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Vatican: Supervision of financial movements strengthened – Vatican News

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Vatican: Supervision of financial movements strengthened - Vatican News

By Sergio Centofanti

The Holy See Press Office published on Saturday the Decree of the President of the Governorate, Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, with which amendments were made to Law XVIII of 8 October 2013 on transparency, supervision and financial information.

The changes are part of the reform process requested by Pope Francis in order to make the management of Vatican economic resources more and more accurate and transparent.

This was discussed with Carmelo Barbagallo, President of the Financial Information Authority (FIA), the competent institution of the Holy See and Vatican City State in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.

Q: Dr. Barbagallo, can you tell us what is the purpose of these changes, and why it was necessary to make them?

Before entering into the merits of your question, I would like to say a few words about the importance of Law XVIII introduced in 2013. This legislation constitutes the stance of the Holy See and Vatican City State in the prevention and combating of money laundering and terrorist financing. It is a text in continuous and progressive evolution, which takes into account the Community sources of reference on the subject – which the Holy See has undertaken to transpose with the Monetary Convention between the European Union and Vatican City State of 2009 – and the characteristics of its jurisdiction. It makes it possible to constantly align the Vatican’s legislation with the best international standards. This work would not have been possible without the active participation of all interested parties: the Secretariat of State, the Governorate of Vatican City State, the Secretariat for the Economy, as well as the Financial Information Authority. I, therefore, take this opportunity to thank everyone.

In reference to your question, with the changes now introduced, the Fifth Directive of the European Union on the prevention and fight against money laundering and terrorist financing has been transposed and some of the rules referring to the Fourth Directive have been improved. I would also like to emphasize how the opportunity has been taken to transfer into this law the important progress made in recent years to make the supervisory activity more and more effective, first of all through an intensification of the mechanisms of collaboration between the different Authorities involved.

Q: This is, therefore, a new step by the Vatican in the direction of transparency and increasingly intense supervision of activities of a financial nature….

Yes. The latest amendments to Law XVIII are part of an overall strategy aimed at making the management of Vatican finances increasingly transparent, within a framework of intensive and coordinated checks. It is a path that has been accelerated since 2010, with the creation of the Financial Information Authority, and which finds its most recent and significant expression in the Motu Proprio of June 1 and the Ordinance of August 19, 2020, concerning respectively, the procedures for the award of public contracts and the obligation to report suspicious activities by Voluntary Organizations and Legal Persons.

Consistent with this path, Law XVIII has further strengthened the defense mechanisms and controls of entities that, in the performance of their noble purposes, are in various ways affected by financial flows (non-profit organizations, legal persons, voluntary organizations, public authorities).


Q: The Pope reiterated something last Thursday when he received the experts of Moneyval: that measures are needed to protect a “clean finance” to prevent merchants from “speculating in that sacred temple that is humanity”…

It is a fundamental duty of every system to protect and defend the dignity of every person. In this context, prudent management and effective control are not only legal but also moral duties.

This is even more true when it is the flow of money that is subject to supervision: Movements that may be at the service of a just cause, but may sometimes derive from illegal activities to be “cleaned up” or directed to sow terror. The awareness of potential threats and vulnerabilities, the effectiveness of controls, the transparency of financial choices also help to avoid risks that could affect the missionary and charitable activities of the Catholic Church.

For my part, I am convinced that the changes made to this Law, as well as all the regulations enacted in recent years, can demonstrate, both internally and to external observers, the firm commitment to a matter in which the Church takes an uncompromising position.

Buddhist Times News – Taiwan Prez Sets Terms for Talks With China Amid Row on Diktat to Indian Media

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Buddhist Times News – Taiwan Prez Sets Terms for Talks With China Amid Row on Diktat to Indian Media

By  —  Shyamal Sinha

Taiwan celebrates its National Day on October 10, the day is also more commonly known as “double tenth day”. It commemorates the start of the 1911 Wuchang Uprising in China. It is a day when Taiwanese people both at home and abroad celebrate.

