France urges ‘immediate release’ of seven nationals jailed in Iran

France urges ‘immediate release’ of seven nationals jailed in Iran
Shoppers walk through a bazaar of Tajrish in northern Tehran. (File/AFP)
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Updated 26 January 2023

France urges ‘immediate release’ of seven nationals jailed in Iran

France urges ‘immediate release’ of seven nationals jailed in Iran

PARIS: France has called for the “immediate release” of seven French nationals detained in Iran, denouncing an “unjustifiable and unacceptable” situation.

French “hostages” in Iran include 35-year-old Louis Arnaud, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre said.

Arnaud, whose name has just been made public, was arrested on Sept. 28 as he was traveling in Iran “for touristic reasons,” she said. 

He is being detained in “very difficult conditions” in the Tehran prison of Evin, where France’s ambassador to Iran was able to meet him on Dec. 11, she added.

Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Wednesday discussed the issue in a phone call with her Iranian counterpart Hossein Hossein Amirabdollahian, the French Foreign Ministry said.

“We are especially worried about Bernard Phelan given his health condition,” Legendre said. The Foreign Ministry has said that the French Irish citizen, detained in Iran since October, needs “appropriate medical care that is not provided” in prison.

Iran has detained a number of foreigners and dual nationals over the years, accusing them of espionage or other state security offenses and sentencing them after secretive trials in which rights groups say they are denied due process.

Families and support committees of Arnaud and other French people jailed in Iran, including Fariba Adelkhah, Benjamin Briere and Cecile Kohler, have called for a gathering on Saturday in Paris.

A separate event has been organized in Paris that day in support for Belgian national Olivier Vandecasteele by Doctors Without Borders. 

The aid worker, who worked for the nongovernmental organization for many years, was arrested in Tehran in February last year. Doctors Without Borders says the conditions of his detention are putting his life at risk.


UK Labour leader backs campaign to end ‘disgraceful’ deportation of ‘brave’ Afghan pilot

UK Labour leader backs campaign to end ‘disgraceful’ deportation of ‘brave’ Afghan pilot
Updated 12 min 5 sec ago

UK Labour leader backs campaign to end ‘disgraceful’ deportation of ‘brave’ Afghan pilot

UK Labour leader backs campaign to end ‘disgraceful’ deportation of ‘brave’ Afghan pilot
  • Veteran threatened with removal to Rwanda after making journey to Britain on small boat

LONDON: The potential deportation to Rwanda of a former Afghan pilot who once served alongside British troops is a “disgrace,” Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has said, The Independent reported.

The opposition leader is backing a campaign by the newspaper to prevent the deportation of the man, who arrived in Britain on a small boat after having exhausted all legal avenues for relocation.

An Afghan Air Force veteran, the man is being supported by senior military figures, politicians and diplomats after he was threatened with deportation to the African country in line with new UK government policy.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had pledged a Home Office review into the case.

Starmer accused the government of a “shameful level of incompetence” over the case, adding: “It’s a disgrace that this brave pilot who fought alongside British troops is facing deportation at the hands of the government’s unworkable gimmick.”

The veteran pilot took part in 30 combat missions against Taliban forces as part of the coalition’s war in Afghanistan.

He was described as a “patriot to his nation” by his commanding supervisor.

However, in his journey to Britain, the man traveled through Switzerland, Italy and France, with the Home Office warning him over “consequences” for “whether your claim is admitted.”

The government added in its communications with the veteran that he “may also be removable to Rwanda” and have his data shared with authorities in the African country.

Starmer told The Independent: “We are a proud nation which always resolutely stands in support of our armed forces and our allies.

“Personnel at home and abroad continue to work tirelessly to secure our safety as a nation. From conflicts in Afghanistan to Ukraine, we should be celebrating their contribution to our peace and national security.

“It’s damning of this government that a war veteran who fought alongside British troops now faces being forced out of Britain. We should be protecting those who fought alongside our soldiers, not deporting them.

“The government must commit to stopping this proposed deportation.”

Other politicians have also criticized the potential deportation, including Cabinet Minister Rory Stewart, who described it as “shameful.”

Sir Laurie Bristow, former ambassador to Afghanistan during the Taliban takeover, said that many British soldiers “owe their lives to Afghans who fought alongside them.”

Kevan Jones, a former defense minister, warned that the case is a “stain on Britain’s great reputation.”


Afghan seeking move to UK told to provide Taliban-stamped documents

Afghan seeking move to UK told to provide Taliban-stamped documents
Updated 37 min 52 sec ago

Afghan seeking move to UK told to provide Taliban-stamped documents

Afghan seeking move to UK told to provide Taliban-stamped documents
  • British government pledged to end practice earlier this month after wave of criticism
  • MP: ‘The Afghan resettlement schemes have been a complete and utter shambles’

LONDON: An Afghan seeking relocation to the UK has been requested to apply for documents from Taliban government ministries despite the British government promising to end the practice earlier this month, The Guardian reported on Thursday.

The applicant, who once worked with the British Council, which promotes cultural relations and education, is in the process of completing paperwork for the UK’s Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

As part of the process, applicants must provide passports, birth certificates and marriage certificates covering themselves and family members.

But in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, many of those seeking to relocate to Britain face significant danger in approaching government ministries for the requisite documents.

Earlier this month, the UK government pledged to change the requirements so that Afghans who formerly worked with British forces and government organizations would no longer require stamped documents in their applications.

But the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told the recent applicant: “The marriage certificate should clearly (be) stamped by the local authorities.”

