Latest news with #humanRights
Times of Oman
an hour ago
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Election will change scenario in Bangladesh, says prominent rights activist Manzill Murshid
Dhaka: Prominent human rights activist Manzill Murshid anticipated that the upcoming election in Bangladesh will bring significant change by establishing democratic rights. Speaking to ANI, Manzill Murshid, President of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), stated that the current interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, lacks constitutional legitimacy as it wasn't formed under the caretaker government provision. This has raised concerns about the timing and fairness of the election. Murshid said, "If there is an election, there will be a big scenario change. When a party comes to power, we hope our democratic rights will be established. Of course, a political party cannot deny another political party the right to function and carry out its activities, as political parties are fundamentally about politics and democracy. But this government is not a political party government." Manzill Murshid stated that Bangladesh did not proceed in accordance with the law after August 5. He said that Muhammad Yunus came into power as an interim government; however, there is no provision in the constitution regarding a caretaker government. He said, "After the 5th August (2024), there was a conspiracy, in my opinion, the state did not proceed in accordance with the demand of the people, to hold a free, fair and inclusive election. Dr. Yunus came into power as an interim government, although there is no provision in the constitution for such a move. That should be a caretaker government. If they form a caretaker government, then there is a possibility to declare the election date earlier." "But ultimately, when they took over the power, and long after, they did not say anything about the election, because they always say it takes five years after completing many kinds of reforms, they will declare the election. Some supporters of the government also share this idea. There was a very complex view in the minds of the people that there would be no election in the short term. Still, when a big party of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Nationalist Party BNP, raised their voice about the election, then the scenario changed," he added. The government initially hinted at delaying elections until 2026, citing the need for reforms. However, following pressure from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and other parties, a joint declaration was issued in London, suggesting that elections might be held in February. "Ultimately, what happened was that the Chief Adviser went to London, met with the BNP's acting Chairman Tareq Rahman, and there was a conversation. After the meeting, they issued a joint declaration, from which we know that an election will be held in February. But we are not sure because the Election Commission has not yet declared the schedule", Murshid said. Murshid recalled that Yunus had said that he would not ban the Awami League. However, the interim government banned it after some of the student leaders and government partners demanded a ban on the Awami League. He criticised the government's decision to ban the Awami League, questioning its impact on the electoral process. He emphasised that excluding major political parties undermines the legitimacy of the elections. Murshid said, "Earlier, the Chief Adviser always told that they would not ban the Awami League. I think it was his mental condition. However, when our former president, Abdul Hamid, left the country, some student leaders and government partners raised their voices, arguing that the Awami League should be banned. They organised thousands of people in the street. But the government was not strong enough to stop the movement. Many demands were fulfilled because of the pressure." "When NCP and Jamaat-e-Islami demanded to ban the Awami League. The government discussed with the political parties and declared that the activities of the Awami League would be banned. That means the Awami League can not work. If the political party can not work, that means the existence of the political party is nowhere," he added. He stated that the questions will be raised over the next elections if the Awami League is not allowed to contest it. He stated, "During the last government, all international actors said that there must be elections in which all political parties must participate. But in the last three elections, the bigger party, the BNP, did not participate. That's why the election was not accepted. However, in the upcoming election, the major party is the Awami League. If the Awami League does not participate, or the government does not give any chance to participate, the election will be questionable." The right group leader also stated that the Election Commission reinstated the registration of Jamaat-e-Islami in accordance with the legal provisions. He said, "Jamaat-e-Islami has legal rights to register as a political party." Murshid said there is no possibility for Bangladesh's former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, to return to Dhaka at this stage, adding that her decision to leave the country was the right one to ensure her safety. Murshid also emphasised the importance of enhancing relations between India and Bangladesh, particularly given the shared cultural and linguistic ties between the two nations. He urged both governments to collaborate on addressing visa issues and strengthening bilateral relations, regardless of their political differences. Manzill Murshid said, "India is a big country. We have a big border with India. Some people in India, such as those from West Bengal, share a similar language and culture. We used to go to India. We have thousands of relatives in India. We used to go there for medical treatments and shopping, but this has been stopped due to a visa problem. Both the government and the opposition should take steps, without considering the political aspect, to maintain good relations for the betterment of both people. They should sit down and resolve their differences and make good relations through our foreign ministries."
