Appeals court in Bosnia confirms sentence for Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik
The landmark ruling in Sarajevo came after a year-long trial that ended in February on charges that Dodik disobeyed the top international envoy overseeing peace in the country.
Dodik has repeatedly called for the separation of the Serb-run half of Bosnia to join neighboring Serbia, which prompted the former U.S. administration to impose sanctions against him and his allies. Dodik was also accused of corruption and pro-Russia policies.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Teacher who was called 'Islamophobic' and sacked after describing Lucy Connolly's prison sentence as two-tier policing says he has been victim of 'witch hunt'
A teacher branded 'Islamophobic' has been sacked after describing Lucy Connolly's prison sentence as an example of two-tier policing. Simon Pearson, a teacher at Preston College, has said he fell victim to an unfair 'witch hunt' which resulted in his dismissal from his position at Preston College. The 56-year-old, working as an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher at the higher education institution, was removed following an internal investigation. Connolly, wife of a Tory councillor, was given a 31-month sentence in October after pleading guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred in a social media post following last year's Southport riots. The post, which she later deleted, said: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care... if that makes me racist so be it.' In a Facebook post, Mr Pearson described Connolly's online comments as 'obviously wrong', but said that he believed her prison sentence was a 'two tier policy from the top down' and that she 'should not have been jailed', The Telegraph has reported. An internal investigation was launched following a complaint submitted by a Muslim representative of the National Education Union (NEU) at the school who alleged that the post was 'Islamophobic' and 'racially discriminatory'. Mr Pearson said that following the raised concern, he apologised and also claimed to have provided evidence of his support for both Muslim students and asylum seekers. Pictured: Mr Pearson's Facebook post that eventually resulted in his dismissal. Preston College's investigation deemed the posts a violation of its policies, damaging of professional relationships and likely to bring the college's reputation into disrepute However, the college's investigation deemed the posts a violation of its policies, damaging of professional relationships and likely to bring the college's reputation into disrepute. Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Pearson said he had been left 'appalled' by the decision, particularly given his life-long commitment to helping to support and educate students 'from all walks of life'. Describing his dismissal as a 'grave injustice', he added: 'As soon as I was branded 'Islamophobic' for expressing concern about violent crime, I became a marked man. 'It was clear that I had to be found guilty by the college, it became a witch hunt, and I had to be eliminated no matter what.' Mr Pearson, who has now launched legal action at an employment tribunal, has claimed wrongful dismissal, unfair dismissal, harassment and discrimination under the Equality Act of 2010. Lord Young of Acton, founder of the Free Speech Union, told The Telegraph that the decision to sack Mr Pearson was 'striking', criticising the NEU for 'siding with management and actively trying to get workers sacked'. A spokesperson for The Christian Legal Centre, supporting Mr Pearson, described the case as an indication of the 'dangerous consequences of the vague and weaponised use of the term 'Islamophobia'. They added: 'In a free and democratic society, we must be able to discuss public events and express concern about violence and injustice without fear of losing our livelihoods. 'The definition of Islamophobia is being used to silence legitimate speech and punish those who dare to speak out. We stand firmly behind this teacher and his right to freedom of expression.' Connolly, of Northampton, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court in October and imprisoned at HMP Drake Hall, Staffordshire after admitting to making her 'racist' post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The 42-year-old former childminder, wife of Tory councillor Ray Connolly, lost her 19-month-old son, Harry, in 2011. With around 9,000 followers on X at the time, Connolly's message was reposted 940 times and viewed 310,000 times before she deleted it around three and a half hours later. The mother-of-one was arrested on August 6 last year, by which point she had deleted her social media account. But other messages which included other condemning remarks were uncovered by officers who seized her phone. Her X post was made just hours after killer Axel Rudakubana murdered three young girls and attempted to murder 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29, sparking nationwide unrest. A number of public figures and politicians have spoken out since Connolly was handed her sentence, claiming that she is a victim of 'two-tier justice'. Connolly's husband, Raymond, a former West Northamptonshire Conservative councillor, said on the day she lost her appeal: 'Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she will release 40,000 prisoners, some of them dangerous men on tag. 'Lucy has not been allowed out on tag and she has been denied leave to see our child who is struggling. 'Today, the court had the opportunity to reduce her cruelly long and disproportionate sentence, but they refused. That feels like two-tier justice. 