Pavel Datsuk Pleads Directly to Putin to Intervene in Arrest of Rebel Orthodox Leader Shiigumen Sergius

..

Ex-NHL star Datsyuk calls on Putin to intervene after arrest of rebel priest

who called Covid ‘pseudo-pandemic’

11 Jan 2021 13:32

Sergius was arrested in December but has been supported by Datsyuk. © Sputnik / Reuters

Former Detroit Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk has turned to President Vladimir Putin to ask him to look into the details of the “outrageous situation” involving Shiigumen Sergius (aka Father Superior), who was arrested in December.

The letter addressed to Putin, signed by the former NHL star and others, described the priest’s detention as “total lawlessness” and claimed Russian special police forces attacked Ekaterinburg’s Central Urals Monastery in violation of the law and injured many people.

“Extreme circumstances forced us to personally address you, as the guarantor of the Russian Constitution,” it read.

“On the night of December 29, several hundred armed people stormed the monastery using special-purpose equipment.

“Without showing any documents and bringing any accusations, they forcefully took Shiigumen Sergius out of the monastery. After that they rioted the monastery’s territory,” it added.

The letter said that over 500 people, including women and children, who were inside the building were forced to spend several hours in temperatures of -26C (-14F).

Datsyuk, who was among many public figures to sign the letter and attended services held by Sergius, said the priest was wrongfully accused of crimes he has never committed.

Russian police officers detained the priest after footage of his sermon leaked online.

In the video, Shiigumen Sergius is seen talking about people who committed suicide and asking his parishioners, including underage people, whether they were ready to die for Russia.

The priest was accused of inciting people to suicide, infringing on rights and religious freedoms and usurpation of power.

I don't know the details of this sermon. If he indeed was inciting people to commit suicide then he needs to be locked up. On the other hand, any Christian church that does not preach the doctrine of 'dying to self', that is, 'dying to the lusts of the flesh', is no church at all. This has nothing to do with physical death but is a moral and spiritual process.

He has been accused of being anti-semitic which cannot happen in a church operating in the Holy Spirit. Yes, I know Martin Luther wrote an anti-semitic paper one time, but it was shortly after the death of his beloved youngest daughter, which affected him very deeply. I suspect he was angry at God and deflected it onto God's chosen people.

The priest made the headlines last year after he was banned from conducting religious duties because of his claims that the Covid-19 outbreak was a “pseudo-pandemic” and that it was being used as an excuse to microchip the public.

Sergius also complained that the closure of churches in Russia during the coronavirus crisis was done under pressure from “the atheistic authorities.”

Unorthodox Russian Priest Arrested for 'Encouraging the Suicide of a Minor'

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Covid-denying Russian monk, who insists Putin has been replaced by Antichrist in rubber mask, detained over child suicide claims

29 Dec 2020 16:55

An Orthodox priest, known for “expelling demons” and warning of secret plans to enslave the world, has been held by police on suspicion of pushing children to kill themselves. His monastery was raided by riot police overnight.

Local media in nearby Ekaterinburg reported on Tuesday that a police operation was underway at the Middle Ural Orthodox chapter, and Nikolay Romanov (known as Father Sergius) had been detained. Hundreds of supporters gathered near the road to the compound to protest the arrest of the faith leader, who has previously been formally excommunicated from the Church.

Some hours later, Romanov appeared before a Moscow court, which will determine whether he can be held or released. The media has been banned from the hearing.

While details of the charges have not yet been released, Romanov’s lawyer, Svetlana Gerasimova, told journalists that he is suspected of encouraging “the suicide of a minor.” The Russian daily newspaper Kommersant suggests the case is linked to a sermon in which he asked his parishioners whether they were “ready to die for Russia.” An advocate for the breakaway church told the publication that “it was not about suicide, but about self-sacrifice for people, about patriotism.”

There is an aspect of Christianity that calls for adherents to 'die to self', that is to die to their selfish desires and lusts, to surrender their will to Jesus just as Jesus surrendered His to the Father - "Nevertheless, not My will but Thine be done."

