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DW
a day ago
- Politics
- DW
Iran regime intensifies crackdown amid Israel ceasefire – DW – 06/27/2025
Iran's regime has executed several people, and arrested hundreds, while seeking to keep domestic opposition in check as its power projection abroad has been weakened following war with Israel. In Tehran's notorious Evin prison, the Iranian regime locks up its opponents, human rights activists, and political dissidents. Iranian rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has spent years behind bars, including multiple stints in Evin prison, for her work calling attention to rights abuses in the Islamic Republic. On Thursday, Mohammadi posted on X that she had received a report from a prison inmate about the high-security ward of the prison being mysteriously emptied out directly following Israeli bombardment. Evin prison's "Ward 209" is where inmates are held in solitary confinement and interrogations are known to take place under gruesome conditions. Mohammadi posted that a witness saw men and women being escorted from the ward in grey uniforms, loaded into vehicles, and taken to an unknown location with no information as to their whereabouts or condition. Prisoners from other sections were also said to have been moved in a similar manner. There is concern that inmates held in secret locations could be mistreated or even killed without anyone knowing. Three Iranians have already been executed this week. At least two of them had earned their living as smugglers in the Iran-Iraq border region. A court justified the execution by saying that the three men had spied for Israel. Dieter Karg, an Iran expert at Amnesty International, said the arrests and execution on "spying" accusations, is a sign that the Iranian government is trying to stifle the opposition in the turbulent period following confrontation with Israel. "The regime is signaling that it is now taking action with full force," Karg told DW, adding that the regime is moving beyond trying to punish ostensible connections with Israel. "Rather, it is now also a matter of accusing people who were originally imprisoned for non-political offenses of having political motives," Karg said. "In fact, the men who were executed were trying to do nothing more than earn a living by smuggling, and this circumstance is now being exploited for political purposes," he added. According to the human rights organization Iran Human Rights (IHR), nine people have already been executed since Israel launched attacks on June 13. According to IHR, a total of 594 people have already been executed in Iran this year. In this respect, the recent executions do not come as a surprise, political scientist Diba Mirzaei, who researches Iran at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, told DW. For years, the regime has responded to perceived threats with increasingly brutal and inhumane measures. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "The regime's message behind such actions is unmistakable. In essence, it says you are either with us or against us. And if you are against us, we will deal with you as we see fit. And no one can do anything about it," she said. "The allegations that there were spies for Israel cannot be dismissed as irrelevant or false. Without collaborators, Israel would not have been able to carry out attacks from within Iran itself," Mirzaei said. She added that potential spies could come from both the Iranian population and the ranks of the regime itself. "And that is, of course, particularly worrying for the leadership." Iran's Deputy Minister of Defense from 1997 to 2002, Alireza Akbari, was perhaps the most famous case of a suspected spy coming from within the Iranian government ranks. In 2019, he was arrested on charges of spying for the British intelligence agency MI6. Akbari denied the charges. He was executed in 2023. The regime, from its own perspective, has no choice but to take action against suspected spies, said Mirzaei. "Because if they were not severely punished, according to the regime's logic, other people might also decide to work as spies," she added. Of course, defendants should receive appropriate legal defense, Mirzaei said. "But that's not the regime's logic. So, there's no other option for them to resort to these very brutal measures." The Islamic Consultative Assembly — the Iranian equivalent of a parliament in Western systems of government — recently passed a law that increases penalties for "collaborators." According to the new legislation, espionage or collaboration with hostile governments, including the United States, constitutes the crime of so-called "corruption on earth" and is punishable by death. Since the beginning of the Israeli attack on Iran, the Islamic Republic has begun large-scale arrests under pretexts such as publishing pro-Israel news, contacts with foreign media, and cooperation with or spying for Israel, IHR reports. According to the report, 900 people have already been arrested. "The majority of those detained are people whose mobile devices were searched during checks that allegedly revealed content such as footage of Israeli military actions," according to the IHR report. According to Iran expert Karg from Amnesty, the Iranian regime has lost much of its power basis, as its proxy militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah have been drastically weakened, or have fallen from power, like the government of Bashar Assad in Syria. "Now, it is at least trying to maintain its base in its own country by taking tough action," Karg said. Amnesty's access to information within Iran is currently made difficult by an internet blackout. "In this respect, we cannot say exactly what this process [foreign collaboration law] means for political prisoners, some of whom have already been in prison for many years. However, we fear that the number of death sentences and executions will increase," Karg said. This could also apply to the Iranian-Swedish doctor Ahmadreza Djalali, among others. He was arrested in 2016 and subsequently sentenced to death for allegedly spying for Israel. Political scientist Mirzaei also fears more executions and even harder punishments for political prisoners in the near future. "In the past, the Iranian people hoped the West would do something for them. Now they are convinced of the opposite," she said, adding this makes helping political prisoners even more difficult. "The only thing we can and must do is keep track of the number of executed people and political prisoners, of torture and severe abuses. Everything else can only come from the Iranian people themselves," she said. Karg takes a similar view. Economic pressure, as well as negotiations on sanctions, could help influence the regime on human rights issues. "Otherwise, we at Amnesty International rely on the power of appeals. This has been partially successful," he said. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This article was translated from German
