Tunisia arrests Al Jazeera journalist: bureau director

Tunisia arrests Al Jazeera journalist: bureau director
Samir Sassi a journalist at the Al Jazeera office in Tunisia (X)
Short Url
Updated 04 January 2024
Follow

Tunisia arrests Al Jazeera journalist: bureau director

Tunisia arrests Al Jazeera journalist: bureau director
  • Al Jazeera’s Tunisia bureau has been closed since President Kais Saied’s swift power grab in July 2021
  • Campaigners voiced concern over a growing number of journalists behind bars in the North African country

Tunis: Tunisian authorities have arrested an Al Jazeera reporter, the network’s bureau chief said Thursday, as campaigners voiced concern over a growing number of journalists behind bars in the North African country.
“Samir Sassi, a journalist at the Al Jazeera office in Tunisia, was arrested after security forces raided his house” late Wednesday, said Lotfi Hajji, director of the Qatar-based television network’s bureau in Tunis.
He told AFP that police did not disclose the reasons for the arrest nor where Sassi was being held. There was no official comment from Tunisian authorities.
Hajji said the security forces had also seized Sassi’s “computer, phone, and the phones of his wife and children.”
Al Jazeera’s Tunisia bureau has been closed since President Kais Saied’s swift power grab in July 2021, but the network’s journalists remained accredited and maintained their coverage in Tunisia.
Authorities did not provide a reason for shutting down the bureau at the time.
Tunisia has come under criticism for a crackdown on the freedom of speech, including the arrests of more than 30 journalists in 2023, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
In an open letter to Saied published on Thursday, the IFJ expressed its “deepest concern at the frequent imprisonment of journalists, in total contravention of the provisions of the Tunisian Constitution in respect of freedom of expression and the media.”
It mentioned the case of Tunisian journalist Zied El Heni, who was arrested on December 29 after criticizing Tunisian Commerce Minister Kalthoum Ben Rejeb in a radio show he hosts.
Heni became well known during the 2011 uprising that ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and set in motion what later came to be known as the Arab Spring.
The journalist remains in detention, awaiting trial scheduled for January 10.
“Heni’s case is not an isolated one, but clearly indicates the existence of a systematic policy of instrumentalising legal procedures and the judicial system to systematically intimidate, bully and imprison journalists,” said the IFJ.
Last summer, the United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said he was “deeply concerned” over the crackdown on media in Tunisia, with vaguely worded legislation used to criminalize criticism.
Seventeen journalists in Tunisia currently face trial, according to local media.
Heni and some other journalists have been prosecuted under the provisions of Decree 54, which punishes those accused of spreading “false news” with a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
The legislation “is being used to silence journalists and opponents of the president,” Anthony Bellanger, general secretary of the IFJ, said earlier this week, accusing the government of “attacking journalists.”


Israel hits Beirut’s southern suburbs for first time in days, Reuters witnesses say

Israel hits Beirut’s southern suburbs for first time in days, Reuters witnesses say
Updated 2 min 30 sec ago
Follow

Israel hits Beirut’s southern suburbs for first time in days, Reuters witnesses say

Israel hits Beirut’s southern suburbs for first time in days, Reuters witnesses say

BEIRUT: Israel carried out air strikes early on Friday on Beirut’s southern suburbs, Reuters witnesses said, the first strikes there in nearly a week.


Russia’s torture of Ukrainian civilians, prisoners is a crime against humanity, UN expert panel says

Russia’s torture of Ukrainian civilians, prisoners is a crime against humanity, UN expert panel says
Updated 38 min 50 sec ago
Follow

Russia’s torture of Ukrainian civilians, prisoners is a crime against humanity, UN expert panel says

Russia’s torture of Ukrainian civilians, prisoners is a crime against humanity, UN expert panel says

