Vietnamese lawmakers on Wednesday abolished the death penalty for eight offenses, including bribery, which Truong My Lan (C) was convicted of and sentenced to death for last year. Photo by EPA-EFE United Press International June 26, 2025 By Darryl Coote June 26 (UPI) -- Vietnam has abolished the death penalty for eight criminal offenses, including bribery, embezzlement and drug smuggling, setting the stage for the courts to spare the life of a real estate tycoon sentenced to death last year in the country's largest-ever financial fraud case. The law removing the death penalty from the handful of offenses was adopted by Vietnam's National Assembly on Wednesday, state-run Vietnam News Agency reported. The vote was near unanimous with 429 of 439 lawmakers in the assembly voting in favor of the reform, which will take effect Tuesday. Crimes that will no longer carry the death penalty include bribery, embezzlement, attempts to overthrow the government, producing or selling counterfeit medicine, undermining peace, provoking war, espionage, and drug trafficking. According to the report, those sentenced to death prior to July 1 on any of these offenses who have not been executed will have their sentences commuted by the chief justice of the Supreme People's Court to life imprisonment. Those affected include Truong My Lan, a property developer found guilty and sentenced to death in April 2024 in the largest-ever financial fraud case in the country. She  was convicted of causing the Saigon Commercial Bank, which she controlled through shell companies, to lose about $44 billion over a decade, specifically of embezzling $12.5 billion, with the remaining $27 billion having been misappropriated. She appealed  her conviction, which was upheld in December. Copyright 2025 UPI Comment 27 June 2025 Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango We welcome the unanimous decision by Viet Nam’s Parliament on Wednesday to end the death penalty for offenses including espionage, embezzlement and illegal transportation of narcotic substances. These legislative changes, which are due to come into effect on 1 July, will reduce the number of offences for which the death penalty can be applied from 18 to 10. We urge the authorities in Viet Nam to build on this historic vote by taking further steps toward abolishing the death sentence completely, for all crimes, and in the meantime, we encourage the authorities to implement a moratorium on the use of the death penalty for the remaining offences punishable by death. The death penalty is inherently incompatible with the fundamental right to life and the right to live free from torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. Evidence suggests it has little, if any, effect in deterring crime.

People react during a protest following Albert Ojwang's death in police custody at the Central Police Station, in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 9, 2025. Monicah Mwangi/Reuters CNN —  Outrage over the death of a Kenyan teacher and activist in police custody sparked protests in the capital Nairobi this week after doctors refuted a police claim that he had died in his cell from a self-inflicted head injury. The protests first erupted on Monday, a day after Kenya’s National Police Service said Albert Ojwang died while in custody from “head injuries” after “hitting his head against the cell wall.” Ojwang’s death further enrages Kenya’s youth, who have railed against the disappearance of dozens of anti-government critics since a protest movement forced the withdrawal of a controversial finance bill last year. Demonstrators on Thursday were confronted by police who deployed teargas in an attempt to disperse them . Protesters chant anti-government slogans as they march to the National Police Service headquarters demanding the resignation of senior officers following the death of Albert Ojwang in police custody. Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images Ojwang, 31, was a teacher and father whose “last known communication was a plea for bail,” according to Amnesty Kenya . Local newspaper The Daily Nation described him as an “influencer” who was known “for his strong online presence and social media campaigns.” Ojwang was arrested on Friday, a police statement said, “for the offense of false publication.” On Sunday, he was “found unconscious,” it added, “during a routine cell inspection.” Six police officers are being investigated, police said, according to national broadcaster KBC. Further explaining the arrest, Kenya’s police chief, Douglas Kanja, stated on Wednesday that his deputy, Eliud Lagat, had earlier filed a complaint alleging that Ojwang accused Lagat of corruption in a post on the social media platform X. Protesters have called for Lagat’s removal. On Wednesday, government pathologist Bernard Midia contradicted the police’s account of what caused Ojwang’s death, saying that an autopsy “found serious injuries to the head,” as well as “features of neck compression” and “multiple soft tissue injuries that were spread all over the body.” “The cause of death is very clear,” Midia told reporters , noting that the pattern of the injuries “are pointing towards assault” and are “unlikely to be self-inflicted.” He said that the autopsy was carried out by a team of five pathologists. The head of Kenya’s police, Kanja, on Wednesday retracted the initial claim on Ojwang’s cause of death. “I tender my apology on behalf of the National Police Service for that misinformation,” Kanja told a parliamentary committee on national security. Protesters chant slogans surrounding the statue of Kenyan leader against the British colonial rule, Dedan Kimathi, as they march demanding the resignation of senior officers. Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images “It is not true… he did not hit his head against the wall,” the police chief told lawmakers, stating that the initial assertion was based on the preliminary information he received. Kenya’s police watchdog, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has begun an inquiry into Ojwang’s death. Kenyan President William Ruto said Wednesday that he’d received the news of Ojwang’s death “with utter shock and dismay.” “This tragic occurrence, at the hands of the police, is heartbreaking and unacceptable,” Ruto said in a statement , calling for a “swift, transparent, and credible investigation.” © 2025 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company.

