Category Archives: Government Oppression

[Peoples Dispatch brings you a series of articles and videos on 2020, a momentous year that saw humanity face unprecedented challenges. The beacon of hope remained the historic resistance mounted by peoples movements, and the care and solidarity they epitomized, proving yet again that our collective struggles alone can dismantle and end oppression. You can read the full serieshere]

2020 will likely go down in history as the year of the great lockdown. As the coronavirus spread like wildfire, millions were forced into their homes to curb the transmission of the deadly virus. Millions more were forced to remain at their posts, in hospitals, sanitation plants, grocery stores, the fields, care facilities and other front line work posts.

With the adverse situation, governments and political leaders made vague calls for national unity to overcome the pandemic. Some governments were forced to make mild concessions, enacting rent moratoriums, relaxation of debt payments, and sometimes even bolstering previously gutted national health systems. However, this honeymoon of national unity and togetherness did not last long in most countries.

In many countries, especially those already with bad track records for suppression of dissent and criminalization of protest, the pandemic and the lockdowns served as justifications for governments to tighten their grip on society and unleash new, unprecedented campaigns of repression against historic enemies of the state and against all those taking the streets to protest.

The lockdown conditions provided the perfect cover for selective arrests and dulled the possibility of a mass campaign on the streets rejecting such targeted acts of criminalization. In countries such as India, Thailand, Colombia, Palestine, the US and others, we saw a sharp uptick in state repression of those who have dared to fight for a better future.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Indiacontinued its repressionof political opposition and minorities and used the COVID-19 related lockdown to advance its anti-people agenda. In the beginning of the year, it stood by during a vicious campaign against those protesting the citizenship laws. This campaign ultimately led to large-scale violence against minorities in the capital Delhi. The government used the violence and COVID-19 outbreak to not only disrupt the months-long protests but also, under the watch of Home minister Amit Shah, the Delhi police targeted a large number of leaders of the anti-citizenship law campaign and arrested them, blaming them for the violence. Most of them were charged with the draconian anti-terrorism law, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The BJP-ruled state of Uttar Pradesh took a similar approach against the protesters.

Student leaders such asNatasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita, Sharjeel Imam andpolitical activistsincluding Umer Khalid, Ishrat Jahan, Khalid Saifi, Safoora Zarger and Kafeel Khan among several otherswere arrested for their alleged role in the Delhi riots. Most of them are still in jails without being formally charged for months now.

The Modi government used COVID-19 related lockdowns to arrest human rights activist and journalistGautam Navlakhaand scholarAnand TeltumbdeinAprilunder the same draconian UAPA for their alleged involvement in Bhima Koregaon case. The government arrested 83 years old human rights activist Stan Swamy in the same case in October 2020. Similarly the cases of 79-year-oldVaravara Rao, in prison since 2018, and G.N. Saibaba, whois 90% disabled and has been in prison since 2017, have raised great concern. In all these cases, the government and courts have refused to consider the concerns raised by family members about their advanced age and vulnerability to COVID-19 infection in prison.

In several other cases, the courts accepted arguments by the police and the government, and ignored procedures and established conventions to deny bail. The police and government used media, both social and conventional, to push campaigns terming arrested activists and journalists critical to its policies as urban naxals or anti-nationals. They have similarly vilified minorities and justified the blatant misuse of state machinery and violation of peoples human rights.

The Palestinian struggle for the right to self-determination faced increased repression in the year 2020 with the Netanyahu-led Zionist regime. His administration used its proximity to fellow imperialist powers, to threaten formal annexation of around one third of the occupied West Bank in the name of Trumps so-called deal of the century and to attempt to isolate the Palestinian people within the larger Arab world through the so-called normalization deals with some of the Arab countries.

The year saw a number of killings of the innocent Palestinians. The murder of 32-year-old Iyad Halaq, 27-year-old Ahmed Erekat, 29-year-old Mustafa Abu Yaacoub and13-year-old Ali Ayman Abu Aliyawere condemnedinternationally. UN human rights expertscondemnedthe killing of Abu Aliya and called for an independent investigation and expressed that they were deeply troubled by the overall lack of accountability for the killings of Palestinian children in recent years. Furthermore they highlighted that Abu Aliya was the sixth Palestinian child living in the West Bank to be killed by Israeli security forces with live ammunition in 2020. They reported that between November 1, 2019 and October 31, 2020, 1,048 Palestinian children were injured by Israeli security forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Israeli regime used COVID-19 pandemic to arrest and illegally detain severalPalestinian activists, including manystudentsand freedom fighters, despite concerns of increased vulnerability of prisons. It carried out demolitions of Palestinian houses and used the state authority and its occupying forces to continue stealing Palestinian land and advanced projects to build illegal settlements and outposts by displacing the rightful owners by force.

The human rights record of the far-right government of Ivn Duque is one of the worst in the region. Under the shadow of the lockdown, his government tightened its grip in its attack on social movements and, at the bare minimum, turned a blind eye to what movements have called a genocide of social leaders, human rights defenders, and ex-combatants/signatories of the 2016 peace agreements.

