Russia has set new records in 2022 in its campaign of persecution against Jehovah’s Witnesses

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28 December 2022

JW. The campaign of persecution against Jehovah’s Witnesses continues, this year, Russian courts sentenced over 40% more Jehovah’s Witnesses (45) to prison than last year (32). This resulted in a peak of 115 men and women in prison at one time—the most since the 2017 Supreme Court ruling that effectively banned the Witnesses’ activities.

“ Russia is now marking a new milestone of disgrace,” states Rachel Denber, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia Division. “No one should spend a second being prosecuted, let alone in prison, for the peaceful expression of their religious beliefs. It is never too late to stop these repressive and unlawful practices, to free all people imprisoned for their peaceful religious activity, and to quash the notorious Supreme Court ruling banning the Jehovah’s Witnesses.” (for comments by 11 additional experts from Europe, Russia, and the U.S., see subhead below: What do experts think?)

Persecution has intensified, despite a landmark ruling in June 2022 by the European Court of Human Rights declaring the 2017 ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses as baseless violation of international human rights covenants that should be reversed. The Court directed Russia to halt all pending criminal proceedings against Jehovah’s Witnesses and release those imprisoned. [See p. 85, §11 of judgment (link).] Just weeks ago, the Council of Europe’s Secretary General urged Russia to comply with the ECHR’s judgement, as it is obligated to do, and reverse the ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses. [See p. 2 of letter (link).]

Jarrod Lopes, a spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses, states:

“ Since 2017, Russian authorities have placed over 500 Witnesses on the federal list of extremists and terrorists.* Russia is misemploying its anti-extremist legislation to ban, imprison, and at times beat and torture Jehovah’s Witnesses. It’s hard to believe this poorly veiled crackdown has continued for over five years. Numerous international experts, officials, and courts at the highest level have acknowledged that Jehovah’s Witnesses are peaceful, law-abiding citizens—anything but extremists—and thus have repeatedly condemned Russia for its unmistakable discrimination-based ban. Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world are eager to see their fellow believers in Russia released from prison so they can be free to raise their children, free to support their communities, and free to worship as they are in over 230 other lands across the globe.”

* Being on the list—which is publicly accessible—stigmatizes them and has prevented many from getting jobs. Other burdensome consequences include having their bank accounts blocked and having difficulty obtaining or renewing insurance policies, selling property, managing investments, receiving inheritances, or even purchasing mobile phone SIM cards.

Table of Contents

Russia’s persecution of JW’s in 2022 by the numbers (as of December 23, 2022)

121 convicted for so-called extremist activity and sentenced to various penalties. This figure has steadily increased—18 in 2019; 39 in 2020; and 111 in 2021
45 sentenced to prison to a total of 250 years in prison. This is more than a 40% increase to the 32 sentenced to prison in 2021
- 35 out of the 45 were sent to prison for six years
In September 2022, the number of Witnesses in prison at one time exceeded 100 for the first time since the 2017 Supreme Court ruling. As of Dec. 23, 2022, there was a peak of 115 behind bars
- 19 in prison are over the age of 60
- Oldest is Boris Andreev, 71, from Primorye Territory. He was 70 when ordered to pretrial detention in October 2022 (link)
- The most inhumane sentence in 2022 is 7 years for Andrey Vlasov, who is disabled and struggles to manage daily activities without assistance (link to video)
- A total of 367 believers have spent some time behind bars since May 2017
200 searches of JW homes conducted this year in 39 localities of Russia
- Over 1,800 homes have been searched since 2017 ban, leading to criminal investigations or charges filed against more than 670 Witnesses
Criminal cases against Jehovah’s Witnesses have been filed in 72 regions of Russia by the end of 2022—this is two more than in 2021

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Russia has set new records in 2022 in its campaign of persecution against Jehovah’s Witnesses — Boris Andreev, 71, currently held in Detention Center No. 2 in Primorye Territory | Photo: Courtesy of Jehovah’s Witnesses

What do experts think?

Alexander Verkhovsky, director of Moscow-based SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, former member of Russia’s Human Rights Council (bio)

” The scale and cruelty of pressure is growing. Last year we had some hopes, that the repressive campaign could slow down at least, but we were wrong. That fight against JWs is so weird. I’d say this year’s developments makes us believe that the fight is really very important to our authorities, if they spend a lot of law enforcement system resources—even in time of war.”

Willy Fautré, founder and director of Brussels-based Human Rights Without Frontiers (bio)

” Jehovah’s Witnesses are the religious group that has been the most persecuted in Russia since it was banned in 2017 and hereby deprived of their freedoms of association, assembly, worship and expression. Statistics about the magnitude of the repression are disturbing. Freedom of religion or belief is the cornerstone of all freedoms. The persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses was a harbinger that Russian society aspiring to democracy and freedom of expression would inevitably be crushed by the repression of President Putin’s regime and eventually dragged into a senseless war. In Russia, only a number of human rights activists and organizations dared speak out for the respect of their rights but almost all those voices have been silenced. Their defenders have been arrested and imprisoned or had no other choice than to flee abroad. Their organizations have been banned or forcibly closed. They have been labelled “foreign agents” and they have had to post this Russian version of the infamous “yellow star” on their websites and all their publications.”

