Russia detains two men in Boris Nemtsov murder inquiry

Two men from North Caucasus region detained in connection with February killing of Russian opposition leader

 Protesters march in Moscow in memory of slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov on 1 March. Photograph: Pavel Golovkin/AP

Chris Johnston-Saturday 7 March 2015

Russian authorities have detained two men in connection with the murder of the opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.

The pair were named as Anzor Gubashev and Zaur Dadayev, both from the North Caucasus, a volatile region of southern Russia plagued by insurgency.

Alexander Bortnikov, head of Russia’s federal security service, said the investigation was ongoing and Vladimir Putin had been informed of the detentions, the government television network Rossiya-24 reported.

Nemtsov, 55, was shot four times in the back by a gunman in a passing car while walking close to the Kremlin on the evening of 27 February.

It is not clear whether either of the detained men is suspected of firing the shots that killed Nemtsov. The prime witness to the killing returned to Kiev this week. She told the media she was unable to identify who shot Nemtsov.

Ilya Yashin, an opposition activist, welcomed the detentions but called for more information to be released about the two men. “The execution of the investigation had not inspired any optimism, but the fact that there have been arrests inspires some optimism,” he said.

Nemtsov’s killing came two days before he was due to lead an opposition rally in Moscow. A memorial held instead was attended by tens of thousands of people.

Many believe the killing, which occurred in an area of high security near the Kremlin, would not have been possible without official involvement, and may have been an attempt to intimidate other government opponents.

Another opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, who was released from a two-week stint in jail on Friday for organising the initial anti-government rally, accused Russia’s “political leadership” of ordering a hit on Nemtsov.

“There will be no let-up in our efforts, we will give up nothing. This act of terror has not achieved its goal,” he said.

Zhanna Nemtsov mourns her father at the funeral of Boris Nemtsov in Moscow on 3 March. Photograph: Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters

Friends said Nemtsov had been working on a report containing what he described as proof of Russian military involvement in eastern Ukraine.

Nemtsov was deputy prime minister in the 1990s in the government of Boris Yeltsin, which made him a tainted figure in the eyes of some Russians.

He had written a number of reports in recent years linking Putin and his inner circle to alleged corruption, and was one of the best-known politicians among Russia’s small and beleaguered opposition.

In 2013, he said as much as $30bn of the estimated $50bn funding for the Winter Olympics in Sochi had gone missing – a claim the Kremlin denied.

Nemtsov’s killing was condemned by world leaders, with the office of the French president, François Hollande, describing it as an assassination. David Cameron said the callous murder must be “fully, rapidly and transparently investigated”.

On Friday Nemtsov’s daughter Zhanna told CNN that her father died a hero and that the Russian authorities held political responsibility for the killing.

She said she had no confidence that those responsible for her father’s death would be brought to justice: “Russia has crossed the line after this murder and people will be frightened to express ideas contrary to the official standpoint.”

Putin has called the killing a “provocation”, vowing that everything would be done to convict those who committed a “vile and cynical murder”.

Saudi gang rape victim punished with 200 lashes and six months jail

March 6, 2015 by Michael Stone

Saudi shame: A 19-year-old woman who was the victim of a violent gang rape in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in jail after being found guilty of being “indecent” at the time of the attack because she was not accompanied by a male guardian.

The government defended the outrageous court decision, saying that the victim was at fault, and noting that Saudi courts abide by Sharia law which dictates that a woman cannot be in public without a male guardian.

The original incident reportedly took place in 2006. At that time the victim was in a car with a friend when two men commandeered their vehicle and drove them to a secluded area. She was then violently raped by seven men, three of whom also attacked her friend.

Initially, the woman was sentenced to  90 lashes, while the men who raped her were given minor custodial sentences.

The obviously unfair verdict was appealed by the woman’s lawyer. However, instead of overturning the punishment, the court reportedly more than doubled the punishment for the woman, sentencing her to 200 lashes and six months in jail after being found guilty of indecency and talking to the media.

Middle East Monitor reports Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, who defended the woman, reached out to the media after the sentences were handed down. The court has since banned him from further defending the woman, as well as confiscating his license and summoning him to a disciplinary hearing.

