Lawyers denounce ‘fabricated’ Tunisia trial of opposition
Lawyers denounce ‘fabricated’ Tunisia trial of opposition/node/2597920/middle-east
Lawyers denounce ‘fabricated’ Tunisia trial of opposition
Samir Dilou (C), lawyer and member of the defence committee of detainees accused of involvement in a conspiracy case against state security, talks to reporters in in front of the court in Tunis, on April 21, 2025. (AFP)
Lawyers denounce ‘fabricated’ Tunisia trial of opposition
Among those sentenced were well-known opposition figures, lawyers and business people. Some have already been in prison for two years while others are in exile or still free
Updated 21 April 2025
AFP
TUNIS: Lawyers and relatives on Monday denounced the hefty sentences handed down to Tunisian opposition figures in last week’s mass trial as “fabricated” and “unfounded,” and said they will appeal.
A court in Tunis in the early hours of Saturday handed down jail terms of up to 66 years to around 40 defendants, including vocal critics of President Kais Saied.
They were accused of “conspiracy against state security” and “belonging to a terrorist group” among other charges, according to their lawyers.
Defense lawyer Samir Dilou said on Monday the trial was “unprecedented in Tunisia” as “it handed the defendants a total of 892 years in prison.”
He said key evidence in the case was still missing, as lawyers had complained that they did not have full access to the case file.
“They still haven’t told us how the defendants conspired against the state,” Dilou told journalists.
He said an appeal could be filed as early as Tuesday.
Among those sentenced were well-known opposition figures, lawyers and business people. Some have already been in prison for two years while others are in exile or still free.
Several were arrested in February 2023, after which Saied labelled them “terrorists.”
Abdennasser Mehri, another defense lawyer, called the trial a “blatant violation of the law.”
“It’s a fabricated, unfounded case with a plan set in advance,” he said. “The scales of justice are broken.”
Dilou said Ahmed Souab, also a defense lawyer, was arrested early Monday after police raided his home.
Local media said he was accused of “threatening to commit terrorist crimes” in a statement made on Saturday after the trial, criticizing political pressure judges were allegedly under.
Online videos showed Souab saying that “knives are not on the necks of detainees, but on the neck of the judge issuing the ruling.”
Souab, a former judge, is expected to remain in detention “for five days and he won’t be allowed to communicate with his lawyers for 48 hours,” Dilou told AFP.
Human Rights Watch said on Saturday the court “did not give even a semblance of a fair trial” to the defendants.
Defense lawyer Dalila Msaddek said the trial was used “to lump together everyone they wanted to get rid of.”
Politicians Issam Chebbi and Jawhar Ben Mbarek of the opposition National Salvation Front coalition, as well as lawyer Ridha BelHajj and activist Chaima Issa, were sentenced to 18 years behind bars.
Activist Khayam Turki was handed a 48-year term and businessman Kamel Eltaief received the harshest penalty — 66 years in prison, according to lawyers.
Some defendants are abroad and were tried in absentia, like French intellectual Bernard Henri-Levy who received a 33-year jail term, lawyers said.
Since Saied launched a power grab in the summer of 2021 and assumed total control, rights advocates and opposition figures have decried a rollback of freedoms in the North African country where the 2011 Arab Spring began.
Food security experts warn Gaza is at critical risk of famine if Israel doesn’t end its blockade
It says nearly a half million Palestinians are in “catastrophic” levels of hunger, meaning they face possible starvation
Israel has banned any food, shelter, medicine or other goods from entering the Palestinian territory for the past 10 weeks
Updated 4 sec ago
AP
TEL AVIV: The Gaza Strip is at critical risk of famine if Israel doesn’t lift its blockade and stop its military campaign, food security experts said in a stark warning on Monday. Outright famine is the mostly likely scenario unless conditions change, according to findings by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises. Nearly a half million Palestinians are in “catastrophic” levels of hunger, meaning they face possible starvation, the report said, while another million are at “emergency” levels of hunger. Israel has banned any food, shelter, medicine or other goods from entering the Palestinian territory for the past 10 weeks, even as it carries out waves of airstrikes and ground operations. Gaza’s population of around 2.3 million people relies almost entirely on outside aid to survive, because Israel’s 19-month-old military campaign has wiped away most capacity to produce food inside the territory. Desperate scenes as food is running out Food supplies are emptying out dramatically. Communal kitchens handing out cooked meals are virtually the only remaining source of food for most people in Gaza now, but they too are rapidly shutting down for lack of stocks. Thousands of Palestinians crowd daily outside the public kitchens, pushing and jostling with their pots to receive lentils or pasta. “We end up waiting in line for four, five hours, in the sun. It is exhausting,” said Riham Sheikh el-Eid, waiting at a kitchen on Sunday. “At the end, we walk away with nothing. It is not enough for everybody.” The lack of a famine declaration doesn’t mean people aren’t already starving, and a declaration shouldn’t be a precondition for ending the suffering, said Chris Newton, an analyst for the International Crisis Group focusing on starvation as a weapon of war. “The Israeli government is starving Gaza as part of its attempt to destroy Hamas and transform the strip,” he said. Israel demands a new aid system The office of Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, did