World
Kremlin crackdown silences war protests, from benign to bold
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A former police officer who mentioned Russia’s invasion on the telephone. A priest who preached to his congregation in regards to the struggling of Ukrainians. A pupil who held up a banner with no phrases – simply asterisks.
Tons of of Russians are dealing with costs for talking out in opposition to the warfare in Ukraine since a repressive regulation was handed final month that outlaws the unfold of “false data” in regards to the invasion and disparaging the navy.
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Human rights teams say the crackdown has led to felony prosecutions and attainable jail sentences for at the very least 23 folks on the “false data” cost, with over 500 others dealing with misdemeanor costs of disparaging the navy which have both led to hefty fines or are anticipated to end in them.
“This can be a great amount, an unprecedentedly great amount” of circumstances, mentioned Damir Gainutdinov, head of the Internet Freedoms authorized support group specializing in free speech circumstances, in an interview with The Related Press.
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The Kremlin has sought to regulate the narrative of the warfare from the second its troops rolled into Ukraine. It dubbed the assault a “particular navy operation” and elevated the stress on unbiased Russian media that referred to as it a “warfare” or an “invasion,” blocking entry to many information websites whose protection deviated from the official line.
Law enforcement officials put together to detain Dmitry Reznikov in Moscow on March 13, 2022. A court docket discovered him responsible of discrediting the armed forces and fined him 50,000 rubles ($618) for holding the signal.
(SOTA through AP)
Sweeping arrests stifled antiwar protests, turning them from a every day occasion in giant cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg into uncommon occurrences barely attracting any consideration.
Nonetheless, studies of police detaining single picketers in numerous Russian cities are available in nearly every day.
Even seemingly benign actions have led to arrests.
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A person was detained in Moscow after standing subsequent to a World Conflict II monument that claims “Kyiv” for the town’s heroic stand in opposition to Nazi Germany and holding a replica of Tolstoy’s “Conflict and Peace.” One other was reportedly detained for holding up a bundle of sliced ham from the meat producer Miratorg, with the second half of the title crossed off so it learn: “Mir” – “peace” in Russian.
A regulation in opposition to spreading “faux information” in regards to the warfare or disparaging the navy was handed by parliament in someday and took pressure instantly, successfully exposing anybody important of the battle to fines and jail sentences.
Dmitry Reznikov holds a chunk of paper with eight asterisks that would have been interpreted as standing for “No to warfare” in Russian, stands subsequent to a police van as he was detained in Moscow on March 13, 2022.
(SOTA through AP)
The primary publicly recognized felony circumstances over “fakes” focused public figures like Veronika Belotserkovskaya, a Russian-language cookbook writer and well-liked blogger residing overseas, and Alexander Nevzorov, a TV journalist, movie director and former lawmaker.
Each had been accused of posting “false data” about Russian assaults on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine on their extensively adopted social media pages – one thing Moscow has vehemently denied, insisting that Russian forces solely hit navy targets.
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However then the scope of the crackdown expanded, with police seemingly grabbing anybody.
Former police officer Sergei Klokov was detained and put in pretrial detention after discussing the warfare along with his pals on the telephone. His spouse informed the Meduza information website that in informal dialog at house, Klokov, who was born in Irpin close to Kyiv and whose father nonetheless lived in Ukraine when Russian troops rolled in, condemned the invasion.
Klokov was charged with spreading false details about the Russian armed forces and faces as much as 10 years in jail.
A employee paints over graffiti saying “Sure to Peace!” on the wall of an condo constructing in St. Petersburg, Russia, March 18, 2022.
(AP Picture, File)
St. Petersburg artist Sasha Skolichenko additionally faces as much as 10 years in jail on the identical cost: She changed worth tags in a grocery retailer with antiwar flyers. On Wednesday, a court docket ordered Skolichenko to pretrial detention for 1 1/2 months.
The Rev. Ioann Burdin, a Russian Orthodox priest in a village about 300 kilometers (about 185 miles) northeast of Moscow, was fined 35,000 rubles ($432) for “discrediting the Russian armed forces” after posting an antiwar assertion on his church’s web site and speaking to a dozen congregants throughout a service in regards to the ache he felt over folks in Ukraine dying.