It has nothing to do with physical death for the adherent, but only death to the sin nature we are born with.

Look at the extraordinary gaze of the beautiful child in white.

Romanov’s long history of explosive claims have simultaneously won him followers and drawn criticism from church officials. He has repeatedly given voice to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories involving the fabricated ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion’ hoax, which claim that secretive Jewish organizations are working to subject the world to their rule.

In 2019, he warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin would soon be targeted for assassination as a result of changes to pension law. Later that year, he warned that the Antichrist was due to return to earth “at the age of 30, wearing a silicone mask, bearing Vladimir Putin’s face.”

That would be odd since Putin's face is more than twice that age.

Romanov has previously fallen foul of law enforcement over his refusal to close his churches and encouraging followers to break coronavirus prevention laws to attend them. “Whoever encroaches on the closure of temples – damn it and his whole family,” the priest has said. He has previously been issued with a fine over the statements.

Ex-NHL star Datsyuk 'holed up at monastery defended by Cossacks with priest who claims Covid is cover-up to microchip population'

In October, Romanov was officially excommunicated from the Orthodox Church in a decision sanctioned by its top priests. He was found guilty by a Church tribunal of violating the priestly oath, monastic vows and a number of other rules. However, he has since continued to perform his role as a priest as part of the Sredneuralsk Convent.

Romanov controls three large monasteries in the region, as well as residential buildings, industrial sites and farms. His group has plans to build the largest Orthodox Church in the world, with capacity for up to 37,000 worshippers.

Corruption is Everywhere - Certainly in Mexico's Government and Military

Mexico vows purge after ex-defence chief arrested in US

Ex-minister Cienfuegos detained in Los Angeles over drugs

Published:  October 16, 2020 19:57

Reuters

  

Mexico's General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda speaks during an official reception in Mexico City April 24, 2014.

Cienfuegos was detained in Los Angeles over drugs on Thursday, October 15, 2020.

Image Credit: Reuters

Mexico City: Mexico’s president on Friday promised to clean up the armed forces but backed its current leadership after the arrest of a former defence minister on drugs charges in the United States.

The day after the stunning detention in Los Angeles of Salvador Cienfuegos, defence minister from 2012 to 2018, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador pledged to suspend anyone inside his government implicated in the charges.

“We won’t cover up for anybody,” he said, before voicing fulsome support for Cienfuegos’ successor at the head of the army and his counterpart in the navy, noting that he had personally vetted them for honesty. “They are incorruptible,” he added at a news conference.

Right! 

Some Mexican officials were privately shocked at the detention of Cienfuegos in Los Angeles airport, worrying it was an unprecedented US intervention against a symbol of Mexican national security.

But Lopez Obrador quickly incorporated the arrest into his narrative that predecessors had presided over a debilitating increase in corruption in Mexico, which for years has been convulsed by often horrific levels of drug gang violence.

“If we’re not talking about a narco state, one can certainly talk about a narco government, and without doubt, about a government of mafiosi,” Lopez Obrador said.

“We’re cleaning up, purifying public life.” Lopez Obrador said he only heard about the arrest after the event, though he noted that Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, Martha Barcena, had informed him about two weeks ago that there was talk of an investigation involving Cienfuegos.

There had been no open probe in Mexico on Cienfuegos and his arrest was linked to the case against Genaro Garcia Luna, Mexico’s security minister from 2006-2012, who was detained by U.S. authorities last year on drugs charges, Lopez Obrador said.

Two Mexican federal sources told Reuters the investigation involved money laundering and drug trafficking.

Like Garcia Luna, Cienfuegos had been a major figure in Mexico’s drug war, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives over the past two decades.

The arrest comes less than three weeks before the US presidential election. President Donald Trump, seeking a second term, has made clamping down on drug cartels a priority, though without major progress since he took office in 2017.

Corruption is Everywhere - Is Imran Khan Cleaning Up Pakistan, or Is It Politics as Usual?

