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March
Russia quits Council of Europe rights watchdog
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russia on Tuesday quit the Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog based in Strasbourg, pre-empting possible expulsion over its attack on its neighbour Ukraine.
Pyotr Tolstoy, head of the Russian delegation at the Council's Parliamentary Assembly, said on his Telegram channel that he had handed over a letter from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announcing Moscow's decision.
The Council of Europe, whose brief is to uphold human rights and the rule of law and is separate from the European Union, had suspended Russia's membership on Feb. 25, the day after it invaded Ukraine.
Moscow said last week that the U.S.-led NATO alliance and EU countries were undermining the Council and Russia would no longer participate.
On Monday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal urged the Council to expel Russia, telling the assembly that those responsible for "this unprovoked and unjustified aggression cannot stay in the single European family where human life is the highest value".
The Kremlin said last month that Russia's suspension was unfair, but provided a good reason to "slam the door" for good on the organisation, giving Moscow an opportunity to restore the death penalty for dangerous criminals. read more
Russia describes its invasion of Ukraine as a "special operation" to demilitarise and "denazify" Ukraine and prevent a genocide of Russian-speakers. Ukraine and Western allies call this a baseless pretext for a war of choice.
The Council was founded in 1949 in an attempt to enshrine human rights in Europe's post-war order. It drew up the European Convention on Human Rights, which in turn established the European Court of Human Rights. Russia joined in 1996.
Leonid Slutsky, head of the International Affairs Committee of Russia's lower house of parliament, said the countries of NATO and the EU had seen the Council as "a means of ideological support for their military-political and economic expansion to the east".
Russia would now withdraw from the Human Rights Convention.
"But don't be afraid," he wrote on his Telegram channel. "All rights will be guaranteed in our country, necessarily and unconditionally." (reuters)
March
U.S. targets Russians over Ukraine invasion, human rights violations
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Russian military leaders and people it accused of being connected to human rights violations while slapping fresh measures on Moscow's close ally Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.
They were the latest sanctions imposed on Moscow since Russian forces invaded Ukraine nearly three weeks ago in the biggest assault on a European state since World War Two. Moscow calls the assault a "special operation."
The U.S. State Department announced the sanctions on 11 Russian military leaders, including several deputy ministers of defense and Viktor Zolotov, chief of Russia's national guard and a member of Russian President Vladimir Putin's security council.
The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets those targeted may have and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.
The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on four Russians and one entity it accused of playing a role in concealing events around the death of whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky or of being connected to human rights violations against human rights advocate Oyub Titiev.
A Treasury statement said it was adding to its sanctions against Lukashenko and also targeting his wife.
Andrea Gacki, the head of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, said in the statement its sanctions were the consequences for people engaged in corruption or connected to gross violations of human rights.
"We condemn Russia's attacks on humanitarian corridors in Ukraine and call on Russia to cease its unprovoked and brutal war against Ukraine," she said.
Magnitsky was a Russian lawyer arrested in 2008 after alleging that Russian officials were involved in large-scale tax fraud. Magnitsky died in a Moscow prison in 2009 after complaining of mistreatment.
Tuesday's measures targeted Judge Natalia Mushnikova, accused by Treasury of "participating in efforts to conceal the legal liability for the detention, abuse, or death" of Magnitsky.
Sanctions were also imposed on the Kurchaloi District of the Chechen Republic Branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, whose officers arrested Titiev in 2018 and charged him with possession of drugs.
Those sanctioned include Nurid Salamov, the investigator who opened the case against Titiev; Khusein Khutaev, the officer who allegedly spotted drugs in Titiev’s car; and Dzhabrail Akhmatov, who the Treasury said decided to bring charges against Titiev.
Titiev, head of the Memorial human rights centre in Chechnya, was detained and accused of possessing illegal drugs in 2018. Titiev said the police had planted the drugs on him during a shake-down. He was sentenced to 4 years in a penal colony. (reuters)
March
EU plans to buy measles, polio vaccines for Ukraine refugees
Written by Nur Yasmin
The European Union is planning to buy and distribute vaccines against measles, polio, tuberculosis and COVID-19 to immunise Ukrainian children and other unvaccinated Ukrainian refugees, EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said on Tuesday.
Nearly three weeks into a Russian invasion, the number of Ukrainians fleeing abroad has approached 3 million, half of them children, according to estimates from the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR). They have mostly gone to EU countries, and many more are expected. read more
"Vaccination coverage in Ukraine was very low for several vaccine preventable diseases, especially for children, such as tuberculosis, polio, measles, but also for COVID-19," Kyriakides told EU health ministers in a video-conference meeting on the Ukraine crisis, according to speaking points shared with the media.
She added the bloc was planning to procure vaccines to immunise the refugees against these diseases.
