Dutch far-right leader Wilders quits coalition, toppling government
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The Star
21 minutes ago
- The Star
Exclusive-Jailed Russian dissidents call for mass prisoner release as part of a peace deal with Ukraine
LONDON (Reuters) -Eleven jailed Russian dissidents have written to world leaders appealing for a mass release of Russian political prisoners and Ukrainian civilians held by Russia - some 10,000 people in total, they say - as part of any peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv. In the letter, published via Reuters, the dissidents said that alongside prisoners of war, thousands of Ukrainian civilian "hostages" were being held by Russia, mostly in Russian-held areas of Ukraine. Talks in May and June on ending Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine made no progress towards a ceasefire, despite a pledge by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the war, but the two sides have exchanged captured soldiers and war dead. "We call on both sides of the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to immediately conduct an exchange of prisoners of war and civilians according to the formula 'all for all', including Ukrainian civilian hostages," the letter said. Among the signatories was Alexei Gorinov, 63, who in 2022 became the first person to go to prison under laws passed shortly after the Ukraine invasion that made it a crime to spread "false information" about the armed forces. The youngest to sign was Darya Kozyreva, 19, who was sentenced in April to two years and eight months in prison for using graffiti and 19th-century poetry to protest against the war in Ukraine. They placed themselves alongside thousands of Ukrainians who, according to human rights groups, have been detained by Russia, mostly in Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine. "There are at least 10,000 of us - Russian political prisoners and Ukrainian civilian hostages. We are all punished for one thing - for taking a civic stance," they wrote. Moscow has not commented on the alleged figure. The dissidents called for "the immediate and unconditional release of sick political prisoners who are dying in Russian prisons" in their statement, which was backed by a message from Russian Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov. Muratov's message and the letter urged leaders in Russia, Ukraine, the European Union, the United States and elsewhere to act. RUSSIA'S PEACE TERMS At the peace talks in Istanbul last month, Russia handed Ukraine a memorandum proposing "a mutual amnesty of 'political prisoners' and release of detained civilians" as a possible condition for a ceasefire in the three-and-a-half-year conflict. Asked about the status of the proposal and how many people it would cover, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday: "We don't publicly discuss the... content of the memorandum, which we haven't even discussed with the Ukrainian side yet. We believe that discussion through the media can only harm the process." The proposal was part of a wider package of Russian demands that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described as an ultimatum. They include a halt to all Ukrainian troop movements except for withdrawals, and end to call-ups, foreign weapons supplies and martial law as well as the holding of new presidential and parliamentary elections. No date has yet been set for further talks. Describing their experience, the dissidents wrote: "The concepts of justice and fairness are absent in Russia today; anyone who dares to think critically can end up behind bars." Defendants in political cases had no chance of a fair hearing and were never acquitted, they said. Once in prison, their lives were in danger and they were at risk of denunciations from other inmates - something that led, in Gorinov's case, to an additional three-year sentence. The other signatories were sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky, self-described anarchist Azat Miftakhov, poet Artem Kamardin and activists Anna Arkhipova, Vladimir Domnin, Dmitry Pchelintsev, Andrei Trofimov, Ilya Shakursky and Alexander Shestun. The Kremlin says cases are a matter for the courts and the prison service and Russia needs to apply its laws firmly to deter what it sees as subversive, Western-backed activity. Elena Filina, an exiled opposition politician who helped gather the signatures from inmates scattered across Russia's vast penal system, told Reuters the prisoners felt the peace talks may provide their last chance to be free. "If peace agreements are signed without taking into account their amnesty, exchange or any other way of release, the window of opportunity will slam shut for a long time." (Additional reporting by Dmitry Antonov in Moscow; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
New Straits Times
23 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Richard Gere vows to keep fighting for Tibetan cause
DHARAMSHALA, India: As the chair of the International Campaign for Tibet, Richard Gere is the best-known supporter of the Dalai Lama and his people. On Thursday, he vowed to keep fighting for the Tibetan cause even after the eventual death of the elderly Nobel laureate and as China seeks to impose its will on the community. "This is many lifetimes of commitment," said Gere, who has been stationed in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala for week-long celebrations of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday on Sunday. "His Holiness has been very clear that at some point the body is going to fall apart for all of us," the 75-year-old movie star, who has been a devoted follower of the Dalai Lama for decades, told Reuters on the sidelines of an event for Tibetan youth. "We all have to be aware that His Holiness can't carry us on his shoulders forever. We have to carry ourselves and we have to carry each other." On Wednesday, the Dalai Lama assured millions of his followers that upon his death he would be reincarnated as the next spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and spelt out a succession process that sets up a renewed clash with China. Beijing insists that it will choose his successor. China brands the Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for keeping alive the Tibetan cause, as a "separatist" and prohibits displays of his picture or any public show of devotion towards him. The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in Dharamshala since 1959, after fleeing a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He has since called for a "middle-way approach" that does not seek Tibet's independence from China but demands autonomy for Tibetans to protect and preserve their culture, religion and national identity. "There's always a way to work through things, and everyone wins," said Gere. "The universe is not zero-sum. It's very expansive, and there's space for all of us." Addressing 95 Tibetan youngsters from 15 countries, Gere said that on his deathbed, he would not be thinking about his movies but what he has been able to do in advocating the Tibetan cause in global capitals. "And the conduit of me doing something meaningful in the world has really been through His Holiness, through the Tibetan cause, through the visionary possibilities of Tibetan culture," he said. Tenzin Kunsel, a 26-year-old nurse in Sydney who moved from Dharamshala 12 years ago, said she hoped to use the teachings from the three-day event, including from Gere, to learn how to advocate and lobby for the Tibetan cause. "It's up to us now," she said, wearing a traditional Tibetan ankle-length robe secured around the waist by a sash. "It's time for all Tibetan communities to come together and take it forward."
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Anwar to spend two days in Paris on inaugural visit as PM
PARIS: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will spend two days here in his inaugural visit to this European city as prime minister. The visit, at the invitation of French president Emmanuel Macron, includes a tete-a-tete between the two leaders, followed by a delegation meeting at the Elysee Palace. Discussions will cover the overall state of Malaysia-France relations, with particular emphasis on enhancing cooperation in trade and investment, defence, education and tourism, among other things. Both leaders are also expected to exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual concern including Asean-France Development Partnership, Asean-EU Dialogue Relations and the situation in West Asia. France is one of Malaysia's top five trading partners in the European Union and a key source of FDI in the high-tech and strategic sectors. In 2024, total trade between Malaysia and France amounted to RM15.95bil. After France, Anwar will visit Brazil.
