Papua New Guinea’s new prime minister, James Marape, has called on Australia Friday to set a deadline for relocating several hundred refugees and asylum-seekers who have been stranded in his country since the closure of a migrant camp. The Manus Island detention center closed in October 2017 after judges in Papua New Guinea said it was unconstitutional. About 450 former detainees remain on the island in community housing or in the capital, Port Moresby. Most are refugees who have been told by the government in Canberra that as part of uncompromising border polices they will never been allowed to be resettled in Australia. Few have any desire to stay in Papua New Guinea, but their presence in the impoverished country is putting pressure on health services and fueling tensions with local residents.Papua New Guinea’s prime minister, James Marape, wants senior Australian ministers to set a timetable for the men to be removed. “I have met immigration minister Peter Dutton already,” said Marape. “I have asked him to expedite the process of phasing out the issues of asylum seekers. We need to establish a timeline going forward and there are genuine refugees and there are also non-genuine refugees. What happens to the rest of them we have in-country? These are human beings we are dealing with. We can’t leave them all hanging in space with no serious consideration to their future.”FILE – Nibok refugee settlement on Nauru, Sept. 4, 2018.Six years ago, Australia started its policy of sending all asylum-seekers caught trying to reach the country by sea to offshore camps on Manus Island and the tiny Pacific republic of Nauru. They were told they would never be allowed into Australia, even as genuine refugees.Australia has argued that the risk of being sent to a camp in the South Pacific has been a powerful deterrent stopping migrants making the perilous sea crossing on rickety fishing boats from Indonesia. Rights groups have consistently claimed conditions in the camps were cruel and inhumane.
The United States has resettled about 500 refugees from the facilities under an asylum deal with Australia. About 350 asylum-seekers remain on Nauru.Marape is due to arrive in Australia Sunday on his first overseas trip as prime minister and will spend a week meeting with government officials.
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Month: July 2019
Zuma Withdraws From South African Corruption Inquiry
Former South African President Jacob Zuma has decided to stop testifying at a public inquiry into state corruption.Zuma’s lawyers said Friday their client feels that he has been questioned unfairly.”Our client from the beginning . . . has been treated as someone who was accused,” said Zuma’s lawyer, Muzi Sikhakhane.The former president has given testimony this week at the so-called “State Capture” commission.Raymond Zondo, the lead judge in the probe, has said, “The commission is not mandated to prove a case against anybody, but is mandated to investigate and inquire into certain allegations.”Zuma has denied allegations of corruption, saying he was a victim of conspiracies to end his career, ruin his reputation and kill him.Zuma was forced to resign from office last year by the ruling African National Congress party after being implicated in numerous corruption scandals. In one instance, prosecutors accused him of using some $20 million in public funds for improvements at his private estate.
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German Rescue Ship Captain Questioned in Italy on Unauthorized Docking
The German rescue ship captain who allegedly disobeyed Italy’s ban on migrant ships, voiced hope Thursday that EU countries would allow migrants in the future. Carola Rackete spoke after she was questioned by a Sicilian court on suspicion of aiding illegal immigration.Shouts of “Brava,” along with applause, greeted Carola Rackete as she left court in the town of Agrigento after just under four hours of questioning. Demonstrators outside the courtroom held banners which read, “Saving lives at sea is not a crime.”The 31-year-old Rackete told reporters she was pleased to have told the court why she entered the port of Lampedusa in late June after two weeks at sea in international waters. Rackete was arrested June 29 after defying orders to stay out of the port and hitting a police boat with her ship, the Sea-Watch 3, with migrants on board.
A judge in Agrigento subsequently released her from house arrest, saying the captain followed the “law of the sea,” which is first and foremost to save the lives of endangered people.The captain has said she docked at Lampedusa because she feared for the health of her migrant passengers.
Rackete told journalists she hoped the new European Union Commission would let migrants such as those she had rescued enter those countries without facing added impediments.Lampedusa“I sincerely hope that the European Commission now after the new election of the parliament will do their very best to prevent situations like that happening and that all the European countries will work together in the future to accept any people which the civilian fleet has rescued,” said Rackete.The Italian government has adopted a tough position against illegal immigration. Authorities have imposed a policy that effectively stops non-governmental organization ships with rescued migrants from entering Italian waters.
In the case of Rackete, investigators say she will not undergo further questioning. Rackete’s lawyers also say she is free to return to Germany if she so desires and that no arrest has been confirmed. Additionally, the lawyers say Rackete is no longer the captain of the Sea Watch as there has been a change in crew.
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Observers See Ominous Turn in Political Divide Over Race, Ideology
The weather in Washington has been hot, sticky and relentless this week. So has the politics.In a period of a few days, the president of the United States told four members of Congress they could leave the country if they were unhappy and go back to the countries they came from, sparking passage of a House resolution that condemned some of his verbal and Twitter attacks as racist.In the same week, Democrats again broached the subject of impeachment, only to see the effort fail when many Democrats joined Republicans in voting to table, or put off, the issue.In sum, it has been a trying week for American democracy that has plunged the country into an angry debate over race, immigration and political ideology.
Washington Consumed by Growing Political Divide Over Race, Ideology video player.