UN: Russia’s torture of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war is a crime against humanity, UN-backed human rights experts said Thursday.
Erik Møse, chair of the independent commission investigating human rights violations in Ukraine, told reporters that the panel previously described Russia’s widespread and systematic use of torture in Ukraine and Russia against civilians and prisoners, both men and women, as a war crime.
“Our recent findings demonstrate that Russian authorities have committed torture in all provinces of Ukraine that came under their control, as well as in the detention facilities that the commission has investigated in the Russian Federation,” he said.
Russia’s UN Mission said it had no comment on the press conference or the report by the commission, which is appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council.
Møse said the commission is an investigative body. He noted that Ukraine’s prosecutor general and the International Criminal Court are investigating possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine and the commission may be asked for evidence.
The commissioners examined reports from 41 different detention centers, from makeshift centers to well-established facilities, in nine occupied regions of Ukraine and eight areas in Russia, Møse said.
He said the commission identified further evidence that violent practices common in Russian detention facilities were also practiced in similar facilities in Russian-occupied areas in eastern Ukraine, he said.
The commission also found additional evidence of the recurrent use of sexual violence as a form of torture, Møse said.
Detainees were subjected to rape, long periods of forced nudity, body searches and more, commission member Vrinda Gover said. She said most prisoners of war reported being subjected to sexual violence and suffering long-lasting psychological trauma.
Ukrainians in detention facilities in Ukraine and in Russia also reported “a brutal so-called admission procedure,” Gover said.
“Harsh practices designed to scare, break, humiliate, coerce and punish detainees were used routinely,” she said.
Surveillance cameras were used to watch detainees and severe collective punishment of detainees was imposed for every breach of rules, while “interrogations were accompanied by some of the most violent treatment documented,” Gover said.
Commission member Pablo de Greiff told reporters it now has evidence of the Russian organizational structure that coordinated and enabled torture in the detention facilities.
“Moreover, the Commission now has evidence that the leadership of detention facilities or other higher ranking Russian authorities ordered, encouraged, tolerated or took no action to stop torture or ill treatment,” de Grieff said.
Møse said the commission’s investigation also found that the violent practices against detainees in Russia were transferred by Russian security forces and staff to detention facilities run by Russia in areas it occupied in Ukraine.
“Based on this body of evidence, we have concluded that the Russian authorities acted pursuant to a coordinated state policy of torturing Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war,” he said. “Therefore, in addition to torture as a war crime, they also committed torture as a crime against humanity.”


Thousands of volunteers join Madinah’s green future drive

Thousands of volunteers join Madinah’s green future drive
Updated 52 min 58 sec ago
Follow

Thousands of volunteers join Madinah’s green future drive

Thousands of volunteers join Madinah’s green future drive

MADINAH: Ayman bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, director general of the environment, water and agriculture branch in Madinah, has launched the “2024 National Planting Season” in the city.

The program extends the ministry’s nationwide campaign “We Plant for Our Future,” supporting sustainable environmental development and vegetation growth as part of the Saudi Green Initiative.

The regional campaign features 36 volunteer programs involving more than 1,800 female and male participants. Plans include planting 50,000 water-efficient and environmentally sustainable seedlings, comprising mesquites, thorn jujube and sweet acacia trees, alongside 20 other wild plant species, aiming to boost environmental and agricultural awareness.

The campaign’s first phase targets education facilities, Prince Sultan Military Medical City and the Saudi Authority for Industrial and Technology Zones, or Modon.

This effort focuses on expanding green spaces, streamlining planting processes, and encouraging community-wide participation in vegetation preservation and planting initiatives.
 


Rapper Young Thug pleads guilty to gang, drug and gun charges

Rapper Young Thug pleads guilty to gang, drug and gun charges
Updated 44 min 9 sec ago
Follow

