New top story from Time: Raif Badawi Is Still in Prison Over a Series of Blog Posts. The U.S. Has Given Saudi Arabia a Free Pass for Too Long

https://ift.tt/3xuF0GB

For years, successive U.S. administrations have given Saudi Arabia a free pass to harass, arrest and even execute those who do not accept the government’s official interpretation of Hanbali Sunni Islam. One such case is peaceful blogger Raif Badawi, who is serving a 10-year sentence for a series of blog posts calling for freedom of religion or belief in the kingdom.

Despite years of international concern over the case, Badawi remains in prison. The Biden Administration is recalibrating the U.S.-Saudi relationship and has indicated that human rights will be at the center of its foreign-policy objectives. As such, it should react forcefully to the ongoing persecution of Badawi and other religious dissidents in Saudi Arabia, including applying the new Khashoggi visa bans where applicable.

Badawi is not the only one who has faced severe violations of his religious freedom. Recently freed activist Loujain al-Hathloul was arrested in 2018 following peaceful advocacy against religious guardianship laws. She was allegedly subjected to torture in prison, pressured to sign a false confession and remains under a travel and media ban. Shi’a Sheikh Mohammed bin Hassan al-Habib remains in prison after calling for greater rights for Shi’a Muslims. Poet Ashraf Fayadh is also still in jail on an eight-year sentence for allegedly questioning religion and spreading atheist thought.

Ensaf Haidar wife of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi — Roger Lemoyne—ReduxEnsaf Haidar in her home in a small basement apartment in the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec on Jan 19, 2015. She has continued to advocate for her husband’s release with the help of Amnesty International. She has been accepted into Canada as a refugee.

Even among these egregious cases, Badawi’s stands out. Sentenced in 2014 to 10 years in prison and 1,000 whip lashes, Badawi has been refused access to crucial medicine, thrown in solitary confinement and denied contact with his family. In January 2015, he was given 50 whip lashes publicly outside a mosque in Jeddah.

The Saudi government’s continued detention of Badawi is a test case for the Biden Administration’s willingness to use the new “Khashoggi Ban,” which allows the State Department to deny U.S. visas to those who “suppress, harass, surveil, threaten, or harm journalists, activists, or other persons perceived to be dissidents for their work.” The Saudi government’s disregard for these serious American concerns destabilizes the U.S.-Saudi relationship. It also undermines ongoing social and economic reform efforts initiated by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the last few years.

Giving the Saudi government a free pass to violate freedom of religion or belief without consequences is not a sustainable U.S. policy. The future of our relationship must be premised on respect for and protection of internationally recognized human rights and the political inclusion of dissidents who might otherwise adopt more radical positions. An inclusive vision for Saudi Arabia’s future would no doubt hasten a recovery from the economic effects of COVID-19 and spur greater international business investment in the kingdom.

As such, the Biden Administration should disrupt this concerning trend of impunity in three ways. First, it should lift the waiver on sanctions to which Saudi Arabia would otherwise be subjected as a designated Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for religious freedom violations. Second, it should hold accountable high-level Saudi officials directly responsible for egregious religious freedom violations using the Khashoggi Ban and Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. Finally, President Joe Biden and Secretary Antony Blinken should call publicly for Saudi Arabia, during this month of Ramadan, to grant clemency to Raif Badawi, and cease persecuting peaceful dissidents on spurious legal charges.

Comments

New top story from Time: Millions of Tenants Behind on Rent, Small Landlords Struggling, Eviction Moratoriums Expiring Soon: Inside the Next Housing Crisis

https://ift.tt/2NAbOvm In late November, Rian de Laat reached the end of her rope. Over the past year, her mom had received a cancer diagnosis, her dad had undergone major surgery, and de Laat, 44, had been laid off from her job at a biotech startup. But her chief concern was the fact that she was now responsible for the mortgage not only on her own home–a quaint one-story bungalow just south of Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood–but also on an investment property, an unassuming two-bedroom condo eight miles north in Shoreline. Her tenant, Ollie Aldama, had lost his job at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March, began struggling to make his utility payments and ultimately stopped paying his monthly rent of $1,800. By Thanksgiving, he owed de Laat more than $20,000. State and national eviction moratoriums prevented de Laat from kicking Aldama out amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet her own financial situation wasn’t flush enough to float him indefinitely. After mont...

DU's academic, executive council members ask VC to scrap online open book exams https://ift.tt/2YubRfc

The academic and executive council members of the Delhi University on Thursday wrote to the vice-chancellor asking him to scrap the online open-book exams. Their letter to DU Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi comes in the wake of Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' asking the University Grants Commission (UGC) to revisit the guidelines issued earlier for intermediate and terminal semester examination, and the academic calendar. from IndiaTV: Google News Feed https://ift.tt/2YByOxg

Coronavirus Vaccine in China Shows Promising Results on People, Immune Cells Developed in 2 Weeks “This is promising data, but it’s early data,” said Dr. Daniel Barouch, director of vaccine research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who was not involved in the work. “Overall, I would say this is good news.” “This is promising data, but it’s early data,” said Dr. Daniel Barouch, director of vaccine research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who was not involved in the work. “Overall, I would say this is good news.”

“This is promising data, but it’s early data,” said Dr. Daniel Barouch, director of vaccine research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who was not involved in the work. “Overall, I would say this is good news.” from Top World News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2LRebpt https://ift.tt/3aYjmyk “This is promising data, but it’s early data,” said Dr. Daniel Barouch, director of vaccine research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who was not involved in the work. “Overall, I would say this is good news.”