Saudi Arabia defended the controversial decision to punish the victim, saying:

The Ministry of Justice welcomes constructive criticism, away from emotions.

In Saudi Arabia, women are second class citizens, treated more like children than adults. Women are required to dress in black from head to toe, and require permission from a male guardian to work, to marry, to simply leave the home.

Adding insult to injury, Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world which does not allow women to drive.

In Saudi Arabia there is no political freedom, no religious freedom, no freedom of speech. It is, in fact, one of the most repressive regimes in recent history, and an affront to human rights and human dignity.

In fact, Saudi Arabia is one of the very few countries in the world not to accept the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Saudi Arabia is an ugly Islamic nightmare. The fact that the U.S. and other western powers continue to count this backward and repressive regime as an ally represents a moral failure of epic proportion, and only serves to demonstrate the insidious power of oil to shape and move global politics.

(Portions of this article were previously published here)

Saudi shame: Gang rape victim punished with 200 lashes and six months in jail.

Director calls banning rape documentary "international suicide" for India

British filmmaker Leslee Udwin speaks during a news conference in New Delhi March 3, 2015.

BY MAGDALENA MIS-Sat Mar 7, 2015 

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - India committed "international suicide" by banning a documentary about the gang rape and murder of a woman in Delhi, the director of the film said after a Friday night screening in London.

India last week prohibited the release of the film "India's Daughter" and also asked video-sharing website YouTube to remove all links to the documentary.

Police said the ban was imposed as comments in the film by one of those convicted of the crime created an atmosphere of "fear and tension" and risked fuelling public anger.

"My whole purpose was to give a gift of gratitude to India, to actually praise India, to single India out as a country that was exemplary in its response to this rape, as a country where one could actually see change beginning," said Leslee Udwin, director of the documentary, during a panel discussion.

"The supreme irony is that they are now accusing me of having wanted to point fingers at India, defame India, and it is they who have committed international suicide by banning this film."

The British filmmaker said she was inspired to make the film after watching thousands of people take to the streets across India to protest the December 2012 rape and murder of a young physiotherapy student on a bus.

India toughened its anti-rape laws in response to the outcry following the fatal attack but a rape is still reported on average every 21 minutes in India, and acid attacks, domestic violence and molestation are common.

"India's daughter" features an interview with Mukesh Singh, one of four men sentenced to death for the rape, torture and murder of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus.

In the film Singh blames the victim for the crime and resisting rape.

Singh's comments grabbed headlines in Indian newspapers and sparked outrage on social media. Some people have questioned whether the convicts should have been given a forum to express their views.

Udwin said that banning the film brought India into disrepute by obstructing free speech, one of the essential elements of democracy.

The filmmaker said that if she was given a chance she would persuade India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow the screening.

"If (Modi) spent one hour seeing this documentary, he would see his own statements since he got into power reflected in this film. The film is saying exactly what he's saying with his 'Beti Bachao' campaign," said Udwin, adding that she was still in shock about the ban.

Launched in January, the "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" (Save the Daughter, Teach the Daughter) campaign is aimed at improving India's child sex ratio, which skews toward boys due to sex-selective abortions, and gender equality through access to education.

Udwin said she was hopeful the film would eventually be screened in India and appealed to Modi to "be a hero globally" and stand up to his statements promoting gender equality.

The filmmaker said her documentary was designed to unleash a global campaign to stop violence against women and to promote their rights.

A website, which was a part of the campaign, was scheduled to go live on International Women's Day on March 8, however Udwin said that a company behind the website design has pulled out because of "all the fuss" around the film.

It was unclear if the website would still be launched as planned.

(Reporting By Magdalena Mis, Editing by Lisa Anderson)

Natural Remedies For Rashes

A skin rash is when the skin’s texture undergoes changes and red bumps occur. The cause for skin rash varies from being allergies to infection.