FILE – U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar participates in a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Feb. 7, 2019.Omar told reporters Thursday she believes Trump is “fascist,” then added, “This is what this president and his supporters have turned the country into.”The group of female lawmakers also includes House members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.The president has been tweeting and criticizing them for days, and has urged them to leave the country if they are unhappy, even though all are U.S. citizens — three born in the United States.President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Williams Arena, Greenville, N.C., July 17, 2019.Divided DemocratsTrump’s combative appearance at the North Carolina rally came on the same day the House voted to set aside an effort by some Democrats to initiate impeachment proceedings against him.Earlier in the week, the House took the unusual step of condemning some of Trump’s attacks on the four lawmakers as racist.All House Democrats supported the resolution, including civil rights icon John Lewis of Georgia.“I know racism when I see it. I know racism when I feel it. And at the highest level of government, there is no room for racism,” Lewis said.Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., arrives at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 4, 2018.Race and politicsTrump’s victory in 2016 was spurred by strong support from white working-class voters.But many Democrats believe the president is now making a dangerous bid for support based on racial resentment.“These words are not just words. They are like gasoline, like a spark to the gasoline of disturbed minds,” said New Jersey Democratic Congressman Tom Malinowski.Trump has denied he is a racist but has slammed the congresswomen as socialists, a line of attack that other Republicans have seized on, including Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.“This not China. This is not North Korea. This is America. And if you hate our country, you are free to leave anytime you want to,” Kennedy told reporters at the Capitol.Many political strategists believe that Trump wants to elevate the congresswomen as the face of the Democratic Party, something White House counselor Kellyanne Conway hinted at in a testy exchange with reporters earlier in the week.“He is tired. A lot of us are sick and tired in this country of America coming last to people who swore an oath of office.”Risky strategyMany Trump critics, and even a few Republicans, see a more ominous turn in the latest attacks.Democratic Congressman Dean Phillips is worried that the president’s raw focus on racial and ideological strains is tearing at the fabric of the country.“And if racism ever becomes a partisan issue in this country, we have done a woeful disservice to our founders. We have done a woeful disservice to our Constitution, and a woeful disservice to every single person that calls America home.”The president’s narrow victory in 2016 and his relatively low approval rating, currently around 43%, leaves him vulnerable for re-election, and makes his strategy a risky one, according to University of Virginia analyst Kyle Kondik.“The approval rating is the troubling thing for the president because if his approval rating is under 45%, then he is going to need a significant share of people who don’t approve of him to vote for him. And that is when it becomes really difficult.”This week’s rhetorical fireworks likely serve as a preview for what could be an ugly presidential campaign next year, the latest snapshot of a country deeply enmeshed in polarized and volatile political warfare.
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Germany’s Merkel Fends Off Worries about Her Health
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is fending off worries about her health, saying that she has a personal interest in staying healthy and having a life after politics.Merkel said Friday that she understands questions about her health after three recent incidents in which her body shook as she stood at public events. But she said she’s aware of her responsibility as chancellor and “can exercise this function.” She has said that there’s no reason to worry.Merkel, who turned 65 this week, recalled that she has ruled out seeking a fifth term as chancellor.
She said: “I have said that 2021 will be the end of my political work and I hope that there is a life after that _ and I would like to lead it in good health.’”
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Suspect ID’d, Appeared to Have Planned Japan Arson Attack
Updated at 5:20 a.m., July 29, 2019.KYOTO, JAPAN — A man suspected of torching an animation studio in Japan, killing 33 people in the country’s worst mass killing in two decades, planned the attack because he believed his novel had been plagiarized, media said Friday.The man, identified as Shinji Aoba, shouted “Die!” before dousing the entrance to Kyoto Animation’s studio building with what appeared to be petrol and setting it ablaze around 10:30 a.m. (0130 GMT) Thursday, media said. The 41-year-old told police, “I did it,” when he was detained, adding he had started the fire because he believed the studio had stolen his novel, Kyodo news said, citing investigative sources.Kyoto police declined to comment. Broadcaster Nippon TV said he was under an anesthesia after burning himself and police were unable to question him.The man “seemed to be discontented, he seemed to get angry, shouting something about how he had been plagiarized,” a woman who saw the suspect being detained told reporters.An aerial view shows smoke and flames rising from the three-story Kyoto Animation building in Kyoto, Japan, July 18, 2019.The explosive blaze left 10 more people in critical condition, authorities said late Thursday, in Japan’s worst mass killing since a suspected arson attack in Tokyo killed 44 people in 2001.A day later, none of the victims’ identities had been disclosed.’Very, very sad’“I imagine many of the people who died were in their twenties,” said 71-year-old Kozo Tsujii, fighting back tears after laying flowers near the studio in the rain Friday morning. He said he drives by the studio on his daily commute.“I’m just very, very sad that these people who are so much younger than me passed away so prematurely,” he said.Police searched through the smoldering shell of the building for clues Friday.A man resembling the suspect went to a petrol station Thursday with two 20-liter cans, Japanese media said. Two cans, a rucksack and a trolley were found near the site, and television footage showed what appeared to be five long knives laid out by police as possible evidence on the ground outside the three-story building.The suspect had no connection with Kyoto Animation and his driver’s license listed an address in Saitama, a northern suburb of Tokyo, public broadcaster NHK said. Little else was known about the man, who is under police supervision with serious burns to the face and legs, media reports said.NHK showed footage of what it said appeared to be the suspect lying on his back on the ground as he spoke to a police officer, shoeless and with what appeared to be burns on his right leg below the knee.A man places flowers near the torched Kyoto Animation building to mourn the victims of the arson attack, in Kyoto, Japan, July 19, 2019.Kyoto Animation, in a quiet suburb about 20 minutes by train from the center of Japan’s ancient capital, produces popular “anime” series such as the “Sound! Euphonium.”Its “Free! Road to the World – The Dream” movie is due for release this month.The studio sits between two train lines close to a stream amid houses and small apartment blocks, a few stores and a taxi company parking lot. The area was cordoned off Friday morning. A few of the original 30 or so fire trucks remained in the streets but with their lights off. Some firefighters appeared to still be dousing the smoldering building.Jun Shin, a 30-year-old Chinese man living in nearby Osaka, came to the site Thursday night to lay flowers near the burned-out office and say a prayer.“I am an anime fan,” Jun, an information-technology worker, told Reuters. “I have watched animation since I was a student, and this was a terrible event, I just want to come and mourn. It left me speechless.”