Sharon Kleinbaum, commissioner at United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (bio)

” This year, Russia has continued its inexplicable and expanding persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses, with more Witnesses than ever behind bars and facing long prison sentences for the mere practice of their beliefs. There is no possible justification for Russia’s ruthless crackdown on Jehovah’s Witnesses and other religious minorities as supposedly ‘extremist’. The Russian government must end its practice of falsely labeling religious groups ‘extremist’ and permit freedom of religion or belief for all.”

Doug Bandow, senior fellow at Cato Institute, foreign policy and civil liberties specialist (bio)

” Unaccountable persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses continues in Russia. The government of Vladimir Putin is threatened, but by his own misconduct, not the religious beliefs of a small religious minority that has become the latest scapegoat for his criminal regime. Moscow should stop punishing those who are only seeking to serve God in their own way. Supporters of religious liberty around the world should come to the defense of those imprisoned for their faith.”

Emily Baran, chair of history department at Middle Tennessee State University, Russia and church-state relations expert, author of Dissent on the Margins: How Soviet Jehovah’s Witnesses Defied Communism and Lived to Preach About It (bio)

” Russia continues to treat this religious community as dangerous extremists despite a total lack of evidence to back up this claim. And Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to face criminal prosecution and lengthy prison sentences for actions that amount to little more than speaking about their faith with one another and their communities. The level of persecution harkens back to Soviet-era mistreatment of Witnesses, and puts Russia well out of step with democratic states. Witnesses are a known and recognized religious community in Europe. Russia’s treatment of them is a clear violation of their human rights, a fact affirmed by the European Court of Human Rights in its ruling on the Russian ban. 2023 is likely to bring much more of the same: surveillance, harassment, prosecution, and imprisonment. If history is any guide, all these efforts are highly unlikely to accomplish Russia’s goal of eliminating Witnesses from its territory.”

Natalia Arno, founder and president of Free Russia Foundation (bio)

” The God-seeking Russians who follow the Jehovah’s Witnesses teachings are facing an increased brutality and oppression under Putin’s government today. In 2022 alone, 45 believers have been sentenced to prison for a total of 250 years; and 121 convicted on various charges. This is a 40% increase from the political persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2021. All of these charges are unjust and unconstitutional, and their cases are fabricated. The Witnesses’ only crime is staying true to their beliefs and privately and peacefully practicing their religion.”

Sir Andrew Wood, British ambassador to Russia 1995-2000 (bio)

” Russia’s present rulers now rely on fear and force exercised by security organs answerable to them, not to independent legal bodies. Their protection against public protest has been held in check by insistent propaganda, the silencing of all views not vouched for by the Kremlin, and the persecution of dissidents. The results have been both a deadening of the nation and a steady buildup of the repression of its citizens. President Putin’s despicable ‘special operation’ against Ukraine has fed into his regime’s attacks on all Russians seen as potentially disloyal, however unproven or unlikely. Jehovah’s Witnesses were already at risk of punishment before Russia took the path in 2022 of turning into a power centered on military purposes, and brutal means of exercising them. Its rulers have shown scant care for the interests or even lives of those in their service, let alone those of what they say are their Ukrainian “brothers” resisting Russia’s onslaught. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not fight but they are now heightened victims of malice in a nation at war with itself and fearful for its future.”

Andrew Weiss, vice president for studies at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, former National Security Council director for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian affairs (bio)

” At a time when the war in Ukraine dominates Western policymakers’ attention for (easily understandable and justified reasons), it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that the deteriorating human rights situation inside Russia is unfolding on several fronts. The collapse in respect for religious freedom by the Russian authorities as an important example. The wave of unjustified arrests and harsh prison sentences for Jehovah’s Witnesses is simply dismaying.”

Dawid Bunikowski, visiting scholar at University of Eastern Finland’s School of Theology, academic associate at Cardiff School of Law and Politics’ Centre for Law and Religion (bio)

