Photo credit: Spain government Ministry of Interior
The risk of forest fires will continue to be very high or extreme in large parts of the country over the next few days.
From Sunday and especially during the next week an episode of very high temperatures is expected. In addition, today, Friday, there is a significant risk of rain and storms in Navarra, Huesca and Zaragoza.
The Directorate General of Civil Protection and Emergencies of the Ministry of the Interior, in accordance with the forecasts of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), warns of the risk of forest fires and high temperatures in large parts of the country. In addition, today, Friday, there is a significant risk of rain and storms in Navarre, Huesca and Zaragoza, with a forecast of 30 litres/m2 in 1 hour, hail and very strong gusts of wind.
The risk of forest fires will remain very high or extreme over the next few days. All precautions should be taken to avoid the outbreak of forest fires and if a fire is discovered at the outset, call 112 immediately.
An episode of very high temperatures is expected from Sunday 9 and especially during the next week. The areas most likely to be affected are the southern and south-eastern third of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands, without ruling out areas in the centre of the peninsula and the Ebro valley.
Exceeding 40ºC in some areas provoke forest fires
On Sunday, it is likely to locally exceed 40ºC in the Guadalquivir valley and parts of eastern Andalusia and the southern plateau, and 36ºC in the interior of the Balearic Islands and the Ebro valley.
From Monday onwards, it is likely to exceed 38ºC across the board, and locally 40ºC, in the south-eastern quadrant of the peninsula and parts of the Ebro valley. In areas of the Guadalquivir valley, temperatures could already exceed 42ºC on that day. In inland areas of the Balearic Islands, temperatures could also exceed 38ºC.
Minimum temperatures will also be very high, with tropical nights above 20ºC, and even locally above 25ºC in the southeastern half of the peninsula, especially in the southeastern third, and in the Balearic Islands.
Photo credit: Ministry of Interior, Spain government
Grande-Marlaska (Spain’s Minister of Interior) presented the ‘Report on the Evolution of hate crimes in Spain 2022’ during the meeting of the 2nd Follow-up Commission of the 2nd Action Plan to Combat Hate Crimes 2022-2024.
According to the report, the State Security Forces cleared up 63 per cent of the facts and arrested or investigated 838 people.
Racism/xenophobia offences were the most numerous (755), and those related to sex/gender discrimination were the ones that increased the most compared to the previous year (77%).
The State Security Forces and Corps investigated a total of 1,869 criminal offences and hate incidents in Spain in 2022, an increase of 3.7 per cent over 2021. This is stated in the ‘Report on the evolution of hate crimes in Spain 2022’, presented on Wednesday by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
The minister explained these data during the meeting of the 2nd Follow-up Commission of the “2nd Action Plan to Combat Hate Crimes 2022-2024“, where the report was presented. The report was drawn up by the National Office for Combating Hate Crimes (Ondod) based on data provided to the Statistical Crime System (SEC) by the National Police, Guardia Civil, Ertzaintza, Mossos d’Esquadra, Policía Foral de Navarra and local police.
The report is available at the following link, in the Balances and Reports 2022 section of the Ministry of the Interior’s website.
Grande-Marlaska recalled that hate crimes constitute “a frontal and direct attack” on the principles of freedom, respect for people’s dignity and the rights that form the basis of the social and democratic rule of law. “Acting against hate crimes helps to improve the coexistence of a multicultural society made up of different people and, as a direct consequence, helps us to live in a better society,” he said.
RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA, ARE THE MOST NUMEROUS HATE CRIMES.
Hate crimes due to racism and xenophobia, with 755 incidents, are the most numerous and represent 43.5 per cent of the total number of complaints. This is followed by hate crimes committed in the areas of sexual orientation and gender identity (459 incidents), while ideological hate crimes come in third place (245 incidents).
In terms of year-on-year variation, hate crimes for discrimination on the grounds of sex and gender are the ones that suffer the greatest increase, 76.6 per cent more than in 2021. Also noteworthy is the increase in aporophobic crimes, which grew by 70 per cent, and anti-Gypsyism, which increased by 22.2 per cent.
In the comparison with 2021, crimes for generational discrimination (57.1 per cent), for reasons of illness (47.6 per cent), for religious beliefs or practices (25.4 per cent) and for ideology (24.8 per cent) decreased significantly.