Daughter of Pakistan’s jailed ex-PM & opposition leader Nawaz arrested

amid ongoing corruption probe

FILE PHOTO Maryam Nawaz Sharif © Global Look Press / ZUMAPRESS / PPI

Pakistan opposition leader Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of convicted ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) while visiting her father in prison.

A spokesman for Nawaz’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML) told Reuters that the politician had been detained in Lahore, but that the authorities have yet to explain the grounds of her arrest.

Nawaz was asked to appear on Thursday before the NAB to answer questions regarding a corruption probe. Her family is accused of embezzling millions of dollars from the government project. According to local reports, she ignored the request and was arrested while visiting her father, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in jail. Sharif is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for corruption. Nawaz herself was also convicted in a related corruption case, but her sentence was suspended.

Her arrest was sharply criticized by opposition figures.

Senator Sherry Rehman, parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), argued that Nawaz’s detention risks “disastrous polarisation” at home as the conflict with India over Kashmir continues to escalate.

Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, daughter of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, tweeted that Prime Minister Imran Khan and his “fascist, incompetent government” had targeted Nawaz as part of a “witch hunt” against the opposition.

In recent days, Nawaz had been involved in anti-government protests. Last month, she took part in nationwide rallies against Khan’s administration.

Her PML party has also led a series of public protests, alleging that Khan benefited from widespread vote-rigging in the 2018 election.

“I Accept You. God Loves You”: Pastor Arrested for Preaching the Gospel to LGBT Community

Canada practices freedom of religion, unless that religion is Christianity

Kelsey Straeter, FaithIt

As the mantras of “tolerance” and “inclusion” continue to ring up and down the streets of America, it seems those principles fail to apply when it comes to Christians expressing their gospel-centered views. David Lynn, a pastor for Christ Forgiveness Ministries in Toronto, was arrested on June 4 for proclaiming the Good News of Jesus on the streets of an LGBTQ-friendly community.

A portion of the incident has been posted to YouTube:

“Everybody can have dignity and respect, everybody, but do you know it’s not all the time that this is carried out,” Lynn announced on the street corner, before ‘coming out of the closet’ as a Christ follower.

“Sometimes hatred is carried out by various members of the community,” he continued. “We’re here to tell you that we hate nobody; so I’m coming out of the closet and saying ‘I’m a Christian,’ and I want to know if you would tolerate me as a Christian.”

The pastor proceeded to ask if individuals within close proximity would tolerate him, as one person after another turned their backs and shut him down.

“What about acceptance? What about acceptance?” asked one irritated listener who got in Lynn’s face.

“I accept you. You’re here,” replied the pastor David Lynn as he extended his palm for a handshake.

As he continued to peacefully proclaim God’s love for all with a message about sin that was inclusive of both the heterosexual and homosexual community, various people attempted to trip and push the preacher.

“Jesus died for the sinner,” Lynn told them. “Every heterosexual has sin. Every homosexual has sin. Sin is when we violate the laws of God.”

Though Lynn remained calm and asked that people assaulting him would take their hands off of him, he was the one approached by police who accused him of being a “disturbance” and “breaching the peace.”

Though the pastor uses amplification to preach outside weekly, officers told him he needed to preach without amplification.

Lynn cooperated and continued preaching with no microphone in hand, but he was still ultimately arrested.

One of the arresting officers stated that the pastor was arrested for breaching the peace due to ‘derogatory comments’ that left bystanders ‘appalled,’ though he admittedly didn’t know what those comments were.

As Lynn was handcuffed and put in the police car, he repeated, “I was sharing the Gospel.”

“Our religious beliefs and our freedoms to exercise that belief are going to be taken away,” said one of the Christians accompanying Lynn, following the pastor’s arrest. “We didn’t form a mob today. A mob was formed against us. Assault was demonstrated against us. We were assaulted. No one who assaulted us was arrested, but the person that was speaking and freely exercising their Christian beliefs was handcuffed, and we don’t even know where he’s at right now.”

In a statement released later that day, Pastor Lynn said, “Every community in Toronto should have the same laws, and everyone should be welcome. Everyone should have rights, dignity, and respect, just like Christians should as well.”