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ohio State scores redemption win at NGI; Utah State's Enrique Karg earns indy title in playoff
Ohio State scores redemption win at NGI; Utah State's Enrique Karg earns indy title in playoff Had Ohio State's season ended last month, it would have been on a sour note indeed. The Buckeyes, in a rebuilding year, finished fifth at the Big 10 Championship and missed an NCAA Championship bid. But three weeks after their year could have been over, head coach Jay Moseley and his team are carting a postseason trophy back across the country to the heartland, and that's something Moseley has never done. On Sunday, Ohio State finished off a seven-shot victory in the third National Golf Invitational at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes in Maricopa, Arizona. Ohio State made an NCAA semifinal run a year ago this time, but that was with four distinguished seniors on the roster. After failing to score an NCAA regional bid earlier this month, Moseley's team committed to some areas of improvement and bought into a different side of the postseason: the NGI. This win amounts to a huge shift in momentum, especially considering that Ohio State's only two team wins this season, as Moseley noted, came in their backyard. 'To come out where we're unfamiliar with the desert golf conditions, to come out on top and get a win with a little bit of a target on our back was really good,' he said. National Golf Invitational: Scores The Buckeyes trailed Utah State by a shot on the first day, had leapfrogged them by the end of 36 holes and slowly pulled away over the course of Sunday's final round. Three Ohio State players finished in the top 7 individually, and the Buckeyes led the field in birdies ''Fight' has been our mentality all spring, so they did a good job hanging in there, taking advantage of the chances when we got them and making some birdies down the stretch was really cool,' Moseley said. 'It was a great team win.' While Ohio State, on the other side of its senior exodus, spent the week finding out what its next chapter can look like, a similar transition period awaits Utah State in the fall. The NGI amounted to the final ride for graduates John Cook, Julio Arronte and Esteban Jaramillo. The Aggies made six team birdies in the first three holes on Sunday and hung within a few shots of Ohio State all day. 'We beat them on Day 1, so I think they were like, 'OK we can do this,'' Utah State head coach Dean Johansen said. That sophomore Enrique Karg was the man to lead them is a good sign for Utah State. Karg, of Guadalajara, Mexico, only finished inside the top 20 in one start during the regular season. At Southern Dunes, he came out of the gate with a bogey-free 7-under 65 and parlayed that into a Sunday playoff victory for his first individual title in a year. Karg is a player who struggled with a lot on his plate this past year – from school to golf to family. 'I had a rough spring this year,' Karg said. 'I had a lot on my mind, and it was a lot of up and down so playing good in this event, it was very good for me.' Karg felt he took advantage of his distance all three rounds and put himself in favorable positions, reaching several par 5s in two and leading the field in par-4 scoring. The week wasn't all smooth sailing, however, and Johansen watched Karg fight for a second-round 70 to stay in the tournament. 'The mark of a true human being is how they handle adversity, and you couldn't tell from 5 feet to 500 yards if he was making a bogey or a birdie,' Johansen said, 'and I love that.' Karg, who finished the week at 12-under 204, had to play an extra hole with Richmond's Carson Baez for the individual title, and nearly holed his 70-foot birdie putt on that extra trip down the 18th to do it. His tap-in par was good enough. He Facetimed his family back home in Mexico right away. As a result of his win, Karg earns an exemption into the Southeastern Amateur, which he'll add to the lineup of other amateur events (the Memorial Amateur in Sacramento, California, the Mexican International Amateur in Guadalajara and a U.S. Amateur qualifier) he has planned for the summer. As this Utah State team scatters, Cook, Arronte and Jaramillo are headed for professional careers. Johansen knew early week it would be emotional to see them go. This team's international makeup is largely thanks to the work of assistant coach Erik Skinner, who took Johansen's idea to expand the roster globally and 'found some of the best young men – phenomenal kids,' Johansen said. He has always been interested in the whole player, not just level of golf talent. Johansen began his day on Sunday with an early workout before driving a couple miles down the road for a protein shake. When he pulled into a gas station, he met Cook, one of his three seniors. Cook, who has committed himself to getting healthy these past three years, was out on a morning run before the round. Cook, as a runner, demonstrates exactly the level of commitment this senior class gave to Utah State. Nevermind that they all reassembled post-graduation for a final tournament – Cook ditched a full cycle of marathon training, skipping the Ogden (Utah) Marathon on Saturday to be here with his team instead. And that, funny enough, was how Johnson lost it, three hours before his team ever hit a shot. 'I was driving back to the hotel and he was running alongside the road and I just started tearing up,' said Johansen, who has praised the character of his whole squad this week. 'I'm so proud of the young man he has become.'