Healthy Food Advice-March 1, 2015

Allergic rashes can be systemic or dermal. A systemic allergy is triggered by something that is ingested and a dermal allergy is the result of skin contact with the allergen. Here are some effective treatments when you have reactions on your skin:

• Take one tablespoon of poppy seeds, crush it and then mix it with a teaspoon of water and a teaspoon of lime juice. Apply it to the rash.
• Mix one tablespoon of raw honey and raw apple cider vinegar with water and apply this to the rash. These are some of the most effective substances against allergies.
• Vitamin C has strong antioxidant qualities that heal the rashes and reduce the risks of allergic reactions.
• Mash some almond leaves and apply them to the rash.
• Pour one cup of uncooked oatmeal in your bathwater. This is a traditional cure for skin rash and itch.
• Mix a tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and two cloves of garlic and put it on the rash.
• Mix cod liver oil and Vitamin and put it on the rash. This has been found effective to eliminate rash.
• Wash the affected area with chamomile tea.

- See more at: http://www.healthyfoodadvice.net/natural-remedies-for-rashes/#sthash.0nlluxWC.dpuf

Beyond RTI: Towards Open Government

After many years of advocacy by civil society, Sri Lanka is set to adopt a law that guarantees citizens’ Right to Information (RTI).

By Nalaka Gunawardene.-March 06, 2015

With that, we will at last catch up with nearly 100 countries that have introduced such progressive laws. Better late than never – but passing the law is only a beginning. Institutionalising it requires effort and funds. Continued vigilance is needed on civil society’s part to guard against the process becoming mired in red tape.

Beyond RTIm Towards Open Government by Thavam Ratna

கிளிநொச்சியில் காணாமல் போன உறவுகளை மீட்டுத்தருமாறு கோரி உண்ணாவிரதப் போராட்டம்!

[ வெள்ளிக்கிழமை, 06 மார்ச் 2015, 06:16.32 AM GMT ]

இலங்கையில் இராணுவத்தாலும் ஒட்டுக்குழுக்களாலும் காணாமல் போகச் செய்யப்பட்ட உறவுகளையும், சிறையிலுள்ள அரசியல் கைதிகளையும் விடுதலை செய்யக்கோரி கிளிநொச்சியில் உண்ணாவிரதப் போராட்டம் தற்போது முன்னெடுக்கப்பட்டு வருகிறது.

காணாமல் போன உறவுகளால் கிளிநொச்சி கந்தசாமி கோவில் முன்பாக அடையாள உண்ணா விரதப்போராட்டம் முன்னெடுக்கப்பட்டு வருகிறது.

கிளிநொச்சியில் காணாமல் போன உறவுகளை மீட்டுத்தருமாறு கோரி உண்ணாவிரதப் போராட்டம்! by Thavam Ratna

Mothers launch hunger strike by Nallur temple demanding Sri Lankan govt returns missing children

Photograph @Uthayarasashali

06 March 2015
Tamil mothers protested outside the iconic Nallur temple on Friday, demanding that the new Sri Lankan government returns their missing children.

Photograph @Uthayarasashali

Photograph @Uthayarasashali

The protest, which includes a symbolic hunger strike, is the latest in a series of protests across the North-East.

Photograph @Ananthy_Sasi

Yesterday, a march took place by the Eelam Tamil Youth Forum, from Mullivaikkal to Nallur. Walking along the A9, the protesters walked in solidarity with those demanding their missing loved ones be returned to them.

On Wednesday, mothers stormed the Jaffna district's office for the secretariat of the governor demanding the Sri Lankan government takes action over the ongoing detention and disappearance of their children.

The UK based rights group, Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice, said this week that as many as 84% of the people in the North-East have had a family member detained by the Sri Lankan security forces. 

‘Race’ Versus Religion: Sharing Some Thoughts

By Charles Sarvan -March 6, 2015 

One of my sons took me to see the Martin Luther King film, ‘Selma’, which opens with 15 September 1963 and the explosion at an African-American Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four children. The scene reminded me of the poem ‘Ballad of Birmingham’, published in 1968 by African American Dudley Randall (1914-2000):

“Mother dear, may I go downtown
Instead of out to play,
And march the streets of Birmingham
In a Freedom March today?”

Martin Luther King

“No, baby, no, you may not go,
For the dogs are fierce and wild,
And clubs and hoses, guns and jails
Aren’t good for a little child.”

