear fallout, the oppression of a minority culture, slavery, greed, monarchical governments, oppression, famine, deadly disease outbreaks, prejudice, apathy, fear, military might. We see the many social, economic, religious, military, cultural influences that merge to create a watershed event that upends existing structure. We can study them to understand why and how events and situations coalesce to bring a world to near catastrophe or elevate a world to reach for the moon and the stars.

Caesar, Napolean, the Pharaohs, the houses of the Plantagenents to the Tudors to the Windsors, rise of Nazism and Leninism, end of slavery, Teddy and Franklin D, Lincoln, and other vast historical people and events shaped where we are today. Were living with the social influences of Socrates, Plato, More, Bacon, Hobbes.

We can enjoy the beauty created by Monet , Da Vinci, Bosch, Raphael. Were recipients of the mathematical and exploratory discoveries of Columbus, Cabot, Galilei. Shakespeare can still stir the imagination.

We can try and understand history, but it doesnt mean well learn from it. We know that religious battles, segregation, one group oppressing or discriminating against another rarely ends well in the long run. Yet, these traits and behaviors are alive and well, and unfortunately thriving. We cant help ourselves. Human frailty seems to keep the inherent battles going, even when we know better. We cant seem to get out of our own way.

Some may think history isnt relevant, but isnt amazing how often we repeat it.

Originally posted here:

COLUMN: We need to learn from the past - Cody Enterprise

Patch.com

Heyl: Pennsylvania Fireworks Law A Total Dud Patch.com Unfortunately, all Pennsylvanians find themselves in that position thanks to the type of government oppression that led to the day we're about to celebrate. Don't blow up when you hear this, but folks from neighboring states can buy anything they want ... and more »

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Heyl: Pennsylvania Fireworks Law A Total Dud - Patch.com

The judge said in his order that PFC, and other nominee directors, sought protection from the tribunal as they were wary of being prosecuted by government agencies. (Reuters)

State-owned Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has been pulled up by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Ahmedabad for filing a case against Shree Maheshwar Hydel Power Corporation, earlier promoted by Mukul Kasliwal. The judge said in his order that PFC, and other nominee directors, sought protection from the tribunal as they were wary of being prosecuted by government agencies.

The case was filed under section 241-242 of the Companies Act which states that a person can seek relief from the NCLT if affairs of a company have been or are being conducted in a manner prejudicial to public interest or in a manner prejudicial or oppressive to him or any other member or members or in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the company.

On scanning of the prayers it goes to show that there is any amount of apprehension in the mind of PFC and other nominee directors that they will be prosecuted by one or the other agency of the government and therefore they must seek protection of the tribunal which they thought can be achieved by making allegations of oppression and mismanagement against the respondents, the judge wrote in his order. He added that, PFC, in order to escape penal actions under the Companies Act, intends to use this tribunal in the guise of oppression and mismanagement.

It was reported that the government had ordered an inquiry into the project after lenders took management control in January, 2016. The judge said the failure to repay debt or to infuse equity does not amount to acts of oppression. He added that the allegation of siphoning funds is vague and there is no material to substantiate the same. The consortium of lenders led by PFC has invested close to Rs 2,560 crore in the firm in the form of debt and equity. Lenders to the project had issued a loan recall notice dated January 5, 2016, and a notice for invocation of pledge was issued on May 19 the same year.

Maheshwar dam was planned as part of the Narmada Valley Development Project and the Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board was assigned the responsibility of building the dam in 1989. The Narmada Valley Development Project entails construction of 30 large and 135 medium-sized dams in the Narmada Valley. The estimated project cost has escalated from Rs 1,565 crore in December, 1996 to Rs 4,400 crore in March, 2012.

Subsequently, on May 2, 2015, a report of the high-level committee constituted by the Madhya Pradesh government suggested a couple of possible scenarios to revive the project. Scenario one involved the promoters arranging additional equity of Rs 600 crore and debt of Rs 1,100 crore,while another scenario sought cancellation of the existing power purchasing agreement (PPA).

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Power Finance Corporation pulled up by NCLT for filing case against Shree Maheshwar Hydel Power Corporation - Financial Express

The issue of restructuring this unfortunate country called Nigeria is once again on the front burner. Restructuring remains one of the promises made by the APC and President Mohammadu Buhari that they have refused to fulfill. In fact, at all levels of the APC as an administration and political party, restructuring is being denied.

Before then, former President Goodluck Jonathan organized a National Conference to discuss this issue. The recommendations of the Conference, even though not perfect, has been thrown into the trash by President Buhari and his goons. This ought to have been the starting point to save Nigeria from perdition.

However, many of us seem not to have an understanding of what to restructure. The itemized issues below are not exhaustive in any way. The suggestions also are not written in stone. The bodywork could still be tampered with in terms of details. But the highlighted issues must be dealt with, honestly, sincerely and genuinely to build trust, sense of belonging and save Nigeria, if we all think we still need the country.

THE POLICE - There is urgent need to give control of the police to the localities. The Political Units (PUs) should have their own police side by side with Local Government, City or Township Police Forces. This would make oppression more difficult and reduce abuse of power and usage. It would democratize law enforcement and facilitate citizen involvement. It would also enhance security, effectiveness, and efficiency. The argument of abuse no longer holds water since we are all witnesses to the constant abuse of the police by the unitary Federal Government.

EDUCATION - The Federal Government has no business in formulating and controlling the educational system. The Elementary Education is absolutely for the control of local people to create a social foundation via curricula for their children. Such curricula shall, as agreed to by the locals, be imbued with their desired philosophical world view. Same goes with secondary, high schools or grammar schools.

"Government", communities and private entities can compete to have universities, colleges, polytechnics and other forms of post-secondary institutions.

I put "government" in quotes because the FEDERAL government should be totally out of business of owing universities, controlling admissions, appointing Chancellors and Vice Chancellors among others. The Federal Government shall not and must not have any scintilla of power or responsibility in determining admission policies or criteria for such in all post-secondary institutions.

It should be made UNLAWFUL and ILLEGAL for FederalGovernment to interfere in the internal affairs of post-secondary institutions of which the most important is admission policies and contents of teaching. The Senate Council of such institutions should be given controls and powers subject to the internal democratic control of members.

HEALTH - All health policies and infrastructure management shall be an exclusive responsibility of the PUs. The Federal Government shall not have any power to interfere in such matters, no matter how remote. Any arm of Federal Government that has Health issues as its concerns, shall be related to the PUs purely on an advisory basis and shall have no power whatsoever to compel any PU against its will.

AGRICULTURE - The Federal Government shall not have any power directly or indirectly to determine agricultural policies in the PUs. This shall be an exclusive responsibility of the locals and their PUs. There shall be no Federal Ministry of Agriculture under any disguise for that matter. It shall be unconstitutional to use the common purse for agricultural development in any PU to the detriment of other PUs.

TRANSPORTATION - There shall no longer be any road within the borders of the PUs designated as FEDERAL ROADS. The PUs shall have the full power to develop it's road infrastructures without let or hindrance. Airlines, Railways, Waterways, and other forms of transportation shall be the exclusive management and administration of the PUs. The international laws guiding transportation of all genre would be adopted to guide transportation relationship between the PUs.