In terms of the types of offences involved in these hate crimes, the most common were injuries (423) and threats (338), followed by insults (116) and damage (106).
By autonomous communities, the Basque Country has the highest number of complaints (407), followed by Catalonia (253), the Community of Madrid (237) and Andalusia (207).
PROFILES OF VICTIMS AND THOSE INVESTIGATED AND ARRESTED.
The report presented this year indicates that the State Security Forces cleared up 63 per cent of the facts in 2022 and arrested or investigated 838 people.
The main victims of this type of crime are men (59.4 per cent), while the most affected age group is between 26 and 40 years of age (31.3 per cent). Minors make up 12.1 per cent of all victimisations.
As for the distribution of victims according to nationality, the first place is occupied by Spanish victims, with 60.9 per cent of the total number of victimisations registered. Within the group of victims of foreign nationality, those from Morocco registered the highest number (9.9 per cent), ahead of Colombia (3.3 per cent) and Senegal (2.1 per cent).
The number of persons arrested/investigated for hate crimes and incidents amounted to 838 persons, the majority of whom were male (79 per cent) and aged between 26 and 40, representing 27.6 per cent of the total.
MONITORING OF THE SECOND ACTION PLAN AGAINST HATE CRIME.
During the second meeting of the Monitoring Commission for the Second Action Plan to Combat Hate Crimes 2022-2024, the minister highlighted “the transversal approach” of the plan, which has improved cooperation between the institutions involved and the third sector “and has placed the victim at the centre of attention, both to ensure their protection and to contribute to the reparation of the crime”.
Along these lines, Grande-Marlaska specified that reparation should not be understood from a purely material point of view. “We must think about moral redress, which may be even more important for the victim, as their dignity, freedom or free development in equal conditions and opportunities have been attacked,” he said.
In his speech, the minister also highlighted “the great involvement” of the Security Forces in the prevention and fight against hate crimes, and expressly referred to the creation of “specific and specialised police groups”, such as the National Police’s Violent Extremism and Hate Team (EVO), and the Civil Guard’s Hate Crime Response Teams (REDO).
At this point, Grande-Marlaska reported on the agreement signed between the Ministry of the Interior and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) to channel collaboration and coordination between the National Police, Civil Guard and local police in aspects such as the identification, collection and codification of racist, xenophobic incidents and crimes or discriminatory behaviour, as well as guaranteeing proper care and assistance to victims of hate crimes.
The meeting of the Monitoring Commission was attended, on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior, by the Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez, the Director General for Coordination and Studies, José Antonio Rodríguez, as well as Ondod staff.
Also taking part was the public prosecutor for hate crimes and discrimination, Miguel Ángel Aguilar; the director of the Observatory against Racism and Xenophobia (Oberaxe), Karoline Fernández; the deputy director of the Pluralism and Convivence Foundation, Inés Mazarrasa; and the director general of Organisation and Resources of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, María Eugenia Simarro.
In addition, representatives of the State Security Forces and Corps and regional police forces took part, as well as representatives of eight associations from the third sector: the Spanish Committee of Representatives of People with Disabilities (CERMI), Movement against Intolerance, Council of Victims of Hate Crimes, Observatory against Homophobia of Catalonia, Agents of the Authority for Diversity (LGTBIpol), Federation of Gypsy Women’s Associations (Fakali), Islamic Board and the Observatory for Religious Freedom and Freedom of Conscience.
We bring to your attention some of the most important facts and tips to make your vacation in Greece (if you decided to vacation there) trouble-free:
– For exceeding the maximum permitted speed by up to 20 km/h – 40 euros by up to 30 km/h. – 100 euros, when driving on the highway at over 150 km/h. – the fine is 350 euros and the license will be revoked for 90 days.
– For talking on the phone (only Bluetooth is possible) while driving, the fine is 100 euros.
– For a dangerous maneuver – the penalty is 700 euros, 30 days without a license and stopping the vehicle from driving for 10 days.
– For running a red light – 700 euro fine, as well as removal of the car’s plates for 60 days and revocation of the driver’s license for 20 days.
– For improper treatment of pedestrians on a pedestrian path – 200 euros and revocation of the license for 20 days.
– Violation of a prohibitory sign – 200 euros and revocation of license for 20 days.