In 2020, according to reports from the Institute of Development and Peace Studies (INDEPAZ),310 social leaders and human rights defenderswere assassinated. 90 massacres were committed and 65 signatories of the peace agreements, demobilized combatants from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), were killed.

At the same time, the repression and criminalization of social movements has increased significantly. This ranges from surveillance and harassment of social leaders by government agents and members of the public force, to conspiratorial frame-ups which have put dozens of social leaders behind bars. A recent example was on December 15 and 16, when three historic peasant leaders Tefilo Acua, Adelso Gallo and Robert Daza were arrested and accused by the Attorney General of being part of an armed guerrilla group. They were released following a tireless campaign by movements to show that their work as peasant leaders and defenders of the land and human rights is not a crime.

The mass protests that took place in the Colombian capital, Bogot in early September against the police killing of Javier Ordez were also met with brutal repression by security forces. The violent repression by police resulted in the killing of 13 people (10 in Bogot, 3 in Soacha), more than 65 gravely injured by firearms, with more than 400 were injured overall, and hundreds arbitrarily detained.

In Thailand, the year began with an attack on democracy and popular will with amass shooting by a soldierthat killed 30 and injured dozens and thedissolution of a major oppositionparty by the constitutional court, at the behest of the military-supported government of Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Over the next few months suppression of democratic avenues brewed untilprotests broke out in mid-Julyin the capital, Bangkok, and elsewhere across the country. The protests included a cross section of people fromstudents groupstotrade unionsconverging on a common demand toend the militarys controlover civilian governments, an end to the nations lese-majeste laws, and an end tohounding of activistsand journalists. Ironically, the government did exactly the opposite of what the protesters have been demanding. From declaring anabortivedeclaration of emergency, slapping charges of insulting the monarchy ondozensof protesters and even pursuingcases against media outletsreporting on the protests. Nevertheless, the movement continues unabated and will continue to grow stronger next year.

In the Philippines, repression continued under president Rodrigo Duterte. Even though the year began witha trucebetween the government and the communist insurgents, it slowly deteriorated as the year rolled in. Attacks on media stood out particularly, with the conviction against veteran journalistMaria Resaand her colleague from theRappler, the closure of a national broadcasterABS-CBN, and the murder of a regional radio journalistVirgilio Maganes. Filipinos also had to deal with a particularlyrepressive governmentduring the COVID-19 pandemic, which pushed a newanti-terror law. Politicalassassinationsalso continued this year, despitecalls for protectionfrom civil society groups against proven threat to life. But efforts from activists and grassroots leaders paid way after a recent report by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court found the governmentguilty of possible crimes against humanityin its anti-drugs campaign.

The conservative Law and Justice(PiS) party led government in Poland relentlessly pursued their regressive, misogynistic policies and continued the persecution ofcommunistsin 2020. In order to reinforce theirschemingfor absolute power, the PiS regime called for the presidential elections amidst the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in May. Widespread popular outrageforcedthe government to postpone the elections and when the elections happened on July 12, PiS-backed Andrzej Duda managed to win only with 2% majority over than liberal opposition candidate.

The PiS governments decision toquitthe European treaty on violence against women and domestic violence popularly known as the Istanbul Convention drew widespread protests from womens groups, the left and the international community. In October, the Polish constitutional courtruledthat abortions in the case of foetal defects are unconstitutional. Womens groups, the Polish left and other progressive sectionsdenounced the judgementas a war on women and started massiveprotestsacross the country. Throughout the year, womens groups and progressives in Polandfoughttirelessly against the tyranny of PiS, braving police crackdowns and harassment from far-right miscreants.

2020 saw one of the largest sustained uprisings in the history of the United States. Millions took to the streetsin cities and towns across the country, both large and small, toprotest against the racist killing of George Floydon May 25 in Minneapolis and against theracist systemthat continues to perpetuate these acts of violence while ensuring impunity for the perpetrators. The central slogan of the protests #BlackLivesMatters was echoedacross the world, with protests in Australia, Brazil,Franceand the United Kingdom also demanding justice for victims of police violence and structural change to address racism.

However, this great uprising was also met with harsh repression. Images circulated across social media throughout the months of the uprising of local police officers and federal officers, sent at the request of local officials or by the federal government,using violence and forceto attack protesters. Officers used tear gas, baton attacks, and rubber bullets against the protests causing hundreds of injuries to protesters and members of the press.

In several cities such as Philadelphia, civil rights groups filed lawsuits against city administrations for disproportionate use of force and racialized and militarized policing.

The repression was not limited to violent police attacks, according to reports,over 300 demonstrators were charged with federal crimes, during the course of the uprising. Civil rights advocates have pointed out that many of these charges are either exaggerated claims by law enforcement agencies or completely trumped up. On September 18, three organizers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) in Denver, Colorado, Lillian House, Eliza Lucero and Joel Northam,were arrestedon charges ranging from felony charges of kidnapping and rioting to misdemeanors like disturbing the peace. The activists were on the forefront of the mass anti-racist movement and in Denver organized fiercely to demand justice in the case of23-year-old Elijah McClainwho was murdered by officers from the Aurora Police Department (city next to Denver) on August 24, 2019. Theywere released on bondafter spending a week in prison but the District Attorney has yet to drop the charges.