'The British people know all this is not right. They have given an amazing £81,000 so far to Lucy's crowd-funder. Despite today's upsetting setback, Lucy gets courage from everyone's kind support.' Mr Connolly had been a Tory West Northamptonshire district councillor but lost his seat in May. He remains on the town council. Connolly's supporters, including the Free Speech Union, argue that – as a woman with significant mitigating factors including the lack of previous convictions, a young daughter at home and the death of her baby son – Connolly's 285 days in custody already represent punishment enough. Adelle Healy, 42, who has been friends with Connolly for nine years, previously told the Daily Mail: 'Lucy was horrified and heartbroken that three little girls had been murdered. She let her emotions take over and wrote something that she definitely shouldn't have done but she has paid a very dear price. 'She should not be behind bars for a tweet. I think it's ludicrous that it's got to this point.' In May, Connolly lost an appeal to shorten her 31-month sentence despite telling the Court of Appeal in London that she 'never' intended to incite violence and did not realise that pleading guilty would mean she accepted that she had. Meanwhile, earlier this week, a friend of Connolly shared a post to X saying that she believed Connolly would be 'with a glass of Whispering Angel in-hand' this time next month, it expected that she could be released as early as August 21. The pal, who describes herself as a '"conspiracy" blonde', said: 'Missed a call whilst working today and not spoke to her for 2 weeks now... *HOWEVER* Happy to say that this time next month Lucy will be with a glass of Whispering Angel in-hand - And more importantly her family AT HOME.' She concluded the post with, 'What a year it's been...' The Southport atrocity sparked nationwide unrest, with several people - including Connolly - jailed as a result. Connolly's case received international interest with the White House saying in May it was ' monitoring' Connolly's case. The length of her sentence, which has seen her locked up alongside career crooks, has drawn bitter criticism from former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party, as well as a raft of free speech advocates for being unduly harsh. Reform's Richard Tice even previously proposed a bill - named 'Lucy's Bill' - which would allow people to mount mass appeals against punishments they deem to be too severe or lenient. A spokesperson for the NEU said: 'The management of Preston College reached a decision to dismiss the teacher following disciplinary procedures. 'The NEU was not directly involved in these processes and it will be for the Employment Tribunal to consider the fairness of the dismissal if and when the claim reaches a hearing.' Preston College and the Christian Legal Centre have both been approached for comment.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Dem Gov Jared Polis's VERY awkward reaction when questioned about Kamala running in 2028
As Kamala Harris reemerges into the political spotlight, other members of her party are signaling that she shouldn't be treated as their presumptive 2028 presidential nominee. During a Sunday morning appearance on CNN 's State of the Union, Democrat Governor Jared Polis of Colorado was asked to share his take on a potential repeat presidential run from 2024 nominee and former Vice President Kamala Harris. The show's guest host, Kasie Hunt, asked Polis if Harris was 'the right person to be the Democratic standard-bearer in 2028.' 'Well, it's about the message and what they run on, right? I haven't talked to Kamala about what her plans are,' Polis replied, kicking off the exchange. 'I think what we need is the ability to make sure that we can build that coalition of 55, 58 percent, win, win decisively, turn our back on this divisive Trumpian era of politics and move forward with an era of prosperity and opportunity for the American people,' the Colorado Governor continued, riffing on what qualifications his ideal nominee would have. Polis then added that he thinks 'it's great that many people will hopefully run to be able to audition to see who has that voice and who's able to get that done and win and, of course, govern effectively to improve our quality of life,' without explicitly mentioning Harris, or any other potential presidential contenders. Hunt then asked Polis if he was considering a 2028 run himself. 'It's not something I have looked at. I'm focused on governing,' the Colorado Governor replied, adding that he has another year-and-a-half left to serve in his current role. Harris is attempting to revitalize her public image after a devastating loss to President Donald Trump last year. Trump won every swing state and beat Harris with a total of 312 electoral votes to his opponent's 226. The former vice president announced last Wednesday that she would not be running for Governor of California in 2026, leaving the door open for a potential 2028 presidential bid. She followed up that announcement by previewing the release of an upcoming book about her 2024 campaign. The work is titled '107 Days,' and is set to be released in September. Harris has also twice in the last week teased that she is staying out of electoral politics 'for now.' 'For now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office,' she wrote in a statement on X, announcing that she would not be running for Governor of California. 'I look forward to getting back out and listening to the American people, helping elect Democrats across the nation who will fight fearlessly, and sharing more details in the months ahead about my own plans,' Harris added. The former vice president also appeared on Steven Colbert's 'The Late Show' on Thursday to promote her book in her first major televised post-election interview. Harris then doubled down on her perceptions of electoral politics, noting that she 'made the decision ... for now' to not 'go back in the system,' adding that she thinks 'it's broken.'
