Other news of the day: Pyongyang punishes unmarried couples with labor camps; on the occasion of the Buddha’s birth festival, the Myanmar military junta pardoned more than 2,000 political prisoners; eight Indians arrested in Qatar for spying on behalf of Israel; Lao activist critical of the government was assassinated and the authorities do not open an investigation; Tehran uses new “weapons” to punish women who don’t wear the hijab.
ISRAEL – PALESTINE
Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza agreed to a Stop the fire after a night of air raids by fighter jets. Rockets had been fired from the Strip in reaction to the prison death on hunger strike of Khader Adnan, an Islamic jihad leader. The “mutual and simultaneous” truce came into force at 03:30 in the morning local time, thanks to the mediation of Egypt, Qatar and the UN.
NORTH KOREA
Pyongyang sends to unmarried couples to labor camps, accusing them of “poisoning” the socialist society on which the country is founded. If the union under the same roof – RFA reports – lasts less than a year, the penalty is three months. In the event that the cohabitation lasts for more than three years, the penalty is raised to three years. The repression aims to eliminate the “capitalist” culture.
MYANMAR
Myanmar military junta today pardoned more than two thousand political prisoners on the occasion of the Kasone festival (full moon day, Buddha’s birth). The families were able to hug their relatives again outside the prisons, in one of the rare moments of clemency on the part of the generals in the context of the fierce repression they have carried out since their return to power with a coup d’état in February 2021.
INDIA – QATAR – ISRAEL
Eight senior Indian employees of Dahra Global Technologies and Consulting Services have been in Qatari jails for months for spy for israel a submarine program, and could theoretically be sentenced to death. The former Navy officers were arrested in August 2022. The first hearing took place at the end of March and another is expected in May.
LAOS
A well-known activist and critic of the government was shot dead in Vientiane. Anousa ‘Jack’ Luangsuphom, 25, a promoter of the Kub Kluen Duay Keyboard social media page, was shot at point-blank range in the face and chest as he stood outside a cafe. The execution occurred on the night of April 29 and the authorities have not yet opened an investigation.
IRAN
Fearing to reignite the wave of protests in favor of Mahsa Amini for rights and freedoms, Tehran resorts to new tactics to punish women who do not wear hijab and it is replacing the moral police with security cameras and the denial of basic services. Analysts and critics see the new policy as running the risk of worsening the economic crisis by shutting down businesses and activities.
CHINA – RUSSIA
Beijing publicly recognized Russia as Ukraine’s “aggressor country” for the first time by passing a UN General Assembly resolution on the issue instead of maintaining the usual abstention. The text also condemns the previous aggression against Georgia, and calls for “reparation for the damage caused.”
UZBEKISTAN
The plebiscite victory in the referendum on constitutional amendments in Uzbekistan, with only 9.35% of the votes against out of the more than 16 million who went to the polls, will allow President Mirziyoyev to run again as a candidate for the presidency without compute the previous mandates. Now the number of years goes from 5 to 7 and he will be able to stay in power until 2040, following Putin’s example.