This year was also key in the struggle to free one of the key political prisoners,Julian Assange. The trial portion for Julian Assanges extradition hearings took place in the month of September, at the Central Criminal Court or the Old Bailey in London. The case which deals with the fundamental question of press freedom, began with censorship, as the judge presiding over the case, Vanessa Baraitser,excluded over 40 applicants for remote accessto the trial. Throughout the four weeks of trial, testimonies were presented from nearly three dozen expert witnesses, covering a range of aspects of the case, from Assanges mental health to the political nature of the charges he will be facing in the US to the possibility of torture and maltreatment he is likely to face if extradited. Judge Vanessa Baraitser is set to deliver the verdict on January 4, 2021. Since theconclusion of the trial, Assange remained in the Belmarsh prison as he was denied bail.

A large number of global leaders and personalities, as well associal movements, have manifested their support to Assange and rejected his persecution and extradition including former Brazilian presidentsLuiz Incio Lula da Silva,Dilma Rousseff, former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa,Roger Waters, Jeremy Corbyn, Noam Chomsky, Argentine president Alberto Fernndez, and many others.

With contributions from Abdul Rahman, Anish R.M., Muhammad Shabeer and Zoe PC.

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Under the Cover of the Pandemic, States Cracked Down Even Harder - NewsClick

The Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League Nawazare two of the biggest political parties in Pakistan. For decades, they have taken turns sitting on the throne of Islamabad and every time they failed to do so, the two parties joined hands.

We saw this in 2006 when Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif two former Prime Ministers of Pakistan came together to overthrow General Parvez Musharraf. Now, years later,we are seeing it again as Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Maryam Nawaz Sharif the heirs of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have come together to overthrow the government of Imran Khan Niazi.

Their coming together has infused new energy in their cadre. Their anti-govt rallies are being attended by thousands of Pakistan locals and their bonhomie is making headlines.

Also read|Imran Khan government is illegitimate, incompetent: Pakistan's united opposition Chief Fazlur Rehman

Can this alliance go beyond mere posturing?

The images of Bilawal Bhutto driving Maryam Nawaz to his mother's grave are quite telling.It was Benazir Bhutto's 13th death anniversary andMaryam Nawaz accompanied Bhutto's son to her mausoleum. The two paid their respects to Benazir Bhutto Pakistan's first woman prime minister.

Maryam Nawaz, who has often called Benazir her idol, also tweeted after her visit."Politics of hatred and polarisation has to be buried. Pakistans younger politicians need to build on COD, unite against poverty & oppression," she tweeted.

The political pundits of Pakistan are seeing this growing camaraderie as a new chapter in their country's politics. However, the real question is if this assumption is correct.

In 2006,Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto came together in London to sign a charter of democracy. They promised to struggle against what they called a dictatorship and they too promised to do away with the politics of hatred and polarisation.

Then, on December 27, 2007,Benazir Bhutto got assassinated after a suicided attack at one of her rallies claimed Bhutto's life. It plunged Pakistan into turmoil less than two weeks before the election.

Nawaz Sharif's party joined a coalition with Bhutto's party under its new leader and Benazir's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, butthe alliance was strained by differences and the coalition collapsed. The PPP and PML-N parted ways.

Five years later, in2013, Pakistan went to elections once again. Nawaz Sharif, who once couldn't stop singing praises of the Pakistan People's Party, now left no opportunity to attack the party.

"Since they did nothing for the country, and their performances are zero, so they don't have anything to tell the people, they don't have anything to sell to the people of Pakistan, because they didn't do anything in the five years so people don't expect them to do anything in the next five years," he had said.

It's been seven years and the next elections in Pakistan are still a couple of years away, but Nawaz Sharif, who is currently in exile,is laying the groundwork. He has managed to build a coalition of at least 11 political parties against Imran Khan.

His daughter, Maryam Nawaz, and Benazir's son, Bilawal Bhutto, have taken the centre stage. They have united against a common enemy the PTI government led by Imran Khan. Whether or not the unity will work this time will soon be made clear. Till then, it's a game of 'wait and watch'.

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History repeats itself: Will Bilawal Bhutto and Maryam Nawaz join hands again? - WION

Kai Kahele had one ambition growing up in Hawaii, and that was to fly airplanes. He achieved that goal by the age of 19, and was happy working as a military and commercial pilot when a family tragedy propelled him into the world of politics.

Kahele, an indigenous Hawaiian, was appointed to the state senate in 2016 after the sudden death of his father senator Gil Kahele, 73, a progressive stalwart in the Democratic party for over 40 years. Two day before he died, Kaheles father had asked him to consider following in his footsteps.

Five years ago I was a working dad, living my dream as a pilot and raising my young family when things changed overnight. I grew up immersed in the progressive values of the Democratic party, but this is not something I planned to do, Kahele told the Guardian. I think my dad knew that if there was someone who was going to continue his legacy, and be a leader in the Native Hawaiian community and for the indigenous peoples in our country, that his son was ready. And here I am.

