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Spectacular simultaneous SWAT raids on Romanian yoga centers in France: Fact checking

By
Willy Fautre
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Operation Villiers-sur-Marne: Testimony

On 28 November 2023, just after 6 a.m., a SWAT team of around 175 policemen wearing black masks, helmets, and bullet-proof vests, simultaneously descended on eight separate houses and apartments in and around Paris but also in Nice, brandishing semi-automatic rifles. They smashed in the entrance doors and ran up and down the stairs, shouting orders.

These searched places were used by practitioners of yoga connected with MISA yoga school in Romania for spiritual retreats. On that fateful morning, most of them were still in bed. A few were in the kitchen boiling water for herbal tea. The masked police handcuffed a number of them, made them stand outside without coats or shoes in the freezing courtyard, then took them by bus to the police station.

Results of this vast operation: a few dozens of people were arrested, 15 of whom – 11 men and 4 women, all of Romanian nationality – were indicted for “trafficking in human beings”, “forcible confinement” and “abuse of vulnerability”, in organized gang.

Gregorian Bivolaru (72), one of the founders and the spiritual leader of MISA, was among the arrested people but in his case, he was wanted by Finland under the accusation of sexual abuse of Finnish women in France several years ago. In the framework of a research paper titled “The Controversies Around Natha Yoga Center in Helsinki: Background, Causes, and Context”, late Prof. Liselotte Frisk (Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden) solidly investigated the allegations against Bivolaru in Finland (pp 20, 21, 27).

As long as a court decision has not confirmed the said accusations, Gregorian Bivolaru must continue to enjoy the presumption of innocence, as any ordinary citizen or famous public personality.

No woman interrogated in the framework of the SWAT operation on 23 November 2023 has filed a complaint against him.

Since the raid, Bivolaru and five other people have remained in pretrial detention in France.

Human Rights Without Frontiers contacted Ms C. C. (*), a MISA practitioner for 20 years. She was at the yoga center of Villiers-sur-Marne at the time of the raid. In 2002-2006, she studied at the Faculty of History and Philosophy from Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca (Rumania). In 2005-2006, she was a journalist at the national daily Romania Liberă. Here is her testimony about the SWAT operation:

Q.: You have been practicing yoga in the MISA group in Romania for 20 years but while you were in a spiritual retreat in Villiers-sur-Marne, there was a Swat operation against the group. Can you tell me what happened?

A.: I have been a lot of times in France for such retreats since 2010 and I like it very much. That is why last year I had planned to stay for two months again in Villiers-sur-Marne, from late September until the end of November. I booked a flight to Paris and friends picked me up at the airport to take me to the yoga center.

In early morning, a SWAT team made a spectacular entry in our center where dozens of yoga practitioners were hosted for their retreat. The policemen put everything upside down, creating an awful mess and even breaking a lot of things.

In my case, they took away my bags, my papers, my phone, my tablet, my computer, an envelope with 1000 EUR and my wallet with about 200 EUR. Four months later, I still have not been given my money back and my material. It was freezing in my room because the door was open and I was just in pyjama. The officers took me and many others to the police station.

Q.: What happened at the police station?

A.: First of all, I must say I was just wearing my pyjama, a coat and a pair of street shoes. When we arrived at the police station, nobody explained me anything about the procedure, access to food and water or other basic things. I often needed to drink but only got a very small plastic glass of water. There was also misunderstanding about the food. They put me in a cold cell with a concrete floor. On the bed, there was a thin mattress and I just got one thin sheet. There was no toilet in the cell, I could not wash in the morning or brush my teeth.

Every time I needed to go to the bathroom, I had to wave at the internal surveillance camera but quite often I had to wait for one or two hours before I was being taken care of. The toilet could not be closed properly and a policeman was standing outside.

I was told I was suspect of complicity of rape and trafficking. I wanted to be assisted by a lawyer but they answered it was impossible because too many people had been arrested and after two hours they could start the interrogation if no lawyer was available.

On the second day of my detention, they took my fingerprint and my photo. During the interrogation, it was clear that they wanted me to say I was playing an important role in MISA but I was not. They released me at 9.30pm but first, I had to sign a release form which did not mention any list of seized items or the amounts of confiscated money. Unfortunately, I did not get a copy of it.

Without money and any telephone, I was left outside the police station in that cold late November night for almost 9 hours, until 6am, when I finally could reach someone who could help me.

Q.: Franck Dannerolle, the head of the Central Office for the repression of violence against people (OCRVP) in charge of the investigation, was quoted by some French newspapers as saying that the yoga practitioners were “housed in difficult conditions, with significant promiscuity, no privacy.” (**) Can you tell me more about your living conditions in Villiers-sur-Marne?

A.:  It is not true at all. In my case, I had chosen to live in a small comfortable pavilion (about 7 square meters) outside the main building because I wanted to practice my yoga retreat alone and meditate in silence, sometimes without sleeping or eating for 24 hours.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Spectacular simultaneous SWAT raids on Romanian yoga centers in France: Fact checking
Spectacular simultaneous SWAT raids on Romanian yoga centers in France: Fact checking 3

Others had chosen to share a bedroom in the main house: 2, 3 or 4 together, men and women separately. The building belongs to Sorin Turc, a violinist who played with the Monaco orchestra and is a supporter of MISA. It is spacious and comfortable: there are enough bathrooms and showers for the yoga practitioners. There is a big room for the collective practice of yoga. There is a large kitchen with cookers, two big freezers, a drink dispenser of fruit juicers, toasters and other facilities such as washing and drying machines.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Spectacular simultaneous SWAT raids on Romanian yoga centers in France: Fact checking
Spectacular simultaneous SWAT raids on Romanian yoga centers in France: Fact checking 4

For our own meals, we were going to a local supermarket for shopping and we were preparing our food ourselves.

