PHOTO-ILLUSTRATION: by WIRED Middle East Staff based on image from Getty Images The Illegality of Trump’s Threats to Destroy Civilian Infrastructure in Iran By Karolina Bonde, Genocide Watch 6 April 2026   On March 21, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Islamic Republic of Iran demanding that it reopen the Strait of Hormuz. If Iran did not comply, Trump threatened  to “obliterate” Iranian power plants, beginning with the largest one. Days later, he escalated further , posting on his Truth Social platform that if a deal was not reached “shortly,” the United States would “conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island.” Trump has since repeated his threats, and gave a deadline of midnight, April 7 for Iran to comply, after which US bombing would begin to destroy all Iranian power plants and bridges.   These were not loose remarks. They were specific, repeated, public threats by the President of the United States, commander-in-chief of US military forces to order the destruction of civilian infrastructure on which tens of millions of people depend for electricity, clean water, hospital operations, food distribution, and survival.   On April 1, 2026, Trump went further,  threatening in a national address to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages.”(sic) The same day, over U.S 100 international law experts including senior professors at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and the University of California, former government legal advisors, and former Judge Advocates General published an open letter  in Just Security  concluding that U.S. strikes since February 28 are “a clear violation of the United Nations Charter” and that Trump’s statements “raise serious concerns about violations of international humanitarian law, including potential war crimes.”   The White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, declined to repudiate the threats, stating only that U.S. armed forces “will always act within the confines of the law.” Similarly, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, asserted that the military “strikes lawful targets in accordance with normal procedures.” However, a review of the legal framework governing armed conflict makes clear that, if these threats were to be carried out, they would result in serious violations of international humanitarian law. They would be war crimes.   International Humanitarian Law: The US, Israel, and Iran are States-Parties   International humanitarian law (IHL) is binding on all parties to armed conflict. Its principles are clear, well established, and not subject to derogation or presidential override. All members of the United Nations, including the USA, Israel, and Iran are States-Party to all four Geneva Conventions. The USA, Israel, and Iran and 99 other nations are States-Party to the Hague Conventions of 1907. All nations are bound by customary international law, including the laws established by the Nuremberg Tribunal.   175 nations are States-Party to Additional Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions. The USA, Israel, and Iran are not States-Party to Additional Protocol I, but most authorities on international law hold that Additional Protocol I’s near universal acceptance has made it applicable to all nations as customary international law ( jus cogens)   Collective punishment and war crimes   Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits collective penalties and all measures of intimidation or terrorism. Threatening to cut off electricity and water to an entire population as a means of coercing political compliance clearly constitutes collective punishment. This conclusion was echoed by  Yusra Suedi, Assistant Professor of International Law at the University of Manchester who  described Trump’s threat as  “clearly an act of collective punishment,” adding: “You can’t deliberately harm an entire civilian population to pressure its government.”   Threats to give no quarter   Article 23 of the Hague Conventions of 1907, customary international law ( jus cogens) , and Article 40 of Additional Protocol I prohibit threats and orders to “give no quarter”, i.e., to order that there shall be no survivors, to threaten as such, or to conduct hostilities on that basis.   US War Secretary Hegseth’s threats to give no quarter, if implemented by orders to give no quarter, constitute war crimes.   Water and power infrastructure enjoy special protection.   Article 54 of Additional Protocol I  of the Geneva Conventions explicitly prohibits attacking, destroying, removing, or rendering useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population. It specifically lists “drinking water installations and supplies” among such protected objects.   The provision exists precisely because such infrastructure cannot be separated from civilian life: when it collapses, people die from thirst, disease, and the cascading failure of hospitals, agriculture, and sanitation systems.   The principles of distinction and proportionality   The principle of distinction  is a cornerstone of international humanitarian law. It permits attacks only against military objectives namely, objects and persons that make an effective contribution to military action. Power plants and water desalination facilities, by their nature, serve entire civilian populations and are therefore presumptively civilian objects.   Distinction  is the principle in international humanitarian law whereby belligerents must distinguish between combatants and protected civilians. Proportionality  is the principle whereby belligerents must make sure that the harm caused to protected civilians or civilian property is not excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage expected by an attack on a legitimate military objective.   Even where infrastructure has dual military and civilian use, Article 51(5)(b) of Additional Protocol I prohibits attacks expected to cause incidental civilian harm that would be excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage. Iran operates a unified electrical grid: military and civilian users draw from the same source. Amnesty International’s March 2026  analysis concludes that attacking Iran’s power plants “would be disproportionate and thus unlawful under international humanitarian law and could amount to a war crime.” The cascading effects would extend far beyond Iran: much of the Gulf region depends on electricity-powered desalination for its drinking water.   The International Criminal Court has charged Russian commanders for destroying power stations in Ukraine.   On March 5, 2024,  the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for senior Russian commanders Lt. Gen. Sergei Kobylash and Adm. Viktor Sokolov for directing "a campaign of strikes against numerous electric power plants and sub-stations" across Ukraine, finding reasonable grounds for "the war crime of directing attacks at civilian objects.”   Kenneth Roth, former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, has stated: “I see no difference between what Trump is threatening to do in Iran and what the ICC charged Russian commanders for doing in Ukraine.”   U.S. Domestic Law:   The War Crimes Act of 1996 was passed by overwhelming majorities from both political parties and signed into law by President Clinton. It incorporates into US law all obligations of the Hague Conventions and Geneva Conventions. It applies to all members of the US Armed Forces.   The War Crimes Act of 1996 criminalizes grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, including attacks against civilian objects and conduct causing excessive civilian harm.   The Department of Defense Law of War Manual  requires adherence to the principles of distinction and proportionality , prohibiting attacks directed at civilian objects or those expected to cause disproportionate harm.   These rules reflect binding legal obligations on U.S. forces, meaning that orders to deliberately destroy infrastructure indispensable to civilian survival are war crimes under both international and domestic law.   US military personnel ordered to commit war crimes are obligated since Nuremberg to refuse to carry out such orders. If they do carry out orders to commit war crimes, they may be prosecuted. Superior orders are not a defense. Under US law, war crimes may be punished by life imprisonment or death. Superior orders may only be used for mitigation of sentence.   The Stakes Could Not Be Higher   If the threats by President Trump and War Secretary Hegseth to destroy Iranian electric power plants are carried out, the consequences will be devastating. Hospitals will go dark. Water pumping stations will fail. Sewage systems will collapse, the deaths will be counted in the tens of thousands, most of them civilians who had no part in any political decisions by Iran’s tyrannical leaders.   The harm will not stop at Iran's borders: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE depend on desalination for the majority of their drinking water. Their electrical power depends on generators run by the gas they obtain from the Persian Gulf.     The Islamic Republic of Iran  has threatened to retaliate if Trump proceeds with his threats by targeting the “power plants of the occupying regime [USA] and the power plants of regional countries that supply electricity to USA bases, as well as the economic, industrial, and energy infrastructure in which Americans hold shares.”   The entire region could be plunged into a humanitarian catastrophe affecting hundreds of millions of people.   The law is unambiguous. The human cost is foreseeable. The consensus of experts on international humanitarian law is overwhelming.   If their threats become military orders and action, President Trump and Secretary of War Hegseth will be guilty of war crimes.   Genocide Watch Recommends:   President Trump must immediately and unequivocally retract all threats to destroy civilian infrastructure power plants, water stations, and desalination facilities in Iran.   The Islamic Republic of Iran must immediately retract its threats to target power plants, desalination facilities, and energy infrastructure in the United States, Israel, and Gulf states.   President Trump, War Secretary Hegseth, and the US Congress must make clear public commitments that all military operations must comply with International Humanitarian Law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and the protection of objects indispensable to civilian survival.   The US Congress must exercise its constitutional responsibilities and publicly reject the administration's contempt for international law.   The UN, US Congress, European Union, NATO, regional organizations, and international bar associations should declare that threats to destroy civilian infrastructure are incitements to commit war crimes, warning signs of crimes against humanity and genocide, and if carried out, war crimes whether committed by Iran, Israel, or the USA.

