Ex-top military official Aloys Ntiwiragabo is investigated in France over role in killing spree that left 800,000 dead. Rwanda has issued an international arrest warrant for former Rwandan spy chief, Aloys Ntiwiragabo, who is under investigation in France over his role in the African country's 1994 genocide. Prosecutor-general Aimable Havugiyaremye told reporters on Tuesday Rwandan authorities "have investigated his case" and "are working with the French unit in charge of combatting war crimes and crimes against humanity". France opened a probe into alleged crimes against humanity by the ex-military official after he was found in the suburbs of the city of Orleans, about 100km (62 miles) southwest of Paris. French investigative news site Mediapart tracked down Ntiwiragabo, who had been identified by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) as one of the architects of the genocide. Neither the ICTR, Interpol, France nor Rwanda were actively seeking him now and had dropped arrest warrants years ago. The revelation of his whereabouts came barely two months after another suspected genocide architect, Felicien Kabuga, was arrested on a Paris suburb. Kabuga, who evaded police in several countries for 25 years, is accused of financing the genocide. Kabuga had asked for a trial in France, citing frail health and claiming the United Nations court in Africa would be biased against him, and possibly hand him over to Rwandan authorities. Meanwhile, Serge Brammertz, the chief prosecutor for the international tribunal handling Rwanda's genocide cases, arrived in Rwanda on Tuesday with a team of prosecutors and investigators. Brammertz will spend two weeks in the country, while the team will remain for a month to investigate and gather evidence on Kabuga and other genocide suspects at large. France has long been known as a hiding place for wanted genocide suspects. French investigators currently have dozens of cases under way, although Paris has so far never extradited a suspect to Rwanda. A plane carrying President Juvenal Habyarimana, from Rwanda's Hutu majority, was shot down in Kigali on April 6, 1994. Some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in 100 days of killing, orchestrated by the Hutu-led government and its ethnic militia allies. © 2020 Al Jazeera Media Network

Media Release From Burma Campaign UK For Immediate Release 24th August 2020 On the eve of the third anniversary of the military offensive against ethnic Rohingya in 2017, Burma Campaign UK called on the international community to implement the recommendations of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar. Not one country in the world has implemented all of the UN Fact-Finding Mission recommendations. The USA and UK have banned Min Aung Hlaing, head of the military, from taking holidays in their country, but have not imposed sanctions to stop companies doing business with the military. The European Union hasn't even imposed a holiday ban. Instead, a small number of lower level military personnel have been banned from holidaying in EU member states. The UN Fact-Finding Mission made 35 main recommendations to UN Member states and international intergovernmental organisations, and 8 recommendations to the UN Security Council. The Fact-Finding Mission recommendations include sanctioning military companies, establishing a trust fund for victims of atrocities, arms transfer sanctions, ceasing operational support to the Tatmadaw and security forces, (the EU continues to train and equip the military-controlled police force, documented to be taking part in genocide of the Rohingya), and several recommendations on international justice, including individual countries using universal jurisdiction. "The international community failed to act to prevent genocide of the Rohingya, despite numerous warnings, and has now failed to act to hold those responsible accountable," said Anna Roberts, Executive Director of Burma Campaign UK. "Several countries boast of sanctions they have introduced in response to genocide of the Rohingya, but when you look at the detail, it's nothing more than banning a small number of people from taking holidays in their country." Burma Campaign UK publishes a 'Dirty List' exposing more than 100 international companies linked to Burmese military companies or supplying arms to the military. These companies help fund a military which is committing genocide against the Rohingya, and war crimes and crimes against humanity against other ethnic groups in Burma. The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar also recommended that international donors review their support for Burma's November 2020 election if Rohingya were excluded again as in 2015. This does not appear to have happened, with the EU, Norway, UK and other countries providing support to the Union Election Commission, which in recent weeks has been banning Rohingya leaders from standing as candidates in the election. Ironically, some of the financial support was to boost participation of marginalised groups. The vast majority of Rohingya remain banned from voting. Burma's 2020 election will be an apartheid election. "The military carried out the offensive which drove hundreds of thousands of Rohingya out of Burma, but it is Aung San Suu Kyi's government which consolidated