If the living conditions were so bad as Dannerolle was saying, there would not be so many practitioners and I would have never come back so many times to Villiers-sur-Marne.

At the time of the raid, Christmas was in the air and lots of decoration had already been installed. Everything looked nice but after the SWAT operation, the premises were left in a desastrous mess.

Q. How comes that you joined the MISA yoga group?

A.: I am now 39 but when I was a teenager, I was, and I am still, in search of truth about the meaning of life and the existence of God. At the age of 16, I even made a retreat of two months in an Orthodox monastery and I wanted to become a nun. Then, I met the Baptists. Afterwards, Hindus and Hare Krishna followers before coming in contact with MISA yoga group. I was attracted by meditation and spirituality. I believe in God, I am Orthodox and I feel well with MISA.

About some media coverage: the presumption of guilt

A number of French media outlets went wild in the coverage of this whole affair and held their own tribunal, as some of their delusional headlines can show, although no French court has established the truth about the alleged facts at this stage:

L’homme qui a contribué à faire tomber la secte de yoga tantrique / The man who helped bring down the tantric yoga sect
Viols, lavage de cerveau, yoga tantrique: l’effrayant parcours de Gregorian Bivolaru, le gourou roumain mis en examen et écroué en France / Rape, brainwashing, tantric yoga: the frightening journey of Gregorian Bivolaru, the Romanian guru indicted and imprisoned in France.
Secte Misa : « Le gourou Bivolaru aurait pu faire de moi ce qu'il voulait » / Misa Cult: “Guru Bivolaru could have done with me what he wanted”
Viols, fuite et yoga ésotérique: qui est le gourou Gregorian Bivolaru arrêté ce mardi? / Rape, flight and esoteric yoga: who is the guru Gregorian Bivolaru arrested this Tuesday?
Agressions sexuelles sur fond de yoga tantrique : un gourou interpellé en France. “Il préférait les vierges": des victimes du gourou Bivolaru témoignent / Sexual assaults against the backdrop of tantric yoga: a guru arrested in France. "He preferred virgins": victims of guru Bivolaru testify

Two common points of all these articles. First, the authors failed to meet and interview the yoga practitioners who were arrested and detained for questioning (“garde à vue”) for up to 48 hours. Second, they echoed gossip and unproven assertions, which is not journalism and disfigures the noble image of journalism.

There are ethical standards in journalism and there is a higher authority in France responsible for ensuring they are respected.

In 2016, the media coverage of MISA issues in Romania was the object of a research paper titled “The Effect of the Persistent Media Campaign on the Public Perception – MISA & Gregorian Bivolaru Case Study” and published by the World Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. French scholars in religious studies would be well inspired to make a comparative study about the same topic in their country.

Human Rights Without Frontiers defends freedom of the press and freedom of expression of journalists but also combats hate speech, fake news and stigmatization. Human Rights Without Frontiers defends the respect of the principle of presumption of innocence and recognizes final court decisions as the judicial truth.

(*) Out of respect for the privacy of the interviewee, we only put her initials but we have her full name and contact data.

(**) The spiritual retreat center in Villiers-sur-Marne was never accused or even suspected of unsanitary conditions. See the gallery of pictures of the place.

Let youth lead, urges new advocacy campaign

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United Nations News
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Let youth lead, urges new advocacy campaign

As crises continue to unfold, there has been a lack of unity among world leaders in solving challenges for the “collective good”, the Youth Office said in a letter kickstarting the campaign. 

The office says it deems it important to have leaders and institutions include young people in roles where their voices can be heard, or a common future might be at stake.

“Putting more diverse perspectives around the decision-making table is the only way to ensure we don’t continue to repeat past mistakes,” the office said in their open letter. 

“By championing intergenerational solidarity and finding innovative solutions even in the most challenging of circumstances, young people remind us that a better world is still possible.”

The office says that hope and trust will be rebuilt and restored when significant youth engagement becomes the norm with the backing of “dedicated resourcing everywhere around the world.”

Summit of the Future

As the time for the landmark Summit of the Future in September at UN Headquarters draws nearer, the Youth Office is extending an open letter to young people across the globe where they can pen a message to world leaders.

During the summit, world leaders will focus on coming to an international consensus on safeguarding the future and tackling the best solution for reclaiming the path of the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The office hopes there will be a positive and large response from youth around the world that will push leaders attending the summit to “commit to finally giving young people their rightful seat at the table.”

Youth and the UN

UN Secretary-General António Guterres supports the campaign’s efforts, saying, “I am absolutely committed to bringing young people into political decision-making; not just listening to your views, but acting on them.” 

Just last year, at the UN’s annual Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum, Mr. Guterres said that young people are key to building a better future, urging governments to consult more with young people – pointing to his UN policy brief, Our Common Agenda, that calls for “inclusive, networked, and effective multilateralism to better respond and deliver for the people and planet.”

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, Felipe Paullier,  also supports this advocacy campaign. He said the inclusion of youth in decision-making roles at all levels, “is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal to address the ongoing conflicts, rising geopolitical tensions and increasing uncertainty facing our world today.”

ECOSOC 2024 Youth Forum

Conversations about this campaign and further discussions about how to create a better tomorrow will begin at this year’s three-day ECOSOC Youth Forum running from, April 16-18, involving a wide range of stakeholders including young people and senior politicians.