Taiwan wants to have “meaningful dialogue” with China on an equal basis, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Saturday, extending an olive branch at a time of heightened military tension with Beijing, which claims the island as sovereign Chinese territory.

Democratic Taiwan has come under increasing pressure from Beijing, which has ramped up air force activity near the island in the past few weeks, including crossing the Taiwan Strait’s sensitive mid line that normally serves as an unofficial buffer zone.

China says it is responding to “collusion” between Washington and Taipei, angered at growing US support for the self-governed island. Beijing views this a precursor to Taiwan declaring formal independence, a red line for China.

Speaking at National Day celebrations, Tsai described the situation in the Taiwan Strait as “quite tense”. This, along with disputes in the South China Sea, a China-India border conflict and China’s crackdown in Hong Kong, showed democracy and peace in the region were facing big challenges, she said.

If Beijing can heed Taiwan’s voice and jointly facilitate reconciliation and peaceful dialogue, regional tension can surely be resolved, she added. “As long as the Beijing authorities are willing to resolve antagonisms and improve cross-strait relations, while parity and dignity are maintained, we are willing to work together to facilitate meaningful dialogue,” Tsai said.

“Our commitment to our sovereignty and democratic values will not change, but we will also maintain strategic flexibility and be responsive to changes,” she said, without elaborating.

There was no immediate reaction from China, which cut off a formal talks mechanism in 2016 after Tsai first won office.

Earlier this week, China was accused by Taiwan of trying to impose censorship in India after its embassy in New Delhi advised journalists to observe the “one-China” principle when newspapers carried advertisements for Taiwan’s national day.

China’s hackles were raised on Wednesday by advertisements placed in leading Indian newspapers by Taiwan’s government to mark the democratic, Chinese-claimed island’s national day. The advertisement carried a photograph of President Tsai and hailed India, a fellow democracy, as a natural partner of Taiwan.

China made its displeasure evident in an e-mail sent by its embassy on Wednesday night to journalists in India. “Regarding the so-called forthcoming ‘National Day of Taiwan’, the Chinese Embassy in India would like to remind our media friends that there is only one China in the world, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China,” the embassy said.

“We hope Indian media can stick to Indian government’s position on Taiwan question and do not violate the ‘One China’ principle.

“In particular, Taiwan shall not be referred to as a ‘country (nation)’ or ‘Republic of China’ or the leader of China’s Taiwan region as ‘President’, so as not to send the wrong signals to the general public.”

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu scoffed at Beijing’s advice to Indian media.

“India is the largest democracy on Earth with a vibrant press & freedom-loving people. But it looks like communist #China is hoping to march into the subcontinent by imposing censorship. #Taiwan’s Indian friends will have one reply: GET LOST!” he said in a tweet.

In what may rile China further, Taiwan’s foreign minister doubled down on its retort on the eve of its national day.

“Our hearts are touched in #Taiwan by this wonderful support. Thank you! When I say I like India, I really mean it. “Get Lost”,” Taiwan’s foreign ministry tweeted.

New Delhi has no formal diplomatic relations with Taipei, but both sides have close business and cultural ties.

“Every year on Taiwan National Day, we honour our beloved country and people, people whose concerted efforts mean that we’re able to gather and celebrate together in 2020, just as we do every year. The whole world can see that Taiwan finds strength in unity… On this day, we celebrate our nation’s hard-earned freedoms and democratic achievements,” she said in the run up to the big day.

Pope Francis: The fascination of God makes its powerful attraction felt – Vatican News

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Pope Francis: The fascination of God makes its powerful attraction felt - Vatican News

By Vatican News 

Greeting a delegation from the Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy in the Vatican on Saturday, the Pope told them that the poetry of Dante Alighieri is just as relevant today as it was 700 years ago.