Genocide Watch: Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan by Franzie Schatzl and Grace Harris April 2, 2026   Credit: Wikipedia. Source: CIA Gilgit-Baltistan is in the northernmost corner of Pakistani Kashmir . Gilgit-Baltistan is a Shi’ite region in predominantly Sunni Pakistan. The citizens of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) have no  representation  in the Pakistani Parliament. Pakistani Kashmir suffers from extreme poverty and underdevelopment, although it is abundant in natural resources.   Gilgit-Baltistan is the only route  connecting Pakistan with China and central Asian states. The forced acquisition of community-owned lands by Pakistan, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor  (CPEC) to build the Pakistan-China highway, resulted in forced displacement of thousands of people.   The division of Kashmir is the result of the failure since 1947 to hold a referendum  on whether Kashmiri citizens would join India or Pakistan. Indian Kashmir held semi- autonomous status  until the Modi government revoked it. Since 2008, India's claim  on the Pakistani Kashmir has continued. China backs Pakistan. The  conflicting economic  and strategic interests of Pakistan, India, and China cause regional instability.   Vacant positions in the Gilgit-Baltistan judiciary and Supreme Appellate Court have resulted in 10.000 cases pending , With only one judge to decide cases, the  judiciary's independence  has been undermined. There are numerous claims  of politically influenced decisions and sentences.   Anti-terrorism laws, particularly Schedule IV of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, have been used to silence human rights  activists and defenders of political prisoners under false “terrorism” charges.   On 10 March 2026, Ehsan Ali – the founder of the  Gilgit-Baltistan Awami Action Committee (AAC-BC) – was arrested . Ehsan Ali was formerly Gilgit-Baltistan Bar Chief Advocate.  Several other leaders of the AAC-BC were also arrested: Nusrat Hussain, Mehboob Wali, Nafees Advocate, and Mehar Ali. The AAC-BC leaders have been charged  with inciting violence under the Anti-Terrorism Act, allegedly for making anti-Pakistan speeches and planning peaceful protests.   The conditions of imprisonment of Ehsan Ali according to on-the-ground reporting  violate international conventions on the treatment of prisoners. Ehsan Ali, who is in his sixties, is being held in poor conditions and his health has deteriorated since his arrest.   Despite two orders of a judge in mid-March, Ehsan Ali was not transferred to a hospital for treatment until he developed pneumonia and lost consciousness in a police station. Ehsan Ali was brought to his delayed hearing on March 26 in an ambulance. Under pressure from Pakistani authorities, the judge extended his police custody until April 9 using new legislation that authorizes extended custody to 90 days without any hearing in so-called “terrorism” trials.   Protests  demanding release  of Ehsan Ali and other AAC-BC leaders have been held across the region, including a solidarity strike by lawyers in Gilgit-Baltistan on March 16 and a global day of action on April 2,  2026. The Human Rights Council of Pakistan and the Gilgit-Baltistan Bar Association have made statements protesting Ehsan Ali’s arrest and detention.  Prior arrests of AAC-BC leaders in May 2025  were met with three months of protests . Ehsan Ali and other AAC-BC leaders were released on bail 14 August 2025. Now they have been rearrested.   Of particular concern are reports of torture  and medical coercion in jail, with attempts made to extract false confessions of working on behalf of foreign powers. Families of arrested activists, including mothers and sisters, have been threatened and pressured to convince their relatives in prison to make false confessions and shut down all AAC-BC protests.   Pakistan has intensified state efforts to silence   dissent during the Iran war, in which Pakistan is trying to mediate the conflict. Hikes in government-controlled energy prices and rising concerns about Pakistan’s war with Afghanistan have heightened the government’s repression of opposition.   Anti-war protests turned deadly in March, when   26 people were killed  in Karachi, Islamabad, and Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan by Pakistani authorities and many more were injured. Large gatherings have been banned nationwide.   The arbitrary arrest of Ehsan Ali and other AAC-GB leaders follow longstanding state repression of political dissent using false legal charges of “terrorism.” Pakistan is violating the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Torture Convention, and other international laws protecting freedom of expression, freedom from arbitrary arrests, and freedom from torture,   Due to Pakistan’s persecution of political opposition leaders in Gilgit-Baltistan, Genocide Watch  considers Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan to be at Stage 3: Discrimination, Stage 5: Organization, and Stage 8: Persecution.   Genocide Watch Recommends Ehsan Ali and other leaders of the AAC-GB must be released immediately. Gilgit-Baltistan citizens must be accorded all rights of citizens of Pakistan, including freedom of movement, expression, association, religion, and assembly. Gilgit-Baltistan citizens must have the right to vote and to elect members of Parliament. Schedule IV of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 should be repealed. All vacant positions in the judiciary of Gilgit-Baltistan must be filled by competent judges. Gilgit-Baltistan’s courts and the Gilgit-Baltistan Bar Association must adopt and enforce codes of ethics that prohibit political influence in indictments, trials, and court decisions. Forced acquisition of community-owned land by Pakistan, India, and China must be fairly compensated to communities that formerly owned it. People forcibly displaced to build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor  (CPEC) should be fully compensated and resettled at government expense.

Security officers patrol near the destroyed Hayat Hotel after a deadly 30-hour siege by al-Shabab militants in Mogadishu on Aug. 21, 2022. Photo: Hassan Ali Elmi/AFP via Getty Images Al-Shabaab militants fired multiple mortar rounds near Mogadishu’s airport on Sunday morning, disrupting international flights to Somalia, a security official told AFP . The attack comes just weeks after a roadside bomb blast narrowly missed the convoy of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud , with Al-Shabaab claiming responsibility. According to security sources, the mortars were launched from the outskirts of Mogadishu and landed in an open area of Aden Adde International Airport. “There were about two to three mortar shells that struck an open area of the airport early this morning,” a security official, who requested anonymity, told AFP . A Turkish plane scheduled to land at the airport was rerouted to Djibouti, an airport employee said, also speaking on condition of anonymity. He added that they were informed EgyptAir had also cancelled its flight for the day. Halane camp – a heavily fortified compound that houses the United Nations, aid agencies, foreign missions, and the headquarters of the UN-backed African Union Transition Mission (ATMIS) – was also targeted, according to ATMIS spokesman Lt. Col. Said Mwachinalo . “There has been shelling. Our team is currently on the ground making assessment,” Mwachinalo told AFP . No casualties have been reported so far and some operations at the airport seems to be ongoing, the security official said. The government is yet to comment on the attack. Al-Shabaab has been fighting the federal government in Somalia for over 15 years and analysts say it has become an increasing threat in recent months . The latest attacks have raised fears of a resurgence of the jihadist militia, potentially reversing gains made by the Somali government and its international partners over the years, analysts say. © Copyright 2017-2026 The Defense Post

April 6, 2026 By Annie Ma The Department of Education building in Washington, D.C., Oct. 21, 2025. Photo by Kylie Cooper/Reuters WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department said Monday it has terminated agreements that previous administrations reached with five school districts and a college aimed at upholding rights and protections for transgender students. READ MORE: Transgender youths are targeted in Scouting America changes pushed by the Pentagon The decision means the department will no longer play a role in enforcing those agreements, which called for schools to take steps to comply with federal civil rights law. The districts affected are Cape Henlopen School District in Delaware, Fife School District in Washington, Delaware Valley School District in Pennsylvania, and La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, Sacramento City Unified and Taft College in California. Under the Biden and Obama administrations, the department interpreted Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education, to include protections for transgender and gay students. The Trump administration has penalized schools that have made efforts to accommodate students based on their gender identity. It has filed lawsuits in California and Minnesota over state policies permitting transgender students to participate in interscholastic sports, and opened civil rights investigations into schools and universities over their policies on transgender students. But the announcement Monday appeared to involve the first known cases of the administration terminating civil rights settlements that had been negotiated with schools. Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said the action reflects the administration's efforts to keep transgender students from participating in girls' and women's sports teams and accessing shared locker rooms. "Today, the Trump Administration is removing the unnecessary and unlawful burdens that prior Administrations imposed on schools in its relentless pursuit of a radical transgender agenda," she said in a written statement. © 1996 - 2026 NewsHour Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization.

Attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces have intensified in recent months in parts of Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu province. Activists hold signs denouncing the war during a march in Goma, North Kivu, DRC on March 12, 2026 [File: Marie Jeanne Munyerenkana/EPA] At least 43 people have been killed in an attack by a rebel group linked to ISIL (ISIS) in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to the army. Regional army spokesperson Lieutenant Jules Tshikudi Ngongo said on Thursday that at least “43 compatriots were killed and 44 houses torched” during the previous day’s attack in Bafwakoa, located in Mambasa territory, in the province of Ituri. Authorities blamed the attack on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group led by former Ugandan rebels that has sworn allegiance to ISIL. The army has struggled to contain the group, as it battles several other rebel groups in the east, the most prominent one being the Rwandan-backed M23, which last year seized Goma , the largest city in eastern DRC, as well as several other major cities. Baptiste Munyapandi, territorial administrator of Mambasa, told the Reuters news agency that search operations were continuing and that the death toll could rise. Houses were set on fire, some victims were killed with machetes, while others burned in their homes, and two people were abducted, Christian Alimasi, a local customary official in Mambasa territory, told Reuters. The number of ADF fighters in DRC is unclear, but they are a significant presence in the region. ADF attacks on civilians have intensified in recent months in parts of Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu province, despite joint Congolese-Ugandan military operations against the group launched in 2021. Last year, the ADF killed 66 people and abducted several more in a neighbouring area. “The ADF avoids direct combat with the army and all its partners; that’s why they attack the population in a way that sabotages peace efforts and acts of revenge against the population, thus reprisals against our people,” Ngongo, the Congolese army spokesperson, told The Associated Press news agency. Data from Insecurity Insight, a research organisation that analyses verified violent incidents affecting civilians, shows the ADF accounted for about a quarter of reported violence against civilians in eastern DRC between 2020 and 2025. © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network

By Peter Beaumont Senior international correspondent International law experts ‘seriously concerned’ about ‘strikes on schools, health centres and homes’ in contravention of Geneva conventions The US-bombed B1 bridge in Karaj, near Tehran, which was struck on 2 April after Donald Trump threatened to ‘bring Iran back to the stone ages’. Photograph: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump, other senior US officials and their cheerleaders appear to be embracing attacks – and threats of attacks – on Iranian civilian infrastructure, which legal experts say appears to constitute serious war crimes under international law. In his rambling national address on Wednesday, the US president warned that if Iran did not reach an unspecified deal with him, US forces would “hit each and every one of their electric-generating plants” and “bring [Iran] back to the stone ages – where they belong”. Following through on that threat a day later, Trump posted images of a strike on an the unfinished B1 bridge near Tehran, warning: “Much more to follow!” Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director of research, advocacy, policy and campaigns said: “Intentionally attacking civilian infrastructure such as power plants is generally prohibited. “Even in the limited cases that they qualify as military targets, a party still cannot attack power plants if this may cause disproportionate harm to civilians. “Given that such power plants are essential for meeting the basic needs and livelihoods of tens of millions of civilians, attacking them would be disproportionate and thus unlawful under international humanitarian law, and could amount to a war crime.” That principle was underlined in 2024 when the international criminal court issued arrest warrants for the Russian politician and a former defence minister, Sergei Shoigu and the Russian general Valery Gerasimov, who were accused of directing widespread attacks on Ukraine’s power infrastructure and of causing excessive harm to civilians. On Thursday, more than 100 US experts in international law from universities including Harvard, Yale, Stanford and the University of California, said the conduct of US forces and statements ⁠by senior US officials “raise serious concerns about violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including potential ‌war crimes”. A memorial in Tehran for the victims of the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school bombing. Photograph: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images The letter, published on the website of the Just Security policy journal, highlighted Trump’s comment last month that the US may conduct strikes on Iran “just for fun”. It also cited comments by the defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, who told reporters the US did not fight ⁠with “stupid rules of ⁠engagement”. The experts said they were “seriously concerned about strikes that have hit ‌schools, health facilities, and homes”, noting an attack on a school in Tehran on the first day of the war that killed more than 160 children and teachers. The two issues of what constitutes a civilian object and the consideration of proportionality in striking civilian objects that a belligerent has identified as having a military function are among the knottier questions in international humanitarian law. Under article 52 of the first additional protocol to the Geneva conventions of 1977, “civilian objects”, such as infrastructure, are defined not in themselves but by what they are not: military objectives whose destruction offers no definite military advantage. At the heart of the question of what may –or may not – be attacked is the overarching principle of distinction between civilians and combatants. Rule 10 of the customary rules international humanitarian law – relating to both international and internal armed conflicts – explicitly states: “Civilian objects are protected against attack, unless and for such time as they are military objectives.” That places a requirement on all parties: attackers must avoid targeting civilian objects and the party under attack must avoid “mingling” the military and civilians. Codified in international law, the statute of the international criminal court also makes it explicit that it is a war crime intentionally to direct attacks against civilian objects if they “are not military objectives”. Even when a civilian object is deemed to have become a military object, international law requires an attacking party to balance the harm to the civilian population. The Gandhi hospital in Tehran, which was hit in the first days of US-Israeli strikes. Photograph: Vahid Salemi/AP International law has become more explicit and precise over the issue of the protection of civilian objects since the second world war, but the US and western allies have launched questionable attacks on civilian infrastructure before, including against Iraq in the 1991 Gulf war snf on Serbian power plants. The crippling of Iran’s power plants would be “devastating to the Iranian people”, cutting off electricity to hospitals, water supplies and other vital civilian needs, said Sarah Yager, the Washington director of Human Rights Watch. “The US military has protocols designed to constrain that kind of harm to the civilian population, but when the president speaks this way, it risks signalling that those constraints are optional, and that is what makes this moment so dangerous,” she said. International law permits attacks on energy plants and other ostensibly civilian targets only if determined that they primarily support military activity. But Trump’s statements indicate otherwise, said Tom Dannenbaum, a professor at Stanford Law School. “The reference to the stone age indicates that objects would be targeted seemingly because they contribute to the viability of a modern society in Iran, which is completely unrelated to the question of contribution to military action –the necessary condition for targeting in war,” he said. Attacks on civilian objects by both Iran, the US and Israel have prompted a pointed response from the president of the international committee, Mirjana Spoljaric, who said war crimes may be being committed. “War on essential infrastructure is war on civilians … Deliberate attacks on essential services and civilian infrastructure can amount to war crimes. We are seeing energy, fuel, water and healthcare infrastructure damaged and destroyed. “This disturbing trend is not limited to the Middle East or the last three weeks; it has been pervasive in conflicts across regions.” © 2026 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr)

Family of the then PM, Patrice Lumumba, welcomed the decision to charge Étienne Davignon as ‘the beginning of a reckoning.’ 17th March 2026 Soldiers stand guard over Patrice Lumumba (right) and his associate Joseph Okito after their arrest in December 1960. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images A former Belgian diplomat, 93, should stand trial over alleged complicity in the 1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of what was then the newly independent Congolese state, a Brussels court has ruled. Étienne Davignon, the only person still alive among 10 Belgians the Lumumba family accuses of involvement in the killing, is charged with participation in war crimes. The decision, which follows a surprise referral by the Brussels prosecutor last June , can be appealed against. Davignon, a former vice-president of the European Commission, has denied the charges. In a statement, the Lumumba family welcomed what they called a significant step: “For our family, this is not the end of a long fight, it is the beginning of a reckoning that history has long demanded.” Yema Lumumba, a granddaughter of the assassinated leader, told reporters: “The fact that all this time has passed does not mean it is done and we will never get to know the truth. It is also very important for the legal Belgian system to start confronting its own responsibilities regarding what happened during colonial times.” The decision was also hailed by lawyers for the Lumumba family as setting a historic precedent in criminal justice for crimes allegedly committed under European colonial rule. If the trial goes ahead, Davignon will be the first Belgian official to face justice over the assassination of Lumumba 65 years ago. In its decision, the court went beyond the prosecutor’s decision, extending the scope of the trial to cover Lumumba’s associates, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito, who were murdered alongside him. Davignon is accused of