Families fleeing the violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo shelter at a school in northwestern Burundi's Cibitoke Province. (Photo: UNHCR) A sharp increase in sexual violence against children fleeing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been reported in Burundi, with the number of cases more than tripling in the first half of 2025, according to Save the Children. Between January and June 2025, Save the Children recorded more than 478 cases of gender-based violence in Burundi, with over 170 involving children, the majority of them rape survivors. The organisation reported that this marked a 249 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. The spike comes amid escalating conflict in eastern DRC, which has displaced over one million people in 2025 alone, including more than 41,000 who have fled across the border into Burundi, according to the UN. According to Save the Children, over 65 per cent of these cases involved rape, while others included psychological and physical abuse. Many of the incidents occurred during the children’s flight from conflict zones, with some reportedly raped alongside their parents, or witnessing sexual violence against their mothers. In addition, more than 500 children arrived in the country without their families, including nearly 300 unaccompanied minors in urgent need of tracing and reunification services. “Conflict-related sexual violence has long been used as a tool of war to intimidate and terrorise civilians. The impact on children is devastating, and my team witness this daily. Save the Children's work in Burundi reveals critical child protection concerns, and survivors need to receive medical care and protection, said Geoffrey Kirenga, Save the Children’s Head of Mission in Burundi. “Tragically, we know the number of cases we have registered is just a drop in the ocean.  Children and community members often don’t report cases of severe violations because of fear of being victimised. It’s a tragic situation,” he added. Save the Children stated that international aid cuts had significantly reduced its capacity to respond to the crisis. Previously, survivors of sexual violence received hygiene and dignity kits, including sanitary pads, diapers, soap, and clothing items. However, due to reduced funding, many no longer have access to these essential supplies. The organisation also reported that children affected by sexual violence were suffering from severe psychological trauma, with many at risk of long-term emotional and social consequences such as isolation, self-blame, and stigmatisation. Save the Children warned that the current level of funding was insufficient to meet the growing needs and said the organisation may be forced to reduce or shut down vital protection programmes if support is not restored. It urged the international community not to abandon vulnerable children at such a critical time. © 2025 The Eastleigh Voice - Online News and Newspaper

Lidia Thorpe has made a claim about the Northern Territory Chief Minister over Indigenous deaths in custody. News.com.au June 10, 2025 By Joseph Olbrycht-Palmer Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has accused the Northern Territory’s chief minister of being ‘complicit in the ongoing genocide’ of Indigenous Australians. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman There have been calls, including from Indigenous Affairs Minister Malindiri McCarthy, for an external review of deaths in NT Police custody. But Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has pushed back, instead saying she trusted the Territory’s police to review itself. “I think that shows how out of touch the Northern Territory Chief Minister is and that she is complicit in the ongoing genocide against our people,” Senator Thorpe said. Pressed on what grounds she was making the claim, Senator Thorpe said Ms Finocchiaro was playing a role in the system that causing “ongoing harm of our people”. “The definition of genocide, according to the Geneva [sic] Convention, is causing harm to a group of people,” she said. “The ongoing killings of our people in custody is ongoing harm of our people. “The incarceration rates of our people, particularly in the Northern Territory, particularly of our children, is an act of genocide. “The stealing of children and putting them in with white families is an act of genocide. “So we meet all the definitions of genocide and I’ve certainly seen that over my time.” Article II of the Genocide Convention states a party must act with “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”. Ms Finocchiaro has rejected Senator Thorpe’s claim “categorically” and accused her of disrespecting those grieving. “We categorically reject and dismiss these absurd claims made by the senator,” she told NewsWire. “The politicisation of a death in custody by federal independent and Labor MPs shows just how little respect they have for the grieving family, the Northern Territory Police Force and the broader NT community. “Like every other jurisdiction, the Northern Territory Police will conduct a full investigation into the death of Kumanjayi White, alongside an independent coronial investigation. “Similarly, the recent AFP death in custody incident will also be investigated by NT Police.” Meanwhile, Anthony Albanese has weighed in on the deaths in custody, saying “all governments have not done well enough in any of these areas”. Asked at the National Press Club if he would consider getting involved in the NT’s affairs, the Prime Minister said the “idea of federal intervention” was easier said than done. Mr Albanese said many make the demand “without saying where it leads”. “I need to be convinced that people in Canberra know better than people in the Northern Territory about how to deal with these issues is my starting point,” he said. “I think that it comes out all the time with a range of issues. “But we do need to engage directly and constructively with First Nations people .” Nationwide News Pty Ltd © 2025. Powered by WordPress.com VIP

A building is destroyed by a shell attack in Donetsk region, Ukraine. © Humanitarian Mission Proliska 26 June 2025 I Peace and Security      Deadly hostilities continued along the front-line regions of Ukraine on Wednesday, displacing civilians and damaging civilian infrastructure, the UN has reported.      Donetsk, Kherson and Sumy regions sustained the most damage, with several civilians reportedly killed, and many displaced, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at a regular news briefing on Thursday. “Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that food insecurity remains a concern in front-line and border regions,” he added. According to a recent assessment by the UN World Food Programme ( WFP ) and the Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ), the conflict has devastated livelihoods and quadrupled poverty levels, leaving the most vulnerable – particularly displaced people – at greatest risk. Food insecurity on the front-line WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain described the challenges. “This frontline stretches 700 miles and countless towns and villages are still without the basics for survival,” she said.  This has made the work of humanitarians even more vital, with over 400,000 people in Donetsk and Kherson receiving food and agricultural support in addition to cash-based assistance. In total, over 130 humanitarian organizations have distributed food and livelihood assistance to over 1.8 million people across the country.   Aid challenges But with hostilities becoming increasingly deadly, humanitarian access remains limited. Since the start of the year, there has been a 50 per cent increase in civilian deaths when compared to the same period last year. Authorities continue to urge the 10,000 people who remain in the front-line region to evacuate for their own safety.   “For those who stayed or those who came back, there are no jobs, no income and no opportunity,” Ms. McCain said.  © 2025 United Nations.