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Notorious Iranian prison boss flees minutes before Israeli airstrikes after secret warning
EXCLUSIVE – The notorious director of Tehran's brutal Evin Prison, Hedayatollah Farzadi, escaped the compound ahead of Israeli strikes following threats to his life – and an alleged exchange between Jerusalem and his adult son. Israeli authorities reportedly contacted Amir Husseini Farzadi, telling him that if he convinced his father to release political prisoners, his life would be spared in the impending attack. According to a series of WhatsApp messages shared with Fox News Digital by an Israeli intel source, an agent instructed Amir to tell his father to open the prison's doors, warning that an attack would occur within "a few minutes." Amir asked whether something had already happened to his father, and the Israeli agent replied that it wouldn't – if he passed the message along. The source told Fox News Digitial that after receiving the message, Amir contacted his uncle, who then drove to the prison to get his father, Farzadi. The two were seen speeding away from the area moments before the airstrikes began. Farzadi has not been heard from since, according to the source. Farzadi, who has been the director of Evin Prison since 2022, has been accused of committing egregious human rights violations, including the torture and murder of inmates, many of whom are political dissidents. Allegations against him include beatings, starvation, sexual violence against female prisoners and murder. He has been sanctioned by both the U.S. and the European Union. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated Farzadi under the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, which prohibits U.S. entities and individuals from dealing with him. "Numerous protesters have been sent to Evin Prison during the latest round of protests where they have been subjected to torture and other forms of physical abuse," the Treasury Department wrote in a statement. Prior to his time at Evin Prison, Farzadi spent 10 years working at Dizel Abad Prison, where he "was known to organize public amputations of criminals convicted of petty crimes," the Treasury Department wrote. The department also noted that during his time as director of the Greater Tehran Penitentiary, also known as Fashafouyeh Prison, Farzadi "oversaw the torture and maltreatment" of inmates. In its April 2025 announcement of sanctions against Ferzadi, as well as other entities and individuals, the EU condemned "the use of the judiciary as a tool for arbitrary detention" in Iran. The EU also noted that Iran saw a "dramatic increase in the number of executions" in 2024, which included women, minorities and European citizens. However, the EU did not specify how many of those executed were political dissidents. "Freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of religion or belief, as well as freedom of assembly have been increasingly restricted, and threatening measures have been taken against human rights defenders, journalists and political dissidents," the EU wrote.
The Guardian
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Budapest Pride expected to be a rallying cry against Orbán's rollback of rights
Record numbers of people are expected to take part in Budapest Pride on Saturday, with Hungarians joining forces with campaigners and politicians from across Europe in a march that has become a potent symbol of pushback against the Hungarian government's steady rollback of rights. 'This weekend, all eyes are on Budapest,' Hadja Lahbib, the European commissioner for equality, told reporters in the Hungarian capital on Friday. 'This is bigger than one Pride celebration, one Pride march. It is about the right to be who you are, to love who you want, whether it is in Budapest, in Brussels or anywhere else.' The country's main Pride march was cast into doubt earlier this year after the country's ruling Fidesz party – led by the rightwing populist Viktor Orbán – backed legislation that created a legal basis for Pride to be banned, citing a widely criticised need to protect children. The government also said it would use facial recognition software to identify people attending any banned events, potentially fining them up to €500 (£425). The move caused outrage from within Hungary and beyond, turning Budapest Pride into a rallying cry against a government that has long faced criticism for weakening democratic institutions and gradually undermining the rule of law. Lahbib said the EU was standing alongside LGBTQ+ people. 'It is a core value to gather peacefully, to be who you are, to love who you want,' she said. 'These are the core values that generations before us have built, brick by brick, and we are not going to allow any kind of regression from one of our member states.' Organisers of Budapest Pride, which this year will mark its 30th anniversary, said the government was attempting to restrict peaceful protests by targeting them. 'This event was one of the important milestones of the LGBTQ community,' said its spokesperson Máté Hegedüs. 'Our slogan this year is that we are at home. By this, we want to draw attention to the fact that LGBTQ people are an integral part of Hungarian society, just as any other people. In our history, in our culture, this is where we belong.' Hours before the march was due to begin, however, uncertainty loomed over how officials would react. While Orbán has said that those who attend or organise the march will face 'legal consequences', he said Hungary was a 'civilised country' and police would not 'break it up … It cannot reach the level of physical abuse'. Nicolae Ștefănuță, the vice-president of the European parliament, on Friday called on police to respect those attending. 