Dante’s resonance

He said this “extraordinary exponent of a golden age of European civilization” has the ability to resonate with people. “Teenagers, for example…if they have the opportunity to approach Dante’s poetry in a way that is accessible to them, inevitably find, on the one hand, all the distance between the author and his world; and yet, on the other, they feel a surprising resonance.”

Pope Francis explained that “this happens especially where the fascination of the true, the beautiful and the good, ultimately the fascination of God makes its powerful attraction felt.”

Exile and inspiration

The Pope noted that “Ravenna, for Dante, is the city of the “last refuge”. The poet spent his remaining years there and completed his work the Divine Comedy, which included the final part called Paradise.

Pope Francis recalled Dante’s period of exile – the result of being on the losing side of a battle – which he said “so marked his existence and also inspired his writing.”

The poet Mario Luzi, said the Pope, “has highlighted the value of the upheaval and superior discovery that the experience of exile has reserved for Dante. This makes us immediately think of the Bible, the exile of the people of Israel to Babylon.”

Similarly, for Dante, he pointed out, “exile was so significant that it became a key to interpreting not only his life but the ‘journey’ of every man and woman in history and beyond.”

Invitation to hope

Dante’s death in Ravenna took place on the same day as the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Pope Francis noted that, in 1965, on the occasion of the seventh centenary of Dante’s birth, St. Paul VI donated to Ravenna a golden cross for his tomb.

“That same cross, on the occasion of this centenary,” he continued, “will shine again in the place that preserves the mortal remains of the Poet. May it be an invitation to hope, that hope of which Dante is a prophet.”

Pope Francis expressed the hope that the celebrations for the seventh centenary of the death of the “supreme Poet”, “will stimulate us to revisit his work [The Divine Comedy] so that, made aware of our condition as exiles, we allow ourselves to be motivated to that path of conversion.” 

“Dante, in fact, invites us once again to rediscover the lost or clouded sense of our human journey,” he said.

In conclusion, the Pope drew inspiration from St Paul VI’s invitation “to enrich ourselves with Dante’s experience to cross the many dark woods of our land and happily make our pilgrimage through history, to reach the goal dreamed and desired by every man: ‘the love that moves the sun and other stars.’”

Indian actress Sana Khan says she is turning to religion, quits career

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Indian actress Sana Khan says she is turning to religion, quits career
Apart from reality shows,Sana Khan was featured in many Hindi and regional language films. Photo Courtesy: NDTV/Telly Chakkar

Indian actress of Big Boss fame Sana Khan has bid goodbye to Bollywood and her acting career in order to spend her life “in the service of humanity” and following the orders of her “Creator”.

The announcement follows on the heels of Sana Khan’s messy and much publicised break-up with dancer Melvin Louis earlier this year. 

The 33-year old actress made the announcement in Hindi, English and Urdu, where she mentioned how grateful she is for whatever she was able to achieve in her career so far.

“Today I am talking to you standing at a crucial juncture of my life. For years, I have been living the Showbiz (film industry) life, and during this time I have been blessed with all kinds of fame, honour and wealth from my fans for which I am grateful to them,” Khan wrote on social media.

Read more: Farhan Akhtar hoping for Zaira Wasim’s return to Bollywood

Thanking her fans for their immense love and support during all these years in her statement, the actress said: “But for a few days now, I have been possessed of the realization that: Is the real purpose of man’s coming into this world only to chase wealth and fame?”

 Sana Khan’s detailed post of her quitting the industry shared on social media. Photo Courtesy: Timesnownews.com

“Isn’t it a part of his/her duty to spend his/her life in the service of those who are needy and helpless? Shouldn’t a person think that he/she could die at any moment? And what will happen to him after he/she is no more? I have been searching for answers to these two questions for a long period of time, especially the second question as to what will happen to me after my death?,” she said in her post.

Sana Khan congratulated on decision 

Following the announcement, religious scholar Maulana Taqi Usmani congratulated her for “setting an example of courage and bravery”.

