Latest news with #prodemocracy
NHK
12 hours ago
- General
- NHK
Myanmar's military extends ceasefire until June 30
Myanmar's ruling military has extended a ceasefire with pro-democracy forces until June 30. The extension was announced on Saturday. The military and pro-democracy forces separately declared a temporary ceasefire after a major earthquake struck central Myanmar in March. The aim was to prioritize relief efforts. Fighting has continued since the military coup in 2021. The military says March's quake has left more than 3,700 people dead and over 5,000 injured. It also says it decided on the latest extension to speed up the reconstruction and rehabilitation of affected areas. But a source from the pro-democracy camp told NHK that the military's ceasefire declaration is false and unacceptable, as the military is attacking schools, hospitals and other places where people gather. In May, the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations issued a statement calling for the extension and expansion of the ceasefire in Myanmar. But it remains uncertain whether the ceasefire will hold, as fighting appears to be ongoing. Local media reported last month that a military airstrike on a school in the northwestern region of Sagaing killed more than 20 children.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Mother of jailed Egyptian democracy activist hospitalized after resuming hunger strike
LONDON — The mother of a pro-democracy activist imprisoned in Egypt is seriously ill in a London hospital after resuming a hunger strike aimed at pressing for her son's release, her family said Friday. Laila Soueif was admitted to St Thomas's Hospital on Thursday night with dangerously low blood sugar levels.
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Hong Kong frees four more pro-democracy activists jailed in national security trial
Four more of the '47 democrats' jailed in the Hong Kong national security trial were released on Friday, ending over four years of incarceration. The second group of pro-democracy activists to be released in a month, they were convicted of hatching a conspiracy to commit subversion by organising an unofficial primary election in July 2020. They were sentenced last November. Jimmy Sham and fellow former district councillors Kinda Li, Roy Tam and Henry Wong left prison in the early hours of Friday in a seven-seater vehicle with curtains drawn. They went straight to their residences, Hong Kong Free Press reported. Mr Sham led one of Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy groups, the Civil Human Rights Front, which was disbanded in 2021. The group had helped organise big marches during the pro-democracy protests of 2019 which grew violent at times and had a major impact on business and tourism. "Let me spend some time with my family," he said after reaching home in Kowloon. "I don't know how to plan ahead because, to me, it feels like today is my first day of understanding the world again. So, as for what I can do or should do in the future or where is the red line, I feel like I need to explore and figure it out all over again.' The pro-democracy activists were found guilty of organising an unofficial "primary election" in 2020 to pick candidates for a legislative election that was later postponed. The prosecutors said the activists were plotting to paralyse the government by engaging in potentially disruptive acts once elected. Their trial under the national security law was denounced as 'politically motivated' by the US and its allies who demanded their release. Beijing and Hong Kong rejected the allegations saying everyone was equal under the law and these activists had received a fair trial. In late April, Hong Kong had released former lawmakers Claudia Mo, Kwok Ka-Ki, Jeremy Tam, and Gary Fan from prison. China has cracked down heavily on opposition groups in Hong Kong since the 2019 protests and also targeted the liberal civil society and media outlets under sweeping and contentious national security laws imposed in 2020. Of the '47 democrats' arrested in the wake of the 2019 protests, 45 were convicted following a marathon trial and given sentences as long as 10 years. Two were acquitted.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hong Kong pro-democracy and gay rights activist Jimmy Sham released after 4 years in prison
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong's prominent pro-democracy and LGBTQ+ activist Jimmy Sham was released from prison on Friday after serving over four years in the city's biggest national security case under a Beijing-imposed law. Sham's activism made headlines during 2019 anti-government protests, when he was the convenor of a now-disbanded pro-democracy group that organized some of the biggest peaceful marches that year, including one that drew an estimated 2 million people. Sham was among 47 activists arrested in 2021 for their roles in an unofficial primary election. He was sentenced with 44 other activists last year after judges ruled that their plans to effect change through the primary would have undermined the government's authority and create a constitutional crisis. Only two of the original defendants were acquitted. Even behind bars, Sham continued to fight for recognition of his same-sex marriage registered overseas at the city's top court, which later ruled the government should provide a framework for recognizing same-sex partnerships. It was a landmark decision for the city's LGBTQ+ community. 'I feel happy. No matter whether there's a change in (my) freedom, I am definitely freer compared to yesterday,' Sham told reporters Friday after he was reunited with his family. 'But I also know many people are suffering. This makes me feel I shouldn't be too happy.' Asked if police had warned him not to talk to anyone, he said he censored himself on some sensitive questions. Sham also sounded unsure whether he was a free man. 'Maybe tomorrow, you still can see me, I am free. Maybe tomorrow, I will go back to the jail. I don't know,' he said. The activist said he has no plans to leave Hong Kong for now. "So what I can do in the future and what I should, and where the red line lies, I still have to figure it out again.' Sham and three other activists freed on Friday — Kinda Li, Roy Tam and Henry Wong — are the second batch to be reunited with their families, following the release of four pro-democracy lawmakers last month. The years of separation have pained the activists and their relatives. The case involved democracy advocates across the spectrum. They include legal scholar Benny Tai, who got a 10-year prison term, and former student leader Joshua Wong, who has to serve four years and eight months. Critics said the national security law has effectively crushed the city's pro-democracy movement, but Beijing and Hong Kong governments insist it brought back stability to the city.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Hong Kong pro-democracy and gay rights activist Jimmy Sham released after 4 years in prison
HONG KONG — Hong Kong's prominent pro-democracy and LGBTQ+ activist Jimmy Sham was released from prison on Friday after serving over four years in the city's biggest national security case under a Beijing-imposed law. Sham's activism made headlines during 2019 anti-government protests, when he was the convenor of a now-disbanded pro-democracy group that organized some of the biggest peaceful marches that year, including one that drew an estimated 2 million people.
