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Zawya
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
A Year On, Guinean Activists Still Missing
Guinea 's military authorities should credibly investigate the disappearances of two political activists, make their whereabouts known, and either charge them with a recognizable crime or release them immediately, Human Rights Watch said today. One year ago, security forces arbitrarily detained three members of the opposition coalition National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (Front National pour la Défense de la Constitution, FNDC), Oumar Sylla (known as Foniké Menguè), Mamadou Billo Bah, and Mohamed Cissé, in Conakry, Guinea's capital, and transferred them to an unidentified location. Human Rights Watch received credible information, confirmed by national and international media, that security forces had tortured the three men. Cissé was released on July 10, 2024, while Sylla and Bah remain missing. 'It's been one year since Sylla and Bah went missing, and the Guinean authorities have yet to carry out a credible investigation,' said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. 'Guinean authorities should thoroughly and independently investigate the disappearances and prosecute those responsible.' The authorities have opened an investigation into the disappearance of the three men. But they have denied any responsibility and failed to acknowledge the men's detention or disclose their whereabouts, despite requests for information by lawyers representing the men, and by international and national human rights organizations. On July 9, 2024, dozens of soldiers, gendarmes, and armed men in civilian clothes, stormed Sylla's home and arbitrarily detained him and the others. The security forces repeatedly beat the three political activists, then took them to the gendarmerie headquarters in Conakry, and then to an army camp on Kassa island, off Conakry's coast. The FNDC has been calling for the restoration of democratic rule in Guinea following a military coup in September 2021. In August 2022, Guinea's junta, headed by Gen. Mamady Doumbouya, dissolved the FNDC on politically motivated grounds, but it has continued its activities. On the morning of his disappearance, Sylla, who is the FNDC coordinator, had urged his supporters to go out and protest on July 11, 2024, against media shutdowns by the authorities and the high cost of living. Sylla was one of a number of people arrested in 2022 on charges of 'illegal protest and destruction of public and private buildings' following violent demonstrations in Conakry in which at least five people were killed. Bah, the FNDC outreach coordinator, was previously arrested in January 2023 on charges of 'complicity in the destruction of public and private property, assault, and battery' for taking part in protests. Both were released in May 2023 and cleared of all charges. Since taking power, the junta has suspended independent media outlets, arbitrarily arrested and forcibly disappeared journalists and political opponents. Security forces have used excessive force, including tear gas and gunfire, to disperse peaceful protesters, leading to dozens of deaths since January 2024. On June 21, gunmen abducted and tortured Mohamed Traoré, a prominent lawyer and former bar association president, in apparent reprisal against his decision to resign from the National Transitional Council, the junta's leading transitional body. The military authorities promised to hold elections before the end of 2024, but failed to meet the deadline, sparking opposition-led protests in Conakry in January. Following the protests, officials announced a new election timeline. Gen. Doumbouya has set September 21 as the date for a constitutional referendum and Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah announced in May that presidential elections would take place in December. 'Four years into military rule, the suppression of rights and freedoms has only intensified,' said a prominent FNDC member who is in hiding. 'The government has stifled free expression and assembly; it has incapacitated the political opposition through arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearance, harassment, and intimidation. Enough is enough.' Enforced disappearances under international law occur when people acting on behalf of the government arrest, detain, or abduct people and then refuse to acknowledge the act or conceal their whereabouts or what happened to them. International law prohibits enforced disappearances, which violate fundamental rights to liberty and security and the right to be free from torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. The International Convention for the Protection on All Persons from Enforced Disappearances provides that 'no one shall be subjected to enforced disappearance' and imposes an absolute ban on secret detention. It also requires countries to end abusive practices that facilitate enforced disappearances including arbitrary incommunicado detention, torture, and extrajudicial executions. Guinea is not a party to the treaty but is still bound by international human rights law prohibiting unlawful arrests, abduction, arbitrary detention, ill-treatment of detainees, and other due process violations. It guarantees victims of abuse the right to an effective remedy. 'When authorities deny knowledge of the detentions, they deprive detainees of any protections and make them vulnerable to even worse crimes, like torture,' Allegrozzi said. 'The authorities should take immediate, concrete steps by credibly investigating the disappearances and ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.' Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Zawya