Taking to Twitter, the scholar said: “Congratulations to Bollywood actress Sana Khan for turning her life towards the pleasure of Allah Almighty and setting an example of courage and determination.”

“May Allah Almighty grant her perfect perseverance and help her step by step and help her in this world and the hereafter,” he added.

Prolific career

<

p class=””>Apart from reality shows, Khan was featured in many Hindi and regional language films. 

According to Indian media, she made her debut in Bollywood with “Yehi Hai High Society” in 2005 and went on to star in movies like “Halla Bol”, “Jai Ho”, “Wajah Tum Ho” and “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha.” She also acted in Tamil movies like Silambattam”.

Khan also participated in reality shows such as “Bigg Boss” (season six) and “Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 6”.

Carlo Acutis: Millennial generation has a Blessed – Vatican News

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Carlo Acutis: Millennial generation has a Blessed - Vatican News

By Angela Mengis Palleck

He was only 15 years old when he died in a hospital in Monza, Italy, in 2006, offering all his sufferings for the Church and for the Pope.

Carlo Acutis, is being beatified on Saturday in Assisi. He was a normal, handsome and popular boy. A natural jokester who enjoyed making his classmates and teachers laugh. 

He loved playing soccer, video games, and had a sweet tooth. Carlo couldn’t say “no” to Nutella or to ice cream. Putting on weight made him understand the need for self control. It was one of the many struggles Carlo had to overcome – to learn how to master the art of self control, to master the virtue of temperance, starting by the simple things. He used to say, “What’s the use of winning 1,000 battles if you can’t beat your own passions?” 

“Being originals and not photocopies”

Carlo’s motto reflects the life of a normal teenager who strived to be the best version of himself, living the ordinary in an extraordinary way. He used his first savings to buy a sleeping bag for a homeless man he often saw on the way to Mass. He could have bought himself another video game for his game console collection. He loved to play video games. Instead, he chose to be generous. This was not an isolated instance. His funeral was packed with many of the city’s poor residents that Carlo had helped, demonstrating that the generosity he had extended to the homeless man on his way to Mass had been offered to many other people as well.

When he was gifted a diary, he decided to use it to track his progress: “good marks” if he behaved well and “bad marks” if he did not meet his expectations. This is how he tracked his progress. In that same notebook he jotted down, “Sadness is looking at oneself, happiness is looking at God. Conversion is nothing but a movement of the eyes”.

Natural jokester

He was a “natural jokester” as his mother, Antonia Salzano, once commented in an interview. His classmates would burst out in laughter at his remarks, and so would the teachers. Since he realized it could annoy and disrupt others, he made an effort to change in that regard as well. Making life pleasant for those around him through little acts was a constant in his life. He did not like the cleaning staff picking up after him, even if they were paid for that. So he set the alarm clock a few minutes earlier to tidy up his room and make the bed. Raejsh, a Hindu who cleaned at Carlo’s house, was impressed that someone “as handsome, young and rich” decided to live a simple life. “He captivated me with his deep faith, charity and purity,” he remarked. Through Carlo’s example, Raejsh decided to be baptized in the Catholic Church.

Cleanliness

Purity was very important in Carlo’s life. “Each person reflects the light of God”, was something he commonly said. It hurt him when his classmates did not live according to Christian morals. He would encourage them to do so, trying to help them understand that the human body is a gift from God and that sexuality had to be lived as God had intended. “The dignity of each human being was so great, that Carlo saw sexuality as something very special, as it was collaborating with God’s creation,” his mother recalled. 

Our new Blessed also enjoyed putting on his diving goggles and playing “fetch trash from the bottom of the sea”. When he took the dogs out for a walk, he always picked up whatever garbage he came across. It was his way of improving his corner of the world.