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Burdin informed AP his speech elicited combined reactions. “One girl made a scene over the truth that I’m speaking about (it) when she simply got here to wish,” he mentioned, including that he believed it was a type of listening to the sermon who reported him to the police.
Marat Grachev, director of a store that repairs Apple merchandise in Moscow, acquired in hassle when he displayed a hyperlink to an internet petition titled “No to warfare” on a display within the store. Many shoppers expressed help once they noticed it, however one aged man demanded or not it’s taken down, threatening to report Grachev to the authorities.
Marat Grachev, director of a store that repairs Apple units, poses with an indication in Russian that reads “No to warfare” in Moscow on March 16, 2022.
(Anna Matveeva through AP)
Police quickly confirmed up, and Grachev was charged with discrediting the navy. A court docket ordered him to pay a effective of 100,000 rubles ($1,236).
One other court docket dominated in opposition to Moscow pupil Dmitry Reznikov for displaying a clean piece of paper with eight asterisks, which may have been interpreted as standing for “No to warfare” in Russian – a preferred chant by protesters. The court docket discovered him responsible of discrediting the armed forces and fined him 50,000 rubles ($618) for holding the register central Moscow in a mid-March demonstration that lasted solely seconds earlier than police detained him.
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“It’s the theater of the absurd,” his lawyer Oleg Filatchev informed AP.
A St. Petersburg court docket final week fined Artur Dmitriev for an indication containing President Vladimir Putin’s quote – albeit with a couple of phrases omitted for brevity – from final yr’s Victory Day parade marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World Conflict II.
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“The warfare led to so many insufferable challenges, grief and tears, that it’s unimaginable to neglect. There isn’t a forgiveness and justification for individuals who as soon as once more are harboring aggressive plans,” Putin had mentioned, in accordance with the Kremlin web site.
A poster that claims “No Conflict” hangs over Nevsky Prospect, the primary road in St. Petersburg, Russia, on March. 1, 2022.
(AP Picture, File)
Dmitriev was fined 30,000 rubles for discrediting the Russian navy. That prompted him to submit Friday on Fb: “The phrase by Vladimir Putin, and ergo he himself … are discrediting the objectives of the Russian armed forces. From this second on, (web and media regulator) Roskomnadzor should block all speeches by Putin, and true patriots – take down his portraits of their places of work.”
Internet Freedoms’ Gainutdinov mentioned that something in regards to the navy or Ukraine could make an individual a goal. Even sporting a hat with the blue and gold of the Ukrainian flag or a inexperienced ribbon, thought of a logo of peace, have been discovered to discredit the navy, the lawyer added.
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Reznikov, who’s interesting his conviction for the poster with asterisks, mentioned he discovered the crackdown scary. After his first misdemeanor conviction, a second strike would end in felony prosecution and a attainable jail time period of as much as three years.
Each Burdin and Grachev, who are also interesting, acquired donations that exceeded their fines.
“I noticed how vital it’s, how useful it’s to obtain help,” Grachev mentioned.
Burdin mentioned the publicity about his case unfold his message far past the dozen or so individuals who initially heard his sermon – the alternative of what the authorities presumably meant by fining him.
“It’s unimaginable to name it something apart from the windfall of God,” the priest added. “The phrases that I mentioned reached a a lot bigger variety of folks.”
World
Jackie Farry, Nirvana Associate, Veteran Tour Manager and Frances Bean Cobain’s Former Nanny, Dies at 58
Jackie Farry, an industry veteran who worked closely with Nirvana — becoming Frances Bean Cobain’s first nanny — and then was tour manager for Elliott Smith, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, the Lemonheads and others, died Sunday of complications from a lung disease. Farry, who had battled cancer for more than 20 years, was 58.
Farry’s industry career began at Homestead Records, where she was a receptionist for the influential indie label that was a precursor to Matador Records. She moved quickly into radio-promotion roles at Atlantic and Epic, but she quickly became a familiar and popular presence on the New York music scene and a friend to many of the bands of the era. After working with Nirvana until Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994, she was briefly host of a short-lived MTV show called “Super Rock” that was intended to replace the metal show “Headbangers’ Ball.” Later in the ’90s, Farry became a tour manager for bands like the Lemonheads, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Elliott Smith, Quasi, Stereolab and Quintron.
