Retired General Faiz Hameed, former director of Pakistan's intelligence services, was court marshalled for abuse of power and conspiracy related to the May 2023 violence, when hundreds of people protested demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. This is the first time a former intelligence chief was formally convicted. The sentence is part of a reorganisation of relations between the military and political leaders, following the recent strengthening of the military's role, raising concerns about the rule of law.
The chairman of the Bangladesh Election Commission has announced the schedule for the upcoming parliamentary election. The deadline for nominations is 29 December with the final list published on 21 January. Excluded from the vote, the Awami League slams the commission as “illegal”. John Gomes (BNP) hopes the vote will be “free and fair”. The election is a test for the country's future.
In Cambodia, three bishops issued a joint appeal as air strikes and artillery fire continue for the sixth consecutive day along the 800-kilometre Thai-Cambodian border. “We pray for all the victims” and “affirm the closeness of our hearts to all displaced families, and especially children, the sick, and vulnerable people,” reads their statement. Meanwhile, in Thailand, the Catholic Bishops' Conference is mobilising to help the communities affected by the fighting.
With the appointment of a civilian, former ambassador Simon Karam, to the committee monitoring the November 2024 ceasefire, Beirut is breaking free from Tehran. Contacts between Lebanon and Israel continue, although unresolved issues remain, especially on the border. Hezbollah is critical of what it calls a "free gift" to the Jewish state, rejecting disarmament north of the Litani River. The rift between the Party of God and Nabih Berry's Shia Amal movement is widening.
The Supreme Court has asked states and the central government to urgently identify and repeal all obsolete provisions that continue to contain discriminatory references to people with leprosy. According to the National Human Rights Commission, there are nearly 100 laws that limit the rights and access to services of even those who have been cured.
The Ministry of Energy would like to restart atomic energy production in the Philippines in the province of Pangasinan with the construction of a 1,200-megawatt plant. In a pastoral letter, the bishops of the region where the plant would be built express their opposition: ‘After Fukushima, let us choose prudence, investing in renewable energies that guarantee safety, resilience and true long-term development for our people’.