” The persecution of the Jehovah Witnesses in Russia is escalating and terrifying. The JWs have been treated as “extremists” since 2017 (according to the 2002 law on countering extremism). The Supreme Court banned their activities. Now many of them are remanded in custody, arrested, and sentenced to prison. Their homes are raided. This is all inhumane, against human dignity, and shall be condemned with all means. It is not only against international law (article 18 of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights) and the Constitution of the Russian Federation (art. 28) as both guarantee religious freedom, but this is also against the common sense. Even older people are jailed. For what? For singing songs, studying the Bible and offering prayers collectively at private homes. This is ridiculous that people are punished for worshipping in private. This leads to the question: why? There is no one clear reason why Russia is doing towards the JWs what is doing. During my classes on challenges and controversies of religion and law in Europe (at the University of Eastern Finland), we study this persecution case. Having read relevant materials about the persecution, my students coming from different countries and religious traditions are not still able to answer why this is happening what is happening. However, some intuitions of ours are correct: the JWs in Russia might be perceived as a Western, American agent (it means being a “suspect” or, in fact, a spy) in a traditionally Orthodox and post-Soviet circle (with a lot of “culturally Orthodox”, white Russian nationalism). The question is whether Putin ordered this persecution or not. Few years ago, he was surprised about the scope of the persecution. But he might have lied about his lack of knowledge. The persecution might be a part of a “civilizational” war by Russia against the US/the West. Since there is the war in Ukraine, then it seems difficult to speak about some international pressure in the field. But the ideal would be: First, Russia should change the 2017 judgement. The Supreme Court may “cancel” it. Also, Russia may clearly amend the 2016 Yarovaya law (a bill amending the 2002 law) in order to avoid such verdicts. The JWs should not be treated as extremists. They are not terrorists but only peaceful people who worship the God. This all would be an important legal step. It would lead to taking other actions. Second, the arrested or sentenced people should be released. They should be made free. Even compensations for unlawful deprivation of liberty should be paid later (but this seems more complicated in Russia). Third, Russia should officially apologize the JWs for the persecution and should allow the JWs to register as a religious entity according to the 1997 law on religious associations. Fourth, Russia should return all the confiscated buildings and property of the JWs. Compensations for losses should be paid as well. Fifth, the JWs should act freely as an organization. Their religious freedom should be protected as it is regulated in the Russian constitution. They should not be arrested because of their prayers. Their homes should not be raided in a search of “extremist” activity anymore. Let Russia leave them in peace and they will pray freely. But there is not any hope for now. This plan would require a more democratic ruler or a serious change in the Kremlin.”

Elizabeth Clark, associate director for Brigham Young University’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies, international human rights and European Union law expert (bio)

” The Jehovah’s Witnesses, a pacifist group, has been facing increasing persecution of its members in Russia for exercising their rights to freedom of religion or belief. This violates Russia’s commitments to international law and its own constitution.”

Eric Patterson, executive vice president of Religious Freedom Institute, former dean of Regent University’s Robertson School of Government (bio)

” Russia’s continuing persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses as ‘extremists’ who threaten Russia’s national security is unfair and unwise. It contributes to an atmosphere of fear and social stagnation.”

Breakthrough Material Separates Heavy Water From Normal Water at Room Temperature

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Guest Author

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28 December 2022

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A flipping action in a porous material facilitates the passage of normal water to separate it out from heavy water.

A research group led by Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University’s Institute for Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Japan and Cheng Gu of South China University of Technology, China have made a material that can effectively separate heavy water from normal water at room temperature. Until now, this process has been very difficult and energy intensive. The findings have implications for industrial – and even biological – processes that involve using different forms of the same molecule. The scientists reported their results in the journal Nature.

Isotopologues are molecules that have the same chemical formula and whose atoms bond in similar arrangements, but at least one of their atoms has a different number of neutrons than the parent molecule. For example, a water molecule (H₂O) is formed of one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms. The nucleus of each of the hydrogen atoms contains one proton and no neutrons. In heavy water (D₂O), on the other hand, the deuterium (D) atoms are hydrogen isotopes with nuclei containing one proton and one neutron. Heavy water has applications in nuclear reactors, medical imaging, and in biological investigations.

“Water isotopologues are among the most difficult to separate because their properties are so similar,” explains materials scientist Cheng Gu. “Our work provided an unprecedented mechanism for separating water isotopologues using an adsorption-separation method.”

Gu and chemist Susumu Kitagawa, together with colleagues, based their separation technique on a copper-based porous coordination polymer (PCP). PCPs are porous crystalline materials formed of metal nodes connected by organic linkers. The team tested two PCPs made with different types of linkers.

What makes their PCPs especially important for isotopologue separation is that the linkers flip when moderately heated. This flipping action acts like a gate, allowing molecules to pass from one ‘cage’ in the PCP to another. Movement is blocked when the material is cooled.

When the scientists exposed their ‘flip-flop dynamic crystals’ to vapour containing a mixture of normal, heavy and semi-heavy water and then slightly warmed it, they adsorbed normal water much faster than they did the other two isotopologues. Crucially, this process happened within room temperature ranges.

“The adsorptive separation of water isotopologues in our work is substantially superior to conventional methods due to very high selectivity at room temperature operation,” says Kitagawa. “We are optimistic that new materials guided by our work will be developed to separate other isotopologues.”

Reference: “Separating water isotopologues using diffusion-regulatory porous materials” by Yan Su, Ken-ichi Otake, Jia-Jia Zheng, Satoshi Horike, Susumu Kitagawa and Cheng Gu, 9 November, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05310-y

Qatargate, Developments in the European Parliament corruption scandal

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Lahcen Hammouch

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23 December 2022

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QatarGate – The major corruption scandal involving Members of the European Parliament has entered a new phase since its outbreak, after Greek MEP Eva Kaili admitted to some of the facts, while allegations against Morocco for playing a role similar to Qatar’s alleged role in bribing MEPs has started to become more and more evident. And indeed, the Brussels council chamber extended the pre-trial detention of the former vice-president of the European Parliament, accused of corruption, by one month on Thursday 22 December.