and continued the genocide, implementing laws and policies which persecute the Rohingya, stealing their land, and even obstructing life-saving international aid," said Anna Roberts. "In failing to act against those responsible for the ongoing genocide of the Rohingya, the message has gone out to despots everywhere that you can get away with genocide." For more information, contact Anna Roberts on +44 (0)7950849529 This media release is available here: https://burmacampaign.org.uk/holidays-bans-an-inadequate-response-to-rohingya-genocide/ The compilation of UN Fact Finding Mission recommendations is available here: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/MyanmarFFM/Pages/ReportHRC42thSession.aspx The Burma Campaign UK 'Dirty List' is available here: https://burmacampaign.org.uk/take-action/dirty-list/

The Antiquities Coalition, Blue Shield International, and Genocide Watch submitted a Request for Leave to Submit Amicus Curiae Observations to the International Criminal Court in the Appeal of The Prosecutor v. Bosco Ntaganda. The request was approved by the ICC. The Antiquities Coalition, Blue Shield International, and Genocide Watch Amicus Curiae brief will respond to dismissal by the ICC Trial Court in of the charges against Ntaganda for destruction of a church and a hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Court convicted Ntaganda of other charges, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. The brief will address the questions: How is ‘attack’ defined under international humanitarian law particularly in the context of cultural property? What does the term ‘attack’ mean in article 8(2)(e)(iv) of the Statute? Does it cover acts such as pillaging and destruction? Read the full submission here. Editor's Note: Dr. Gregory Stanton was involved in the creation of the ICTR, rather than the ICTY.

Four killed after clashes between protesters and police in the West African country after Alassane Ouattara's decision. At least four people have been killed in clashes in Ivory Coast as hundreds took to the streets following President Alassane Ouattara's decision to run for a third term this October. Three people were killed in the central town of Daoukro in clashes between Ouattara supporters and backers of rival candidate Henri Konan Bedie, a security source and witnesses said. On Thursday, an 18-year-old died in the southeastern town of Bonoua, 50km (30 miles) from the economic hub, Abidjan, in violence between demonstrators and security forces, said Mayor Jean-Paul Amethier. "The police station in Bonoua has been ransacked by angry demonstrators, and the police chief and officers have taken refuge in the courtyard," local resident Herve Niamkey said. In Abidjan, scattered groups of demonstrators built barricades and burned tyres in response to a call from the opposition and civil society groups. "His candidacy is against the constitution - we don't want a third term," said protester Herve Seka in Anono district. In the district of Yopougon, police fired tear gas and chased protesters down narrow streets. Several dozen protesters gathered in Port Bouet, a seaside area of Abidjan, while heavy deployment of riot police maintained order in the upscale district of Cocody, where many politicians live, including Ouattara. The government announced a ban on protests late on Wednesday in a communique read on state television. Reset the clock Despite the violence, Ouattara's Houphouetist Rally for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) party announced he would be formally nominated as its candidate at a big rally in Abidjan on August 22. Ouattara, 78, announced a week ago he would contest the October 31 presidential elections - a move that came after his anointed successor Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly died of a heart attack. The announcement sparked fury among Ouattara's critics, as he has already served two terms and can only contest a third by arguing that a constitutional change entitles him to reset the clock. The vote is taking place in a country still scarred by a low-level civil war that erupted in 2011 when former strongman Laurent Gbagbo refused to cede power to Ouattara after losing elections. The ensuing unrest claimed some 3,000 lives and split the country along north-south lines. Daoukro is a stronghold of supporters of Bedie, an 86-year-old former president who last month was endorsed by the Democratic Party of the Ivory Coast (PDCI) as its candidate for the election and has called Ouattara's candidacy "illegal". Another candidate is former foreign minister Marcel Amon-Tanoh, 68, who does not yet have the backing of a party. Gbagbo's party, the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), has yet to name a candidate. Gbagbo was cleared of crimes against humanity last year by the International Criminal Court, although prosecutors are appealing the ruling. Former rebel chief and ex-premier Guillaume Soro, 47, has said he will contest the vote, but he lives in self-imposed exile in France. Soro has been sentenced in absentia to a 20-year jail term in Ivory Coast on charges of attempted insurrection. Published by Al Jazeera August 14, 2020. © 2020 Al Jazeera Media Network