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Japan Summons S. Korean Envoy in Wartime Labor Dispute
Japan’s foreign minister Friday summoned South Korea’s ambassador and accused Seoul of violating international law by refusing to join in an arbitration panel to settle a dispute over World War II forced labor.South Korea had until midnight Thursday to respond to Japan’s request for a three-nation panel. The neighboring countries are quarreling over South Korean court decisions ordering Japanese companies to compensate victims of forced labor during Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.Foreign Minister Taro Kono said after summoning Ambassador Nam Gwan-pyo that Japan will “take necessary measures” against South Korea if interests of Japanese companies are harmed, without giving details.Their talks were held in an icy atmosphere, briefly turning confrontational.“It is extremely problematic that South Korea is one-sidedly leaving alone the situation that violates the international law, which is the foundation of our bilateral relationship,” Kono told Nam. “The action being taken by the South Korean government is something that completely overturns the order of the international community since the end of the World War II.”Protesters stage a rally denouncing the Japanese government’s decision on their exports to South Korea in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 18, 2019. The signs read: ” No Abe (Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe).”Japan: compensation settledKono urged Seoul to immediately take action to stop the court process, under which the plaintiffs of the lawsuit are preparing to seize assets of the Japanese companies, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industry.Nam defended his government and mentioned Seoul’s proposal of creating a joint fund as a way to settle the dispute. Kono raised his voice, saying Tokyo had already rejected the idea. He also criticized the ambassador for being “rude” to suggest it again. Japan says all compensation issues had been settled under the 1965 bilateral agreement and that the South Korean government’s lack of intervention to stop the court process is a breach of the international treaty. Tokyo is considering taking the issue to the International Court of Justice, although some officials say South Korea is expected to refuse going to court. Tokyo may seek damages from South Korea in case assets of Japanese companies are seized, Japanese media have reported.At the same time, Seoul is protesting Japan’s tightened controls on sensitive high-tech exports to South Korea that could affect South Korean manufacturers as well as global supplies of smartphones and displays.The trade dispute adds to their already strained relations.South Korean police patrol against possible rallies against Japan in front of a building where the Japanese embassy is located in Seoul, South Korea, July 19, 2019, after a man set himself on fire in front of the embassy.Self-immolationIn Seoul, a 78-year-old South Korean man died hours after setting himself ablaze near the Japanese Embassy on Friday, police said.Police said the man had phoned an acquaintance earlier to say he planned to self-immolate to express his antipathy toward Japan. Kim’s family told investigators that his father-in-law had been conscripted as a forced laborer during the Japanese occupation. Seoul has accused Tokyo of weaponizing trade to retaliate against South Korean court rulings calling for Japanese companies to compensate aging South Korean plaintiffs for forced labor during World War II, and plans to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization.Tokyo said the issue has nothing to do with historical dispute between the countries and says privileged licensing for the materials affected by the export controls can be sent only to trustworthy trading partners. Without presenting specific examples, it has questioned Seoul’s credibility in controlling the exports of arms and items that can be used for civilian and military purposes.South Korea has proposed an inquiry by the U.N. Security Council or another international body on the export controls of both countries.
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The White Zulu has Fallen: South Africa Mourns Singer Johnny Clegg
South African musician Johnny Clegg, who was one of the loudest voices in pop during the anti-apartheid movement in the 1980s, has died at age 66 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The “White Zulu” — so named for his use of indigenous South African music and dance — is being widely mourned in South Africa. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from Johannesburg.