– For the use of alcohol, the penalty varies from 200 to 1,200 euros, six months without a license and possibly two months in prison, depending on the amount.
-Driving after the use of drugs or intoxicating substances – a minimum fine of 200 euros, revocation of the license between 90 and 180 days, and imprisonment for up to 3 years.
– Without seat belts, both for the passengers who are in the front of the car and for those who are in the back – a fine of 350 euros and revocation of the license for up to 20 days.
– Fines of 1,500 euros for anyone who smokes in a car in the presence of a child, whether the driver or not. The fine is doubled to 3,000 euros if the vehicle is state-owned.
– Driving with flip-flops – 50 euros.
– A fine of 100 euros and 30 days license suspension if both hands are not on the steering wheel (example: drinking mineral water).
– Driving without a license will cost you 200 euros.
– For not wearing a seat belt – 350 euros, and the license is taken away for 10 days.
– For an open tow truck – the fine is around 160 euros.
– For non-observance of signaling at a railway crossing or improper overtaking, the fine is 700 euros and revocation of license for up to 60 days.
– The use of anti-radar is strictly prohibited. For him, the fine is 2000 euros. In addition to a monetary penalty, the driver’s license will be revoked for 30 days and the vehicle’s registration plates will be removed for two months.
If the numbers are revoked, the car has no right to move and remain in Greece, since without registration plates it cannot cross the border. After the penalty has expired, the driver or a person authorized by him can go to Greece and get the ticket and numbers back. Penalties are imposed administratively, not judicially, and take effect immediately. Request a record of the penalty imposed as you have the right to appeal. Paying immediately leads to a reduction in the fine.
It is also forbidden to carry firearms and/or melee weapons, including carrying them in a car, if you do not have a permit, which must be translated and legalized in Greek.
It is mandatory to have a valid car insurance!
Other fines lurking:
– The import of fuel is prohibited – the vehicle is confiscated. It is interpreted as illegal traffic of excise goods.
– 300 euros for waste on the beach.
– Wild camping is prohibited. As the fines for this start from 150 euros and go to prison.
– It is forbidden to place tents and caravans outside the designated camping areas. The fine is 150 euros and up to three months in prison.
– Lighting a fire is absolutely prohibited, and the penalties are thousands of euros.
It is very important to know that if you provide your vehicle to a third party and an offense is committed, the owner of the vehicle is criminally liable for malicious acts committed with the vehicle.
Your holiday in Greece is ruined if you are caught hitchhiking with an illegal alien. According to the Greek Penal Code, sentences for trafficking in illegal immigrants range from 2 to 20 years of imprisonment for each person transported!
Aggressive behavior against a uniformed officer is also punishable. Do not try to bribe a police officer as they will arrest you and impound the vehicle for at least 6 months.
Quiet Hours:
From April 1 to September 30, quiet hours are set and enforced during the summer season.
According to the order of the police, the daytime and nighttime quiet hours are:
– from 3:00 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.
– from 11:00 p.m. until 07:00 /morning/.
Making noise, even loud conversations, is prohibited. You can file an indictment and be detained.
Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom: https://www.pexels.com/photo/architectural-photography-of-three-pink-blue-and-yellow-buildings-347141/
The former director, Valentin Nikolov, of the Bulgarian Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant specified already in May this year that the Ukrainians are interested because very few countries in the world are already building such reactors.
Ukraine has two units almost fully built, lacking only the long-cycle production equipment that Bulgaria has, purchased from Russia. Thus, Ukraine is the only buyer in the world for Bulgarian equipment, and Bulgaria is the only seller for them.
“Information has come out that Ukraine is interested in buying our reactors for the Belene NPP, which are in storage. The Ukrainians are interested because very few countries in the world are already making such reactors”. This was stated by Valentin Nikolov, former head of the Bulgarian Energy Holding, to NOVA NEWS.
“The Ukrainians have many factories that manufacture equipment based on Russian technologies, they have experience with Russian technologies. This is an option to build their missing capacities, because the Zaporizhzhia NPP is under Russian control,” explained the former director of the Kozloduy NPP.
GERB-SDS MP Delyan Dobrev announced on Facebook on July 4 that a decision was submitted to the National Assembly, which mandates the Minister of Energy Rumen Radev to conduct negotiations with Ukraine for the sale of the equipment for the Belene NPP.
