Latest news with #ViennaConvention
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cuba issues verbal warning to top US diplomat in Havana for 'disrespectful conduct'
By Dave Sherwood HAVANA (Reuters) -Cuba`s foreign ministry said on Friday it had issued a verbal warning to the top U.S. diplomat in Havana complaining of behavior it called "intervenionist," the latest escalation as tensions grow between the two long-time foes. Cuba said U.S. Chief of Mission Mike Hammer had incited "Cuban citizens to commit serious criminal acts, attack the constitutional order, or encourage them to act against the authorities," calling his actions a violation of the Vienna Convention norms on diplomatic relations. "The immunity he enjoys as a representative of his country cannot be used as cover for acts contrary to the sovereignty and internal order of the country to which he is accredited, in this case Cuba," the statement said. Hammer, a career U.S. diplomat who arrived in Cuba six months ago, has traveled the island widely to meet with political dissidents, raising the ire of the Cuban government, which accuses him of seeking to foment unrest. The U.S. State Department defended Hammer`s actions. "Chief of Mission Mike Hammer and the U.S. Embassy proudly represent President Trump by implementing an America First foreign policy and seeking accountability for the Cuban regime for its malign influence across the Americas," a State Department official said. "We will continue to meet with Cuban patriots, religious leaders, and those fighting for the freedoms of Cubans," the official said. The growing tensions come as Cubans confront the worst economic downturn in decades, a predicament the Cuban government blames on the Cold War-era U.S. embargo, a web of restrictions that impede financial transactions, trade, tourism and the import of fuel. Cuba`s decision to formally chastise Hammer comes just days the U.S. diplomat said in a press conference in Miami that the Trump administration was preparing further sanctions against the communist-run nation. Cuba has repeatedly criticized Hammer over months but has not impeded his travels across the island.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Cuba issues verbal warning to top US diplomat in Havana for 'disrespectful conduct'
Cars pass by Cuban and U.S. flags beside the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, May 13, 2024. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini/File Photo HAVANA - Cuba`s foreign ministry said on Friday it had issued a verbal warning to the top U.S. diplomat in Havana complaining of behavior it called "intervenionist," the latest escalation as tensions grow between the two long-time foes. Cuba said U.S. Chief of Mission Mike Hammer had incited "Cuban citizens to commit serious criminal acts, attack the constitutional order, or encourage them to act against the authorities," calling his actions a violation of the Vienna Convention norms on diplomatic relations. "The immunity he enjoys as a representative of his country cannot be used as cover for acts contrary to the sovereignty and internal order of the country to which he is accredited, in this case Cuba," the statement said. Hammer, a career U.S. diplomat who arrived in Cuba six months ago, has traveled the island widely to meet with political dissidents, raising the ire of the Cuban government, which accuses him of seeking to foment unrest. The U.S. State Department defended Hammer`s actions. "Chief of Mission Mike Hammer and the U.S. Embassy proudly represent President Trump by implementing an America First foreign policy and seeking accountability for the Cuban regime for its malign influence across the Americas," a State Department official said. "We will continue to meet with Cuban patriots, religious leaders, and those fighting for the freedoms of Cubans," the official said. The growing tensions come as Cubans confront the worst economic downturn in decades, a predicament the Cuban government blames on the Cold War-era U.S. embargo, a web of restrictions that impede financial transactions, trade, tourism and the import of fuel. Cuba`s decision to formally chastise Hammer comes just days the U.S. diplomat said in a press conference in Miami that the Trump administration was preparing further sanctions against the communist-run nation. Cuba has repeatedly criticized Hammer over months but has not impeded his travels across the island. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Egypt is illegally detaining Alaa Abd el-Fattah, UN investigation finds
British-Egyptian writer and activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah is being illegally detained in Egypt and should be released immediately, UN investigators have said. In a ruling from the United Nations' Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD), a panel of independent human rights experts found that Egyptian authorities have an obligation to release Mr el-Fattah immediately under international law. In a legal opinion shared with el-Fattah's lawyers, UNWGAD requested that the Egyptian government 'take the steps necessary to remedy the situation of Mr. Abd el-Fattah without delay'. The panel said: 'The appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Abd el-Fattah immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.' Mr el-Fattah has spent most of the last decade in prison. He been detained in Egypt since September 29, 2019, and in 2021 was handed an 'unjust' five-year prison sentence for sharing a social media post, according to Amnesty International. He was due to be released last September, but has remained in custody. The UNWGAD panel said Mr el-Fattah's continued imprisonment was illegal on four different grounds: the lack of a warrant at the time of his arrest, and lack of reasons for his arrest; being arrested for exercising freedom of expression; the lack of a fair trial; and the fact his detention was discriminatory, due to his political views. Mr el-Fattah's lawyer Can Yeginsu said: 'The UN Working Group has delivered a clear and unequivocal decision: Alaa Abd el-Fattah's detention is arbitrary and in breach of international law. Egypt is now obligated to release Alaa immediately." Mr Yeginsu said the British government now must take action to free Mr el-Fattah. "With Alaa's continued detention now confirmed as illegal under international law, we are calling on the British government to take Egypt to the International Court of Justice for breach of the Vienna Convention,' he said. 'For too long now the Egyptian regime has withheld access to a British citizen that they are holding illegally and it cannot be allowed to stand." Last week 100 MPs urged Sir Keir Starmer to 'deploy every tool' available to help free Mr El-Fattah, who at the time had been on hunger strike for more than 80 days. The cross-party group of parliamentarians argued in a letter that Mr el-Fattah was a 'political prisoner' who should have been released last year, and added he has been 'acutely unwell' in prison. Mr el-Fattah's mother, Laila Soueif, has been on hunger strike since her son's sentence was meant to end. 'We are requesting an urgent update on progress, given the serious risks both to his health and that of his mother Laila Soueif, who has been on hunger strike in support of him since September 2024,' the letter said.