Actors from war-affected countries Bosnia, Ukraine, Rwanda and Ireland will appear in a play in Sarajevo focusing on issues raised by Srebrenica on the 30th anniversary of the genocide. Hana Vranac, June 25, 2025 Actors in the play ‘Flowers of Sarajevo’. Photo SARTR. ‘Flowers of Srebrenica’, a play intended to draw parallels between 1990s crimes and current conflict realities, will premiere next month in Sarajevo ahead of the annual genocide anniversary commemoration events at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre. The play, a stage interpretation of Aidan Hehir’s illustrated novel , follows the narrative of Irish acedemic Hehir’s journey from Sarajevo to the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, and includes with elements of physical theatre, animation and personal testimonies. Actors from Bosnia, Ukraine, Rwanda and Ireland appear in the play, which is being produced by the Sarajevo War Theatre, the migrant-led Legal Aliens Theatre from London and the MESS International Theatre Festival. Ukrainian actor Valeriia Poholsha said that working on the play was very personal for her. “I’m living through war – now, in real time. That’s why it’s so important to speak out, especially when the world is trying to look away,” said Poholsha told BIRN. She said that art may not be able to stop violence, but can promote awareness, empathy and change. “’Flowers of Srebrenica’ is more than a play – it is a memory, a scream, a response. It intertwines personal and collective memory, from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Ukraine and beyond,” she explained. “It asks us not only to bear witness, but to feel. To question. To remember,” she added. Maja Salkic, director of the Sarajevo War Theatre, said that it is important to have actors from different parts of the world speak about the 30th anniversary of the genocide, and for the story to reach people who were not born in the 1990s. “I want Srebrenica to become a symbol of peace and a proper understanding of historical facts,” said Salkic. The first performances of the play are scheduled for July 9 and 10 at the Sarajevo War Theatre , and it will subsequently be performed in Tuzla, Belgrade and London. Copyright BIRN 2015

The aftermath of a strike in Dnipro, Ukraine, in April 2025. © UNOCHA/Serhii Korzhov 25 June 2025 I Human Rights Dozens of civilians – including children and school staff – were killed or wounded in Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities this week, in what UN human rights monitors described as a “foreseeable” tragedy caused by strikes on populated areas.   At least 24 people were reported killed and over 300 injured – including 32 children – when ballistic missiles struck Ukraine’s Dnipro and Odesa regions on Monday and Tuesday, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) said on Wednesday. The attacks destroyed homes, schools, hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure, and left hundreds wounded. “The attacks struck during the day when civilians were at work, on trains, or at school,” said Danielle Bell, head of HRMMU. “The timing alone made the high number of civilian casualties entirely foreseeable.” On 23 June, two ballistic missiles launched by Russian forces hit Lyceum No. 1, a middle school in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Odesa region. Although the school year had ended, staff and students were present for administrative work. The strike killed three educators and injured 14 others, including two boys. The school, which served over 700 students, sustained critical damage. No military objective HRMMU, which visited the attacks sites, reported no evidence of military presence at the school, and people confirmed that no military presence had been stationed there. “The school in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi was not a military objective,” Ms. Bell said. “Yet it was hit by two ballistic missiles, killing educators and injuring children.” The following day, 24 June, missiles struck an industrial area of Dnipro city at around 11 AM local time. The blast shattered windows in nearby schools, hospitals and residential buildings. HRMMU confirmed that two dormitories were hit, injuring numerous residents. A nearby passenger train was also impacted – windows blown out by the shockwave – injuring more than 20 travellers, according to a UN monitor onboard. A troubling trend These strikes followed a series of other attacks in June that have resulted in significant civilian harm, including in Kyiv city on 17 and 23 June, according to the human rights mission. Civilian casualties in the first five months of 2025 were nearly 50 percent higher than during the same period last year, with increases typically seen during the summer months. “Ballistic missiles, when used in densely populated areas, cause predictable and widespread harm to civilians, as demonstrated by these recent attacks,” Ms. Bell said. “The rising civilian casualties reflect the severity of that risk.” © 2025 United Nations

In its annual report, the human rights watchdog for the Americas expressed concern about President Milei’s austerity measures and violent discourse. Demonstrators hold the iconic green handkerchief in favor of decriminalizing abortion during a demonstration marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, in Buenos Aires, on November 25, 2023. NATACHA PISARENKO / AP MARTINA JAUREGUY MAY 12, 2025 The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has warned that Argentina’s government is implementing policies that hurt the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people. President Javier Milei’s austerity measures and the rise in poverty during the first semester of 2024 also eroded the overall population’s enjoyment of economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights, it added. In its annual report, the human rights watchdog for the Americas also underscored worrying