Dobrev emphasized that after the start of the war in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia, the Belene NPP project is finally doomed.
“I have just submitted with my colleagues a Decision of the National Assembly to instruct the Minister of Energy to conduct negotiations with Ukraine on the sale of the equipment for Belene. The price is subject to negotiation, but it cannot be lower than what Bulgaria paid for the equipment in question – almost BGN 1.2 billion,” said the GERB deputy and former energy minister.
As of 2020, the “Belene” NPP project has been stopped again, but it continues to swallow costs – for conservation and maintenance of the equipment and for security – of several million BGN per year. The equipment for the nuclear island of the project, worth BGN 1.2 billion, which was brought to our country in 2017, after the Russian “Atomstroyexport” condemned the “National Electric Company” (NEK) to pay it for the ordered components.
OHCHR Spokesperson Marta Hurtado told journalists in Geneva that the Government had issued a 45-day extension on Wednesday.
“The state of emergency, in force in 17 of the 18 departments in Honduras, enables the military police to support the national police in carrying out public security tasks. It also derogates the right of personal liberty, freedom of association, assembly, and movement, and allows security and armed forces to carry out arrests and searches without a warrant,” she said.
The Spokesperson said that on 21 June, the authorities announced that the command and control of the entire Honduran prison system was being transferred to the military police.
“This decision came in the wake of a violent incident at the national women’s prison in the town of Tamara, where 46 female inmateswere killed when members of one gang attacked a part of the prison housing members of a rival gang,” said Ms. Hurtado.
Rights violations
She also voiced concerns about human rights violations and adequate access to food, water, and the practice of subjecting inmates to sleep deprivation. Ms. Hurtado also reported ill treatment of inmates by the military police.
“Initial monitoring by our Office, as well as information from civil society organizations and other sources with regard to military operations in prisons, indicates that inmates, in particular those allegedly associated with gangs, have been beaten and kicked by military police,” she said.
Criminal justice challenges
She called on authorities to end the abuse, halt violence against inmates, and prevent further violations of human rights. She also called for accountability and prompt investigation of allegations of unnecessary or disproportionate use of force.
“Efforts should immediately be redoubled to address long-standing criminal justice and prison challenges. These include the extensive use of incarceration, overcrowding, unsuitable living conditions, the lack of basic services, and inmates controlling some prisons,” Ms. Hurtado said.
“All efforts to address the prison challenge should be based on international human rights law and standards, including the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (known as the Nelson Mandela Rules),” she said, empasizing that OHCHR in Honduras remains available to provide technical assistance.
The “relief chief” was speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York just as these two separate lifesaving initiatives are set to expire in the coming days.
He also voiced concern over gender-based violence in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and noted lack of hope over the crisis in Sudan.
The northwest region is the last opposition stronghold in Syria, and aid has been delivered there from Türkiye through a cross-border mechanism first authorized by the UN Security Council in 2014. He said negotiations on its extension are at a critical juncture.
“We’re three days away, I think, from the decision point for renewal of that resolution, which we are all very clear about,” he said.
Mr. Griffiths also underscored the need to ensure increased humanitarian support for Syria, where a staggering 90 per cent of the population is living below the poverty line after more than a decade of war.
Severe funding shortfall
A $5.4 billion plan for aid operations this year is only 12 per cent funded, he added, and the fallout could include the World Food Programme (WFP) being forced to cut rations by 40 per cent.
“The big story for me on Syria, among many, many other aspects of the tragedy of that conflict, is this absence of sufficient aid,” he said.
Mr. Griffiths also touched on the Black Sea Grain Initiative, part of landmark UN-brokered accords signed last July with Russia, Ukraine, and Türkiye.
Grain deal running out
The deal has facilitated the export of millions of tonnes of Ukrainian grain and foodstuffs and aims to ensure the same for Russian food and fertilizer. It is due to expire mid-month and Moscow has repeatedly said it sees no reason to continue participating.
In a statement on Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated the importance of “full and continued implementation of the agreements”.
“The world has seen the value of the Black Sea initiative,” said Mr. Griffiths, responding to a journalist’s question. “So, this isn’t something you chuck away.”
