Egypt arrests award-winning blogger Wael Abbas

May 23, 2018 By administrator

blogger Wael Abbas

A prominent Egyptian blogger and human rights defender was arrested today, making him the latest in a campaign that has taken several secular activists into custody this month.

Egyptian security forces raided Wael Abbas’ Cairo apartment at dawn without showing a warrant or giving a reason, according to his lawyers.

He was then blindfolded and taken in his pajamas to an undisclosed location, according to a statement by his authorized defense team at the Arab Network for Human Rights Information.

Among the things confiscated were his laptop, telephones and some books, according to the organization.

Egyptian government targets journalists, labels them ‘forces of evil’

Social media reports of his arrest circulated after he wrote a brief post on Facebook today saying, “I am being arrested.”

“He [Abbas] was known as someone who has critical words and opposition views, which is a crime or a reason for reprisals against the one who holds them only in police states,” is known to be a man of a critical word and opposition views, something that is not to be criminalized or avenged for except in a police estate,” the Arab Network for Human Rights Information statement added.

Abbas, 43, was one of the earliest to document torture practices by the Egyptian police under then-Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak. For his efforts in documenting human rights abuses, Abbas won several awards including the U.S. Knight International Journalism award in 2007.

Authorities in Egypt have intensified their campaign against critical and independent journalists since the March presidential elections, according to the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Another May arrest

The circumstances of his arrest are similar to that of Shady Abu-Zeid, the ANHRI said, referring to the satirical video blogger who was also arrested at his house by plainclothes officers at dawn earlier this month.

Abu-Zeid’s whereabouts were unknown until he showed up the next day before a state security prosecutor in Cairo. He is being charged with spreading false news and joining a terrorist group.

Other prominent secular activists were also arrested this month.

Haitham Mohamedeen, a long-time labor lawyer was arrested after modest but unusual protests at Cairo’s metro station over a price increase in fares. He is accused for joining “a banned group” and “inciting terrorist acts” on grounds of inciting illegal protests against the rise of metro ticket prices.

Amal Fathi, an online activist, was arrested after posting a video lashing out at the state for various reasons including the issue of sexual harassment faced by the majority of women in Egypt. She faces accusations of spreading false news and insulting an Egypt state institution.

Malta blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia killed in car bomb attack

October 17, 2017 By administrator

Galizia’s alleged that the prime minister and his wife funneled payments from Azerbaijan to offshore accounts

Galizia’s alleged that the prime minister and his wife funneled payments from Azerbaijan to offshore accounts

Caruana Galizia, an investigative journalist who linked Maltese Prime Minister Muscat to the Panama Papers scandal, has died after a bomb destroyed her car. The PM has pledged to find those behind the killing.

One of Malta’s most renowned investigative journalists was killed Monday when a bomb exploded in her car just after she had left her home. Daphne Caruana Galizia ran a popular blog that exposed high-level corruption, including those at the very top.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Monday that he would “leave no stone unturned” in the search for the person or people behind the attack that killed one of his most outspoken critics.

Local television reported that Caruana Galizia, who had exposed links between Malta and information contained in the so-called Panama Papers, had filed a complaint to police earlier this month about threats she had received.

Among other things, she had alleged that Muscat’s wife, Michelle, as well as his energy minister and the government’s chief of staff, had held companies in Panama. Both Muscat and his wife deny the allegations.

In the final entry on her blog, posted within an hour of her death, Caruana Galizia repeated an allegation that the chief of staff, Keith Schembri, was using his influence for self-enrichment.

The crime has shocked Malta, which has a low crime rate. A vigil was planned later on Monday.

‘Barbaric act’

Adressing the press shortly after the incident, Muscat said he would not rest before justice was done.

“Everyone knows Ms. Caruana Galizia was a harsh critic of mine, both politically and personally, but nobody can justify this barbaric act in any way,” he said.

Her death comes four months after Muscat’s Labour Party won a resounding victory in snap elections called in part because of scandals for which her revelations were key.

Opposition leader Adrian Delia called the killing a “political murder,” and said it was reflective of “the total collapse of rule of law in our country.”

The US newspaper Politico in 2017 named Caruana Galizia as one of the 28 people who are “shaping, shaking and stirring” Europe.

