Latest news with #international_law
Reuters
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Azerbaijan leader says he wants Russia to admit it accidentally shot down passenger plane killing 38
KHANKENDI, Azerbaijan, July 19 (Reuters) - Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, on Saturday said he wanted Russia to publicly acknowledge that it had accidentally shot down an Azerbaijani passenger plane in December last year, killing 38 people on board, and to punish those responsible. President Vladimir Putin apologised at the time to Aliyev for what the Kremlin called a "tragic incident" over Russia in which an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed after Russian air defences opened fire against Ukrainian drones. But he stopped short of saying Russia had shot down the aircraft. Aliyev, speaking at a news conference in the city of Khankendi during an event called The Global Media Forum, made clear that he wanted much more from Moscow whom he accused of inaction following the downing of the airliner. 'We know exactly what happened — and we can prove it. Moreover, we are confident that Russian officials also know what happened,' Aliyev said. 'The real question is: why didn't they do what any responsible neighbour should do?' He said Azerbaijan expected the incident to be formally acknowledged, for those responsible to be held accountable, for compensation to be paid to victims' families and those injured, and for Moscow to reimburse the cost of the destroyed aircraft. 'These are standard expectations within the framework of international law and good-neighbourly relations,' he said. Flight J2-8243, en route from Baku to the Chechen capital Grozny, crash-landed near Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from southern Russia, where Ukrainian drones were reported to be attacking several cities. Thirty-eight people were killed and 29 survived. Ties between Moscow and Baku have seriously deteriorated in recent months after Russian police detained a group of ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Russia and accused them of various historic crimes. Speaking at the same event, Aliyev said he wanted a transit corridor to be opened between Azerbaijan and its exclave of Nakhchivan that would run via Armenia. Aliyev said: 'We are talking about unimpeded state access from Azerbaijan to Azerbaijan. And we understand this literally — we are talking about a connection between parts of one country.' He said that, if and when it is set up, that Azerbaijani train passengers should not be exposed to physical danger from Armenian civilians whom he accused of throwing stones at such trains in the Soviet era and called for 'reliable and verifiable' security guarantees. 'This is an absolutely legal and fair demand,' Aliyev said. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on July 16 that the U.S. had offered to manage the potential transport corridor. The potential corridor, which Baku is keen to secure, would run roughly 32 km (20 miles) through Armenia's southern Syunik province, linking the majority of Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani exclave that borders Baku's ally Turkey. The transit link is one of several stumbling blocks to a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia, neighbours in the South Caucasus region who have fought a series of wars since the late 1980s and remain arch rivals. The countries said in March they had finalised a draft peace deal, but the timeline for signing it remains uncertain.
Reuters
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
El Salvador to send detained Venezuelans to Caracas in prison swap for Americans, sources say
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - El Salvador's government will send detained Venezuelans to Caracas in exchange for Americans held in Venezuela, two U.S. government officials told Reuters on Friday. One of the officials said El Salvador would send 238 Venezuelans held in its maximum security CECOT prison to Caracas and that the Venezuelan government would release five U.S. citizens and five U.S. permanent residents to American custody. The second official confirmed the exchange was taking place and said the figures appeared to be close to what was expected. Venezuela's Communications Ministry and El Salvador's presidency did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The U.S. State Department declined to comment. The White House and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Venezuelans were sent to El Salvador in March after President Donald Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to swiftly deport alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang without going through normal immigration procedures. Family members of many of the Venezuelans and their lawyers deny they had gang ties, and say they were not given a chance to contest the Trump administration's allegations in court. Venezuela's government has always decried the CECOT detention of its citizens as a violation of human rights and international law. But the government's critics say the country holds activists and opposition figures in similar conditions in Venezuela.