‘No hope’ in Sudan
Mr. Griffiths will travel to Ethiopia this weekend to participate in a meeting on Sudan, where fighting between rival military forces has displaced nearly three million people since mid-April.
“Sudan is a story that has not got any better in the last weeks at all,” he said, noting that access to the Darfur region “remains virtually nil”.
Although authorities in neighbouring Chad have been helpful in getting humanitarians into West Darfur, the security situation there remains extraordinarily dangerous, he said. Moving aid from Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast has also been challenging.
“Sudan is, from my perspective, a place of no hope at the moment and a place where there is only everything to do,” he said, referring to the need to mobilize funding and to ensure cross-border access from Egypt, Chad, and Ethiopia, as well as within the country.
Mr. Griffiths highlighted the critical role of civil society partners in delivering aid in Sudan, who “risk life and limb daily to help their local communities and their neighbourhoods”.
Gender-based violence
The humanitarian chief also addressed gender-based violence in the DRC, describing it as among the “terrible, terrible tragedies” in the country. He warned that there could be “an extraordinary” 125,000 cases this year if the current rate of incidence continues.
“We need to shine a light on this issue because it’s not just the DRC,” he said. “The Secretary-General spoke about it in the context of Haiti. It’s also in Sudan. But, the DRC for me epitomizes the appalling nature of man’s inhumanity, mostly to women and girls.”
Climate change challenge
Turning to climate change, Mr. Griffiths pointed to the unprecedented drought in the Horn of Africa following six consecutive failed rainy seasons. Humanitarian response also continues in the wake of the earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye in February, and historic flooding in Pakistan last year.
He said humanitarians have stepped up their engagement in relation to UN climate change conferences, known as COPs, the latest of which will be held in the United Arab Emirates this November.
“Our emphasis…going into COP will be to try to maximize the use of climate funds for frontline communities around the world which are directly impacted by climate. So, it’s about adaptation and resilience,” he said.
Yelena Milashina, who works for the independent investigative news service Novaya Gazeta, was travelling with Alexander Nemov when they were attacked on Monday morning on their way to covering the trialofZarema Musaeva, the mother of exiled opposition activists who challenged the leader of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov.
The experts urged Russia to fully investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice. According to news reports, Russian authorities have opened a criminal case into the attack.
The UN Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteurs described the brutal assault by a group of masked assailants as “another example of the blatant disregard for the safety of journalists and human rights defenders in the Russian Federation”.
The pair were assaulted and badly beaten shortly after arriving in the Russian Republic of Chechnya on Tuesday.
President Kadyrov stated on social media in January 2022 that the family of Ms. Musaeva “was waiting for a place either in prison or in the ground”.
Mr. Nemov is part of the team of lawyers defending her. Due to the attack, he was unable to attend court for the hearing.
Ms. Milashina is a journalist who has reported for years on Chechnya, investigating human rights abuses in the region, said the experts in a press release issued by the UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR.
‘Terrorist’ accusation
Because of death threats from the Chechen leader, she had to temporarily flee Russia in February 2022 after Mr. Kadyrov publicly called her “a terrorist”, saying “we have always eliminated terrorists and their accomplices”.
The experts pointed out that Ms. Milashina’s investigative reporting followed in the footsteps of two other women journalists, Novaya Gazeta colleague Anna Politkovskaya and Chechen campaigner Natalia Estemirova, both murdered to silence their investigative work in Chechnya.
According to reports, the assailants beat them with clubs and kicked them, took their phones, smashed their equipment, and destroyed documents. They repeatedly shouted: “You were warned. Get out of here and do not write anything.”
Dangers and risks
“This incident highlights the dangers and risks faced by journalists and human rights defenders in their efforts to protect human rights and seek justice for victims in the Russian Federation, and particularly the Chechen Republic,” the experts said.
Both of the victims were admitted to hospital in the capital city of Grozny with serious injuries. Ms. Milashina is suffering from a head injury and periodically lost consciousness in the hospital.
Fingers on both her hands were broken, her body was covered in bruises, and her head was shaved by the attackers and doused with brilliant green dye, which is a severe form of humiliation against women in the North Caucasus, OHCHR said.
Due to further concerns about their safety, they were transferred to a medical facility in the city of Beslan in the Russian Republic of North Ossetia.
