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Scholar Ramadan to face Geneva rape trial: prosecutors

Scholar Ramadan to face Geneva rape trial: prosecutors
Tariq Ramadan was a professor of contemporary Islamic studies at Oxford until he was forced to take leave when rape allegations surfaced at the height of the “Me Too” movement in 2017. (AFP)
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Updated 05 December 2022
AFP

Scholar Ramadan to face Geneva rape trial: prosecutors

Scholar Ramadan to face Geneva rape trial: prosecutors
  • A Swiss national and former professor at Oxford University, Ramadan has faced a string of rape and sexual assault allegations in France and Switzerland since 2017
  • The Swiss investigation has moved slowly, since Ramadan was initially in pre-trial detention in Paris over other rape allegations and could not be questioned
Updated 05 December 2022
AFP

GENEVA: Embattled Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan will go on trial for rape in Geneva next year, over a case dating back more than 14 years, the prosecution said on Monday.
A Swiss national and former professor at Oxford University, Ramadan has faced a string of rape and sexual assault allegations in France and Switzerland since 2017.
The Geneva judiciary said in the current case Ramadan had been charged with rape and sexual coercion, and would be tried before the Geneva criminal court, confirming information first published by Swiss broadcaster RTS.
The accuser in this case, named simply “Brigitte” by Swiss media, has accused the now 60-year-old scholar of brutally attacking her on the evening of October 28, 2008.
The Muslim convert, who had met Ramadan a month earlier during a book signing, accuses him of subjecting her to sexual attacks, beatings and insults in a Geneva hotel room.
She waited a decade before coming forward, filing her complaint in April 2018.
Her lawyer, Francois Zimeray, told AFP his client was fearful as she brought the case.
“She feels no desire for revenge but is relieved and is putting her faith in the institutions,” he said, adding that he expected the trial to take place during the first half of 2023.
Ramadan’s lawyer, Guerric Canonica, meanwhile alleged on Monday that the prosecution had simply “copied the complaint without considering disqualifying elements.”
“It is now up to the judges to re-establish Mr. Ramadan’s complete innocence and we are serenely waiting for our day in court,” he told AFP.
Ramadan, who has previously filed a complaint against Brigitte for slander, is a father of four whose grandfather founded Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
He was a professor of contemporary Islamic studies at Oxford University until he was forced to take leave when rape allegations surfaced at the height of the “Me Too” movement in 2017.
The Swiss investigation has moved slowly, since Ramadan was initially in pre-trial detention in Paris over other rape allegations and could not be questioned.
After he was released in November 2018, he was put on probation and barred from leaving France.
Swiss prosecutors went to Paris to question him, and once the probation was partially lifted, Ramadan traveled to Geneva for witness hearings in 2020.

Topics: Switzerland France Tariq Ramadan

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Humza Yousaf sworn in as Scotland’s leader as bid for unity falters

Humza Yousaf sworn in as Scotland’s leader as bid for unity falters
Updated 7 sec ago

Humza Yousaf sworn in as Scotland’s leader as bid for unity falters

Humza Yousaf sworn in as Scotland’s leader as bid for unity falters
Updated 7 sec ago
LONDON: Humza Yousaf was sworn in as Scotland’s new leader on Wednesday in a ceremony that blended formal tradition with his Pakistani heritage before he announces appointments to his cabinet that risk worsening the deep divisions in his governing party.
Yousaf, the first Muslim to lead a democratic western European nation, was dressed in a black shalwar kameez at Scotland’s highest court, the Court of Session in Edinburgh, as his family watched on.
The 37-year-old pledged an oath of allegiance to King Charles. He has previously said he wants to replace the monarchy with an elected head of state if he achieves his dream of ending Scotland’s three-centuries-long political union with England.
Yousaf narrowly won a leadership race on Monday after a bruising contest that followed the surprise resignation last month of Nicola Sturgeon, who had dominated Scottish politics for almost a decade.
The internal disagreements over the future of the pro-independence Scottish National Party and the country re-emerged after Yousaf’s main rival, Kate Forbes, quit the government.
Forbes turned down an offer to become the minister for rural affairs and islands, a step down from her previous role as finance minister, according to the BBC and Scottish newspapers.
Former health secretary Alex Neil, who backed Forbes, said the proposed post was “an insult and not a real effort to unite” the party.
Yousaf had been expected to offer his leadership rival, whom he only defeated by only about 2,000 votes, a more senior role.
During his leadership campaign, Yousaf had said he would depart from Sturgeon’s “inner circle” style of leadership in favor of a “big tent” approach.
Forbes, who had questioned Yousaf’s record in government during the leadership campaign, posted on Twitter a reminder of the closeness of the contest, while saying Yousaf had her “full support.”
Yousaf said on Tuesday that Shona Robison — a close friend of Sturgeon — will serve as his deputy first minister. More appointments to cabinet roles are expected on Wednesday afternoon.

