Human Rights

Canada urges India to cooperate in Sikh leader's death investigation

OTTAWA, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair on Sunday called for the Indian government to cooperate on the probe into the assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In an interview with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Blair said, "The only request we've made of our allies and India is that they cooperate fully in that investigation because its outcome is very important."

Netherlands: Leader of racist and Islamophobic group once again tears down Quran

24 September 2023; MEMO: The leader of PEGIDA, an Islamophobic group, once again tore down a copy of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, in front of the Turkish Embassy in the Netherlands on Saturday, reports Anadolu Agency.

Tearing down more copies of the Quran outside the embassies of Pakistan, Indonesia, and Denmark in the Hague, Edwin Wagensveld also insulted Islam and Muslims.

Thousands march against racism, police violence in France

25 September 2023; MEMO: Thousands of demonstrators take to the streets Saturday across France to denounce police violence, systemic racism and support for public freedoms, reports Anadolu Agency.

The protests came three months after the death of Nahel M., 17, who was killed in a police shooting in Nanterre in late June.

Middle East security ‘requires just solution to Palestinian issue’; Saudi Arabia

25 September 2023; MEMO: Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud said on Saturday that Middle East security “requires a just solution to the Palestinian issue.”

This came during his speech at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.

“Regional security requires a just solution to the Palestinian issue,” he said, stating that solution should lead to the creation of an independent state.

US diplomat says intelligence from ‘Five Eyes’ nations helped Canada to link India to Sikh’s killing

TORONTO (AP) — Information shared by members of an intelligence-sharing alliance was part of what Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used to make public allegations of the Indian government’s possible involvement in the assassination of a Sikh Canadian, the U.S. ambassador to Canada said.

“There was shared intelligence among ‘Five Eyes’ partners that helped lead Canada to (make) the statements that the prime minister made,” U.S. Ambassador David Cohen told Canadian CTV News network.

Muslim girl turned away from school in France for wearing hijab files complaint with UN

23 September 2023; MEMO: A Muslim student, who had been turned away from school for wearing a kimono, a Japanese garment, in France, has filed a complaint with the UN over being “discriminated against” due to her religious affiliation, Anadolu Agency reports.

The controversy over the French government’s stance against hijab in schools continues, with many students being turned away for wearing loose over-garments.

Saudi Arabia sentences teenage girl to 18 years in prison over support for political prisoners

24 September 2023; MEMO: Saudi authorities have sentenced a girl of secondary school age to 18 years in prison and imposed a travel ban on her for expressing support of political prisoners online, in one of the latest examples of Riyadh’s harsh crackdown on any form of dissent.

Swiss Parliament outlaws the niqab

20 September 2023; MEMO: The Swiss Parliament passed legislation on Wednesday making it illegal to cover one’s face, including wearing a niqab – a Muslim woman’s face veil – with a fine of 1,000 Swiss francs (approximately $1,114), Anadolu Agency reports.

The “burqa ban” law was approved by the upper chamber of parliament, known locally as Nationalrat, by a vote of 151 to 29, public broadcaster, SRF, reported.

Fundraising campaign to free Israeli terrorist raises over $315,000

21 September 2023; MEMO: A fundraising effort with the goal of securing the release of the settler who killed the Palestinian Dawabsheh family in an arson attack in 2015 from prison has raised over NIS 1.2 million, reported The Times of Israel.

The effort to overturn his conviction, titled “Amiram also deserves justice,” made headlines this week when Limor Son Har-Melech, a far-right Otzma Yehudit MK, spoke at a fundraising gathering for the cause, referring to him as a “holy righteous man”.

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