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UN Expert Says Israel-Hamas War Emboldens Iran 'Repression'

Demonstrators raise a picture of Nasrin Sotoudeh during a protest in Paris. (AFP)
Demonstrators raise a picture of Nasrin Sotoudeh during a protest in Paris. (AFP)
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UN Expert Says Israel-Hamas War Emboldens Iran 'Repression'

Demonstrators raise a picture of Nasrin Sotoudeh during a protest in Paris. (AFP)
Demonstrators raise a picture of Nasrin Sotoudeh during a protest in Paris. (AFP)

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran said Tuesday that the Israel-Hamas war has emboldened “repression” inside the country.

Javaid Rehman, a human rights expert given a mandate from the Human Rights Council in Geneva, said that Iran was responding to a loss of credibility after mass protests set off by the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian detained by police for failing to obey the strict public dress code.

“They were already planning further repression,” Rehman said at a Washington roundtable hosted by the National Union for Democracy in Iran.

“In terms of the current crisis, they feel even more emboldened because they believe that they have deflected internal criticism, and the internal repression, through becoming or claiming to become the cheerleaders... of the Palestinian movement,” he said.

Iranian leaders have repeatedly issued warnings to Israel, with Yemen’s Houthis claiming to have fired drones or ballistic missiles at the country in three separate operations, and Hezbollah firing missiles into Israel’s north.

The recent death of 17-year-old Armita Garawand has revived memories for some Iranians of Amini’s death.

Garawand was checked into the hospital after fainting on the Tehran metro on October 1 in what activists have described as an attack by police officers over the strict dress code in Iran.

This has been strongly denied by Iranian officials who insist she collapsed as a result of low blood pressure.

Iranian authorities have arrested a prominent lawyer and human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh as she attended the funeral of Garawand, her husband Reza Khandan told AFP.

IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency said Sotoudeh "had been arrested and handed over to judicial authorities" for "not wearing a headscarf" and "disturbing the society's mental security."

"Victory is not easy, but it is certain," imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner and women's rights activist Narges Mohammadi, said in a message smuggled out of her Tehran cell.

In the message, read out in French by her daughter, Kiana Rahmani, and posted on the official Nobel website, the 51-year-old activist and journalist expressed "sincere gratitude" to the Norwegian Nobel committee.

It was not disclosed how the message was smuggled out.

Mohammadi once again criticized the requirement for women in Iran to wear a head scarf and denounced Iranian authorities.

"The compulsory hijab is a means of control and repression imposed on society and on which the continuation and survival of this authoritarian religious regime depends," she declared through her 17-year-old daughter, who has taken refuge in France along with her family.

She condemned "a regime that has institutionalized deprivation and poverty in society for 45 years," adding that it was "built on lies, deception, cunning, and intimidation".

"We, the people of Iran, demand democracy, freedom, human rights, and equality, and the Islamic Republic is the main obstacle in the way of realizing these national demands," Mohammadi said in her message.

"We are struggling to transition away from this religious authoritarian regime through solidarity and drawing on the power of a non-violent and unstoppable process in order to revive the honor and pride of Iran and human dignity and prestige for its people," she continued in the message from Evin prison.

Arrested 13 times, sentenced five times to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes, and imprisoned again since 2021, Mohammadi is one of the women spearheading the "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising in Iran.

Mohammadi was awarded the Peace Prize “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.”

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World

Maduro Elusive on US Attack, Open to Dialogue

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro says the door is open to dialogue with Washington. STRINGER / AFP/File
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro says the door is open to dialogue with Washington. STRINGER / AFP/File
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Maduro Elusive on US Attack, Open to Dialogue

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro says the door is open to dialogue with Washington. STRINGER / AFP/File
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro says the door is open to dialogue with Washington. STRINGER / AFP/File

President Nicolas Maduro Thursday dodged a question about an alleged US attack on a dock in Venezuela but said he was open to cooperation with Washington after weeks of American military pressure.

"Wherever they want and whenever they want," Maduro said of the idea of dialogue with the United States on drug trafficking, oil and migration in an interview on state TV.

Maduro's government has neither confirmed nor denied what President Donald Trump announced Monday: a US attack on a docking facility that served Venezuelan drug trafficking boats.

Asked point-blank if he confirmed or denied the attack, Maduro said Thursday "this could be something we talk about in a few days."

The attack would amount to the first known land strike of the US military campaign against drug trafficking from Latin America.

Trump on Monday said the United States hit and destroyed a docking area for alleged Venezuelan drug boats.

Trump would not say if it was a military or CIA operation or where the strike occurred, noting only that it was "along the shore."

"There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs," he told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

"So we hit all the boats and now we hit the area, it's the implementation area, that's where they implement. And that is no longer around."

In the interview, Maduro insisted that Venezuela has defended itself well as the US carried out its military campaign at sea.

"Our people are safe and in peace," he said.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro fueled rumors about the location of the attack, saying "Trump bombed a factory in Maracaibo" where "they mix coca paste to make cocaine."

That led some to speculate on social media that a fire at wholesale chemical distributor Primazol's warehouses in Maracaibo may have been related to the attack.

Primazol chief Carlos Eduardo Siu denied those rumors, saying "President Petro, not here -- we neither package nor manufacture any kind of narcotics."

Unpleasant evolution

Maduro said he has not spoken to Trump since a conversation they had on November 12, which he described as cordial and respectful.

"I think that conversation was even pleasant, but since then the evolution has not been pleasant. Let's wait," he said.

"If they want to talk seriously about an agreement to fight drug trafficking, we are ready," the Venezuelan leader said.

The Trump administration has accused Maduro of heading a drug cartel and says it is cracking down on trafficking, but the leftist leader denies any involvement in the narcotics trade, saying the US seeks a coup because Venezuela has the largest known reserves of oil on Earth.