Measles, polio and tuberculosis vaccination rates in Ukraine are estimated to be below the recommended levels to stop outbreaks, which the World Health Organization (WHO) sets at around 95% to achieve population-wide protection.
In 2020, 82% of Ukrainian children had been vaccinated against measles and about 93% of the population was immunised against tuberculosis. The latest figures on polio vaccinations show that 84% of children had been immunised, but the proportion dropped to 60% in some regions.
The EU has set up a mechanism to ease the transfer of sick Ukrainian refugees to hospitals across Europe to prevent healthcare facilities in neighbouring countries from being overwhelmed.
The first patients were transferred this week from Poland to Italy.
The EU is also planning to set up alongside the WHO triage hubs at the borders with Ukraine to make a first diagnosis and speed up medical transfers, Kyriakides said.
Outbreaks of COVID-19 are also possible given the low level of vaccination among Ukrainians and the cramped conditions in which they are travelling to the EU.
Fewer than 35% of Ukrainians are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, half the EU average of over 70%, according to the WHO.
There are no plans at the moment for COVID-19 vaccination requirements for refugees, but campaigns to raise awareness on the need and availability of vaccines are being considered, an EU officials said.
"A vaccine mandate would not be the best way to begin welcoming Ukrainian people who flee the war," France's health minister Olivier Veran told a news conference at the end of the meeting, when asked whether refugees should be required to get a shot.
Kyriakides said that EU countries had at the moment enough spare doses to vaccinate Ukrainian refugees against COVID-19. (reuters)
March
NATO nations to meet in Brussels on March 24, says Stoltenberg
Written by Nur Yasmin
NATO leaders will meet in Brussels on March 24 to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the alliance's chief wrote on Twitter.
"I have convened an extraordinary Summit on 24 March at NATO HQ," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wrote. "We will address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, our strong support for Ukraine, and further strengthening NATO’s deterrence & defence. At this critical time, North America & Europe must continue to stand together." (reuters)
March
Armenia ready to establish diplomatic ties with Turkey, RIA says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Armenia is ready to establish diplomatic relations and open its border with Turkey, Russia's RIA news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said last week he held "productive and constructive" talks with Mirzoyan as they bid to mend ties after decades of animosity. (reuters)
March
Myanmar army engaged in torture, mass killings, war crimes - U.N.
Written by Nur Yasmin
Myanmar's military has engaged in systematic human rights violations, many amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, the United Nations said on Tuesday, in its first comprehensive human rights report since last year's coup.
Security forces have shown a flagrant disregard for human life, using air strikes and heavy weapons on populated areas and deliberately targeting civilians, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said.
Many victims were shot in the head, burned to death, arrested arbitrarily, tortured, or used as human shields, she said in a statement on the report, which urged "meaningful action" by the international community.
"The appalling breadth and scale of violations of international law suffered by the people of Myanmar demand a firm, unified, and resolute international response," Bachelet said.
Myanmar's military spokesperson did not answer calls seeking comment on the U.N. report on Tuesday.
The military says it has a duty to ensure peace and security. It has denied atrocities have taken place and has blamed "terrorists" for causing unrest.
The junta has failed to consolidate power since its overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February 2021 triggered a backlash of a kind not seen in decades.
Western countries have imposed broad sanctions on the military and its businesses after anti-coup protests were lethally suppressed by troops, with thousands of people arrested and many prosecuted, including Suu Kyi, who has since been convicted of crimes that include incitement.
The U.N. report said it was based on interviews with scores of victims of abuse and witnesses, whose accounts were corroborated with satellite imagery, verified multimedia files and open-source information.
The army has met sustained resistance in the countryside from militias allied with the ousted government. The U.N. report said troops had carried out mass killings in the Sagaing region, with some victims found dead with their hands and feet tied.
In Kayah State, burned bodies of women and children were found, some in positions indicating they had tried to escape and were burned alive, it said.
The report found detainees were tortured during interrogation, including suspension from ceilings, electrocution, injection of drugs and some subjected to sexual violence, including rape.
The junta has in the past year scolded the U.N. and its independent experts for interference and what it calls reliance on distorted information from partisan groups.
The report also said at least 543 people had been killed for their perceived support of the military government. (reuters)
March
UNHCR chief asks world not to forget Afghanistan during Ukraine crisis
Written by Nur Yasmin
The dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan should not be forgotten as the world's attention is focused on the conflict in Ukraine, the United Nation's High Commissioner for Refugees said on Tuesday ahead of a key donor conference set to take place this month.
During a visit to the Afghan capital, U.N. high commissioner Filippo Grandi said that the war in Ukraine and the ensuing refugee crisis was "rightly" the focus of global attention, but added the international community could not afford to neglect Afghanistan.