Source: http://www.dw.com/en/malta-blogger-daphne-caruana-galizia-killed-in-car-bomb-attack/a-40977557

Azerbaijani Anticorruption Blogger Sentenced To Two Years In Prison

March 3, 2017 By administrator

Mehman Huseynov blogger

BAKU — An Azerbaijani blogger known for reports seeking to document corruption has been convicted of libel and sentenced to two years in prison.

A court in Baku convicted Mehman Huseynov of libel on March 3 for statements he made about police.

Huseynov and his lawyer Elcin Sadiqov said the verdict and sentence are politically motivated.

Huseynov was detained on January 9 and found guilty the following day of resisting police.

Police filed libel charges against Huseynov after he said on January 10 that officers had beaten him and demanded he stop his anticorruption activities.

In December and January, Huseynov had posted photographs of luxury homes he alleged belonged to government officials and lawmakers.

Human rights groups accuse long-ruling President Ilham Aliyev’s government of fabricating criminal cases to stifle dissent and media freedom in the oil-producing Caspian Sea country.

Belarusian president put Russian blogger up for auction, but turned out self-deceiver – Viktor Konoplev

February 12, 2017 By administrator

It is true that Belarus’ relations with Azerbaijan are at a higher level that with Armenia, Belarusian public figure Viktor Konoplev told Tert.am as he commented on official Minsk’s decision to extradite blogger Alexander Lapshin to Azerbaijan.

The explanation is a simple one.

“Azerbaijan is richer and Belarus can export more of its products, including military goods, there. Time and again, when in conflict with Russia, Belarus imports Azerbaijani oil. In 2010, when Belarus had to pay its gas debts to Russia, Azerbaijan gave it a loan,” he said.

Mr Konoplev has a very simple explanation for extradition of blogger Alexander Lapshin to Azerbaijan.

“At his press conference on February 3, [President Alexander] Lukashenko made the following comment on the situation: ‘when the issue emerged, I saw there was such a man.’ I instructed our foreign office: ‘listen, to avoid a scandal, try to coordinate it with the foreign ministers of Israel, Russia and Azerbaijan, for him not to become a hostage. If Israel, Azerbaijan and Russia reach an agreement, we’ll do what they agree on. But none of them wanted to agree.’

“If we translate this somewhat vague answer from language of diplomacy into our everyday language, I think the situation was as follows: after ordering Mr Lapshin arrested at Azerbaijan’s request, Lukashenko put him up for auction – which side and what would give Belarus in exchange for him. That is, ‘what could you pay us for setting Lapshin free – oil, gas or a loan? Lukashenko is highly experienced in trading in political prisoners.

“But Lukashenko was erroneous at his point. None wanted to pay, and the Belarusian leader fell into a trap of self-deception. What could he do in such a situation? After saying ‘A’ you have to say ‘B’. If a person has been arrested, with no one willing to stand bail for him, they had nothing else to do, but hand him over to Azerbaijan. If we recall Lukashenko’s statement saying that he could not let Lapshin free: ‘It has now been made public. If it had not been made public, I would have got to thinking.’”

Mr Konoplev believes it is a diplomatic setback for Belarus because official Minsk sacrificed its relations with not only Armenia, but also Russia and Israel to good relations with Azerbaijan.

What is the difference between the current Belarusian-Russian conflict and the previous ones? It is primarily its historical context.

First, Russia is much more often using strong-arm methods in its foreign policy, which caused the Ukraine crisis and ‘a cold war’ with the West.

Secondly, Belarus remains neutral in Russia’s conflicts with the rest of the world.

Thirdly, the decline is global oil prices caused an economic crisis in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and scaled down Russia’s energy grant to Belarus.

Fourthly, all that overlapped a grave crisis of the Belarusian model of society.

Tigranuhi Martirosyan

Armenia police: Lapshin has never been on Interpol’s wanted list

February 10, 2017 By administrator

lapshin-never-interpol

YEREVAN. – Blogger Alexander Lapshin, who was extradited to Azerbaijan, has never been on Interpol’s wanted list.

Advisor to the Chief of Armenian Police, Narek Malyan, wrote the aforementioned on his Facebook page.

“In response to the inquiry of the Republic of Armenia Police, the General Secretariat of Interpol today responded that Alexander Lapshin has neither ever been registered nor put on an international wanted list of Interpol,” he noted.

After his visits to Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) in 2011 and 2012, Alexander Lapshin was “blacklisted” by Azerbaijan. In June 2016, however, he paid a visit to Azerbaijan, but with a Ukrainian passport. Subsequently, he issued several articles criticizing the Azerbaijani authorities. Afterward, the Azerbaijani authorities issued an international search for this famous blogger. And on December 15, 2016, he was detained in the Belarus capital city of Minsk, and based on this international search.