On Sunday, Kahele, 46, will be sworn into Congress as part of the most diverse Democratic freshman classes in US history, with newly elected women outnumbering men two to one. Hell also be among a record-breaking five Native Americans three Democrats and two Republicans in Congress. It was going to be six, until New Mexico congresswoman Deb Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo, was appointed as secretary to the interior by Joe Biden.

Im elated because congresswoman Haaland brings to a very important cabinet level position a cultural and historical perspective thats been missing. Indigenous peoples in this country share a similar history, a history of colonization, oppression and marginalization, and whose economic benefit and social fabric is unfortunately directly dependent on the federal government. I feel like were going to be able to do great things for our indigenous communities.

They will have their work cut out, but for the first time many in Indian country are hopeful of meaningful change or at the very least, the end to decades of treaty violations by the US government which has had devastating consequences for life expectancy, political participation and economic opportunities for Native Americans.

Currently there are 574 federally recognised sovereign tribal nations located across 35 states, and according to the 2010 census, 5.2 million people or about 2% of the US population identifies as American Indian or Alaskan Native descendants of those who survived US government policies to kill, remove or assimilate indigenous peoples.

In Hawaii, historical land grabs, cultural violations and economic abuses perpetrated by the US government in cahoots with western businessmen are at the root of some of the most difficult and polarizing issues today, according to Kahele. This includes the contested decision to construct a huge telescope on Mauna Kea, the most sacred mountain to Native Hawaiians, as well as water rights amid growing shortages linked to overdevelopment. Native Hawaiians are not currently recognised by the US government as sovereign indigenous people.

We have an awakened generation of Native Hawaiians that know their past, they understand and speak their language and theyre not turning back People are split about how to right the wrongs, whether its through sovereignty or federal recognition, and part of my role is trying to figure out what the future path looks like. Having a voice in Congress and representation at the table is important.

Representation is also important symbolically, argues Kahele. It sends a message to indigenous peoples around the world that their voices matter, that their history, language and culture matter, and that youll have people fighting for that in the United States of Americas Congress. We can be an example for other countries dealing with these same issues.

Kahele was born in 1974 in Milolii, an off-the-grid fishing community on the southern tip of the island of Hawaii where households generate electricity through solar panels and collect rain for water. Its one of the last surviving villages where pre-western migrants from China and Taiwan are believed to have settled.

Before politics Kaheles father Gil was a marine who met his future wife, a flight attendant, on a Hawaiian beach. Kahele and his two siblings grew up with three cousins who were orphaned by a drunk driver.

My dad conveyed to me the experiences he had in the military as a Native Hawaiian travelling through the south in the 1960s seeing segregation and racism through his own eyes. My mum took us on random trips all over the world, made sure we knew there was a bigger world than Hawaii, and would often take me into the cockpit which piqued my interest at a very early age.

Hell join Congress as a lieutenant colonel with the Hawaii air national guard and will continue to fly part time with Hawaiian Airlines. (His wife Maria is a flight attendant, and they have three daughters, aged four, six and 16.)

Kahele served as the state senate majority leader and chaired the committee on land and water amid growing demands from Native communities for environmental justice. The climate crisis is also omnipresent in Hawaii, and islands across the world, as rising sea levels and temperatures are devastating coral reefs and fish stocks, as well as threatening the existence of coastal communities.

A few metres of sea could wipe out Waikiki, the economic engine of Hawaii. On islands across the Pacific, most of the population lives near the ocean, around the shoreline you have the roads and homes on the verge of collapsing. We need to reimagine and rethink how our communities will look like in the future when you need to use natural resources to feed your families, you need to understand the changes in climate and environment to survive. Thats where I come from.

Hes hopeful that America will start to take concrete steps forwards after four years of backtracking. Joe Bidens climate plan is definitely 100% better than the Trump plan. Just the fact that well re-enter Paris is huge, so is having climate change champion Deb Haaland at the cabinet level and leading an agency that will make critical decisions.

The geographical isolation of Hawaii, which is situated 2,500 miles from the mainland, has somewhat protected islanders from the worst of the Covid health crisis. But, the economic fallout has been devastating, and has renewed questions about the over-reliance on tourism especially as natural resources like beaches and clean water are under threat from the climate crisis, over development and environmental degradation.

Amid mass layoffs, the pandemic has increased food insecurity by 50% in Hawaii, with a quarter of people currently struggling with hunger; Native Hawaiians are disproportionately affected.

Covid has been devastating to our economy which lives and breathes almost exclusively from tourism, and its been detrimental to the social fabric of our community, exposing many of the deep known issues in Hawaii. We need to diversify, we need to be more sustainable.

A lot of people are hurting and face great uncertainty and fear about the future. I see a migration of people leaving Hawaii for the mainland [for work], the brain drain of teachers, doctors, firefighters doesnt help our economy or social structure.

Kahele is firmly on the partys left, an advocate for the Green New Deal, Medicare for all and universal preschool education policies dismissed as radical by many on the right. Hes been assigned to the congressional transportation and infrastructure committee and hopes that they will pass a transformational green package advocated by lawmakers like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Why do we have to label these changes as radical, this is where we need to go as a country, in order to invest in every young child, and to rebuild and strengthen our country I cant wait to say a hui hou which in Hawaii means see you later to President Trump on January 20th. Its time to move on.