UN nuclear chief visits Ukraine nuclear plant amid safety concerns

UN nuclear chief visits Ukraine nuclear plant amid safety concerns
Updated 1 min 13 sec ago
Reuters

UN nuclear chief visits Ukraine nuclear plant amid safety concerns

UN nuclear chief visits Ukraine nuclear plant amid safety concerns
  • Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, arrived by car at Europe's largest nuclear power plant to review the situation there
  • Grossi wants to assess first-hand the "nuclear safety and security situation" and press on with efforts to broker a deal to protect the plant
Updated 1 min 13 sec ago
Reuters

KYIV: The head of the UN nuclear watchdog visited the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in southeastern Ukraine on Wednesday as part of efforts to avert the risk of an atomic accident.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, arrived by car at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant to review the situation there, an IAEA spokesperson said.
Grossi wants to assess first-hand the “nuclear safety and security situation” and press on with efforts to broker a deal to protect the plant.
“I am not giving up in any way. I think on the contrary we need to multiply our efforts, we need to continue,” Grossi told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.
In Moscow-held territory, he told Russian news agencies that the situation at the plant had not improved, that fighting nearby had intensified and that he wanted to come up with realistic ways to reduce the threat of a catastrophe.
Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the site of the power station over the last year. Grossi has been pushing for a safety agreement between Ukraine and Russia to protect the facility.
A Reuters reporter at the Russian-held plant saw a motorcade transporting the IAEA expert mission arriving at the facility, escorted by the Russian military.
Grossi told Reuters in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Tuesday that the situation at the plant remained “very dangerous” and “very unstable,” noting that military activity in the region had increased in recent weeks.
Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February last year, has been pressing a winter offensive in the east, while Ukraine is expected to launch a counteroffensive using Western-supplied battle tanks and fighting vehicles.
The sprawling Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was a prized part of Ukraine’s energy network and accounted for around 20 percent of national power generation before the Russian invasion.
It has not produced any electricity since September, when the last of its six reactors was taken offline.
Ukraine’s Energoatom nuclear agency said Grossi would assess how the situation had changed at the plant, speak to workers and also act as a “guarantor” for the rotation of a group of IAEA monitors at the facility.
The IAEA has had monitors stationed at the plant since September, when Grossi traveled to the facility as fears were mounting of the possibility for a nuclear accident.
It is Grossi’s second visit to the Zaporizhzhia plant since it was captured by Russian troops.
Grossi, who met President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, says his attempt to broker a deal on protecting the plant is still alive, and that he is adjusting the proposals to seek a breakthrough.

Topics: Russia-Ukraine Conflict IAEA Rafael Grossi Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

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UK’s international aid hindered by asylum-seeker spending: report

UK’s international aid hindered by asylum-seeker spending: report
Updated 5 min 31 sec ago
Arab News

UK’s international aid hindered by asylum-seeker spending: report

UK’s international aid hindered by asylum-seeker spending: report
  • Govt criticized for allocating funds to deal with backlog of migrants already in country
  • Aid budget stretched further for disasters such as Pakistan floods by cuts under Johnson administration 
Updated 5 min 31 sec ago
Arab News

LONDON: A report has criticized the UK government’s use of its aid budget on supporting asylum-seekers in Britain, saying it has led to its ability to respond to international crises becoming “very limited.”

Up to a third of the budget, nearly £3.5 billion ($4.3 billion) per year, is now being spent domestically, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact said, adding that this had made intervention and spending on aid overseas “less efficient.”

Small boat crossings in the English Channel, combined with refugee schemes for people fleeing Ukraine and Afghanistan, were highlighted as occupying a significant portion of the funds.

The ICAI added that the Home Office, which deals with asylum-seekers in the UK, had no incentive to increase oversight or efficiency on domestic spending as the money was coming from the budget of another department, the Foreign Office.

The foreign aid budget was significantly reduced under the UK’s former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who cut it from 0.7 percent of the gross domestic product to 0.5 percent.

That has led to the Foreign Office having to stop “non-essential” spending, the ICAI warned.

“This was seen in the limited UK response both to devastating floods in Pakistan in August 2022, and to the worsening drought in the Horn of Africa, which is expected to lead to widespread famine in 2023,” the ICAI report said.

The chair of the House of Commons’ International Development Committee, Sarah Champion MP, said the report “reaffirms that our valuable aid budget is being squandered as a result of Home Office failure to get on top of asylum application backlogs and keep control of the costs of asylum accommodation and support contracts.”

An earlier report issued by the committee suggested countries suffering from disasters such as Pakistan, Turkiye and Syria were being “short-changed” by “political choices” made by the government.

Champion added: “It is time for the UK government to get a grip on Home Office spending of the aid budget so that we can return to the real spirit of aid spending — spending that should promote and target the economic development and welfare of developing countries.”