'I would like to say that the police and institutions of the state have a duty to protect the citizens,' he said. 'It's as clear as possible.' The sentiment was echoed in a petition, signed by more than 120,000 people spanning 73 countries, that called on police to 'reject this unjust law' – believed to be the first of its kind in the EU's recent history – and ensure that the march proceeded 'unhindered and peacefully, free from discrimination, harassment, fear or violence'. Despite uncertainty, tens of thousands of Hungarians are expected to take part. Joining them will be politicians and rights campaigners from more than 30 countries, including Ireland's former taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Spain's minister of culture, Ernest Urtasun, more than 70 members of the European parliament, and the mayors of Brussels and Amsterdam. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, this week joined calls for Hungarian authorities to allow the event to go ahead. Orbán was swift to hit back, likening it to receiving orders from Moscow in communist times. 'She thinks she can dictate to Hungarians from Brussels how they should live,' he said in a radio interview. The widespread pushback, both domestic and international, had seemingly done little to dissuade the Hungarian government. This week, the country's justice minister, Bence Tuzson, appeared to warn embassy staff from attending the event. 'The legal situation is clear: the Pride parade is a legally banned assembly,' he said in a letter seen by the Guardian. 'Those who take part in an event prohibited by the authorities commit an infraction,' he said, adding that those organising or announcing the event faced up to a year in prison. The progressive mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, has said the gathering will instead go ahead as a municipal event, meaning it will not require official authorisation. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion The result was an 'extraordinary scenario', said Márta Pardavi of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights organisation. 'Currently the legal situation is quite unclear – it is unclear whether this will be a demonstration that the police have banned or whether it will be some other type of event, as Mayor Karácsony has talked about.' The NGO has joined forces with two other organisations to produce a Q&A for the event, addressing concerns such as whether attenders risk being fired from their jobs and whether being fined could later jeopardise university entrance or foreign travel. The organisations have also promised to provide legal aid to any participants who are fined. Complicating matters were three countermarches planned on Saturday by groups with ties to the extreme right, said Pardavi. 'This means you will have a lot of people with very, very different views on the streets,' she said. Analysts have described the government's hardline stance against Pride as another move in its years-long rollback of LGBTQ+ rights. This time, however, it comes as Orbán faces an unprecedented challenge from a former member of the Fidesz party's elite, Péter Magyar, before next year's elections, leading organisers to suggest they are being scapegoated as Orbán scrambles to shore up support among conservative voters. The widespread view has led Hungarians from all walks of life – including many who have never marched before – to take part in Saturday's event. 'These are the actions of a government in the run-up to an election they fear they will lose, so they are trying to distract public attention from their deep corruption and unpopularity,' said Andrew Ryder, who is among a group of academics from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest who will be joining the march in solidarity. 'I am deeply concerned that my home, Hungary, is on a trajectory that will lead to fascism,' he said. 'However, the mood of the country is turning and if Hungary can restore its democracy it could be a model for other countries trying to overcome authoritarianism.' Nearly 50 organisations from across Europe have meanwhile urged EU officials to launch an infringement procedure against Hungary, citing the possibility that real-time facial recognition would be used on attenders. If so, it would be a 'glaring violation' of the EU's recently adopted Artificial Intelligence Act, the letter noted. Hungarian officials have yet to release details on how the technology will be deployed. 'Hungary's use of facial recognition to surveil Pride events marks a worrying change in how new technologies can be used to suppress dissent and target marginalised communities,' the Civil Liberties Union for Europe, one of the signatories of the letter, said in a statement. It said it risked a 'dangerous precedent by normalising invasive monitoring of peaceful gatherings and undermining civil liberties'.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Venezuelan opposition member details harrowing 400-day captivity at UN