“We are watching. Don’t let us down”, is the overarching message to governments worldwide.

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Tackling cancer at the nanoscale

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Newsdesk
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When Paula Hammond first arrived on MIT’s campus as a first-year student in the early 1980s, she wasn’t sure if she belonged. In fact, as she told an MIT audience, she felt like “an imposter.”

MIT Institute Professor Paula Hammond, a world-renowned chemical engineer who has spent most of her academic career at MIT, delivered the 2023-24 James R. Killian Jr. Faculty Achievement Award lecture. Image credit: Jake Belcher

However, that feeling didn’t last long, as Hammond began to find support among her fellow students and MIT’s faculty. “Community was really important for me, to feel that I belonged, to feel that I had a place here, and I found people who were willing to embrace me and support me,” she said.

Hammond, a world-renowned chemical engineer who has spent most of her academic career at MIT, made her remarks during the 2023-24 James R. Killian Jr. Faculty Achievement Award lecture.

Established in 1971 to honor MIT’s 10th president, James Killian, the Killian Award recognizes extraordinary professional achievements by an MIT faculty member. Hammond was chosen for this year’s award “not only for her tremendous professional achievements and contributions, but also for her genuine warmth and humanity, her thoughtfulness and effective leadership, and her empathy and ethics,” according to the award citation.

“Professor Hammond is a pioneer in nanotechnology research. With a program that extends from basic science to translational research in medicine and energy, she has introduced new approaches for the design and development of complex drug delivery systems for cancer treatment and noninvasive imaging,” said Mary Fuller, chair of MIT’s faculty and a professor of literature, who presented the award. “As her colleagues, we are delighted to celebrate her career today.”

In January, Hammond began serving as MIT’s vice provost for faculty. Before that, she chaired the Department of Chemical Engineering for eight years, and she was named an Institute Professor in 2021.

A versatile technique

Hammond, who grew up in Detroit, credits her parents with instilling a love of science. Her father was one of very few Black PhDs in biochemistry at the time, while her mother earned a master’s degree in nursing from Howard University and founded the nursing school at Wayne County Community College. “That provided a huge amount of opportunity for women in the area of Detroit, including women of color,” Hammond noted.

After earning her bachelor’s degree from MIT in 1984, Hammond worked as an engineer before returning to the Institute as a graduate student, earning her PhD in 1993. After a two-year postdoc at Harvard University, she returned to join the MIT faculty in 1995.

At the heart of Hammond’s research is a technique she developed to create thin films that can essentially “shrink-wrap” nanoparticles. By tuning the chemical composition of these films, the particles can be customized to deliver drugs or nucleic acids and to target specific cells in the body, including cancer cells.

To make these films, Hammond begins by layering positively charged polymers onto a negatively charged surface. Then, more layers can be added, alternating positively and negatively charged polymers. Each of these layers may contain drugs or other useful molecules, such as DNA or RNA. Some of these films contain hundreds of layers, others just one, making them useful for a wide range of applications.

“What’s nice about the layer-by-layer process is I can choose a group of degradable polymers that are nicely biocompatible, and I can alternate them with our drug materials. This means that I can build up thin film layers that contain different drugs at different points within the film,” Hammond said. “Then, when the film degrades, it can release those drugs in reverse order. This is enabling us to create complex, multidrug films, using a simple water-based technique.”

Hammond described how these layer-by-layer films can be used to promote bone growth, in an application that could help people born with congenital bone defects or people who experience traumatic injuries.

For that use, her lab has created films with layers of two proteins. One of these, BMP-2, is a protein that interacts with adult stem cells and induces them to differentiate into bone cells, generating new bone. The second is a growth factor called VEGF, which stimulates the growth of new blood vessels that help bone to regenerate. These layers are applied to a very thin tissue scaffold that can be implanted at the injury site.

Hammond and her students designed the coating so that once implanted, it would release VEGF early, over a week or so, and continue releasing BMP-2 for up to 40 days. In a study of mice, they found that this tissue scaffold stimulated the growth of new bone that was nearly indistinguishable from natural bone.

Targeting cancer

As a member of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Hammond has also developed layer-by-layer coatings that can improve the performance of nanoparticles used for cancer drug delivery, such as liposomes or nanoparticles made from a polymer called PLGA.

“We have a broad range of drug carriers that we can wrap this way. I think of them like a gobstopper, where there are all those different layers of candy and they dissolve one at a time,” Hammond said.

Using this approach, Hammond has created particles that can deliver a one-two punch to cancer cells. First, the particles release a dose of a nucleic acid such as short interfering RNA (siRNA), which can turn off a cancerous gene, or microRNA, which can activate tumor suppressor genes. Then, the particles release a chemotherapy drug such as cisplatin, to which the cells are now more vulnerable.

The particles also include a negatively charged outer “stealth layer” that protects them from being broken down in the bloodstream before they can reach their targets. This outer layer can also be modified to help the particles get taken up by cancer cells, by incorporating molecules that bind to proteins that are abundant on tumor cells.

In more recent work, Hammond has begun developing nanoparticles that can target ovarian cancer and help prevent recurrence of the disease after chemotherapy. In about 70 percent of ovarian cancer patients, the first round of treatment is highly effective, but tumors recur in about 85 percent of those cases, and these new tumors are usually highly drug resistant.