A native of New York, Farry was raised in the controversial Synanon community before relocating to Long Island. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2003 and her friends in the music industry rallied for her, with benefits headlined by such artists as the Breeders, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Liars and Guided by Voices.
Her longtime friend and associate Janet Billig Rich told the Hollywood Reporter, “Jackie’s love for music was matched only by her sharp wit, humor, and magnetic personality. She was a beacon for friends and strangers alike, drawing people in with her infectious energy.”
Donations in her honor can be made to LovePaws, Farry’s charity of choice.
World
Incoming Trump administration given new blueprint on ways to weaken Iran: 'unique opportunity'
A new report shared with the Trump transition team and shown to Fox News Digital recommends drastic steps to curtail the Iranian regime just days away from the start of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term in office.
“President-elect Trump now has the unique opportunity to push back on the regime in a moment of its significant decline. By using diplomatic, informational, military, and economic means to hold Tehran accountable, he can promote regional stability and a new Middle East,” Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, CEO and founder of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News Digital.
The UANI report, titled “A 100 Day Plan for the Incoming Trump Administration on Iran” is a blueprint for the administration to employ against Iran and has been shared with the Trump transition team, according to its authors.
Heavy weapons, including ballistic missiles, air defense systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, are displayed during the 44th anniversary of the 8-year war with Iraq, which is known as “Holy Defense Week”, at Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 25, 2024. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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“Since 1979, Iran has been the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism, the major cause of instability in the Middle East, and has brutally repressed its people with impunity,” Wallace said.
The report recommends that the incoming Trump administration take a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach across, as Ambassador Wallace said, the diplomatic, informational, military and economic sectors alongside allies to properly hold Iran accountable for its regional destabilization efforts.
Iranian protesters carry flowers while standing in front of a giant banner depicting a portrait of Lebanon’s Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah during a protest gathering to condemn an Israeli air strike against Hezbollah’s headquarters in the suburb of Beirut and the killing of Hassan Nasrallah and an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force commander, General Abbas Nilforoushan, in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 30, 2024. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Iran fears the incoming Trump administration, said co-author of the report Jason Brodsky, adding he believes there is a strategic opportunity for Washington and its allies to capitalize on that fear to advance U.S. interests.
“Rushing into premature diplomacy risks undermining that dynamic,” Brodsky, policy director of UANI, told Fox News Digital.
The report outlines several specific policy prescriptions in order to weaken Iran and argues that the U.S. government should first build a pressure campaign against Iran which will sharpen the regime’s choices.
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In this new policy approach, the United States should learn from Israel’s experience since Oct. 7 about how to strike the Islamic Republic militarily without triggering a wider war.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, left, and President-elect Donald Trump. (AP)
“If the Israelis can do so without triggering a wider war, so can the U.S. government,” Brodsky said.
The authors assert that President-elect Trump should deliver a major policy address to warn Tehran that the U.S. would not hesitate to use military force to destroy Iran’s nuclear program if it takes steps to further advance its capabilities. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported in early December enriched uranium to weapons-grade levels. French President Emmanuel Macron said Iran’s nuclear program is nearing the “point of no return” with many seeing it as a method to build leverage against the incoming Trump administration.
Additionally, the report’s authors say the incoming Republican administration could also use targeted strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, Quds Force and Intelligence Ministry assets inside Iran if Iran or its proxies harm Americans. Targeted strikes should also hit Iran’s repressive apparatus through cyber and kinetic means if security forces violently suppress innocent protesters, as happened in 2009 after the disputed presidential election and in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested by the morality police for not covering her hair with a hijab.
Demonstrators in Iran protesting the regime in 2022. (Credit: NCRI)
U.S. strikes or retaliations against the regime, the report notes, have been non-existent or focused on the Islamic Republic’s proxies.