Russia Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Drone targets Russian Embassy in NATO country
An unidentified drone flew over the Russian Embassy in the Swedish capital, Stockholm on Sunday and dropped a container of paint near the main entrance. According to a statement issued by the diplomats, the drone operators used a glass vessel which could have caused serious injuries had it struck anyone. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova urged Sweden to 'tame its ultras [radicals]' following the incident. 'Tomorrow, Stockholm will receive a note of protest. Sweden must tame its ultras, take control of the situation, and strictly observe the Vienna Convention,' Zakharova told TASS on Sunday. The embassy said these types of incidents have persisted for over a year, and that repeated appeals to Swedish police and the Foreign Ministry have not produced any results. It accused Stockholm of ignoring its obligations under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which requires host countries to protect foreign embassies and their personnel. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Russian diplomatic missions have been frequently harassed, with vandals throwing eggs or defacing buildings with spray paint. In January, a Ukrainian citizen living in Sweden rammed his vehicle into the embassy gates. The same individual previously targeted Russian diplomatic premises in 2015 and 2018. In April, paint cans were dropped in front of the embassy's auxiliary building and residential compound, which includes a school. 'The probes into the previous incidents allegedly conducted by Swedish law enforcement yielded no results,' the embassy said at the time. The diplomats noted that the incident in April was the 11th in the past year.
India.com
6 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Is Pakistan's High Commission In Delhi A Spy Nest In Diplomatic Disguise?
New Delhi: Is Pakistan running spy networks with immunity from its manicured lawns in New Delhi under the guise of diplomacy? Revelations from top intelligence sources claim that the Pakistan High Commission is serving as a covert command centre for the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) – turning visa desks into espionage recruitment hubs and exploiting diplomatic immunity to wage a silent war on Indian soil. The visa counters, which allegedly work for undercover ISI operatives, are not just stamping papers. They are screening citizens for potential saboteurs and a network of informants. Requesting a local SIM card from applicants, a seemingly mundane ask, becomes the entry ticket into a spider web of espionage. A 'yes' marks you as pliable. The next thing you know, you are passing military site photos or GPS coordinates to people you will never meet. The ISI has reportedly turned the high commission into a tactical operation zone. Public-facing departments such as visa issuance and grievance redressal have become strategic placement points. Their mission is to exploit and recruit operatives. Embedded within the mission and protected by diplomatic immunity, ISI agents are mapping India's security infrastructure. Sources claim the staff have been zeroing in on economically marginalised and and aggrieved communities in states like Uttar Pradesh whwre there is social unrest, poverty and employment. Their pitch? Not ideology, but opportunity. Poverty and injustice become pressure points and are weaponised by trained handlers who know exactly what buttons to push. 'People are being lured into espionage without even knowing they are part of larger conspiracy,' said a source and added, 'Some know exactly what they are doing.' It often starts with the High Commission's visa office. In the name of 'document verification' and paperwork delays, ISI officials allegedly examine applicant's pliability. Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra's arrest is just the beginning. She allegedly filmed 'vlogs' from security-sensitive areas and masked surveillance as social content. She is not alone. Reports suggest a surge in social media influencers moonlighting as unwitting informants – traded like tokens in a deadly intelligence game. Consider this: Mohammad Tarif, a resident of Nuh district, allegedly confessed to giving a SIM card to a High Commission employee. He reportedly even crossed into Pakistan. His case is not an outlier, it is a blueprint. Once you are in, the tasks escalate – survey troop movement, snap border fencing, report train schedules, etc. It is death by a thousand favors, each more damning than the last. Protected by the Vienna Convention, embassy staff cannot be easily persecuted or even interrogated even if intelligence agencies identify their roles in espionage. This immunity leads ISI operatives to act with impunity. To keep their operations away from the radar, ISI handlers rarely contact recruits directly in India. Instead, they funnel commands through middlemen based in countries like Nepal and the UAE. This layered system makes detection almost impossible, until someone slips. So, for how long will India tolerate what appears to be a foreign intelligence outfit operating with immunity under the veil of diplomacy? This is not only a border issue. It is a national security crisis festering in Lutyens' Delhi. And if the allegations are true, India is not dealing with diplomacy. It is fighting a silent invasion.
