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ISIS fighter found guilty of genocide in first conviction of its kind
30 Nov, 2021 13:12
© Reuters / Frank Rumpenhorst
29-year-old former ISIS militant Taha Al-Jumailly has been handed a life sentence by a German court for genocide and crimes against humanity over the persecution of the Yazidi minority, marking the first conviction of its kind.
The Frankfurt court’s judgement marks the first time that a verdict has used the term ‘genocide’ in the conviction of an ex-ISIS fighter.
Having joined ISIS in 2013, Al-Jumailly was found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, aiding and abetting war crimes, and bodily harm resulting in death.
Speaking following the conclusion of the case, Natia Navrouzov, a member of the non-governmental organization Yazda, celebrated the conviction.
“It is the first time in Yazidi history that a perpetrator stands in a court of law for genocide charges,” Navrouzov said as quoted by AFP, calling it a “historical moment for the Yazidi community.”
And long overdue!
After the verdict was delivered, the court session had to be suspended because the defendant passed out.
During the case, prosecutors stated that Al-Jumailly and ex-wife Jennifer Wenisch bought and held Yazidis as slaves while living in Mosul during its ISIS occupation. After moving to Fallujah, Al-Jumailly stood accused of letting a five-year-old girl die of thirst after chaining her outdoors.
Wenisch was previously sentenced to 10 years behind bars for “crimes against humanity” and aiding and abetting the girl’s death by failing to stop her then-husband’s actions.
Germany has a significant Yazidi population, believed to be the largest grouping of the religious minority outside of Iraq. Yazidis – primarily from Iraq, as well as Iran, Syria, and Turkey – were targeted by ISIS due to the militant group’s view that they were heretics and did not follow true Islamic teachings. During the occupation of Mosul, it is thought that more than 6,400 Yazidis were kidnapped by ISIS.
Saudis mounted covert campaign to kill UN Yemen vote – media
2 Dec, 2021 15:31
© AFP PHOTO / FAYEZ NURELDINE
An intensive secret lobbying campaign by Saudi Arabia, featuring “incentives and threats,” reportedly succeeded in shutting down a UN investigation into human rights violations committed in the Yemen conflict this year.
Citing sources with close knowledge of the process, The Guardian reported that the Saudi carrot and stick approach forced members of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to vote against extending the independent war crimes probe in October.
It marked the first time a UNHRC resolution had been defeated in the agency’s 15-year history. The vote saw a majority of 21 countries oppose the motion to allow the Group of Eminent Experts (GEE) on Yemen an additional two years to investigate. A previous vote in 2020 to extend their term had been opposed by only 12 countries.
“That kind of swing – from 12 no’s to 21 – does not just happen,” one official told the paper, which reported that “alarm bells” rang for the measure’s supporters a week before the vote about how the Saudi campaign was apparently “very different” from previous years.
According to the report, Saudi Arabia warned Indonesia – the world’s most populous Muslim country – that it would not recognize the Covid-19 vaccination credentials of citizens who were looking to travel to the holy city of Mecca if it didn’t reject the resolution. Indonesia ended up casting an opposing vote.
Meanwhile, the foreign minister of Togo – which also opposed the motion – announced at the time of the vote that the African nation would open a new embassy in Riyadh, and receive Saudi financial support to support anti-terrorism efforts. Both Togo and Indonesia had abstained from voting in 2020.
In addition, Senegal – another of the four countries that shifted from abstaining to opposing the motion – signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to establish a bilateral business council to “boost cooperation” a week after the vote. The UAE is Saudi Arabia’s coalition ally in Yemen.
Describing the episode as a “travesty,” Human Rights Watch Director John Fisher said the Saudis and their coalition allies were “working at a high level for some time... through a mixture of threats and incentives” to persuade countries.
While Saudi Arabia initially supported the creation of the GEE in 2017, sources told The Guardian that it had been put off by “damning” reports produced by the body over the years.
So, Yemen is left to hang-out and dry and the Saudis can continue to pound their markets with serious weapons, most of which they acquired from the USA.
U.N. Passes Controversial Resolution Calling Temple Mount
Only by its Muslim Name
Michael Foust |
ChristianHeadlines.com Contributor |
Thursday, December 2, 2021
The United Nations passed a controversial resolution Wednesday that criticizes Israel and calls the Temple Mount only by its Muslim name, Haram al‑Sharif.
The resolution passed easily, 129-11, although Israel, the United States, Canada and Australia all opposed it.
The Temple Mount is the site of the first temple that was built by Solomon and destroyed by the Babylonians, and of the second temple that was destroyed by the Romans. It was this second temple that Jesus visited. The Western Wall, where Jews pray, is part of the Temple Mount structure. The Temple Mount also is considered holy within Islam.
The resolution says, “any actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem are illegal.” Significantly, the resolution does not contain the phrase “Temple Mount” but instead refers to it as Haram al-Sharif – the Muslim term for the site.
The resolution calls for “upholding unchanged the historic status quo at the Haram al-Sharif” – although that term itself was seen by Israel as changing the dynamics.
“By referring to the holiest site in Judaism, the Temple Mount, only by its Muslim name, the resolution itself is changing the status quo,” said Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan. “The hypocrisy of these resolutions is truly outrageous.”
U.S. Ambassador Richard Erdman also criticized the language, saying he had “serious concern” about the terminology and that the U.N. should have used language it has used in the past: “Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount,” which he called “agreed terminology that recognizes the shared and diverse history of the holy site.”
“The omission of this inclusive terminology is of real and sincere concern,” Erdman said. “It is morally, historically, and politically wrong for the members of this body to support language that denies both the Jewish and Muslim connections to the Temple Mount and Haram al-Sharif.”
Not to mention the Christian connection!
Teacher beaten up for telling pupil not to harass female student
Student admits to insulting and beating up his teacher
Published: December 04, 2021 15:39
Tawfiq Nasrallah, Senior News Editor
Gulf News
Dubai: A 15-year-old Egyptian student has assaulted his teacher for telling him to stop verbally harassing a female student from of their school, Egyptian media reported.
The incident took place in Beheira Governorate, northern Egypt. According to Beheira police, the 57-year-old teacher filed a case against the student accusing him of beating and insulting him in front of students.
Witnesses said there was a commotion while the student was attacking the teacher and screams of female students were heard. Other teachers came to the rescue of the teacher and held the student until the police arrived.
On interrogation, the student admitted to beating and insulting his teacher for telling him to stop harassing a female student.
Beheira police has notified the ministry of education to take necessary action from its side.
This not the first time teachers get beaten by students. Earlier last month, an Egyptian teacher was beaten up by a student and his father for suspending him from class and asking him to bring his dad to school. The incident took place in Dakahlia Governorate at the Counselor Mahmoud Barham School for Basic Education.
Baheira, Egypt
Two Bangladeshis arrested for practising medical profession
with fake degrees
Suspects admitted most of patients are violators of residency laws, repeat offenders
Published: December 04, 2021 16:07
Tawfiq Nasrallah, Senior News Editor
Dubai: Two Bangladeshi citizens have been arrested in Kuwait for practising the medical profession with fake university certificates, Kuwaiti media reported.
Acting on a tipoff, Farwaniya police caught Bangladeshi doctor and nurse red-handed while treating people in their apartment in Al Hasawi area, which they turned it into an unlicensed clinic to 'treat' patients.
According to Al Qabs newspaper, the two suspects have been under surveillance for three days.
Upon raiding the apartment, the police caught the two suspects red-handed and found large quantities of drugs in their flat. During interrogation, the duo admitted that most of their customers are violators of residency laws and repeat offenders who cannot visit hospitals.
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