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Turkey Dismisses EU Sanctions, as Tensions Escalate over Cyprus
Turkey’s dismissal of recently imposed European Union sanctions as “valueless” puts the country on a collision course with the EU. Ankara believes it has the upper hand over Brussels in an escalating dispute over energy rights on Cyprus.Turkey and the EU remain at loggerheads over the exploration for hydrocarbons in waters near the divided island of Cyprus. The Greek Cypriot side of the island is the only internationally recognized government and is a member of the EU.Nicosia insists it has sole rights to control exploration of potentially vast reserves of energy, creating an economic exclusive zone. But Ankara argues the Turkish Cypriot administration, which only it recognizes, must have a say in the exploration of the island’s resources. Turkey has sent two research ships to search for energy in the contested Cypriot waters.On Monday, Brussels imposed sanctions on Ankara for “illegal drilling” in a member’s territorial waters. The measures included ending high-level meetings, a call for a review by the European Investment bank on lending to Turkey, and a suspension of talks on international air transport agreement.Ankara is dismissing the sanctions. “[The EU] had to take these valueless decisions just to satisfy Greek Cypriots,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters at a press conference.FILE – Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu attends a summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, June 1, 2019.Some analysts see the lack of severity of the EU measures as weakness by Brussels. “These European sanctions — it’s nonsense, it’s wrong and meaningless,” said international relations professor Huseyin Bagci, of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University. “Not all the European countries have the same views [over Cyprus]. I don’t expect the EU can do more on the embargo and sanctions.”Ankara believes it has leverage over the EU. “Whether the issue of migration or others, they [EU] have to come to us. There is no other way,” Cavusoglu said Monday.MigrantsIn 2016, Turkey signed an international agreement with the EU to control migrants and refugees seeking to enter Europe. The deal ended the mass exodus into Europe, from Turkey, which peaked at more than a million refugees and migrants passing through Turkey in 2015.”The European Union is in a dilemma. They don’t know how far they can go to make Turkey angry,” said Bagci. “The migrant issue is definitely a very important asset for Turkey. The government can open the border anytime and we can see many happy people joining the European Union.”SanctionsThe EU is also aware that any significant financial or economic sanctions on Turkey’s already weakened economy could prove double-edged.”European companies, Italian, Dutch, German and British invested heavily in Turkey; there are risks there,” said political science professor Cengiz Aktar of the University of Athens. “Actually, the EU would love to avoid any retaliation against Turkey. They have done the minimum.””There is too much at stake,” he added. “Also exactly like the United States, the EU does not want to push Turkey into the lap of Russia; that is the strategic concern of the EU together with their American ally.”RussiaAnkara’s deepening relationship with Moscow is causing growing alarm among Turkey’s Western allies. Turkey’s procuring of a Russian missile system saw Washington this week cancel the sale of its advanced F-35 jet.FILE – First parts of a Russian S-400 missile defense system are unloaded from a Russian plane near Ankara, Turkey, July 12, 2019.Russian presidential spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized the EU sanctions against Turkey, saying they were shaped by the mentality gained by “years of colonialism.” Language analysts say it usually plays well in Ankara, which often accuses Europeans of behaving like imperialists.Emboldened by its perceived strong hand, Ankara is ramping up the pressure on the EU over Cyprus. This week, Turkey is sending a third research ship to Cyprus’ contested waters.Analysts warn Ankara risks overplaying its hand. “Turkey in the past has been overconfident, overestimated her capabilities,” said Bagci. “This is the wrong policy, and as a result, the present alienation from its allies in Europe and America.”VulnerabilityAnalysts warn that while Ankara believes it has the upper hand over the EU on Cyprus, it remains in a vulnerable position.”Turkey has already experienced all these crises before [over Cyprus], but this time, the difference is Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel — is like a block behind the Greek Cypriots. This is a new situation,” Bagci said. “Turkey has to defend the rights of Turkish Cypriots on the island, and Turkey will not take a step back. But yes, Turkey is isolated.”The continuation of Ankara’s robust stance on Cyprus could also ultimately force the EU’s hand.”There is a kind of sanctions working group in the EU, working every day on how to react to Turkey’s threats and provocations. They have never done this before except with Russia,” Aktar said. “They are reflecting; what will we win and what they will lose. But one thing for sure, they will never let the republic of Cyprus alone; they don’t understand this in Ankara.”
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Living and Dying in Battle for Libya’s Capital
As Libya’s two rival governments fight for control of the capital, Tripoli, airstrikes and artillery fire continue to batter the city. Nearly 1,100 people have died and more than 100,000 have been displaced by the war. As VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Tripoli, officials say if the fighting does not slow down, the country is headed toward “disaster.”
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Puerto Rico Governor Resists Calls for Resignation
The governor of Puerto Rico is not backing down despite massive street protests in the capital, San Juan, demanding his resignation. Thousands of people have taken to the streets after Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism published nearly 900 pages of leaked text messages in which Gov. Ricardo Rossello used homophobic and misogynistic language. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports the governor said in a statement Thursday that his commitment to Puerto Rico is stronger than ever.
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Who is Eugene Scalia?
President Donald Trump plans to nominate lawyer Eugene Scalia to be his new labor secretary. If confirmed, Scalia will replace Alexander Acosta, who resigned last week amid criticism of his handling of a 2008 secret plea deal with financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was indicted this month on charges of sexually abusing underage girls.Born: October 25, 1963. He is one of late-Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s nine children.Education: University of Chicago Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Law Review.Professional experience: Served as a special assistant to then and now current Attorney General William Barr.Served as chief legal officer for Department of Labor during the George W. Bush administration.In 2006, he helped Walmart win a lawsuit against a Maryland law that would have required companies with more than 10,000 workers to spend at least 8% of their payroll costs on health care.