By altering the type of coating applied to drug-delivering nanoparticles, Hammond has found that the particles can be designed to either get inside tumor cells or stick to their surfaces. Using particles that stick to the cells, she has designed a treatment that could help to jumpstart a patient’s immune response to any recurrent tumor cells.

“With ovarian cancer, very few immune cells exist in that space, and because they don’t have a lot of immune cells present, it’s very difficult to rev up an immune response,” she said. “However, if we can deliver a molecule to neighboring cells, those few that are present, and get them revved up, then we might be able to do something.”

To that end, she designed nanoparticles that deliver IL-12, a cytokine that stimulates nearby T cells to spring into action and begin attacking tumor cells. In a study of mice, she found that this treatment induced a long-term memory T-cell response that prevented recurrence of ovarian cancer.

Hammond closed her lecture by describing the impact that the Institute has had on her throughout her career.

“It’s been a transformative experience,” she said. “I really think of this place as special because it brings people together and enables us to do things together that we couldn’t do alone. And it is that support we get from our friends, our colleagues, and our students that really makes things possible.”

Written by Anne Trafton

Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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$414 million appeal for Palestine refugees in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan

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United Nations News
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$414 million appeal for Palestine refugees in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan

UNRWA on Wednesday launched a $414.4 million appeal for Palestine refugees in Syria and those who have fled the country for neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan due to the conflict.

Continue the support 

The funding will be used to keep cash and in-kind food assistance running, along with healthcare, education, and technical and vocational training. 

“We must continue to support Palestine Refugees affected by the 13-year-long Syria crisis,” said Natalie Boucly, UNRWA’s Deputy Commissioner-General for Programmes and Partnerships, speaking at the launch in Beirut. 

“While the horror unfolding in Gaza is consuming most of our attention, humanitarian needs in other crisis-affected areas of operations should not be overlooked.”

Mitigating conflict impacts  

UNRWA has a long-standing humanitarian assistance operation to mitigate the worst effects of the conflict in Syria on Palestine refugees, and to address the deteriorating socio-economic conditions of hundreds of thousands who are now living in Lebanon and Jordan. 

It has carried out relief and works programmes for Palestine refugees in these countries, and in Gaza and the West Bank, for more than 75 years and mainly depends on donations to meet its budget of over $800 million. 

Despite growing needs, funding for emergency appeals for Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan decreased over recent years, with a dramatic fall to only 27 per cent coverage in 2023.

Overall funding shortfall 

Ms. Boucly said UNRWA’s overall funding situation remains precarious, especially given the challenges faced since the start of the conflict in Gaza nearly six months ago.

“UNRWA will soon struggle to maintain the level of humanitarian assistance it can provide, and that level is already at minimum,” she said. “As the Palestine Refugee community faces even greater existential challenges across the region, UNRWA’s role has never been more vital.” 

In January, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned that its lifesaving programmes were in danger after 16 countries suspended some $450 million in funding following Israel’s allegations that several agency staff had been involved in the brutal 7 October Hamas-led attacks on its territory. 

Allegations and investigations 

The UN appointed an independent review panel to conduct an assessment of UNRWA’s operations while its highest investigate body, the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), launched a probe into the allegations. 

The review panel issued its interim findings in March, which said that UNRWA has a significant number of mechanisms and procedures in place to ensure neutrality, though critical areas still need to be addressed. A full report is expected later this month. 

Support for UNRWA 

Some governments have renewed their support to UNRWA, such as Germany, which last month announced 45 million Euros, roughly $48.7 million, in new contributions for operations in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank. 

Other recent donations include a $40 million contribution from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) which will be used to provide food for more than 250,000 people and tents for 20,000 families in Gaza. 

Millions of Muslims worldwide are also donating to an UNRWA campaign during the holy month of Ramadan to support the most vulnerable Palestine refugees. Last year, some $4.7 million was raised. 

Gaza humanitarian update  

Meanwhile, there has been no significant change in the volume of humanitarian supplies entering Gaza or improved access to the north, UNRWA, said in its most recent update on the crisis. 

Last month, an average of 161 aid trucks crossed into Gaza each day, with the highest number – 264 – on 28 March, though still well below the target of 500 per day. 

UNRWA is the largest humanitarian operation in the Gaza Strip and half of all supplies delivered in March were for the agency, according to the update, which was published on Tuesday. 

Over 75 per cent of Gaza’s population, roughly 1.7 million people, has been displaced since the current hostilities began on 7 October.  The majority have been uprooted multiple times.

Restrictions in north 

Around one million people are residing in or near emergency shelters or informal shelters, and approximately 160,000 displaced people are staying in UNRWA shelters in Northern Gaza and Gaza City governorates.

UNRWA estimated that up to 300,000 people are in the two governorates, however its ability to provide humanitarian support in these areas has been severely restricted.  

Since 7 October, UNRWA has delivered flour to more than 1.8 million people in Gaza, or 85 per cent of the population.  Furthermore, nearly 600,000 people have received emergency food parcels and almost 3.6 million patient consultations have been provided at health centres and points.  

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‘Currently unsafe to return’ to Belarus, Human Rights Council hears

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United Nations News
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‘Currently unsafe to return’ to Belarus, Human Rights Council hears

Focusing on developments in 2023, the report builds on previous findings in the aftermath of large public protests which erupted in 2020 following a disputed presidential poll. 

Despite a lack of cooperation from Belarusian authorities, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said evidence gathered shows that the scale and pattern of violations has continued.