Au moins 128 personnes, dont 21 femmes et sept enfants, ont été tuées lors de violents affrontements entre des groupes armés et les forces armées nationales ainsi que lors d'attaques contre les civils dans la région des Hauts Plateaux du Sud-Kivu, entre février 2019 et juin 2020, déplore le Bureau conjoint des Nations Unies aux droits de l’homme (BCNUDH) en République démocratique du Congo. La violence n’est ni une option viable, ni encore moins une solution pour résoudre les griefs qui peuvent exister entre les communautés », a déclaré la Représentante spéciale du Secrétaire général et cheffe de la Mission des Nations Unies en RDC (MONUSCO), Leila Zerrougui, en réaction à ces informations. « Tous les habitants des Hauts Plateaux doivent s’engager résolument dans la recherche de solutions pacifiques durables qui profitent à toutes les communautés, dans le respect des droits de chacun », a affirmé la représentante de l’ONU. 42 femmes et cinq enfants ont également été violés, plus de 95 villages, des écoles et des centres de santé ont été incendiés et plus de 110.000 personnes déplacées par ces violences, selon le BCNUDH. Un regain de violence et des discours de haine La région, qui comprends les territoires de Fizi, Mwenga, et Uvira, connait des cycles de violence intercommunautaire de longue date liés à la transhumance et à l’accès à la terre. Un regain de violence a été noté depuis février 2019 avec la participation de groupes armés étrangers et le recours à des messages de haine propagés par des membres des différentes communautés vivant en RDC ou à l’étranger à travers les discours publics, les médias et les réseaux sociaux. Selon la MONUSCO, le cycle d’attaques et de représailles se poursuit. Au mois de juillet 2020, au moins 32 autres civils ont été tués dans la zone, dont 15 dans une attaque contre Kipupu et quatre autres villages dans le territoire de Mwenga le 16 juillet, tel que documenté par une mission effectuée sur place avec le soutien de la MONUSCO. Mme Zerrougui a en outre condamné les discours de haine et les appels à la violence lancés depuis la RDC comme depuis l’étranger, rappelant qu’ils sont « inacceptables et exposent leurs auteurs à des poursuites ». Multiplier les efforts pour neutraliser les groupes armés Avec l’appui de la MONUSCO, les forces de défense et de sécurité déployées dans la région ont multiplié les efforts pour neutraliser les groupes armés impliqués dans les attaques et assurer la protection des populations civiles, en particulier dans les sites de déplacés. Ces efforts doivent se poursuivre dans le strict respect des droits de l’homme et du droit international humanitaire. L’accès à l’assistance humanitaire a été perturbé par des attaques perpétrées contre les organisations humanitaires et les camps des déplacés. Ces graves violations du droit international humanitaire empêchent des milliers de personnes de recevoir une aide vitale alors qu’elles ne peuvent plus accéder à leurs champs et que leurs réserves alimentaires ont été pillées ou détruites. La MONUSCO réitère sa détermination à travailler avec les forces armées de RDC (FARDC) pour la protection des civils et la sécurisation des zones affectées par la violence. La Mission continuera également de soutenir les initiatives de dialogue intercommunautaire engagées par les autorités nationales et nationales pour garantir la paix et la sécurité dans la province. Porter assistance aux déplacés Pour sa part le Fonds des Nations Unies pour l’enfance a annoncé mardi qu’il allait apporter une aide à des milliers de personnes déplacées qui ont fui les violences dans la région des Hauts Plateaux du Sud-Kivu. L’UNICEF confirme que plus de 40.000 personnes - dont 7.500 enfants de moins de 5 ans et plus de 1.500 femmes enceintes - ont fui les villages des territoires d'Uvira, de Fizi et de Mwenga depuis mai en raison de l'intensification des conflits interethniques qui ont anéanti les moyens de subsistance de milliers de personnes. Le Fonds estime que 10 centres de santé ont été pillés et rendus inutilisables, tandis que 18 autres ont été abandonnés par le personnel médical fuyant la violence. Au moins 28 écoles ont été pillées ou endommagées en décembre 2019 et n'ont pas été reconstruites depuis, laissant des milliers d'enfants sans endroit pour étudier. L'UNICEF et ses partenaires concentrent actuellement leurs activités dans la région de Mikenge, où 40.000 personnes ont trouvé refuge dans les zones forestières, non loin de leur lieu d'origine. L'UNICEF a joué un rôle clé dans la réouverture de l'hôpital de Mikenge, qui avait été déserté par le personnel médical. L’agence a fourni 4 tonnes de kits médicaux d'urgence comprenant des médicaments, des fournitures médicales et des équipements médicaux et de stérilisation de base pour la prise en charge de 20.000 personnes sur trois mois. Elle fournit également des services médicaux et de vaccination de base par le biais de cliniques mobiles à environ 23.000 personnes déplacées qui ont trouvé refuge au Mont Mitumba. L'UNICEF s'efforce également de réunir ou de placer dans des familles d'accueil 17 enfants qui avaient été séparés de leurs parents, et a distribué deux kits de recréation pour des activités d'équipe destinées à 300 enfants à Mikenge et à Bijombo. Dans les prochains jours, l'UNICEF et ses partenaires vont distribuer 4 tonnes de rations alimentaires d'urgence à 4.000 personnes vulnérables (femmes enceintes et allaitantes, et personnes âgées), ainsi que 200 cahiers d'exercices aux enfants non scolarisés de Mikenge et Bijombo. L'UNICEF avertit que des milliers de personnes déplacées dans la région des Hauts Plateaux du Sud-Kivu ont un besoin urgent de nourriture, d'abris, d'assistance en matière de santé et d'éducation, et appelle les partenaires humanitaires à intensifier leur intervention dans la région. La crise du Sud-Kivu est passée inaperçue alors que la RDC est aux prises avec la crise d'Ebola jusqu'à récemment et de multiples crises dans la partie orientale du pays. L'appel de de fonds humanitaire pour les enfants de RDC est de 301 millions de dollars. Au 15 juillet 2020, seuls 27 millions de dollars avaient été reçus et 40 millions de dollars ont été reportés de l'année précédente, laissant un déficit de financement de 219 millions de dollars (73%). Publié par ONU Info le 11 août 2020. © 2020 United Nations

Banyamulenge civilians besieged and under attack in Minembwe, Bijombo and Mikenge in South Kivu. Special protection is now needed to save lives of these civilians. Under constant attack from several armed forces, including the national army, it seems MONUSCO UN forces are currently unable to protect the Banyamulenge from these killings. This situation has been the subject of a Genocide Warning, on the Genocide Watch website. A demand for urgent intervention for protection of the Banyamulenge community was communicated to the UN Secretary General (27th April 2020). Since 27 April the situation has become even more critical. Action is needed NOW. This present call comes from members of the Banyamulenge Congolese community, including those in the diaspora and across the DRC and Great Lakes region, as well as their friends, and all who yearn for peace and justice for ALL civilians in South Kivu and Eastern DRC. We call urgently on the IRC (International Rescue Committee) for humanitarian relief in Minembwe and other small areas where Banyamulenge are besieged. We call on the UN Security Council to consider the urgency of protection for this minority. To sign the petition, click on this link: http://chng.it/ntXY5LVK For background click on these links: https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/2020/07/22/GENOCIDE-EMERGENCY-DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLIC-OF-THE-CONGO-JULY-2020 https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/2020/01/20/Genocide-Warning-Banyamulenge-in-Eastern-DR-Congo Rukumbuzi Delphin Ntanyoma International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Hague Twitter: https://twitter.com/Delphino12 Blog:www.easterncongotribune.com Helen Hintjens, International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Hague © 2020, Change.org, PB

Ouattara rejects claims by his opponents who say a two-term limit in the constitution bars him from running again. Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has said he would seek re-election in October, formally accepting the governing party's nomination to be its candidate and defying opponents who say the constitution forbids a third term. Ouattara, who has governed since 2011, said in March he would not run again. But his preferred successor, then-Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, died in July, leading the party to ask Ouattara to reconsider. The election is seen as the greatest test yet of the tenuous stability achieved since a brief civil war in 2010 and 2011 killed about 3,000 people following Ouattara's first election win. "I have decided to respond favourably to the call of my fellow citizens," Ouattara said in a televised speech on Thursday. "Given my previous promise, this decision represents a real sacrifice for me." His opponents say the two-term limit in the constitution bars him from running again, but Ouattara has said his first two mandates do not count under the new constitution adopted in 2016. The opposition party, the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), called his decision to run "deplorable". FPI spokesman Issiaka Sangare added: "Ivory Coast could have given another signal that would have allowed democracy to continue." FPI is the party of Ivory Coast's former president, Laurent Gbagbo. On Saturday, it named his one-time Prime Minister Pascal Affi N'Guessan as its candidate, ending speculation Gbagbo might return from abroad to stand. Gbagbo, freed conditionally by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity, has applied for a passport so that he can return home for the election. Gbagbo was acquitted of four counts of crimes against humanity over the 2010-2011 bloodshed: murder, rape, persecution and other inhumane acts. Prosecutors at the ICC are appealing his acquittal. Ouattara's other main challenger will be Henri Konan Bedie, who was president from 1993-1999 and is the confirmed candidate of one of the country's largest parties, the PDCI. The race is expected to be the most hotly contested since 2010, when Gbagbo's refusal to step down after Ouattara's victory sparked the deadly conflict. Bedie has said he and Gbagbo have agreed that their parties would back the other's candidate in the event of a second-round runoff against Ouattara. The first round of polling will be held on October 31. First published by Al Jazeera Aug 7, 2020 © 2020 Al Jazeera Media Network