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Guinea: One year after the enforced disappearance of Front National de Défense de la Constitution (FNDC) activists, abductions increase in a ‘climate of terror'
Guinean authorities must urgently reveal the fate and whereabouts of National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (Front national de défense de la Constitution – FNDC) activists Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah, who were forcibly disappeared a year ago, and ensure that those suspected to be responsible for the abductions and enforced disappearances in Guinea are brought to justice in fair trial and victims and family members of victims are provided with access to justice and effective remedies, said 25 Guinean and international human rights organizations. 'We call on the Guinean authorities to break their unbearable silence regarding the fate of the two FNDC activists. There is no indication that they have carried out investigations to find the two activists who have been missing for a year,' the human rights organizations said today. Mamadou Billo Bah and Oumar Sylla, known as Foniké Menguè, were arrested on 9 July 2024 at the latter's home in Conakry by armed men, before allegedly being taken by special forces to the Loos archipelago. They were interrogated and tortured, according to a third member of FNDC who was abducted with the two others and released the day after. The authorities have denied holding them and their fate remains unknown to this day. The FNDC, a civil society movement calling for a return to civilian rule, was disbanded in 2022. Oumar Sylla, its national coordinator had called for demonstrations on 11 July 2024 against, among other things, repression of the media and the high cost of living. Since the Prosecutor General's announcement on 17 July 2024 of the opening of 'thorough and complete' investigations into several abductions, including those of Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah, no information has been made public about their progress. Multiplication of cases of abductions and disappearances Journalist Habib Marouane Camara, managing director of Le Révélateur news website, was abducted in Lambanyi, a commune of Conakry, on 3 December 2024 by men in uniform, according to witnesses. On 6 December 2024, the Dixinn public prosecutor's office declared that the 'arrest was carried out without orders from the constituted authorities and outside the cases provided for by law', announcing that an investigation was underway. To date, there has been no news of the journalist's whereabouts. 'Since these announcements, no information has been made public by the authorities. We call on them to shed full light on the cases of abductions and disappearances in the country by conducting prompt, independent, and transparent investigations into these cases. We also call on the authorities to ratify without reservation the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance,' said the human rights organizations. In addition to these cases, there have been abductions followed by acts of torture on individuals known for their critical views. On 19 February 2025, the national coordinator of the Forum of Social Forces of Guinea (Forum des forces sociales de Guinée), Abdoul Sacko, was abducted and found the same day, according to his lawyers 'in a critical state, tortured and abandoned by his abductors in the bush'. Lawyer Mohamed Traoré suffered the same fate in June 2025. The former President of the Guinean Bar Association has testified that he was 'subjected to abuse' after being abducted from his home on the night of 20 to 21 June by armed men. The Bar Association reported that he had been found 'with his back covered in wounds'. On 23 June, the public prosecutor again announced the opening of an 'in-depth investigation into the facts'. 'A climate of terror' Following the abduction of Abdoul Sacko, the Bar Association denounced 'the climate of terror that is gradually taking hold and […] the total lack of reaction from the judicial authorities'. Our organizations spoke to lawyers and political actors who say they have been threatened. A leader of an opposition party has been in hiding for several months, after receiving threats by phone and after people in plain clothes went to his home in his absence, making threats. Another politician said that he frequently changed his residence and route after receiving threats. A lawyer said: 'Since I started defending certain people critical of the government, I have received at least four calls confirming that I am on the list of people whose abduction is planned'. A human rights defender said he had been alerted after his statements denouncing the abduction of Mohamed Traoré: 'I have received two calls from people I know in the judicial system urging me to leave my home because I would be next on the list according to their information. I take this very seriously, I make sure I'm never alone'. 