“The Office has found that the cumulative effect of violations of freedom of expression, association and assembly since 1 May 2020 has closed independent civic space and effectively deprived people in Belarus of their ability to exercise these rights”, said Christian Salazar Volkmann, Director of Field Operations and Technical Cooperation at OHCHR, briefing the Human Rights Council.

Opposition blocked

He noted that no opposition party could even register for the parliamentary election held last month, raising concerns as Belarus approaches new presidential elections next year.

Laws adopted or amended since 2021 have led to the oppression and punishment of opposition voices while several prominent human rights defenders, journalists, and trade unionists have received long prison terms.

Thousands have been arbitrarily arrested and detained for exercising freedom of expression and assembly, some for actions dating back to 2020. Arrests have continued into 2024.

Degrading treatment in detention

Since 2020, thousands of Belarusians have suffered cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment in detention facilities across the country, the report said. 

Some cases of torture have resulted in severe injuries and sexual and gender-based violence. The UN rights office also found violations of the right to life due to medical negligence and two recorded deaths in custody in 2024.

Expressing alarm over possible enforced disappearances of well-known opposition members who were facing politically-motivated charges, UN officials urged authorities to provide information on their fate and whereabouts. 

Children arrested

With many young people driving the 2020 protests, OHCHR found widespread arbitrary arrests of children in the aftermath, with over 50 politically motivated criminal trials of individuals under 18 lacking protections guaranteed by international law.

Authorities have used a pretext of “socially dangerous situations” procedure to remove children from their parents, leaving some without care or in the custody of relatives or friends.

Not safe to return 

Up to 300,000 Belarusians have been forced to leave since May 2020, the report estimates, with the Government restricting rights of those in exile, including preventing passport issuance abroad and a policy of arresting returnees. 

“Reportedly, at least 207 persons were arrested in 2023 when returning to Belarus and arrests have continued in 2024. It is currently not safe for those in exile to return to Belarus,” Mr. Volkmann said, calling on Member States to facilitate international refugee protection for those in exile.

The report said there are reasonable grounds to believe “the crime against humanity of persecution may have been committed”.

OHCHR is urging Belarus to release all arbitrarily detained individuals and end the ongoing rights violations, while calling on Member States to do all they can to bring Belarus into compliance with international law. 

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Gaza: rights experts condemn AI role in destruction by Israeli military

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United Nations News
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Gaza: rights experts condemn AI role in destruction by Israeli military

“Six months into the current military offensive, more housing and civilian infrastructure has now been destroyed in Gaza as a percentage, compared to any conflict in memory,” said the experts, who included Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967.

In a statement, the experts estimated that 60 to 70 per cent of all homes in Gaza, and up to 84 per cent of homes in northern Gaza, had been either fully destroyed or partly damaged. 

Gaza ‘beachfront’ properties 

Such “systematic and widespread destruction” is a crime against humanity, insisted the experts – who are not UN staff and receive no salary for their work – before pointing to “numerous war crimes and acts of genocide”, alleged by Ms. Albanese in her report to the Human Rights Council. 

“With Israeli public officials joining calls for Palestinians to leave Gaza, to ‘take back Gaza’ to build settlements again, and ostensible enthusiasm expressed by prominent former US government officials for ‘Gaza beachfront’ properties, there is little doubt that Israel’s intent goes far beyond the purposes of military defeat of Hamas”, the experts maintained. 

Damage to the Strip is estimated at $18.5 billion – 97 per cent of the total economy of Gaza and West Bank. More than 70 per cent of this estimate is to replace housing, while another 19 per cent is the cost of civilian infrastructure, including water and sanitation, power and roads.

“Homes are gone, and with that, the memories, hopes and aspirations of Palestinians and their ability to realise other rights, including their rights to land, food, water, sanitation, health, security and privacy (especially of women and girls), education, development, a healthy environment and self-determination,” said the rights experts.

Return to the north

Inside Gaza at the weekend, thousands of people reportedly tried to head back to their homes in the north of the enclave.

Images from Gaza showed people of all ages thronging along the coastal road to the north, the majority on foot, others on donkey carts.

According to news reports, Israeli tanks blocked the road, forcing Palestinians to turn around.

Other reports indicated that Israeli bombardment continued on Monday across the enclave, with Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza also hit, leaving five dead and dozens wounded. 

Latest data from Gaza’s health authorities indicate that more than 33,200 people have been killed in the enclave since 7 October, the majority women and children. The Hamas-led attacks in Israel claimed more than 1,250 lives with over 250 taken hostage.

Bakery lifeline

In a related development, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Sunday that it had helped restart bread production Gaza City, after providing fuel and repairs to a bakery’s bread-making machines.

Before constant Israeli bombardment began in response to Hamas-led terror attacks on 7 October in Israel, the Gaza Strip had around 140 industrial bakeries. 

In a tweet on X, WFP said that it had delivered fuel to one bakery that had been closed for months, contributing to the desperate humanitarian situation in the north of the enclave, where Gazans have been “largely cut off” from aid. 

“WFP will continue to provide wheat four and other resources so that bread can be available – but this quantity will only last four days,” the UN agency said, in a renewed appeal for “safe, sustained and scaled-up access to prevent famine”.

Rafah uncertainty

And amid continuing uncertainty about whether Israeli forces might attack Rafah, UN refugee agency (UNHCR) chief Filippo Grandi warned against creating a new displacement crisis from the enclave’s southern-most city into neighbouring Egypt.

“Another refugee crisis from Gaza into Egypt – I can assure you having been the head of UNRWA myself – I speak from knowledge – would make the resolution of that Palestinian refugee question and as a consequence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossible,” Mr. Grandi said, referring to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. 