Pedro Urruchurtu spoke to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday about what he had endured at the hands of Nicolás Maduro's regime while being forced to shelter in place for over 400 days. Urruchurtu and four other members of Venezuela's political opposition were freed in May in a successful U.S. rescue mission. He and his colleagues were effectively trapped inside the Argentine Embassy in Caracas — where the opposition members fled to, and were sheltered due to the diplomatic status of the embassy. The opposition figures were under siege by regime forces who made their lives extremely difficult due to their control of the utilities. Urruchurtu told the council he had endured "five months without electricity, three minutes of water every ten days, rifles pointed at the windows, and dogs trained to bite; only because those in power considered it a crime to direct the campaigns of Maria Corina Machado in the opposition primaries and Edmundo González in the presidential elections. Both won." Opinion: America Needs A Venezuela Deal That Only President Trump Can Deliver "Today I am here despite the state, and not thanks to it, because if it were up to it, I would be missing or dead," Urruchurtu said. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk told the council that since May 1, 2024, the human rights situation in Venezuela has only gotten worse. The people have experienced "arbitrary detentions, violations of due process and enforced disappearances, amid continued allegations of torture and ill-treatment." Read On The Fox News App Türk revealed that his office had documented 32 people — 15 of them adolescents — who reported being tortured and ill-treated in detention. He also noted that 28 people had been subjected to enforced disappearance after the country's parliamentary elections, which took place in May 2025. He said their whereabouts remain unknown and that at least 12 of them were foreign nationals who "do not have access to consular assistance." Venezuelan Opposition Promises Reparations To Laken Riley's Family, Other Victims Of Tren De Aragua Violence "The world must no longer look away from the brutal reality of what the once-beautiful Venezuela has become. Nicolás Maduro and his enforcers are running a criminal narco-terrorist dictatorship that jails political opponents, tortures dissidents, and crushes any hope of free expression. Pedro's voice today represents the cries of thousands of Venezuelans who remain imprisoned, persecuted or forced into exile, as slaves to the regime," UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer told Fox News Digital. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in a post on X on May 6 that the opposition members, including Urruchurtu, had been rescued in "a precise operation" and brought to the U.S. A few weeks later, Rubio met with the released opposition members. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that Rubio had commended the Venezuelan opposition members for their "bravery in the face of Maduro's relentless repression and tyranny." Neuer also expressed gratitude for the Trump administration and Rubio's actions, which led to Urruchurtu's release. "Thank you to the Trump administration and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, for their critical role in securing Pedro's release and the release of his comrades. Once again, proving that strong, principled diplomacy saves lives and advances the cause of freedom for the world," Neuer told Fox News article source: Venezuelan opposition member details harrowing 400-day captivity at UN
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Budapest Pride expected to be a rallying cry against Orbán's rollback of rights
Record numbers of people are expected to take part in Budapest Pride on Saturday, with Hungarians joining forces with campaigners and politicians from across Europe in a march that has become a potent symbol of pushback against the Hungarian government's steady rollback of rights. 'This weekend, all eyes are on Budapest,' Hadja Lahbib, the European commissioner for equality, told reporters in the Hungarian capital on Friday. 'This is bigger than one Pride celebration, one Pride march. It is about the right to be who you are, to love who you want, whether it is in Budapest, in Brussels or anywhere else.' The country's main Pride march was cast into doubt earlier this year after the country's ruling Fidesz party – led by the rightwing populist Viktor Orbán – backed legislation that created a legal basis for Pride to be banned, citing a widely criticised need to protect children. The government also said it would use facial recognition software to identify people attending any banned events, potentially fining them up to €500 (£425). The move caused outrage from within Hungary and beyond, turning Budapest Pride into a rallying cry against a government that has long faced criticism for weakening democratic institutions and gradually undermining the rule of law. Lahbib said the EU was standing alongside LGBTQ+ people. 'It is a core value to gather peacefully, to be who you are, to love who you want,' she said. 'These are the core values that generations before us have built, brick by brick, and we are not going to allow any kind of regression from one of our member states.' Organisers of Budapest Pride, which this year will mark its 30th anniversary, said the government was attempting to restrict peaceful protests by targeting them. 'This event was one of the important milestones of the LGBTQ community,' said its spokesperson Máté Hegedüs. 