20 Palestinians killed at Gaza aid distribution site, says Israeli-backed aid group
The Gaza Humanitarian Fund said 19 people were trampled in a stampede and one person was fatally stabbed in the violence at a distribution hub in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
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24 minutes ago
As Haiti turns to lethal drones to fight gangs, Canada is among those who are uneasy
Haiti's battle against criminal gangs has leaned into the lethal use of drones this year, with senior officials defending the tactic that some outside parties, including Canada's government, have voiced qualms about. The embattled Caribbean nation has been struggling to expel the powerful armed gangs that senior United Nations officials say (new window) have taken near-total control of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The gangs' reach extends beyond the capital, though, with violence surging in Haiti's central region, where three police officers and two civilians were slain (new window) this week. The Haitian National Police (HNP) is one player in the effort to oust these gangs, and the country is also receiving some support on this front from a UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police (new window) . But the state has also looked to drones to both conduct surveillance on gangs and to strike them. Enlarge image (new window) A Kenyan police officer patrols the area near the international airport in Port-au-Prince on July 3, 2024. The Haitian National Police is receiving some support in fighting gangs from a United Nations-backed mission led by Kenyan police. Photo: Associated Press / Odelyn Joseph These strikes, led by a government-created task force and supported by private contractors (new window) , have drawn media attention (new window) for months — including when a prominent gang leader, Jimmy Barbecue Chérizier, said he'd survived a strike (new window) involving explosive drones. The population has had it up to here, and the government cannot just sit and watch, Fritz Alphonse Jean, chair of Haiti's transitional presidential council, told the Financial Times (new window) earlier this month, arguing the strikes are needed to defeat the gangs. Gangs have 'near-total control' in Haiti, UN warns (new window) Yet some observers believe the use of drones to hit back against the gangs falls short of a legal standard for the use of such weapons, even if Haiti faces sustained pressure from those adversaries. The intentional use of lethal force by law enforcement is legal under international human rights law only when it is strictly unavoidable to protect life [when] facing an imminent threat, and as a last resort when other less lethal alternatives — such as capture or non-lethal incapacitation — have been exhausted, William O'Neill, the UN's designated expert on human rights in Haiti, recently told the Economist (new window) . Canada has donated drones for non-lethal use That raises questions for Canada, which has provided drones to Haiti — though not of a type designed for lethal use, according to the federal government. Canada has donated surveillance drones to the Haitian National Police with the intent to help reduce the danger faced by uniformed officers as they conduct patrols, Global Affairs Canada told CBC News in a statement. None of the drone models that have been provided by Canada were designed or intended for lethal use or load transport. Enlarge image (new window) People take cover from gunfire during clashes between police and gangs in the Delmas neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince on Dec. 2, 2024. Photo: Associated Press / Odelyn Joseph That said, Canada "is concerned by reports of extrajudicial executions (new window) , which are a violation of international human rights law, and continues to call on Haiti to respect all domestic and international laws in its efforts to restore security in the country, including in its use of drones." Global Affairs Canada did not clarify if Ottawa definitively knows of cases in which Canadian-provided drones have been used for lethal purposes in Haiti. But it said Haiti had agreed that the equipment provided would not be used to commit or facilitate any violation of international humanitarian law or international human rights law. Diego Da Rin, a Haiti analyst with the International Crisis Group, a global think-tank, said the HNP needs these tools for surveillance, particularly because gangs are using them for the same purpose. Several gangs have been using drones to collect intelligence to conduct operations, he said in a telephone interview, noting these gangs are not known to be using strike drones. The Réseau National de Défense des Droits Humains , a local human rights group, said in June that it believed the state's drone strikes had killed at least 300 gang members (new window) and wounded another 400. Enlarge image (new window) A neighbourhood watch member walks outside a police station in a residential area after gangs torched homes amid a surge in violence, in Furcy, Haiti, on June 24. Photo: Reuters / Jean Feguens Regala CBC News asked the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) whether it has concerns about the lethal use of drones by Haitian forces against gangs within the country. Regarding the lethal use of force by law enforcement in operations, it should be conducted in respect of human rights and adhere to the principles of necessity, proportionality, and precaution, spokesperson Mathias Gillmann said in an email. Gillmann said a communication channel had been established with the HNP's General Inspectorate through which documented cases of human rights violations potentially involving police officers are referred for further investigation and the adoption of appropriate administrative and legal measures. Prolonged instability Haiti has faced years of instability following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse (new window) in July 2021. The country has not had a president since. Ariel Henry, who served as acting prime minister and led Haiti's government (new window) after Moïse's assassination, stepped down from his role after gang-driven turmoil erupted (new window) while he was outside the country. WATCH | Canada's ambassador to Haiti on surging gang violence: A transitional council took power after Henry's departure (new window) . The council appointed Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as prime minister (new window) last November. The challenges the government faces in quelling the gangs were on display on Wednesday, as a police union demanded officials do more to protect officers on the ground. The government does not give the police any importance. If they took this seriously, they would have made the means and support available to the police and the military to end the insecurity, the SPNH-17 union said, in the wake of the killing of the three officers in central Haiti. Too many police officers have fallen. The transitional presidential council said the government was mobilizing all necessary resources to investigate the killings and honour the memory of those slain. Geoff Nixon (new window) · CBC News Geoff Nixon is a writer on CBC's national digital desk in Toronto. He has covered a wealth of topics, from real estate to technology to world events. With files from The Associated Press
Toronto Star
35 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
French court upholds some of Syrian ex-leader Bashar Assad's legal protections
PARIS (AP) — France's highest court on Friday ruled that ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad had head of state immunity while he was in office and couldn't be prosecuted on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. But the Cour de Cassation said that since Assad is no longer in power, 'new arrest warrants may have been or may be issued against him for acts that may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.'
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Acquaintance of suspect in Taylor Swift concert plot convicted at trial in Austria
VIENNA (AP) — An Austrian court on Friday convicted an acquaintance of the main suspect in last year's foiled plan to attack Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna on terrorism charges unrelated to the plot and sentenced him to two years in prison. The state court in Wiener Neustadt convicted the 18-year-old defendant, whose name was given only as Luca K. in line with local privacy rules, of involvement with a terrorist organization and criminal organization, the Austria Press Agency reported. He largely admitted to the accusations, which included sharing propaganda of the Islamic State group and glorifying an IS sympathizer who killed four people in Vienna in 2020. The suspect, who converted to Islam in 2022, was arrested shortly before the planned Swift concerts in August last year but was not charged with involvement in the plot. Defense lawyer Michael Dorn said he wasn't the closest friend of Beran A., the 20-year-old main suspect, who remains under investigation. The defendant said he now sees his actions as a mistake and is glad he was arrested, APA reported. 'I have had a daughter, now I see life more seriously,' he added. The time he has spent in custody will be deducted from the sentence. The verdict can be appealed.