“So we must fervently do everything for this not to happen. And this is why we have constantly said the priority is to have access inside Gaza, because that is the only way that we can prevent this from happening.”

 

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Gaza: Aid worker killings prompt temporary halt to UN operations after dark

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United Nations News
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Gaza: Aid worker killings prompt temporary halt to UN operations after dark
UN News/Ziad Taleb - Night scenes of displaced persons’ tents in the Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood, west of the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.

UN humanitarians in Gaza have suspended operations at night for at least 48 hours in response to the killing of seven aid workers from the NGO World Central Kitchen on Tuesday. 

The move will allow for further evaluation of the security issues that impact both personnel on the ground and the people they are trying to serve, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Wednesday during the noon briefing for reporters in New York.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) reports that daytime operations are continuing, including ongoing efforts to get food aid convoys into northern Gaza. 

‘Chilling effect’ 

World Central Kitchen and other charities have suspended aid operations which has had a “double impact” in the Gaza Strip, Mr. Dujarric said in response to a reporter’s question. 

“It has a real impact on people who depend on these organisations to receive aid,” he said.  

“But it also has a psychological and chilling effect on humanitarian workers, both Palestinians and international, who continue to do their utmost to deliver aid to those who need it at great personal risk.” 

The World Central Kitchen staff, consisting of local and international personnel, were killed in multiple Israeli airstrikes on their convoy while departing their warehouse in Deir al Balah in central Gaza.

A ‘horrific’ incident: WHO chief 

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said he was horrified by the killing of the seven humanitarian workers, noting that their cars were clearly marked and should never have been attacked. 

“This horrific incident highlights the extreme danger under which WHO colleagues and our partners are working – and will continue to work,” said Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking in Geneva. 

WHO has been working with World Central Kitchen to deliver food to health workers and patients in Gaza hospitals. 

Tedros underlined the need for safe humanitarian access through establishment of “an effective and transparent mechanism for deconfliction”.  He also called for “more entry points, including in northern Gaza, cleared roads, and predictable and expedited passage through checkpoints.” 

Meanwhile, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, is working with the Palestine Red Crescent Society to assist in the repatriation of the remains of the international staff from World Central Kitchen. 

“According to the Israeli military, an initial investigation found that the strike was a ‘grave mistake’ due to a misidentification,” OCHA said in its latest update, issued on Wednesday. 

Israeli authorities said that a new humanitarian command centre will be established to improve the coordination of aid distribution, while a full independent investigation will be completed over the coming days. The findings will be shared with World Central Kitchen and other relevant international organizations. 

UN News – Footage of destruction of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, following the end of the latest Israeli siege. The World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated that hospitals must be respected and protected; they must not be used as battlefields.

Al-Shifa Hospital 

WHO again requested authorization to travel to the destroyed Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City in the wake of the end of the two-week Israeli military siege. 

Tedros said teams have been trying to seek permission to access what is left of the hospital, to speak with staff, and to see what can be saved “but at the moment, the situation looks disastrous.” 

Al-Shifa was the largest hospital and main referral centre in the Gaza Strip, containing 750 beds, 26 operating rooms, 32 intensive care rooms, a dialysis department and a central laboratory. 

Tedros reiterated his call to respect and protect hospitals which “must not be used as battlefields.” 

Since the conflict began nearly six months ago, WHO has verified more than 900 attacks on healthcare in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel and Lebanon, resulting in 736 deaths and 1,014 injuries. 

Currently, only 10 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are still able to function even partially.

A WHO team also planned to visit two other hospitals in northern Gaza on Tuesday, but no permission was received. 

Expert condemnation 

Two experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council have joined the growing international condemnation over the wholesale destruction and killing at Al-Shifa Hospital.

Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right to physical and mental health, and Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, called for the international community to take action. 

“The extent of the atrocity is still unable to be fully documented due to its scale and gravity – and clearly represents the most horrific assault on Gaza’s hospitals,” they said in a statement. 

They said international law prohibits the besieging and destruction of a hospital and the killing of health workers, the sick and wounded, as well as the people protecting. 

“Allowing this violence to take place has sent a clear message to the world and the international community that the people of Gaza do not have the right to health and critical determinants of health adequate for their existence.” 

The rights experts urged UN Member States use all their powers to stop the horror in Gaza, saying they are appalled by the massacre of civilians by Israeli forces. 

“The world is witnessing the first genocide shown in real time to the world by its victims and unfathomably justified by Israel as compliant with the laws of war,” they said. 

Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work. 

Unusually Lightweight Black Hole Candidate Spotted by LIGO

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Unusually Lightweight Black Hole Candidate Spotted by LIGO


In May 2023, shortly after LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) turned back on for its fourth run of observations, it detected a gravitational-wave signal from the collision of an object, most likely a neutron star, with a suspected black hole possessing a mass that is 2.5 to 4.5 times more than that of our Sun.

This signal, called GW230529, is intriguing to researchers because the candidate black hole’s mass falls within a so-called mass gap between the heaviest known neutron stars, which are slightly more than two solar masses, and the lightest known black holes, which are about five solar masses. While the gravitational wave signal alone cannot reveal the true nature of this object, future detections of similar events, especially those accompanied by bursts of light, could hold the key to answering the question of how lightweight black holes can be.

