The former Minister of Justice was unjustly detained for 2,454 days for her opposition to the former president's drug war methods. The families of the victims had hoped for a mandate from the International Criminal Court. Today Duterte supporters are rallying to mark his 80th birthday. In The Hague, his trial’s preliminary hearing is set for 23 September. Speaking in Rome at the conference for the 150th anniversary of the Congregation of the Divine Word, de Lima urged those who tolerated and favoured killings to seek healing.
Khalil Sayegh, originally from Gaza and co-founder of Agora Initiative, talks about a population tired of war and the domination of the extremist movement. Today the protests are more evident because Hamas is weakened and cannot ‘repress them with brutality’. The humanitarian situation is a ‘disaster’ and a large part of the population is at risk of famine due to the block on aid.
It is feared that the death tool will be high after a 7.7 quake struck the country, already devastated by four years of civil war. Local sources report the collapse of temples, mosques and churches, as well as bridges and other structures, some housing displaced people who had fled junta attacks. Roads between the main cities are closed. A priest offers a prayer for Myanmar: “How long, O Lord?”
A crowd stormed a Sufi shrine, replacing the green flag with a saffron flag, a symbol of Hindu nationalism. In Nagpur, clashes broke out on 17 March after extremist groups called for the removal of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb. In this tense climate, Prime Minister Modi is expected in the city. Once a symbol of harmony, it has become a stronghold of the RSS paramilitary organisation and the centre of religious and political tensions.
An explosion in the Barech market area, among the victims a doctor known for his cancer treatments. The massacre comes after the indiscriminate arrests following the seizure of the Jaffar Express train. Local civil society voices to AsiaNews: ‘The government must find a clear solution to the long-standing demands of the Baloch people’.
Arrested in the province of Tra Vinh on charges of ‘abusing democratic freedoms’. Almost 1.3 million Khmer Krom live in a part of Vietnam that was once south-eastern Cambodia. Activists tell Radio Free Asia: ‘The Vietnamese government wants to prevent the expression of our cultural identity’.