RESOURCE CONTROL - The political units (PUs) should have total control of its resources of all kinds whether on the ground, under the ground or in the sky. Each PU must be free to determine the exploitation or otherwise of such resources. Each PU should and must be free to enter into local and international agreement on how to manage it's resources. Such PUs should determine its taxes and rates of importation to as well as exportation from its territory. All the resources must be deployed to the development and progress of the PUs as determined by its people. All the PUs that are constituent units must agree at a percentage of their resources not lower than 2.5 and not greater than 5.00 percent as contributions to the Federal Government. The percentage, when agreed upon must be uniform and not discriminatory.

ECONOMY - The management of the economy of the PUs would follow the same format as in the management of the resources in relation to the Federal Government. Each PU shall determine its own economic policies and have its own CENTRAL BANK to protect it against hostile action by an antagonistic, vindictive, quarrelous and envious Federal Government. Each PU would decide its economic relationship with other PUs or other Nations of the world as well as international bodies.

TAXES - The Federal Government shall not and must not have the power to tax any citizen or PU. A situation where VAT or Value Added Tax on liquor, for example, is taken from Oyo State to support Kano State that hates such is an injustice. The Federal Government shall and must solely depend on the mandatory 5 maximum contribution from the PUs.

TRADE AND COMMERCE - All regulations and rules that govern ethics, practices of commerce and trade shall be jointly put in place by the Federal Government and the PUs. Where there is a conflict of rules, the PUs shall have the final say or superior authority. Each PU shall not need or require the Federal Government's approval or authority to enter into bi - lateral or multi - lateral trade deals with any country or international bodies in the world. The PU shall have the freedom to determine what is in their best interest and pursue such without let or hindrance.

THE ARMED FORCES - Each PU should and must have as well as total control its armed forces and it's security apparatuses. Each PU would determine the extent and size of its Army, Navy and Airforce as it deems fit. It shall be able to decide how they are trained and how much is expended on them.

Each PU shall have its own security apparatuses and determines the welfare packages, emoluments, promotions, training of its personnel.

At the Federal level, there would be a Military Advisory Council (MAC) which duties shall remain advisory in capacity. It's decisions would not be binding except by persuasion. MAC shall advise whether Nigeria can go to war or not. Such advice shall be unanimously accepted and or agreed to through persuasion alone and not by force.

Each PU shall decide its own contribution to the war effort as it deems fit and according to its capacity and resources. A PU may be able to opt out of a war effort if it's leadership decides so at any point in time.

IMMIGRATION - This shall be a joint responsibility of both the Federal Government and the PUs. Where there is conflict in matters of immigration, the PUs shall have the FINAL SAY as determined by its policies and its leadership. As we have in ECOWAS, free movement within the PUs would be encouraged since it would still be the same country, but with an agreed form of identification to check crimes and protect security concerns.

BORDER CONTROL - This is expected to be under immigration. But I decided to focus on it separately in lieu of our experiences. Each PU shall have the final say on who and how people enter into, move around, work and live within its borders. It shall have the unrestrained power to expel or jail anyone that breaks it's rules, regulations, and laws.

DIPLOMACY - As we had it after Independence in 1960, each PU shall and MUST have the right to engage in international relations and choose which countries it wants to have embassies and ambassadors.

JUDICIARY - The final arbiter of and for justice shall be within the judicial set up of each PU. Each PU shall design and operate it's unique judicial system. At the Federal level, all PUs must agree on the structural set up of the National Court to hear cases of dispute among PUs. The structure shall not have the power to interfere in the internal judicial structure of the PUs. Judges on the Federal Courts shall not be permanent and should be on ad hoc or case by case basis. The judges at Federal level shall not earn any remunerations since they would be representing their PUs at such time. They shall not sit on more than one or two cases at most in a lifetime. In a situation of conflict between two PUs, the Federal Court shall hear such case and determine it. But such case must be subject to appeal to International Court and a clause approving this would be enshrined in the new Constitution.

POLITICAL UNITS (PUs) - It is my view that PUs should be determined based on linguistic demarcations and not on artificial regions. There are 376 languages spoken in Nigeria. Some would complain that this would be too many. But it is my view that the distinct characters of all the units be maintained. Where necessary, referendum, under the principle of SELF DETERMINATION could and should be held by any unit to decide which other units they want to be grouped with for purposes of viability. If a country of just 93,000 (Seychelles) can survive, a constituent unit of the same population or less would survive. No PU, no matter how big or small shall have the right, no matter how infinitesimal, no matter how it is defined, to decide the destiny of others as to how and where they are grouped.

To ensure equality of responsibility and opportunity among all constituent units or PUs, the mono - camera National Assembly would have 376 members which would be far fewer than the present size of 469 members in the bi-Camera Assembly. This would mean a representative each from all the linguistic units constituting Nigeria, regardless of size in population or land mass.

The members shall be totally on a Part-time basis and without remunerations. Their membership of this Assembly shall be purely on a patriotic commitment basis. It shall not sit more than 21 days in a row and more than four times in a year. Its enactments shall be purely advisory and subject to review and acceptability by the Assemblies of the PUs.

The internal political structure of each PU shall be its sole responsibility without any interference whatsoever from any outside influence.

HOW TO RESTRUCTURE - The modality of carrying out the restructuring must be based on equality of all constituent units regardless of population size or land mass. This would mean that a CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY of 376 members representing each ethnic nationalities would meet to discuss matters of common interest in relation to the continued existence of Nigeria.In the course of focusing on itemized issues above and others that might come up, they would unwittingly but consciously construct the framework for a new Constitution to be approved back home in the PUs.

Any PU that disapproves or disagrees with the new Constitution should be allowed to reconsider and review it's decision or be allowed to form its own country. Regardless, the new Constitution must include a clause that allows a referendum in any ethnic nationality that seeks to leave the Union to do so as long as it is the wish of the majority of its citizens.

The operating principles of and for the RESTRUCTURING are and should be self-determination, freedom from oppression, equity, justice, balance, sense of equal belonging and equality in all ramifications. This piece is without any prejudice to my hope, dream, and aspiration for the Odu Nation. This is because any discussion about a country, Nation - State or a Nation is ultimately about a people. The prime motive of and for my agitation for the coming Great Yoruba Nation is the well being of my Yoruba people.

It must be understood that on the tough and rough path to FREEDOM of the Yoruba people, their survival and well-being must be the constant and consistent denominator. This piece is purposed by that denominator.

"In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility I welcome it. - John F. Kennedy, in his Inaugural Address January 20, 1961

Please follow me on Twitter: @OyeyemiRemi

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Nigeria: What And How To Restructure By Remi Oyeyemi - SaharaReporters.com

"Proposed justice measures in South Sudan including the Hybrid Court can be pursued despite disruptions in the implementation of the peace agreement".