At least three died in police firing during protest against a Facebook post that allegedly insulted Prophet Muhammad. Baton-wielding police have patrolled barricaded and deserted streets in parts of the southern Indian tech hub of Bengaluru, after three people were killed in Tuesday night clashes triggered by a Facebook post offensive to Muslims. A police official said an emergency law prohibiting gatherings had been imposed in Bengaluru, a city of 12 million people known as India's Silicon Valley. The violence began late on Tuesday, with mobs pelting stones, burning vehicles and setting a police station on fire, and lasted until the early hours of Wednesday. Dozens of people were wounded. "Seeing that much fire, smoke and the violence was really scary. I was really frightened. We've only seen such things on TV," said Ahan Khan, a college student who lives near the police station in northeast Bengaluru. Police said the person responsible for the offensive post, which has since been deleted, had been arrested. A spokesman for Facebook said it was investigating, adding its standards prohibit hate speech and incitement to violence. The state government headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday ordered an investigation into the worst violence in the city in more than 20 years. Gatherings prohibited Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said his officers had initially tried to hold back around 1,000 protesters using batons and tear gas, but then opened fire. "The police had no escape and they had to resort to firing and three people died," Pant said, adding that 110 people had been arrested for alleged vandalism and attacking the police. The three victims were Muslim men aged between 19 and 21, said Rizwan Arshad, a Congress party legislator in Bengaluru, who reached the police station amid the violence on Tuesday night to appeal for calm. A medical officer at the government-run Bowring hospital said they had treated at least 27 injured policemen and 12 protesters, including three who had suffered gunshot wounds. Police gave the first name of the accused man as Naveen, and said he was the nephew of a Congress politician, whose house was attacked and burned in the violence. The politician, R Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, appealed for calm in a video message carried by media. "We're all brothers. Whatever crime has been committed, let the law teach them a lesson," Murthy said. "I appeal to our Muslim brothers and everyone else to maintain peace." Television channels on Tuesday night showed a group of people gathered outside a police station, clashing with officers and burning several police vehicles. On Wednesday afternoon, charred remains of several cars and motorcycles were strewn across the basement car park of DJ Halli police station, the facade of which was also scarred by fire. Nearby streets were lined with burned vehicles, with all shops shuttered along the nearly two kilometre-stretch where the police station is located. "We are investigating the issue and will make use of the CCTV footage to see who is behind these violent acts, and will take stringent actions," said Basavraj Bommai, home minister of Karnataka state, where Bengaluru is located. © 2020 Al Jazeera Media Network

The UN's most powerful body did not take any action or issue a statement after the virtual meeting behind closed doors. The UN Security Council discussed disputed Kashmir at Pakistan's request on Wednesday for the third time since India's Hindu nationalist government decided to end the Muslim-majority region's semi-autonomy a year ago. The United Nations's most powerful body did not take any action or issue a statement after the virtual meeting held behind closed doors. Nonetheless, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said afterwards holding the meeting signified "that Jammu and Kashmir is an international dispute firmly on the agenda of the Security Council and has nullified, yet another time, the Indian self-serving claim that it is an 'internal matter'." On August 5, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government stripped Indian-administered Kashmir's statehood, scrapped its separate constitution and removed inherited protections on land and jobs. But the government said the change was necessary to develop the disputed region and integrate it with the rest of India, but it infuriated many Kashmiris as well as neighbouring Pakistan. Qureshi said in remarks circulated by Pakistan's UN mission the international community "should exercise its moral, legal and political authority to call out India to reverse the tide of impunity and stop genocide of the Kashmiri people." 