not respond to a request for comment. The army has said that enough assistance entered Gaza during a two-month ceasefire that Israel shattered in mid-March when it relaunched its military campaign. Israel says the blockade aims to pressure Hamas to release the hostages it still holds. It says it won’t let aid back in until a new system giving it control over distribution is in place, accusing Hamas of siphoning off supplies. The United Nations denies substantial diversion of aid is taking place. It says the new system Israel envisages is unnecessary, will allow aid to be used as a weapon for political and military goals, and will not meet the massive needs of Palestinians. The United States says it is working up a new mechanism that will start deliveries soon, but it has given no timeframe. The UN has so far refused to participate, saying the plan does not meet humanitarian standards. Monday’s report said that any slight gains made during the ceasefire have been reversed. Nearly the entire population of Gaza now faces high levels of hunger, it said, driven by conflict, the collapse of infrastructure, destruction of agriculture, and blockades of aid. Commenting on the report, the head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said any delay in restoring the flow of aid “bringing us closer to famine.” “If we fail to act, we are failing to uphold the right to food, which is a basic human right,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after the group’s Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel, in which militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostage, most of whom have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel’s offensive has killed over 52,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians or combatants. Three criteria for declaring famine The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, first set up in 2004 during the famine in Somalia, groups more than a dozen UN agencies, aid groups, governments and other bodies. It has only declared famine a few times — in Somalia in 2011, and South Sudan in 2017 and 2020, and last year in parts of Sudan’s western Darfur region. Tens of thousands are believed to have died in Somalia and South Sudan. It rates an area as in famine when at least two of three things occur: 20 percent of households have an extreme lack of food, or are essentially starving; at least 30 percent of children six months to five years suffer from acute malnutrition or wasting, meaning they’re too thin for their height; and at least two people or four children under five per every 10,000 are dying daily due to starvation or the interaction of malnutrition and disease. The report found that the first threshold was met in Gaza, saying 477,000 people — or 22 percent of the population — are classified as in “catastrophic” hunger for the period from May 11 to the end of September, and another million area at “emergency” levels, meaning they face very large gaps in food and high levels of acute malnutrition. The malnutrition and deaths thresholds were not met. The data was gathered in April and up to May 6. Food security experts say it takes time for people to start dying from starvation. The report warned of “imminent” famine in northern Gaza in March 2024, but the following month, Israel allowed an influx of aid under US pressure after an Israeli strike killed seven aid workers. Malnutrition is rising Aid groups now say the situation is the most dire of the entire war. The UN humanitarian office, known as OCHA, said on Friday that the number of children seeking treatment at clinics for malnutrition has doubled since February, even as supplies to treat them are quickly running out. Aid groups have shut down food distribution for lack of stocks. Many foods have disappeared from the markets and what’s left has spiraled in price and is unaffordable to most. Farmland is mostly destroyed or inaccessible. Water distribution is grinding to a halt, largely because of lack of fuel. ___
Remains of 30 people believed killed by Daesh militants found in Syria in a search by Qatar and FBI
The search took place in the town of Dabiq, near Syria’s northern border with Turkiye
Updated 12 May 2025
AP
DAMASCUS: The remains of 30 people believed to have been killed by the militant Daesh group have been found in a remote Syrian town in a search led by Qatari search teams and the FBI, according to a statement from Qatar on Monday.
The Qatari internal security forces said the FBI had requested the search, and that DNA tests are currently underway to determine the identities of the people. The Qatari agency did not whom the American intelligence and security agency is trying to find.
Dozens of foreigners, including aid workers and journalists, were killed by Daesh militants who had controlled large swaths of Syria and Iraq for half a decade and declared a so-called caliphate. The militant group lost most of its territory in late 2017 and was declared defeated in 2019.
Since then, dozens of gravesites and mass graves have been discovered in northern Syria containing remains and bodies of people Daesh had abducted over the years.
American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as humanitarian workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig are among those killed by Daesh.
John Cantlie, a British correspondent, was abducted alongside Foley in 2012, and was last seen alive in one of the extremist group’s propaganda videos in 2016.
The search took place in the town of Dabiq, near Syria’s northern border with Turkiye.
Mass graves have also found in areas previously controlled by Syrian President Bashar Assad who was ousted in a lightning insurgency last December, ending his family’s half-century rule. For years, the Assads used their notorious security and intelligence agencies to crack down on dissidents, many who have gone missing.