July 1, 2017

The lack of political will by South Sudanese leaders to implement the ARCSS, however, has left the transition process in shambles. Fighting continues and has spread to every region of the country, humanitarian access remains severely obstructed despite an estimated 4 million refugees and displaced South Sudanese since 2013, famine has taken hold, and most of the genuine opposition has had to flee the country due to the governments oppression of civil society, journalists, and any form of dissent. Despite these conditions, the lack of an alternative peacebuilding framework perpetuates the commonly held notion that ARCSS continues to provide the only path for moving forward in South Sudan.

The element of ARCSS that many South Sudanese are most reluctant to lose is Chapter Von transitional justice, accountability, reconciliation, and healingand with it the institution of a hybrid court that offers some hope for justice and an end to impunity in the country. Often overlooked in this supposed tradeoff is that the key accountability measures negotiated into the ARCSS can be retained even outside the Agreement.

The State of the ARCSS

Almost since the moment the ARCSS was adopted in August 2015, the parties have refused to honor ceasefire commitments. South Sudans president, Salva Kiir, famously signed the ARCSS with reservations detailed in a list of complaints and qualifications. While rejected by the ARCSSs international signatories from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union (AU), and the troika (the United States, Norway, and the United Kingdom), the regime nonetheless proceeded to implement many of these reservations, without meaningful international reaction. These and other measures undertaken by the regime have consequently rendered the ARCSS, the term of which was to extend to May 2018, inoperable. Among others, these include:

The failure to demilitarize Juba or pursue any meaningful reform of the security sector

The unilateral replacement of opposition leader and First Vice-President of the TGoNU, Riek Machar

Harassment and obstruction of ceasefire monitors

Interference with the activities of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission established to monitor the implementation of ARCSS

Despite these and many other violations, the GOSS regularly affirms the ARCSS as the blueprint for finding lasting peace, even as it continues to prosecute and expand the war.

From a political perspective, it is difficult to see how a national dialogue that excludes the main opposition and rebel movement opposed to the government and conducted in an environment of severe insecurity and humanitarian crisis can deliberate and prescribe how the conflict should be resolved.

The Fate of Accountability Institutions

What implications do these actions have for accountability for crimes and human rights violations committed since December 2013 that were to be addressed under ARCSS? In fact, the survival of the hybrid court, the Commission on Truth, Reconciliation, and Healing, and the Reparations Authority are not contingent upon the ARCSS but have a basis of their own outside the peace agreement.

Final Report of the AU Commission of Inquiry (COI) on South Sudan:

Second, while negotiating the ARCSS, IGAD mediators were fully aware of the COIs work on accountability and essentially aligned its recommendations with the COIs findings on the subject. Indeed, the ARCSS process was guided by the understanding that individuals found responsible for human rights violations in the COI would be prohibited from participating in the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU). This guidance was contained in the signed (protocol?) by IGAD heads of state and governments (including Salva Kiir) on August 25, 2014. That part of the protocol was never applied, however, in part because Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) did not sign the protocol.

However, Article 4(h) also provides a legal anchor for a wider range of interventions, including the creation of a judicial body to prosecute those that commit these crimes.

The legal reasoning applies with equal force to the AUs role under Article 4(h) of the Constitutive Act of the AU. In the case of Hissne Habr, the AU requested that Senegal prosecute the former Chadian dictator for torture and crimes against humanity because the AU lacked the means to do so, although it had the authority. Nonetheless, the AU subsequently played a critical role in staging the trial that culminated in a conviction.

The ARCSS process was guided by the understanding that individuals found responsible for human rights violations in the COI would be prohibited from participating in the Transitional Government of National Unity.

Having delegated the peacebuilding responsibilities to IGAD, the AU is well within its authority to take up the entire process itself, if it deems warranted. This includes elements of accountability, transitional justice, and reconciliation as articulated in the ARCSS.

In sum, while much remains to be done to get the political process in South Sudan back on track, the ARCSSs Chapter V institutions on transitional justice, accountability, and reconciliationincluding the hybrid courthave a firm legal grounding outside the ARCSS should the AU wish to pursue them.

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A Path To Justice In South Sudan - gurtong

A few weeks ago, news of the Kerala government providing jobs to 21 transgender people in the Kochi metro made headlines. We all lauded the government's attempt to include the trans community into mainstream society and give them a chance to lead a normal life. Sitting behind our computer desks dreamily looking at the horizon from our windows, we felt sufficiently satisfied India is moving forward, change is happening, the government is taking the right measures towards creating an inclusive society.

(C) BBC

But we somehow never wondered about the happily ever after'. Out of the 21 transgender people hired by Kochi Metro, 9 resigned within the first month. The reason: they couldn't find accommodation as no house-owner was ready to rent them a flat.

One 9 June 2015, the appointment of Manabi Bandopadhyay as India's first transgender college principal made headlines. The progressive move was hailed as a gamechanger. But after a year and a half, Manobi resigned due to non-cooperation from a section of colleagues and students, and tremendous mental pressure due to the harrassment.

(C) ET

"All of my colleagues went against me. Some of the students went against me. I tried to bring back discipline and an atmosphere of education in the college. Most probably, that is why they went against me. I always got co-operation from the local administration, but never got it from my colleagues and students," she had told media.

"I feel tired due to the agitation and gherao by the students and teachers. I faced a lot of legal notices from their end. I had come to this college with new hopes and dreams but I was defeated...," she also said.

(C) Reuters (Image for representational purpose only)

Even after repeated efforts by NGOs and now the government, change is too slow to come. Change has to happen at a grassroot level at the level of ideology, at the level of mindset. We don't live in isolation; we are not just our jobs; we thrive in a society on the basis of an identity an identity that is normalized on a routine basis. It is normalized when we step out of the house and buy vegetables, it is normalized when we sit amongst colleagues and have lunch.

These regular validations of a normalized identity aren't afforded to the transgender community they are perceived as different than what we have created as the normal'. Our heterosexual identities are validated every moment we spend in the public eye while theirs is questioned with every routine action they take.

Of course, the job grants is a great step towards giving them better opportunities, but along with it, there is an equally dire need to see that those very jobs don't become another platform for oppression and discrimination.

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Hired By The Government, Fired By The Society: Being Transgender In India - MensXP.com

The Rohingya are still being persecuted by their country. Although the government of Myanmar has taken a step back from most blatant and flagrant public persecutions, the unjust oppression of these people continues apace. Their schools are destroyed, they are slandered and denied from every corner. Now the far-right Hindu nationalists of India threaten them with death.

Three days ago, an alleged Rohingya paramilitary group attacked two Burmese villagers on two separate occasions. The government of Myanmar is on high alert. There is a chance that the national authorities will use this occasion to injure or kill many Rohingya under the cover of crackdown and reprisal. The government has a long history of using the actions of a few Rohingya to devastate the rest. As Reuters reminds us,

Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar border guard posts in October, provoking a military crackdown in which hundreds were killed, more than 1,000 houses burned down and some 75,000 Rohingya Muslims forced to flee to Bangladesh.

A BRIEF HISTORY

The Rohingya are a Muslim minority in the country of Myanmar, formerly Burma. The country is liberalizing, but slowly. And the same authoritarian prejudices obtain. The hateful strain is still there. Bit by bit, the state has been stripping away rights from the Muslims of Myanmar. Until the rest of the world intervened, the Rohingya were well on their way to becoming entirely stateless in every senseas in, their right to live would be questioned too.

