Families of disappeared in Syria want the search to continue on conflict's 14th anniversary
The United Nations in 2021 estimated that over 130,000 Syrians were taken away and disappeared, many of them detained by Bashar Assad's network of intelligence agencies as well as by opposition fighters and the extremist Islamic State group. Advocacy group The Syrian Campaign says some 112,000 are still missing to this day.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Israel and Gaza: Is It Genocide?
To the Editor: Re 'I'm a Scholar of Genocide. I Know It When I See It,' by Omer Bartov (Opinion guest essay, July 20): The charge of genocide against Israel is a deeply serious one — and, in my view, a misapplication of the term. Genocide, by definition, requires intent to destroy an ethnic or national group. Israel's stated and demonstrated intent is to dismantle Hamas, a terrorist organization that murdered about 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023, and continues to use civilians as shields. Civilian casualties in Gaza are heartbreaking, and Israel must be held accountable for its conduct. But equating this war — however devastating — with genocide oversimplifies a tragic, complex conflict. Israel has issued warnings, created evacuation routes and urged civilians to flee. These are not the actions of a genocidal regime. We can and must mourn innocent lives, advocate humanitarian aid and pursue peace. But we should also resist using terms that inflame rather than clarify. The world needs solutions rooted in truth, not accusations that blur moral and legal lines. Seth EisenbergFort Lauderdale, Fla. To the Editor: I applaud Omer Bartov for having the courage to write his guest essay, making the case that what we are witnessing in Gaza is indeed genocide. While not an academic, I came to the same conclusion as Dr. Bartov but have been apprehensive about expressing my views publicly. Having served with the United Nations in Cambodia, the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, I have seen ethnic cleansing and genocide firsthand on three continents. While the locales and situations are different, the hallmarks of these horrific acts are all the same. And what we are seeing in Gaza looks shockingly familiar to those who study this dark corner of history or who have witnessed it. Like Dr. Bartov, based on my experience in United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world, I know genocide when I see it. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
2 hours ago
UN concerned by Taliban's arrest of Afghan women and girls for dress code violations
ISLAMABAD -- The United Nations on Monday expressed concern about the Taliban's arrest of Afghan women and girls for their alleged failure to comply with the authorities' dress code. In May 2022, the Taliban government issued a decree calling for women to show only their eyes and recommending they wear a head-to-toe burqa. The Taliban, which returned to power in 2021, has cracked down on the way women dress and behave in public, notably through morality laws forbidding them to show their faces outside the home. The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said it was concerned by the arrest of 'numerous' women and girls in Kabul between July 16 and 19, who authorities claimed had not followed instructions on wearing the hijab, or the Islamic headscarf. 'These incidents serve to further isolate women and girls, contribute to a climate of fear, and erode public trust,' the mission added, without details including the number of arrests or the ages and where they have been held. The U.N. mission urged the Taliban government to ' rescind policies and practices ' that restrict women and girls' human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly the ban on education beyond sixth grade. A Taliban representative was not immediately available for comment. In January 2024, the country's Vice and Virtue Ministry said it had arrested women in the Afghan capital for wearing 'bad hijab.' A ministry spokesman, Abdul Ghafar Farooq, did not say how many women were arrested or what constituted bad hijab. The U.N. mission said at the time it was looking into claims of ill treatment of the women and extortion in exchange for their release. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces. Since then, the Taliban administration has sought international recognition while enforcing its interpretation of Islamic law. In July, Russia became the only country to grant formal recognition.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
UN concerned by Taliban's arrest of Afghan women for dress code violations
The United Nations has expressed concern about the Taliban's arrest of Afghan women and girls for their alleged failure to comply with dress code restrictions. In May 2022, the Taliban government issued a decree calling for women to show only their eyes and recommending they wear a head-to-toe burqa. The Taliban, which returned to power in 2021, has cracked down on the way women dress and behave in public, notably through morality laws forbidding them to show their faces outside the home. The UN mission in Afghanistan said it was concerned by the arrest of 'numerous' women and girls in Kabul between July 16 and 19, who authorities claimed had not followed instructions on wearing the hijab, or the Islamic headscarf. 'These incidents serve to further isolate women and girls, contribute to a climate of fear, and erode public trust,' the mission added, without details including the number of arrests or the ages and where they have been held. The UN mission urged the Taliban government to 'rescind policies and practices' that restrict women and girls' human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly the ban on education beyond sixth grade. A Taliban representative was not immediately available for comment. In January 2024, the country's Vice and Virtue Ministry said it had arrested women in the Afghan capital for wearing 'bad hijab'. A ministry spokesman, Abdul Ghafar Farooq, did not say how many women were arrested or what constituted bad hijab. The UN mission said at the time it was looking into claims of ill treatment of the women and extortion in exchange for their release. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US and Nato forces. Since then, the Taliban administration has sought international recognition while enforcing its interpretation of Islamic law. In July, Russia became the only country to grant formal recognition.