participating in war crimes on three counts, according to information provided by the court of first instance in Brussels: The illegal transfer of Lumumba and his associates from Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) to Katanga. The “humiliating and degrading treatment” of the men. Depriving them of a fair trial. “This is a historic decision,” Christophe Marchand, a lawyer for the family, said. “This decision confirms that the passage of time cannot erase the legal responsibility for the gravest crimes.” Lumumba, aged 35, was tortured and assassinated by firing squad in January 1961, alongside Okito and Mpolo, two other leading politicians. The murders were carried out by separatists in the Katanga region with the support of Belgian mercenaries. Davignon had arrived in what was then Belgian Congo as a 28-year-old diplomatic intern on the eve of independence in 1960. Davignon, who went on to numerous senior political and business roles, was not present for the hearing at the Palais de Justice in Brussels. Johan Verbist, Davignon’s lawyer, told the Guardian that it was too soon to comment on the decision, but he would “now analyse the possibilities for an appeal”. Verbist rejected claims of war crimes at a hearing behind closed doors in January and argued that reasonable time to judge the case had passed, according to sources cited in Belgian media. A 2001 parliamentary inquiry concluded that Belgian ministers bore a moral responsibility for the events that led to the Congolese leader’s gruesome death. Belgium returned a gold-capped tooth to the Lumumba family in 2022 that one of the Belgians involved in the killing had kept as a macabre souvenir. Belgium’s then-prime minister, Alexander De Croo, reiterated his country’s “moral responsibility” for Lumumba’s murder at a ceremony to mark the return of the tooth. “Belgian ministers, diplomats, officials, and officers had perhaps no intention to have Patrice Lumumba assassinated,” he said. “No evidence has been found to support this. “But they should have realised that his transfer to Katanga put his life in danger. They should have warned; they should have refused any assistance in transferring Patrice Lumumba to the place where he would be executed. Instead, they chose not to see … not to act.” Lawyers for the Lumumba family believe that if there is no successful appeal, a trial could begin in January 2027. While there have been previous successful reparations claims against former colonial powers , experts who support the Lumumba family believe it will be the first-ever criminal trial against someone who acted for the state over a political murder. Speaking to the Guardian in 2025, Marchand said the case was unusual among former colonial powers. “There are very few cases where a former colonial state accepts to address the colonial crimes and to consider that they have to be tried in that same colonial state, even if it’s a very long time after,” he said. © 2026 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr)

London, 30 March 2026: Iranian authorities executed two political prisoners on Monday for membership in the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI or MEK) and for “attempting to overthrow the Islamic Republic”, the judiciary announced. “After confirmation and final approval of the sentence by the Supreme Court, Akbar Daneshvarkar and Mohammad Taghavi-Sangdehi were hanged this morning,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said. Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) had previously submitted case files concerning Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar , 59, and Seyed Mohammad Taghavi‑Sangdehi , 58, to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran on 10 August 2025. Acting with the prisoners’ consent and on their behalf, JVMI also submitted detailed information to the UN Fact‑Finding Mission on Iran (FFMI) on 17 and 19 October 2025 respectively, documenting the serious abuses to which they were being subjected in detention. Daneshvarkar’s submission to the FFMI stated in part: “I live in a country that has, for years, been the subject of repeated human rights violation resolutions. Its government, while ignoring these resolutions, has never allowed entry to human rights rapporteurs and continues to deny accountability for the widespread violations of human rights. The ruling government in Iran even violates its own laws. Such a government does not answer for the trampling of the basic rights of individuals like myself, and filing complaints against human rights violators with the violators themselves is a futile and fruitless endeavour. Therefore, our only refuge—mine included—is to file complaints against the heads of government and judiciary before international bodies and human rights organisations, so that they may, with fairness and impartiality, hear our words and strive to ensure justice is served. My life is in danger. The lives of my friends are in danger”. Taghavi Sangdehi’s submission to the FFMI stated in part: “As you are aware, in such a medieval totalitarian regime where the head of the judiciary is appointed by the Supreme Leader’s decree, all institutions that could receive complaints are themselves perpetrators and executors of crimes against humanity. Our lawyers, under pressure from the Intelligence Ministry and judiciary, have limited scope of activity and are denied free access to case files. Like a candle in the dark, they can only appeal the death sentence. But the final verdict is dictated and determined by the Intelligence Ministry. Therefore, the only venue for submitting complaints and our sole remaining hope is correspondence with international human rights bodies — which, in the eyes of the regime’s security and judicial apparatus, is considered a crime and leads to prosecution”. Daneshvarkar was arrested on 3 January 2024 at his home in Tehran. Taghavi‑Sangdehi was arrested on 22 February 2024 at the Chaldoran border while attempting to leave Iran. Both men were subjected to severe physical and psychological torture, including beatings, threats of summary execution, and prolonged solitary confinement. They were among a group of six political prisoners charged with “membership in the PMOI”, “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against internal and external security”, “armed rebellion (baghi) against the Islamic government”, and “formation of a group to disrupt national security”. All six were sentenced to death on 30 November 2024 by Judge Iman Afshari of Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. The trial, held on 6 October 2024, lasted only a few minutes. The charge of “armed rebellion” (baghi) was based solely on the men’s alleged affiliation with the PMOI, with no evidence of involvement in violence presented. In August 2025, the six prisoners were transferred to Qezel Hesar Prison — a facility notorious for carrying out political executions — raising serious concerns about their imminent execution. On 5 September 2025, five UN Special Rapporteurs sent a joint letter to the Iranian authorities expressing “grave concern about the imminent risk of execution” of the six men, stating: “The above mentioned six men have received death sentences for baghi (armed rebellion against the foundations of the Islamic Republic of Iran) based on their alleged connections with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). They were arrested between 22 December 2023 and 23 February 2024 in various locations, including Tehran and the Chaldoran border. It is alleged that no arrest warrants were presented, and that excessive force and threats were used during arrest.” “Moreover, we are seriously concerned at information indicating that the judicial proceedings in all six cases did not fulfil the requirements for due process and a fair trial under international human rights law, rendering such sentences unfair and the death penalty unlawful. Given the uncertainty surrounding any review or retrial, we are deeply concerned about the imminent risk of executions.” A retrial for the six prisoners took place on 16 November 2025 at Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. Judge Afshari, who had handed down the initial sentences, presided over the retrial — a violation of the international standards of a fair trial. He ignored a demand by the prisoners’ lawyers that since all six cases were linked, they be heard together. Instead, he held separate sessions for each prisoner, with each hearing lasting just a few minutes. On 7 December 2025, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court upheld all six death sentences. The imposition of the death penalty following proceedings that fail to meet international fair‑trial standards violates Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), including the right to life, the right to a fair trial, and the prohibition of torture and other ill‑treatment. Threats to repeat the 1988 Massacre On 27 July 2025, political prisoners Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani were executed in Ghezel Hesar on similar charges tied to PMOI membership,  despite international appeals . Those executions followed a  7 July 2025 editorial by Fars News Agency —affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—which described the 1988 mass executions as a “successful historical experience” and explicitly called for their repetition against current political opponents. The editorial, entitled  “ Why the 1988 Executions Should Be Repeated ”,  not only justified and glorified crimes against humanity, but also issued what can only be interpreted as incitement to commit future atrocity crimes. It sought to normalise the extrajudicial killing of political opponents by framing them as threats to national security, aligning with a broader pattern of state-sponsored dehumanisation and criminalisation of dissent. JVMI  previously warned  that the publication of such content by Iranian state media underscored the urgent risk of recurrence of mass atrocity crimes in Iran. In his  2024 landmark report on atrocity crimes , the then-United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Professor Javaid Rehman, concluded that the events of 1988 “amounted to the crimes against humanity of murder, extermination, persecution, and other inhumane acts”. The report further noted that “there is considerable evidence that mass killings…were conducted with genocidal intent.” His report called for international accountability and noted the systematic impunity that has emboldened Iranian authorities to continue committing gross human rights violations, including the recent unlawful executions of protesters and prisoners of conscience. Following major anti-government protests in late December 2025 and January 2026, Iranian authorities have threatened to execute anyone suspected of anti-government activity. As many as 50,000 people are believed to have been arrested for taking part in the protests. JVMI condemns the execution of Daneshvarkar and Taghavi‑Sangdehi and warns that urgent international pressure is needed to prevent a repeat of the 1988 massacre. JVMI repeats its request to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran (FFMI), the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and her colleagues in the Special Procedures, as well as governments worldwide, to publicly call for an immediate halt to these political executions and to press for compliance with Iran’s international human rights obligations. Silence now would be a green light for further irreversible violations. The lives of Iran’s political prisoners depend on swift, public, and coordinated action. *** Background to the 1988 Massacre In 1988, the  government of Iran massacred  an estimated 30,000 political and ideological prisoners. The extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances took place based on a fatwa by then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, targeting the main opposition movement, the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI or MEK). Three-member commissions known as ‘Death Commissions’ were formed across Iran, sending political prisoners who refused to abandon their beliefs to execution. Members of other leftist groups were also executed in a subsequent second wave. The victims were buried in secret mass graves. The perpetrators continue to enjoy impunity. Contact Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) Email:  info@iran1988.org Website:  www.iran1988.org Copyright © 2026 Iran 1988 Massacre | Powered by Iran 1988 Massacre