The image shows the coalescence and merger of a lower mass-gap black hole (dark gray surface) with a neutron star (greatly tidally deformed by the black hole's gravity). This still image from a simulation of the merger highlights just the neutron star's lower density components, ranging from 60 grams per cubic centimeter (dark blue) to 600 kilograms per cubic centimeter (white). Its shape highlights the strong deformations of the low-density material of the neutron star Credit: Ivan Markin, Tim Dietrich (University of Potsdam), Harald Paul Pfeiffer, Alessandra Buonanno (Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics

The image shows the coalescence and merger of a lower mass-gap black hole (dark grey surface) with a neutron star (greatly tidally deformed by the black hole’s gravity). This still image from a merger simulation highlights just the neutron star’s lower-density components, ranging from 60 grams per cubic centimetre (dark blue) to 600 kilograms per cubic centimetre (white). Its shape highlights the strong deformations of the low-density material of the neutron star. Image Credit: Ivan Markin, Tim Dietrich (University of Potsdam), Harald Paul Pfeiffer, Alessandra Buonanno (Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics

“The latest finding demonstrates the impressive science capability of the gravitational-wave detector network, which is significantly more sensitive than it was in the third observing run,” says Jenne Driggers (PhD ’15), detection lead scientist at LIGO Hanford in Washington, one of two facilities, along with LIGO Livingston in Louisiana, that make up the LIGO Observatory.

LIGO made history in 2015 after carrying out the first direct detection of gravitational waves in space. Since then, LIGO and its partner detector in Europe, Virgo, have detected nearly 100 mergers between black holes, a handful between neutron stars, as well as mergers between neutron stars and black holes. The Japanese detector KAGRA joined the gravitational-wave network in 2019, and the team of scientists who collectively analyze data from all three detectors is known as the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA (LVK) collaboration. The LIGO observatories are funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and were conceived, built, and are operated by Caltech and MIT.

The latest finding also indicates that collisions involving lightweight black holes may be more common than previously believed.

“This detection, the first of our exciting results from the fourth LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA observing run, reveals that there may be a higher rate of similar collisions between neutron stars and low mass black holes than we previously thought,” says Jess McIver, an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, deputy spokesperson of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, and a former postdoctoral fellow at Caltech.

Prior to the GW230529 event, one other intriguing mass-gap candidate object had been identified. In that event, which took place in August 2019 and is known as GW190814, a compact object of 2.6 solar masses was found as part of a cosmic collision, but scientists are not sure if it was a neutron star or black hole.

After a break for maintenance and upgrades, the detectors’ fourth observing run will resume on April 10, 2024, and will continue until February 2025.

Written by Whitney Clavin

Source: Caltech

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First Person: ‘I no longer amount to anything’ – Voices of the displaced in Haiti

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First Person: ‘I no longer amount to anything’ – Voices of the displaced in Haiti

He and others spoke to Eline Joseph, who works for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Port-au-Prince with a team which provides psychosocial support to people who have fled their homes because of the violence and insecurity.

She spoke to UN News about her working life and supporting her family.

“I have to say it has become more difficult to do my job as I am unable to move about freely and provide care to displaced people, especially those who are located in red zones, which are too dangerous to visit.

Daily life continues on the streets of Port au Prince, despite the insecurity.

The insecurity in Haiti is unprecedented – extreme violence, attacks by armed gangs, kidnappings. Nobody is safe. Everyone is at risk of becoming a victim. The situation can change from minute to minute, so we have to remain vigilant at all times.

Loss of identity

Recently, I met a community of farmers who were forced, due to gang activity, to leave their very fertile land on the hills outside Petionville [a neighbourhood in the southeast of Port-au-Prince] where they grew vegetables.

One of the leaders told me how they have lost their way of life, how they could no longer breath the fresh mountain air and live off the fruits of their labour. They are now living in a site for displaced people with people they do not know, with little access to water and proper sanitation and the same food every day.

He told me that he is not the person that he once was, that he has lost his identity, which he said was all he possessed in the world. He said he no longer amounts to anything.

I have heard some desperate stories from men who have been forced to witness the rape of their wives and daughters, some of whom were infected with HIV. These men could do nothing to protect their families, and many feel responsible for what happened. One man said that he felt worthless and was having suicidal thoughts.

Workers from a local UN NGO partner, UCCEDH, assess the needs of displaced people in downtown Port-au-Prince.

Workers from a local UN NGO partner, UCCEDH, assess the needs of displaced people in downtown Port-au-Prince.

I have listened to children who wait for their fathers to come home, dreading that they may have been shot dead.

Psychological support

Working on the IOM team, we provide the psychological first-aid for people in distress, including one-to-one and group sessions. We also make sure they are in a safe place.

We offer relaxation sessions and recreational activities to help people unwind. Our approach is people-centred. We take into account their experience and introduce elements of Haitian culture, including proverbs and dances.

I have also organized counselling for older people. One woman came up to me after a session to thank me, saying that this was the first time she had been given the opportunity to put into words the pain and suffering she was experiencing.

Family life

I also have to think of my own family. I am forced to raise my children within the four walls of my home. I can’t even take them out for a walk, just to breathe fresh air.

When I have to leave the house for shopping or work, my five-year-old daughter looks me in the eyes and makes me promise that I will return home safe and sound. This makes me very sad.

My 10-year-old son told me one day, that if the president, who was murdered in his home, is not safe, then no-one is. And when he says that and tells me that he has heard that the bodies of murdered people are being left on the streets, I don’t really have an answer for him.

At home, we try and have a normal life. My children practice their musical instruments. Sometimes we will have a picnic on the veranda or have a movie or karaoke night.