regional trends such as the militarization of security, the power of organized crime, restrictions on the right to protest, escalating hostility against freedom of expression, and the suspension of rights. “The commission is worried about citizen security models that criminalize people, public security policies that go through prolonged periods of state of exception,” IACHR President José Luis Caballero told the Herald , regarding practices they have observed throughout the continent in 2024. Other points of concern are the “deterioration of democratic institutionality” and the “rule of law,” as well as the criminalization of rights defenders and migrants, he said. Human rights in Milei’s Argentina In 2024, the first year of Milei’s presidency, government cuts and restructuring hindered efforts to fight gender-based violence and discrimination, the IACHR said in its report. The commission highlighted the closure of the INADI institute against discrimination and the Women, Gender and Diversity Ministry , as well as an under-secretariat against gender-based violence that had been created to replace the ministry. Programs on these issues were outright eliminated, it noted. “For the first time in 40 years, there is no governing body in the country responsible for the design and implementation of policies to prevent and eradicate gender-based violence,” the report said. The Health Ministry is “reportedly failing to distribute supplies for the legal termination of pregnancy,” while civil society has reported “barriers” accessing legal abortion, such as excessive use of conscientious objections, refusal to address cases involving advanced pregnancies, and violence and stigmatization from healthcare professionals.  “High-ranking officials have made statements denying the existence of gender-based violence, a dismissive stance that may incite violence against women,” the report said. Similar statements have been made “ stigmatizing diverse gender identities .” The IACHR also observed “setbacks in memory, truth and justice policies” including layoffs in the Human Rights Secretariat and the closure of programs and specialized entities. These have included the Special Investigation Unit of the National Identity Commission (CONADI), which looked for children appropriated during the dictatorship, as well as the dismantling of the Armed Forces’ Compiling and Analysis Team and the Joint Committee on Intelligence Documents. Both groups combed through official documents in search of evidence that could solve dictatorship-era crimes. Ahead of the report’s publication, the government told the IACHR it would guarantee that trials for crimes against humanity went ahead and that archives and memory sites were preserved. They claimed they had closed the units to avoid work being duplicated “in the context of economic crisis.” However, the organization pointed out that these measures were carried out “in the context of official statements, even from the highest-ranking government authorities, which downplay, deny or vindicate the serious human rights violations committed during the dictatorship.” The government told the IACHR it had trained security forces in human rights and prevention of institutional violence. However, the commission said it had recorded “several cases of disproportionate use of public force against demonstrators and journalists,” especially in 2024 — a period when Congress was debating Milei’s controversial Ley Bases .  These criticisms notwithstanding, the commission welcomed the creation of a special framework allowing Venezuelan migrants to regularize their migratory status, as well as the first-ever conviction of dictatorship criminals for kidnapping and torturing eight trans women . They likewise celebrated the conviction of a man for the aggravated homicide of Tehuel de la Torre , a young trans man who has been missing since 2021 and is presumed dead. Released on Thursday, the IACHR’s annual report examines the rights records of countries across the Americas. It dedicated specific sections to systematic rights violations in Venezuela, the concentration of state power in Nicaragua, and representative democracy in Cuba. ALL RIGHT RESERVED.  BUENOS AIRES HERALD

Image:CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP/Getty Images Lima, 13 June 2025. Amnesty International rejects bill 7549, approved by Congress on the first vote, which proposes granting amnesty to members of the Armed Forces, the Police, members of self-defense committees and State officials who have not received a final sentence in “cases related to the fight against terrorism in the period 1980-2000”. Likewise, it establishes a “humanitarian amnesty” for people over 70 years of age who have a final sentence with the quality of res judicata or are in the process of serving a sentence. The approval of this bill violates and jeopardizes access to justice, truth and reparation for thousands of victims and their families, as it puts a stop to the ongoing criminal action against alleged perpetrators of crimes under international law and spares punishment for those who have been found responsible for crimes such as extrajudicial executions, forced disappearances, torture and sexual violence.   This amnesty, if definitively approved, will impact at least 156 cases with a final sentence whose perpetrators – who are currently serving sentences for crimes against humanity and serious human rights violations – will be released. In addition, it would put an end to hundreds of cases under investigation and trial, such the Putis (Ayacucho) massacre in 1984, where 123 people were killed.  “Thousands of families have been seeking justice, truth and reparation for decades. To close the wounds of the internal armed conflict, it is essential that all victims have access to their rights. It is essential to think about a reasonable timeframe for the victims, and that means that it is important to strengthen investigations and prosecutors’ offices, not to eliminate processes and penalties for the perpetrators of serious human rights violations”, said Marina Navarro, executive director of Amnesty International Peru.  