Toll from Monday's anti-government protests in Kenya rises to 31: Rights commission
The KNCHR also reported two forced disappearances in the wake of the marches commemorating a 1990 uprising against autocratic rule.
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Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
UK students could face jail over support for banned Palestine Action
LONDON: University students in the UK face jail if they support the group Palestine Action, the former government advisor on political violence and disruption has warned. Lord Walney, who wrote a report in 2024 advising that the organization be proscribed, said vice-chancellors should let students know the penalties that could be incurred by promoting the group's policies, displaying its symbols or voicing support for it. Palestine Action was declared a terrorist organization earlier this month after activists filmed themselves breaking into a Royal Air Force base in England. On Monday, 29 people were arrested for supporting it at a protest in Westminster, with some holding placards stating: 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.' Penalties for membership of, or eliciting support for, proscribed groups in the UK include a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Protests in support of the Palestinian cause and against Israel's war in Gaza have been frequent features across numerous university campuses in the UK since the outbreak of hostilities in October 2023. In a letter to Vivienne Stern, CEO of Universities UK — a body representing 142 higher education establishments — Walney claimed there was a 'clear danger that individuals may be unwittingly lured into expressing support for an entity whose methods are not only criminal, but now formally recognised as terrorism,' and 'Universities UK has an important role to play in protecting both freedom of expression and student welfare within the bounds of the law.' He added: 'Palestine Action's deliberate strategy has long involved drawing students into criminal activity under the guise of legitimate protest, preying on the understandable sympathy for Palestinians felt by large numbers of young people to find recruits. 'With its formal proscription, the legal threshold has shifted: expressions of support, including wearing insignia, arranging meetings, or promoting the group's activities — whether knowingly or through naivety — now risk serious sanction with students at risk of acquiring a criminal record for a terror offence. 'This risk clearly exists whatever any individual may think of the government's decision to proscribe Palestine Action. 'My view is that the group's systematic campaign of sabotage justifies proscription, given the fact that property damage is included in the legal definition of terrorism.' UUK told The Times that it had 'written to our member vice-chancellors to alert them to the fact that Palestine Action has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000, effective from Saturday July 5, and to their obligation to ensure that staff and students are aware of this.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
an hour ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
UN Calls for 'Immediate Deescalation' in Libyan Capital
The UN mission in Libya called for "immediate deescalation", citing reports of armed forces being mobilized in the capital and its surroundings that have raised fears of renewed violence. In mid-May, there were clashes in Tripoli between forces loyal to the government and powerful armed groups wanting to dismantle it. In a statement published late on Wednesday on X, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said there were "increased reports of continued military build-up in and around Tripoli", AFP reported. It said it "strongly urges all parties to refrain from using force, particularly in densely populated areas, and to avoid any actions or political rhetoric that could trigger escalation or lead to renewed clashes". It called for all parties to "engage in good faith" in deescalation and for the "swift implementation of security arrangements" set out during efforts to end the May violence. Those clashes left six people dead, the United Nations said. "Forces recently deployed in Tripoli must withdraw without delay," UNSMIL said. Libya has been gripped by conflict since the 2011 overthrow and killing of longtime ruler Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed uprising. The country remains split between Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah's UN-recognized government based in Tripoli and a rival administration based in the east. In a TV interview on Monday, Dbeibah called for armed groups to vacate the areas under their control. Among the sites held by armed factions are the Mitiga airport in the east of the capital, which is controlled by the powerful Radaa Force. "Dialogue -- not violence -- remains the only viable path toward achieving lasting peace, stability in Tripoli and across Libya", the UNSMIL statement said.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
UN calls for ‘immediate deescalation' in Libyan capital
TRIPOLI: The UN mission in Libya called for 'immediate deescalation,' citing reports of armed forces being mobilized in the capital and its surroundings that have raised fears of renewed violence. In mid-May, there were clashes in Tripoli between forces loyal to the government and powerful armed groups wanting to dismantle it. In a statement published late on Wednesday on X, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said there were 'increased reports of continued military build-up in and around Tripoli.' It said it 'strongly urges all parties to refrain from using force, particularly in densely populated areas, and to avoid any actions or political rhetoric that could trigger escalation or lead to renewed clashes.' It called for all parties to 'engage in good faith' in deescalation and for the 'swift implementation of security arrangements' set out during efforts to end the May violence. Those clashes left six people dead, the United Nations said. 'Forces recently deployed in Tripoli must withdraw without delay,' UNSMIL said. Libya has been gripped by conflict since the 2011 overthrow and killing of longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising. The country remains split between Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah's UN-recognized government based in Tripoli and a rival administration based in the east. In a TV interview on Monday, Dbeibah called for armed groups to vacate the areas under their control. Among the sites held by armed factions are the Mitiga airport in the east of the capital, which is controlled by the powerful Radaa Force. 'Dialogue — not violence — remains the only viable path toward achieving lasting peace, stability in Tripoli and across Libya,' the UNSMIL statement said.