Excerpt from:

Congressman-elect Kai Kahele represents an 'awakened generation' of Native Hawaiians - The Guardian

[Peoples Dispatch brings you a series of articles and videos on 2020, a momentous year that saw humanity face unprecedented challenges. The beacon of hope remained the historic resistance mounted by peoples movements, and the care and solidarity they epitomized, proving yet again that our collective struggles alone can dismantle and end oppression. You can read the full serieshere]

From theover 1,100 strikesin the US, averaging over three a day, to historyslargest known general strikewitnessed in India, labor actions across continents in 2020 demonstrated the firm refusal of the working class to passively accept on to its shoulders the burden of an unprecedented economic that has been intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ILOestimatesthat the global labor income has seen a 10.7% decline, compared to the same period in 2019, which itself saw the slowest economic growth since the 2008-09 crisis. This decline translates into a global labor income loss of US$3.5 trillion, which equals 5.5% of the worlds GDP during this period.

The hundreds of millions jobs lost are estimated to have causedwell over twice the unemployment-rate increase suffered during the 2008-09 economic crisis. The stimulus packages announced by various governments were grossly insufficient to offset the loss of incomes.

In the meantime, the total wealth owned by the 2,000 odd billionaires of the world rose this year to arecord high of US$10.2 trillion, up from US$8.7 trillion in 2019. At the top of this pyramid remains Jeff Bezos, whose Amazon emerged as historys first trillion dollar corporation.

Its workers among the underpaid and overworked, glorified during the pandemic as frontline workers faced threats and intimidation if they spoke out for their rights to a fair wage, according to theMake Amazon Paycampaign which launched in November.

While corporations evaded taxes, workers around the world buckled in as the governments refused to break from the austerity policies and undertake the required public investment.

Even the healthcare workers, hailed as heroes in the fight against COVID-19, were denied appropriate risk allowances, medical cover and even their basic labor rights to occupational safety. Hundreds of thousands of health workers were infected across the world and thousands died after contracting the virus on duty.

The Americas saw the highest rate of infections amongst the healthcare workers. According to the data of the WHOs Pan-American Health Organization, as of the beginning of September,570,000 health workers in the region were infected, over 2,500 of whom succumbed to the virus.

By December, the US which is the worst faring country in the region with322,488 infected health workers was swept witha wave of strikesin the healthcare sector. Since the beginning of the pandemic, at least 16-unionized healthcare centers in the US have seen strike actions, according toBloomberg Law.

Adequate PPEs, reduction in work hours from 12-hour shifts, hazard pay and increased recruitment to meet the healthcare needs of the population were the major demands behind this agitation.

In Latin America, demanding better conditions, special bonuses for COVID-19 work and greater budget for public health, which was downsized by 3.2% in Chile in the face of the pandemic, over 60,000 public and municipal health workersstruck work for a weekin November.

The workers strike in Chile in November

This labor action was led by the National Confederation of Public Health Workers (FENATS), the second largest trade union in the country. The Peruvian Medical Federation (FMP), the Health Workers Federation (FED-CUT-ESSALUD) and the National Social Security Medical Union of Peru (SINAMSSOP) also held various national strikes.

In Brazil, doctors and other health workers held several protests against thereckless abandon of far-right president Jair Bolsanaros administration in the face of shortages of PPEs and medical equipment.

In Europe, inadequate state support for the healthcare sector and its workers led to mass mobilizations of doctors, nurses and other sections of the working class.

Soon after the lockdown was imposed, on April 7, the World Health Day, health workers across Greece, whose healthcare system had been undernourished over a decade of severe of austerity policies, marked theDay of Panhellenic Action for Health, at the call of Federation of Greek Hospital Doctors Associations (OENGE).

Demands around the needs of healthcare workers and healthcare rights of citizens were among the central issues raised by the trade unions and working class parties across Europe during theMay Daymobilizations this year.

A May Day mobilization in Greece. Photo 902. gr

The workers took to streets in Belgian capital Brussels, demanding a large-scale refinancing of the health sector.Massive ralliesled by organizations including Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt (CADTM) and the General Labour Federation of Belgium (FGTB/ABVV), denounced the commodification of healthcare, and pressed on the need to ensure greater investments in infrastructure, fresh recruitment and wage hikes.

In several European countries, progressive political parties demanded the governments to impose a one time special coronataxon multi-millionaires in order to ensure money to support the working class families. The working class also protested the COVID-19bailoutsfor corporates who invest their profits intaxhavens and use the crisis to terminate tens of thousands of workers and cut down workers benefits. Strong resistance was registered against right-wing governments attempts toamendlabor codes during this pandemic in order to increase over time working hours and to dilute workers right to maximise the profits of the capitalists. Unions also fought to defend therightto protest during the pandemic which has been also challenged by the governments in the garb of COVID-19 safety protocols.