Regional and international human rights standards clearly state that amnesties are inadmissible for cases of serious violations and crimes against humanity, such as those committed in Peru between 1980 and 2000. Granting amnesties to the alleged perpetrators and those responsible for these acts represents a serious breach of the international obligation acquired by the Peruvian State to investigate, prosecute and punish those who commit serious human rights violations, and to guarantee access to justice for the victims. On the other hand, ensuring the life and guaranteeing the right to health of a person deprived of their liberty is a legitimate concern, but each case must be reviewed individually and evaluated proportionately, so that any measure taken does not prejudice the right of victims of human rights violations and their families to justice.  “It is very worrying that in Peru, instead of strengthening guarantees of non-repetition, a law that prescribes crimes against humanity was approved last year, and today approval is being sought for a generalized amnesty project. You cannot turn your back on victims and family members who have been waiting for justice for decades. We will continue to demand justice, truth, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition for the victims and Peruvian society”, Navarro said.  Faced with this risk of impunity, we urge the Peruvian Congress to reject this initiative, and the justice authorities to strengthen investigations that guarantee access to justice, truth and reparation for victims.  © 2025 Amnesty International

Lawyer and Human Rights activist Emmanuel Ogebe (credit: Emmanuel Ogebe). TruthNigeria Reporters Interview Emmanuel Ogebe By Luka Binniyat and Mike Odeh James According to the Nigerian military, troops killed 6,260 terrorists across the entire country in a two-year period, in what the Defence Headquarters described as a sustained counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations nationwide. However, between May 2023 and May 2025 (two years of President Tinubu’s administration), at least 6,896 people were killed in Fulani militia attacks in Benue State alone, according to verified data compiled by Amnesty International. This startling contrast reveals a grim reality: Fulani terrorists killed more civilians in a single Nigerian state than the entire Nigerian military could eliminate nationwide over the same period. International human rights advocate Emmanuel Ogebe, born and raised in Benue State, described this as a damning indictment of Nigeria’s security performance. “If terrorists can kill more people in Benue State alone than the total number of terrorists the entire Nigerian military has killed across the nation in two years, then we are not winning the war. In fact, we are losing the war,” said Ogebe to TruthNigeria. “These numbers are not just statistics—they are human lives,” he went on to say. “They reveal the imbalance between state action and terrorist aggression. If the state cannot protect its citizens in one state better than it can fight across the country, then we have a catastrophic failure of national defense.” Lopsided War Benue State, located in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, has long been a frontline in deadly attacks attributed to Fulani militia groups, who have targeted largely Christian farming communities. These attacks, often involving village raids, arson, and mass killings, have displaced millions over a decade. The data suggests that the violence in Benue is not simply a local security issue but a national emergency. Despite increased military deployments and presidential directives, the scale of destruction in Benue outpaces the national counteroffensive. “How can we say we’re making progress when one group of non-state actors in one state has outkilled the entire Nigerian Army’s anti-terror effort nationwide?” Ogebe asked. “That is a strategic failure. Or to quote a failed prior regime, we’ve been ‘technically defeated.’ Let’s be clear, we’re talking about civilian casualties of terrorism versus the number of terrorists foot soldiers killed,” Ogebe told TruthNigeria. “For illustration look at last week’s Yelewata massacre. Two policemen were killed; 200 Benue villagers were killed and one Fulani attacker died. “Based on those numbers, the war isn’t going well, especially when you consider these fatalities are comparable to the full-fledged aerial war currently ongoing between the two nations of Israel and Iran. Since the same Friday of the Yelewata massacre, 24 Israelis have been killed by Iranian missile attacks. 224 Iranians have been killed by Israeli plane bombardment. “Not only is the one-night fatality in the single Benue state attack equal to the one-week war between two nations but Israel’s casualty is 10 percent of Iran’s, showing clearly who has the military advantage. The terrorists’ casualty in the Yelewata massacre was less than 0.1 percent and Nigeria’s 99.9 percent!” Ogebe said. Nigeria’s Failing Counter-Terror Efforts Ogebe called on the international community to take notice and pressure the Nigerian government to address what he described as a genocidal campaign against indigenous communities in the Middle Belt. “Nigeria’s current approach is not working. The body count proves it. We need accountability, international oversight, and a clear shift in strategy. Otherwise, this will only get worse,” Ogebe said. “Calling a foreign armed invasion and obliteration of your people a ‘clash’ is waging psychological warfare and self-sabotaging yourself,” he went on to say. “The figures provide a sobering insight into Nigeria’s worsening internal conflict,” he continued. “They show that while military forces continue to conduct