Latest news with #politicalrepression
New York Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Putin Wants Something He Can't Get
Vladimir Putin, in his own telling, is no ordinary leader. He's a lawyer on the throne. From the very beginning of his tenure, he has leaned on his legal background as part of his presidential persona. The reflex never left him. 'After all, I have a law degree,' he told a group of businessmen in May, responding to concerns that a peace deal might bring Western competitors back into Russia. 'If you give me the agreement, I'll flip through it and tell you what needs to be done.' We tend to think of a dictator as someone who tramples the law — and that's absolutely true. But for a dictator like Mr. Putin, who rose from the disciplined ranks of the security services to the presidency by following orders, it is just as important to be able to cite the law as to break it. Today, every new wave of political repression in Russia is preceded by the passage or revision of a law — so that more and more people can be punished 'according to the law,' rather than in violation of it. The endless expansion of the legal order in service of one man's power eventually calls for a higher justification. Indeed, Mr. Putin's entire political career has been a search for a source of legitimacy deeper than the law itself, a personal obsession with proving his authority. This, as much as conquest, is what drives his war on Ukraine: The aim is to turn military victory into Russia's return ticket to the club of the world's great powers. But that remains impossible without recognition from the West. And increasingly, that seems like something Mr. Putin can't get. Legitimacy is a perennial problem for dictators. However strong they may appear, they always suffer from a deficit of it. Their power, after all, is not the result of popular preference. This explains autocrats' fondness for rigged referendums and elections: A referendum was how Mr. Putin extended his tenure in 2020, and elections, held every six years, are used to provide a veneer of popular consent to his rule. Yet there's only so much succor a dictator can draw from rubber-stamping. For many dictators, credibility truly comes on the world stage. Official visits and summits, along with successful military campaigns, are proof of their legitimacy. In the early years of Mr. Putin's tenure, this worked. He held court with Western leaders and won victories in the second Chechen war. But when his decision to return to the presidency in 2012 set off major protests, he began a new fight for so-called traditional Russian values against corrosive Western influence. This shift in emphasis entailed direct confrontation with the West, with Ukraine the proving ground. The annexation of Crimea, presented as the correction of a historical injustice, soon followed, along with the incursion into eastern Ukraine. The full-scale invasion of the country in 2022, conceived as a brilliant blitzkrieg, consummated the adversarial approach. These were strikingly successful attempts to win support at home. But they were also efforts to refashion, not break, Russia's relations with the West. Even after the annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin still pursued negotiations — most notably the Minsk agreements — aiming to end diplomatic isolation and reclaim its seat at the table of major powers. Those efforts foundered and Mr. Putin chose to up the stakes. Yet even today, the Kremlin is willing to show some degree of flexibility. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Arab News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
US lawmaker warns of shrinking freedoms in Pakistan, cites Imran Khan's continued incarceration
ISLAMABAD: A senior US lawmaker on Tuesday voiced concern over the human rights situation in Pakistan, saying basic freedoms were in jeopardy under the current administration and expressing alarm over the continued incarceration of former prime minister Imran Khan in a high-security prison in Rawalpindi. The remarks by Rep. Chris Smith, Co-Chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, during a congressional hearing in Washington on 'political repression' in Pakistan. The bipartisan commission was established in 2008 by the US House of Representatives to promote and advocate for international human rights through hearings, investigations and policy recommendations. Its latest hearing focused on Pakistan and featured testimony from several witnesses, including Zulfi Bukhari, a close aide to ex-premier Khan and a senior figure in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. 'Life in Pakistan today is marked by rampant government violations of basic freedoms, particularly freedom of speech and media freedom, and the denial of free and fair elections,' Smith said in his opening remarks. 'Pakistan is a country of over 250 million people — the fifth-largest country in the world — so the human cost of this repression is immense in its scope as well its severity,' he added. Smith maintained Pakistan's democratic crisis was not new, though he asserted the government's human rights record had 'taken a sharp turn for the worse' in recent years. The American lawmaker pointed to the confrontation between the South Asian country's powerful military establishment and Khan's PTI, calling the former prime minister a 'genuinely popular leader' who had challenged public corruption and military interference before being ousted in what Smith described as a 'political coup' in 2022. Smith noted that last year's general elections were 'widely seen as unfree and unfair, including by the US government, marked as they were by a ban on the PTI party, harassment of PTI officials, bans on public gatherings, a national Internet shutdown, and massive voting irregularities.' In his testimony, Bukhari said that 'Imran Khan and his wife are in solitary confinement for over 23 hours a day,' describing their conditions as 'inhumane.' He also questioned the legality of the February 2024 elections, which PTI has repeatedly alleged were rigged, and criticized the military trials of civilians that he said led to the conviction of dozens of party members and supporters. 'This is a purge,' he said. 'It's not justice.' Toward the end of Bukhari's statement, Smith urged the US administration to sit up and take notice of the situation in Pakistan. He also urged the Trump administration to 'redouble its commitment to democracy and human rights' in the South Asian country.
Arab News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan's new federal force sparks fears of political repression ahead of Khan party protests
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's transformation of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) border paramilitary force into a federal force ahead of planned protests by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party this week sparked fears of political repression in the country, with opposition members and analysts saying the new nationwide force could be used as a 'tool to suppress political opponents.' Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari allowed the government to turn Frontier Constabulary into the national security force, called Federal Constabulary, through an ordinance on Monday in order to support law enforcement agencies and to address evolving security challenges across the South Asian country. The paramilitary force was initially formed to uphold law and order in border and frontier regions, according to the ordinance. However, the evolving conditions, marked by frequent emergencies, natural disasters, civil disturbances and other emerging risks, created the need for a more flexible and capable force to effectively respond to these challenges. The move has raised concerns among opposition parties, particularly Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which fears that the new force could be used as a means of political repression amid its 90-day anti-government protest movement, announced on July 13. 'From the looks of it, it's a safe assumption that such laws are being inflicted, just ahead of political movement announced by PTI, as a tool to suppress political opponents,' Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, a close Khan aide, told Arab News. Pakistan ranks as the second-most affected country by militancy, according to The Global Terrorism Index 2025. Militancy-related deaths surged by 45 percent, rising from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024, marking one of the steepest global increases. The attacks in Pakistan more than doubled, from 517 in 2023 to 1,099 in 2024. The new duties of the Federal Constabulary, whose cadres were previously recruited only from tribes in the northwestern KP province, will include internal security, riot control and counter-terrorism. The government's move to transform the force came ahead of planned protests by Khan's PTI on Aug. 5, the second anniversary of his arrest. Several such protests by the party since Khan's brief arrest in May 2023 have turned violent, in some cases paralyzing the capital Islamabad for days. In the near future, PTI's Bukhari said, it would be clear if the law was being introduced to, in fact, address security challenges or to stop any political movement that could endanger the existence of the 'current, so-called democracy.' 'The new force should not be used as a gimmick to silence political opponents as has been previously witnessed, when the government applied such laws against a large number of the PTI leadership and supporters,' he added. Khan's party has been protesting to secure to secure his release and an audit of the Fed. 2024 general election, which it says was rigged to benefit its opponents. Pakistan's election authorities deny the allegation, while the government accuses Khan's party of attempting to disrupt its efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth through violent protests. Ali Imtiaz Warraich, the PTI parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly, said 'crushing the public mandate' would never result in stability of the country. 'Federal and Punjab governments' only focus is PTI and all actions taken are only PTI-centered,' he told Arab News, adding that it had not worked in past, nor would it work in future. However, Pakistan's Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the Federal Constabulary should not be mistaken for a federal police force. 'It will continue to function as a constabulary as the restructuring and renaming are solely aimed at strengthening internal and national security,' he said this week, adding the overhaul was institutionally essential to enhance coordination, improve compensation and build operational capacity of the force throughout all provinces and territories. 'This is entirely a defense-oriented initiative intended to reinforce national security by supporting law enforcement agencies,' he added. Chaudhry stated the restructuring was also an administrative necessity as despite its significant contributions, the force had long been overlooked and continued to function with limited salaries and benefits compared to other security forces in Pakistan. 'Its transformation into a federal force is to eliminate existing disparities by upgrading its structure and scope under the new title,' he said, adding the reorganization was aimed at ensuring that FC personnel receive salaries, training and benefits at par with other national security forces. Under the new federal framework, FC's jurisdiction would extend across all four provinces as well as Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, according to the minister. 