The Rohingya are considered illegal immigrants by the authorities of Myanmarthe offshoot of migrants who came into the nation in 1948 and 1971. Scholars and the Rohingya disagree, of course. There are 1.3 million of these people, mostly in the Rakhine state. 100,000 of them live in camps where they are kept by the authorities. Slave labor and execution are used under Burmese rule. In 2009, a UN spokeswoman described the Rohingya as probably the most friendless people in the world.

It is odd, that the government of Myanmar is so sure that the Rohingya are newcomers. After all, there have been Muslims in Rakhine since the 15th century. Which is more likely: that all the Rohingya lie, or that the government finds some explanations more convenient? Governments have even been known to dissemble, from time to time.

About that October attack on the police forts. What most commentators miss about the Rohingya is this was not an even contest. The officials say that Arsa, an armed Rohingya resistance movement, is a terrorist cell. Violence is never the answer, and it is not excused on behalf of the Rohingya, but what did the Burmese expect? Grind people down into the dirt, and some of them will act out unjustly. The Rohingya are mercilessly hassled under the sanction of law. Desperation is their lot. Myanmar is a Buddhist-majority country, and the monks and other leaders of that countryincluding the State Counselor herself, the much-celebrated Aung San Suu Kyiseem to delight in marginalizing them.

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon has spoken of their plight:

I am not an expert in politics or international law, said Cardinal Bo. I am moved by human suffering The enormous suffering of the population of Rakhine is one of my great concerns. Cardinal Bo said that the government of Myanmar to move away from position that do not favor peace and to work with the international community to investigate the crimes reported by the UN in a truly independent manner that leads to justice.

RECENTLY

Pick any week, and theres some new incident displaying the indifference of Myanmar to its Muslim citizens. On the second of June, Myanmar charged three Muslim men for holding Ramadan prayers in the street. Forget for a moment the oddity of arresting people for practicing their religion. This happened because a larger crowd of about fifty Muslims were worshiping on a road in Yangon (formerly known as Rangoon). Why were they praying in the street? Why, because ultra-nationalist Buddhist mob shut down the local madrassah.

Two officers tried to stop AFP journalists from filming when they visited one of the madrasas on Friday. Its our mosque as well as our school. We dont know when it will be reopened, Khin Soe, a local resident in his 50s, said as he set off to pray in another part of town.

And these bigotries are not limited to Myanmar alone. India supports its share of nastiness. Thanks to Myanmars crimes, tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled abroad, citizens of nowhere. Many of them end in Bangladesh. Quite a few of them live India now. Some of these Rohingya took sanctuary in Jammu City five years ago. Most of them work as unskilled laborers. But the ruling government of India does not want them there. According to TRT World,

... circumstances turned unpleasant soon after the Hindu far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won Indias national elections in 2014 and formed the government in India, replacing a secular Congress Party. ... The citys trade union has echoed [a conservative politicians] demand and allegedly threatened to kill Rohingyas if they dont clear the area soon. Several billboards have sprung up across the city. Some of them read: Wake up Jammu. Rohingyas and Bangladeshis. Quit Jammu. And the others carry a rallying cry to unite and save the history, culture and identity of [the] Dogras.

Muhammad Younis, a Rohingya, is forty-one. He lives in a hut, and works as a construction worker in the city.

Witnessing this growing hostility, Younis is unable to sleep at night. There are 1,200 Rohingya families living in the city and they are feeling equally vulnerable. We are not living illegally here, Younis says. We have the UNHCR cards. How can these parties threaten us when we have gone through all the legal formalities?

The UN, according to Al-Jazeera, has appointed a three-member team to investigate alleged abuses by security forces against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. This is not enough. The UN acknowledges this:

Minorities all over the world are facing persecution. The situation of the Rohingya community in Myanmar is especially deplorable because they face the risk of a genocide, Indira Jaising, heading the UN mission, told Al Jazeera by telephone.

Awareness of their lot must be made public, and these facts must repeated over and over again. World Refugee Day was on June 20th. We must do better than merely recognizing their pain. The Rohingya are suffering, and their fate stands on the edge of a knife. A moment, a volatile impulse by the government, and they could be wiped away. We must do more, do better, and do it soon.

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The Oppression of the Rohingya in Burma Continues - Paste Magazine

NEWS RELEASE

PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU ************************* Today, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation. We come together as Canadians to celebrate the achievements of our great country, reflect on our past and present, and look boldly toward our future.

Canadas story stretches back long before Confederation, to the first people who worked, loved, and built their lives here, and to those who came here centuries later in search of a better life for their families. In 1867, the vision of Sir George-tienne Cartier and Sir John A. Macdonald, among others, gave rise to Confederation an early union, and one of the moments that have come to define Canada.

In the 150 years since, we have continued to grow and define ourselves as a country. We fought valiantly in two world wars, built the infrastructure that would connect us, and enshrined our dearest values equality, diversity, freedom of the individual, and two official languages in theCharter of Rights and Freedoms. These moments, and many others, shaped Canada into the extraordinary country it is today prosperous, generous, and proud.

At the heart of Canadas story are millions of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. They exemplify what it means to be Canadian: ambitious aspirations, leadership driven by compassion, and the courage to dream boldly. Whether we were born here or have chosen Canada as our home, this is who we are.

Ours is a land of Indigenous Peoples, settlers, and newcomers, and our diversity has always been at the core of our success. Canadas history is built on countless instances of people uniting across their differences to work and thrive together. We express ourselves in French, English, and hundreds of other languages, we practice many faiths, we experience life through different cultures, and yet we are one country. Today, as has been the case for centuries, we are strong not in spite of our differences, but because of them.

As we mark Canada 150, we also recognize that for many, today is not an occasion for celebration. Indigenous Peoples in this country have faced oppression for centuries. As a society, we must acknowledge and apologize for past wrongs, and chart a path forward for the next 150 years one in which we continue to build our nation-to-nation, Inuit-Crown, and government-to-government relationship with the First Nations, Inuit, and Mtis Nation.

Our efforts toward reconciliation reflect a deep Canadian tradition the belief that better is always possible. Our job now is to ensure every Canadian has a real and fair chance at success. We must create the right conditions so that the middle class, and those working hard to join it, can build a better life for themselves and their families.

Great promise and responsibility await Canada. As we look ahead to the next 150 years, we will continue to rise to the most pressing challenges we face, climate change among the first ones. We will meet these challenges the way we always have with hard work, determination, and hope.

On the 150th anniversary of Confederation, we celebrate the millions of Canadians who have come together to make our country the strong, prosperous, and open place it is today.On behalf of the Government of Canada, I wish you and your loved ones a very happy Canada Day.

*************************

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'On behalf of the Government of Canada, I wish you and your loved ones a very happy Canada Day' - BarrieToday

Amid the street parties, light shows and dance music of Tel Avivs annual White Night events, several African women heated coffee over coals and arranged colorful hand-sewn baskets on a table alongside posh Rothschild Boulevard.