Passion for the Eucharist

Carlo’s true passion was the Eucharist: “his highway to heaven”. This led to his mother’s conversion. A woman who had only gone “three times to Mass in her life” was conquered in the end by the boy’s affection for Jesus. She enrolled herself in a theology course so she could answer all the questions of her young son.

At the age of 11, Carlo began to investigate the Eucharistic miracles that have occurred in history. He used all his computer knowledge and talents to create a website that traced that history. It comprises 160 panels and can be downloaded by clicking here and that have also made the rounds of more than 10,000 parishes in the world.

Carlo could not understand why stadiums were full of people and churches were empty. He would repeatedly say, “They have to see, they have to understand.”

Early Death

In Summer 2006, Carlo asked his mother: “Do you think I should become a priest?” She answered: “You will see it by yourself, God will reveal it to you.” At the beginning of that school year he did not feel well. It seemed like a normal flu. But when he didn’t get better, his parents took him to hospital. “I’m not getting out of here,” he said when he entered the building.

Shortly after, he was diagnosed with one of the worst types of leukemia – Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML or M3). His reaction was striking:

“I offer to the Lord the sufferings that I will have to undergo for the Pope and for the Church, so as not to have to be in Purgatory and be able to go directly to heaven.”

He died shortly after. 

“He is being a priest from heaven,” says his mother. 

Used with permission

Bengal Police respects all religion: Cops after turban controversy

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Bengal Police respects all religion: Cops after turban controversy
By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi |
Updated: October 10, 2020 1:42:09 pm 
                                            <span itemprop="image" itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject">
                                                        <meta itemprop="url" content="https://images.indianexpress.com/2020/10/bengal-turban.jpg"/><meta itemprop="width" content="1200"/><meta itemprop="height" content="667"/></span><span class="custom-caption"> <span class="ie-custom-caption">The man was "specifically" asked to wear his turban prior to his arrest, police said. [Twitter/@WBPolice]</span></span>Under attack for <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/religious-sentiments-hurt-bjp-on-turban-controversy-6719032/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>hurting religious sentiments</strong></a>, the West Bengal Police on Saturday clarified that the turban of a Sikh man had “fallen off automatically” and “without any attempt” by police personnel during the scuffle which broke out amid <a href="https://indianexpress.com/about/bjp/" class="" rel="nofollow">BJP</a>’s march to Chief Minister <a href="https://indianexpress.com/about/mamata-banerjee" class="" rel="nofollow">Mamata Banerjee</a>’s office earlier this week. The man was “specifically” asked to wear his turban prior to his arrest, it added.

The man, Balwinder Singh (46), is a private security guard of BJP leader Priyanshu Pandey and was arrested for allegedly carrying a loaded gun during the saffron party’s rally to Nabanna on Thursday. Pandey has also been arrested. Police said Balwinder, a resident of Punjab’s Bhatinda, is also an aide of BJP’s Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh.

In a video gone viral on social media, Balwinder is seen being lathicharged and dragged by police. In the melee, his turban was “removed”, said BJP leaders.

Refuting the claims, the state police tweeted: “The concerned person was carrying firearms in yesterday’s protest. The pagri [turban] had fallen off automatically in the scuffle that ensued, without any attempt to do so by our officer [visible in the video attached]. It is never our intention to hurt the sentiments of any community.”

While referring to a photograph of the Sikh man which, they claimed, was clicked before his arrest, the police said: “West Bengal Police respects all religions. The officer specifically asked him to put his pagri back before the arrest. The attached photo has been clicked right before he was escorted to the Police Station. We remain committed to our duty to uphold law and order in the state.”

The incident had caught the attention of cricketer Harbhajan Singh, who demanded strict action against the guilty.

“Pulling the turban of Balwinder Singh posted in Priyanshu Pandey’s security… shows Bengal Police’s barbarity. @MamataOfficial, take strict action against the guilty policemen…,” he tweeted.

SAD spokesperson Manjinder Singh Sirsa demanded that the guilty policemen be booked under the IPC section 295A [acts intended to outrage religious].

