Latest news with #Shia
France 24
2 days ago
- General
- France 24
Syrian pro-Assad fighter jailed for life in Germany for crimes against humanity
A German court on Tuesday convicted a Syrian man of crimes against humanity and jailed him for life over offences committed during his time fighting for former President Bashar al-Assad. The court in the city of Stuttgart found the former militiaman, previously named as Ammar A, guilty of crimes including murder and torture after a trial which involved testimony from 30 witnesses. Shortly after the outbreak of anti-Assad protests in early 2011, the man joined a pro-government Shia militia in the southern town of Bosra al-Sham. The court said that the group was supported by the Lebanese Shia Hezbollah group, which intervened in Syria's conflict in support of Assad's government. He proceeded to take part in, and in some cases direct, several crimes against the local Sunni population with the aim of "terrorising" them and driving them from the town, the court found. In August 2012, an unarmed 21-year-old student was shot dead and had his house plundered during a raid by the militia. The victim's mother and brother were among the witnesses for the prosecution. In another incident in 2013 the armed group arrested three men and beat them continuously with Kalashnikovs while taking them to a military intelligence detention facility, where they were tortured. The court heard from witnesses -- most of them originally from Syria -- who travelled from across Germany and from Brazil, Belgium and the Netherlands to testify. Assad was overthrown in December 2024, allowing witnesses to provide the court with images of the detention facilities they were held in and the damage that the militia caused to their houses. Local media reported that at the beginning of the trial in October one of the victims present in the courtroom broke down as details of the crimes were read out. German authorities have pursued several suspects for crimes committed in Syria's civil war under the principle of universal jurisdiction, even after Assad's ousting. The man convicted on Tuesday was arrested in December 2023 in the southern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, of which Stuttgart is the capital. In 2022, former Syrian colonel Anwar Raslan was found guilty of overseeing the murders of 27 people and the torture of 4,000 others at the notorious Al-Khatib jail in 2011 and 2012. That was the first international trial over state-sponsored torture in Syrian prisons and was hailed as "historic" by human rights activists. France and Sweden.
The Sun
2 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Syrian pro-Assad fighter jailed for life in Germany for crimes against humanity
BERLIN: A German court on Tuesday convicted a Syrian man of crimes against humanity and jailed him for life over offences committed during his time fighting for former President Bashar al-Assad. The court in the city of Stuttgart found the former militiaman guilty of crimes including murder and torture after a trial which involved testimony from 30 witnesses. Shortly after the outbreak of anti-Assad protests in early 2011, the man joined a pro-government Shia militia in the southern town of Bosra al-Sham. He proceeded to take part in several crimes against the local Sunni population with the aim of 'terrorising' them and driving them from the town, the court found. German authorities have pursued several suspects for crimes committed in Syria's civil war under the principle of universal jurisdiction, even after Assad's ouster last December. In 2022, former Syrian colonel Anwar Raslan was found guilty of overseeing the murders of 27 people and the torture of 4,000 others at the notorious Al-Khatib jail in 2011 and 2012. That was the first international trial over state-sponsored torture in Syrian prisons and was hailed as 'historic' by human rights activists.
India.com
28-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Trump claims Canada 'considering' in joining US as 51st state in exchange for free access to...
Make a deal or be ready for..., US president Donald Trump issues ultimatum to…, what will Shia nation do now? US President Donald Trump has made a surprising statement, claiming that Canada is thinking about joining the United States as its 51st state in exchange for free access to the new 'Golden Dome' missile defense system, which he recently announced. Posting on Truth Social, Trump said, 'Canada wants to be part of our amazing Golden Dome system. I told them it would cost them USD 61 billion if they stay a separate country but it would be completely free if they become our 51st state.' He ended the post by saying, 'They're considering it!'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hezbollah seeks boost in Lebanon vote as disarmament calls grow
By Laila Bassam and Emilie Madi NABATIEH, Lebanon (Reuters) - Amid the rubble left by Israeli bombardment of south Lebanon, campaign posters urge support for Hezbollah in elections on Saturday as the group aims to show it retains political clout despite the pounding it took in last year's war. For Hezbollah, the local vote is more important than ever, coinciding with mounting calls for its disarmament and continued Israeli airstrikes, and as many of its Shi'ite Muslim constituents still suffer the repercussions of the conflict. Three rounds of voting already held this month have gone well for the Iran-backed group. In the south, many races won't be contested, handing Hezbollah and its allies early wins. "We will vote with blood," said Ali Tabaja, 21, indicating loyalty to Hezbollah. He'll be voting in the city of Nabatieh rather than his village of Adaisseh because it is destroyed. "It's a desert," he said. The south's rubble-strewn landscape reflects the devastating impact of the war, which began when Hezbollah opened fire in support of Hamas at the start in October 2023 of the Gaza conflict and culminated in a major Israeli offensive. Hezbollah emerged a shadow of its former self, with its leaders and thousands of its fighters killed, its influence over the Lebanese state greatly diminished, and its Lebanese opponents gaining sway. In a measure of how far the tables have turned, the new government has declared it aims to establish a state monopoly on arms, meaning Hezbollah should disarm - as stipulated by the U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Israel. Against this backdrop, the election results so far indicate "the war didn't achieve the objective of downgrading Hezbollah's popularity in the community", said Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center, a think tank. "On the contrary, many Shia now feel their fate is tied to Hezbollah's fate." Hezbollah's arms have long