They are members of the Kuchinate Collective, a group of women who fled their home countries in Africa to seek asylum in Israel. The group aims to economically empower the women by sewing and selling colorful cloth baskets, said Diddy Mymin Kahn, one of the founders of the collective. Creating art and connecting with each other and the public is also therapeutic for the women, many of whom suffered trauma before fleeing their countries and during their journey to Israel, Kahn said.

White Night in Tel Aviv, held on Thursday into the wee hours Friday morning, is an all-night, yearly event featuring street parties, art installations and music performances across the city, and was a good opportunity for the group to connect, Kahn said.

We want people to know us, we want people to meet asylum seekers. We want them to know about the plight of asylum seekers and we want to meet the public, Kahn said.

Kuchinate means to crochet in Tigrinya, the language spoken in Eritrea. Most of the women in the collective are from the East African nation as well as from South Sudan and Ethiopia. They fled violence, government oppression and genocide in their home countries to seek asylum in Israel.

It was hard in Eritrea. There are problems between Ethiopia and Eritrea. You have to go to the army, theres no democracy, said Abadit, a member of the collective from Eritrea who arrived in Israel seven years ago.

Israel is home to about 45,000 asylum seekers, almost all from Eritrea and South Sudan, according to ASSAF, the Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel. The vast majority of African migrants living in Israel claim asylum-seeker status, but the state has recognized almost none of their claims since they began arriving in the mid-2000s. Israel contends most of the migrants who are currently in Israel came seeking new economic opportunities, not because they were fleeing danger at home.

Kahn, originally from South Africa, co-founded the collective with South African artist Natasha Miller Gutman in 2011. Kahn is a clinical psychologist with a background in treating trauma. Many of the women experienced trauma before arriving in Israel, including the notorious torture camps in the Sinai where refugees were held for ransom and abused by Bedouin traffickers. The collective empowers the women financially, socially and psychologically, said Kahn, who manages the group with the Eritrean nun Sister Azezet Habtezghi Kidane, who Kahn calls the spiritual mother of the refugee community.

Passersby drink Ethiopian coffee prepared by members of the Kuchinate Collective during Tel Avivs annual White Night celebrations, June 29, 2017. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)

It all came out of a desire to help the women that were in a state of survival, that came from a culturally very different milieu, where their understanding of what helps someone whose being a bad situation, that is to say, Western therapy, was not something that was very obvious to them, Kahn said.

The group started with five women and a small grant from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Now, over 90 women are involved.

Selling the hand-woven baskets also generates income for the women, many of whom are struggling financially, Abadit said, in Hebrew, while selling baskets at the event. She and her three children were once thrown out of their apartment when they could not come up with their rent money, she said.

There are people from Africa, they have problems, they have kids. Not everyone can work, said Abadit, who declined to give her last name out of privacy concerns and who said she earns about 500 to 600 NIS ($145-175) a month selling baskets. Its not enough but theres nothing we can do, she said.

Israels government also recently instituted a tax on asylum seekers and their employers. The state deducts 20% of the workers salaries, and 16% from their employers. The workers can collect the money only if they leave the country. As an employer, the law applies to the collective, putting them in a desperate financial situation, Kahn said.

African migrants protest against the Deposit Law in Tel Aviv, June 10, 2017. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Thursday nights events, with crowds of Israelis thronging the streets, provided an opportunity to make up for the lost income. White Night, a play on the Hebrew expression laila lavan, meaning a night with no sleep, and Tel Avivs epithet, the White City, is a night-long celebration across the city featuring events organized by the municipality, which invited the collective to participate and provided funding. It was part of a larger effort organized by south Tel Avivians, called Outlets, to connect the center of the city to their area with a trail of music performances, food, video and light installations leading from Rothschild Boulevard to the derelict area surrounding the Central Bus Station.

Kuchinate Collective members set up their table, stools and coffee pot on Betzalel Yafe Street, just off of luxurious Rothschild Boulevard, between the city center and the working class south Tel Aviv neighborhoods where the women live. The group served Ethiopian coffee in small ceramic cups and sold baskets to passersby. The Yatana Band, Eritreans from the nearby neighborhood of Neve Shaanan, played music next to the coffee circle.

Baskets handwoven by members of the Kuchinate Collective for sale during Tel Avivs White Night celebrations, June 29, 2017. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)

Its normally kind of north Tel Avivian, Kahn said of White Night. It doesnt involve the periphery of Tel Aviv, south Tel Aviv. Its more centered in these more classy areas and the municipality wanted to bring a bit of south Tel Aviv here, the reality of south Tel Aviv here, she said.

Events like White Night and visits to the groups offices on Har Zion Street in south Tel Aviv can help change the public perception of asylum seekers in Israel, Kahn said.

Its making these people that are very often invisible in Israeli society visible and not just visible, but elevated in a kind of way, dignified, she said.

A member of the Kuchinate Collective prepares Ethiopian coffee during Tel Aviv's White Night celebrations, June 29, 2017. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)

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At Tel Aviv's White Night party, asylum seekers look to connect - The Times of Israel

Hina Charania blew a kiss to the cloudless sky.

A moment earlier, cheers broke out at Government House in Victoria as 152 new Canadians from 33 countries were granted citizenship.

Charania, who is from Pakistan, said the kiss was a commemoration to God and to her late father.

I hope hes watching, she said. This means liberty. I feel free. I feel like I have a voice and Im heard.

Menghan Zhang, who came to Canada from China 13 years ago, was met by her friend Valerie Desmarais when she arrived at Government House for the special ceremony commemorating Canadas 150th birthday.

Her red blazer and cream dress were a perfect match for the red rose Desmarais pinned to her lapel.

Im just so happy for Menghan so I wanted to come and help her celebrate, said Desmarais.

Its been such a long journey, said Zhang.

But today is very special. Its the beginning of a new journey for sure. Im so in love with Canada. I love everything the people are friendly for sure, peaceful and nice environment.

Journalist David Bly was watching his wife receive her Canadian citizenship.

I look at the people who have fled violence and oppression and its quite touching, said Bly.

Nesrin Rashid Kadours husband Arif, who arrived in Canada from Syria four years ago, is one of many who fled violence.

Its a big deal, said Rashid Kadour, holding their son Nehad by the hand. Arifs just happy that he feels safe. He loves Canada so much. Were all very excited, especially the 150 celebration. Hes just happy to be part of it.

Jacqueline Dorgan arrived on her bike and looked at the rows of white chairs wrapped in bows of red bunting.

It just makes you cry, Dorgan said. Look at the mix of people, the diversity of people in those seats.

The ceremony began with First Nations song. It ended with 152 newly glowing hearts.

ldickson@timescolonist.com

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Glowing hearts in Canada Day citizenship ceremony at Government ... - Times Colonist

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Freedom. July 4th, Independence Day. Our nation takes this special opportunity every summer to celebrate freedom. We are proud of the freedoms we have preserved for the citizens of our nation. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to own property, freedom to vote, freedom to make choices for ourselves and travel where we want, and all kinds of other freedoms. Some freedoms are formal and protected by our government. Some freedoms are more subtle and are agreed on by our society. We live in the land of the free.