On January 26, the Minsk city court dismissed the complaint of blogger Alexander Lapshin over the decision of the Belarusian prosecutor’s office to extradite him to Azerbaijan.

The Supreme Court of Belarus on Tuesday dismissed the complaints filed in the case of blogger Alexander Lapshin.

According to the experts and human rights defenders, Lapshin’s case may become a horrible precedent limiting the freedom of speech of foreigners and freedom of movement of Armenian citizens.

Blogger Alexander Lapshin was brought to Baku Tuesday evening.

Israeli Blogger Alexander Lapshin become victim of Azerbaijan and Belarus dictatorship

February 9, 2017 By administrator

famous-blogger-lapshin Israeli Blogger Jailed in Belarus Extradited to Azerbaijan
Joint Israeli, Russian efforts have failed to prevent the deportation of Alexander Lapshin to Azerbaijan, which he has criticized in posts.
Lapshin’s Extradition to Baku Widely Criticized,

The Belarus Supreme Court denied Lapshin’s appeal on the extradition verdict issued by the General Prosecutor of Belarus.

Lapshin faces up to 5 years imprisonment in Azerbaijan, under charges of “public calls against the state”, and “unauthorized crossing of borders”.

Belarus police arrested Alexander Lapshin on December 15, 2016 in Minsk. Lapshin, a Russian and Israeli citizen, resides in Moscow and writes for the famous Russian Travel Blog. He is wanted by Azerbaijan for visiting Nagorno Karabakh in 2011, 2012 and 2016, and criticizing Azerbaijan’s policy in his blog.

Baku demanded the extradition of Lapshin from Belarus.

Earlier it was reported that the Deputy Prosecutor General of Belarus has made a decision to uphold the request of Azerbaijan’s General Prosecutor on extraditing Citizen of Russia and Israel Alexander Lapshin, who is wanted for violating Articles 281.2 and 318.2 of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said on February 3 : “Belarus has no grounds to not extradite Lapshin to Azerbaijan”. He said the issue will be solved based on law and international agreements.

The Russian foreign ministry said it is inadmissible to extradite Russian citizens to third countries.

A blogger arrested in Minsk at the request of Baku for visiting Karabagh

December 20, 2016 By administrator

The Belarusian blogger Alexander Lapshin was arrested on 15 December in Minsk, at the request of the authorities of Azerbaijan, who accuse him of having visited Nagorno-Karabakh in 2011 and 2012, without the authorization of Baku of course. The Azerbaijani prosecutor’s office has indicated that it is taking the necessary measures to extradite Lapshin from Belarus. This arrest is very badly publicized in the Belarusian capital, which is to host a hypothetical conference dedicated to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which has been undergoing for two decades the Minsk Group, baptized for this reason.

But the very authoritarian Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled for twenty-six years with an iron fist Belarus, does not care. He is much more concerned about sparing another despot, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev, with whom he has always had excellent relations, even though Belarus, unfailingly allied to Russia, is a partner of Armenia within the The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and other political and military alliances. For example, Belarus, together with Kazakhstan, raised the issue of the status of Karabakh at the request of Baku during the debates on the admission of Armenia to the EUE in 2014. According to the Azerbaijan prosecutor’s office, a criminal investigation was opened against A.Lapshin for “illegal” crossing of the border of Azerbaijan and for public statements hostile to the state.

A. Lapshin, who holds dual Russian and Israeli nationality, said he would not withdraw any of his remarks from his blog and described the black list drawn up by Baku as “nonsense and a joke” Foreign personalities who visited Karabagh, including senior officials, such as the current French interior minister, JB Le Roux.

David Babayan, spokesman for the presidency of Artsakh, reacting to the arrest of the blogger in a third country, said that Azerbaijan was crossing a “new level” in its measures and sanctions aimed at the personalities who visited the Nagorno-Karabakh region. “This is now a matter of interference in the internal affairs of a third country,” said Babayan, adding that “in fact, Azerbaijan seeks the extradition of a citizen of a foreign state, Attempting to accuse him of a fictitious ‘crime’; This constitutes a gross violation of international law and international humanitarian law “. The Facebook page of A. Lapshin said he would still be detained in Minsk. As for the Belarusian authorities, they have remained at least discreet about this case. .