New top story from Time: TIME Announces Changes to Editorial Leadership Structure To Further Subscriptions and Digital Transformation

https://ift.tt/3yzPgOo Time Editor-in-Chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal and Deputy Editor Sam Jacobs sent the following note to staff Monday. Dear all, It’s remarkable what we’ve been able to accomplish together while navigating the many global crises of this past year. In the face of tremendous challenges, professional and personal, your support for each other and the collective focus on the humanity of the stories we tell has helped move TIME forward. Our journalism has never been more relevant, from our coverage of the historic events of 2020 to the recent “Climate Is Everything” project, the launch of TIME Business and May’s powerful Equity project led by TIME’s BIPOC journalists. TIME100 Talks and our virtual summits have showcased memorable conversations and artists. In little more than a year, TIME Studios, in partnership with so many of you, has transformed from an idea to an industry force. The incredible work of this team as we pivot through the pandemic is te...

Ukrainian military plane carrying aviation students crashes while landing; 22 killed https://ift.tt/36cpMuD

A Ukrainian military plane carrying aviation school students crashed and burst into flames Friday while landing, killing 22 people, the country’s emergencies service said. Two other people on board were seriously injured and four people were missing. The An-26 crashed while landing at the airport in Chuhuiv, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of the capital Kyiv.

BRT Service on Van Ness to Begin Tomorrow

BRT Service on Van Ness to Begin Tomorrow By Jiaying Yu Tomorrow, April 1, we will cut the ribbon on San Francisco’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor on Van Ness Avenue. The public is invited to join and celebrate this historic moment in front of the War Memorial. The ribbon-cutting will include speeches from local and state leaders, performances from local musicians and giveaways. After the ribbon is cut, there will be an inaugural ride on the new Van Ness BRT corridor to North Point where the celebration continues with live music. BRT service on Van Ness is part of Muni’s Rapid Network, which prioritizes frequency and reliability for customers. Muni and Golden Gate Transit customers are expected to experience 32% shorter travel times. With dedicated transit lanes in the middle of the road, enhanced traffic signals with Transit Signal Priority and new platforms and shelters, the Van Ness BRT corridor will be the fastest way to travel north-south in this part of...

New top story from Time: At Least 3 Dead in Amtrak Train Derailment in Montana

https://ift.tt/3lZcxUu JOPLIN, Mont. — At least three people were killed Saturday afternoon when an Amtrak train that runs between Seattle and Chicago derailed in north-central Montana, toppling several cars onto their sides, authorities said. The westbound Empire Builder train derailed about 4 p.m. near Joplin, a town of about 200, Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said in a statement. The accident scene is about 150 miles (241 kilometers) northeast of Helena and about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the border with Canada. Liberty County sheriff’s dispatcher Starr Tyler told The Associated Press that three people died in the derailment. She did not have more details. Amtrak confirmed the deaths and said there were multiple injuries. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “We are deeply saddened to learn local authorities are now confirming that three people have lost their lives as a result of this accident,” Abrams said. The train had about 141 passengers and 16 crew members onbo...

New top story from Time: TIME Announces Changes to Editorial Leadership Structure To Further Subscriptions and Digital Transformation

https://ift.tt/3oMmwxb Time Editor-in-Chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal and Deputy Editor Sam Jacobs sent the following note to staff Monday. Dear all, It’s remarkable what we’ve been able to accomplish together while navigating the many global crises of this past year. In the face of tremendous challenges, professional and personal, your support for each other and the collective focus on the humanity of the stories we tell has helped move TIME forward. Our journalism has never been more relevant, from our coverage of the historic events of 2020 to the recent “Climate Is Everything” project, the launch of TIME Business and May’s powerful Equity project led by TIME’s BIPOC journalists. TIME100 Talks and our virtual summits have showcased memorable conversations and artists. In little more than a year, TIME Studios, in partnership with so many of you, has transformed from an idea to an industry force. The incredible work of this team as we pivot through the pandemic is tes...

New top story from Time: Japan Charges Two Americans With Helping Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn Flee While on Bail

https://ift.tt/2OZCS8f TOKYO — Japanese prosecutors charged two Americans, Michael Taylor and his son Peter, Monday in the escape of former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn to Lebanon, while he was out on bail. Tokyo District Prosecutors have been questioning the Taylors since they were extradited from the United States earlier this month. They have been detained at a Tokyo detention center since March 2. Prosecutors said the Taylors were formally charged with helping a criminal escape, although dates and other details of a trial were undecided. The prosecutors sought their extradition for months after they were arrested and detained in the Boston area last May. Tokyo Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hiroshi Yamamoto said Monday was the last day the Taylors could have been detained without charges under Japanese law. Now that they have been charged they can continue to be detained. A court will decide whether they will be granted bail. Yamamoto said prosecutors are requesting conti...

New top story from Time: With Daily Infections Hitting a Record-High, Critics Say the U.K. Hasn’t Learned From Its Mistakes

https://ift.tt/3cv6m5i LONDON — Britain bungled its response to the coronavirus the first time around. Now many scientists fear it’s about to do it again. The virus is on the rise once more in the U.K., which has recorded almost 42,000 COVID-19 deaths, with confirmed daily infections hitting a record-high 6,634 on Thursday, though deaths remain far below their April peak. The surge has brought new restrictions on daily life, the prospect of a grim winter of mounting deaths — and a feeling of deja vu. “We didn’t react quick enough in March,” epidemiologist John Edmunds, a member of the government’s scientific advisory committee, told the BBC. “I think we haven’t learnt from our mistake back then and we’re, unfortunately, about to repeat it.” The U.K. is not alone in seeing a second wave of COVID-19. European countries including France, Spain and the Netherlands are struggling to suppress rising outbreaks while limiting the economic damage . But Britain’s pandemic respo...

My precise view

Search This Blog