“We are relieved that Yelena Milashina and Alexander Nemov escaped alive from the attack and appreciate efforts to bring them to safety,” the experts said. “However, we are gravely concerned about continuing threats to their lives and well-being.”
Close watch on the case
“We will be closely monitoring this case, which is another attempt to silence independent voices advocating for justice for the victims of human rights violations in Russia,” they said.
They called on Russia to end the current “climate of impunity and demonstrate its willingness to create an enabling and safe environment for all journalists and human rights defenders, free from intimidation and threats to their lives, in line with its international obligations and commitments”.
Experts’ mandate
Independent human rights experts are all appointed under the Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures.
They are mandated to monitor and report on specific thematic issues or country situations. They are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.
In a statement issued by his Deputy Spokesperson, António Guterres reiterated “the importance of full and continued implementation” of the agreements signed last July in Istanbul, known as the Black Sea Initiative – allowing Ukrainian grain and foodstuffs safe passage to world markets – and the Memorandum of Understanding with Moscow over fertilizer exports.
Russia is still weighing up if it will continue to be a part of the deal, agreed with Ukraine and administered along with the UN and Türkiye, past a deadline of 17 July. Last May, Russia had agreed to a 60-day extension, and the UN has been leading negotiations to ensure its continuation.
A Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul with representatives from all parties administers the deal, but in recent weeks, shipping movements have declined along with vessel inspections.
The UN chief’s statement said it was vital to ensure that food and fertilizers from Ukraine and Russia can keep on heading to countries in need, “smoothly, efficiently and at scale”.
“These agreements are an all-too-rare demonstration of what the world can do when it puts its mind to the great challenges of our time,” he said.
“Together, the agreements are contributing to sustained reductions in global food prices, which are now more than 23per cent below the record highs reached in March last year.”
Harvest season approaching
Earlier on Friday, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s chief economist, Maximo Torero, said the initiative to allow grain to leave Ukrainian ports had allowed the delivery of 32 million tonnes, much of it to meet the needs of developing nations, as well as food aid for the World Food Programme (WFP).
The renewal would happen on “a critical date because it’s when the harvest starts”, he said. “We hope it will be renewed, and if not, then we will observe a spike in terms of the prices of cereal commodities.”
‘Lifeline’ for food security
In a note to correspondents last week, the UN said the agreements were “a lifeline for global food security” at a time when 258 million people face hunger in 58 countries.
“The Secretary-General and his team remain fully committed to building on the progress already made and are in constant contact with a wide range of stakeholders in this regard,” the Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said in his Friday statement.
“The Secretary-General calls on all concerned to prioritize global food security,” he said.
The war began on 24 February 2022, and the UN’s Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) has confirmed that more than 9,000 civilians, including over 500 children, have been killed since then, though the real number could be much higher.
“Today we mark another grim milestone in the war that continues to exact a horrific toll on Ukraine’s civilians,” said Noel Calhoun, deputy head of the Mission.
The HRMMU reported that overall monthly casualties decreased earlier this year when compared to 2022, but the average number rose again in May and June, with the last two weeks among some of the deadliest since fighting began.
Recent attacks include the missile strike on a busy shopping area in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on the evening of 27 June, which killed 13 people.
Among the victims was award-winning writer and human rights defender Viktoriia Amelina, who succumbed to her injuries earlier this week.
Just days after the attack, 10 civilians were killed in another missile strike in Lviv, located in western Ukraine.
Thousands of casualties
The information about civilian deaths is contained in the latest report on civilian casualties in Ukraine, published by the UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR, which covers the period from the start of the war through 30 June 2023.
Overall, 25,170 civilian casualties were recorded, with 9,177 killed and 15,993 injured.
Of this number, and whose sex was known, 61 per cent were men and 39 per cent were women. Boys comprised more than 57 per cent of casualties among children whose sex was known, and girls 42.8 per cent.
OHCHR also received information regarding 22 civilian casualties in Russian-occupied Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. They included five men and one woman who were killed, and 16 people who were injured – two children and 14 adults, whose sex is yet unknown.
Nuclear power plant update
Meanwhile, experts deployed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in southern Ukraine have not observed any visible indications of mines or explosives there, Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said on Wednesday.
Europe’s largest nuclear plant has been in Russian hands since the early days of the war, and both sides have accused the other of shelling the facility.