“But, mother, I won’t be alone.
Other children will go with me,
And march the streets of Birmingham
To make our country free.”

“No baby, no, you may not go
For I fear those guns will fire.
But you may go to church instead
And sing in the children’s choir.”

She has combed and brushed her night-dark hair,
And bathed rose petal sweet,
And drawn white gloves on her small brown hands,
And white shoes on her feet.

The mother smiled to know that her child
Was in the sacred place,
But that smile was the last smile
To come upon her face.

For when she heard the explosion,
Her eyes grew wet and wild.
She raced through the streets of Birmingham
Calling for her child.

She clawed through bits of glass and brick,

Then lifted out a shoe.

“O, here’s the shoe my baby wore,

But, baby, where are you?”                                                          Read More

ஜெயக்குமாரியை விடுதலை செய்யுமாறு நீதிமன்றிற்கு முன்னால் ஆர்ப்பாட்டம் - ஆஜர்ப்படுத்தப்பட்டார் ஜெயக்குமாரி

[ வெள்ளிக்கிழமை, 06 மார்ச் 2015, 01:10.05 PM GMT ]

பயங்கரவாதத் தடைச் சட்டத்தினால் கைது செய்யப்பட்டு தடுத்து வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள ஜெயக்குமாரியை விடுதலை செய்யுமாறு கொழும்பு– புதுக்கடை நீதிமன்றத்திற்கு முன்பாக கவனயீர்ப்பு போராட்டமொன்று முன்னெடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இன்று காலை 10 மணிக்கு மன்னார் மாதர் அமைப்புடன் இணைந்து, பெண்கள் அமைப்பு உட்பட பல்வேறு மனித உரிமை அமைப்புகள் இந்த போராட்டத்தை ஏற்பாடு முன்னெடுத்திருந்தன.

இதேவேளை ஜெயக்குமாரி தொடர்பாக வழக்கு விசாரணை இன்றைய தினம் புதுக்கடை நீதிமன்றத்தில் நீதிபதி ஸ்ரீராம் முன்னிலையில் நடைபெற்றது.

எனினும் இந்த வழக்கு விசாரணைக்காக ஜெயக்குமாரி மன்றில் ஆஜர்படுத்தப்பட்டிருக்கவில்லை.

இதுதொடர்பாக நீதிமன்றத்திற்கு விளக்கமளித்த பொலிஸார்,

நேற்று வியாழக்கிழமை விடுமுறை தினம் என்றதால் நீதிமன்றத்திடம் இருந்து சிறைச்சாலைகள் திணைக்களத்திற்கு சரியான தகவல் கிடைக்காத காரணத்தினால் அவரை ஆஜர்படுத்த முடியாமல் போனதாக கூறியுள்ளனர்.

எவ்வாறாயினும், இந்த வழக்கு மீதான விசாரணை எதிர்வரும் 10ஆம் திகதி நடைபெறவுள்ள நிலையில் அன்றைய தினம் அவரை ஆஜர்படுத்த நடவடிக்கை எடுப்பதாக மன்றில் தெரிவித்தனர்.

இந்த நிலையில் ஜெயக்குமாரியின் புதல்வியான விபூசிகா தற்போது கிளிநொச்சி மகாதேவா ஆசிரமத்தில் உள்ள நிலையில் அவரது உரிமைகள் மீறப்பட்டுள்ளதாக மனித உரிமை ஆர்வலரான நளினி இரத்தினராஜா தெரிவிக்கின்றார்.

அத்துடன் ஜெயக்குமாரிக்கு பிணை வழங்க நீதிமன்றம் அனுமதிக்கும் பட்சத்தில் அவரை வெளியில் கொண்டுவருவதற்கு ஒருவரும் முன்வராதிருப்பதாவும் அவர் கவலை வெளியிட்டார்.