'While continuing to perform its duties under this redefined structure, the Federal Constabulary will build on its longstanding role in combating drug trafficking and smuggling and in assisting civil law enforcement during sensitive occasions such as Muharram, general elections and anti-polio campaigns,' he said. Arab News spoke to some analysts about the government's move, who voiced concerns about the timing, intent and potential misuse of the new force. 'There is always a risk of such a force being misused in Pakistan,' Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), told Arab News. 'The Frontier Constabulary was already under federal control, so it's unclear why this transformation was necessary, especially at a time when the country's major opposition party has announced a protest movement.' Ather Kazmi, an analyst and political commentator, said the urgency with which the revamp was carried out through an ordinance had raised many eyebrows. 'Although the government claimed it was an administrative necessity, its timing and urgency have led PTI and others to believe it has political purposes,' he told Arab News. Kazmi said it remained to be seen how the new force would operate after its jurisdiction was extended nationwide, given that law and order became a provincial subject after the 18th amendment of the Constitution of Pakistan. 'It would not be easy for the government to deploy this force in provinces governed by the opposition, such as KP,' he noted.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tunisian opposition leader jailed for 14 years
Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, adding to a string of other jail terms he has received in seperate cases. Ghannouchi, who heads the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, was among 18 politicians and officials sentenced on Tuesday for "conspiring against state security". Ghannouchi's defence team denied the charges brought against the 84-year-old, saying the proceedings did not meet the standards of a fair trial. Over the past few years, rights groups have repeatedly denounced the jailing of opposition figures in Tunisia, saying the sentences highlight an aggressive crackdown against critics of President Kais Saied. Ghannouchi has been in jail since 2023 and refused to attend Tuesday's sentencing remotely. In recent months, he has received three sentences totalling more than 20 years, for charges such as money laundering. According to news agency Tunis Afrique Presse, Ghannouchi's children, Mouadh and Tasnim, were also sentenced on Tuesday, although they had already fled the country. Both received 35-year sentences in absentia. Former Foreign Affairs Minister Rafik Abdessalem Bouchlaka and ex-intelligence chief Kamel Guizani were also sentenced in absentia. President Saied suspended the Tunisian parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree. Since then, Tunisian and foreign rights groups have reported growing political repression in the country that sparked the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. Most opposition leaders have been jailed since 2021, along with some journalists, lawyers, activists and social media users. Saied has rejected accusations of repression, saying his actions are aimed at bringing an end to the chaos and corruption under previous governments. Is democracy in Tunisia being destroyed? Pink flamingos 'seized from smugglers' in Tunisia Tunisia lawyer arrested during live news broadcast Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Rached Ghannouchi: Tunisian opposition leader jailed for 14 years
Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, adding to a string of other jail terms he has received in seperate who heads the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, was among 18 politicians and officials sentenced on Tuesday for "conspiring against state security". Ghannouchi's defence team denied the charges brought against the 84-year-old, saying the proceedings did not meet the standards of a fair the past few years, rights groups have repeatedly denounced the jailing of opposition figures in Tunisia, saying the sentences highlight an aggressive crackdown against critics of President Kais Saied. Ghannouchi has been in jail since 2023 and refused to attend Tuesday's sentencing recent months, he has received three sentences totalling more than 20 years, for charges such as money to news agency Tunis Afrique Presse, Ghannouchi's children, Mouadh and Tasnim, were also sentenced on Tuesday, although they had already fled the country. Both received 35-year sentences in Foreign Affairs Minister Rafik Abdessalem Bouchlaka and ex-intelligence chief Kamel Guizani were also sentenced in Saied suspended the Tunisian parliament in 2021 and began ruling by then, Tunisian and foreign rights groups have reported growing political repression in the country that sparked the 2011 Arab Spring opposition leaders have been jailed since 2021, along with some journalists, lawyers, activists and social media has rejected accusations of repression, saying his actions are aimed at bringing an end to the chaos and corruption under previous governments. More stories from Tunisia: Is democracy in Tunisia being destroyed?Pink flamingos 'seized from smugglers' in TunisiaTunisia lawyer arrested during live news broadcast Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