“God loves you. There is hope for you,” he added, reiterating his earlier message. “Whatever community you are, God loves you. Jesus died for you.”

You have to admire his courage and commitment, although I wonder if there is a better way to get the message across. 

Apparently, in Canada, you are free to preach the Gospel to those who already know the Gospel, but preaching it to those who need it most is disturbing the peace.

Attack on German Soccer Bus Not Terrorist but Commercial Endeavour

Suspect in German soccer bus bombing says

he never meant to hurt people

By Ed Adamczyk

Damage is visible on the right side of the bus of Germany's Dortmund Borussia soccer team, where homemade bombs exploded on April 11, 2017. File Photo by Friedermann Vohl/EPA

UPI -- The suspect in the bombing last year of a German soccer team's bus said in court Monday that he carried out the attack, but had no intention of killing or injuring anyone.

The man, identified only as Sergej W., is charged with 28 counts of attempted murder, attempts to commit bodily harm and setting off an explosion.

Marc Batra, a player on the Dortmund Borussia professional soccer team, who was aboard the team bus, was injured when three explosions struck as the team left Dortmund last April 11. A police officer was also injured.

In court Monday, the 28-year-old suspect expressed regret but said the homemade explosives were designed in a way that "no harm to people could be expected."

And how did that work out for you?

The bus was damaged in the blast, and the suspect was arrested 10 days later.

Prosecutors said Sergej W. took out a loan to bet that shares in Dortmund Borussia, the only German professional team whose shares are listed on public stock exchanges, would decline in value after the bombing. They added that he attempted to disguise the attack as Islamist terrorism.

If convicted, Sergey W. faces a life sentence.

He already has a life sentence - stupidity!

Saudi Woman Wearing Miniskirt in Video Arrested Following Public Outcry **UPDATE**

As I have pointed out a few times, Islam is progressive, not progressive in a liberal sense, quite the opposite. Islam progresses toward more and more strict Sharia, or Sharia-like attitudes until women are made virtually invisible.

**UPDATE**: Several news agencies are reporting today that the girl has been released without charge.

Video sparked Twitter backlash, with many saying she broke country's strict dress code for women

The Associated Press

A woman is filmed walking around a historic fort in a miniskirt with no one else around. The short video was shot in a village in the desert region of Najd, where many of Saudi Arabia's most conservative tribes and families are from.

A woman is filmed walking around a historic fort in a miniskirt with no one else around.

The short video was shot in a village in the desert region of Najd, where many of Saudi Arabia's

most conservative tribes and families are from. (Khulood/Snapchat)

A Saudi woman has been arrested for defying the kingdom's strict dress code by walking around in a miniskirt and crop top in a video that sparked public outrage.

The woman, whose name was not given, was detained by police in the capital, Riyadh, for wearing "immodest clothes" that contradicted the country's conservative Islamic dress code, state media reported Tuesday. Police referred her case to the public prosecutor, according to the official Twitter account of state-run TV channel al-Ekhbariya.

In the video, which has gone viral since first emerging on Snapchat over the weekend, the woman is filmed walking around a historic fort in a miniskirt with no one else around. The short video, shot in a village in the desert region of Najd, where many of Saudi Arabia's most conservative tribes and families are from, is followed by other shots of her sitting in the desert.

The video sparked a Twitter hashtag that called for her arrest, with many saying she flagrantly disobeyed Saudi rules, which require all women living in the kingdom, including foreigners, to wear long, loose robes known as abayas in public. Most Saudi women also wear a headscarf and veil that covers the face.

In other words, for women to be invisible in public.

Social media is wildly popular in Saudi Arabia as a space to vent frustrations and gauge public opinion. The outcry against the video and the woman's subsequent arrest reveal how powerful and widespread conservative views are in the kingdom, despite recent moves by Saudi Arabia to modernize and loosen some rules.

The country's 31-year-old heir to the throne, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has pushed for greater openings for entertainment in part to appease the youth, who are active on social media and can bypass government censors online. More than half of Saudi Arabia's population is under 25.