In mid-October, healthcare workers in France who had been protesting for almost ten months before the onset of the pandemic organized ademonstration outside the health ministryin Paris, amidst a fresh spike in the number of COVID-19 cases.

Launching a campaign called #JeSuispuisE (I am exhausted), health workers, organized under trade unions including the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), demanded a greater investment to facilitate immediate hiring, wage hike of existing health workers and improved safety measures and working conditions for the staff.

Africa with 16.72% of the worlds population had only 3.25% of the worlds COVID-19 cases. However, with the healthcare system already in shambles in the region, this relatively lower rate of infection is also taking a heavy toll on healthcare and the healthcare workers.

The shortage of PPEs, gloves, testing instruments, beds and other infrastructural needs is a particularly pressing problem in this part of the world. In addition, in a number of countries, payment of salaries to health workers had already been pending from many months even before the pandemic struck.

In Nigeria, health workers, along with other civil servants, had not received full salaries for months due to the federal governments introduction of the controversial Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform in October 2019.

In March, when the third COVID-19 case was recorded in the country, doctors in the capital city Abuja, represented by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD),downed tools, demanding the payment of their pending salaries. Most had received only a fifth to a tenth of the full amount. In case of the newly employed doctors, arrears went back to 5-7 months, leaving many incapable of paying their rents.

In August, government employees in the oil sector the largest source of foreign exchange in Nigeria struck workcomplaining that they had not been paid for three months due to non-enrollment on the IPPIS.

Themost prolonged labor struggle in the healthcare sector on the continenthas been raging in Kenya, where more than 2,000 workers have been infected.

Kenyan health workers stage protest. Photo: PD Online

A large section of doctors and nurses, who remain unpaid for many months, have been unable to afford the cost of treatment when they contracted the virus. Anationwide strikeaction began on December 7, when nurses and clinical officers downed tools. Doctors also downed tools to join the labor action on December 21.

While they returned to work on December 24 to break the paralysis of public healthcare amidst the pandemic, their demands remain unfulfilled as yet. The Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN)remains on strike.

Similarly struggling were the nurses in South Africa, who complained of being unable to make ends meet on their poverty wages. On May Day, striking nurses led by the Young Nurses Indaba Trade Union (YNITU)staged a demonstration, demanding that the government provide transport for nurses and other healthcare workers, in addition to danger allowance for those on COVID-19 duty and a tax break for a period of six months.

Nurses also demanded scheduled periodic COVID-19 testing of all healthcare workers and decent and habitable accommodation for essential staff working in COVID-19 units.

In solidarity with the nurses, the Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) also raised similar demands to protect the food workers, who are tirelessly turning up for work every day.. (and) have to interact with multiple others in factories or.. retail stores all over the country. Declaring support for the struggles of the workers on the frontlines of the pandemic was the single largest union in the country, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA).

NUMSA has been on the forefront of a number of other struggles: including that ofmotor industry workersfor the implementation of the wage agreement from which the employers have been backtracking and that of theworkers of the South African Airways (SAA), to protect their jobs and save the national airline from beingbroken up and sold to private players.

Despite the manyvictoriouslabor struggles, the working class continues to reel under a crisis of unemployment and job losses. Millions meant for the protection of health and livelihoods of the vulnerable has been allegedly stolen through overpriced tenders.

An investigation into this corruption and punishing of the guilty was among the main demands raised by the workers in thegeneral strikein October. This nationwidelabor actionwas of particular significance because it raised theprospect of greater unity in the trade union movement, which had been divided over the support to the ruling ANC by the largest union federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

The strike in October saw the participation of COSATU as well as the left-wing South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU).

In neighboring Zimbabwe, where the real income of an average worker has declined by about 80% over the last two years, the government responded to calls for a nationwide strike and protest action on July 31 by deploying army.

Asmurmurs of a mass uprisinghaunt the corridors of power, the ZANU-PF led government is growing increasingly authoritarian. Trade unionists live under continuous death threats and police harassment. Many cases ofabductionandtortureby alleged state security agents have also been reported.

Despite these adverse conditions, unionized health workers in Zimbabwe who had already been amidst aprolonged and sustained strugglefor restoration of the wages to the level of 2018 won some crucial battlesunder the leadership of the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA).

In many of the countries of South Asia, the most crucial links between the majority of the public and the healthcare system are the predominantly women community health workers, who are not even recognized as workers with the right to a minimum wage.

Brought together by the Public Services International (PSI), these workers launched a campaign called Community Health Work is Work, demanding labor rights and minimum wage.

In India, awareness campaigns and surveys conducted by the female community health workers played a critical role in facilitating a public health response to the pandemic. The government, despite describing them as the first port of call for any health related demands of deprived sections of the population, especially women and children, refuses to recognize them as workers. They are instead deemed as Accredited Social Health Activists or ASHAs.

ASHAs and other unrecognized community health workers heldnumerous protests this year, demanding increased recruitment, labor rights, PPEs, health insurance and retirement benefits. In the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh,2,000 ASHAs were detainedby the police during one such agitation.Non-payment of wagesandpending arrearspushed doctors and workers in the capital city, New Delhi, into protests and strike action.

Police repress protest by community health workers in India.