Rapper Young Thug pleads guilty to gang, drug and gun charges

Rapper Young Thug pleads guilty to gang, drug and gun charges

ATLANTA: Rapper Young Thug pleaded guilty Thursday in Atlanta to gang, drug and gun charges and will be released from jail, though he could be put back behind bars if he violates the terms of his sentence.
The 33-year-old Grammy winning artist, whose given name is Jeffery Williams, entered his pleas without reaching a deal with prosecutors after negotiations between the two sides broke down, lead prosecutor Adriane Love said. That left the sentence completely up to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker.
Young Thug’s plea comes two and a half years after he was arrested and charged and nearly a year after the prosecution started presenting evidence in the problem-plagued trial. Jury selection at the courthouse in Atlanta began in January 2023 and took nearly 10 months. Prosecutors have called dozens of witnesses since opening statements last November in the trial of six defendants.
The trial has faced many delays, including in July when the original judge was removed after two defendants sought his recusal, citing a meeting the judge held with prosecutors and a state witness.
Young Thug pleaded guilty to one gang charge, three drug charges and two gun charges. He also entered a no contest plea to another gang charge and a racketeering conspiracy charge, meaning that he decided not to contest those charges but can be punished for them as if he had pleaded guilty.
The judge imposed a sentence of 40 years with the first five to be served in prison but commuted to time served, followed by 15 years on probation. If he successfully completes that probation without any violations, another 20 years will be commuted to time served. But if he violates the conditions, he will have to serve those 20 years in addition to any penalty for a probation violation.
Young Thug must stay away from the metro Atlanta area for the first 10 years of his probation, except for weddings, funerals, graduations or serious illness of family members, the judge said.
But she also ordered him to return to the Atlanta area four times a year during his probation to make a live anti-gang, anti-gun violence presentation at a school or a community organization serving children. She said that can count toward the 100 hours of community service she ordered him to perform each year during probation.
He’s also not allowed to associate with gang members or with the victims or other defendants in the case, with the exception of his brother and the rapper Gunna, with whom he has contractual obligations. He also cannot promote any criminal street gang or gang activity and can’t use hand signs or terminology that promotes a street gang.
Additional conditions include submitting to random drug screens and not possessing a gun. But he is allowed to travel both nationally and internationally for work, even while on probation.
Love had outlined for the judge the evidence she would have presented to prove Young Thug’s guilt, including some of his rap lyrics. She asked the judge to sentence him to 45 years, with 25 years in prison and the remaining 20 years on probation.
The rapper’s lead attorney Brian Steel said they “vehemently disagree” with many of the statements Love made and said it was “offensive” that the state is using Young Thug’s lyrics against him.
Steel said the evidence against his client is weak and accused prosecutors of misrepresenting and hiding evidence, saying Young Thug was “falsely accused.” Steel said he told his client that he thought they were winning the trial and should go through to a jury verdict.
“But he told me, ‘I can’t wait another three months if there is any possibility I could go home because I have children that are hurting. I have things to do,’” Steel said.
Steel asked the judge to impose a sentence of 45 years with five in prison commuted to time served and 40 years on probation.
Young Thug asked the judge to let him go home, saying he wouldn’t be in a similar situation again.
“I’ve learned from my mistakes, you know. I come from nothing and I’ve made something and I didn’t take full advantage of it. I’m sorry,” he said.
The judge said she appreciated that he realized the impact that he has on people worldwide. She said rap music may involve a lot of posturing but that children emulate some of the dangerous behavior mentioned in songs. She encouraged Young Thug to use his talent and influence to encourage kids to do the right thing.
“I want you to try to be more of the solution and less of the problem,” Whitaker said.
A tremendously successful rapper, Young Thug started his own record label, Young Stoner Life or YSL. Prosecutors have said he also co-founded a violent criminal street gang and that YSL stands for Young Slime Life.
He was charged two years ago in a sprawling indictment accusing him and more than two dozen other people of conspiring to violate Georgia’s anti-racketeering law. He also was charged with gang, drug and gun crimes.
Three of his Young Thug’s co-defendants had already pleaded guilty this week after reaching deals with prosecutors. The pleas leave the fates of two other co-defendants still undecided.
Nine people charged in the indictment accepted plea deals before the trial began. Twelve others are being tried separately. Prosecutors dropped charges against one defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case.


Horror in spotlight at Boulevard World

Horror in spotlight at Boulevard World
Updated 01 November 2024
Follow

Horror in spotlight at Boulevard World

Horror in spotlight at Boulevard World

RIYADH: Boulevard World is offering an array of thrilling horror experiences, inviting visitors to embark on spine-chilling adventures filled with mystery and surprise.

One of its standout attractions, The Dolls' Trip, takes visitors into an abandoned doll factory hidden within an ancient Mexican pyramid. What starts as a school trip quickly turns into a nightmare as dolls come to life in the shadows, trapping visitors in dark, labyrinthine tunnels.

Along the way they encounter eerie scenes such as the abandoned bus and the doll workshop, in which the lifeless figures seem poised to awaken. This adventure accommodates groups of eight, ensuring an exhilarating experience.

In the Egypt zone, the Mystery of the Nile adventure plunges visitors into the depths of ancient Egyptian history.

Aboard a boat navigating a mystical river, guests face mummies that shake the boat violently. As they journey through narrow bridges and corridors filled with traps, hieroglyphic symbols light up the walls, accompanied by spine-tingling sounds. This experience features stunning visual and sound effects, keeping participants on high alert throughout.

Pyramid Trail, which is also in the Egypt zone, challenges visitors with puzzles and obstacles deep inside an ancient pyramid. The adventure begins in a laser-filled room in which participants must carefully maneuver to avoid detection.

They then board a conveyor belt adorned with hieroglyphic symbols, dodging moving obstacles. The journey concludes with leaps over circular trampolines above a snake-themed pit.

Meanwhile, The Vampire Hotel awaits visitors to the Italy zone, where an Italian-inspired design sets a dark and eerie atmosphere. The journey begins in a haunted elevator that leaves participants with an unsettled feeling.

As they navigate the dim corridors, visitors encounter sticky walls, with curtains and furniture moving mysteriously. The highlight of the experience is the coffin room, where guests are invited to lay inside coffins. The hotel also boasts a dining room resembling a chilling movie scene.

Boulevard World’s horror attractions promise unparalleled thrills during Riyadh Season 2024, offering visitors the chance to explore new levels of fear and excitement at every turn.