BJP national secretary Arvind Menon said the incident had “insulted the Sikh community.”

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said the security guard was carrying a “licensed gun”.

Police said the gun licence was limited to only Rajouri district in J&K.

Rally to protest alleged assault of Sikh man

Around 50 members of the Sikh community today held a protest rally in the city, condemning the alleged assault on the Sikh man, news agency PTI reported.

“CM Mamata Banerjee please explain why the turban of a Sikh has been pulled by your police. You should explain or leave the chair,” the rallyists chanted on Central Avenue near Esplanade Crossing.

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EU denies intent to cut aid to Palestinian Authorities  

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EU denies intent to cut aid to Palestinian Authorities  

The European Union (EU) yesterday said it had no intention to cut its financial aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA).

“The EU will continue to support the PA to enable it to perform its role in the Palestinian territories and fulfill its duties to the Palestinian people,” the EU’s communication officer in Jerusalem, Shadi Othman, told reporters, explaining that Europe was the “largest international financial supporter to the Palestinian people.”

Othman added that the EU was encouraging the PA “to take the tax revenues from Israel.” “This is a Palestinian right, but this has nothing to do with the financial support that the union provides for the Palestinians,” he stressed.

Israel’s Walla news site recently reported that the EU had warned it would cut its aid to the Palestinians if the PA continued to refuse “tax revenues clearance through Israel.”

READ: Despite ambiguity in international law, Palestinians are winning the ‘legitimacy war’

Gov. Cuomo: ‘I Don’t Care’ About Your Religion — ‘You Have to Follow the Rules of the State’

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Gov. Cuomo: 'I Don't Care' About Your Religion -- 'You Have to Follow the Rules of the State'

Friday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) responded to religious groups filing separate federal lawsuits against him over his new restrictions limiting attendance at religious gatherings amid a spike in cases in some New York City neighborhoods.

Cuomo told “CNN Newsroom” acknowledged that it is a “complicated” situation because of different cultural aspects, but said that everyone has to “follow the rules,” no matter their religion.

“They are not following the rules. We know what happens when you don’t follow the rules: the infection rate goes up,” Cuomo advised. “And it just proves our point from the get-go. We know how to control the virus, but you have to control the virus. You have to be disciplined. And when you don’t follow the rules, it goes up. And that’s what’s happening in these very small clusters. Now, these are religious groups, it tends to get more complicated, frankly, because of some cultural aspects. But that’s what we’re seeing in New York.”

“The cluster is a predominantly ultra-orthodox cluster,” he continued. “The Catholic schools are closed because they happen to be in that cluster, but the issue is with that ultra-orthodox community. This is not a matter of religious freedom, right? I don’t care if you’re a Roman Catholic, you’re Jewish, you’re Muslim, you’re an atheist, you have to follow the rules of the state, the laws of the state. And I understand the beliefs of the ultra-orthodox, I’ve been very close to them all my life. I’m a big supporter of theirs, but they have to follow the rules, Jim, because we’re seeing the truth. And the truth is if you don’t follow the rules, the infection rate spreads, people get sick, and then you make others sick. You know, we’re talking about Brooklyn. We’re not talking about a hermetically sealed community in a rural area. This is in the middle of Brooklyn. They will make other people sick.”

Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent

Religion Professor Denies Accusations of Human Rights Abuse Cover-Up

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Religion Professor Denies Accusations of Human Rights Abuse Cover-Up

A letter calling for the removal of a faculty member was sent to President Carmen Twillie Ambar yesterday, alleging that the professor participated in covering up the Iranian regime’s 1988 mass killing of political prisoners. The letter was written by human rights activists Kaveh Shahrooz and Lawdan Bazargan and is signed by 56 family members of the victims and former political prisoners, as well as 577 other signatories. The faculty member, Professor of Religion and Nancy Schrom Dye Chair in Middle East and North African Studies Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, denies these allegations.