Eva Kaili, the former vice-president of the European Parliament, had partially confessed, in the framework of the investigation, to the accusations of corruption by the Emirate of Qatar towards some members of the European Parliament. Francesco Giorgi, a parliamentary assistant and friend of Kaili’s, also admitted that he and others influenced the work of his parliamentary group to project Qatar’s influence as well as Morocco’s in the parliament.

Eva Kaili, a member of the Greek centre-left PASOK-KIBNAL party, was arrested on 9 December and remanded in a Belgian prison.

She recently made a partial confession to police that she was involved in corruption and kept a bag full of cash at home, which authorities estimated at 1.5 million euros, and admitted that she had asked her father to hide much of the money before police searched her flat and arrested her in Brussels and seized a bag full of cash.

The accusations against Kaili became clearer and more credible when the European Parliament voted to suspend privileged access to the institution for Qatari lobbyists.

She denounced Qatar for refusing to accuse her of offering “gifts” to represent its interests, stressing that this will have a “negative effect on regional and global security cooperation”, without forgetting to mention the sensitive energy dossier. As for Morocco, the authorities are still silent and have not commented on the allegations. In addition, Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch has filed a defamation complaint against former French EU representative José Buffet, who claimed that the Moroccan prime minister had tried to bribe him on the sidelines of negotiations for a trade agreement.

In addition to Kaili and Giorgi, there is the former Italian MP Pier Antonio Panzeri who is suspected of being the head of the corrupt organisation. According to Giorgi’s confession, Panziri is a “pawn” in the hands of Morocco, which, like Qatar, has tried to interfere in European affairs. After its defeat in the 2019 European elections, Panziri continued its lobbying work via the NGO “Fighting Impunity” founded in 2019 and suspected of being a front for a corruption organisation serving the kingdom.

Belgian authorities

The Belgian authorities, in particular, are seeking to clarify the role of the organisation in the negotiations on the Sahara conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front, which Algeria has always supported.

Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella, a member of the delegation for relations with the Arab Gulf States, is also accused of having received bribes from Doha. On 10 December, the police searched his house and confiscated his electronic devices, but they have not yet investigated him.

Finally, another name of an elected official targeted by the investigation has been announced, namely Andrea Cozzolino, member of the parliamentary delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries.

The judicial investigations are still ongoing and other names involved will be disclosed in the coming days.

To be continued…

Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Scientology and Sikhism have joined the United Nations to protect Human Rights

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Newsdesk

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22 December 2022

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UNITY AMONG PEOPLE OF FAITH TO PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS

Newsroom/EINPRESSWIRE. At a time when human rights are under threat all over the world, both in so-called developing countries and in countries whose motto is related to human rights, unity among people of faith is more than necessary and desirable.

“On the day when we can trust each other completely, there will be peace on Earth,” wrote L. Ron Hubbard, and it is on this road that last December 9, representatives of 6 religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Scientology and Sikhism), representing the old and the new with about 2.95 billion parishioners, gathered at the United Nations to talk about Faith and Human Rights, in celebration of the 74th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This rich panel was moderated by Rev. Eric Roux, Global Trustee for Europe of the United Religions Initiative (URI), arguably the largest interfaith network in existence today.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Scientology and Sikhism have joined the United Nations to protect Human Rights

Among the speakers were Wissam al-Saliby, director of the Human Rights Geneva Office for the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), the world’s largest evangelical organization, which stated that “biblical justice is rooted in the very character of God. Our mandate to work for justice and to love our neighbour is the fulfilment of that character. As we celebrate 74 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I am reminded of the Christian teaching that every human being bears the image of God. For this reason, human beings have worth and value above anything else in creation. And for this reason, I believe we have Article 1 of the UDHR: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

The panel discussion was followed by Thinlay Chukki, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, The Tibet Bureau, and therefore Tibetan Buddhism, who reiterated the importance of “respecting people of all faiths and people without faith”. Chukki highlighted the “age-old Tibetan Buddhist practice and teaching” and emphasized the philosophy that “the life of every sentient being, including animals, is precious.” Representative Thinlay noted that “His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings and messages have always stressed the need to look at the world as one big family that aspires to happiness and does not want suffering” and finally acknowledged the presence of the Tibetan member of parliament – in-Exile for Europe, Thupten Gyatso, among the participants.

Gursharan Singh, general secretary of the Sikhi Sewa Society, continued the panel discussion by saying: “How can we bring about a culture of peace? If we only preach about living in harmony, we will never reach our goal. A flower drawn on a sheet of paper can be beautiful but we will never be able to smell it.[…] Every religion has foundations that could be universally accepted. As advised by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, founder of Sikhism, if we can bring together all these foundations from the major world religions we may be able to construct principles that could become one of the fundamental approaches to maintaining peace on this planet.”

On behalf of Hinduism, the world’s oldest religion, Dr Lakshmi Vyas, PhD and President of the Hindu Forum of Europe said in her recorded presentation “Human rights are natural rights and are presumed to be directly God-given. As a result, no power in the world can get him out. Individuals are created to live in this world with others and have a duty to love others. The Hindu tradition focuses on the parallel of duties and rights… The appreciation of human rights in Hinduism does not simply come from Hindu theological thoughts but it is also written in the Hindu scriptures which existed for centuries before the birth of the concept of human rights.