CTV News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Equatorial Guinea urges UN to block the sale of a Paris mansion seized by France
Vice-President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, at UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File) THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Lawyers for Equatorial Guinea accused France of 'neo-colonial' behaviour on Tuesday, urging United Nations judges to block the sale of a mansion on one of Paris' poshest avenues in the latest instalment in a long-running legal tug-of-war over the multimillion-dollar property. The African country filed a case at the International Court of Justice in 2022, alleging France is violating international law by refusing to return assets seized during a corruption investigation into Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, the son of Equatorial Guinea's long-serving president. France's approach 'may be described as paternalistic and even neo-colonial. We cannot accept such disdain for our sovereignty from France,' Carmelo Nvono-Ncá, Equatorial Guinea's agent, told The Hague-based court. Equatorial Guinea has asked the court for a series of urgent orders, known as provisional measures, to return the swanky mansion on one of Paris's most prestigious streets, Avenue Foch, and to prevent France from selling the building. Obiang was convicted in 2017, and given a three-year suspended sentence for embezzling millions of dollars in public money. French authorities seized money, luxury vehicles and the building, which boasts a hammam, a cinema and a night club. The 57-year-old has faced scrutiny for corruption in other countries as well. In 2021, he was sanctioned by the United Kingdom for misappropriating public funds, including spending US$275,000 on the bejeweled glove that Michael Jackson wore on his 'Bad' tour. Switzerland and Brazil have also opened investigations into his finances. In 2020, the International Court of Justice ruled that the building was a private residence, not a diplomatic outpost, rejecting a claim from Equatorial Guinea that the seizure violated international law. Equatorial Guinea returned to The Hague in 2022, arguing the French government was obliged to return the assets based on a UN anti-corruption convention. Despite its oil and gas riches, Equatorial Guinea has a dramatic gap between its privileged ruling class and much of the impoverished population. The former Spanish colony is run by Africa's longest-serving president, Obiang's father Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. Molly Quell, The Associated Press
The Independent
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Equatorial Guinea urges UN to block the sale of a Paris mansion seized by France
Lawyers for Equatorial Guinea accused France of 'neo-colonial' behavior on Tuesday, urging United Nations judges to block the sale of a mansion on one of Paris' poshest avenues in the latest instalment in a long-running legal tug-of-war over the multimillion-dollar property. The African country filed a case at the International Court of Justice in 2022, alleging France is violating international law by refusing to return assets seized during a corruption investigation into Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, the son of Equatorial Guinea's long-serving president. France's approach 'may be described as paternalistic and even neo-colonial. We cannot accept such disdain for our sovereignty from France," Carmelo Nvono-Ncá, Equatorial Guinea's agent, told The Hague-based court. Equatorial Guinea has asked the court for a series of urgent orders, known as provisional measures, to return the swanky mansion on one of Paris's most prestigious streets, Avenue Foch, and to prevent France from selling the building. Obiang was convicted in 2017, and given a three-year suspended sentence for embezzling millions of dollars in public money. French authorities seized money, luxury vehicles and the building, which boasts a hammam, a cinema and a night club. The 57-year-old has faced scrutiny for corruption in other countries as well. In 2021, he was sanctioned by the United Kingdom for misappropriating public funds, including spending $275,000 on the bejeweled glove that Michael Jackson wore on his 'Bad' tour. Switzerland and Brazil have also opened investigations into his finances. In 2020, the International Court of Justice ruled that the building was a private residence, not a diplomatic outpost, rejecting a claim from Equatorial Guinea that the seizure violated international law. Equatorial Guinea returned to The Hague in 2022, arguing the French government was obliged to return the assets based on a U.N. anti-corruption convention. Despite its oil and gas riches, Equatorial Guinea has a dramatic gap between its privileged ruling class and much of the impoverished population. The former Spanish colony is run by Africa's longest-serving president, Obiang's father Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
Washington Post
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Equatorial Guinea urges UN to block the sale of a Paris mansion seized by France
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Lawyers for Equatorial Guinea accused France of 'neo-colonial' behavior on Tuesday, urging United Nations judges to block the sale of a mansion on one of Paris' poshest avenues in the latest instalment in a long-running legal tug-of-war over the multimillion-dollar property. The African country filed a case at the International Court of Justice in 2022, alleging France is violating international law by refusing to return assets seized during a corruption investigation into Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, the son of Equatorial Guinea's long-serving president.