Prior to coming to Oberlin, Mahallati served as Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1987-1989. In their letter, Shahrooz and Bazargan say that the Iranian regime was particularly violent during this period, killing over 3,800 people who had been imprisoned without fair trial for their political or religious beliefs during the summer of 1988.

The letter claims that Mahallati lied to the U.N. about the ongoing human rights violations in Iran, preventing the international community from responding and thereby enabling the country to continue committing atrocities. However, Mahallati says that he had no knowledge that the Iranian regime was committing these crimes.

“The accusers fail to provide a single solid document as evidence of my actual knowledge of these incidents,” Mahallati wrote in his statement to the Review. “With no concrete evidence, they infer that I must have been informed and intentionally denied these atrocities. I categorically deny any knowledge and therefore responsibility regarding mass executions in Iran when I was serving at the United Nations.”

Shahrooz and Bazargan’s letter contradicts Mahallati’s statement and asserts that Amnesty International activists advised diplomats and other authorities of the human rights abuses and called on them to take a stand. 

“Amnesty activists sent thousands of telegrams, telexes, and letters to the head of Iran’s Supreme Court, the Minister of Justice, and the diplomatic representatives of Iran in their respective countries urging ‘the condemnation of all outstanding death sentences and an end to executions in Iran,’” Shahrooz and Bazargan write. “As such, we submit that it would be impossible to believe that any senior leader in Iran, and certainly not its UN Ambassador, was unaware of the atrocity unfolding across that country.”

According to a 1989 report by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, Mahallati, serving as Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the U.N., denied reports of executions from the previous year. 

“The Permanent Representative referred to the alleged wave of executions mentioned in the interim report and denied the allegations,” the report states. “He indicated that many killings had in fact occurred on the battlefield, in the context of the war, following the invasion of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the organization called the National Liberation Army.”

Mahallati maintains that he was unaware of the crimes while in his role as ambassador.

“I was in New York the entire summer of 1988, focusing on peacemaking between Iran and Iraq and did not receive any briefing regarding executions,” Mahallati wrote. “There was not a single communication from Tehran to Iran’s UN embassy informing Iranian diplomats of those incidents.” 

Shahrooz replied to Mahallati’s letter earlier this afternoon. 

“He is on the record denying [to the U.N. that] the executions were taking place, calling the allegations ‘nothing but propaganda,’” Shahrooz wrote in a Twitter post at 3 p.m. today. “When presented with evidence of a massacre taking place in real time by his government, a responsible diplomat who cares about human rights would first indicate that he has not been briefed on the allegations and then seek unbiased sources of information. … Mr. Mahallati’s behavior was not that of a man who is uninformed, but one who is involved in a cover-up of mass murder.”

Shahrooz believes that Mahallati’s alleged inaction in 1988 has had lasting impacts. 

“Unfortunately, I think the consequences of his actions have been the desecration of the memory of thousands of people needlessly killed,” Shahrooz said. “As Amnesty International notes, this crime against humanity continues — family members that live in Iran are still not allowed to speak about their loved ones. They’re still not allowed to gather. They still don’t know where their loved ones are buried. And I think there’s a direct line between the lies told with the United Nations and the actions of the Iranian government still to this day.”

Mahallati stands by his work as a diplomat, and states that his record shows the strides he made to broker peace between Iran and Iraq. 

“During my short-lived ambassadorial position (1987-1989), I was focused on peacemaking efforts to end the Iran-Iraq War, the most prolonged and devastating war in modern history,” Mahallati wrote. “The U.N. and public media records unequivocally demonstrate that in encouraging peace between my country and Iraq, I went beyond my mandate and was the very first Iranian official who publicly announced Iran’s acceptance of the U.N.’s Security Council resolution 598 for peace. … My accusers overlook these well-documented peacemaking efforts and the fact that I risked my ambassadorial position for that purpose. ”

Following the Security Council resolution for peace, the U.N. report reflected Mahallati’s position that the government should move to address human rights. 