Montagnards Stand For Justice Report March 30, 2026 By Hdok Phic Hdok "We are living in fear," the members stated, calling for a "strong voice" to ensure their safety and dignity are upheld against baseless accusations. Credit: MSFJ BANGKOK, THAILAND – Members of the Montagnards Stand for Justice (MSFJ) met today with Political Officer Eric Borgman of the U.S. Consulate General to present evidence of a systematic campaign of religious repression and "transnational repression" directed by Vietnamese authorities against the Montagnard community. During the meeting, MSFJ leaders provided testimony regarding a recent wave of arrests in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and expressed grave concerns for the safety of refugees currently seeking asylum in Thailand. Affirming a Peaceful Mission Amidst Defamation Y Chuan Mlo, an MSFJ member based in Thailand, opened the discussion by firmly stating that MSFJ is a peaceful organization dedicated to human rights, religious freedom, and social justice. He explicitly denied any involvement in violent activities, including the events of June 2023, which the Vietnamese government has used as a pretext for crackdowns. Mlo highlighted a coordinated defamation campaign by Vietnamese state media outlets—including ANTV and various local platforms—which have published false information naming him as the new head of MSFJ and linking him to past violence. He characterized these allegations as serious defamation that directly threatens the safety of several MSFJ members specifically named in these reports, including H’ Sarina Krong, Y Quynh Bdap, Y Pher Hdrue, Y Aron Eban, Y Bhiong Hdrue, Y Phuoc Nie, and H’ Tlun Bdap. Crackdown on Independent Religious Practice Y Pher Hdrue and other representatives detailed a severe escalation in religious persecution occurring as recently as March 2026. Following the formation of an independent house church (Sang Aê Diê Hưn Klei Mrâo Mrang Jăk) on March 9, Vietnamese authorities launched a series of raids. Between March 18 and March 27, 2026, at least six religious leaders—including Pastor Y Nai Hwing and evangelists Y Toer Bkrông, Y Bhuar Bdap, Y Sitop Bkrông, Y Cih Niê, and Y Bliư Mlô—were summoned, harassed, or detained. According to the reports: * Police demanded they cease all independent religious activities, including healing prayers and proselytizing. * Authorities threatened the leaders with fines of 20 to 30 million VND or long-term imprisonment similar to the sentences given to activists like Y Quynh Bdap. * Believers were pressured to join state-recognized religious organizations, such as the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South). Further raids occurred between March 23 and March 25, 2026, in which individuals such as Y Wen Niê and Y Bây Êban were reportedly "kidnapped" from their homes and taken to the Drai Bhang commune police station for interrogation. Transnational Repression and the "Terrorist" Label A central theme of the meeting with the Consulate official was the Vietnamese government's use of "terrorist" designations to target peaceful activists and their international supporters. Y Aron Eban noted that on March 19, 2026, the Ministry of Public Security issued a "wanted" notice for Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang of BPSOS, labeling him a terrorist and naming other MSFJ members in the process. Eban described this as a political tactic to justify "transnational repression," creating a real risk that activists in Thailand could be monitored, arrested, or forcibly repatriated through cross-border cooperation. He emphasized that such actions violate the international principle of non-refoulement, which protects refugees from being returned to a country where they face persecution. A Call for International Protection The MSFJ representatives shared a harrowing account of the environment for refugees in Thailand, citing raids in February and October 2025 that saw over 130 Montagnards detained. They reported that Vietnamese officials have even traveled to Thailand to demand refugees return, implying that failure to do so could lead to coercive measures. The meeting concluded with an urgent appeal to the U.S. government and the international community to: * Monitor the situation of Montagnards in both the Central Highlands and Thailand. * Prevent forced repatriations and protect vulnerable refugees. * Reject unverified political allegations used to strip activists of their legal protections. "We are living in fear," the members stated, calling for a "strong voice" to ensure their safety and dignity are upheld against baseless accusations.

Civilians walk along a deserted street following clashes between Somalia's federal army and forces loyal to the Southwest state, home to international peacekeepers and humanitarian agencies, in an area affected by drought, conflict and displacement, in Baidoa, Somalia, March 30, 2026 [Reuters] By Al Jazeera Staff , Anadolu and Reuters Somalia’s national army has taken control of the biggest city in Southwest state, prompting the ⁠regional leader to resign two weeks after his administration said it was severing ties with the federal government. The strategic city of ⁠Baidoa, the largest in Southwest state, is home to international peacekeepers and humanitarian agencies in an area affected by drought, conflict and displacement. “I, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, effective today, 30 March 2026, have resigned from the position of President of Southwest State,” Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen said in a post on Facebook on Monday. He had been in office for more than seven years. His resignation comes days after he was re-elected for another five-year term, an election the federal government said was illegal. Earlier on Monday, Somalia’s federal forces entered Baidoa, which is about 245 km (150 miles) northwest of the country’s capital, Mogadishu, taking full control of the city and marking the start of a political transition. “Federal forces have taken over Baidoa … it is now calm … but ‌it looks like a ghost town,” local elder Adan Hussein told the Reuters news agency. Southwest’s transition began as its finance minister, Ahmed Mohamed Hussein, was appointed acting president through a formal decree. The central government in Mogadishu hailed the state’s transition and urged calm and unity. “The people of the Southwest state have taken control of Baidoa, signalling demand for accountability. The Federal Government of Somalia remains committed to stability, protecting lives and property, and ensuring no persecution or retaliation,” Somali Information Minister Daud Aweis said in a statement. Mogadishu also emphasised that no acts of retaliation will be tolerated, underscoring the commitment to protecting lives and property during “this sensitive” political transition. Concerns about fair elections Many residents have fled Baidoa over the past week, and some aid agencies suspended activities, fearing clashes could erupt between the army and regional forces. The dispute with Southwest is the latest sign of strain in the Horn ⁠of Africa country’s fragile federal system, where ⁠disputes over elections and the balance of power between Mogadishu and regional administrations repeatedly open up political fault lines. Laftagareen’s administration opposed constitutional amendments backed by the federal government. Somalia’s Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism said in a message read out on national television that “the former Southwest state administration … created political conflict”. It said federal ‌forces ‌had been welcomed in Baidoa on Monday. Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi, reporting from Nairobi, Kenya, said the dispute comes ahead of a highly contentious national election due this year. “Somalis were promised a one-man, one-vote election after decades of not exercising their rights, but there have been many logistical and security challenges,” she said. “What’s on the table now is that voters elect MPs, who in turn, vote in the president. And that’s where much of the problem comes in, because regional leaders and some opposition groups are worried that the president could rig the election,” Soi added. She noted that amendments backed by the federal government to the Constitution have been “very unpopular”, and there’s a lot of mistrust among leaders. © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network

