Latest news with #HigherCourt
Straits Times
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Serbian protesters deliver early election ‘ultimatum'
University students attend a protest against government pressure on the universities in front of a government building in Belgrade on June 9. PHOTO: REUTERS BELGRADE - Serbian protesters are expected to gather in their tens of thousands in the capital Belgrade on June 28, issuing an 'ultimatum' for the government to call early elections after months of student-led strikes. Anti-graft protests have rocked the Balkan nation since November when a train station roof collapse in the northern city of Novi Sad killed 16 people – a tragedy widely blamed on entrenched corruption. For more than half a year, students have blockaded universities and organised large demonstrations around the country, demanding a transparent investigation into the deaths. With little action from the authorities, their focus shifted last month to calls for early parliamentary elections. Ahead of June 28's protest, students issued the 'ultimatum' to President Aleksandar Vucic, with a deadline of 9pm (3am on June 29 in Singapore), three hours after the protest is set to begin in one of Belgrade's main squares. Mr Vucic responded on June 27, again rejecting the student's demands for immediate elections, having previously stated that a national poll would not be held before the end of 2026. 'The ultimatum was not accepted, you don't have to wait until 9pm tomorrow,' he told state television station RTS. 'Foreign powers' The outcry over the Novi Sad tragedy has already toppled the country's prime minister, but the ruling party remains in power – with a reshuffled government and the president at its heart. Mr Vucic has repeatedly accused the protests, which have remained peaceful throughout, of being part of a foreign plot to destroy his government. 'The foreign powers sent an ultimatum through local henchmen,' Mr Vucic said after attending a mass in the central Serbian city of Krusevac on June 27. 'People should not be afraid, only those who plan violence should be afraid.' More than a dozen people have been arrested in recent weeks, a crackdown that has now become a routine government reaction ahead of large demonstrations. In the latest arrests on June 27, five people were charged and held for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government, according to a statement from Serbia's Higher Court in Belgrade. 'Radicalisation' Students have also called for the removal of pro-government encampments outside parliament, which have been blocking a park and a major intersection in the city centre for months. Protesters warned of 'radicalisation' of the movement if their demands were not met. The police urged protesters to remain peaceful. 'Any attempt to attack the police, to storm any state institution, media outlet, or private property will not be tolerated by the Serbian police,' police director Dragan Vasiljevic said in a statement. Initial plans by Mr Vucic's ruling party to host a counter-rally were scrapped, though party officials said they might visit their supporters' camps. June 28's rally is expected to be the largest since March when 300,000 people gathered in Belgrade, according to an independent counting organisation. Earlier in June, local polls in two municipalities marked the first electoral clash between an opposition coalition and the Serbian Progressive Party, led by Mr Vucic. The ruling party secured a narrow victory amid accusations of voter bribery and electoral interference – similar to those following its win in the December 2023 parliamentary elections. As before, Mr Vucic dismissed allegations of fraud. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Euronews
28-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
German court dismisses RWE climate case but opens door to others
A court in the German city of Hamm has dismissed a high-profile lawsuit brought by Peruvian farmer Saul Luciano Lliuya against energy giant RWE, ending a ten-year legal battle that sought to link one of Europe's biggest emitters to climate change unfolding in the Andes. Lliuya, a farmer and mountain guide from Huaraz, argued that RWE's historic carbon emissions had contributed to the melting of nearby glaciers, raising the risk of deadly flooding from the swollen Lake Palcacocha above his home. He sought partial damages in line with the company's share of global emissions, estimated at nearly 0.5 per cent since the industrial era by the Carbon Majors database. The court ultimately ruled that the risk to Lliuya's property was not sufficiently imminent to justify damages and dismissed his case without the possibility of appeal. But experts say the ruling from the Higher Court established that communities that can demonstrate a concrete threat of harm induced by climate change can seek compensation from fossil fuel majors under German civil law. Despite the outcome, Lliuya called the ruling a step forward for climate accountability. 'Today the mountains have won,' he said in a statement. 'This ruling shows that the big polluters driving the climate can finally be held legally responsible for the harm they have caused… This case was never just about me. It was about all the people who, like us in Huaraz, are already living with the consequences of a crisis we did not create. This ruling opens the door for others to demand justice.' The judges said they couldn't award damages in this specific case because the flood risk to Lliuya's home wasn't high enough. But they also made several important points that could help future lawsuits in countries with similar legal requirements, such as Japan and the US. They confirmed that big polluters like RWE can, in principle, be held responsible for their role in climate change, even if their emissions are a relatively small share of the global total. They also pushed back on a common defence used by fossil fuel companies that only governments can deal with climate change. 26/⚡️⚖️🎉What a stunning victory for climate justice: the Higher Court has established that communities that can demonstrated a concrete threat of harm induced by climate change can seek compensation from fossil fuels major under the regime of civil liability. The case was among the first to try to hold a single fossil fuel company financially responsible for specific climate damages. Although it was ultimately dismissed, the implications of this ruling are already rippling outward. Germanwatch, the NGO that backed Lliuya's case from the start, called the decision 'ground-breaking' and noted that more than 40 similar lawsuits are ongoing worldwide. 'The court's decision … is actually a historic landmark ruling that can be invoked by those affected in many places around the world,' the NGO said in a statement.