The far-right BJP governments callous imposition of a strict lockdown without preparations to cater to the migrant workers in the cities who depend on daily wages had triggeredan unprecedented forced mass-migration.This pushed tens of thousands to walk hundreds of kilometers back to their villages. Dozens died on the road.

The government also took advantage of the pandemic toscrap labor lawsandderegulate the trade of agricultural commodities.

On November 26, despite heavy repression andarrests of trade union leaders,250 million workers were mobilizedby ten central trade unions in what turned out to be arguably the largest general strike in human history. On the same day,hundreds of thousands of farmers from neighboring states arrived at the borders of Delhi, braving tear-gas, water cannons and baton charge by police as they broke the barricades erected on their way.

The Asia-Pacific has also been an arena of resistance by workers this year. In the Philippines, workers and social movements heldprotestsandralliesagainst the anti-terror laws, unfazed by thethreatsof violence from security forces.

Indonesian workers mobilize against Omnibus Law. Photo: IndustriAll

Indonesia witnessed arenaissance of radical social movements, astradeunionsacross the country joined handsin the fight against the governments assault on labor and environment protections.

Across the world, unions managed to bring relief to millions and organizing continues to bring hope.

Painful as 2021 may be in the aftermath of the pandemic, trends across the world indicate that a radicalized global working class is emerging from the crucible of 2020, with a determination to challenge neoliberal capitalism.

(With inputs from Muhammed Shabeer, Anish R M and Tanya Wadhwa)

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The Year the Unions Kept Us Strong - NewsClick

Anyone who reflects on the annus horribilis of 2020 in these dark and cold days of winter is drawn to the horror of a global pandemic that has infected over 80 million people worldwide and killed almost 1.8 million.

And we are struck by the economic carnage that necessary lockdowns and other health precautions have caused almost everywhere.

We are also frightened by the mental distress that resulted from the self-isolation and the impact it might have had on suicide rates or additional deaths from other causes or simply the impact which the pandemic has had on our happiness.

We look at the loss of our personal freedoms which, contrary to the fanciful thinking of some, were not the result of political oppression but of the necessary interventions to keep more people from dying.

We also look at a world that, beyond the virus, has become politically more and more unstable. With autocratic regimes becoming even more assertive and with some liberal democracies plunging themselves into self-inflicted chaos and self-doubt.

But then we also look at the rapid development of several effective vaccines, already being deployed across large parts of the globe.

And, we appreciate the rescue of U.S. democracy by virtue of voters determined to dispose of an erratic, xenophobic and increasingly dangerous President.

We also have witnessed the hunger for freedom by the people of Hong Kong who by the hundreds of thousands flocked to the streets to demonstrate a reactionary law imposed on them by China. Their courage was exemplary (although it is now being squashed by authorities).

All of this gives us reasons for growing optimism and hope.

If all goes well, significant shares of the worlds population will be vaccinated against COVID 19 by the end of 2021. This seems like a long time from now but it gives us something to look forward to.

It also gives our self-isolation a purpose rather than simply viewing it as a function of lifeless self-preservation.

Even the most optimistic among us are hardly expecting that the change of government in the United States will cure the political ills that country has to contend with.

They reach far beyond the division and divisiveness that Donald Trump wrought so systematically and mischievously.

Joe Biden will not act as Tweeter-in-Chief but rather as a sober, measured and empathetic person. He will try to glue together what has been recklessly broken by his predecessor over the past four years.

Beyond the United States, most nations and regions also face steep challenges. Quite a few face considerably steeper ones than the United States does.

After all, the worlds biggest and oldest political pandemic that of mis-leadership persists in many places.

Just consider Russia: Today, for that country reaching a leadership that is not cynically exploiting its own people, still seems as far off as ever.

Meanwhile, in some places in Africa, there is hope insofar as the process of a true democratic transition is taking hold. That in itself says a lot about Russias level of development.

China, meanwhile, is firmly on the path that the Soviet Union aspired to but could never deliver on. A materially satiated consumer society that is a hyper-technological version of Orwells animal farm.

Despite all this, as we enter 2021, one can only hope that the new year might once come to be known as the year of the great appreciation.

We will not just get up and dust ourselves off but we will rediscover our human soul. We will rejoice when we can hug all of our family members, friends and even random strangers without fear of spreading (or receiving) the deadly virus.

We will very consciously enjoy our visits to indoor restaurants, sharing meals, laughing with friends and talking to whoever might be sitting next to us at a bar.

We will appreciate traveling without too many restrictions, awed by the world we get to discover. We will enjoy hanging out in our favorite grocery stores not rushing through the aisles in artificial one-way traffic.

And we will once again fill sports stadiums, theaters and cinemas. And our cheers, chants or applause will no longer be pre-recorded but will become a symbol of our regained freedoms. There will be heartfelt cries of liberation.

If we are lucky, the post-pandemic will bring us all closer together because those of us who were fortunate enough to survive will look at our fellow-human beings, first and foremost as such, joint survivors of a long and dark struggle.

If we are very lucky, this might even help us to heal some of our political divisions.

As the American writer, Laura Ingalls Wilder, once wrote: It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.