The United Nations in 2021 estimated that over 130,000 Syrians were taken away and disappeared during the uprising that began in 2011 and descended into a 13-year civil war.
Presidents of UAE, Syria discuss regional developments during phone call
The two leaders discussed relations between their countries and explored ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation
Updated 48 min 19 sec ago
Arab News
DUBAI: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed received a phone call Sunday from Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, WAM News Agency reported.
The two leaders discussed relations between their countries and explored ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in a manner that benefits their peoples, WAM added.
They also exchanged views on several regional developments of mutual interest.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed affirmed the “UAE’s commitment to supporting all efforts aimed at fulfilling the aspirations of the Syrian people for stability, development, and a future marked by security and prosperity.”
Al-Sharaa expressed his appreciation for the UAE’s steadfast support for the Syrian people, and praised the UAE’s constructive role in advancing regional peace and stability.
Kurdish militant group decides to disband and end armed struggle with Turkiye
The PKK announced its dissolution and the end of more than four decades of armed struggle against the Turkish state
Updated 12 May 2025
AP
ANKARA: A Kurdish militant group announced a historic decision Monday to disband and disarm as part of a new peace initiative with Turkiye, after four decades of armed conflict.
The decision by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, was announced by the Firat News Agency, a media outlet close to the group. It comes days after it convened a party congress in northern Iraq.
In February, PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999, urged his group to convene a congress and formally decide to disband, marking a pivotal step toward ending the decades-long conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s.
On March 1, the PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire, but attached conditions, including the creation of a legal framework for peace negotiations.
The group has led an armed insurgency since 1984 that has left claimed tens of thousands of lives. It is listed as a terror group by Turkiye and its Western allies.
Israel is not committed to any ceasefire or prisoner release with Hamas
Updated 12 May 2025
Reuters
DUBAI: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there would be no ceasefire in exchange for Hamas’s release of a US-Israeli hostage, who a source close to the group said could be freed Monday.
Hamas on Sunday said it would release Edan Alexander, a US-Israeli soldier held in Gaza, ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump to the region, and as the group revealed it was engaged in direct talks with Washington towards a ceasefire.
No date was given, but a source close to Hamas told AFP 21-year-old Alexander would “most likely” be released on Monday or Tuesday.
“Most likely, Edan will be released today or tomorrow, Tuesday, but this requires securing field conditions,” the source said.
Hamas had demanded that American envoys ensure a “halt to all Israeli military operations... to create a safe corridor” for his transfer to the Red Cross, the source added.
The source said the Palestinian militant group had decided not to hold a public ceremony for the handover.
Netanyahu meanwhile said that “Israel has not committed to a ceasefire of any kind or the release of terrorists but only to a safe corridor that will allow for the release of Edan”.
Negotiations for a possible deal to secure the release of all hostages would continue “under fire, during preparations for an intensification of the fighting”, Netanyahu added.
Hamas had said Alexander would be released “as part of efforts towards a ceasefire” and the reopening of aid crossings.
Trump, who is due in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, hailed the “monumental news”in a post on social media, describing it as a “good faith gesture”.
“Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict,” he added.
Egypt and Qatar, who along with the US have mediated talks between Hamas and Israel, also welcomed the development, describing it in a joint statement as a “a gesture of goodwill and an encouraging step toward a return to the negotiating table”.
Earlier, two Hamas officials told AFP that talks were ongoing in Doha with the United States and reported “progress”.
Israeli strikes meanwhile continued, with Gaza’s civil defence agency reporting that at least 10 people were killed in an overnight Israeli airstrike on a school housing displaced people.
Israel ended a two-month ceasefire on March 18, launching a major offensive in Gaza and ramping up its bombardment of the territory.
It has also cut off all aid to Gaza, saying it would pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
Washington had for decades publicly refused to engage directly with Hamas, which it labels a terrorist organisation, before first doing so in March.
Hamas has continued to insist on a deal that ends the war and on April 18 rejected an Israeli proposal for a 45-day truce and hostage-prisoner exchange.
In its statement on Sunday, the group said it was willing to “immediately begin intensive negotiations” that could lead to an agreement to end the war and would see Gaza under a technocratic and independent administration.
Earlier this month, the Israeli government approved plans to expand its offensive in the Gaza Strip, with officials talking of retaining a long-term presence there.
While ceasefire negotiations have yet to produce a breakthrough, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, on Sunday “fully” endorsed a US plan to restore aid to Gaza, under a complete blockade since March 2.
The plan has drawn hefty international criticism for sidelining the United Nations and existing aid organisations, with the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, saying it was “impossible” to replace it in Gaza.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Sunday that at least 2,720 people have been killed since Israel’s assult on Gaza bringing the overall death toll since the war broke out to 52,829.