operations in the Northeast, Northwest, and other conflict zones, the deadliest threat to human life in Nigeria remains unabated and underreported: the targeted mass killings in Benue and surrounding states. Stephanos Foundation Security Watch June 20, reported the following attacks in several states: Plateau State: • Bassa Local Government Area June 20, 2025 – 2 killed. • ⁠Bokkos Local Government Area – attacked June 19, – 10 killed. • ⁠Mangu Local Government Area – attacked June 19, — 6 killed. Yet in Benue State more bloody attacks: • Makurdi Local Government Area – Akundu-Tuough – June 12, – 5 killed; • Apa Local Government Area – Edikwu’G’Icho village June 9 – 3 killed. • Agatu Local Government Area – Bus attacked June 9, – Driver killed. Kaduna State: • Kajuru Local Government Area – June 9, – 1 killed and 8 abducted. The attacks in Imo State show genocide expansion: • Oguta Local Government Area – June 11, multiple persons killed. And in Enugu State • Isi-Uzo Local Government Area – attacked June 15 – 4 killed. More attacks in Katsina State • Kankara Local Government Area – attacked on the evening of Thursday, 12th June 12 – 7 residents killed. Niger State • Kontagora Local Government Area – June 12, 2025. 1 vigilante killed, 9 persons kidnapped. “No one can objectively look at this data and conclude that things are going well for Nigeria. No wonder terrorists released a video saying they have successfully infiltrated the entire country and are fully ready for war. We must do better in the face of a potent existential threat!” © Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv

Police must release 75 people arrested in discriminatory raid on “gay party”. Amnesty International June 24, 2025 © LOVE_LIFE Responding to the arrest of 75 people in a raid on a gathering described by police as a “gay party” in the Indonesian city of Bogor, near the capital city of Jakarta, Amnesty International Indonesia’s Deputy Director Wirya Adiwena said: “This discriminatory raid on a privately rented villa is a blatant violation of human rights and privacy that exemplifies the hostile environment for LGBTI people in Indonesia . This gathering violated no law and posed no threat. “The Indonesian authorities must end these hate-based and humiliating raids. No one should be subjected to arrest, intimidation or public shaming because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. “The police must immediately release all those arrested. Indonesia’s government must also take urgent steps to ensure accountability for human rights violations committed by the police, and work toward creating an environment where LGBTI individuals and their allies can live free from fear and harassment.” Background Police in the city of Bogor confirmed on Monday night that they had conducted a raid on a gathering, described as a “gay party,” at a villa in the Puncak area on Sunday 22 June, arresting 75 individuals (74 men, 1 woman). The local police chief said the raid was carried out following reports from the public regarding “gay activities” at the location. The police claimed to have secured a number of pieces of evidence, among them sex toys, four condoms and a sword used for a dance performance. All participants were taken to the Bogor Police Headquarters where they were subjected to further examination, including health checks and HIV tests. As of Tuesday afternoon (24 June) the police have not named any of the people arrested. This is the latest such raid on so-called “gay sex parties” in Indonesia. Police detained nine people following a raid on a “gay sex party” at a hotel in South Jakarta on 24 May, while 56 individuals were detained for participating in “a gay party” in a raid on a different hotel in South Jakarta on 1 February. Those arrested in raids could face prison terms of up to 15 years for breaching Indonesia’s Pornography Law. The Pornography Law defines pornography broadly, encompassing material that contravenes norms of community morality. Ambiguously worded laws on pornography are often exploited to deliberately target LGBTI people, denying them the basic right to privacy and the right to enter into consensual relationships. © 2025 Amnesty International

By Guillaume Vénétitay (Forbidden Stories) France 24 Aerial map of Malian military base and prison with Wagner torture center. credit France 24 Since arriving in Mali in late 2021, Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group have arrested, imprisoned and tortured hundreds of civilians. Forbidden Stories and its partners have identified six detention centers where Wagner held civilians between 2022 and 2024.© Forbidden Stories The screams no longer reached his ears, drowned out by a blaring, almost deafening sound. “It was their Russian music. They played it every time there was an interrogation,” said aid worker Wangrin*. In front of him were two other Malian civilians, tied up and captured earlier that day. Each was brought forward, shirtless, and forced before a basin filled with water. The three guards grabbed their heads and plunged them into the water.  “They did it to me three times, until I couldn’t breathe anymore,” recounted Wangrin, who was tortured on August 5, 2024. The guards alternated waterboarding with beatings—hitting their sides and heads, sometimes with batons. “It was like they were killing dogs,” he recalled in a faint voice. “I started crying watching the beatings.” Wangrin heard the same Russian songs for seven nights straight; a grim sign that the newly arrived prisoners at the Nampala military base in central Mali were now being tortured. Like him, several hundred Malian civilians were reportedly rounded up and secretly detained by Russian Wagner mercenaries, since late 2021. Forbidden Stories and its partners from the Observers of France 24, Le Monde, and IStories investigated these secret detentions of civilians by Russian mercenaries in Mali. This investigation was carried out as part of the Viktoriia project, in memory of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, captured by Russia in the summer of 2023 while investigating the illegal detention of civilians in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. She was declared dead in captivity on September 19, 2024. Viktoriia Roshchyna, lost in “the gray zone” Our investigation reveals the duplication of this system of detention and torture of civilians in Mali by Russian mercenaries. Two continents and two very different contexts, but we found the same patterns: kidnappings, arbitrary arrests, no contact with the outside world, and systematic torture—sometimes to the point of death. Forbidden Stories, whose mission is to continue the work of reporters who have been killed, imprisoned, or threatened, met with the few survivors of this system of detention and torture in Mali, where among journalists Wagner’s name is synonymous with terror. “In Mali, and in the north and centre in particular, no media outlet dares to talk about Wagner for fear of retaliation” recounted a Malian reporter in a report published in 2023 by Reporters Without Borders. The NGO ranked the country 119th (out of 180) in its World Press Freedom Index. “No journalist on the ground dares to investigate Wagner’s presence,” another reporter said. Civilians deliberately targeted by Wagner and the Malian Army Following two coups led by Colonel Assimi Goïta in 2020 and 2021, Mali’s ruling junta turned to Russia, enlisting the services of Wagner fighters, often referred to as the “musicians” by the group itself. Wagner is known for their bloody track record in Ukraine, Syria and the Central African Republic (CAR). Under the leadership of Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in August 2023, the group supported Malian military operations against jihadists and Tuareg separatists. Their deployment was made easier by France’s military withdrawal, finalised in 2022, after nine years of military operations against terror groups in Mali, and the subsequent termination of the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA) about 18 months later.  “The Malians probably wanted to change the way they wage war and get rid of external scrutiny of their army,” explained Yvan Guichaoua, a researcher at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies. “Bringing in the Russians has direct implications for how force is used.” Since its deployment, Wagner has been repeatedly accused of committing crimes against civilians while operating alongside the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) in central and northern Mali. “Civilians have been deliberately targeted since Wagner’s arrival,” Guichaoua said. “Security forces tend to view populations living in jihadist-influenced areas as collaborators.” Our consortium travelled to Mbera, Mauritania, to find survivors of Wagner’s secret prisons in Mali. Approximately 270,000 Malians who fled the combat zones live there, including 118,000 in a camp run by the United Nations. In Mbera – just a stone’s throw from the border, in the Sahara Desert – former detainees can testify more easily than in Mali. By cross-checking these prisoners’ accounts, Forbidden Stories and its partners were able to identify six military bases where Malian civilians were detained and tortured by Wagner between 2022 and 2024 : Bapho, Kidal, Nampala, Niafunké, Sévaré, and Sofara. Wangrin has been living in Mbera for 10 months but is still haunted by Russian music. After a brief stay in Fassala, a Mauritanian town on the border with Mali, he moved to the camp, where he now lives in a makeshift shelter and searches for NGO work—so far in vain. To recount his captivity away from prying eyes, he met with Forbidden Stories in Bassikounou, a small town less than 20 kilometres from the camp. He remembers his week in detention in painful detail: a cup of plain white rice with salt as the only meal per day, beatings with “electrical cables” and the vivid memory of a cellmate who could no longer walk after being brutalized.  The day before his arrest in his brother’s shop, a joint FAMa-Wagner patrol had already terrorised his village of Nampala. On that Sunday, August 4, 2024, soldiers ordered all men and boys out of their homes. They were assembled on a sports field near a well under the burning sun. “We spent the whole day there. No one knew what was going on,” recalled Wangrin.  As villagers waited, Malian and Wagner troops recorded names, searched homes and beat residents. They were allegedly looking for a walkie-talkie believed to facilitate communication with jihadists from the group called Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM). It was the practical execution of the military’s repeated aim: “hunting down” and “neutralizing” terrorists through its operations. “Prisons Nearly Everywhere Where Wagner Operates” Like Wangrin, Abdallah was also apprehended during a raid. On Tuesday, December 6, 2022, the Tuareg medical assistant arrived early at the weekly market in Kita, a village in the Dioura commune in central Mali, not far from the Mauritanian border. It was seven in the morning. “I was surprised to see helicopters and hear gunfire. As the dust settled, I saw soldiers being dropped off,” he recounted. FAMa troops and Wagner agents began their ground operation, taking the opportunity to loot goods such as drinks, perfumes and meat. Five people were killed and three others wounded by the FAMa and Wagner fire. That afternoon, Abdallah and eight others were arrested. “They tied me up, blindfolded me, and put me in a helicopter. We were lying down, and the mercenaries pressed their feet into my back. I thought they were taking me away to be executed,” he said.  An hour later, they landed. Prisoners were held in a courtyard and questioned about an alleged jihadist wanted by the Malian soldiers. No one confessed. By the end of the day, the detainees were given a sip of water. Abdallah briefly spoke with another prisoner, who had been held for several days already. “He told us, ‘You’re in Sévaré. Pray you don’t suffer the same fate as we did.’ He had been tortured,” said Abdallah. “Wagner has prisons in nearly every area where it operates,” explained a Sahel analyst. “Anyone captured and not executed ends up there. Shepherds, shopkeepers, truck drivers.” Several prisons are located within FAMa military bases, which Russian mercenaries sometimes share with Malian troops. Their locations vary depending on ground operations. The total number of active detention centers during Wagner’s mission in the country is likely much higher than the six prisons our consortium identified, as numerous experts informed us. Satellite imagery analysis, conducted by Forbidden Stories, confirms the presence of two Russian helicopters at the Sévaré base during the Kita incident. The construction of a new helicopter hangar started at the end of 2022, according to these images. Sometimes, Wagner’s secret prisons occupy symbolic sites, such as former UN bases. In Kidal, a historic Tuareg rebel stronghold in northern Mali, the town’s seizure by FAMa and Wagner in November 2023 was a major victory for Bamako’s junta and their Russian allies—enough for Wagner to momentarily drop its secretive posture. They even hoisted their black flag, emblazoned with a skull, above Kidal’s fort. “That flag was their way of saying they did most of the work,” said Guichaoua from the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies. At its peak, Wagner had over 2,400 men in Mali, many of whom were veterans rotated from battlefields in Ukraine, Syria and the CAR, along with imported equipment and brutal expertise honed elsewhere. In Kidal, the France 24 Observers, a member of our consortium, identified a Chekan armoured vehicle—custom-built for Wagner—parked among UN storage containers. On August 12, 2024, Ali* was arrested at home by Wagner mercenaries and a FAMa officer, then thrown into one such containers in Kidal. Next to him, there was a 40-year-old man, pantless, barefoot and emaciated after four months in detention. “The other prisoner told me he was only allowed to eat and drink at dusk,” said Ali*. He himself was held for 24 hours. Imprisonment in metal containers is part of Wagner’s modus operandi in Mali. A few hours after his arrest, Omar was locked in one on January 20, 2024, at the Niafunké base. The 25-year-old tailor, with his adolescent figure and high-pitched voice, remembers the heat inside. “The container was under direct sunlight. At night, it was pitch black. There were just a few holes for light. There was nothing but a board on the floor,” he recounted. “There were up to 10 of us inside during my 40 days there.” Prisoners were only allowed out to use a supervised toilet located 15 metres away. “Sometimes they made me do forced labour—loading sand into trucks, digging holes. I wondered if I’d ever leave alive,” recalled Omar, who said he was beaten unconscious on his first day. An atmosphere of terror Abuse and torture appear in the testimonies of every former detainee we met. In Nampala, Abdoulaye* was detained for four days in early August 2024. During our meeting in a village 30 kilometres from Mbera, the tall Fulani shopkeeper showed Forbidden Stories two scars.  “They beat me until I passed out, and I lost a lot of blood,” he said. “They also burned my stomach with a lighter.” Abdoulaye said that during his detention time he was tied up, naked in a shower. “Most people die in detention,” said Attaye Ag Mohamed Aboubacrine, Deputy Secretary General of the Kal Akal human rights group. Because of this, Wagner’s name alone inspires fear.  “These disappearances and the abuses committed by FAMa and Wagner—enabled and directed by Russia—are part of a deliberate strategy to sow terror and force populations into exile,” added Boubacar Ould Hamadi, President of the Collective for the Defense of the Rights of the Azawad People (CD-DPA), a human rights organization that recorded 304 abductions or disappearances from October 2024 to March 2025. These disappearances and the abuses committed by FAMa and Wagner ... are part of a deliberate strategy to sow terror and force populations into exile. FAMa appears unwilling—or unable—to rein in its Russian partners. “Wagner arrests people independently. FAMa has no say,” a Malian officer who asked to remain anonymous told Le Monde, a member of our consortium.  Some prisoners are ransomed. “Many abductions are for financial gain. Often perpetrated in Azawad and central Mali, these practices combine mercenary activities, organised banditry and methods of terror,” said Ag Mohamed Aboubacrine. Among those who survive, some are later handed over to Malian authorities for legal proceedings. Abdallah says he was transferred to the gendarmerie 48 hours after his arrest in Kita, facing prosecution based on fabricated charges. He was released within a week, after his family allegedly paid nearly 1.5 million CFA francs (editor's note: nearly 2288 euros). For families of the missing—668 cases recorded between November 2023 and April 2025 by Kal Akal—the uncertainty is agonizing. Nomadic herder Moussa* was walking with his two brothers and their sheep near Goundam in February 2025 when a FAMa-Wagner patrol arrested them. After a night in the bush, Moussa*, tied up and left behind, watched as his younger brothers were taken away.  “I don’t know if they’re alive. I’d like to know. If they’re no longer in this world and there’s no more hope, at least I could find peace,” he said. Moussa lifted his shirt to show a burn mark. That night, his captors had entertained themselves by burning his chest with a cigarette. *Name changed at the request of the interviewee. **Mali’s Ministry of Defence, Russia’s Defence Ministry, the Russian Embassy in Mali and Wagner mercenaries did not respond to requests for comment. © 2025 Copyright France 24