“The Permanent Representative indicated that, since the cease-fire had been achieved in the war with Iraq, his Government was in a better position to turn its attention to the question of human rights,” the report states. 

Mahallati has worked at Oberlin since 2007 and specializes in Islamic and peace studies. He founded the Friendship Initiative to promote international, interfaith, and intercultural justice and peace and hosts the Oberlin Friendship Festival annually. 

“I have dedicated my life to researching, teaching, and writing about peace and friendship,” Mahallati wrote. “All my scholarly and artistic works in English, Persian, and Arabic focus on international and interpersonal peace and friendship. These pursuits are where I will continue to focus my energies, in the hope of contributing to a better world.”

Shahrooz and the other signatories, including Iranian human rights activist Masih Alinejad and author Azar Nafisi, called for his termination by the College because they think that his previous actions are antithetical to the College’s values.  

“At the moment our plan really is just to bring attention and appeal to the better angels at Oberlin and to hold up their vision statement and their values and say that the continuing employment of this man at your university is inconsistent with those values,” Shahrooz said.

The College has stated that they are in touch with Mahallati to gather further information.

European Parliament urges EU to snub Saudi G20 summit over rights violations

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European Parliament urges EU to snub Saudi G20 summit over rights violations

The European Parliament passed a bill on Thursday condemning Saudi Arabia over human rights concerns and called on the European Union to boycott a G20 Leaders’ summit set to take place in Riyadh later this year.

The vote is the latest in a series of measures passed by the body rebuking Saudi Arabia for issues from its detention of Ethiopian migrants in appalling conditions to its leading role in the war in Yemen and the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The resolution was put forward in order to “avoid legitimising impunity for human rights violations and ongoing illegal and arbitrary detentions in Saudi Arabia”.

The bill also calls on Saudi Arabia to accept and care for Yemeni refugees, end migrant deportations, allow investigations into human rights violations, abolish the Kafala system and declare a moratorium on death sentences.

The bill may mean that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Charles Michel will not attend November’s virtual summit in Riyadh.

The EU, alongside three of its member states – Germany, France, and Italy – is a full member of the G20 and an economic power in the group.

Saudi Arabia is the first Arab nation to host the G20, a group of the world’s biggest economies that meets annually to discuss international financial stability.

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The kingdom had planned to use the summit next month to showcase the ambitious modernisation drive of de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose international reputation has been tarnished by Khashoggi’s murder.

Still, the coronavirus pandemic forced the summit to go virtual, dashing Riyadh’s hopes of showing off its latest modernisation projects.

The call to diminish attendance at the summit comes amid a similar move by the mayors of major world cities, including New York, to forgo their attendance of a G20 virtual conference hosted by Riyadh.

The mayors of New York, Paris, Los Angeles and London have all declined to participate in the conference.

The human rights issues listed in Thursday’s parliament resolution included the “horrific plight” of Ethiopian migrants detained in Saudi prisons, the ongoing incarceration of dissident blogger Raif Badawi and women’s rights campaigners including Loujain al-Hathloul.

It also highlighted the “arbitrary” detention of multiple Saudi royal family members, including Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz and Princess Basmah bint Saud.

In a letter addressed to the Saudi crown prince, Belgian lawmaker Marc Tarabella appealed for the release of Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, who has been detained along with his ageing father since January 2018.

“lt is clear… that their current deprivation of liberty is arbitrary, and amounts to a violation of Saudi domestic and international obligations,” Tarabella wrote in the letter, seen by AFP, which was dated 29 September.

“As such, I urge you to immediately and unconditionally release Salman bin Abdulaziz Saud and (his father) Abdulaziz bin Salman.”

Tarabella, vice chairman of the parliament’s delegation for relations with the Arabian peninsula, has sent similar appeals to Saudi authorities in the past but received no response, the parliament source told said.

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