How Do European Countries Respond to the First Execution of a Protester in Iran? | DW News

Dec 10, 2022 | Britain has placed new sanctions on Iran, including numerous government officials, for their part in a crackdown on anti-regime protesters. This comes as the European Union announced it too is planning further sanctions. International condemnation has followed Tehran's execution of a protester. Mohsen Shekari was hanged on Thursday, and activists are warning that at least a dozen more Iranian protesters face the same fate.

Violent Attacks on Afghan Journalists by Taliban Prompt Growing Alarm

A screenshot taken from the accompanying video.
THE GUARDIAN: As images circulate of the brutal flogging of two reporters, a senior Afghan journalist declares ‘press freedom has ended’

A spate of violent attacks on Afghan journalists by the Taliban is prompting growing alarm over the freedom of the country’s media, with one senior journalist declaring that “press freedom has ended”.

As images and testimony circulated internationally of the arrest and brutal flogging of two reporters who were detained covering a women’s rights demonstration in Kabul on Wednesday, Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists raised concern over the recent string of attacks.

In just two days this week, the Taliban detained and later released at least 14 journalists covering protests in Kabul, with at least six of these journalists subject to violence during their arrests or detention, the CPJ reported.

Other journalists, including some working with the BBC, were also prevented from filming the protest on Wednesday. Read the rest of the article and watch the video » | Emma Graham-Harrison in Kandahar, and Peter Beaumont | Thursday, September 9, 2021

Leaked Reports Reveal Severe Abuse of Saudi Political Prisoners

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: cuts, burns and bruising documented, despite government denials of torture

Political prisoners in Saudi Arabia are said to be suffering from malnutrition, cuts, bruises and burns, according to leaked medical reports that are understood to have been prepared for the country’s ruler, King Salman.

The reports seem to provide the first documented evidence from within the heart of the royal court that political prisoners are facing severe physical abuse, despite the government’s denials that men and women in custody are being tortured.

The Guardian has been told the medical reports will be given to King Salman along with recommendations that are said to include a potential pardon for all the prisoners, or at least early release for those with serious health problems. » | Nick Hopkins, Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Kareem Shaheen | Sunday, March 31, 2019

Trump on Combating Terror: We're Fighting 'Sneaky Rats'

Trump: Make America Torture Again

Torture is about to make a huge comeback! Cenk Uygur and John Iadarola, the hosts of The Young Turks, tell you what Trump promises to do with torture.

Former Qatari PM Tries to Use UK Diplomatic Immunity to Halt Torture Court Case

THE GUARDIAN: Qatari agents acting on behalf of Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani alleged to have falsely imprisoned British national Fawaz al-Attiya in Doha

A former prime minister of Qatar is attempting to use his UK diplomatic immunity to halt a court case in London where he is accused of being responsible for the alleged torture of a British citizen.

Fawaz al-Attiya, a UK national born in London, claims that Qatari agents acting on behalf of Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani falsely imprisoned him in Doha for 15 months and subjected him to conditions amounting to torture. Attiya claims he was kept in solitary confinement, deprived of sleep and only let out in handcuffs to be interrogated.

Hamad bin Jassim, sometimes known as “HBJ”, denies the allegations and court documents state that he plans to use diplomatic immunity to challenge the London high court’s jurisdiction at a hearing due to be held later this week. » | Randeep Ramesh and Rori Donaghy | Sunday, October 18, 2015

New Dark Age Alert! Video Shows Saadi Gaddafi Being Beaten in Libya Jail

THE TELEGRAPH: Son of longtime dictator in undated video showing abuse of detainees in Tripoli prison, which human rights groups say raises questions over interrogation methods

Saadi Gaddafi, the son of Libya’s longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi, has appeared in a video showing prisoner abuse inside a Libyan jail.

Throughout the nine-minute long video, the 42-year-old sits hunched and blindfolded as he listens to the screams of other detainees being beaten in a back room. At the end of the film, Mr Gaddafi’s jailers ask him if he would rather be beaten on his feet or on his buttocks.

