
Europe's human rights watchdog concerned over use of force against Serbia anti-corruption protesters
Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, said in a statement that 'freedom of assembly and freedom of expression are key human rights enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and it is Serbia's duty to guarantee them.'
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UN council rejects Eritrea's bid to end human rights probe
By Emma Farge GENEVA -The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday rejected a bid by Eritrea to end the mandate of a U.N. expert investigating alleged abuses in the country, in a relief to Western diplomats who feared it would set a dangerous precedent for states seeking to escape scrutiny. The motion brought by Eritrea caught many off guard and marked a rare attempt by a country subject to an investigative mandate to terminate it. It was defeated decisively, however, with just four voting for it, 25 rejecting it and 18 abstaining. A counter-motion by the European Union to extend the mandate for a year then passed comfortably. In his last report, Sudanese rights lawyer Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker, who currently holds the U.N. expert position, described the situation in Eritrea as critical, highlighting cases of arbitrary detention and the extensive use of military service which is stoking migration. African rights group DefendDefenders welcomed the extension of his mandate, saying the U.N. expert "plays an indispensable role, not only for the victims and survivors of Eritrea's abuses, but also for the Eritrean diaspora." The delegate for the European Union said ending the mandate would have allowed "impunity and repression to deepen in silence." Eritrea's chargé d'affaires Habtom Zerai Ghirmai accused the EU of acting out of a "neo-colonial saviour mentality complex". "The continued extension of the Special Rapporteur's mandate is an affront to reason and justice," he said. Supporters of Eritrea's motion included Iran, Sudan and Russia - all of which are subject to their own investigations mandated by the 47-member council. China also spoke in favour of Eritrea, calling such an investigation mandate a waste of resources.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Russia brushes off talks after largest assault on Ukraine
Russia on Friday said that it sees no immediate diplomatic way out of the war in Ukraine, hours after pummelling the war-torn country with its largest ever drone and missile barrage of the invasion. The hours-long bombardments sent Ukrainians scurrying for shelters across the country and came after a call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which ended without a breakthrough. Trump also said he had made no progress in discussions with Putin on ending more than three years of bitter fighting since the Kremlin ordered its troops into neighbouring Ukraine. Earlier, AFP journalists in Kyiv heard drones buzzing over the capital and explosions ringing out throughout the night as Ukrainian air defence systems fended off the attack. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke to Trump and said they agreed to work on bolstering the country's defences against aerial bombardment. "We spoke about opportunities in air defence and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies," Zelensky said on social media after the call. Tymur, a Kyiv resident who said he had experienced previous Russian attacks, told AFP that the assault in the early hours of Friday felt different from others. "Nothing like this attack had ever happened before. There have never been so many explosions," he said. The Kremlin said Friday it was "preferable" to achieve the goals of its invasion through political and diplomatic means. "But as long as that is not possible, we are continuing the special operation," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing, referring to Russia's invasion. - 'War and terror' - Zelensky said air alerts began echoing out across the country as the Trump-Putin call was getting under way. "Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror," he said on social media. He urged the United States in particular to increase pressure on Moscow, which on Friday announced fresh territorial gains on the front line with the capture of a village in the Donetsk region. Poland said its embassy building in Kyiv had been damaged in the attack but that staff were unharmed. Germany's foreign ministry meanwhile said that the timing of the attack showed that Moscow was continuing to "rely on brute force". "Ukraine needs more to defend itself, not less," the ministry said on social media. Berlin was exploring the possibility of purchasing more Patriot air defence systems from the United States for Ukraine, a German government spokesman told reporters. In Kyiv, one person was pulled from the rubble after the strikes, which also wounded at least 26 people, emergency services said. The barrage, according to the air force, comprised 539 drones and 11 missiles. A representative of Ukraine's air force told Ukrainian media that the attack was the largest of the Russian invasion. - 'Complete disregard' - Overnight Russia attacks have escalated over recent weeks. An AFP tally found Moscow launched a record number of drones and missiles at Ukraine in June, when direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow appeared to stall. In Kyiv, AFP journalists saw dozens of residents of the capital taking shelter in a metro station. Yuliia Golovnina, who said she sheltered at the metro regularly, described the worry that came with hearing an explosion during an attack. "Will there be another one? Will something collapse on you?" the 47-year-old said. "In those seconds, you just hold your breath and wait to see what happens next," she added. In Kyiv, concerns mounted over whether the US would continue delivering military aid, which is key to Ukraine's ability to fend off the drone and missile barrages. The US announced this week it was reducing some of its aid deliveries. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this was a clear signal that the 27-nation European Union needed to "step up". Ukraine has also ramped up its retaliatory strikes in Russia, where a woman was killed by a Ukrainian drone attack overnight, the acting governor of the Rostov region said. Talks, spearheaded by the United States to secure a ceasefire, have stalled. Delegations from the two sides last met more than a month ago, when they agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each. Russia announced a fresh swap of prisoners of war with Ukraine on Friday as part of that agreement. bur-mmp/cad/phz/jhb

Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Italian lawmakers seek answers from government on spyware scandal
By Giuseppe Fonte and Alvise Armellini ROME (Reuters) -Italian lawmakers have formally asked the government whether it spied on journalists, possibly using technology supplied by U.S.-based spyware maker Paragon, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. The move marks the latest twist in a months-long saga that has left Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's conservative government facing opposition accusations that it illegally deployed surveillance against its critics - accusations it denies. The COPASIR parliamentary security committee has written to Cabinet Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, a key Meloni aide who oversees intelligence matters, to ask whether reporters were targeted, the source said, asking not to be named. Mantovano did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Meloni's government has repeatedly denied being involved in any illegal spying on journalists. Paragon did not immediately respond on Friday to an emailed request for comment outside office hours. In January, META said around 90 users of its popular WhatsApp chat service had been targeted by Paragon spyware. Some of them were later shown to have been Italian. Last month, Reuters reported that Italian prosecutors were looking into allegations of spying on Ciro Pellegrino and Francesco Cancellato from the Fanpage news website, Roberto D'Agostino, the head of political gossip website Dagospia, and Dutch right-wing influencer Eva Vlaardingerbroek. In a report published in June, COPASIR said Italy's domestic and foreign intelligence agencies had activated contracts with Paragon and used its technology on a limited number of people, with permission from a prosecutor. These included members of a migrant sea rescue NGO who are critical of Meloni's hardline border policies. The report found no evidence that Italian spy agencies used Paragon spyware on Cancellato's phone, as he had alleged to Reuters and other media outlets. The document made no mention of the other journalists. Following a media outcry and criticism from opposition politicians over the affair, both Paragon and Italian authorities said last month that spyware contracts between them had been terminated. In a statement provided in June to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Paragon said it had offered the Italian government a way to check whether its spyware had been used against Cancellato. The company said it ended the contract with Italy when this offer was turned down. COPASIR said Italian authorities ended the contract on their own initiative, and disputed Paragon's version of events.