Other news today: Japan reformulates the crime of sexual assault. Journalists continue to receive accusations of “sedition” in Pakistan. In the Philippines, activist Leila de Lima will be tried by a new court because the judge withdrew from the process. President Widodo wants to eliminate second-hand trade in Indonesia. Kazakh citizens forced to queue for water.
CHINA – AFGHANISTAN
The president of the Central Bank of Afghanistan met this week with the Chinese ambassador to discuss financial relations: “Economy, banking relations, business and other related issues were discussed at the meeting,” he told Reuters the bank’s spokesman, Hassibullah Noori. When the Taliban reconquered the country, the funds of the Central Bank were frozen. China does not have formal diplomatic relations with the Islamic Emirate but has retained its own ambassador in the country.
JAPAN
Tokyo passed a law that reformulates the crime of sexual assault and raises the age of consent for relationships from 13 to 16 years. As in other countries, the definition of rape was expanded to “non-consensual sexual relations” instead of “forced sexual relations”. The change followed a series of rape acquittals in 2019 that spawned a nationwide protest movement called the Flower Demo.
PAKISTAN
Human rights activists expressed “extreme concern” over sedition charges against several journalists and political commentators. Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders blame the government for a unprecedented crackdown on those who criticize the government and the Pakistani army. The crackdown began after protests over the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was later released by Supreme Court order.
PHILIPPINES
A judge who had denied bail to Filipino activist Leila de Lima dropped the case yesterday. The woman has been in prison for six years on drug charges, but her lawyers say they are fabricated charges to silence her, since she has been one of the most critical voices of former President Rodrigo Duterte and his “war on drugs.” Now the case will be assigned to a new court.
INDONESIA
The pressure from the authorities against the jobs increases sale of second-hand clothing. Garments from all over the world are sold for a fraction of the original cost but they have decided to prohibit this activity to protect the national textile industry. President Joko Widodo has now vowed to eliminate the stalls entirely, but risks destroying the informal sector which, according to the World Bank, accounts for 60% of Indonesia’s economy.
ISRAEL – PALESTINE
The Ryanair airline apologized because on a flight from Bologna to Tel Aviv a crew member announced, in both Italian and English, that the plane was about to land. landing “in occupied Palestine”. The notice prompted complaints from the passengers and, although the cabin crew had already apologized, upon landing they called the police.
RUSSIA
In the Belgorod region, where guerrilla warfare is taking place by pro-Ukrainian partisans, three very young recruits who had been sent there for normal basic training were killed, local human rights guarantor Tatiana Merzljakova said. The activist recalled that President Putin himself had promised that “the war will not touch them.”
KAZAKHSTAN
In many Central Asian cities water scarcity continues to worsen and local governments no longer know how to deal with it. The inhabitants of Astana are forced to line up in front of the cisterns once a day for the distribution of water and must respect rosters to shower, with an average temperature of 35 degrees that can reach 45.
