Human Rights

DAMASCUS, Dec 28 (NNN-SANA) – The United States is stealing natural resources from Syria, and imposing illegitimate sanctions, Syria’s Foreign Minister, Faisal Mekdad, said in an interview, aired late yesterday.

The U.S. forces, with the help of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia, continue to steal the Syrian oil, wheat, and cotton, Mekdad told the national TV.

27 Dec 2021; MEMO: The Israeli government unanimously approved on Sunday a NIS1 billion ($317m) plan to increase the number of Jewish settlers in the occupied Golan Heights, Israeli media reported.

The Times of Israel reported Prime Minister Naftali Bennett as saying that Israel intends to double the number of Israelis living in "the strategic area" in the coming years.

28 Dec 2021; MEMO: The Israeli occupation authorities have failed to provide evidence for outlawing six Palestinian human rights and civil society groups, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (Adalah) said on Tuesday.

"The organisations have not received any of the evidentiary materials that the Israeli authorities purport to justify this draconian and sweeping measure," Adalah said in a statement.

27 Dec 2021; MEMO: Israeli occupation forces attacked, on Sunday evening, a peaceful Palestinian demonstration organised against the violence of Israeli settlers, Wafa news agency reported.

According to sources, who spoke to Wafa, the Israeli occupation forces opened fire at the Palestinian protesters and threw gas canisters at them.

27 Dec 2021; MEMO: Israeli occupation bulldozers demolished on Monday morning 10 Palestinian commercial properties in occupied Jerusalem's neighbourhood of Hizma, Safa news agency reported.

Anti-Israeli settlement activist, Yousef Askar, told Safa that the Israeli occupation forces backed with bulldozers raided Hizma and demolished the shops.

He said that the owners of the shops attempted to take some of their goods out, but they were prevented by the Israeli occupation forces.

25 Dec 2021; MEMO: Trials of Tunisian citizens before civil and military courts for "insulting the president" have increased, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said referring to repressive pre-revolution laws used by the public prosecution.

The organisation said that the Tunisian authorities are prosecuting and imprisoning citizens for public criticism of President Kais Saied after he announced his exceptional measures last July. Those prosecuted include; senior civil servants, members of parliament, social media commentators and TV presenters.

26 Dec 2021; MEMO: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and veteran of South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle died on Sunday at the age of 90, the presidency said.

"The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation's farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa," President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

"Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal."

26 Dec 2021; MEMO: Belarus has reportedly forced Syrian refugees to return to Syria despite being wanted by the regime of Bashar al-Assad, in an effort to rid itself of the thousands of asylum seekers trafficked to the country in recent months.

Muzaffarnagar, Dec 26 (PTI) The body of a 30-year-old woman was found hanging at her in-laws' house in Shamli district, with her father alleging she was murdered by her husband over a dowry dispute, police said on Sunday.

Bhumika used to live with her in-laws in the Maniharan locality of the district, and she was found dead on Saturday, they said.

Her father, Anil Sharma of Noida, has lodged a complaint with the police stating she was murdered by her husband and four other people over dowry, officials said.

Dang, Dec 26 (PTI) Police have arrested six men and detained three minors in connection with the alleged gang-rape a 14-year-old girl in Gujarat's Dang district, an official said on Sunday.

The incident took place around two months back, but came to light recently when a relative of the girl came across a video of the crime on a social media platform. The purported act was recorded by one of the accused on his mobile phone and later circulated on social media, he said.