'Unilateral actions' He urged India to reverse its unilateral actions, stop human rights and ceasefire violations, remove restrictions on communications, movement and peaceful assembly and immediately release Kashmir's leaders. The Pakistani minister expressed gratitude to the 15 UNSC members, especially China, for their support in organising the meeting in the face of India's "desperate attempts to prevent this discussion". When it went ahead, Qureshi said India tried "to minimise the importance and significance of the meeting". "China is seriously concerned about the current situation in Kashmir and the relevant military actions. We oppose unilateral actions that will complicate the situation," China's mission to the UN in New York said in a statement. India's new UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti tweeted after the meeting: "Another attempt by Pakistan fails!" "In today's meeting of UN Security Council which was closed, informal, not recorded and without any outcome, almost all countries underlined that J&K (Jammu and Kashmir) was bilateral issue & did not deserve time and attention of Council," he wrote. Modi's move last year was accompanied by a total communication blackout and mass detentions. Some rights groups have been critical of the government's handling of Kashmir, particularly continuing internet curbs. "This has been compounded by a censored media, continuing detention of political leaders, arbitrary restrictions due to the pandemic with little to no redressal," Amnesty International said in a statement on Wednesday. Kashmir issue Kashmir became an issue at the end of British colonial rule in 1947 when the Indian subcontinent was divided into predominantly Hindu India and mainly Muslim Pakistan and its future was left unresolved. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over control of Kashmir, which had been a Muslim-majority kingdom governed by a Hindu ruler. The first war ended in 1948 with a UN-brokered ceasefire that left Kashmir divided, with the promise of a UN-sponsored referendum on its "final disposition" that has never been held. The UN sent military observers to supervise the ceasefire in January 1949 and, following renewed hostilities in 1971, the UN mission has remained in the area to observe and report to the secretary-general - not to the Security Council as other peacekeeping missions do. The UNSC held its first closed consultations on Kashmir since 1971 following India's surprise action in August 2019 to change the Himalayan region's status. 'Self-determination' Speaking on the first anniversary of the revocation of Kashmir's special status, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan demanded Kashmiris' right to self-determination be implemented. He reiterated the Pakistani government's support for the long-standing dispute to be settled via a UN-mandated plebiscite. "Today, [Indian Prime Minister] Narendra Modi is exposed in the world," said Khan. "And the biggest thing to come from that is that the world is now looking at Kashmir." On Wednesday, heavy troops were deployed and curbs on public movement were put in place as Indian authorities kept a tight lid on potential protests in Kashmir. More than half a million Indian troops are already deployed in the region to quell armed rebellion that erupted in 1989. Local politicians were not permitted outside their homes, likely to prevent them from calling street demonstrations or even from holding meetings, in the strictest lockdown seen in months. "One year later the authorities are still too afraid to allow us to meet, much less carry out any normal political activity," former Chief Minister of Indian-administered Kashmir Omar Abdullah said on Twitter. "This fear speaks volumes about the true situation on the ground in Kashmir." India accuses Pakistan of arming and training rebels fighting for Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with Pakistan. Pakistan denies the charge and says it offers only diplomatic and moral support to the rebels. © 2020 Al Jazeera Media Network

UN investigators say Facebook played a key role in spreading hate speech that fuelled the violence against Rohingya. The head of a UN investigative body on Myanmar said Facebook has not released evidence of "serious international crimes", despite promising to work with investigators looking into abuses in the country including against the majority-Muslim Rohingya. Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism on Myanmar (IIMM), told the Reuters news agency the social media giant was holding material "highly relevant and probative of serious international crimes" but had not shared any during year-long talks. He declined to give details of the material the IIMM had asked for. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Myanmar is facing charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over a 2017 military crackdown on the Rohingya that forced more than 730,000 people to flee into neighbouring Bangladesh. Myanmar denies genocide and says its armed forces were conducting legitimate operations against armed fighters who attacked police posts. UN investigators said Facebook had played a key role in spreading hate speech that drove the violence. The company says it is working to stop hate speech and has deleted accounts linked to the military, including senior army officials, but preserved data. The UN Human Rights Council set up the IIMM in 2018 to collect evidence of international crimes in Myanmar to be used in future prosecutions. "Unfortunately, to date, the Mechanism has not received any material from Facebook but our discussions continue and I am hopeful that the Mechanism will eventually receive this important evidence," Koumjian said on Monday. His comments followed a move by Facebook last week to block a bid by the Gambia, which brought the genocide case against Myanmar at the ICJ in the Hague, to obtain posts and communications by members of Myanmar's military and police. The social media giant urged the US District Court for the District of Columbia to reject the demand, which it said would violate a US law that bars electronic communication services from disclosing users' communications. In a statement last week the company said it could not comply with the Gambia's request but was working with the IIMM. © 2020 Al Jazeera Media Network