With all my heart, I dream that Haiti will once again be a safe and stable country. I dream that displaced people can return to their homes. I dream that farmers can return to their fields.”

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World News in Brief: Rights chief dismay over Uganda anti-LGBT law, Haiti update, aid for Sudan, executions alert in Egypt

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World News in Brief: Rights chief dismay over Uganda anti-LGBT law, Haiti update, aid for Sudan, executions alert in Egypt

In a statement, Volker Türk urged authorities in Kampala to repeal it in its entirety, together with other discriminatory legislation passed into law by parliamentary majority.

“Close to 600 people are reported to have been subjected to human rights violations and abuses based on their actual or imputed sexual orientation or gender identity” since being enacted last May, said Mr. Türk.

“It must be repealed in its entirety or unfortunately this number will only rise.”

He called on politicians to uphold the rights and dignity of all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

“Criminalization of and application of the death penalty to consensual same-sex relations are contrary to Uganda’s international human rights treaty obligations.”

Constitutional rights

He pointed out that even Uganda’s own constitution demands equal treatment and non-discrimination.

“It is crucial that the authorities also repeal Section 145 of the Penal Code Act, which also imposes criminal penalties for consensual same-sex sexual relations”, he added, together with enshrining sexual orientation and gender identity “as prohibited grounds for discrimination.”

Mr. Türk said there needed to be “a conducive environment for all human rights defenders – including LGBTQ rights advocates – to carry out their legitimate human rights work” including by enabling them be work openly without discrimination and exercise their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

Healthcare in Haiti under attack by armed gangs

Hospitals in Haiti’s capital have come under increasing attack by armed gangs, with some being looted amidst the ongoing turmoil, the UN humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, reported on Wednesday.

A UNFPA-supported mobile health team visits a site for displaced people near Haïti’s capital Port-au-Prince.

Two healthcare facilities in Port-au-Prince were forced to shut down, while two others remain closed despite plans to reopen, after being shuttered due to the rising violence.

Only La Paix University Hospital remains operational in the capital area, and it has come under significant strain due to rising demand for its services.

The Delmas 18 Hospital and Saint Martin health centre were both looted on 26 and 27 of March.

PAHO, the UN-administered Pan American Health Organization, is providing it with essential supplies such as medicines, fuel, and logistical assistance to help it keep services going.

Pharmacies raided

According to OCHA, armed groups have also targeted and raided some 10 pharmacies in Haiti’s capital, severely hindering public access to medications.

Rising violence has also affected the work of HIV and tuberculosis service sites. Local UNAIDS services are collaborating with Haiti’s Health Ministry, with HIV testing being prioritized.

Amid a political vacuum, Haiti’s powerful gangs have launched coordinated attacks on various targets since February, including police stations, prisons, airports, and seaports, resulting in the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry three weeks ago.

While a state of emergency is in effect, a transitional government has yet to be established.

On Tuesday the World Food Programme (WFP) distributed hot meals to over 28,000 people in the capital and last week the UN health agency (WHO), children’s agency (UNICEF) and local partners carried out nearly 600 consultations in displacement sites.

UN in Sudan and South Sudan team up to make crucial aid deliveries

Responding to the critical needs of civilians impacted by the ongoing war in Sudan, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) country teams there and in neighbouring South Sudan have teamed up to deliver supplies to the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains.

The ongoing crisis has significantly impeded the ability of the WHO office in Sudan to access and deliver essential emergency medical supplies to the two regions, said WHO in a statement on Wednesday.

By leveraging the South Sudan office’s logistical expertise, and available resources, emergency health kits have been prepositioned from existing stockpiles in areas along the Sudan-South Sudan border, ensuring timely and effective assistance to those in dire need.

Commitment to collaboration

The joint effort is a testament to the commitment of both offices to cross-border collaboration, and the inter-agency emergency health supplies are expected to serve approximately 830,000 people in the conflict-affected Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains areas for the next three months.

The shipment is the second that WHO South Sudan has been able to deliver across the border since the outbreak of the brutal conflict between rival militaries nearly a year ago.

The dispatch of the supplies is part of WHO’s continuous relief efforts in support of the Sudanese people, the agency said.  

Egypt must halt executions, urge UN human rights experts

A group of independent UN human rights experts on Wednesday expressed grave concern after death sentences were handed down to seven people by Egypt’s highest court in January, in the years long so-called “Helwan Brigade” counter-terrorism case.

Their executions would constitute arbitrary killings in violation of the right to life due to unfair trials and other human rights violations, they said in a statement.

Suspected Helwan Brigade members were accused of targeting security forces in the wake of the military coup against former democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi more than 10 years ago.

Follow international law

“Capital punishment may only be carried out after a legal process that guarantees all of the safeguards required by international human rights law,” the Human Rights Council-appointed experts said.

The cases allegedly involved grave violations of international law, including enforced disappearances and incommunicado detention, torture and forced confessions, denial of access to lawyers and family visits, protracted pre-trial detention, solitary confinement, and mass trials before special terrorism courts which did not meet fair trial standards.

“Egypt has also failed to independently and effectively investigate and remedy these alleged violations as required by international and Egyptian law,” they said.

The death sentences further violate international law because they are based on convictions for vague and overly broad terrorist offences, the experts added.

There is also a real risk that executions in practice may constitute prohibited torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

“We urge Egypt to halt these executions, to independently investigate the alleged human rights violations and review the judicial proceedings in light of Egypt’s international obligations,” they said.

Rapporteurs and other UN rights experts are independent of any government, are not UN staffers and receive no salary for their work.

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