The IAEA had previously indicated that it was aware of reports that mines and other explosives have been placed in and around the plant, which is located on the frontline of the conflict.
“Following our requests, our experts have gained some additional access at the site. So far, they have not seen any mines or explosives, but they still need more access, including to the rooftops of reactor units 3 and 4 and parts of the turbine halls,” Mr. Grossi said, expressing hope that access will be granted soon.
The experts have inspected parts of the plant in recent days and weeks, and continued to conduct regular walkdowns across the site.
On Wednesday, they were “also able to check a wider section of the perimeter of the ZNPP’s large cooling pond than previously”, the IAEA said.
Almost nine years ago, newly appointed EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini was being lauded for leading the world in standing up to the junta who usurped power away from the elected government in Thailand four months prior. Alongside the accolades came a foreboding warning: Once the military has its grip on power, it will not easily let it go. Specifically, it was suggested that the military will rewrite the constitution in such a way that its own grip on power will be built into the system in perpetuity.
As expected, the new constitution was promulgated in 2017, cementing the military’s powers. Much delayed elections were finally held in 2019, seeing the junta leader shed his uniform for a suit and tie to transition into Thailand’s new ‘civilian’ PM. Unfortunately, in the nine years which have transpired, the EU and much of the Western world have dropped sanctions and abandoned principle, returning to full cooperation with Thailand’s undemocratic government, choosing to take part in the charade rather than stand up for democracy.
In May of this year, a second election was held under the new constitution. This time, nine years after the coup d’Etat which swept the military into power, a landslide victory for pro-democracy parties Move Forward and Pheu Thai and a complete sidelining of the plain-clothed military political parties. Yet, as Nikkei Asia reports, three weeks after the elections, the pro-democracy coalition’s nominated PM is still in limbo while the powers that be deliberate whether to allow him to assume his rightful office.
In contrast, earlier this year the EU adopted further restrictive measures against leaders of the junta which usurped power in Thailand’s immediate neighbour to the West, Myanmar, in February 2021. One can only hope that the EU will not buckle in Myanmar as it has in Thailand and stay steadfast in its resolve to support the Burmese people in their aspiration for a fully democratic transition.
All eyes must now turn one more country to the West, with general elections scheduled in Bangladesh for January 2024. Following a highly criticized and disputed general election in 2018, Bangladesh’s main opposition party, Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami both demand the next elections be held under a caretaker government, at the threat of boycott. Veteran Bangladeshi PM of 15 years Sheikh Hasina has vowed never again to hand over power to an unelected body and has rejected this demand outright.
The last caretaker government was taken over by the military, extended its 90-day term and postponed elections by over two years from 2006-2008. Ironically, in full role-reversal, it was then-opposition Awami League (today’s ruling party)’s boycott of the 2006 elections which triggered the declaration of the State of Emergency and military intervention. Political leaders of all parties from across the political spectrum were jailed and indicted on various trumped-up charges by the caretaker government – a common practice by juntas designed to exclude popular political leaders from ever contesting future elections. In fact, both of BNP’s current co-leaders, Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman, are ineligible to run in the upcoming elections due to convictions which date back to the military-backed caretaker government of 2006-2008. Incumbent Sheikh Hasina too had been jailed during this period – which may play a major factor in her outright rejection of the opposition’s demands.
The caretaker government was a unique arrangement which does not exist anywhere else in the world, and in 2011 Bangladesh’s Supreme Court ruled that the system of interim administrations was unconstitutional. The Awami League government has reasoned that in the previous elections, a caretaker government was needed because the Election Commission (EC) never had a legal basis in Bangladesh. But in January 2022, the country passed a new law promulgating the formation of the EC.
In response to pressure from the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in June 2023, PM Sheikh Hasina has committed to hold free & fair elections and has welcomed international observers to monitor elections. Recent local elections in the strategic city of Gazipur in June 2023 were held peacefully and without incident, despite an independent candidate defeating the ruling party’s candidate by a narrow margin. BNP did not contest these elections – a possible harbinger of things to come. With both sides at an impasse and a likely boycott of elections by opposition, the stage is set for yet another military intervention in the region. The military seems to be chomping at the bit with anticipation. If they are to be deterred, the international community must make it clear to the generals that the consequences will be swift, harsh and personal.