Topics: United Kingdom (UK) Asylum-seekers foreign aid

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Portugal: Muslim center stabbings not seen as terror attack

Portugal: Muslim center stabbings not seen as terror attack
Updated 23 min 7 sec ago
AP

Portugal: Muslim center stabbings not seen as terror attack

Portugal: Muslim center stabbings not seen as terror attack
  • Investigators have found no indication the man detained in the knife attack was involved in extremist activities
  • At least one person was wounded along with the Portuguese staff members who died
Updated 23 min 7 sec ago
AP

LISBON, Portugal: Authorities in Portugal said Wednesday that the fatal stabbings of two women at an Ismaili Muslim center in Lisbon was not being treated as a potential act of terrorism.
Investigators have found no indication the man detained in the knife attack was involved in extremist activities, Luis Neves, the head of Portugal’s Judicial Police, said during a news conference.
“There is no sign whatsoever, not one, that suggests this person was radicalized,” Neves said. “This is not being viewed as a terror crime.”
Police said Tuesday they were investigating the stabbings as a possible terror act. At least one person was wounded along with the Portuguese staff members who died.
Local Afghan community representatives have identified the suspect as an Afghan refugee who was known to have psychological problems after his wife died at a refugee camp in Greece.
The man had integrated into Western life and exhibited no radical behavior in his habits, friendships or social media communications, according to Neves.
Authorities said the suspect remained in police custody at a Lisbon hospital and was not expected to appear in court for a week or more. Police reported Wednesday that he was shot when ignored an order to surrender and advanced toward the officers who responded to the Muslim center.
Portuguese Interior Minister José Luis Carneiro said Tuesday the man arrived in Portugal through a European Union program that transfers asylum-seekers to member countries to help relieve pressure on Mediterranean nations such as Greece and Italy.
He said the man’s wife died in a refugee camp in Greece, leaving him to care alone for three children, ages 9, 7 and 4.
The Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, generally known as the Ismailis, belong to the Shia branch of Islam.
Portugal hasn’t recorded any significant terror attacks in recent decades, and religious violence is virtually unheard of.

Topics: Portugal stabbings Ismaili Muslim

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UK deputy PM criticized for suggesting ‘safe and legal’ routes for Afghan migrants exist

UK deputy PM criticized for suggesting ‘safe and legal’ routes for Afghan migrants exist
Updated 29 March 2023
Arab News

UK deputy PM criticized for suggesting ‘safe and legal’ routes for Afghan migrants exist

UK deputy PM criticized for suggesting ‘safe and legal’ routes for Afghan migrants exist
  • PM Rishi Sunak says he will ask Home Office to reassess case of pilot facing deportation
  • Migrants could be housed offshore on ships to end ‘perverse incentive’ of hotel stays 
Updated 29 March 2023
Arab News

LONDON: The UK government has been criticized after the deputy prime minister claimed it had established safe routes for refugees and asylum-seekers to enter Britain.

Speaking to the BBC, Dominic Raab claimed there were “safe and legal” ways for people fleeing Afghanistan to reach the UK.

The UK deputy leader was responding to questions about a former Afghan Air Force pilot facing deportation to Rwanda after having arrived in Britain via countries deemed safe. 

The pilot, who has not been identified out of concerns for the safety of his family in Afghanistan, claimed there were no safe routes, and that he was forced to enter the UK illegally in a small boat across the English Channel.

Raab said: “I don’t want to comment on individual cases. It’s sensitive, it’s not right.”

But asked if it was right to deport people who had fought alongside coalition forces against the Taliban, he added: “That’s why we created a safe and legal route. Getting out of the country has been difficult in Afghanistan. Thousands have; we set up the flights before the evacuation of Kabul, but others can do it via neighboring countries. So there is a safe and legal route for Afghans.”

Raab’s fellow Tory MP and the chair of the UK’s Defense Select Committee, Tobias Ellwood, disagreed, telling The Independent there was “no functioning process” for Afghans to reach the UK, and adding that Britain had a “duty” to those who had worked alongside it in the country — a sentiment echoed by the former head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Lord West.

The UK has two schemes for Afghans seeking asylum. The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy for those who assisted British forces in Afghanistan has brought over 11,000 people, while the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme is for general applications. 

The latter has managed to resettle just 22 people since the end of the UK’s military-led evacuation process, Operation Pitting, in 2021, while the ARAP scheme has over 4,300 eligible people still stuck in Afghanistan.

Afghans, meanwhile, make up the largest single cohort of people crossing the English Channel illegally in small boats, with over 9,000 making the journey in 2022.

Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, told The Independent: “The UK government made a solemn promise to the Afghans who helped our armed forces that it would help them and give them sanctuary from the Taliban.

“The failures of this Conservative government to help those that helped us is a source of national shame.”

The pilot, who flew over 30 combat missions against the Taliban and was praised by his Western colleagues as a “patriot to his nation,” believes he has been “forgotten” by his US and UK comrades, adding that it was “impossible” to reach the UK safely and legally under either of the present schemes.

Questioned about the case by a parliamentary committee on Tuesday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the pilot and others like him as “exactly the sort of people we want to help,” adding that he would “happily” ask the Home Office to reassess the case.

Raab, UK foreign secretary during the period when the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of coalition forces, also suggested on Wednesday that the UK could house asylum-seekers offshore on giant ships to end the “perverse incentive” of putting people up in hotels indefinitely.

The now deputy PM notoriously initially refused to curtail a holiday as the chaotic situation in Kabul unfolded in 2021, leading to a backlash against the UK’s handling of the withdrawal at home. The UK Foreign Affairs Committee later found that he had attempted to shift the blame for the “disaster” in its aftermath.

 

Topics: Afghanistan United Kingdom

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