Lawyers call for reduced sentence for Joshua Wong and other pro-democracy activists

Today’s news: Philippines and Japan close to finalising mutual security agreement. Thousands displaced in Myanmar due to heavy rains. Israel approves new illegal settlements in West Bank. Niqab banned in Dagestan.

HONG KONG

In the trial of the 47 members of the pro-democracy movement already convicted of organizing the primary elections on charges of “subversion”, the lawyer of Joshua Wong – one of the most notorious activists imprisoned since 2021 under the security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 – He asked for his sentence to be reducedUnder the draconian regulations, the sentence ranges from three to ten years in prison for those considered active participants in the conspiracy, but could reach life imprisonment for “major criminals.”

PHILIPPINES – JAPAN

Negotiations between Tokyo and Manila on a mutual defense agreement are close to being concluded, according to diplomatic sources. Under the pact, which will be definitively signed on July 8, the armed forces of both countries will have access to each other’s territory. The Philippines has intensified its ties with countries in the region to counter China’s aggression in the South China Sea.

MYANMAR

In Myanmar, the civilian population is forced to evacuate not only because of the fighting but also because of the increasing intensity of the monsoons: this week, 23,000 people fled their homes after heavy rains which caused the Irrawaddy River to overflow its banks and several landslides, resulting in the deaths of at least 35 people, aid workers said.

INDIA

Guru Bhole Baba, who was leading a religious ceremony in which more than 120 people died due to the stampede, denied any responsibility and pledged to cooperate with police in the investigation. The guru’s lawyer said the stampede was caused “by some anti-social elements” who were organizing a “criminal conspiracy.” In India, the incident, in which mostly women and children died, raised questions about the lack of security measures.

RUSSIA – PAKISTAN

Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Shebhaz Sharif proposed overcoming the current difficulties in bank payments by returning to relations based on barter, as in the days of the USSR in the 1960s, when Pakistan imported machinery from Russia, giving textiles and leather in exchange.

ISRAEL – PALESTINE

The Israeli government has 5,295 new homes approved among the settlements (illegal under international law) in the West Bank, according to the Israeli NGO Peace Now, which says the new approvals will further fuel tensions. More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in 100 settlements in the West Bank and this year alone Israel has declared some 23.7 square kilometres of land as its own, an unprecedented figure, the NGO said.

RUSSIA

The administration of the mufti of Dagestan has decided to issue a fatwa against the niqab, which until now was widely considered unnecessary, while now a “new theological concept” linked to the “exclusion of any possible threat” has been approved by civil authorities and also by representatives of the Orthodox Patriarchate.