Maha Vajiralongkorn urges 'order and peace' in the country as he swears in a new cabinet of Prime Minister Prayuth. Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has called for "order and peace" in the country but stayed silent about the recent anti-government student protests that have urged reforms of the powerful monarchy, as he swore in a new cabinet of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. The ceremony on Wednesday marked the king's first public appearance since the nearly unprecedented calls in two student-led protests for curbing the new powers King Vajiralongkorn has amassed since taking the throne after the death of his father in 2016. The king, as head of state, gave his blessing to the new cabinet members, wishing "good health and wisdom to have the strength to perform your duties according to your oaths". He also expressed a desire "for the happiness of the people, happiness of the public and for order and peace". He did not publicly acknowledge the student protests, some of which defied "lese majeste" laws against insulting the monarchy that carry a maximum 15-year prison sentence. Wednesday's swearing-in of the new cabinet members follows the resignation last month of six ministers under Prayuth, amid governing party internal disputes as the government faces the growing protest movement. Among the six new cabinet members are veteran banking executive Predee Daochai as finance minister and Supattanapong Punmeechaow as energy minister. The student protesters, calling for reforms of the monarchy, have also demanded that Prayuth's government resign. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Prayuth had said the thousands of student protesters "went too far" after some issued a 10-point call for reform of the monarchy, which is considered semi-divine in the country's conservative culture. The students' new demands included a reversal of a 2019 order that transferred two army units to the king's personal command, and a 2017 law that gave him full control of the crown's extensive property holdings. It also urged the king to refrain from endorsing any military takeover in the future. While the monarchy has refrained from taking more aggressive response, there have been reports it asked several media companies to remove any mention of the demands listed by the students. So far, there have also been no protest leaders charged under the lese majeste laws, though two key leaders were arrested on charges including sedition and violating coronavirus regulations on large gatherings before being released on bail. © 2020 Al Jazeera Media Network

Most Rohingya not considered citizens and will have no vote, living in what Amnesty describes 'apartheid' conditions. A Rohingya Muslim has been barred from standing in Myanmar's upcoming election, in a decision decried by rights groups as discriminatory and a symptom of the "ongoing genocide" against the persecuted minority. A 2017 military operation drove 750,000 Rohingya out of the country into sprawling refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, prompting genocide charges at the UN's top court. Myanmar has denied the allegations and justified the military operations as a means of rooting out "terrorists". Another 600,000 Rohingya remain in Myanmar, but most are not regarded as citizens and will have no vote, living in what Amnesty International describes "apartheid" conditions. Three Rohingya-led parties had hoped to field at least a dozen candidates in November's vote, according to regional watchdog Fortify Rights. But Abdul Rasheed, 58, a member of the Democracy and Human Rights Party, told Fortify Rights, which monitors the situation of the Rohingya minority, that he was denied the right to run for office in Myanmar's forthcoming national elections. The commission said this was because his parents were not Myanmar citizens when he was born, Rasheed said - even though he had proof his parents and grandparents were granted citizenship in 1957, four years before his birth. "They don't want Rohingya in the parliament and that is the only reason this is happening," Abdul Rasheed told Fortify Rights. "Why are there restrictions for Rohingya? Why is there a separate set of questions for Rohingya? These are my questions." Sittwe's election commission was not immediately available for comment. The Muslim minority has had citizenship and other rights eroded over decades. Rasheed, who said his father worked as a Myanmar government civil servant for more than 30 years, also tried without success to stand in the country's landmark 2015 election. "This rejection is discriminatory and not unrelated to the ongoing genocide of Rohingya," said Matthew Smith from Fortify Rights. "The government of Myanmar must end its mass disenfranchisement of Rohingya." © 2020 Al Jazeera Media Network