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US House Passes Bill to Sanction Cambodia’s Top Officials
U.S. lawmakers have sent a clear signal to Cambodian leaders that they have to reverse course on limiting democracy or face consequences.“The passage of the Cambodia Democracy Act is an important step toward holding Prime Minister Hun Sen and his cronies accountable for continuing to trample on the rights of the Cambodian people,” said Congressman Steve Chabot, a Republican from Ohio.Republican Congressman Ted Yoho of Florida introduced the bill in January after Cambodian authorities FILE – Phay Siphan, a Cambodian government spokesman, in VOA studio in Phnom Penh for Hello VOA.Cambodia expressed its regret for the passage of the legislation.“U.S. politicians’ intention on Cambodia always doomed to fail,” government spokesman Phay Siphan told VOA Khmer. “This legislation only aims to destroy democracy that Cambodia continues to strengthen that starts from election rights for the people. Secondly, this legislation aims to destroy efforts to build relationship and cooperation between the two peoples.”Cambodia’s senate called the bill “an interference into Cambodian affairs.”Democratic Congressman Alan Lowenthal of California said, “We’ve talked about how unhappy we are with him (Hun Sen) for getting rid of democracy, of keeping under house arrest Kem Sokha and exiling Sam Rainsy.”Lowenthal continued, “We have spoken out. … Now, it’s the time to act.”Yoho said, “This is a step showing that America believes that the people of Cambodia should have democracy. … It’s a step in the right direction to put pressure on the people that are denying them of that. From Hun Sen down to his army generals — the people that are blocking free speech in that country and fair and open elections.”FILE – Ted Yoho, a Republican congressman from Florida, smiles following a TV interview on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 23, 2017.Further legislative stepsThe bill is now in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Lawmakers hope the Senate passes it and sends it to President Donald Trump to sign later this year.“This bill sends a clear message that the United States stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Cambodia, and that the Congress will hold Cambodia’s leaders accountable for their assault on democracy and violations of human rights,” New York Democratic Congressman Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the House floor.After Cambodia’s highest court dissolved the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), the main opposition, Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party won the 2018 elections, creating what is in effect, a one-party system because the high court also banned 118 officials from politics for five years. CNRP leader FILE – Opposition leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha hold U.N. and Cambodian flags along with their party flag while leading a march towards the U.N. office in Phnom Penh, Oct. 23, 2013. (Khoun Theara/VOA Khmer)Sam Rainsy, who now lives in exile in France, told VOA Khmer that he expects the U.S. legislation will create a stir within Hun Sen’s supporters.“The pressure is not going to be from the U.S. alone,” Sam Rainsy said. “Once the legislation is enacted the pressure will also come from within the ruling Cambodian People’s Party as well, because some leadership are not happy with what Hun Sen has done to upset the U.S.”Urging democracy or economic sanctionsThe U.S. and the European Union have called on Cambodian leaders to restore democracy or face economic sanctions. The EU is now reviewing the use for Cambodia of its preferential “Everything but Arms” (EBA) trade regime, which allows the world’s poorest countries to sell any goods, except weapons, tariff-free into the bloc.The 28-member EU is Cambodia’s largest trading partner, and accounted for 45% of its exports worth about $5.5 billion in 2018.The House also passed the previous version of the bill, H.R. 5754, in July 2018, just days before Cambodia held the general elections, but the Senate did not have time to consider it.This time around, leaders of the Cambodian American community are vowing to increase their advocacy work on Capitol Hill.“We have already started working to lobby the Senate’s Foreign Relations to put the legislation on their agenda for the floor vote,” said Pon Saory, secretary general of the Cambodia National Rescue Party Overseas. “It won’t be long before this bill is passed.”
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Killer of Visiting Chinese Student Given Life Sentence Without Parole
A 29-year-old former University of Illinois student will spend the rest of his life in prison for kidnapping and murdering a visiting Chinese scholar in 2017.When the jury deadlocked on whether Brendt Christensen should get the death penalty, federal Judge James Shadid automatically sentenced him to a life term with no chance of parole.Christensen kidnapped and murdered Yingying Zhang by beating her with a bat and cutting off her head.Her body has never been found. Zhang’s parents came from China to Peoria, Illinois, for the trial. They pleaded with Christensen to reveal where he put her body.”If you have any humanity left in your soul, please help us end our torment,” a family statement read.FILE – Ronggao Zhang, left, and Lifeng Ye, display a photo them with their missing daughter, Yingying Zhang, in Urbana, Ill., Nov. 1, 2017.In especially emotional testimony, Zhang’s mother lamented that she will never get to see her daughter wear a wedding gown and that her dreams of becoming a grandmother were smashed. Shadid scolded Christensen for not addressing the Zhang family when he was given the chance. Zhang was from a working-class Chinese family and she was studying at the University of Illinois in Champaign, hoping to become an agriculture professor. Prosecutors say Christensen was out to kill someone and drove the streets near the campus looking for a victim. They say Zhang happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.Zhang was running late for an appointment to sign a lease on an apartment when Christensen, posing as an officer, lured her into his car. He drove her to his apartment where he stabbed her, raped her, beat her with a baseball bat, and cut off her head. Christensen’s former girlfriend wore a concealed recorder and taped him giving details on the murder, turning over the tape to police. Investigators also say they found blood in Christensen’s apartment that matched Zhang’s DNA.Christensen has also claimed to be a serial killer who murdered 12 other victims. The FBI is investigating his claims.Christensen’s lawyers never denied he killed Zhang, but spent their efforts trying to counter the prosecution’s account on how and why she was murdered.They spoke of his mental health issues, saying he suffered from depression and felt himself losing control of his life. They say Christensen had been a straight-A student who was failing all his classes in the months before the murder.
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US Brings Back Suspected American IS Fighter From Syria to Face Charges
An American suspected of fighting with the Islamic State terror group in Syria is back in the United States, where he is expected to be charged with and tried for terrorism-related crimes.
U.S. defense officials confirmed the transfer of the suspect Thursday, saying U.S. troops assisted in bringing the U.S. national back home for prosecution.
According to a Pentagon statement, the suspect “was previously held by Syrian Democratic Forces as a suspected member of ISIS.” It referred other questions to the Department of Justice. Justice Department officials said they were aware of the transfer, first reported by CNN, but declined to comment. FILE – In this picture taken July 21, 2017, Kurdish soldiers from the Anti-Terrorism Units, background, stand in front a blindfolded suspected Islamic State member from Turkey at a security center, in Kobani, Syria.Holding foreign fighters
Since the collapse of the Islamic State’s physical caliphate in Syria in March, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have been holding an estimated 2,000 foreign fighters from more than 50 countries in makeshift prisons. In addition, the SDF has processed tens of thousands of civilians linked to IS, including the wives and children of the foreign fighters.