Syria: Christians, Other Minorities Under Genocidal Attack During Leadership of Ahmed Al-Sharaa The Gatestone Institute March 31, 2026 by Uzay Bulut Christians in Syria are once again under attack by Islamic groups affiliated with the country's jihadist regime, headed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda leader also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani. Following al-Sharaa's December 2024 seizure of power in Syria, persecution of religious minorities, including Christians, Druze and Alawites, has skyrocketed as the country undergoes a process of radical Islamization. U.S. President Donald J. Trump should never have allowed HTS and al-Sharaa – who justifiably had a $10 million bounty placed on his head by the U.S. State Department – to use Syria to entrench Sunni Islam by jihad (holy war). Al-Sharaa should be replaced at once. Jihad is not a local problem. If it is rewarded with an internationally recognized government in Syria, jihad will spread like wildfire across the globe. Following President Ahmed al-Sharaa's December 2024 seizure of power in Syria, the jihadist regime's persecution of religious minorities, including Christians, Druze and Alawites, has skyrocketed as the country undergoes a process of radical Islamization. Pictured: Mar Elyas Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus on June 22, 2025, after an attack by jihadists who murdered 25 Christians and wounded nearly 70 there during Sunday mass. (Photo by Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images) Christians in Syria are once again under attack  by Islamic groups affiliated with the country's jihadist regime, headed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda leader also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani. On March 22, the Ethnikos Association of Latakia-Antaradus (EALA) -- a Canada-based non-profit that advocates for the human rights of Syria's Alawite and Rum (Greek) communities -- issued a statement  about the escalating attacks on Christians in Syria: "Credible, firsthand reports indicate a serious and rapidly deteriorating security situation [is occurring] for Christians in Kfarbo (Hama Governorate), Mhardeh (Hama Governorate), Al-Suqaylabiyah (Hama Governorate), Wadi al-Nasara (Homs Governorate), and surrounding areas.... "[A]rmed groups affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Defense identified as 'Bedouins' have carried out acts of desecration, violent and armed assault, and attempted abductions of Christian women, while state authorities have failed to intervene and largely ignored the repeated citizens' complaints while allowing armed militants to operate with impunity. " Key Incidents "The Church of the Holy Martyrs, located at the northern entrance of Mhardeh, was seized by armed militants identified as 'General Security,' a branch of the Syrian Ministry of Defense and government forces. The church has been converted into a military site, and Christian religious symbols have been deliberately destroyed.... "The armed Bedouin groups, operating alongside or under the effective control of government-affiliated forces, have entered the Christian towns of Kfarbo, Mhardeh, [and] Al-Suqaylabiyah, where they are actively carrying out armed robberies, destruction of Christian cultural and religious symbols, vandalism and desecration of cemeteries across all three towns. "Armed Bedouins are consistently harassing, threatening, and terrorizing Christian residents, including issuing explicit threats.... "Multiple attempted abductions of Christian girls have been reported. These attempts were only prevented by the intervention of local civilians. Perpetrators escalated the situation by drawing knives against those who intervened, with no response from government forces. "Explicit death threats were issued against a Christian girl for not wearing the Islamic headscarf. "An additional attempted kidnapping in Mhardeh was reported. "A Christian family in Kharbeh was robbed at gunpoint inside their home. Armed perpetrators held the family at gunpoint while looting the house." Following al-Sharaa's December 2024 seizure of power in Syria, persecution of religious minorities, including Christians, Druze and Alawites, has skyrocketed as the country undergoes a process of radical Islamization. Videos  of Muslim children marching in Damascus are widely posted on social media. The children are seen chanting jihadist slogans, including phrases meaning that "I will make myself ammunition." These chants are directed straight at Christians and Jews. On February 12, a video  was posted in which elementary school children marched at the Damascus Book Fair, chanting "Allahu Akbar" and "Gaza is our motto" — slogans widely associated with Hamas. The X account Greco-Levantines Worldwide commented  that "a new generation is being shaped around militant narratives with potentially far-reaching consequences." Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the terror group led by al-Sharaa, has, since it overthrew the Assad regime in late 2024, increasingly subjected Alawite , Druze  and Christian  civilians to targeted killings , arbitrary arrests , abductions , sexual violence , destruction  and seizure of property,   forced displacement , and other atrocities . Digital media provide evidence  demonstrating the genocidal intent of the regime and its affiliated forces. On February 27, Ethnikos Association of Latakia-Antaradus published  a comprehensive report documenting  these atrocities: "This report documents serious, widespread and sustained violations committed against Alawite and Christian civilian communities in coastal and western-central Syria between December 2024 to present. "The evidence establishes that violence against these communities began immediately following the collapse of the state authority on 8 December 2024, intensified through repeated attacks, and culminated in large-scale massacres along the coast in March 2025 and the Mar Elias Church attack. "Contrary to portrayals or reports that frame the coastal massacre as a sudden rupture or reaction to isolated developments, the findings demonstrate a clear and uninterrupted trajectory of escalation. "These violations occurred across multiple locations, consistently targeting the same civilian communities and carried out by the same perpetrators, demonstrating a coherent and repeated or recurring pattern rather than isolated or opportunistic acts." Many women and children, the report noted, were abducted from Christian, Alawite and Druze communities: "The girls affected are members of minority communities and therefore face guaranteed risk once removed from their family and community protection, including exposure to sexual violence, forced disappearance, human-trafficking and killing. "Despite the gravity of these cases, they have received little sustained attention and remain insufficiently documented. This report therefore prioritizes their documentation to ensure visibility, support urgent protective measures and facilitate accountability." The report  added that, since December 2024, Christians in Syria have been suffered escalating persecution. The first recorded incident involved the vandalization of a Greek church and its cemetery. The second was a murder: a married couple, Sam and his wife Helena, were killed in their home by HTS terrorists. The report notes: "Subsequent cases reveal repeated attacks and a broader environment of anti-Christian racism that has become normalized. Christians have increasingly been targeted. The documented violations span multiple governorates and include armed attacks on churches, desecration of cemeteries and Christian symbols, harassment, arbitrary arrest, seizure of property and incitement. "In Homs governorate, the town of Al-Qusayr has been repeatedly targeted, with attacks directed exclusively at Christian homes. Reports document grenades being launched at residences, gunfire directed at homes while occupants slept, and arson attacks setting Christian homes on fire. In addition, a series of arbitrary arrests resulted in the detention of Christian residents. "In the Hama governorate, the town of Suqaylabiyah has been attacked more than a dozen times. These attacks included the destruction of Christian symbols, attempted suicide bombings, and the deployment of Islamist preachers to harass and force local Christians to convert. As a result of sustained and targeted hostility, the local church was forced to close permanently. "These actions form part of a broader campaign of ethnic cleansing and forced displacement. By systematically targeting Christian communities, perpetrators aim to compel the residents to flee. This strategy has proven to be effective in several locations, including the town of Maaloula. On 26 December 2024, Maaloula was reported to have been under attack for 15 consecutive days, during which a Christian family was killed by HTS militants. "The following day, Greco-Levantines Worldwide and the World Council of Arameans issued an urgent appeal, reporting that the town's population had rapidly declined with fewer than 200 residents remaining as HTS militants had ordered Christian residents to be expelled. The organizations called for urgent international intervention and the deployment of neutral forces. Despite this urgent appeal, no measures were taken to assist. On 28 December, video footage documented buses departing Maaloula filled with displaced residents. In the recordings, individuals are heard mocking and celebrating the forced exodus of the town's Christian population." The report  emphasizes the "vulnerability faced by Christian communities that they too will suffer the same fate if they speak out. In Latakia and Tartous, the use of graffiti targeting Christians has become prevalent. Homes and shops belonging to Christians and Alawites are marked, while shops belonging to Muslims are left unharmed." It adds: "In April, a video recorded and released by HTS documented three young Christians who had been physically assaulted and had their heads shaved. Two of the victims show clear signs of physical abuse, with visible blood on their faces. In the footage, the victims were ordered to face the camera and state, 'Tell everyone that you are a Christian, you pig.' "In June 2025, a large-scale massacre against Christians was perpetrated at the Mar Elias (Saint Elias) Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus. The attacker entered the church and began shooting, threw a grenade, and then detonated himself, killing 30 Christians and injuring 54. Meanwhile, other Christian villages awoke to graffiti in their areas threatening, 'Your turn is coming next.'" Meanwhile, Syria's new regime has altered the school curricula to impose the Islamist ideology which explicitly demonizes religious minorities. Jews and Christians are referred to as "to those who are damned." Previously, "martyrdom" was described as a sacrifice for the homeland. Now it is defined as "martyrdom is dying for the sake of Allah." Similarly, governance by law and justice has been replaced with "governance by the Sharia of Allah." In addition, the entire science unit covering evolution and the origin of life has been removed. The report notes: "The distribution of anti-Christian leaflets has emerged as one of the methods for incitement. A leaflet distributed in the country stated: 'It has become clear to the Muslims that Christianity is a false religion. It is forbidden to allow the people of misguidance (Christians) to remain among the Muslims. Therefore, Christians must either become Muslim, pay jizya, or be expelled. There is no coexistence. Prepare yourselves.' "These violations continue unabated. Arson attacks increasingly target the coastal regions where native Christian and Alawite communities reside. Humanitarian aid has been intentionally withheld where one resident testified: 'They pretend to give aid to Christians and Alawites, but it is a lie. Aid is distributed to Sunni Muslims only.' Kidnappings and ransom demands have become another method of persecution and extortion." The report  includes examples of incitement to genocide by Muslims affiliated with Sharaa's regime: "A threatening letter