Washington has ramped up pressure on Caracas by informally closing Venezuela's airspace, imposing more sanctions and ordering the seizure of tankers loaded with Venezuelan oil.

For weeks Trump has threatened ground strikes on drug cartels in the region, saying they would start "soon," but this is the first apparent example.

US forces have also carried out numerous strikes on boats in both the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September, targeting what Washington says are drug smugglers.

The deadly maritime campaign has killed at least 107 people in at least 30 strikes, according to information released by the US military.

The administration has provided no evidence that the targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking, however, prompting debate about the legality of these operations.

International law experts and rights groups say the strikes likely amount to extrajudicial killings, a charge that Washington denies.

World

Swiss Investigators Rush to Identify Victims of New Year's Fire

Investigators are racing to identify the victims of a fire at a New Year's celebration in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana. MAXIME SCHMID / AFP
Investigators are racing to identify the victims of a fire at a New Year's celebration in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana. MAXIME SCHMID / AFP
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Swiss Investigators Rush to Identify Victims of New Year's Fire

Investigators are racing to identify the victims of a fire at a New Year's celebration in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana. MAXIME SCHMID / AFP
Investigators are racing to identify the victims of a fire at a New Year's celebration in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana. MAXIME SCHMID / AFP

Investigators raced on Friday to identify the victims of a fire that ripped through a bar in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana, turning a New Year's celebration into one of the country's worst tragedies.

It is not yet clear what set off the blaze at Le Constellation, killing around 40 people and injuring about 115 others, many seriously.

Bystanders described scenes of panic and chaos as people tried to break the windows to escape and others, covered in burns, poured into the street, reported AFP.

Swiss police warned it could take days or even weeks to identify everyone who perished, an agonizing wait for family and friends.

"We've tried to reach our friends. We took loads of photos and posted them on Instagram, Facebook, all possible social networks to try to find them," said Eleonore, 17. "But there's nothing. No response."

"Even the parents don't know," she added.

The exact number of people who were at the bar when it went up in flames remains unclear, and police have not specified how many are still missing.

Le Constellation had a capacity of 300 people, plus another 40 people on its terrace, according to the Crans-Montana website.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who took over on Thursday, called the fire "a calamity of unprecedented, terrifying proportions", and announced that flags would be flown at half mast for five days.

"Behind these figures are faces, names, families, lives brutally cut short, completely interrupted, or forever changed," Parmelin said at a press conference.

"Given the international nature of the Crans resort, we can expect foreign nationals to be among the victims," local police commander Frederic Gisler said.

'The apocalypse'

The fire broke out around 1:30 am (0030 GMT) Thursday at Le Constellation, a bar popular with young tourists.

"We thought it was just a small fire -- but when we got there, it was war," Mathys, from neighboring Chermignon-d'en-Bas, told AFP. "That's the only word I can use to describe it: the apocalypse."

Nathan, who was in the bar before the blaze, saw burned people streaming out of the site.

"They were asking for help, crying out for help," he said.

Authorities have declined to speculate on what caused the tragedy, saying only that it was not an attack.

Several witness accounts, broadcast by Swiss, French and Italian media, pointed to sparklers apparently mounted on champagne bottles and held aloft by restaurant staff as part of a regular "show" for patrons who made special orders to their tables.

There were "waitresses with champagne bottles and little sparklers. They got too close to the ceiling, and suddenly it all caught fire", Axel, a witness, told the Italian media outlet Local Team.

The canton's chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud said investigators would look into whether the bar met safety standards and had the required number of exits.

Red and white caution tape, flowers and candles adorned the street where the tragedy occurred, while police shielded the site with white screens.

The European Union said it has been in contact with Swiss authorities about providing medical assistance, while French President Emmanuel Macron said some of the injured were being cared for in French hospitals.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian broadcaster Rete 4 that around 15 Italians had been injured in the fire, and a similar number remained missing.

The French foreign ministry said nine French citizens figured among the injured, and eight others remained unaccounted for.

Multiple sources told AFP that the bar owners are French nationals: a couple originally from Corsica who, according to a relative, are safe, but have been unreachable since the tragedy.

World

Somaliland Denies It Will Host Palestinians, Israeli Base

This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)
This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)
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Somaliland Denies It Will Host Palestinians, Israeli Base

This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)
This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)

The breakaway region of Somaliland on Thursday denied allegations by the Somali president that it would take resettled Palestinians or host an Israeli military base in exchange for Israel recognizing its independence.

Israel last week became the first country to recognize Somaliland as an "independent and sovereign state", triggering protests across Somalia.

On Wednesday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, citing intelligence reports, told Al Jazeera that Somaliland had accepted three conditions from Israel: the resettlement of Palestinians, the establishment of a military base on the Gulf of Aden, and joining the Abraham Accords to normalize ties with Israel.

Somaliland's foreign ministry denied the first two conditions.

"The Government of the Republic of Somaliland firmly rejects false claims made by the President of Somalia alleging the resettlement of Palestinians or the establishment of military bases in Somaliland," it said in a statement on X.

It said the deal was "purely diplomatic".

"These baseless allegations are intended to mislead the international community and undermine Somaliland's diplomatic progress," it added.

But analysts say an alliance with Somaliland is especially useful to Israel for its strategic position on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, close to the Iran-backed Houthi in Yemen, who have struck Israel repeatedly since the start of the Gaza war.

Somaliland unilaterally declared independence in 1991 and has enjoyed far more peace than the rest of conflict-hit Somalia, establishing its own elections, currency and army.

Its location alongside one of the world's busiest shipping lanes has made it a key partner for foreign countries.