‘Why I moved from Turkey’ “our country is now a fully corrupted country” incurable situation!

October 31, 2014 By administrator

BELGİN AKALTAN – belgin.akaltan@hdn.com.tr

Blogger Melih Karakelle has written a piece to inform his friends and relatives why he left Turkey. His blog, www.melihkarakelle.com, is usually visited by 500 people a month. But his latest piece hit 100,000 in the first 24 hours.

Karakelle is a mechanical engineer who decided to leave his family and friends behind and settle in Britain. This is a shortened version in a loose translation.

He starts with a lexicon of terms for the piece: An ignorant person is not a person who has been schooled less, they are someone who has not been educated to suit the norms of society, who poses a threat to daily life. For example, while everybody is queuing, they cut in line, thinking they’re being clever. A driver who has not grasped that he needs to stop for pedestrians at a crosswalk is ignorant, regardless of his degrees.

Stupid: Statistically, one in every three people in society is stupid. It is the answer to “Why do they do this?” in many situations.

There is a critical threshold in societies to prevent ignorance, Karakelle wrote: This threshold can be defined as the number of ignorant people per one person of reason. The state is responsible for educating the ignorant and the stupid to a level where they do not harm the rest. The best example of this is when a Turk goes abroad and comes back, saying: “Dude, everybody gets in line there. Nobody violates anyone else’s rights. You step into the crosswalk and all the cars stop.

“Well, the state has primarily educated all its citizens to a level where they would not harm society. As a result of this, the fact that the other person is stupid does not constitute a problem for you. Thus, fewer cons grow up in civilized societies; more scientists emerge from there.

“Why did I move from Turkey? Well, although it has multiplied in the past 12 years or so, as a result of a decaying period of the last 30 years which started with [late President Turgut] Özal, our country is now a fully corrupted country.

“Right now in Turkey, ignorance is an accepted norm in society. And the number of the ignorant per person is far too big. Moreover, we are at the point where ignorance is ruling us. Today’s Turkey is simply a corrupted society because the critical threshold has been crossed; the decomposition has infected the whole society.”

The blogger criticizes those who criticize the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for not being stronger: “This society which is fed by ignorance and corruption is past the stage where it can be saved by wisdom and reason… Do not dream of a strong opposition; it will not save society.”

If in a country the number of those who think stealing is a bad thing is under 50 percent, then you cannot count on these people to build values and long-term plans. Karakelle says several examples of this exist in recent history. He asks us to take a look at the Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon and Egypt of the 1960s. And take a look at them today.

“What Afghanistan and others have lost is their war to fight ignorance. Then next it may have been the prioritization of the religion factor because it is the easiest way to rule an ignorant nation. However, these countries became what they are now not by being religious but by being corrupt.”

Turkey was slow in corruption, the blogger believes. This may be due to Atatürk or may be because of its proximity to Europe. But, time for Turkey has also expired.

“Now, for the time being, we have transformed into a society where an average of 12 hours are spent in front of the TV watching soap operas, a society with people who show no respect to anyone else but themselves, one that honors and even hands over the governing of the country to bullying.

“And this society is raising their kids. These kids will shape the behavior of your own kids also, no matter what you do … They will live at least 70 years together in the same society. At this point, there is nothing to be done; trying to do something is a waste of energy.

“If you want to contribute as an individual to humanity, then it would be so much more correct to leave your nationalistic feelings aside and take this contribution to societies that demand it from you.”

“At this point, I decided that as an individual it was meaningless to try to continue living in this incurable situation. I moved from Turkey. Don’t I miss my country? Of course I do… But more than that, I have a huge disappointment because of those years I wasted.”

OK. I do not agree with everything he says, but his conclusions are so correct, so to the point, that it hurts…

As I was reading his blog piece, I thought of the vulgarity, ignorance and rudeness I face on daily basis here. Neighbors that kick your apartment door, bus drivers that are about to hit you at a pedestrian crossing…

His judgments are sound and correct. He added that this situation was a street fact, not a political view. Even if the government vaporized today, you have to live with the kid raised by the minibus driver who steers toward you for another 70 years in the same country…

Karakelle wrote, “Please pick up my piece and use it without asking permission.” Well, here it is in English. I would have liked to offer you the same, but this piece does not belong to me once it is printed and posted. But feel free to read it, like it, tweet it and share it…

belgin.akaltan@hurriyet.com.tr
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belgin.akaltan.com

November/01/2014