“What kind of a question is this? My feet,” the dictator’s son responds. His legs are then strapped to a metal contraption, and he too is hit.

The video, published on Sunday by news site Clear News, appears to have been filmed inside the al-Hadba corrections facility in the Libyan capital Tripoli. Libya’s state prosecutor said on Monday that his office was seeking to identify the guards shown in the video. » | Louisa Loveluck | Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Isa Haider Alaali Case: Bahraini Teen Fears Torture After Losing Asylum Claim

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: A Bahraini teenager fears he will be tortured when he is deported to the repressive Gulf state this week after his asylum application was rejected by the British Government.

Isa Haider Alaali’s deportation comes as the Royal Family have been playing host at the Royal Windsor Horse Show to the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and his son Prince Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who faces a High Court judicial review over whether he has immunity from prosecution for alleged torture.

Activists staged protests over the weekend at an equestrian event as Prince Andrew – long criticised for his cozy relationship with the Gulf state – entertained Bahraini royals at Windsor on Friday.

Home Office documents obtained by The Independent show the 19-year-old is due to be flown back to Bahrain on Thursday morning. Mr Alaali, who was sentenced to five years in prison in absentia by a Bahraini court in March on charges of illegal gathering and rioting, is unable to appeal the decision. » | Alex Delmar-Morgan | Sunday, May 18, 2014

Unbelievable! European Court Backs Immunity for Saudi Arabian Officials Accused of Torture

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: European human rights judges uphold the immunity of Saudi Arabian officials accused of torturing Britons

Saudi Arabian officials have immunity in Britain's courts from being sued over the alleged torture of British nationals including rape, European human rights judges have ruled.

The European Court of Human Rights has upheld a judicial ruling in the House of Lords that stopped four Britons from taking legal action against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Ron Jones, Alexander Mitchell, Leslie Walker and William Sampson claimed they were subjected to torture following their arrest after a series of terrorist bombings carried out by opposition groups in 2001 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital city.

The four Britons confessed to acting as spies under orders from the British government, and were convicted in closed court without legal representation.

The men claimed that they were subjected to beatings, sleep deprivation and anal rape as well as being given mind-altering drugs during their time in custody and have to pursue Saudi Arabian officials, their alleged torturers, in the British courts. Mr Sampson has since died. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Human Rights Watch: 'Bahrain Children Beaten & Tortured' for Taking Part in Protests

Human rights watch claims there is evidence that Bahraini security forces routinely detain and abuse children suspected of participating in anti-government protests. That's according to a report, published today. Here we have a quote 'Information recently obtained from victims, family members, and local rights activists suggests that Bahraini authorities often hold children for long periods in detention and subject them to similar forms of mistreatment as adult detainees, including beatings and threats of torture.' Nicholas McGeehan, one of the authors of this press release, told RT some of the alarming details.

Female Teacher Beheaded and Three Others Tortured by Papua New Guinea Villagers Who Believed Them to Be Witches
MAIL ONLINE: Helen Rumbali was dragged from her home tortured and beheaded in public / Villagers said fire flies led them to her house - a sign she was a witch / They accused her of killing another villager - who died from sickness - with her sorcery / Experts say disparity in wealth and jealousy are main reasons for increases in such attacks

A teacher has been tortured and beheaded by her neighbours in a Papua New Guinea village because they say she was a witch responsible for the death of a sick villager.

The angry mob brandishing guns, machetes and axes surrounded her house and pulled Helen Rumbali, her sister and two nieces away. They then burnt down the house.

They say a swarm of fire flies led them from the deceased person's grave to her house - sure evidence they say that she was a sorcerer and was practicing black magic.

Helen's older sister and younger nieces were slashed with knives, then released after negotiations with police. But the mob went on to torture the former teacher, in her 40s, and then publicly cut off her head.

The sickening and heinous act is one of many horrific similar stories coming out from the island, often considered a paradise in the Pacific. » | Helen Collis | Monday, June 10, 2013

Qatada Agrees to Leave UK
A controversial Muslim cleric says he'll leave the UK voluntarily, if the Jordanian government agrees to give him a fair trial there.

