Bangladesh’s ousted leader Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death

A Bangladesh court sentenced ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to be hanged for crimes against humanity on Monday, with cheers breaking out in the packed court as the judge read out the verdict. Hasina, 78, defied court orders that she return from India to attend her trial about whether she ordered a deadly crackdown against a student-led uprising last year that eventually ousted her. The highly anticipated ruling, which was broadcast live on national television, came less than three months before the first polls in the South Asian country of 170 million people since her overthrow in August 2024. “All the… elements constituting crimes against humanity have been fulfilled,” judge Golam Mortuza Mozumder read to the court in Dhaka. The former leader was found guilty on three counts: incitement, order to kill, and inaction to prevent the atrocities, the judge said. “We have decided to inflict her with only one sentence — that is, sentence of death.” Crowds waved the national fl...

Gen Z protesters rally across Morocco demanding health, education reforms

By Ahmed Eljechtimi Reuters

A heavy security presence on Monday evening thwarted for a straight third day youth-led protests across several Moroccan cities, where demonstrators have sought to rally for improvements to the public health and education systems.

The protests were organized online by a loosely formed anonymous youth group calling itself “GenZ 212,” using platforms including TikTok, Instagram and gaming application Discord.

The government and judicial authorities have not yet communicated on the incidents and arrests and the interior ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

On Monday evening, dozens were arrested as authorities prevented the group from holding protests in cities including Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir, Tangier and Oujda.

In Rabat, a Reuters witness saw plainclothes officers arresting young protesters as they tried to chant slogans or speak to the press.

The president of a child protection association, Najat Anouar, was arrested as she was speaking to media and released two hours later.

“I came here to investigate allegations that the under-age have been arrested and got arrested myself,” she told Reuters.

One group of protesters in downtown Rabat briefly managed to shout “freedom, dignity, and social justice”, a slogan echoing the 2011 demonstrations that prompted a constitutional reform devolving more powers from the Moroccan monarchy to the elected government.

“We want a better health system and accountability,” said Brahim, 25, moments before fleeing as police sought to prevent people joining the protest.

On Sunday night in Casablanca, protesters briefly blocked a major highway, while in Agadir, videos circulating on social media showed police dispersing students near the university campus.

The recent wave of youth anger was sparked by earlier protests in Agadir over poor hospital conditions, which quickly spread to other cities.

The movement has adopted as its rallying symbol a pirate flag from the Japanese anime series “One Piece”, a logo also used recently by youth-led, anti-regime protests in Indonesia and Nepal.

Demonstrators have denounced inadequate care, understaffed facilities, and a lack of medical resources.

Morocco’s unemployment rate stands at 12.8%, with youth unemployment reaching 35.8% and 19% among graduates, according to the national statistics agency.



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/Mih8zU3

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Myanmar earthquake death toll rises as fresh tremors further complicate rescue efforts

Israel says situation on Lebanon border ‘not sustainable’