There are no official estimates of how many of the IS prisoners were U.S. citizens or residents. But in comments to VOA this past June, Kurdish officials suggested more Americans were in custody.
“It’s up to the U.S. government whether it wants to take back more of its citizens held by our forces,” said Kamal Akif, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria.
Independent research by George Washington University’s Program on Extremism has identified 79 U.S. citizens or residents who traveled to Syria or Iraq to join extremist groups since 2011, 75% of whom aligned themselves with IS.
In June, the U.S. repatriated two American women accused of joining IS, along with their six children. It is unclear whether the women will face charges. Four to face charges
Four other U.S. citizens — three men and one woman — who left the country to join IS have also been brought back to face charges.
Most recently, the U.S. brought back Warren Christopher Clark in January.
Last July, the U.S. repatriated Ibraheem Musaibli and Samantha ElHassani from Syria. Musaibli, a resident of Dearborn, Michigan, was charged with joining IS in 2015. ElHassani was charged with providing material support to IS and with helping other individuals join the terror group. Her four children, who also came back with her from Syria, were placed in the custody of officials with the U.S. state of Indiana.
In June 2017, the U.S. brought back Mohamad Jamal Khweis of Alexandria, Virginia. Khweis, who was found wandering in Iraq by Kurdish peshmerga forces, was found guilty of providing material support to IS. Graphic of Americans who have repatriated from SyriaWestern nations’ fighters
To help ease the burden on the SDF, the U.S. has been pushing for Western nations especially to repatriate their foreign fighters and prosecute them.
But at times, Washington has balked at taking back some of those with ties to the U.S., such as American-born Hoda Muthana, 24, whose father was a Yemeni diplomat around the time of her birth.
U.S. officials have said they continue to work to verify the U.S. citizenship of those individuals in the conflict zone on a case-by-case basis.
U.S. counterterrorism officials estimate that more than 45,000 foreign fighters flocked to Syria and Iraq following the start of the Syrian civil war, including 8,000 from Western countries.
An independent estimate by researchers at the International Center for the Study of Radicalization, just published by the Combating Terrorism Center’s CTC Sentinel, estimates IS still counts almost 53,000 foreigners among its ranks in Syria and Iraq, including more than 6,900 foreign women and up to 6,600 foreign children.
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US Sanctions 4 Iraqis Accused of Rights Abuses, Corruption
The United States sanctioned two Iraqi militia leaders and two former Iraqi provincial governors it accused of human rights abuses and corruption, the U.S. Treasury Department said Thursday.The sanctions targeted militia leaders Rayan al-Kildani and Waad Qado and former governors Nawfal Hammadi al-Sultan and Ahmed al-Jubouri, the department said in a statement.”We will continue to hold accountable persons associated with serious human rights abuse, including persecution of religious minorities, and corrupt officials who exploit their positions of public trust to line their pockets and hoard power at the expense of their citizens,” Sigal Mandelker, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said.The department said many of the actions that prompted the sanctions occurred in “areas where persecuted religious communities are struggling to recover from the horrors inflicted on them” by Islamic State, the militant group that controlled parts of Iraq for several years.Militia leaders The Treasury Department said Kildani is the leader of the 50th Brigade militia and is shown cutting off the ear of a handcuffed detainee in a video circulating in Iraq last year.It said Qado is the leader of the 30th Brigade militia, which engaged in extortion, illegal arrests and kidnappings. Sultan and Jubouri were designated for being engaged in corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, and other misdeeds, the department said.Iraq in March issued a warrant for the arrest of Sultan, the former governor of Nineveh province, on corruption charges after at least 90 people were killed in a ferry accident in the provincial capital, Mosul.As a result of the designation, any property the four persons hold in the United States would be blocked and U.S. persons are barred from business dealings with them.
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Sudan Urged to Ensure Justice for Raped Women Protesters
Sudanese women were a driving force during months of protests that ousted veteran autocrat Omar al-Bashir, but the sexual violence they endured risks being forgotten with the signing of a power-sharing deal, women’s rights activists said Thursday.Action must be taken to address scores of rapes committed during a deadly crackdown by security forces in June and ongoing sexual harassment on Sudan’s streets today, they said.”There has been much recognition for the role that women have played in Sudan’s revolution, but now no one is addressing the sacrifices we have made,” said Hala Al-Karib of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa.”We have numerous cases of rape committed by security forces, but still the same perpetrators are out on the streets of Sudan today, harassing and intimidating women — and nothing is being done to stop them,” she said from Khartoum.FILE – Sudanese women march with a national flag during a rally in the capital Khartoum, June 30, 2019.Military council denies chargesThe Sudanese Embassy in Nairobi was not immediately available to comment. The military council has previously denied that rape took place.From students and academics to housewives and street traders, women came out in force to protest against al-Bashir’s 30-year rule, before he was replaced by the military in April.But the protests didn’t stop as demonstrators demanded the ruling military council swiftly hand power to civilians, leading to a crackdown on June 3 in which at least 128 people were killed, according to the opposition. The Health Ministry put the death toll at 61.Sides agree to investigation The military and an opposition alliance signed an accord on Wednesday aimed at leading the North African nation to democracy with elections in three years. The two sides also agreed to launch an independent investigation into the violence.Al-Karib, who was active in the protests since they began in December, said the sexual violence was “retribution” for women’s role in the uprising, adding that there was an attempt to “push women back in the home” now that a political deal was in place.The protests were sparked by hardships like soaring inflation and fuel shortages, and many women and girls saw the demonstrations as an opportunity to demand greater freedoms in the strict Islamic country, where women’s lives were tightly controlled by men.Videos posted on social media showed women from Port Sudan in the east to Khartoum, dressed in headscarves, marching and chanting, clapping and singing songs.But the military response was harsh.70 cases documentedThe Sudan Doctors’ Committee said it documented 70 cases of rape during the June 3 crackdown and that female students and street vendors reported ongoing harassment, including grabbing and the use of sexist and insulting language across Sudan.Women’s rights groups across Africa called on the military council to end violations of women and urged the international community to ensure those responsible for the sexual violence were held to account.”The council has overseen a raft of violations including merciless killings, brutal rape and sexual violence, meted out on peaceful demonstrators by state actors and state affiliates,” said the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights coalition.”We call on the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, members of the diplomatic community and friends of Sudan to call for an end to these violations and for a peaceful transition in Sudan.”