இதேவேளை  கவனயீர்ப்புப் போராட்டத்தில் ஈடுபட்டவர்கள், விபூசிகாவின் தாயார் ஜெயக்குமாரியை உடன் விடுதலை செய்யுங்கள், 'விபூசிகாவின் தாயார் கைது செய்யப்பட்டமைக்கான காரணத்தை இதுவரைக்கும் அரசு ஏன் வெளியிடவில்லை?, குற்றம் செய்யாதவரை கைது செய்துவைத்திருப்பதா நல்லாட்சி?, தாய், தந்தை, உறவினர்களை இழந்து தனியாக வாழும் சிறுமி விபூசிகாவைப் பாதுக்காப்பதற்கு எவரும் இல்லையா?, இதுவா இந்த நாட்டின் சிறுவர் சட்டம்?, யுத்தம் நிறைவடைந்தாலும் மக்களின் மனங்களில் இருந்து யுத்தவடுக்கள் இன்னும் மாறவில்லை போன்ற கோஷங்களை எழுப்பியதுடன் பதாகைகளையும் ஏந்தியிருந்தனர்.

தொடர்புடைய செய்தி- நீதிமன்றத்தில் ஆஜர்ப்படுத்தப்பட்டார் ஜெயக்குமாரி

Thoughts On Race Relations In The US & Sri Lanka

By Mano Ratwatte –March 6, 2015

Mano Ratwatte

The defining fact for two generations of Sri Lankans (or Ceylonese if you prefer) has been the strife between the island’s two primary ethnic groups since independence from the British. Many erudite scholars, political scientists and historians have examined the causes of this conflict. Some say it all began in 1956 and others say it began well before that. This is 2015. A hellish war, which lasted well over twenty years has ended. But still the barriers between the two major communities still exist; attempts to break those barriers are stymied primarily, in the opinion of this writer, by the lack of a common link language. These are just personal thoughts of an émigré and not views of qualified experts. The writer is also thankful to a brilliant gentleman for helping him edit this opinion column.

The crimes of July 1983 were a watershed for our country | pic by Chandraguptha Amarasingha – A Tamil boy stripped naked and later beaten to death by Sinhala youth in Boralla gustation – 1983 July

Race relations in the USA – some history

Race relations in this writers adopted country, the United States of America, have a darker and much deeper history. Created by the unimaginable horror of “industrial” slavery, divisions and discrimination has survived the emancipation (official freeing of all slaves in the USA) of 1862. The hated “Jim Crow” laws, which ensured that Blacks (the preferred term these days is ‘African American’ but for the purposes of this article we will use the older term) continued to be relegated to a lower place in society, persisted over a hundred years since that date. Finally the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, brought about a significant change that eased the plight of the Black people in the Southern USA considerably.

After decades of post civil rights healing however, race relations in the US have taken a turn for the worse recently. A Federal Department of Justice report released on March 3^rd, 2015 on riots in Ferguson Missouri, reveals that African Americans were profiled and targeted by law enforcement authorities for just being black. This is not a surprise. In many corners of the US, Blacks including wealthy ones, are still profiled and targeted for harassment. Unlike in Sri Lanka, both Black and White communities speak the same language, but they are distinct racial groups with a history of systemic discrimination by law. (In the case of Sri Lanka, harassment of innocent Tamils for just being Tamils, was made worse by not having a common language.)

The Southern Sates and Racism

In the southern states of the USA Blacks didn’t have the right to vote until the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. People had to fight for that right; various obstacles were placed to stop them from registering to vote. Under Jim Crow, Blacks were considered “separate but equal” but in practice they were never equal and were viewed culturally as inferior to Whites; such deep seated biases are dissipating but disturbingly are still very prevalent.Read More

Sri Lanka former army chief backs minority rights, war crimes probe

Sri Lanka's Secrets-How the Rajapaksa Regime Gets Away with Murder

Book Review: Sri Lanka - Genocide & War Crimes

Mar 04, 2015

EconomyNext - A senior general who led Sri Lanka's army to victory over Tamil Tiger separatists says he respects minority rights and does not fear a war crimes probe as troops under his command fought a clean war.

Sarath Fonseka, who commanded the army during the final phase of the war which ended in the Tigers' defeat in May 2009, also called for a new political culture, saying leaders of the main communities should act more responsibly, without making provocative allegations.

He said the military is confident of facing allegations of war crimes during the final phase of the war in which thousands of civilians were killed.