detailing explicit incitement to religious violence was issued by a Sunni Muslim Islamist terror group, 'Ansar al Sunnah,' promising to genocide Christians. The message states: '[we will] Kill your men, widow your women, orphan your children.' It also permits the shedding of 'Christian blood' as it will 'purify the soul.' "On 6 July 2025, a declaration to commit ethnic cleansing in Safita of Tartous was made. Leaflets threatening Christians were distributed to the residents stating, 'It has become clear to the Muslims that Christianity is a false religion. It is forbidden to allow the people of misguidance and corruption (Christians) to remain among the Muslims. Therefore, Christians must either become Muslims, pay jizya or be expelled. There is no peace or coexistence. Prepare yourselves.' "A sermon delivered in a mosque on 11 March (shortly after the coastal massacre) stated: 'Take the knife and slaughter them, that is their medicine. That is the cure for them. Forget diplomacy, there is no such thing, and it means nothing to us. Solve it by killing them, rise in jihad for the islamic ummah.' "In another audio broadcast, an HTS militant issued orders over radio, stating: 'To the mujahideen, do not let a single one of them from the Alawites alive. Slaughter all of those pigs. Even the good or honorable among them, slaughter them. Have mercy on none, the elderly, the children are all for slaughter. Every single one of them. These are all pigs, we don't want them. After you kill them, take them to the sea and throw them into the sea for the fish to feed.' "On 12 January 2025, in a video footage an HTS member said, 'Latakia is 80% Sunni Muslim, not Alawite. We reject claims that it is Alawite. Latakia and the coast are Sunni Muslim. This is our land, and they will all be killed.' "On 16 January 2025, a video footage shows an HTS militant mocking the coastal dialect and telling a group of Alawite children, 'if any of you ask for a secular state, we will kill you all.' "On 6 March 2025, a video footage shows the speaker of a mosque announcing the 'call for jihad,' calling all the men in the mosque to participate in the killings. The crowd responds by celebrating and chanting, 'Allahu akbar!' "On 7 March 2025, the Syrian regime took control of Sham TV and broadcasted coded sectarian incitement, saying: 'Throw them in the sea so the fish don't go hungry in the land of the Umayyads.' "On 7 March 2025, a video footage taken by HTS shows a masked militant, mocking the bodies of six deceased civilians while singing, 'We've come to feed you death. The sword is the only way, and the coast we have conquered.' The report also notes : "No area in Syria can be credibly described as safe or designated for Christian protection. А limited exception exists in areas detached from Damascus and governed under local protection, such as the Druze majority governorate of Suwayda. The absence of HTS has corresponded with a reduced scale of documented violence." Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham clearly has genocidal intent towards religious minorities in Syria, who need their own defense forces and local autonomy. Western nations urgently need to provide direct aid. U.S. President Donald J. Trump should never have allowed HTS and al-Sharaa – who justifiably had a $10 million bounty placed on his head by the U.S. State Department – to use Syria to entrench Sunni Islam by jihad (holy war). Al-Sharaa should be replaced at once. Jihad is not a local problem. If it is rewarded with an internationally recognized government in Syria, jihad will spread like wildfire across the globe. Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute. © 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved.  The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad 2018 credit: National Council of Resistance of Iran Taking Iran’s Incitement to Commit Genocide Against Israel Seriously   Testimony before the Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development of the Parliament of Canada   By Professor Gregory H. Stanton [1] 5 May 2009 German Chancellor Angela Merkel was the first world leader to recognize the connection between Iran's uranium enrichment, its testing of long-distance missiles, and the genocidal statements of its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. A day after declaring that Israel "should be wiped off the map" on October 25, 2005, he incited students to scream "death to Israel," at a government-sponsored conference called the "World without Zionism." Chancellor Merkel declared: "A president that questions Israel's right to exist [and] denies the Holocaust, cannot expect to receive any tolerance from Germany. We have learned our history." Will Chancellor Merkel's warnings of the parallels between Iran's actions today and Nazi Germany's first steps towards genocide in the 1930's prod the world into effective deterrent action? On 28 October 2005, the UN Security Council condemned the words of the Iranian president. While the Security Council only issued a press statement - the weakest form of expression - it was still a diplomatic defeat for Iran. [2]   Despite numerous U.N. Resolutions since, Iran continues to develop nuclear weapons, and its leadership has not changed its apocalyptic views. On 1 February 2006, The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) passed a resolution (See Appendix [i] ) noting that Iran's actions, including Ahmadinejad’s statements, are early warning signs of genocide. These signs include open expressions of an exclusionary ideology characterized by hate speech, an authoritarian government that represses dissent, the organization of fanatical militias, such as the Revolutionary Guards, and a sustained record of support for terror attacks against Jews around the world. In December 2005, President Ahmadinejad added to the list the denial of a past genocide, the Holocaust.  The U.N. Security Council and Secretary-General condemned his statements. [3] Indifference to incitement and inaction by the outside world, most notably the United Nations itself, are other warning signs - as we have seen in the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Darfur and elsewhere in the world. The development of a covert nuclear weapons program and long-range missiles by a state whose leader declares genocidal intent states the case for urgent deterrent actions. As we address the Iranian threat, it is helpful to recall that genocide was the deadliest crime against humanity in the 20th century, resulting in over 150 million preventable deaths, more than from all wars combined. The Genocidal Process Genocide is not an accident.  It develops in a predictable process.  I have analyzed most of the genocides in recent history and have discovered a predictable pattern. I call the process the Ten Stages of Genocide . Every one of the first seven stages has already happened in Iran. Historians have established that governmental incitement and use of hate language is a recognized predictor, initiator, promoter and catalyst of genocide. The direct and public incitements to genocide by Iran's President are not only openly stated declarations of aggressive intent but are in violation of Art. 2 (4) of the UN Charter, of the Genocide Convention, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Articles 6 and 25 (3)(e). President Ahmadinejad's attempted "clarification" that he merely advocates the "transfer" of Jews in Israel to German and Austrian provinces is itself advocacy of forced deportation, another crime against humanity, and is contradicted by his own actions and long-term Iranian policy, including terror attacks on Jews outside Israel, such as the bombing of a synagogue in Buenos Aries, the arming of Hezbollah and Hamas, and advocacy of murder of Jews everywhere on Iranian financed media such as Palestinian television. Palestinian Authority television carried a Friday sermon calling for the butchering of all Jews everywhere. [4] Iran could soon be an independent nuclear power, possessing advanced missile delivery systems. Iran has never renounced its aggressive and genocidal aims against the Jews of the State of Israel and elsewhere, which are longstanding policy. In 2000, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Muslim worshippers in Teheran, referring to Israel: "We have repeatedly said that this cancerous tumor of a state should be removed from the region." [5] The unprecedented threat of nuclear genocide necessitates an urgent response because, aside from the clear warning signs we have indicated, an actual apocalyptic nuclear attack could occur without further warning sufficient to engage in preventative action. Israel is a small country that can be reached within minutes by Iranian ballistic missiles. It is densely populated, and home to the largest number of Holocaust survivors in the world. Time is of the essence and delay could be catastrophic. The Responsibility to Protect The ethical principle that needs to guide international action to prevent all genocidal threats is that human life is the most fundamental human right, because without life there are no other human rights. Canada has been the most important leader in creating a newly emerging norm of international law.  The International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty sponsored by the Canadian government defined what is now called “The Responsibility to Protect,” which was affirmed in the Millennium Summit Outcome of 2005.  It is based on the principle that the international obligation to protect human life and well-being overrides the sovereignty claims of any government whose actions demonstrate genocidal intent.   The Precautionary Principle Because the dangers of inaction could be catastrophic, we repeat the calls of Genocide Watch, the Hebrew University Genocide and Violence Prevention Program's petition, and the International Association for Genocide Scholars call for the application of the Precautionary Principle, a powerful tool for decision making in public health, for prevention of this and all other genocidal threats. This principle states that when there is uncertainty concerning the risk from a situation with potentially catastrophic effects upon human health and safety, the risks of inaction far outweigh those of preventive action. The Precautionary Principle - which British Foreign Minister Jack Straw has already applied to this case - shifts the burden of proof from those warning of a risk of catastrophic event to those denying this risk. Preventive action, of course, means the obligatory imposition of effective sanctions to prevent Iranian development of nuclear weapons, and includes immediate and continuous IAEA inspections of all Iranian nuclear facilities, as well as confiscation of all technology, equipment, and nuclear material that could be used by Iran to manufacture nuclear weapons. Because the obligation to protect life and safety overrides state sovereignty, Iran's genocidal declarations and actions undermine its claims to responsibly utilize its nuclear material for peaceful means. All this, however, is insufficient. Historians have recognized that genocide results from the conscious choices of elites and occurs when there is indifference of outsiders to early warning signs, particularly hate language that serves to catalyze genocidal actions. Accordingly, the UN Security Council should follow the landmark precedent of its referral of Sudanese leaders to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and refer Mr. Ahmadinejad to the ICC for indictment for incitement to commit genocide.  