The next speaker was Iván Arjona, President of the Church of Scientology European Office for Public Affairs and Human Rights, who also chairs the United Nations ECOSOC-recognized foundation Mejora (Foundation for the Improvement of Life, Culture and Society Arjona explained:

“For more than 40 years Scientologists have promoted and taught the UDHR.) It was in 1969 when L. Ron Hubbard reprinted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Church’s Freedom magazine and wrote that ‘The United Nations has found the answer. The absence of human rights has stained the hands of governments and threatened their rules. Very few governments have implemented any part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These governments have failed to understand that their very survival depends wholly on adopting such reforms and thus giving their people a cause, a civilization worthy of being supported, worthy of their patriotism.’

And finally, to cover the topic from the point of view of Islam, was Boumediène Benyahia, Islamologist – Secretary General and scientific referent of the Coordination of Islamic Organizations in Switzerland (COIS) and Director of the Institute of the Word (Kalima), he said “I must begin by simply saying the following: the culture of peace is not negotiable. We are not here to negotiate. How to make peace? It is not negotiable. It is a sacredness that is imposed on everyone, whether we like it or not… The word Islam is at the basis of this perennial cornerstone of humanity which is peace. It is cultivated. How is this peace cultivated? It is cultivated from the seeds of the wisdom of all religions, related spiritualities and all seed societies and individuals. From the seed to the fruit tree which, in turn, will nourish, we hope, all souls in a perennial way».

Horn of Africa faces most severe drought in more than two generations – UNICEF

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United Nations News

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22 December 2022

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The number of children suffering from dire drought conditions across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia has more than doubled in five months, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday.

Around 20.2 million children are under threat of severe hunger, thirst and disease – compared to 10 million in July – as climate change, conflict, global inflation and grain shortages devastate the region.

“While collective and accelerated efforts have mitigated some of the worst impact of what had been feared, children in the Horn of Africa are still facing the most severe drought in more than two generations”, stated UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa Lieke van de Wiel.

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Millions hungry

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Climate change
Conflict
Global inflation
Grain shortages

A COMBINATION OF CRISES HAVE DOUBLED THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN AT RISK OF HUNGER, THIRST AND DISEASE IN THE HORN OF AFRICA.

THEY NEED ACTION NOW. HTTPS://T.CO/IHVJZPEKMT

UNICEF

UNICEF

DECEMBER 22, 2022

Nearly two million children across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are estimated to need urgent treatment for severe acute malnutrition, the deadliest form of hunger.

Meanwhile, water insecurity has more than doubled with close to 24 million people now confronting dire water shortages.

At the same time, drought has internally displaced over two million people and driven approximately 2.7 million children out of school, with an additional four million others at risk of dropping out.

“Humanitarian assistance must be continued to save lives and build the resilience of the staggering number of children and families who are being pushed to the edge – dying from hunger and disease and being displaced in search of food, water and pasture for their livestock”, said Ms. van de Wiel.

Teetering on the edge

As increased stress is driving families to the edge, youth are facing child labour, child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM).

And widespread food insecurity and displacement are triggering sexual violence, exploitation, abuse, and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV).

“We need a global effort to mobilize resources urgently to reduce further devastating and irreversible damage to children in the Horn of Africa”, continued the senior UNICEF official.

On hand to lend a hand

Thanks to the generous support of donors and partners, UNICEF continues to provide life-saving services to children and families across the Horn of Africa, as it prepares for further shocks, builds resilience and strengthens key services.

This year, the UN agency and its partners reached nearly two million children and women with essential healthcare services; vaccinated against measles almost two million between the ages of six months and 15 years; and provided safe water for drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene to over 2.7 million people.

UNICEF’s 2023 emergency appeal of $759 million to support children and their families will require timely and flexible funding, especially surrounding education, water and sanitation, and child protection – all of which were severely underfunded this year.

An additional $690 million is required to support long-term investments for children and their families to recover and adapt to climate change.

“As governments and people across the world prepare to welcome a New Year, we urge the international community to commit to responding now for what might hit the Horn of Africa next year, and in the years to come”, Ms. van de Wiel appealed.

“We must act now to save children’s lives, preserve their dignity and protect their futures”.

Russia – Four Jehovah’s Witnesses sentenced to prison for up to seven years

By

Willy Fautre

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21 December 2022

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Four Jehovah’s Witnesses sentenced to prison for up to seven years — In the photo: Valery Krieger, Alam Aliyev, Dmitry Zagulin and Sergey Shulyarenko (Credit: Jehovah’s Witnesses)

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About 40 Jehovah’s Witnesses have been sentenced to heavy prison terms since 1 January

On 19 December 2022, Four Jehovah’s Witnesses sentenced to prison for up to seven years by Judge Yana Vladimirova at the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region for supposedly organizing and financing extremist activities while they were in fact merely exercising their right to freedom of religion and assembly.

The investigation and trial lasted an unprecedented four years and a half. The litigation lasted over two years. The prosecutor requested a punishment of four to nine years in prison in a colony.

Sentencing

Sergey Shulyarenko, 38 years, and Valeriy Kriger, 55 years (7 years)
Alam Aliyev, 59 years (6.5 years)
Dmitriy Zagulin, 49 years (3.5 years)

Operation “Judgment Day”

On 17 May 2018, a large-scale operation under the code name “Judgment Day” was conducted in Birobidzhan with the participation of 150 security forces. More than 20 families of Jehovah’s Witnesses were victims of the raid (e.g, Newsweek; Kyiv Post).

During this crackdown, Alam Aliyev was arrested and spent eight days in a pre-trial detention center. Later on, three more believers appeared in Aliyev’s case: Valery Krieger, Sergey Shulyarenko and Dmitry Zagulin. They were accused of holding joint worship services, which the investigation considered to be the organization of the activities of an extremist organization and its financing.

In total, 23 Jehovah’s Witnesses in the region have already been persecuted for the practice of their beliefs. Among them are the wife of Alam Aliyev—Svetlana Monis, the wife of Valery Krieger—Nataliya Krieger and the wife of Dmitriy Zagulin—Tatyana Zagulina.

The European Court of Human Rights, in its judgment of 7 June 2022, condemned the repression of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, stating: “The European Court reiterates that only religious expressions and actions that contain or call for violence, hate or discrimination can serve as a basis for suppressing them as ‘extremist’ […] The courts did not identify a single word, deed or action of the applicants, whose motive would be violence, hatred or discrimination against others, or which would have a connotation of violence, hatred or discrimination” (§ 271).

Mass Raids

Since the 2017 Supreme Court ban, Russian authorities have raided 1874 homes of Witnesses, including 200 this year

Mass raids in 2022 (10 or more homes)
- Dec 18, Crimea, 16 homes
- Oct 6, Primorye Territory, 12 homes
- Sept 28, Crimea, 11 homes
- Sept 8, Chelyabinsk Region, 13 homes
- Aug 11, Rostov Region, 10 homes
- July 13, Yaroslavl Region, 16 homes
- Feb 13, Krasnodar Region, 13 homes

Official Statement

Jarrod Lopes, a spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses, states:

“There are over 110 Jehovah’s Witnesses in prison in Russia. It’s unthinkable that peaceful Christian men like Alam, Dmitriy, Sergey, and Valeriy would be accused of extremist activity and given harsh, lengthy prison sentences usually reserved for violent criminals.(*)

Russian authorities have continued to use a substantial amount of State personnel and resources to conduct mass home raids and imprison Jehovah’s Witnesses simply for the practice of their beliefs.

The escalating discriminatory assault against Jehovah’s Witnesses is putting a huge burden on a growing number of wives and children to support themselves without the help of their husbands and fathers who were often the family’s primary source of income. Innocent children have had their fathers ruthlessly taken away from them at the most critical point in their physical and emotional development. It’s hard to believe such gross injustices would happen at all, and even more inconceivable that the systematic persecution—at times including beatings and torture—has continued for more than five years.”

(*) In comparison, according to Article 111 Part 1 of the Criminal Code, grievous bodily harm draws a maximum of 8 years sentence; Article 126 Part 1 of the Criminal Code, kidnapping leads to up to 5 years in prison; Article 131 Part 1 of the Criminal Code, rape is punishable with 3 to 6 years in prison.

Rev. Samuel Chiang New Deputy Secretary General for Ministries

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Guest Author

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20 December 2022

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The appointment by the Secretary General followed a months-long search process that included the senior leaders in the WEA.

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Rev. Samuel E. Chiang as the new Deputy Secretary General for Ministries.

Together with Secretary General Bishop Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher and Deputy Secretary General for Operations Dr. Peirong Lin, the three leaders form the Office of the Secretary General that oversees the day-to-day work of the WEA as it serves its global constituency of some 600 million evangelicals in more than 140 countries.

The appointment by the Secretary General followed a months-long search process that included the senior leaders in the WEA.

Announcing the decision, Schirrmacher commented: “It gives me great pleasure and comfort to inform you about the appointment of Reverend Samuel E. Chiang, originally from Taiwan and ordained with the People’s Church in Toronto, as my new Deputy Secretary General of Ministries. Samuel has been building up and heading up the Global Evangelism Network within the Global Witness Department and comes with the unanimous endorsement of his department head and the whole Senior Leadership Team who have gotten to know him over the past months.”

“Samuel comes with the gift of networking and a deep love for all cultures, languages, and especially oral cultures, as helping to launch Bible translation and facilitating the orality network of the Lausanne movement have covered quite some time of his life. Being born in Taiwan and having worked in Hong Kong for a long time, as well as his education in Canada and work in the United States gives him a special access to the multi-ethnical teams that are so typical for our work in the WEA,” Schirrmacher said, and added: “Samuel, Peirong and I are three quite differently gifted and experienced people, and it is our hope that our close working relationship will bear fruit for our global family of brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.”