Freedom is something that Christians should know something about. There is a very important and powerful freedom that we enjoy beyond all our other freedoms in the United States. While our freedom from tyranny and the oppression of a distant government was won for us by the blood of our soldiers and patriots, Christians know that another set of freedoms was won for us by the blood of Jesus Christ. The battle He won has won our freedom from sin, death and the devil. This takes us beyond the peace we enjoy in our nation to a peace that fills our hearts and minds.

34 Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:34-36 (NIV)

While we celebrate our freedom from the yoke of Britain in 1776, We should realize that there is still a yoke enslaving many in our nation. We are trapped in the chains of sin, under the control of Satan with no hope of freedom until Jesus sets us free. Jesus paid for that freedom 2,000 years ago by giving His life on a cross in our place. And He offers all the sweet peace of that freedom to everyone who puts their trust in Him. As people who trustingly follow Jesus, we have a lot to celebrate. Our freedom from sin and from the devils control gives us a whole new life to live and enjoy. No more fear or guilt or punishment or torture. We have been set free to live as free citizens of the kingdom of our God.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

So celebrate and enjoy your freedoms, your freedoms as citizens of the United States of America and your freedoms as a rescued child of God. Use your freedom to share the love that you have experienced from Jesus with other citizens who havent discovered His love yet. Use your freedom in Christ to help free those who are still living in slavery to sin and the devil. Offer them the healing love of Jesus. Let His sacrifice break their chains. Then celebrate freedom together, sweet freedom.

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13 (NIV)

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Lord, I Believe: The time to celebrate many freedoms - The Daily News Online

Im not an expert on American history and any examples in here may well be inaccurate and not strictly chronological, but they are used to illustrate an overall point of view. The fundamentals of the Constitution were to promote life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Bill of Rights stipulated that Congress may not make rules to take away freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to bear arms, the right to form peaceful assemblies, or to take away lives or freedom of property unfairly.

All of this was justifiable given the religious persecution and government oppression that the early colonists struggled to escape from. According to Kris Kristofferson, freedoms just another word for nothing left to lose. But I believe our unbridled freedom has lost us a lot, particularly as it relates to moral and ethical standards and concern for our fellow man.

So what have we done with this freedom?

We saw a land with enormous potential from sea to shining sea. We went west in a spirit of free enterprise. We cut down forests, tilled the soil and fenced the land to establish farms and ranches. We imported cheap Chinese labor to build our railroads. In the scramble to establish the biggest piece of the pie, we denied the American Indians their freedom and denied untold numbers of Africans their freedom. Our manifest destiny spread across the continent to the Pacific Ocean and when the dust cleared, we had denied Mexico about one-third of its territory, including nearly all of present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico.

Then, ironically, we imported cheap Mexican labor to cultivate our crops which they still do today for below minimum wages, while suffering the stigma of illegal immigrants. It took a civil war to grant African Americans a euphemism for freedom. The Native Americans still struggle to protect their sacred grounds and eke out an existence on barren reservations.

Gold in California and oil in Pennsylvania encouraged more free enterprise, more scrambling for the good life, and the rise of monolithic companies generating vast wealth for a privileged few. By the time anti-trust laws were established the damage was already done. Now we work for companies that continually reduce employee benefits and pensions to increase profits. We are encouraged to secure our futures by investing in 401ks that depend on ever increasing shareholder value that, paradoxically, depend to some extent on cutting more benefits and services. Demands to increase shareholder value encourage unscrupulous corporations and banks to sell bogus investments, derivatives and mortgages without underlying asset value.

The point is that we became so involved in our freedom of choice and entrepreneurial wealth creation that we are now all complicit in this mess by closing our eyes to the truths of inequality and the social consequences. Weve ignored the shifts in policy that continue to create a bigger and bigger gap between the haves and the have-nots. Weve watched as the government gave tax breaks to the rich, cut programs to the poor, and refused to raise the minimum wage. In 2015, 43.1 million people lived in poverty with the highest poverty rate among blacks and Hispanics. Approximately 15.3 million, or 21 percent, of all children under the age of 18 were in families living in poverty. We are the only country in the civilized world that does not provide universal healthcare to its people. Even communist Cuba provides free healthcare and education. We have created a vicious cycle in which the underprivileged, social injustice and the government deficit continue to grow while the middle class hangs on to its fast fading dreams of the good life. With a growing population and diminishing resources we continue to strive for an ever more elusive piece of the pie and create social unrest in the process. Is it any wonder that drugs and crime increase in impoverished inner cities and immigrant communities?

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It was Plato who said that democracy would not work because, given a choice, the average person chooses what pleases him rather than what is good for him. I happen to believe in democracy but I think our two-party system creates a situation where the majority tends to get what is good for them but not necessarily good for society. We the people put these people in power and have watched as politicians strive to retain power by pandering to whatever is popular. As a social conscience develops in the majority we vote Democrat. As government spending and taxes are increased to pay for social programs we sense a reduction in our standard of living and government intrusion on our freedom of choice. So the majority turns to the Republicans for tax breaks and curtailment of government regulations. The results are good for the party in power but not necessarily good for society as a whole. Increasingly over the last decade, the polarization between the parties, the inability to compromise, and the vetoing of the opposing partys agenda, has lead to a legislative stalemate and an exacerbation of societal problems.

When I became a United States citizen in 2011, I had high hopes that under President Obama we would begin to see the social changes outlined in his book, The Audacity of Hope, come to fruition. Instead the intransigence of the Republican Party and its avowed intention to obstruct his agenda has lead us where we are today. Enter Donald J. Trump, who cashed in on the Washington stalemate by vowing to drain the swamp and make America great again. His ultra right-wing agenda might make a proportion of Americans richer and the country more powerful. But by declaring war on immigrants, curtailing the freedom of the press, criticizing the judiciary, appointing right-wing judges, creating cabinet posts for his family, and surrounding himself with not so veiled white supremacists, he has all the trappings of an autocrat and is disliked, or even hated, by a majority of the country. This will further exacerbate the already volatile situation existing with the underprivileged and we should be wary of some form of revolution.

Perhaps there is no simple solution but perhaps it is time to sacrifice some of our personal freedom for what is good for society. As Obama once stated to Oprah Winfrey, We are all connected as one people and our mutual obligations have to express themselves not only in our families, not only in our churches, synagogues, and mosques, but in our government, too. If we can come up with a bipartisan commission to investigate something as serious as the links between Trump campaign advisers and the Russian government, why cant we employ a bipartisan commission to resolve other issues of national importance like health care and the judiciary? Instead of endless partisan scrambling for votes and changing voting rules to suit the situation, we should recognize that only by true bipartisanship can we be sure that government is of the people, by the people and for all the people.

If we must retain a two-party system, why not get rid of the electoral college and appoint a Democrat and a Republican from each state in both the House and the Senate? Admittedly that would have the potential for more stalemate but if legislation is to get passed at least it would force an element of compromise. As for the president, election should be by a simple majority of voters.