been a source of division in Lebanon, sparking a brief civil conflict in 2008. Critics say Hezbollah has unilaterally dragged Lebanon into hostilities. Foreign Minister Youssef Raji, a Hezbollah opponent, has said that Lebanon has been told there will be no reconstruction aid from foreign donors until the state establishes a monopoly on arms. Hezbollah, in turn, has put the onus on the government over reconstruction and accuses it of failing to take steps on that front, despite promises that the government is committed to it. DISARMAMENT TERMS Hage Ali said that conditioning reconstruction aid on disarmament was intended to expedite the process, but "it's difficult to see Hezbollah accepting this". Hezbollah says its weapons are now gone from the south, but links any discussion of its remaining arsenal to Israel's withdrawal from five positions it still holds, and an end to Israeli attacks. Israel says Hezbollah still has combat infrastructure including rocket launchers in the south, calling this "blatant violations of understandings between Israel and Lebanon". A French diplomatic source said reconstruction would not materialise if Israel continues striking and the Lebanese government does not act fast enough on disarmament. Donors also want Beirut to enact economic reforms. Hashem Haidar, head of the government's Council for the South, said the state lacks the funds to rebuild, but cited progress in rubble removal. Lebanon needs $11 billion for reconstruction and recovery, the World Bank estimates. In Nabatieh, a pile of rubble marks the spot where 71-year-old Khalil Tarhini's store once stood. It was one of dozens destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Nabatieh's central market. He has received no compensation, and sees little point in voting. Expressing a sense of abandonment, he said: "The state did not stand by us." The situation was very different in 2006, after a previous Hezbollah-Israel war. Aid flowed from Iran and Gulf Arab states. Hezbollah says it has aided 400,000 people, paying for rent, furniture and renovations. But the funds at its disposal appear well short of 2006, recipients say. Hezbollah says state authorities have obstructed funds arriving from Iran, though Tehran is also more financially strapped than two decades ago due to tougher U.S. sanctions and the reimposition of a "maximum pressure" policy by Washington. As for Gulf states, their spending on Lebanon dried up as Hezbollah became embroiled in regional conflicts and they declared it a terrorist group in 2016. Saudi Arabia has echoed the Lebanese government's position of calling for a state monopoly of arms. Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said it was up to the government to secure reconstruction funding and that it was failing to take "serious steps" to get the process on track. He warned that the issue risked deepening divisions in Lebanon if unaddressed. "How can one part of the nation be stable while another is in pain?" he said, referring to Shi'ites in the south and other areas, including Beirut's Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs, hard hit by Israel. (Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris, Tom Perry in Beirut and Maha El Dahan in Dubai; writing by Tom Perry; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Member of N. Irish rap group Kneecap, accused of displaying Hezbollah flag, charged with terrorism offense
A rapper from Northern Ireland who has criticized Israel's war in Gaza was charged with a terrorism offense after he was accused of displaying the flag of the Hezbollah militant group, British authorities said Wednesday. London's Metropolitan Police accused Liam O'Hanna, 27, who performs as Mo Chara in the hip-hop trio Kneecap, of violating a provision in the country's terrorism law that bans people from displaying flags 'in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter' of groups the United Kingdom considers terrorists. The Met said it launched an investigation after it learned of an online video last month that showed O'Hanna displaying the flag of Hezbollah at a venue north of London on Nov. 21. Representatives for Kneecap did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday night. Hezbollah, a Shia political party and militant organization based in Lebanon, has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, the U.K. and other countries over its militant activities and its ties to Iran. The group expressed support for Hamas' attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and began launching rockets, drones and missiles into Israel soon after. The conflict exploded into a war that has killed thousands of people in Lebanon and displaced tens of thousands more in Israel. After Wednesday's announcement, Kneecap's X account posted a previous interview with O'Hanna in which he said, 'I don't want to be 80, 90 years of age and my grandkids asking me, 'Why did nobody do anything about the Palestinian genocide?' And me sitting there being like, 'F---, I didn't do enough.' I don't want to be on that side of history.' 'We are clearer than ever on who we are and what we stand for,' the post added. More than 53,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its bombing campaign and ground invasion after Hamas' terrorist attack, according to health officials in the enclave. The attack killed more than 1,200 people in Israel, and hundreds more were taken hostage by Hamas militants, according to Israeli tallies. After a weekslong ceasefire fell apart in March, Israel resumed its bombardment of the enclave, including a series of assaults that killed 300 people in 72 hours this month. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was "moving toward full control" of Gaza. Kneecap has described criticism of its outspoken views about the war in Gaza as a "coordinated smear campaign" by those who "want to silence criticism of a mass slaughter. They weaponize false accusations of antisemitism to distract, confuse, and provide cover for genocide.' After the group performed at Coachella last month in front of a screen that said, 'F--- Israel, Free Palestine," the organizers behind Israel's Tribe of Nova music festival, where hundreds of people were killed in the October 2023 attack, said Kneecap's messaging was "an affront made even more painful in light of the massacre." "We invite the members of Kneecap to visit the Nova Exhibition in Toronto and experience firsthand the stories of those who were murdered, those who survived, and those are still being held hostage," the organizers said. "Not to shame or silence — but to connect. To witness. To understand." O'Hanna is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18, the Met said. This article was originally published on