Canada, as a state-party to the Genocide Convention, should also take a case against Iran to the International Court of Justice for violation of that convention through its incitement. Those convicted for incitement to commit genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and sentenced to prison terms up to life imprisonment included Rwanda's former prime minister, a historian, a newspaper editor, a minister of information, and a journalist. President Ahmadinejad, Supreme Leader Khamenei and other Iranian inciters must be stopped.  Economic sanctions which would target the Iranian people collectively should be rejected.  Iran has a glorious past and culture, which its current leadership does not represent. It is time for the UN to go from commemorating past genocides, such as the Holocaust and Rwanda, to stopping current genocides such as is now raging in Darfur, Sudan and deterring and preventing future ones. Indicting President Ahmadinejad for incitement to commit genocide would send a clear non-violent message to Iran's authoritarian leaders to back down from pursuing a genocidal ideology. It would be a major step towards deterring others planning future Bosnias, Kosovos, Rwandas and Darfurs. Chancellor Merkel has reminded us of the consequences of the world's ineffectual response to Hitler in the 1930's. The world now must choose between indifference and deterrence, not only to "save Israel," but to save itself. Consider these two chilling facts: Iran is the only country since Nazi Germany that has openly expressed its genocidal intent to destroy another nation while pursuing a program to develop nuclear weapons.  Few believed that Hitler was serious about his genocidal intentions until Nazis carried out the Holocaust. The Iranian President denies that the Holocaust even happened.   The country most likely to be black mailed by an Iran with nuclear weapons is Israel.  Suppose that Iran demands that Israel pull back to its 1967 borders and allow all Palestinians to return to their pre-1948 homes?  Israel says “Nuts!”  Iran then repeats its threat to “wipe Israel off the map,” arms its missiles, and supports Hezbollah terrorist infiltration into Israel. Would Israel launch a preemptive nuclear strike on Iran knowing that Iran’s nuclear retaliation would result in Israel’s self-destruction?   Iran’s nuclear weapons program must be stopped.  NATO’s nuclear shield should explicitly be invoked to protect Israel.  Canada should use its full legal and diplomatic force to prevent this genocide in the making. [1]  President, International Association of Genocide Scholars; President, Genocide Watch; James Farmer Professor in Human Rights, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA; Research Professor in Genocide Studies and Prevention, Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University, Arlington, VA, USA   [2]  "Uno verurteilt Irans Attacken gegen Israel," NZZ Online,  29 October 2005 [German]. [3]   "The members of the Security Council reaffirm the rights and obligations of the state of Israel as a full and long-standing member of the United Nations, and reaffirm that, under the United Nations Charter, all members have undertaken to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state."    U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was "shocked" to see the remarks attributed to Ahmadinejad.  Annan urged U.N. member nations "to combat such denial, and to educate their populations about the well-established historical facts of the Holocaust, in which one-third of the Jewish people were murdered, along with countless members of other minorities."  The secretary-general had previously criticized Ahmadinejad when he said Israel should be "wiped off the map."   CNN 10 December 2005. [4]  Manfred Gerstenfeld, "The 21st Century Total War against Israel and the Jews: Part One," Post-Holocaust & Anti-Semitism,  No. 38, 1 November 2005. [5]  "Iran Leader Urges Destruction of 'Cancerous' Israel," CNN, 15 December 2000. [i]   Resolution of the International Association of Genocide Scholars Condemning Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s Statements Calling for the Destruction of Israel and Denying the Historical Reality of the Holocaust 1 February 2006 We, the leadership and membership of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, a world-wide professional association of experts on genocide, express profound alarm at statements made by the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling for Israel to be “wiped off the map” and inciting students to scream “death to the Jews” at a government sponsored conference on 26 October 2005.   On 14 December 2005, President Ahmadinejad publicly denied the Holocaust and declared it a “myth” created by Europeans to justify creation of a Jewish state in the heart of the Islamic world. The International Association of Genocide Scholars repudiates Holocaust denial, which denies the reality of one of the most indisputably proven crimes in human history.   Since President Ahmadinejad took office, inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency have been denied access to inspect Iranian nuclear development facilities, and Iran has openly re-started enrichment of uranium that could be used for nuclear weapons. Iran has missiles that could carry nuclear warheads to destroy Israel.   Iran’s president has thus not only called for the destruction of a national and religious group, the Jews of Israel, but has authorized creation of the weapons to carry out his genocidal intent. Iran does not yet have such weapons but is likely to develop them in the near future unless its nuclear weapons program is stopped.   Direct and public expression of genocidal intent by a national leader coupled with a clear and present danger that genocidal acts will be committed is incitement to genocide. The risk of genocide against Israel is not yet imminent, but once Iran has nuclear weapons, it will be.   Early warning signs of genocide include open expressions of an exclusionary ideology (hate speech), denial of past genocide (Holocaust denial), authoritarian government that represses dissent (arrest of Iranian moderates), organization of fanatical militias (Revolutionary Guards) and construction of weapons of mass destruction (the Iranian nuclear weapons program.) All these early warning signs of genocide are evident in Iran today.   We therefore call upon the United Nations Security Council to determine that there is a threat to international peace, and to take the following actions under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter:   1. Refer Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, to the International Criminal Court for indictment for direct and public incitement to commit genocide.   2. Direct the International Atomic Energy Agency to demand immediate IAEA inspections of all Iranian nuclear facilities, cessation of enrichment of uranium, and confiscation of all equipment that could be used to manufacture nuclear weapons. Version française Association Internationale des études de génocide Résolution condamnant l'appel au génocide par Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, le président d'Iran, et la négation de la réalité historique de l'Holocauste. Appel à la prévention du développement des armes nucléaires iraniennes. Nous, les exécutifs et membres de l'Association internationale des études de génocide, une association professionnelle globale pour l'étude et la prévention de génocide, voudrons exprimer notre profonde alarme sur les déclarations agressives publiques faites par le président d'Iran, M. Ahmadinejad, appelant à "effacé Israël de la carte" et incitant a la conférence gouvernementale les étudiants a crier "Mort aux juifs"! (26 oct. 2005) Le 14 décembre 2005, le Président Ahmadinejad a publiquement nié la réalité de l'Holocauste, et a déclare que c'était un "mythe" crée par les Européens pour justifier la création d’un état juif au cœur du monde arabe.  L'association internationale des études et prévention de génocide répudie l'acte de nier l'Holocauste. Depuis l'avènement du président Ahmadinejad, les inspecteurs de l'agence internationale de l'énergie atomique ont été empêchés d'inspecter les facilites nucléaires importantes.  L'Iran a recommence son programme de développer la capacité iranienne a enrichir l'uranium au degré suffisant aux armes atomiques.  L'Iran possède des missiles capables de porter les bombes atomiques et à détruire Israël. Le président Iranien n'a pas alors seulement fait appel a la destruction d'un groupe national et religieux, les juifs d'Israël, mais a autorisé la création de matériaux essentiels a bâtir les armes capables d'accomplir son objectif génocidaire.  L'Iran n'a pas encore produit la bombe atomique, mais peut la développer sous peu, sinon son programme nucléaire ne sera pas défait. Les précurseurs de précaution qu'un génocide se prépare inclus les expressions ouvertes d'une idéologie exclusioniste (mots de haine), nier les génocides passés (nier l'Holocauste), un gouvernement autoritaire est répressif (emprisonnement des modères iraniens), l'organisation des milices fanatiques (Gardes Révolutionnaires),  et les programmes a développer les armes de destruction de masse (le programme atomique iranien).  Il se trouve chaqu'un de ces précurseurs en Iran aujourd'hui. L'expression publique et directe de l'intention génocidaire par un chef d'état ensemble avec un danger présent et clair que ces actes seront commis incitèrent au génocide.  Le risque de génocide contre Israël n'est pas encore immédiat, mais au moment ou l'Iran aurait produit les armes atomiques, le danger sera immédiat.  Quand l’intention génocidaire est exprimée ouvertement, et les moyens a commettre le génocide se prépare, le principe précautionaire demande la prévue d'innocence sur des génocidaires. L'action préventive urgente doit être prise.  Nous appelons au Conseil de Sécurité des Nations Unis à déterminer que le programme nucléaire l'Iran menace la paix globale, et a prendre les actions diplomatiques et économiques sous le chapitre VII dès la Charte des Nations Unis. Why and How Iran Should Be Taken To The International Court of Justice for Direct and Public Incitement of Genocide Against The Nation of Israel and Jews As an Ethnic and Religious Group In Violation of Article 3(c) of the International Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide Powerpoint accompanying Dr. Gregory Stanton's presentation at the 2005 biennial meeting of the International Association of Genocide Scholars: