Category: Legal

BEIJING — Chinese authorities have squelched virtually all online discussion of sexual assault accusations apparently made by a Chinese professional tennis star against a former top government official, showing how sensitive the ruling Communist Party is to such charges.

In a lengthy social media post that disappeared quickly, Peng Shuai wrote that Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier and member of the party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee, had forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals following a round of tennis three years ago. Her post also said they had sex once seven years ago and she had feelings for him after that.

Peng is a former top-ranked doubles player, taking 23 tour-level doubles titles, including Grand Slams at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014.

The Associated Press could not verify the authenticity of her post, which was made late Tuesday night by her verified account on Weibo, a leading Chinese social media platform. The post was removed soon after, and a search on Weibo for Peng’s account now turns up no results. Neither she nor Zhang could be reached for comment.

The accusation is the first against a prominent government official since the #MeToo movement took hold in China in 2018 before being largely tamped down by authorities the same year. Earlier accusations were confined to the media, advocacy groups and academia.

The Communist Party’s response illustrates its determination to control public discourse and restrain social movements it can’t be sure of controlling. While social media has become ubiquitous in China, it remains firmly under party control.

Screenshots of the post have circulated on Twitter, which is blocked in China, reinvigorating discussion on that platform about gender relations in China, where men dominate the top levels in politics and business.

In the post, Peng, 35, wrote that Zhang, now 75, and his wife arranged to play tennis in Beijing about three years ago and that he later brought her into a room at his home where the assault occurred.

“I was so frightened that afternoon, never thinking that this thing could happen,” the post says.

Rumors and overseas reports about affairs between younger women and leading officials have long been staples of Chinese politics, starting with the founder of the People’s Republic, Mao Zedong.

Cases brought against present and former officials under party leader and President Xi Jinping’s decade-long anti-corruption campaign also frequently feature accusations of “lascivious lifestyles,” along with bribery and abusing their positions.

Zhang retired in 2018 and has largely disappeared from public life, as is usual with former Chinese officials.

Peng hasn’t played at the top tier since the Qatar Open in February 2020. In singles, she reached the semifinals of the 2014 U.S. Open and the Round of 16 at the subsequent Australian Open, but hasn’t progressed beyond the third round at any major since Wimbledon in 2017.

The Communist Party has increasingly cracked down on civil society, including the #MeToo movement that has struggled to gain traction in the country.

Zhou Xiaoxuan, a former intern at Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, was shoved by bystanders in September as she went to court in a case against a well-known presenter.

Since then, the movement has been largely shut down by authorities as activists found their online posts censored and faced pressure from authorities when trying to hold protests.

Source: Voice of America

Mina Akbari used to have a busy work schedule, presenting two daily shows for Shamshad TV in Kabul, and preparing content on women’s issues for Nargis, a radio station in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province.

But since the Taliban took Kabul on August 15, Akbari has been at home, too scared to return to work.

Nargis, the station where she worked, is one of at least three radio broadcasters run or staffed by women that have made changes to staff or programming out of concern that the Taliban may retaliate against them. One has temporarily suspended operations.

While none have received direct orders by the Taliban, under the group’s previous rule women were not allowed to work or have high-profile roles. And since it took power, girls aged 12 to 18 have been told to stay at home.

The Taliban’s acting deputy minister for information and culture, Zabihullah Mujahid, told VOA last month that women will be allowed to return when it is safe.

“It is for the Islamic scholars to decide the rules for women and teach them how to work or continue their education,” Mujahid said, adding that the Taliban is waiting for the scholars to inform the government of their decision.

The Taliban have also said that private media would be allowed to operate freely, as long as they did not go against Islam. But the group has circulated media guidelines, and rights groups have cited a spike in violence and threats perpetrated by Taliban members in the past two months.

Some journalists at state-run stations have also said they were blocked from working. Shabnam Dawran, an anchor for the state-run Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), spoke publicly about how Taliban members prevented her from going to work.

Source: Voice of America

On October 14, the UAE won membership on the UN Human Rights Council for the 2022-2024 term after obtaining 180 votes from countries during elections that took place among members of the United Nations General Assembly by direct secret ballot.

The UAE expressed its appreciation for being elected to this seat, as the country continues its efforts to promote and protect human rights on the national, regional, and international levels.

In presenting its candidacy for the seat, the UAE was presented with the opportunity to highlight the significant progress it has made in recent years to advance human rights, particularly for the most vulnerable members of society.

As home to more than 200 nationalities from a diverse set of ethnic and religious backgrounds, the UAE is deeply committed to human rights and to building upon its steady progress in this field. Over the years, the UAE has enacted a series of laws and regulations that enshrine certain fundamental rights, providing for the fair treatment of all its citizens and residents, especially women, children, workers and persons with special needs, as outlined in the UAE Constitution.

The UAE has also signed multiple treaties to protect human rights and is steadfast in working closely with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Secretariat in order to strengthen and protect human rights globally.

In cooperating with UN bodies and other nations that share a vision for the welfare and prosperity of all peoples, the UAE has worked tirelessly to champion solutions to some of humanity’s most pressing challenges in the human rights field.

It is the UAE’s very belief in the strength of the UN system that underpins its commitment to multilateralism in continuing to progress in this area. Recognising that there is always more that can be done to advance human rights, the UAE continues to plan, monitor, report, learn, and enhance additional mechanisms, even where they are already guaranteed in law, in concert with its international partners.

Domestically, the UAE is working to strengthen human rights protections through two critical entities: the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) and the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI).

The Committee is primarily responsible for drafting the National Human Rights Action Plan, which will serve as a comprehensive and integrated national human rights framework in the UAE.

The NHRI, announced in August by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is an entirely independent body charged with submitting proposals on the extent to which legislation and laws are compatible with international treaties and conventions on human rights to which the UAE is a party.

The UAE is undergoing an extensive consultation process to enact the National Human Rights Action Plan, identifying current areas of improvement while facilitating cooperation between various agencies involved in the promotion of human rights, and generating increased commitment to action among different segments of society, including members of the public and non-governmental organisations.

Moreover, the UAE has remained steadfast in its commitment to protecting human rights through the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, which closely collaborates with international and regional law enforcement officials to apprehend and punish those who violate human trafficking laws.

Through a five-pronged approach protection and prevention, prosecution of offenders, punishment, the promotion of international cooperation, and the protection of victims, the UAE is fighting human trafficking at home and abroad.

As signatory to some of the world’s most prominent conventions on human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, the UAE remains determined to champion international best practices in the promotion of human rights, while exchanging expertise and experience with its partners.

The UAE continues to champion developments in human rights laws, particularly in federal penal code. In 2020, the UAE removed the defence of honour crimes, which are now treated as murder, in line with the country’s commitment to protecting women’s rights and promoting the principles of the rule of law.

Earlier this year, the UAE Government adopted an amendment to the Commercial Companies Law allowing foreign investors and entrepreneurs 100 percent ownership of onshore companies.

Legislative changes including Federal Decree Law No. 10 of 2019 on protection from domestic violence and the amended Federal Decree Law No. 2 of 2015 on combating discrimination and hatred to include creed and gender, have further strengthened safeguards for women.

With the latest series of major reforms, the UAE has taken a further step to enshrine civil protections for all those who call the country home.

They are part of UAE’s ongoing efforts to develop its legislative structure and system, and reinforces the country’s commitment to provide a legislative environment compatible with multiculturalism and diversity, in line with relevant international human rights conventions.

It is worth noting the various achievements of the UAE in safeguarding the rights of all segments of society.

Women and men in the UAE are fully empowered members of society and enjoy the same legal status, claim to titles, access to education, healthcare, employment, pay, and the right to inherit property.

Ranking first in the region in the UNDP Gender Inequality Index for its success in promoting gender balance, the UAE has exerted significant effort to reinforce protections for women.

Reaffirming our commitment to gender equality is the UAE’s partnership with UN Women, which maintains its Liaison Office for the GCC in Abu Dhabi, as well as the UAE Gender Balance Council established since 2015.

All children in the UAE are protected by a wide range of rights and legislation, guaranteeing their protection, right to a quality education, health, and access to welfare, including through the UAE’s Child Rights Law (Wadeema’s Law), which protects children from physical and psychological abuse, negligence, and exploitation while ensuring their basic needs are fulfilled.

People of determination in the UAE are protected by UAE laws that guarantee them a life of dignity with equal access to education and healthcare, social inclusion, economic health, job opportunities, and cultural and recreational services. For their part, senior citizens in the UAE benefit from free healthcare, community involvement, effective civic participation, infrastructure and transportation support, financial stability, safety and security and a high quality of life.

With regards to its multinational workforce, the UAE is steadfast in its conviction that respect for labor rights is a moral, cultural, and economic imperative.

The UAE has taken active and resolute steps in implementing laws, regulations, policies, and monitoring measures to consistently enhance the working conditions of its labor force and address any gaps.

As the signatory to nine International Labour Organisation conventions, the UAE is keen to support workers in accessing dignified housing, proper working conditions, standard contract terms, and legal support when needed.

In addition, with regards to the rights of inmates in the UAE, correctional facilities comply with international standards and are committed to rehabilitation.

Inmates receive proper healthcare, nutrition, recreation, exercise, education, training, and communication with their families and lawyers.

In October this year, the UAE remained the best country in the MENA region for its civil and criminal justice system in the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index 2021.

This reinforces the UAE’s position that ensures a fair and impartial justice system, in accordance with the UAE law, where citizens, residents and visitors can feel safe and secure at all times.

As an active and engaged member of the Human Rights Council, the UAE looks forward to fostering ties of cooperation and constructive dialogue among member states to achieve a common vision in which human rights for all are respected and upheld worldwide.

By achieving the highest attainable standards, the UAE is committed to upholding mutual values and inspiring real positive change, as it stands together for the third time in its history with the UN Human Rights Council to protect the fundamental rights of every human being.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation

The National Human Rights Committee held its fifth meeting, headed by Dr. Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee, in the presence of members of the National Committee, and representatives of a number of institutions and government agencies in the country, to discuss human rights developments in UAE.

At the beginning of the meeting, Gargash underscored the important role played by the National Human Rights Committee in supporting national efforts in this regard, and its role in following up on strengthening cooperation frameworks with relevant regional and international organisations.

Gargash noted that, during the past 50 years, the UAE has accomplished many achievements in the field of promoting and protecting human rights, thanks to the vision of its wise leadership and the cohesion of people and society with the leadership, contributing to building and developing a strong legislative, strategic and institutional system that serves the community.

Moreover, he indicated that the National Committee is looking forward, during the coming period, to intensifying its efforts in the human rights topics, in line with the UAE’s 10 new principles adopted by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Furthermore, the National Committee reviewed several priority topics in the field of human rights at the national level, the most important of which was the issuance of Federal Law No. (12) of 2021 regarding the establishment of the National Human Rights Authority, in addition to the UAE’s victory for the third time for membership in the Human Rights Council from 2022 – 2024.

In this context, he indicated that the UAE’s victory expresses the international appreciation for its efforts on this topic, and an affirmation of the effective contribution it makes and its role in enriching and developing the work and performance of the Human Rights Council.

The attendees also reviewed the latest developments in the preparation of the National Human Rights Plan, and the activities, programs and events that the committee will organise during the next phase.

At the international level, the Committee reviewed entitlements and obligations of the UAE within the framework of the United Nations human rights bodies, mechanisms and committees, including the progress of preparing and reviewing periodic national reports by the UAE within the framework of the human rights pledge committees, and in the framework of the Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights of the Human Rights Council.

At the end of the meeting, Gargash praised the important role played by the member bodies of the National Committee, and the prominent role they play in the field of human rights in the country.

He also praised the cooperation and contribution of government agencies, local bodies, civil society institutions and academic institutions in the workshops organised by the Committee to prepare the National Human Rights Plan.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation

As recently as last week, the U.S. immigration service was using six officers to process about 14,000 humanitarian requests for Afghans seeking relocation to the United States following the Taliban takeover of the country in August.

That’s what the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service recently told congressional staff, Congressman Jim Langevin, a Democrat from Rhode Island, said Thursday during a House Homeland Security Committee meeting.

“I want to say that again: 14,000 humanitarian parole applications with just six officers,” Langevin said. “That is completely and utterly unacceptable, and I call on USCIS to address the shortcoming immediately.”

A spokesman for Langevin told VOA that the information about the USCIS backlog came during an October 12 agency briefing for congressional staff.

Emergency permission

Humanitarian parole is a special permission given to foreigners to enter the United States under emergency circumstances. While it does not automatically lead to permanent residence, “parolees” can apply for legal status once they’re in the U.S.

In a typical year, USCIS gets fewer than 2,000 humanitarian parole requests from around the world, according to a USCIS official, who spoke on background.

But since August, the agency has received a total of nearly 20,000 such requests for Afghan nationals outside the United States, the official said in a statement to VOA on Friday. That is up from 14,000 in mid-October.

The vast majority of the applications have been filed by Afghan Americans on behalf of relatives back home who have no other options for relocating to the United States, according to community activists. A much larger number of Afghans with ties to the U.S. military, U.S. government and U.S. non-governmental organizations have applied for special immigrant visas or refugee status.

Asked about Langevin’s criticism of the humanitarian parole backlog, the official said the agency is actively assigning additional staff to address the workload.

“USCIS issued an agencywide request for volunteers to help process applications for humanitarian and significant public benefit parole and the agency will have significantly more staff assigned to this workload in the coming weeks,” the official said.

The deluge of applications has nonetheless overwhelmed the immigration service.

Afghan American lawyer Wogai Mohmand said the number of Afghan humanitarian parole requests could reach as high as 150,000 in a year.

“Their systems are not equipped to deal with that kind of volume,” Mohmand said during a recent webinar hosted by several advocacy organizations. “Frankly, they don’t have enough staff to look at all those applications.”

And assigning more officials to the humanitarian parole cases is not going to help anyone get out of Afghanistan, according to Sunil Varghese, policy director for International Refugee Assistance Project.

Varghese said that before parolees are admitted into the United States, they must have their fingerprints taken, identifies verified and travel documents issued by the U.S. embassy.

But the U.S. embassy in Kabul shut down at the end of August and moved to Doha, Qatar. As a result, once an Afghan applicant is deemed eligible for parole, he or she is instructed by USCIS to travel to a third country for vetting and biometrics.

With foreign visas hard to come by and regular commercial flights yet to resume, traveling to a third country for vetting is not an option for most Afghans, according to advocates.

If they do make it through the process “the Department of State issues a boarding letter for the applicant to take a commercial carrier, at their own expense, to the United States,” the official explained.

Even in the best of circumstances, the difficulty many Afghans face in reaching an overseas U.S. consulate has had undesirable consequences. Take the case of Fatima Khashee. As security deteriorated in July, the 61-year-old’s son, a U.S. permanent resident, filed a humanitarian parole request on her behalf.

In her case, USCIS acted fairly quickly, approving her application within 20 days on August 24, according to her son, who requested that he not be identified by name.

But by then the Taliban had overrun the country. The embassy, having relocated to the Kabul international airport, had transferred her case to Turkey. By the time she made it to Istanbul 30 days later, her parole authorization expired.

“It wasn’t my mother’s fault that her parole was expired,” the son said in a message to VOA. “She paid triple of regular price to get [the] first flights [that] became available out of Afghanistan. She tried every possible channel to get out sooner, but all land borders and airlines were closed.”

One month later, Khashee remains stuck at an Istanbul hotel, waiting for what her son describes as a long-overdue, updated parole reauthorization.

“That is unbelievable and very disappointing,” he said of the six officers adjudicating 14,000 applications.

It costs $575 to apply for humanitarian parole, a figure that adds up to several thousand dollars for a family of six and that some members of Congress want to see waived. Despite the cost and uncertainty over their approval, however, many Afghan Americans continue to file applications for their loved ones.

“First, they don’t have any other options available,” Khashee’s son said. “Secondly, they are all still hopeful that the USCIS approve their cases considering the situation in Afghanistan. Most of them are not aware how hard it is to be approved for humanitarian parole.”

The USCIS official did not respond to questions about whether the agency has approved any Afghan humanitarian parole requests and how long it would take the agency to clear the backlog.

Source: Voice of America

The UAE maintains a firm belief that the international community must work together to honor shared commitments towards achieving zero poverty, said Sultan Mohammed Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Development Affairs.

Al Shamsi made the remarks in a statement issued today to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

Below is the full text of the statement: As part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals’ aim of “ending poverty everywhere,” the UAE has dedicated significant effort in recent years to assist those in need in meeting their basic needs, such as health, education, nutrition and access to water and sanitation. The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17 presents an opportunity to further mobilise international action in putting an end to the needless suffering that accompanies extreme poverty.

Extending from its humanitarian approach to improve the quality of life of communities worldwide, the UAE works tirelessly with its international partners including states and international organisations to extend assistance to the more than 1 billion people who live under the poverty level. Recognising the link between the eradication of poverty and the improvement of security, stability, and prosperity, the UAE maintains the firm belief that the international community must work together to honor shared commitments towards achieving zero poverty.

At the international level, the UAE is a key contributor to many global humanitarian initiatives focused on eradicating poverty.

To achieve the End Poverty Goal of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the UAE has focused on improving education, promoting economic growth, creating jobs, developing local labor markets, and encouraging entrepreneurship particularly among youth and women in partner countries. By championing innovative approaches tailored to local conditions, the UAE and its partners strive to end poverty in a sustainable manner.

As the UAE prepares to commemorate 50 years since its founding as a nation, it is committed to serving as a more effective donor in the years to come. In reflection of its developmental model, which places multilateralism and collaboration at the forefront of strategic priorities, the UAE will also expand partnerships with relevant international organisations and seek out opportunities for private sector engagement as a critical element of achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Ultimately, it is only through cooperation between members of the international community that the UAE believes poverty can be eliminated, thereby enabling those in need to live healthy, productive, and quality lives.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation

CAIRO — Prominent Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah is to appear in court on Monday after spending more than two years in pre-trial detention, a lawyer and family members said.

Abdel-Fattah, his lawyer Mohamed al-Baqer and blogger Mohamed Ibrahim will be tried in a State Security court whose verdicts cannot be appealed, lawyer Khaled Ali said Saturday on social media.

Abdel-Fattah’s mother, Leila Soueif, said her son had been questioned in September about “spreading false news.”

“We do not know exactly what the accusations are because the lawyers haven’t been officially notified yet,” she told AFP.

His sister Mona Seif visited him Saturday at Cairo’s notorious Tora prison, where he told her the news, Soueif said.

Abdel-Fattah was a prominent figure in Egypt’s 2011 uprising against autocratic President Hosni Mubarak and had already spent time in jail before his 2019 arrest.

He and lawyer Baqer were imprisoned after rare, small-scale protests in September that year against the government of current President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

They were both added to Cairo’s “terror” list late last year, a move involving a travel ban and an assets freeze.

Ibrahim, founder of the “Oxygen Egypt” blog, was arrested in September 2019 for posting protest-related videos, according to Amnesty International.

El-Sissi, a former army chief, took power in 2014 and has launched a sweeping crackdown on dissent, with rights groups estimating that Egypt holds about 60,000 political prisoners.

Pre-trial detention can last up to two years under Egyptian law, but detainees are often kept waiting behind bars for longer.

Abdel-Fattah’s sister said he was “behaving as if he was going to die in prison.”

“I have never seen my brother in such a state, he is extremely angry, exhausted and jaded,” Seif wrote on Twitter.

Soueif said the development came against the backdrop of an “international campaign to get rid of unlimited preventive detention.”

She said her son had spent a total of seven years in prison.

Source: Voice of America

Mr. Rashid Abdulla Al Qaseer Deputy Director of MoFAIC’s Dubai Office met with His Excellency H.E. Khalid Ben Sheikh Consul General of the Kingdome of Morocco in Dubai and received his credentials.

Al Qaseer welcomed the Consul General and hailed the political, economic, commercial and investment relations that bind the two friendly countries, wishing him success in his duties.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation

Represented by the Agricultural Affairs Department, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) and Souq Waqif management, are organizing the Third Local Dates Festival 2021, with participation of a number of local farms and national

The festival aims at promoting national dates and introducing different dates types, in addition to helping owners of local farms to find an outlet to display and market dates and their products directly to the public, which would positively reflect on their sales volume, enhance their ability to increase production and develop marketing strategies for dates. It is also an opportunity to exchange experiences between producers and processors of local dates in a way that contribute to the development of this important sector, increasing palm-planted areas and resulting in the finest produce.

Source: Ministry of Municipality and Environment

On Monday morning, 11 October, events of the 49th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) began virtually via video conferencing, under the theme ?Making a Difference in Food Security and Nutrition?. The session will be held until Thursday, 14 October 2021.

Represented by Dr. Masoud Jarallah Al-Marri, Director of the Food Security Department, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) participate in this session, which focuses on the 2021 State of Food Security and Nutrition report, as well as the adoption of CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition, CFS Multi-Year Programme of Work and other ongoing CFS work streams and priorities.

It is worth noting that CFS is an intergovernmental body, responsible for reviewing and monitoring food security and nutrition policies. The Committee develops policy recommendations and guidelines on food security and nutrition topics.

Source: Ministry of Municipality and Environment