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
Teacher sacked after criticising ‘two-tier justice' in Lucy Connolly case
A teacher was sacked after saying Lucy Connolly 's prison sentence was an example of 'two-tier policing'. In a post on social media, Simon Pearson, 56, who teaches at Preston College said Connolly's online comments were 'obviously wrong' but she ' should not have been jailed '. But he was dismissed after an internal investigation, prompted by a complaint from a Muslim representative of the National Education Union (NEU) at the school, found his online posts had the potential to bring the college into disrepute. Mr Pearson told The Telegraph: 'I am appalled by the way I've been treated. I've dedicated my life to education and to supporting students from all walks of life. 'Yet as soon as I was branded 'Islamophobic' for expressing concern about violent crime, I became a marked man. It was clear that I had to be found guilty by the college, it became a witch hunt, and I had to be eliminated no matter what.' Mr Pearson is an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher at the further education college in Fulwood. Connolly was jailed in October last year after posting an online message on the day of the Southport murders, that read: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f---ing hotels full of the b------s for all I care, while you're at it take the treacherous government politicians with them.' The 42-year-old, who had lost a child of her own, deleted the post fewer than four hours later, but not before it had been viewed 310,000 times. Critics claimed her 15-month jail sentence was 'a clear example of two-tier justice '. Lord Young of Acton, founder of the Free Speech Union, said: 'The most striking aspect of this case is that the teacher was sacked at the behest of the NEU. 'Once upon a time, trade unions used to stick up for workers threatened with the sack for speaking out of turn. Now, they side with management and actively try to get workers sacked, including their dues-paying members.' In a post on Facebook, Mr Pearson described Connolly's comments as 'appalling' and 'obviously wrong'. He wrote: In another Facebook post, he discussed the Manchester Airport court case, writing: After Mr Pearson made the posts on social media, a Muslim representative of the National Education Union at Preston College submitted a formal complaint to the college, alleging that the Facebook posts were 'Islamophobic' and 'racially discriminatory'. Preston College bosses then launched an investigation. Mr Pearson apologised if he had offended anyone, and says he provided extensive evidence of his support for Muslim students and asylum seekers during this process. But the investigation concluded that the posts violated Preston College policies, damaged professional relationships, and had the potential to bring the college into disrepute. Mr Pearson has now started legal action, which has been filed at an employment tribunal, with claims of wrongful dismissal, unfair dismissal, harassment, and discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. He argues the posts were expressions of protected philosophical and Christian beliefs, including support for the rule of law, freedom of expression, and equal justice. Mr Pearson told The Telegraph: 'I cannot allow what has happened to me to go unchallenged. It is a grave injustice that should concern everybody who cares about freedom. 'I am determined to fight for justice and for the freedom to raise legitimate concerns in public and private as part of national debates on extremely serious issues that impact us all.' 'We need to cut their throats' Ricky Jones, 57, the Labour figure referred to in Mr Pearson's post, is actually a councillor. He was charged with encouraging violent disorder after he made a speech last year about 'disgusting Nazi fascists' and said 'we need to cut their throats and get rid of them'. Appearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court last September, Mr Jones pleaded not guilty to encouraging violent disorder. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, was convicted of assaulting PC Lydia Ward, causing actual bodily harm, and the assault of emergency worker PC Ellie Cook at Manchester Airport on July 23 last year after a three-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court. Mr Pearson's dismissal comes after Christian school administrator Kristie Higgs was sacked from her role at Farmor's School in Fairford, Gloucestershire, in 2019 for sharing Facebook posts criticising teaching about LGBT+ relationships in schools. In February, she won a Court of Appeal battle related to her dismissal, with three senior judges finding that the decision to sack her for gross misconduct was 'unlawfully discriminatory' and 'unquestionably a disproportionate response'. The Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting Mr Pearson, says the case raises critical questions about the balance between workplace conduct, personal beliefs, and the right to speak freely on matters of public concern. A spokesman for the Christian Legal Centre, said: 'This case highlights the dangerous consequences of the vague and weaponised use of the term 'Islamophobia'. 'In a free and democratic society, we must be able to discuss public events and express concern about violence and injustice without fear of losing our livelihoods. 'The definition of Islamophobia is being used to silence legitimate speech and punish those who dare to speak out. We stand firmly behind this teacher and his right to freedom of expression.'