Upon his appointment, Rev. Chiang expressed that he is “very humbled to steward this role, with utter dependence on our Heavenly Father, and looking forward to meeting the larger family uniting in prayer, uniting in voice, and uniting in advocacy.”

While he assumes additional responsibilities in his role as deputy, Rev. Chiang will continue to serve as Executive Director of the Global Evangelism Network, which he was appointed to last year. Highlighting evangelism as a heartbeat of WEA, he said: “I am grateful to also steward the Global Evangelism Network portfolio with a team of trusted partners.”

About Rev. Samuel E. Chiang:

Born in Taiwan and educated in Canada, Samuel first worked with Ernst & Young before graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary, where he currently serves on the board. Samuel lived with his family in Hong Kong for 25 years, where he served the Church in China and later the global Church. He has traveled to 90 countries, teaching, coaching, and consulting in nearly 40 of them. He has written extensively on orality and published widely across multiple disciplines. He has been instrumental in co-founding 16 different companies ranging from artificial insemination to artificial intelligence, and he previously served as the CEO of Seed Company.

Certified in Systemic Team Coaching and also as Lego Serious Play facilitator, Samuel focuses on tending generously to senior leadership teams and executives, coaching them in the areas of collaboration, leadership, negotiation, systemic processes, and conflict management. He is cofounder of Global Centre for Giftedness and has since last year served as the inaugural Executive Director of the WEA’s Global Evangelism Network.

Samuel is married to Robbi and together they have three grown children, two wonderful daughters-in-law, and two lovely grandchildren.

TAIWAN – UN Human Rights Day and the Tai Ji Men Case

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NewsdeskTET

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20 December 2022

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TAIWAN – UN Human Rights Day and the Tai Ji Men Case — UN Human Rights Day and the Tai Ji Men Case

The Tai Ji Men Case falsely accused the Tai Ji Men and Dr Hong of tax evasion, led hundreds of armed police officers to search the Tai Ji Men as well as the private residences.

HRWF (20.12.2022) – The 10th of December is the day when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948 and it is commemorated worldwide since then by the international community. It was then a day of hope in the future after the terrifying Second World War which killed dozens of million people on the battlefields of Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

However, there is another date in December that is not commemorated as a day of hope in Taiwan but that is remembered as a day of sadness by Tai Ji Men and the dizi. It is the 19^th of December, that fateful day in 1996, when Prosecutor Kuan-Ren Hou, after falsely reporting Tai Ji Men and Dr Hong of tax evasion, led hundreds of armed police officers to search all chapters of the Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy as well as the private residences of several Tai Ji Men dizi.

This is when a long series of human rights violations started to hit Tai Ji Men.

It was a human rights violation to fabricate false charges and to organize a police crackdown on 19 December 1996 because two prosecutors had ruled a month earlier that the suspicions were unfounded and that they were closing the case.

It was a human rights violation to reopen the case without any legal reason.

It was a human rights violation to arrest Dr Hong nine days after the commemoration of the UN Human Rights Day in Taiwan and to keep him in detention for almost four months. It was proven to be illegal as Dr Hong was later exonerated of all charges and even granted a national compensation for unlawful imprisonment.

It was a human rights violation to detain his wife and two dizi a few days later.

On 23 December, all assets of Dr. Hong and his wife were illegally frozen, including those unrelated to the activities of Tai Ji Men.

On Christmas Day, Prosecutor Hou promoted the establishment of a “victims’ association” for those allegedly defrauded by Tai Ji Men. It will later be revealed that some of the so-called “victims” had in fact never been part of Tai Ji Men, and the association was basically a fraud.

Prosecutor Hou broke the law when he summoned and pressured tax collector Shih Yue-Sheng (who died in 2020) to falsely claim that Qigong Academy was a “cram school” providing students rapid tuition, with the consequence that the money given by the dizi to their master in the so-called “red envelopes” was a taxable tuition fee rather than a non-taxable gift. Before he died in 2020, the tax collector publicly testified that he did corporate with the prosecutor in perjury.

He was cooperating with the prosecutor in perjury

One year later, in April 1997, Prosecutor Hou, overstepped his authority and wrote to the Ministry of Interior demanding the dissolution of Tai Ji Men. This unacceptable harassment clearly showed that he wanted to destroy Tai Ji Men.

On 21 May 1997, Prosecutor Hou again overstepped his authority and wrote to the government of the counties and cities where the twelve Tai Ji Men Qigong Academies were located, demanding the dissolution of all of them.

On 26 May, the first hearing of the Tai Ji Men case was opened in the 7^th Criminal Court of Taipei. The case lasted for more than six years. On the same day, Dr. Hong and his wife were finally released from detention and later on declared innocent. But the persecution went on unabated.

On 18 June 1997, Prosecutor Hou overstepped again his authority and wrote to the Public Works Departments of Taipei City and Taipei County asking that water and electricity supply to Tai Ji Men be terminated.