Michael Carr/Vallejo

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Michael Carr: A government for the people - Vallejo Times Herald

The Legal Resources Centre has welcomed a Constitutional Court judgment handed down on Thursday which held that the detention of alleged or suspected illegal foreigners without prompt judicial intervention was unconstitutional.

The LRC represented the People Against Poverty Oppression and Poverty (PASSOP) as a friend of the court.

The case involved the procedures and safeguards governing the detention of people suspected of being illegal foreigners under the Immigration Act. The High Court had declared sections 34(1)(b) and (d) of the Act constitutionally invalid. The Constitutional Court upheld the declarations of constitutional invalidity.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) had challenged these sections because the Act does not require that a detained person be automatically brought before a court within 48 hours in order for the court to confirm the lawfulness of their detention which is the case for other detained people.

The LHR also argued that while the Act envisages a warrant being obtained from a Magistrates Court for the continued detention of the suspected illegal foreigner the Department of Home Affairs interpreted this in a way that meant that the detained person did not have to appear in person before the Magistrate concerned.

PASSOP supported LHRs arguments challenging these sections of the Act.

"We are pleased that the court embraced the constitutional considerations. We welcome the judgment as a vindication of constitutional principles and human rights for everyone in South Africa including foreigners whose dignity and liberty must be respected by the state" the LRC said.

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Government gets rules for treatment of suspected illegal foreigners - Times LIVE

Srinagar: Kashmiri separatists and another organisation United Jihad Council (UJC) based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Thursday called for protests after Friday's prayers against the US decision to declare Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin as a "global terrorist".

Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Reuters

Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani, head of moderate Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF chief Yasin Malik said protests will also be held against the "illegal and arbitrary" arrests and detention of the separatist leaders, activists and youth and raids being conducted across the valley.

"This unjustified move (of declaring Salahuddin as global terrorist) by the US government to appease the Government of India and their (US) silence regarding the oppression and human rights situation in Kashmir, is not acceptable to the people of Kashmir who will strongly protest against it across the valley post Friday prayers tomorrow," the separatists said in a statement.

The separatist leaders expressed "deep regret and dismay over the complete silence by the US over the brutal oppression in Kashmir and failure to initiate any serious steps towards the resolution of the Kashmir dispute and for restoration of lasting peace and stability in the highly volatile region".

UJC, a conglomerate of over a dozen militant groups active in the valley, also called for protests after Friday prayers against the US government's decision against its chief.

In a statement issued here, the UJC said, "the people of Kashmir reject the US decision and will hold demonstrations tomorrow to convey a message to the outside world that their struggle will continue till the achievement of the goal."

Meanwhile, High Court Bar Association also denounced the US decision and said "Salahuddin is a symbol of resistance movement and the US decision will have no impact on the indigenous and legitimate struggle of the people of Kashmir."

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Syed Salahuddin declared global terrorist: Kashmiri separatists to protest against US move tomorrow - Firstpost

Chennai: CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury alleged on Monday that the "distractions", including the latest "imposition" of Hindi in states where the language was not widely spoken, were the "essence" of the three-year rule of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre.

CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury. PTI

Flaying the Centre for "not honouring" the promises made to the people, he said here, "Everyday, you will have some sort of a distraction brought in (by the government).

"The latest one is that of language imposition. All the senior ministers are suddenly talking about Hindi being the national language and that it should be promoted. These distractions are the essence of the three-year rule of the Modi government."

The Left leader was speaking at a seminar, jointly organised by the Students' Federation of India and the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers' Association.

Recalling that the people of Tamil Nadu had a "big history" of fighting "caste-based oppression", he said they needed to carry it forward to strengthen the "idea of India" and stop the country from being reduced to the "narrow confines" of the "Hindi, Hindu and Hindutva" slogan.

"That is the larger battle we are facing today," said Yechury.

"The promises made to our farmers are not being honoured. Nothing of what was told to the people of this country is being honoured by this government," he alleged.

Noting that the imposition of a language was an "imposition of a certain ideological condition", the Rajya Sabha member said, "That ideological condition is a prerequisite project for converting the secular, democratic republic of India into their (BJP's) version of a Hindu Rashtra.

"That is why, I think the seminar you have organised against the imposition of Hindi and the excavation project in Keezhadi (near Madurai in Tamil Nadu) must be seen as a path towards the larger battle which is taking place in the country right now."

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'Distractions' like Hindi imposition are 'essence' of Narendra Modi government, says CPM - Firstpost

Two protests were stagedoutside Beijings office in Hong Kong on Tuesday in support of Chinese activist and Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo.

Around 20 people joined a march led by political parties Demosisto and the League of Social Democrats to demand Lius unconditional release.

Photo: HKFP/Catherine Lai.

Two hours later, around 30 people from the Democratic Party, the Civic Party andthe Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China also held a march from Western Police Station to the China Liaison Office.

Photo: Supplied.

Liuwas sentenced to 11 years in 2008 afterwriting a manifesto called Charter 08 calling for democratic reform in China. Hewas released on medical parole on Mondayafter being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer.

Chinese authorities said Liu is being treated byeight renowned Chinese oncologists in a hospital inthe northeastern city of Shenyang.

The one-party state kills people without a weapon. Photo: HKFP/Catherine Lai.

On Tuesday, protesters held placards sayingThe one-party state kills people without weapons and Political oppression is unacceptable.

Lawmaker Long Hair Leung Kwok-hung called the Chinese government shameless for putting Liu under surveillance even ashe is receiving medical treatment.

Photo: HKFP/Catherine Lai.

Liu should be freed. He should enjoy the same rights as everyone, including the freedom to getmedical treatment and see hisfamily, Leung said.

He expressed sadness over the news and said he hoped thediagnosis was wrong,as he had hoped to see Liu when he has servedhis time.

Photo: HKFP/Catherine Lai.

Some protesters wore masks of Lius face and carried signs that said: We are all Liu Xiaobo.

See also:How Chinese intellectual Liu Xiaobo spoke up for change, only to be jailed by Beijing

Demosisto activist Joshua Wong said Liu was only transferred from one prison to another. He asked all lawmakers and activists to demand Chinese President Xi Jinping release Liu during the leaders visit to Hong Kong this week.

Photo: HKFP/Catherine Lai.

It istime for Hong Kong people to ask for democratisation [of] Hong Kong and mainland China, he added.

The group also urged Beijingtofree Lius wife, Liu Xia, who has beenunder house arrestsince 2010.

Photo: HKFP/Catherine Lai.

The China Liaison Office did not send a representative to take the petition letter from the group.

Photo: HKFP/Catherine Lai.

In response, protestersposted pictures of Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia on the offices wall, with messages calling for their release and criticising Beijing for its political and unjust imprisonment of Liu.

Release Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia unconditionally now. Photo: HKFP/Catherine Lai.

Police officers blocked off part of the sidewalk with tape and took personal information of protesters as they turned up to the rally.

See also: 12 reactions from NGOs, China and the intl community as Beijing releases Nobel winner Liu Xiaobo

The Charter 08 is not criminal. Shame on political prosecution. Photo: HKFP/Catherine Lai.