“That dynamic only emboldens Iranian decision-making to calculate the benefits of these operations against Americans outweigh the costs and to doubt the U.S. resolve to defend its interests. The incoming Trump administration should reverse that calculus and one way to do so is to start holding Iran’s regime responsible on Iranian soil for the terrorism of its proxies,” Brodsky explained. The U.S. should also build a military defector program and encourage political and military actors across the Islamic Republic, including within the Revolutionary Guard and other security forces, to defect from the regime.
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A key source of Iranian revenue is provided by its vast oil exports and allows Iran to sustain its terror across the Middle East through its “Axis of Resistance” proxy networks. In 2024, Iran exported 587 million barrels of oil, an increase of 10.75% compared to the previous year due to OPEC cuts and lack of sanctions enforcement.
Claire Jungman, co-author and director of the Tanker Tracking Program and chief of staff of UANI, told Fox News Digital that Iran’s oil exports have surged to nearly 2 million barrels per day—the highest in five years—under President Biden’s administration, reflecting weakened sanctions enforcement and the impact of billions in unfrozen assets.
The Simorgh, or “Phoenix,” rocket launches at Iran’s Imam Khomeini Spaceport in rural Semnan province, Iran, on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (Iranian Defense Ministry via AP)
“The incoming Trump administration has a critical opportunity to halt Tehran’s illicit revenue streams and restore maximum pressure on the regime,” Jungman added.
Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and is a key source of regional Islamist terror groups including Hezbollah and Hamas, the group responsible for the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel. The State Department estimates that Iran provides some $100 million annually to Hamas and helps fund Hezbollah with about $700 million a year.
UANI cautions against some in Western capitals who wish to seek negotiation with Tehran and views this flawed approach of endless negotiations as a way Iran can buy time and avert pressure. Ambassador Wallace said the previous maximum pressure campaign worked, and it’s time to reapply this policy as the regime faces setback after setback as it became embroiled in regional conflict with Israel after October 7th.
“With the loss of its proxies and the support of the Iranian people … the Iranian regime’s days are numbered and, inevitably, the brave Iranian people will rise against the weakened corrupt mullahs,” Wallace said.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and top ICJ judge Nawaf Salam seen as frontrunners.
Lebanon’s new President Joseph Aoun has begun binding consultations with members of parliament to nominate a prime minister.
Aoun’s consultations got under way at 8:15am (06:15 GMT) on Monday with a meeting with Elias Abu Saab, the deputy parliament speaker, according to the official National News Agency.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is backed by the Hezbollah-led alliance, and Nawaf Salam, a favourite of anti-Hezbollah legislators who is the presiding judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, are seen as the frontrunners.
The consultations follow Aoun’s election last week amid foreign pressure to form a government desperately needed to tackle major challenges in the country.
Lebanon had been without a president since October 2022, run by a caretaker government amid a crushing economic crisis compounded by all-out war between Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel.
The outcome of the parliamentary consultations is expected to emerge by the end of the day. Once the prime minister is selected, it is their job to form a new government, a process that could take months.
“The newly elected President Aoun said that he hopes the next prime minister will be a partner and not an opponent,” said Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from the Lebanese capital, Beirut. “A man who has the support of the international community, and a man who is ready to carry out much-needed reforms.”
Big challenges
Lebanon has a unique power-sharing system, designed to balance power among the nation’s different communities.
The president, who must be a Maronite Christian, serves as head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Meanwhile, the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim and has significantly more executive power than the president.
The speaker of parliament, who leads parliamentary debates as well as playing the role of political mediator, has to be a Shia Muslim.
One of the country’s richest men, Mikati has headed the country in a caretaker capacity throughout the presidential vacuum.
Mikati said on the sidelines of the presidential vote on Thursday that he was ready to serve Lebanon “if needed”.
However, Hezbollah’s opponents see Mikati as part of an old political system that the group has within its grip.
Whoever heads Lebanon’s new government will face major challenges, including implementing reforms to satisfy international donors amid the country’s worst economic crisis in its history.
They will also face the daunting task of reconstructing swaths of the country after the Israel-Hezbollah war and implementing the November 27 ceasefire agreement, which includes the thorny issue of disarming the Lebanese armed group.
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