The war-torn country's economy collapsed last year and thousands fled after U.S. and other foreign forces withdrew and the Islamist Taliban took over the country.
"I thought it was important to pass the message that other situations, which also require political attention and resources should not be forgotten or neglected, especially Afghanistan," Grandi said.
Afghanistan has around 3.4 million people displaced within the country, according to U.N. figures, and around 2.6 million refugees outside the country. Thousands were evacuated from the country in the wake of the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August.
For those left behind, the economic situation is dire with roughly 23 million people experiencing acute hunger and 95% of the population not eating enough food, according to the U.N.
Grandi said the Taliban needed to show its commitment to certain milestones including girls' education that could lead to the international community moving towards formally recognising Afghan authorities. Currently, the country's banking sector is largely frozen due to U.S.-backed sanctions, while development aid that formed the backbone of government finances has been cut off.
Grandi said he discussed these topics with Taliban officials and raised the issue of "patchy" access around the country by female U.N. workers to work outside offices in the field.
Grandi said he was concerned that the initial enthusiasm from the international community at a previous donor conference in September could be waning.
The United Kingdom is hosting a virtual pledging summit for donors this month to help garner pledges for the $4.4 billion total the U.N. has asked for Afghanistan.
"I can feel already that it is getting a bit tired and unfortunately Ukraine is going to siphon off a lot of resources," he said.
"We have to be careful, this country cannot afford a decrease in humanitarian assistance for the timebeing whilst everything else is being discussed - sanctions, frozen funds, development, capacity building - that will take time." (reuters)
March
The number of women who died by suicide in Japan rose for a second straight year in 2021 although the overall number of people who took their own lives in the country edged down, police said on Tuesday.
Suicide has a long history in Japan as a way of avoiding shame or dishonour, and its suicide rate had long topped the Group of Seven nations, but a concerted national effort brought numbers down by roughly 40 percent over 15 years - although they rose in 2020 due to stresses brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, the Health Ministry said.
While the overall number of suicides edged down by 74 to 21,007 from the year before, the number of women who took their own lives rose by 42 to 7,068, the second straight year of increase, according to data from the National Police Agency.
By contrast, the number of men who died by suicide decreased by 116 to 13,939.
No explanations for the difference were immediately available, but officials have previously said the coronavirus pandemic placed extra stresses on women due to a number of reasons, including job losses in the service and retail sectors where women tend to work.
The number of suicides peaked at 34,427 in 2003, alarming policymakers who drew up a comprehensive prevention programme launched in 2007. By 2019, just before the coronavirus struck, suicides had decreased to just over 20,000. (reuters)
March
Japan PM says world's response to Russia could shape new era following post-Cold War period
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday that the Russian invasion of Ukraine may have ushered in a new era after the post-Cold War period, and the way the world responds will likely shape that new era.
Japan, keeping pace with its Group of Seven peers, has frozen assets of major Russian banks, President Vladimir Putin and other leaders, while joining the West in blocking certain Russian banks' access to international payments system SWIFT.
"The Russian invasion of Ukraine is greatly changing the appearance of the international community. A new era that comes after the post-Cold War period may already be starting," Kishida said in a video message during an online seminar.
"Whether the world can respond resolutely to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and protect the core of the international order is a litmus test to foresee the era that follows the post-Cold War period."
More than two weeks after the Feb. 24 invasion, Ukraine has said it is in talks with Russia on a ceasefire and immediate withdrawal of troops. Truces designed to get aid to Ukrainian cities besieged by Russian forces and to evacuate civilians have frequently failed. (reuters)
March
Marcos Jr holds big lead in poll for Philippines presidency
Written by Nur Yasmin
The son and namesake of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos has maintained a strong lead in the Philippines' presidential election race, according to an opinion poll published on Monday.
The Feb 18-23 survey by independent pollster Pulse Asia showed Marcos cornering 60% of support from 2,400 respondents, unchanged from January, with his closest rival Leni Robredo, the incumbent vice president, sliding from 16% to 15%. read more
The other main presidential contenders for the May 9 contest - Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso, boxing great Manny Pacquiao and Senator Panfilo Lacson - received 10%, 8% and 2%, respectively.
Sara Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte, remained the top choice for vice president, with a 29-point lead over her closest rival, Senate speaker Vicente Sotto.
Duterte-Carpio is the running mate of Marcos. In the Philippines, the vice president is elected separately to the president.
More than 67 million Filipinos, including 1.7 million overseas, have registered to vote in the elections, which historically have a high turnout.
Posts contested include the presidency, vice presidency, 12 senate seats, 300 lower house seats, and roughly 18,000 local positions. Official campaigning began on Feb. 8. (Reuters)