'We call on the Guinean authorities to respect their international human rights obligations to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the human rights of everyone in the country, as they have undertaken to do before the United Nations Human Rights Council in April 2025 during the Universal Periodic Review, in particular the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and the rights of human rights defenders,' said the Guinean and international human rights organizations. Signatories Action pour des Personnes Vulnérables (APV) Alliance des Femmes Leaders pour la Parité en Guinée (AFLPAG) Alliances des Médias pour les Droits Humains en Guinée (AMDH) Amnesty International Assistance Justice Aux Droits des Enfants et Femmes (AJDEF) Association des Blogueurs de Guinée (ABLOGUI) Association des Victimes, Parents et Amis des évènements du 28 septembre 2009 (AVIPA) Avocats Sans Frontières Guinée (ASF Guinée) Centre Africain de Formation et d'Information sur les Droits de l'Homme et de l'Environnement (CAFIDHE) Conseil Consultatif des Enfants et Jeunes de Guinée (CCEJG) Coalition des ONG de protection et de promotion des Droits de l'Enfant, Lutte contre la Traite (COLTE/CDE) Convention Guinéenne des Droits de l'Homme (COGUIDH) Convergence des Jeunes Leaders pour la Paix et la Démocratie (COJELPAID) Coordination des Jeunes Cadres Volontaires pour le Futur (CJCVF) Fédération Guinéenne pour la Promotion des Associations des Personnes Handicapées (FEGUIPAH) Fédération internationale pour les droits humains (FIDH), dans le cadre de l'Observatoire pour la protection des dé des droits humains Forum Civil Guinéen Jeune Action pour la Santé et le Développement (JASD) Leadership Jeunes pour la Paix et le Développement en Afrique (LEJEPAD) Organisation Guinéenne de Défense des Droits de l'Homme et du citoyen (OGDH) Organisation mondiale contre la torture (OMCT), dans le cadre de l'Observatoire pour la protection des dé des droits humains Organisation Secours aux Handicapés de Guinée (OSH Guinée) Union pour le Bien-Être des Personnes Atteintes d'Albinisme (UBPAAG) Women of Africa (WAFRICA Guinée) Women Hope Guinée (WHP) Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.
Scoop
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Far North Mayor Calls On New Zealanders To Vote For Māori Wards In October
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania is calling on all New Zealanders to vote to keep Māori wards at the October local elections polling. On October 11 polling will close at 42 councils on whether to continue with Māori wards. Earlier polls have typically resulted in councils' (SUBS: correct plural apostrophe) Māori ward plans being canned. But the Far North mayor has predicted that will change, because in places like his district people have had a chance to see their Māori wards in action. Tepania predicts Far Northerners will poll in favour of keeping Far North District Council (FNDC)'s Ngā Tai o Tokerau Maori ward and Northland Regional Council (NRC)'s Te Raki Māori constituency. 'I am optimistic that because of (Te Tai Tokerau's) Waitangi, the home of the nation where He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni /Declaration of Independence of New Zealand and Te Tiriti o Waitangi were signed, there'll be a positive vote by electors to keep our Māori ward. 'If anywhere in New Zealand can do it, we can,' Tepania said. Almost 52% of people in the Far North identify as Māori, one of New Zealand's highest percentages. Tepania, who is Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ)'s Northland board member, said he did not agree with the requirement for his council to have to poll electors about its Māori ward. The council in September said it was not a foregone conclusion (SUBS: hyperlink not a forgone conclusion ) polling would happen after it chose to recommit to its Māori ward. FNDC first polled its electors on setting up a Māori ward during a 2015 representation review. Two-thirds of electors voted against this, one-third for. The binding poll precluded the establishment of a Māori ward in the following two elections - 2016 and 2019. Tepania said that rejection was because Far Northerners had not had a chance to see a Māori ward in action. That had changed with Ngā Tai o Tokerau starting life three years ago. The council's first term Māori ward had surpassed expectations. He claimed there were many achievements that had been made - for all constituents - with the presence of the ward and its four councillors. Māori ward councillors' connections into the community had helped make significant infrastructure improvements for all in the Far North, he