In October–December 1997, based on Prosecutor Hou’s indictment, the National Taxation Bureau (NTB) issued tax bills for the years 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996, claiming that the money received by Dr. Hong in the “red envelopes” in those years should be considered as derived from tuition fees rather than gifts. Two branches of the NTB were involved, of Taipei (for 1996) and of the Central Area (for the other years). This happened although at the same time, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education stated that Tai Ji Men is not a cram school. And the same statement was reiterated again in the years 1999 and 2000.

On this day of commemoration of the signing of the UN Human Rights Declaration, I could enumerate for hours dozens of violations of human rights perpetrated against Tai Ji Men by Prosecutor Hou or instigated by him so that Tai Ji Men could be persecuted by the NTB and other institutions.

In 2002, the Control Yuan, the nation’s top watchdog body, investigated the management of the Tai Ji Men case by Prosecutor Hou, accused him of abuse of authority and referred his case to the Justice Ministry for sanctions.

According to the Control Yuan’s report, Hou was guilty of

Initiating an investigation based on fabricated charges
Violating the principle of confidentiality during the investigation
Interrogating the defendants without prior notice to their attorneys as required by law
Treating the defendants improperly and rudely when interrogating them
Freezing the defendants’ assets without any evidence of illegal gains
Overstepping his authority by issuing letters on his own, requesting the dissolution of Tai Ji Men
Calling for the establishment of an association of alleged victims of Tai Ji Men, blindly siding with them and failing to verify the credibility of their claims, hereby damaging his own image of an impartial law enforcement officer

In 2009, the Control Yuan carried out another investigation on the NTB in relation to their misconducts for handling Tai Ji Men case. Seven instances of serious misconduct were found.

Despite these thorough reports and the documented serious charges, no directors, officers or prosecutor were ever penalised by any disciplinary actions.

For 26 years, Prosecutor Hou’s coup attempt against a charitable spiritual movement training generations of young people spending their time and their money to become good Taiwanese citizens and make Taiwanese society more humane has remained unpunished.

The violations of human rights by Prosecutor Hou against Tai Ji Men are innumerable and nobody will ever be able to establish an exhaustive list of them but what matters is to go on fighting against impunity.

Impunity cannot prevail in deliberately repeated cases of violations of human rights by a recidivist. The fight for justice needs to go on unabated in the Tai Ji Men case.

10 December, a day of hope, and 19 December, a day of sadness, are two milestones that need to be commemorated in a specific way.

My message to Tai Ji Men and all dizi is today to have faith in their peaceful but determined war against injustice, to go on fighting for their own case, to help other victims of the tax administration in Taiwan and to be living examples of human rights defenders while spreading peace and love.

First published at HRWF.

Brussels my love: EU Parliament corruption scandal and global corporate tax

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Newsdesk

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19 December 2022

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Euronews’ Brussels bureau brings you its seventh episode of a new talk show that aims to break down European news and politics to make it more accessible to viewers.

The episode featured Irish Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne, Michiel van Hulten, the head of Transparency International EU and Jacob Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund.

The talk show was taped as EU heads of state and governments met in Brussels for their end-of-year EU summit.

Read full at euronews

Why we shouldn’t yell at our dog

By

Gaston de Persigny

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19 December 2022

0

Most likely, at least once you have lost your temper and yelled at your dog, even though you were well aware that it was hurting the innocent creature. Everyone loses their temper. However, a new study shows that we should do everything we can to prevent this from happening.

After analyzing over 90 dogs, a team from the University of Porto discovered that yelling can have lasting negative effects on the animals’ mental state. Although they sometimes make whites, dogs are some of the most good-natured creatures and they don’t deserve this.

A concise answer to the question, why you should never yell at your dog:

The scientists, led by Dr. Ana Catarina Vieira de Castro, conducted their study on service dogs to determine whether yelling and mistreatment of dogs had a negative effect on them.

To do this, they selected 92 companion dogs and divided them into 2 groups: those trained using reward-based methods, such as games and treats, and those trained using more aggressive methods, such as yelling or pulling on the leash.

The test measures signs of nervousness in dogs.

The scientists set out to observe the behavior of the animals during training, both in positive and negative groups. In this way, they could detect the signs of stress in dogs such as yawning, leg lifting, licking, as well as the level of relaxation.

In addition, they took saliva samples from the dogs in both groups to identify chemicals associated with anxiety and nervousness, such as cortisol. Using these samples, they were able to calculate the stress level of the dogs in the two groups. Not surprisingly, the dogs that were trained with punishment and yelling had higher levels of stress than those in the other group, but the findings of the study went further.

The results are not surprising, but the consequences are.

A month later, the researchers visited the dogs to observe the extent of the impact their type of training had had on them.

According to the researchers, training with treats and rewards has a much more long-term effect than that with yelling and aggression. The stress dogs are subjected to during training remains in the long term

“Our results show that companion dogs that have been trained using harsher methods have poorer welfare than companion dogs trained using reward-based methods, both in the short-term and in the long-term.”

The dogs in the first group were more stable, calm and positive, while the dogs in the second group showed higher levels of cortisol, stress and negativity, which had a detrimental effect on their well-being that lasted for weeks or even longer.

Photo by Pixabay

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