The international community has united in a chorus of condemnation in response to the news. NGO Human Rights Watch called for Lius immediate release, while Amnesty International Hong Kongsaid the diagnosis adds injury to insult to Liu.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee invited Liu to visit Oslo to receive his Nobel Peace Prize. It said it strongly regrets that it took serious illness before Chinese authorities were willing to release him from jail.

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In Pictures: 'Political oppression' Hong Kong activists call for release of Nobel winner Liu Xiaobo - Hong Kong Free Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) led a bipartisan group of Senators in sending a letter to President Donald Trump, June 23, ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Washington D.C. The letter implores President Trump to use his meeting with the prime minister as an opportunity to discuss Indias discriminatory policies against foreign religious and humanitarian organizations.

Sens. Blunt, Crapo, Lankford, and Klobuchar signed on to Sen. Kennedys letter encouraging the president to make it clear to Prime Minister Modi that human rights and religious liberty remain a top priority.

Over the past few years, the Indian government has made it difficult if not impossible for religious and humanitarian organizations to get funding to their charitable operations in India. Many of these organizations are simply trying to meet the basic needs of the citizens of India. Compassion International even had to leave India. This humanitarian aid organization had helped feed and provide health care to children in India for nearly 50 years. Now thousands of innocent children will be left without this critical support, said Sen. Kennedy. Discriminating against foreign organizations that help the citizens of India is counterproductive, and it needs to change. I ask that President Trump address this serious issue with Prime Minister Modi during his upcoming trip to Washington.

Below is the text of the letter.

_____________________________

June 23, 2017

The Honorable Donald J. Trump

President of the United States

The White House

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

Thank you for your commitment to protecting and advancing religious liberty around the world. You have made it clear that protecting religious freedom deserves our constant vigilance. We agree that our support for democracy requires persistent efforts to support and advocate for religious liberty around the world.

We are particularly concerned about violations of religious liberty in India. India is the worlds largest democracy and therefore holds a position of importance on the world stage, making the ongoing violations even more disturbing. Despite Indias size and religious diversity, violations of religious liberty have existed for years.

Every year, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) releases a report outlining the state of religious freedom across the world. India has consistently remained a Tier 2 country, meaning that USCIRF believes it requires close monitoring based on evidence of violations of religious freedom. These include violence, discrimination, and forced conversions, as well as harassment and intimidation.

Of significant concern is Indias recent use of its Foreign Contributions Regulations Act (FCRA) to target humanitarian and religious organizations. Any foreign religious organizations, including missionaries, working in India must comply with this law. In 2011, the Indian Parliament amended FCRA to allow the government to block funds for foreign organizations that conduct any activities detrimental to the national interest.

The Indian government has since used this broad provision to target foreign humanitarian and religious organizations that serve the Indian people, such as Compassion International that was forced to leave India and the 145,000 Indian children it served. Other organizations that have come under scrutiny include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Amnesty International, and Greenpeace. Other evangelical Christian organizations, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, have also faced discrimination of various kinds. The number of organizations that have lost their licenses has exceeded 10,000 since Prime Minister Modi took office.

Based on these troubling developments, we ask that you make religious liberty a top priority when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the United States this month. We request that you use the United States strong, longstanding relationship with India to encourage Prime Minister Modi to alleviate the discrimination against these organizations, particularly religious-based aid groups, and to take steps to advance religious liberty for all of Indias citizens.

The United States has served as an example of religious liberty for the entire world ever since its founding. These principles underlie the essence of what it means to be American. Even more importantly, the freedom to practice ones own religious beliefs underlies the essence of what it means to be human and live in a democracy. We encourage you to bring these violations to Prime Minister Modis attention and continue to work to protect religious liberty across the globe.

Sincerely,

John Kennedy

United States Senator

Roy Blunt

United States Senator

Mike Crapo

United States Senator

James Lankford

United States Senator

Amy Klobuchar

United States Senator

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Louisiana's John Kennedy leads US Senate effort against oppression in India - The Baptist Message

NEW DELHI: Have you heard of the Gadia lohars who fought in the army of Maharana Pratap and several other Rajput rulers against the Mughals or the Maravars of Tamil Nadu who protected the kingdoms of the chola emperors and resisted the British for many years?

Notified as criminal tribes by the British in the nineteenth century largely as a price for their resistance to oppression and then denotifed by the Indian government but never really classified or given their due, the Modi government has decided to assess and improve the living conditions of 10 crore people belonging to nomadic and denotified tribes of the country whose contribution to the freedom struggle has never been popularised.

Last week, the National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Seminomadic Tribes (NCDNT) that comes under the ministry of Social Justice presented an interim report to the centre charting out a roadmap to improve the lives of these communities, bring out their long forgotten history and make them an important part of the electorate by ensuring government schemes such as Mudra and Jan Dhan Yojna reached them.

An exhaustive household survey for the first time has been launched across the county to study the living conditions of these tribes and document their histories. Secretary of the commission B K Prasad said the history of denotified and nomadic tribes was one of suppression and exploitation that they have faced persecution for more than 150 years. This report and the steps we take based on our interactions is an attempt to reverse this injustice.

Agencies Karvy in the nothern zone, Vimarsh in the western zone, Academy of Management Studies, Life Academy of Vocational Studies in the Eastern zone, Karvy in the North Eastern zone and Vimarsh in the southern zone have been picked to conduct this survey.

These agencies starting June 1 are compiling data about each of these communities, taking a sample size of 9000. They will assess the socio economic conditions and submit a report to us in six months, Prasad added. He added that the commission is now working on a deadline and findings of the survey - first in independent India will help it further in its intervention.

The researchers have studied the history and living conditions of over 200 such communities. For instance, the gadia lohar community found in five north states were blacksmiths in the army of Maharana Pratap. They live under self-imposed taboos not to return to Chittorgarh fort, not to use ropes to draw water or use candles at home as a protest for freedom. Today, due to mechanisation, they work as labourers or sell iron scraps, said Siddharth M, researcher, who added that stories collected from all these communities are being documented.

Similar the maravars, glorifed in the ancient text Thirukkurral, were protectors of Tamil emperors and worked as as Kudikaval (traditional policing communities). But they resisted the British who suppressed them. During our interactions they told us the story of Rani Velu Nachiyar who fought the british but was never given the same importance as Rani Laxmibai. Today the community members work in matchbox factories with bare minimum facilities, the report said.

Experts said the colonial category of criminal tribes may have been denotified but many communities remain unclassified. The Ayyangar Committees recommendations led to the repeal of the CTA in August 1952. In 2008, the National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNT) produced a report where it said, But, to keep effective control over the so-called hardened criminals, the Habitual Offenders Act was placed in the statute book.

To address that, besides listing of ways to make schooling and medical care accessible to these nomadic groups and recommending grazing rights in forests, specific training, scholarship and housing benefits, the commission has sought for a review of the Habitual Offenders Act 1952 which has come provisions from the erstwhile Criminal Tribes Act that add to the harassment faced by these communities.

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Government tries to right the wrongs against persecuted tribes - Economic Times

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Nets Ignore India's Recent Spike in Christian Persecution - NewsBusters (press release) (blog)