The government announced last week that girls would be allowed for the first time to play sports in public school and have access to physical education classes. The powers of the kingdom's religious police have also been curtailed, and they are officially no longer allowed to arrest people.

This is a clear attempt to reverse some of the stringent application of Sharia. It will be interesting to see if it leads anywhere. The reaction on Twitter would make it seem that loosening moral codes is not a a popular idea.

Despite these moves, strict gender segregation rules and other restrictions on women remain in place. Women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia and cannot obtain a passport or travel abroad without a male relative's permission.

After the woman's video surfaced, some Saudis expressed alarm, saying that Twitter was being used as a tool to out other citizens.

Saudi writer Waheed al-Ghamdi wrote on Twitter that while the woman violated Saudi laws, her actions did not warrant such an outcry because they did not harm others.

Ivanka Trump, left, and Melania Trump are seen at the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May. Some have noted the two women did not cover their heads or wear abayas. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)

"I am simply questioning the lack of priorities regarding anger and alarm expressed over human rights violations and oppression versus the harmless personal choices of others," he wrote.

Some of those defending her posted images from U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia in May, in which his wife Melania and his daughter Ivanka, though modestly dressed in higher necklines and longer sleeves, did not cover their heads or wear abayas.

The woman's image was blurred on Saudi news websites reporting on the case. It is common in Saudi Arabia to see heavily blurred or pixelated images of women's faces on billboards and storefronts — in stark contrast to the many towering images of senior male royals displayed across the country.

Of course, can't have women with faces! They wouldn't be invisible!

The 6 second video can be seen here

Turing Pharma CEO Martin Shkreli Arrested in Securities Probe

Drug company executive was vilified for dramatically boosting drug prices

The best news I've heard all day

CBC News 

Martin Shkreli, chief executive officer of Turing Pharmaceuticals, exits federal court in New York on Dec. 17, 2015. Shkreli was arrested on alleged securities fraud related to Retrophin Inc., a biotech firm he founded in 2011. (Louis Lanzano/Bloomberg)

Pharmaceutical entrepreneur Martin Shkreli, vilified for buying up drug companies and then dramatically boosting the prices of some medications, has been charged by the FBI with securities fraud related to his former hedge fund and a drug company he once ran. 

Shkreli, 32, currently the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, was taken into custody at his New York City home Thursday. 

The case relates to his dealings at two firms, including Retrophin Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that he founded and used to head. Shkreli's arrest also stems from his time as manager of hedge fund MSMB Capital Management.

A seven-count indictment unsealed in Brooklyn Federal Court charged Shkreli with:

Conspiracy to commit securities fraud.
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Securities fraud. 

The indictment alleges Shkreli, among others, fraudulently induced people to invest in two separate funds, and misappropriated the assets of Retrophin to satisfy Shkreli's personal and unrelated professional debt obligations.

Shkreli "engaged in multiple schemes to ensnare investors through a web of lies and deceit," U.S. attorney Robert Capers said in a statement.

Retrophin sued Shkreli in August for $65 million US. The firm claimed Shkreli had used his control over Retrophin to enrich himself and pay off claims of investors in MSMB. Shkreli denied those allegations.

"Pride goes before a fall"

Increased drug price by 5,000%

The new allegations levelled at Shkreli on Thursday have nothing to do with the price-gouging accusations that turned him into a poster boy for corporate greed back in September.

Shkreli was widely vilified when he jacked up the price of Daraprim, a potentially life-saving anti-parasitic drug treatment, from $13.50 a pill to $750.

The drug is the only one that is approved for the treatment of toxoplasmosis, a disease that is most common among pregnant women, cancer patients and AIDS patients.

Faced with a firestorm of protest, he initially said his firm would lower the price. But Turing Pharmaceuticals later backed away from that promise.

It's pretty obvious what kind of character a person has when he holds sick people and government medical systems to ransom for the sake of personal gain. So it should not be surprising if he has no more regard for the law than he does for the welfare of the people who use his products.

With files from Reuters and The Associated Press