said. Examples of this included working towards resolving longstanding Kaitāia Airport land ownership issues. Māori ward Cr Hilda Halkyard-Harawira had received an award from LGNZ's Te Maruata Māori council politicians' group for her mahi including the airport where she championed the return of the land the airport sits on to Ngāi Takoto and Te Pātu, and Government funding She'd also had a key role in working towards a more environmentally and culturally sustainable solution to address growing local community concerns over wastewater discharging into Hokianga Harbour, Tepania said. Māori ward Cr Tāmati Rākena had played a key role in the North Hokianga roading working group, successfully dealing with the Panguru and Motuti slips. The group was formally set up in 2024 between the council and mana whenua to address local roading issues. Northland Māori ward politicians currently make up 20% of the region's elected representatives. Tepania said Māori wards went towards council meeting its requirements to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi under the Local Government Act. Polling outcomes will take effect from the 2028 local elections, with the decision being binding for the 2028 and 2031 elections. Northlanders across Far North District Council (FNDC), Whangārei District Council (WDC) and Northland Regional Council (NRC) are among electors at 42 councils who will get to have their say in the binding poll with the following words: 'I vote to keep the Māori ward / constituency' 'I vote to remove the Māori ward / constituency' FNDC's Cr Kapa said Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori ward had given Māori a voice they'd not had previously. He said it offered a path inside the council chamber for those who had sat outside. And it brought new opportunity for Māori outside traditional leadership roles to take part. He said it was important all local election voters in the Far North voted and also had their polling say in October. Kapa said the council was now working more closely with Northland iwi as a result of the new electoral areas. Its Te Pae o Uta policy underpinning how the council included Te Ao Māori in its operations had boosted responsiveness to the local community. Te Kahu o Taonui (Northland Iwi Chairs Forum) member Pita Tipene co-chaired the council's Te Kauaka Māori committee.
RNZ News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Far North Mayor calls on New Zealanders to vote for Māori wards in October
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania (fourth from left) and Deputy Mayor Kelly Stratford to his right, at the council's 2022 pōwhiri at Waitangi for the incoming 2022-2025 council, including its first-time Māori ward politicians (from left)Babe Kapa, Hilda Halkyard-Harawira, Tāmati Rākena and Penetaui Kleskovic. Photo: LDR / NZME Far North Mayor Moko Tepania is calling on all New Zealanders to vote to keep Māori wards at the October local elections polling. On 11 October polling will close at 42 councils on whether to continue with Māori wards. Earlier polls have typically resulted in councils' Māori ward plans being canned. But the Far North mayor has predicted that will change, because in places like his district people have had a chance to see their Māori wards in action. Tepania predicts Far Northerners will poll in favour of keeping Far North District Council (FNDC)'s Ngā Tai o Tokerau Maori ward and Northland Regional Council (NRC)'s Te Raki Māori constituency. "I am optimistic that because of (Te Tai Tokerau's) Waitangi, the home of the nation where He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni /Declaration of Independence of New Zealand and Te Tiriti o Waitangi were signed, there'll be a positive vote by electors to keep our Māori ward. "If anywhere in New Zealand can do it, we can," Tepania said. Almost 52 percent of people in the Far North identify as Māori, one of New Zealand's highest percentages. Tepania, who is Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ)'s Northland board member, said he did not agree with the requirement for his council to have to poll electors about its Māori ward. The council in September said it was not a foregone conclusion polling would happen after it chose to recommit to its Māori ward. FNDC first polled its electors on setting up a Māori ward during a 2015 representation review. Two-thirds of electors voted against this, one-third for. The binding poll precluded the establishment of a Māori ward in the following two elections - 2016 and 2019. Tepania said that rejection was because Far Northerners had not had a chance to see a Māori ward in action. That had changed with Ngā Tai o Tokerau starting life three years ago. The council's first term Māori ward had surpassed expectations. He claimed there were many achievements that had been made - for all constituents - with the presence of the ward and its four councillors. Māori ward councillors' connections into the community had helped make significant infrastructure improvements for all in the Far North, he said. Examples of this included working towards resolving longstanding Kaitāia