"We have to answer the allegations and clear our name," Fonseka declared at a forum organised by the Shippers' Academy, an organisation which trains logistics professionals. 

Tamil politicians and human rights groups have called for an international inquiry into the war crimes allegations which had been resisted by the government of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The United Nations Human Rights Council was to present a report on the war crimes charges in March.

But it agreed to put it off till September when Sri Lanka's new government, formed after the ouster of the Rajapaksa regime in the January 8 presidential poll, promised a more robust domestic inquiry. 

Fonseka, who quit the army after the war to form his own political party and is set to enter parliament, said the military needed "credible evidence" to investigate allegations of war crimes.

"If our hands are clean there's no reason we should try to avoid any complaints against us," he said. 

"I am confident we did not commit war crimes. We did not violate basic humanitarian law. We stuck to the legal aspects (of war fighting). We ensured soldiers maintained discipline.

"We fought the war to protect civilians, to protect property. We were not crazy to go all over killing civilians. So we have nothing to worry about."

Fonseka also said the rights of minority Tamils to express their political aspirations for a separate state in the north and east must be respected.

"Tamils have every right to think how nice it would be to have their own country. In a democratic country if someone thinks that way we can't eliminate them the way we eliminated terrorists. We can't intimidate and terrorise people and try to change their thinking."

He said it was important to create conditions for minority Tamils to have confidence in the Sri Lankan state. 

"The only way is - the Sinhalese being the majority community - to do whatever is reasonable to ensure minorities also live without mistrust and suspicion and they don’t have feelings of insecurity. We have to create that environment in the country and do it sincerely with commitment."

He said some Sinhalese political leader had tried to take political advantage of the ethnic problem by creating "communal disharmony", referring to attacks on minority Muslims by extremist Buddhist groups which went unpunished under the ousted Rajapaksa regime.

"Naturally, then the minorities get scared," Fonseka noted. "We also have to take responsibility for that. We have to be sincere."

He said Sinhalese and Tamil political leaders in both south and north should act in a more responsible manner without trying to inflame communal feelings with provocative allegations against each other.

Internal Political Power Bashing in the Name of Justice for War Victims

by Rajan Hoole and N. Sivapalan, University of Jaffna,

Ahilan Kadirgamar,-March 5, 2015, 8:04 pm 

an independent researcher in Jaffna, and K. Sritharan

The UN Human Rights Commission’s decision to investigate violations and the huge loss of life during the last months of the war concluded in 2009 was a significant victory for the victims. The dignity of the victims required that the truth must be told without fear or favour, and processes of justice and restoration set in motion. And the wrong was not all on one side. Dignity also demands that we await the verdict of the judges with restraint and reverence for the name of justice.

Internal Political Power Bashing in the Name of Justice for War Victims by Thavam Ratna

Good Governance & Port City

By Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda -March 6, 2015

Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda

Two days after the protest against Colombo Port City, there was in the morning an announcement that the Port City Project was suspended. On face value, this will bring happiness to many. But is a mere statement to the press by a Minister or two sufficient grounds to believe that the statement contains the truth? In spite of the statements of the Ministers, it was reported by the media that work on the project was going on even at 6.00 pm that day.

My reflection here is about the event that took place on the 3^rd of March. We of the “People’s Movement against the Port City”, staged a protest in front of the Fort railway station on this said issue and then proceeded to the Presidential Secretariat to present a petition.

But the civilian unarmed group of people was met by a strong police force and riot police with tear gas and so on, and our way was blocked. I do not blame the Police because they only carried out the orders of the higher authorities. What then is the issue there? As a participant, my concern is on what grounds did the authorities prevent an unarmed group of civilians to walk up to the Presidential Secretariat to present a petition?

My feeling is that it is a sign that the two leaders are gradually getting alienated from the people. I would like also to question whether this behavior reflects good governance or whether these are signs of dictatorial governance that is to come in a short period of time.

Another reason to doubt the validity of today’s statement of the Ministers is the assurance given by President Sirisena to the Indian government that since 25% of the ground work on the Port city is already completed, he would not able to stop the project. Further he has decided that the 80 acres to be given to China will be given on the basis of a 99 year lease.Read More