'Our slogan this year is that we are at home. By this, we want to draw attention to the fact that LGBTQ people are an integral part of Hungarian society, just as any other people. In our history, in our culture, this is where we belong.' Hours before the march was due to begin, however, uncertainty loomed over how officials would react. While Orbán has said that those who attend or organise the march will face 'legal consequences', he said Hungary was a 'civilised country' and police would not 'break it up … It cannot reach the level of physical abuse'. Nicolae Ștefănuță, the vice-president of the European parliament, on Friday called on police to respect those attending. 'I would like to say that the police and institutions of the state have a duty to protect the citizens,' he said. 'It's as clear as possible.' The sentiment was echoed in a petition, signed by more than 120,000 people spanning 73 countries, that called on police to 'reject this unjust law' – believed to be the first of its kind in the EU's recent history – and ensure that the march proceeded 'unhindered and peacefully, free from discrimination, harassment, fear or violence'. Despite uncertainty, tens of thousands of Hungarians are expected to take part. Joining them will be politicians and rights campaigners from more than 30 countries, including Ireland's former taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Spain's minister of culture, Ernest Urtasun, more than 70 members of the European parliament, and the mayors of Brussels and Amsterdam. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, this week joined calls for Hungarian authorities to allow the event to go ahead. Orbán was swift to hit back, likening it to receiving orders from Moscow in communist times. 'She thinks she can dictate to Hungarians from Brussels how they should live,' he said in a radio interview. The widespread pushback, both domestic and international, had seemingly done little to dissuade the Hungarian government. This week, the country's justice minister, Bence Tuzson, appeared to warn embassy staff from attending the event. 'The legal situation is clear: the Pride parade is a legally banned assembly,' he said in a letter seen by the Guardian. 'Those who take part in an event prohibited by the authorities commit an infraction,' he said, adding that those organising or announcing the event faced up to a year in prison. The progressive mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, has said the gathering will instead go ahead as a municipal event, meaning it will not require official authorisation. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion The result was an 'extraordinary scenario', said Márta Pardavi of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights organisation. 'Currently the legal situation is quite unclear – it is unclear whether this will be a demonstration that the police have banned or whether it will be some other type of event, as Mayor Karácsony has talked about.' The NGO has joined forces with two other organisations to produce a Q&A for the event, addressing concerns such as whether attenders risk being fired from their jobs and whether being fined could later jeopardise university entrance or foreign travel. The organisations have also promised to provide legal aid to any participants who are fined. Complicating matters were three countermarches planned on Saturday by groups with ties to the extreme right, said Pardavi. 'This means you will have a lot of people with very, very different views on the streets,' she said. Analysts have described the government's hardline stance against Pride as another move in its years-long rollback of LGBTQ+ rights. This time, however, it comes as Orbán faces an unprecedented challenge from a former member of the Fidesz party's elite, Péter Magyar, before next year's elections, leading organisers to suggest they are being scapegoated as Orbán scrambles to shore up support among conservative voters. The widespread view has led Hungarians from all walks of life – including many who have never marched before – to take part in Saturday's event. 'These are the actions of a government in the run-up to an election they fear they will lose, so they are trying to distract public attention from their deep corruption and unpopularity,' said Andrew Ryder, who is among a group of academics from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest who will be joining the march in solidarity. 'I am deeply concerned that my home, Hungary, is on a trajectory that will lead to fascism,' he said. 'However, the mood of the country is turning and if Hungary can restore its democracy it could be a model for other countries trying to overcome authoritarianism.' Nearly 50 organisations from across Europe have meanwhile urged EU officials to launch an infringement procedure against Hungary, citing the possibility that real-time facial recognition would be used on attenders. If so, it would be a 'glaring violation' of the EU's recently adopted Artificial Intelligence Act, the letter noted. Hungarian officials have yet to release details on how the technology will be deployed. 'Hungary's use of facial recognition to surveil Pride events marks a worrying change in how new technologies can be used to suppress dissent and target marginalised communities,' the Civil Liberties Union for Europe, one of the signatories of the letter, said in a statement. It said it risked a 'dangerous precedent by normalising invasive monitoring of peaceful gatherings and undermining civil liberties'.