The FCDO told The Guardian that the message was an error that does not reflect its current policy. The applicant will be contacted to “clarify the process,” it added.

A spokesperson said: “This message does not reflect departmental policy. We do not expect Afghans eligible for resettlement under the ACRS to provide every document requested; we only ask they provide the documentation which they are able to.”

The Afghan’s case was publicized after they contacted a British MP. They had originally applied for relocation through the UK’s flagship relocation scheme, the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy, but were later told to apply through the ACRS, initially receiving approval.

But later in the process, the UK government informed the applicant that their marriage certificate must be stamped by local Taliban authorities.

The MP in contact with the applicant, Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse, said: “The Afghan resettlement schemes have been a complete and utter shambles. These are truly brave people who risked everything to help us. We are now abandoning them through departmental incompetence and political ignorance.”


Far-right lawmakers walk out of Zelensky speech to Austrian parliament

Far-right lawmakers walk out of Zelensky speech to Austrian parliament
Updated 30 March 2023

Far-right lawmakers walk out of Zelensky speech to Austrian parliament

Far-right lawmakers walk out of Zelensky speech to Austrian parliament
  • Ukrainian leader’s address at Austrian lower house of parliament violates country’s neutrality
  • Freedom Party had warned days before that it would hold some form of protest against Zelensky’s address

VIENNA: Lawmakers from the pro-Russia, far-right Freedom Party walked out of the lower house of Austria’s parliament on Thursday during a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, protesting that it violated Austria’s neutrality.
Zelensky addressed the chamber via video link, thanking Austria for its humanitarian aid and help with projects such as clearing land mines. Austria says its neutrality prevents it from military involvement in the conflict and while it supports Ukraine politically it cannot send the country weapons in its fight against the Russian invasion.
The Freedom Party (FPO), however, had warned days before that it would hold some form of protest against Zelensky’s address. Its lawmakers attended the start of the speech and then left.
“It is sad that the FPO is the only party in parliament that takes our ever-lasting neutrality seriously, thereby also standing up for peace,” FPO leader Herbert Kickl said in a statement on Tuesday.
Lawmakers who walked out of the chamber left small placards on their desks featuring the party logo and either “space for neutrality” or “space for peace.”
Of the five parties in parliament, the FPO has the third-biggest number of seats in the lower house. It currently has a slight lead in opinion polls over the opposition Social Democrats and Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s conservatives, who govern in coalition with the left-wing Greens.
The current parliament runs until autumn of next year.


Turkiye’s parliament to vote on Finland’s NATO bid

Turkiye’s parliament to vote on Finland’s NATO bid
Updated 30 March 2023

Turkiye’s parliament to vote on Finland’s NATO bid

Turkiye’s parliament to vote on Finland’s NATO bid
  • Ratification is all but certain after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ended months of negotiations
  • Erdogan controls parliament through an alliance with a right-wing party

ANKARA: Turkiye was set Thursday to become the final NATO member to approve Finland’s membership in the US-led defense alliance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Turkiye’s parliament scheduled a vote on the Nordic country’s bid to become the 31st member of the Western defense alliance for 2:00 p.m. (1100 GMT).
Ratification is all but certain after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ended months of negotiations and blessed Finland’s candidacy earlier this month.
Erdogan controls parliament through an alliance with a right-wing party. Most opposition lawmakers also support the bid.
Turkiye’s ratification will leave Finland — a country with a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Russia — with only a few technical steps before formally joining the bloc.
Finland and its neighbor Sweden ended decades of military non-alignment and decided to join the alliance last May.
Their applications were accepted at a June 2022 NATO summit but the bids still needed to be ratified by all alliance member parliaments — a process that stalled once it reached Turkiye and Hungary.
Erdogan put up stiff resistance to Sweden’s candidacy because of a series of long-standing disputes.
A spokesman for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Wednesday called on Sweden to “clear the air” and address “an ample amount of grievances” for parliament to ratify its bid.
Sweden still hopes to join the alliance in time for a July summit in Vilnius.
Most analysts believe that Turkiye will only vote on its candidacy after the country’s May general election.


Several feared dead after two US army helicopters crash during training in Kentucky

Several feared dead after two US army helicopters crash during training in Kentucky
Updated 30 March 2023

Several feared dead after two US army helicopters crash during training in Kentucky

Several feared dead after two US army helicopters crash during training in Kentucky
  • Crew members were flying two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, operated by the 101st Airborne Division
  • The HH-60 is a variant of the Black Hawk helicopter designed to provide support for various military operations

The governor of Kentucky said on Thursday fatalities were expected after two US Army Black Hawk helicopters crashed during a routine training mission over the state late on Wednesday.
The status of the crew members was not immediately known, the US Army’s Fort Campbell said in a statement, without providing the number of people who were on board.
“We’ve got some tough news out of Fort Campbell, with early reports of a helicopter crash, and fatalities are expected,” governor Andy Beshear said in a post on Twitter, adding that local authorities and emergency services were responding to the accident.
Crew members were flying two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, operated by the 101st Airborne Division, which crashed at around 10:00 p.m. ET (0200 GMT Thursday) in Kentucky’s Trigg County, Fort Campbell’s public affairs office said.
“The command is currently focused on caring for the service members and their families,” the statement said, adding that the cause of the crash was under investigation.
The HH-60 is a variant of the Black Hawk helicopter designed to provide support for various military operations, including air assaults and medical evacuations, according to the Army.