Abu Qatada Will Leave Britain
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Abu Qatada, the Islamist cleric, will voluntarily return to Jordan if a new treaty on the use of evidence obtained by torture is ratified by the Jordanian parliament, a tribunal was told today.

His co-operation was announced by his barrister, Edward Fitzgerald QC, at the beginning of an immigration hearing to decide whether Qatada can be released from prison.

The Government has been trying to deport him to Jordan, where he was convicted of terror charges in his absence in 1999, for nearly eight years. » | Agencies | Friday, May 10, 2013

Tortured Freedom: Libya’s New Rulers Resort to Old Tactics

North Korean Former Detainee Tells His Story
The world's eyes are on North Korea after its failed rocket launch, but some also want to keep the focus on Pyongyang's human rights record. Political detainees there are kept in secret camps. Al Jazeera's Emma Hayward reports from Paris, France.

Terror Group Wants Somalia Rid of Christians
CBN.COM: SOMALIA -- Somalia's Islamist terror group al Shabab wants to rid the Muslim country of all Christians and is specifically targeting Christian converts from Islam.

Al Shabab recently joined with al Qaeda and wants Sharia law implemented in the country.

An al Shabab video that swept the Internet in September 2008 shows the brutal beheading of 25-year-old aid worker Mansour Mohammed. His crime? Mohammed converted to Christianity in 2005. Blindfolded, Tortured » | Gary Lane | CBN News Sr. International Correspondent | Thursday, April 12, 2012

US to Block Funding and Arms to Syria
Pledge comes as Arab League says it will not stop efforts to resolve crisis despite the bloc's failure at the UN.

Read the article here | Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | Sunday, February 05, 2012

Afghan Girl, 15, Tortured by In-laws for Resisting Prostitution

THE GUARDIAN: Case of Sahar Gul shocks Afghans, but rights activists say serious abuses against females are still common

A 15-year-old Afghan girl who was severely tortured for months by her in-laws to force her into prostitution will be sent to India for medical treatment, an Afghan official has said.

Sahar Gul's mother-in-law and sister-in-law have been arrested and her husband is being sought, said interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi on Monday.

The case has shocked Afghans, though rights activists say serious abuses against women and girls in the conservative society are common. President Hamid Karzai has said that whoever used violence against Gul will be punished.

According to officials in north-eastern Baghlan province, Gul's in-laws kept her in a basement for six months, ripped her fingernails out, tortured her with hot irons and broke her fingers. Police freed her last week after her uncle tipped them off.

The public health and women's affairs ministers visited Gul, who is in a Kabul hospital.

"It is a violent act that is unacceptable in the 21st century," Sediqi told reporters. "We are thankful [to] Sahar Gul's uncle." He added that "if the police had not arrived in time she may have died". » | AP in Kabul | Monday, January 02, 2012

Police Rescue Students from 'Torture Dungeon' in Karachi
Police in the Pakistani city of Karachi have freed 54 students from the basement of an Islamic school, where they said they were kept in chains by clerics, beaten and malnourished.

Read short article here | Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Senate Approves Indefinite Detention and Torture of Americans

RUSSIA TODAY: The terrifying legislation that allows for Americans to be arrested, detained indefinitely, tortured and interrogated — without charge or trial — passed through the Senate on Thursday with an overwhelming support from 93 percent of lawmakers.

Only seven members of the US Senate voted against the National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday, despite urging from the ACLU and concerned citizens across the country that the affects of the legislation would be detrimental to the civil rights and liberties of everyone in America. Under the bill, Americans can be held by the US military for terrorism-related charges and detained without trial indefinitely.

Additionally, another amendment within the text of the legislation reapproved waterboarding and other “advanced interrogation techniques” that are currently outlawed.

"The bill is an historic threat to American citizens,” Christopher Anders of the ACLU tells the Associated Press.

For the biggest supporters of the bill, however, history necessitates that Americans must sacrifice their security for freedom. » | Friday, December 02, 2011