Latest news with #BRAS
Hindustan Times
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
BLA eliminates Pak Army backed leader amid disappearance and drug allegations
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for a remote-controlled IED attack that killed Muhammad Ameen, a major member of an alleged Pakistani army-backed killing squad, and his son. The BLA accused Ameen of taking part in military operations, enforced disappearances, and targeted assassinations in the Zamuran region. Agent Muhammad Ameen, a prominent agent of the occupying Pakistani army's so-called killing squad, and his son were both neutralised by Baloch Liberation Army fighters. BLA liberation fighters used a remote-controlled IED to assault enemy agent Muhammad Ameen's truck. As a result, he was neutralised alongside his son, Naveed Ameen, and his vehicle was destroyed, according to BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch. Agent Ameen was personally involved in aiding military aggression in Zamuran and its surroundings, as well as enforced disappearances and deliberate killings of young people. In exchange for these atrocities, this gang had complete freedom from the invading army to market drugs. The same gang, led by Muhammad Ameen, was directly responsible for the martyrdom of "BRAS" liberation fighters. In July 2018, Hussain Shahsawar alias Chesal and Hanif Lal alias Ustad Shohaz were killed in Zamuran's Jalagi region. In January 2020, this group was implicated in the martyrdom of Majid Baloch alias Saleem, Miran Baloch alias Dad Jan, Shakeel Baloch alias Jeeyand, Daulat Baloch alias Baran, and Yousuf Baloch alias Doda in the Naag area, according to Jeeyand Baloch. The Baloch people have faced systematic oppression and torture through the misuse of several laws, particularly in regions like Pakistan's Balochistan. Laws such as the Anti-Terrorism Act and special security ordinances have been used to justify arbitrary arrests, prolonged detention without trial, and denial of basic legal rights. Under these laws, security forces often operate with broad powers and legal immunity, leading to widespread reports of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture, including physical and psychological abuse. Military courts and special tribunals frequently try Baloch activists without fair trial standards, further denying them justice. Additionally, media censorship laws suppress Baloch voices and conceal these abuses from the public, perpetuating a cycle of violence and impunity against the Baloch people.
CBC
06-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Quebec proposes bill banning safe consumption sites within 150m of a school
The Quebec government has tabled a bill that would bar supervised drug consumption sites from being established within 150 metres of a school or daycare. Bill 103, presented by Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant on Tuesday, would also allow the Health Ministry to set conditions on supervised consumption sites around cleanliness and safety, which, if unmet, could see their authorization revoked. "The spirit behind this bill," he said, "is that people don't consume and sell drugs outside the site. That's the problem I hear about when I go to [these sites]." The bill follows backlash to supervised drug consumption sites across Canada, including the Maison Benoît-Labre, a supervised drug use site and homeless shelter in Montreal's Sud-Ouest borough, which is located less than 100 metres from an elementary school and daycare. Parents and nearby residents have flagged concerns about the area, and police statistics have shown that crime spiked around the Maison Benoît-Labre after the centre opened its supervised drug consumption site and day centre on Notre-Dame Street West. The new bill will require these sites to be reauthorized by Santé Quebec every four years. There are 14 supervised consumption sites in Quebec. Two of them, the Maison Benoît-Labre and BRAS in the Outaouais region, are within the 150-metre radius of a school or daycare centre and would not, if the bill is passed, receive reauthorization after four years. But Carmant said the four-year period should allow those centres time to move. He said Quebec will likely need more supervised drug consumption sites as it faces the scourge of the toxic drug crisis. There were 645 reported drug overdose deaths in Quebec in 2024. "We believe in the use of these sites and I think we've made a strong effort to have a balanced bill," Carmant said. Michael MacKenzie, a professor of social work and pediatrics at McGill University who also lives near the Maison Benoît-Labre, said the issues in the community stem not from the safe consumption site nor the transitional housing services. Rather, it is the day services and people congregating around the centre that have caused issues. MacKenzie, who notes that he is in favour of safe supply, said there is nothing in the bill that will improve the situation around the centre. "I'm not seeing anything in the new legislation where the minister is seeking to use his authority to hold organizations they fund accountable for their impacts on the community," he said.