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Trump Says He’s Not Weighing Sanctions Against Turkey for Missile Purchase
VOA’s Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was not considering sanctions against Turkey for purchasing Russian air defense systems, one day after the U.S. retaliated by removing Turkey from its F-35 stealth fighter jet program.
“We’re not looking at that right now,” Trump said during an Oval Office celebration of the U.S. Special Olympics team.
A spokesman for Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan expressed “unease” about being removed from the program in a telephone conversation Thursday with White House national security adviser John Bolton, according to broadcaster CNN Turk.
The U.S. cut Turkey out of the program after Ankara accepted delivery of some Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems.
“Unfortunately, Turkey’s decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defense systems renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible,” White House officials wrote Wednesday. “The F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities.”
U.S. officials believe NATO ally Turkey’s decision to use Russian advanced radar technology could compromise the alliance’s military systems in the country. The S-400 could potentially be used to target NATO jets in Turkey, including the U.S.-made F-35, which is NATO’s newest stealth fighter jet.
Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, told reporters at the Pentagon Wednesday that the U.S. and its other F-35 partners “were aligned” in the decision to suspend and begin formally removing Turkey from the program.
“Much of the F-35’s strength lies in its stealth capabilities, so the ability [of the S-400] to detect those capabilities would jeopardize the long-term security of the F-35 program,” she said.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, dismissing the Pentagon’s concerns, said the decision to exclude it from the F-35 program was a mistake. The ministry’s statement also warned that the U.S. decision would irreparably harm Washington-Ankara relations.
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3 Charged in Killing of Maltese Journalist
VALLETTA, MALTA — Three suspects were formally charged this week in the 2017 slaying of Maltese anti-corruption journalist and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio and Vince Muscat, all in their 50s, were arrested in December 2017. The Justice Ministry’s confirmation of the charges, which allows a trial to be held, came Tuesday, days before a 20-month deadline.
The public prosecutor now has another 20 months to set a date for the trial, which legal experts said might not take place for years.
Late last week, the government of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, at the recommendation of the Council of Europe, said it would create a public commission of inquiry within two months that would investigate whether the Oct. 16, 2017, attack could have been prevented.
Caruana Galizia, described as a “one-woman WikiLeaks,” was responsible for a number of corruption exposes targeting both Muscat and opposition figures.
In the wake of the killing, Malta asked American and Dutch experts to help in the probe.
After her death, her sons demanded Muscat’s resignation, accusing him of surrounding himself with crooks, creating a culture of impunity and turning the tiny Mediterranean state into a “mafia island.”
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Pompeo: China’s Mistreatment of Muslim Minority Is ‘Stain of the Century’
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that China’s mistreatment of its Uighur Muslim minority had created one of the most significant human rights crises in contemporary world history.
Speaking at a conference on religious freedom in Washington, Pompeo said, “China is home to one of the worst human rights crises of our time” and that “it is truly the stain of the century.”
The nation’s top diplomat also accused Chinese government officials of intimidating countries to keep them from attending the conference and said the U.S. had “taken note” of the countries that succumbed to China. While not naming them, Pompeo urged the countries to “find the courage” to stand up to China.
Pompeo said earlier this week that representatives of more than 100 countries would attend the three-day conference that ends Thursday, but a State Department spokesman could not confirm the number.
“We know the Chinese government called countries specifically to discourage participation,” the spokesman said, but “we cannot prove the exact number they successfully impacted.”FILE – Uighurs and their supporters protest in front of the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations in New York, March 15, 2018.The Chinese government has dismissed accusations it violated rights to religious freedom. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a Beijing news briefing Thursday that “this situation of so-called religious persecution does not exist.”
Lu also said China “demand[s] that the United States correctly view China’s religious policies and the status of religious freedom in China, and stop using the issue of religion to interfere in other countries’ affairs.”
U.N. experts and activists contend China has placed at least 1 million ethnic Uighurs in detention centers. Nearly two dozen countries on the U.N. Human Rights Council earlier this month called on China to stop its persecution of Uighurs in the country’s western Xinjiang region.
The U.S. has been considering sanctions against Chinese officials over their policies in Xinjiang but has yet to impose them amid Chinese threats of retaliation.
U.S.-China relations are already tense because of a trade war between the world powers. Pence offers solidarity
Vice President Mike Pence also addressed the conference, telling attendees that U.S. trade talks with China would not influence America’s commitment to religious freedom in the East Asian country.
“Whatever comes of our negotiations with Beijing, you can be assured that the American people will stand in solidarity with people of all faiths in the People’s Republic of China,” he said. Pence, offering rare criticism of U.S. ally Saudi Arabia, also called on the kingdom to release jailed blogger Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for insulting Islam.