The Hindu
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Congress seeks Prime Minister's clarification over U.S. claims of mediation
The Congress on Tuesday (May 13, 2025) claimed the Narendra Modi government had lost 'moral authority' after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Addressing a press conference at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) office, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said India lost a 'golden opportunity' in teaching Pakistan a lesson for sponsoring terrorism as a state policy. Mr. Gehlot claimed citizens felt that the Indian armed forces were going strong and could have given a befitting lesson to Pakistan to ensure that it did not harbour terrorists and their camps in future. 'The manner in which the ceasefire was announced, this government has lost the moral authority and moral courage to rule,' Mr. Gehlot said, adding, 'This was a golden opportunity for himself, the government and the country but it has been lost by the sudden announcement of a ceasefire'. The former Rajasthan Chief Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation on Monday evening was 'disappointing' as he did not clarify on Mr. Trump's claims of mediation. 'What pressure is the government under that the U.S. intervened and claimed mediation,' Mr. Gehlot asked as he posed several questions on why the Prime Minister was not responding to claims of the U.S. President since the U.S. has internationalised the issue. The Congress veteran reiterated his party's demand for a Special Session of Parliament to discuss the issue and a PM-chaired all-party meeting, where the government can spell out its thoughts and policy in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. Differing opinion However, there were differing opinions on the issue of third-party mediation. 'Third Party Mediation between India and Pakistan is a reality going back to 1990, call it by whatever name back channelling, brokering, mediating, arbitrating, etc.,' Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari said in a post on X, adding that from 1947 to 1972, India-Pakistan relations 'or lack of them whenever they reached a flashpoint were undergirded by UNSC resolutions, 1972-1990 the Shimla Agreement, 1990 onwards Third Party Intervention by whatever nomenclature you are most comfortable with'. 'U.S. President Donald Trump is just stating the facts as they are,' Mr. Tewari added. However, the Congress's official position on the issue, articulated by both Mr. Gehlot and communication chief Jairam Ramesh, question the government on the issue of the U.S. role. Pointing out that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had spent maximum time with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and was the first to meet him, Mr. Ramesh, in a post on X, said, 'The normally unquiet Minister's silence on what Mr. Rubio has said on U.S. mediation and on a 'neutral site' for India-Pakistan talks is very deafening'. In a separate post, Mr. Ramesh also asked if the Modi government would conduct a Kargil Review Committee-type exercise to probe the Pahalgam terror attack. 'Three days after the Kargil War ended, the Vajpayee government set up the Kargil Review Committee on July 29, 1999. Its report was tabled in Parliament on February 23, 2000, although sections of it have remained classified — as indeed they must,' Mr. Ramesh said, adding, 'Will the Modi government now conduct a similar exercise on Pahalgam, notwithstanding the NIA (National Investigation Agency) probe?'
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
Two men arrested in connection to Calcasieu Parish burglary, more at large, officials say
LAKE CHARLES, La. () — Two Starks men have been arrested in Calcasieu Parish in connection to a home burglary, but officials said more individuals are connected. Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office said Harley J. Morgan II, 45, Brian K. Karg, 28, and several other unknown individuals broke a fence to a property on Bellow Road and tampered with cameras on the property. Once on the property, the individuals allegedly cut and stole copper lines, damaging the infrastructure. Officials said they then spotted a suspicious vehicle nearby, on Stanley Road, where they found Morgan and Karg. They said Karg confirmed he and Morgan, along with another unknown suspect, were responsible for the burglary on Bellow Road. Morgan and Karg were arrested and booked into a Calcasieu jail, Feb. 14, and charged with simple burglary, theft less than $1,000, unauthorized entry of a critical infrastructure, simple criminal damage to property $1,000 – $50,000 and tampering with surveillance. Karg also had 4 unrelated active warrants. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Both men's bonds were set at $31,000. The investigation is continuing, and more arrests are expected. OMV offering special Saturday openings for REAL ID compliance Senators question President Trump's labor secretary nominee Tensions grow between the U.S. and Ukraine Protests continue over Trump's policies Judge homes in on DOGE staffer duties in privacy lawsuit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