Airport land ownership issues. Māori ward Cr Hilda Halkyard-Harawira had received an award from LGNZ's Te Maruata Māori council politicians' group for her mahi including the airport where she championed the return of the land the airport sits on to Ngāi Takoto and Te Pātu, and government funding. She'd also had a key role in working towards a more environmentally and culturally sustainable solution to address growing local community concerns over wastewater discharging into Hokianga Harbour, Tepania said. Māori ward Cr Tāmati Rākena had played a key role in the North Hokianga roading working group, successfully dealing with the Panguru and Motuti slips. The group was formally set up in 2024 between the council and mana whenua to address local roading issues. Northland Māori ward politicians currently make up 20 percent of the region's elected representatives. Tepania said Māori wards went towards council meeting its requirements to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi under the Local Government Act. Polling outcomes will take effect from the 2028 local elections, with the decision being binding for the 2028 and 2031 elections. Northlanders across Far North District Council (FNDC), Whangārei District Council (WDC) and Northland Regional Council (NRC) are among electors at 42 councils who will get to have their say in the binding poll with the following words: "I vote to keep the Māori ward / constituency" "I vote to remove the Māori ward / constituency" FNDC's Cr Kapa said Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori ward had given Māori a voice they'd not had previously. He said it offered a path inside the council chamber for those who had sat outside. And it brought new opportunity for Māori outside traditional leadership roles to take part. He said it was important all local election voters in the Far North voted and also had their polling say in October. Kapa said the council was now working more closely with Northland iwi as a result of the new electoral areas. Its Te Pae o Uta policy underpinning how the council included Te Ao Māori in its operations had boosted responsiveness to the local community. Te Kahu o Taonui (Northland Iwi Chairs Forum) member Pita Tipene co-chaired the council's Te Kauaka Māori committee. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index ETF (FNDC) a Strong ETF Right Now?
A smart beta exchange traded fund, the Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index ETF (FNDC) debuted on 08/13/2013, and offers broad exposure to the Foreign Small/Mid Value ETF category of the market. Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry. A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns. If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies. This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics. While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results. Because the fund has amassed over $2.91 billion, this makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Foreign Small/Mid Value ETF. FNDC is managed by Charles Schwab. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Russell RAFI Developed ex-U.S. Small Co. Index (Net). The RAFI Fundamental High Liquidity Developed ex US Small Index measures the performance of small non-U.S. developed market companies based on their fundamental size and weight. Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. With one of the cheaper products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.39%. FNDC's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 3.01%. Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis. When you look at individual holdings, Evolution Mining Ltd (EVN) accounts for about 0.21% of the fund's total assets, followed by Israel Corporation Ltd (ILCO) and Ssc Government Mm Gvmxx (GVMXX). The top 10 holdings account for about 1.34% of total assets under management. So far this year, FNDC has added about 19.16%, and it's up approximately 16.44% in the last one year (as of 06/03/2025). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $32.97 and $40.68. FNDC has a beta of 0.80 and standard deviation of 16.36% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a low risk choice in the space. With about 1748 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk. Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Foreign Small/Mid Value ETF segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider. Dimensional International Small Cap Value ETF (DISV) tracks ---------------------------------------- and the Avantis International Small Cap Value ETF (AVDV) tracks ----------------------------------------. Dimensional International Small Cap Value ETF has $3.06 billion in assets, Avantis International Small Cap Value ETF has $9.19 billion. DISV has an expense ratio of 0.42% and AVDV charges 0.36%. Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Foreign Small/Mid Value ETF. To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index ETF (FNDC): ETF Research Reports Avantis International Small Cap Value ETF (AVDV): ETF Research Reports This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