Pence also demanded the release of detained religious dissidents in Eritrea, Mauritania and Pakistan and vowed the U.S. would press for religious freedom in North Korea amid efforts to denuclearize the country.
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Activists Decry Botswana’s Appeal Against Legalizing Gay Sex
Botswana’s government is to appeal a High Court judgement which overturned colonial-era laws against gay sex – the first decriminalization of homosexual relations through the courts in Africa. Botswana’s conservative and religious communities have welcomed the possible repeal of the ruling while the gay community and rights groups have decried the appeal as a step backwards.The country’s gay community and rights activists celebrated on June 11, when the High Court became the first in Africa to overturn colonial-era laws against gay sex. But the victory could be short-lived as Botswana’s attorney general is to appeal the ruling.Botswanan musician Motswafere Sithole is one of the country’s few openly gay public figures.”My heart was saddened by that, I felt mortified. We were moving forward; we were making progress, but now it is like we are two steps back.”Botswana’s conservative and religious communities, however, have welcomed the government’s move against legalizing gay sex, which they deem immoral, according to Thuso Tiego, pastor at Tiego Ministries.“This is a challenge, it’s not normal. That is not how God wanted human beings to be like. I am happy that the state has stood up and said there was an error.”The appeal will look at upholding Botswana’s penal code Sections 164 and 165, which are similar to anti-gay laws in other former British colonies and jails those found guilty for up to seven years.While rarely enforced, rights groups say the laws promote shaming and discrimination against gay people.The Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA) says it would be a blow to gay rights if the High Court’s overturning the laws is repealed. For Cindy Kelemi, the group’s executive director, it’s a step in the wrong direction.“It’s really, really disappointing. It basically means the government affirms the institutionalized stigma that is based on policy and laws that basically discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.”Meanwhile, for gay communities in Botswana and across Africa, the High Court’s decision remains a beacon of hope for gay rights.Motswafere Sithole remains upbeat.“It means so much for the LGBT community, because now we can be free to love who we want to love, we can be free to express ourselves and be free at the workplace. We can be free as human beings.”While a date for hearing the case has yet to be set, international attention will be on Botswana’s Court of Appeal as it reviews the landmark judgement.
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Activists Decry Botswana’s Appeal Against Legalizing Gay Sex
Botswana’s government is to appeal a High Court judgement in June which overturned colonial-era laws against gay sex – the first decriminalization of homosexual relations through the courts in Africa. Botswana’s conservative and religious communities have welcomed the possible repeal of the ruling while the gay community and rights groups have decried the step backwards in gay rights. Mqondisi Dube reports from Gaborone.
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Russia Summons US Diplomat in Moscow in Protest Over Visa Row
Russia summoned a representative of the U.S. embassy in Moscow on Thursday to issue a protest after U.S. officials alleged Russia had refused visas to teachers at an international school in Moscow, the Russian foreign ministry said.The ministry said in a statement it had not denied the visas, but that teachers at the school were entering Russia under diplomatic visas, despite not being diplomats.It said Russia was ready to issue visas promptly to U.S. diplomatic personnel as soon as Washington started issuing visas promptly to Russian diplomats in the United States.The United States and Russia accused each other a day earlier of using children as political hostages after dozens of teachers at the English-language school in Moscow patronized by the children of Western diplomats were left without visas.
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Documents on Trump ex-Lawyer’s Porn Star Hush Payment Released
Nearly 900 pages of documents regarding hush-money payments by Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen to a porn actress and a Playboy model who said they had sexual encounters with the president were made public on Thursday, providing new insight into an investigation that landed Cohen in prison.
U.S. District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan on Wednesday had ordered that the material, used by prosecutors to obtain a 2018 search warrant for Cohen’s home and office, be unsealed on Thursday morning. The judge found there was no reason to keep the documents secret after prosecutors told him that their investigation into the payments had ended.
Cohen, 52, pleaded guilty in August 2018 to violating campaign finance law by directing payments of $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels and $150,000 to Playboy model Karen McDougal to avert a scandal shortly before the 2016 presidentialelection. Both women have said they had sexual encounters with Trump more than a decade ago and that the money was meant to buy their silence. Trump has denied the encounters.
The search warrant application described a phone call on Oct. 8, 2016, about a month before the election, involving Trump, Cohen and Hope Hicks, then the press secretary for Trump’s presidential campaign, which prosecutors believed was to discuss paying to squash public reports of an affair between Trump and Daniels.
A few minutes after that call, Cohen called David Pecker, the president of American Media Inc who was close to Trump, and then received a call from another employee at AMI, which published the National Enquirer tabloid newspaper. A short time later, Cohen called Hicks back for about two minutes. Calls between the Trump campaign, AMI and Cohen continued through the evening.
Prosecutors said these calls were to discuss getting a payment to Keith Davidson, then an attorney for Daniels. On Oct. 17, Cohen was involved in calls and texts as he feared the attempted settlement agreement might fall apart, according to the warrant application.
Cohen, who was once Trump’s self-described “fixer,” began serving a three-year prison sentence in May for his campaign finance violations and other crimes, including making false statements to a bank and tax evasion.
Pauley had ordered many of the search warrant material about Cohen’s personal business dealings unsealed earlier this year, but allowed the hush-money documents to remain secret because an investigation involving the payments was still in progress.
Cohen pleaded guilty last November to separate charges brought by the office of former Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, who was investigating contacts between Trump’s 2016presidential campaign and Russia. Cohen admitted he lied to Congress about the extent of contacts between Trump and Russians during the campaign.
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