Her insight applies equally to the privileged and the poor as well as to the oppressed and the free.

And maybe, just maybe, the time of the pandemic will allow us all to find great appreciation in 2021 in those things that we were so brutally robbed of in 2020.

Read the rest here:

2021: The Year of the Great Appreciation - The Globalist

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Our previous piece about the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) portrayed an overall picture of Irans army of terror and repression. The first part of this series exposed the IRGCs organization, how it functions, and its role in preserving the mullahs regimes grip on power. In fact, the IRGC is the main force of the regime, which both oppresses people inside Iran and exports chaos and terrorism abroad. But the question is how this entity is funded?

The previous part showed partially how the IRGC has monopolized Irans economy. In this piece, we intend to show how the worlds largest terrorist organization is funded. The following information is from The Rise of the Revolutionary Guards Financial Empire, a book published by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) United States Representative Office.

Our last piece revealed the names of 14 powerhouses that are under the supervision of the IRGC and Ali Khamenei, the regimes supreme leader. These 14 powerhouses oversee the looting of Irans economy and fund the IRGCs activities and its subsidiaries, such as the terrorist Quds Force and Basij militia.

These 14 powerhouses are:

The 14 powerhouses and large economic institutions that control Irans economy are as follows:

Setads influence and domination over the Iranian economy surpass even that of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It is the most assertive of the so-called non-government public sector companies when it comes to the confiscation of assets. An important difference between Setad and other similar institutions in the sphere of the velayat-e faqihs influence is that it has been able to take possession of some of the most profitable and largest commercial and financial firms, thanks to the direct and daily backing of Khamenei himself.

Supreme Leader Khamenei is the direct overseer of Setad, an organization with assets worth approximately $95 billion

A Reuters investigation published in 2013 estimated Setad assets to be worth around $95 billion. Those assets not mentioned in the Reuters report, but listed below, reveal the wealth of Setad to be much more than this estimate. In reality, Setad is the engine of Khameneis synergy strategy for the Iranian economy.

The mandate of the Tadbir Energy Development Group, one member of the Setad conglomerate, is to establish a powerful international oil, gas, petrochemical and energy producer through the creation or ownership of effective shares of active companies or companies with potentially viable assets.

A review of Setads activities also confirms that this complex is one of the most important interlocutors for transactions with western companies.

For example, in the conclusion of this text, mention is made of some pharmaceutical components of Setad with French, American, British, Italian, and Swiss companies.

The new administrative organ of Setad has 100 employees and is authorized to make policy and supervise the institutions activities. The members of this board are handpicked by Khamenei himself. They include the likes of mullah Hossein-Ali Nayyeri, a judge during the 1988 massacre of thousands of political prisoners; Hossein Shariatmadari, an interrogator, torturer, and now Khameneis representative in the state-run daily Kayhan; and Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, Khameneis chief of staff.

To strengthen the financial backbone of Setad, in 2010, Khamenei transferred close to $1B worth of assets from Astan-e Abdol-Azim in Rey city to Setad.

The names of some of the parent companies within this conglomerate are:

The Tadbir Energy Development Group, also sanctioned under Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations by the U. S. Treasury Department, has the following holdings:

Tadbir Energy Development Holding Company: This enterprise is active in the exploration and production of oil and gas, refineries, petrochemicals and other commercial pursuits. It has been reported that the so-called Peace pipeline project in Pakistan, a deal worth about $500M, belongs to this holding. 80 percent of another project to build a refinery in Hormoz, as well as the Mansouri oil field development have also been awarded to this holding. Its subsidiaries include:

Mobin Iran Electronics Expansion Holding Company

Tadbir Industry and Mining Development Holding Company

Barkat Pharmaceuticals Holding Company: This parent company owns 60.6 percent of the Alborz Investment Group, the second-largest pharmaceutical holding company in the country. Companies in this conglomerate include:

Tadbir Strategic Studies and Management Consultant Group

Tadbir Construction Development Company: This holding company, also sanctioned under Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations by the U.S. Treasury Department, manages construction for residential, commercial and tourist projects.43 It has four large construction companies under its umbrella.

This organization has confiscated real estate properties, land, assets, residential homes, heritage and historic properties, and many others, especially over the past decade.

The Ministry of Roads and Urban Development announced on November 1, 2016, that it had awarded another massive development project to the Mostazafan Foundation. Mahmoud Navidi, managing director of Khomeini Airport Estates Company announced that the Ministry will sign a contract with the Mostazafan Foundation for construction and operation of the Salam Terminal in Khomeini Airport in Tehran. The state-run ILNA news agency, quoting Navidi, wrote: This project was awarded to the Mostazafan Foundation without competitive bidding. According to [Navidi], the contract was awarded upon the recommendation and approval of Rouhanis cabinet.

The Foundations investment in this project was announced at $4B USD. Construction of part of the Salam Terminal had previously been awarded to the National Construction Company, a subsidiary of the Mostazafan Foundation.

Heads of Khamenei-controlled Mostazafan Foundation in the past 41 years. From left: Ali-Naghi Khamoushi, Mohammad-Ali Rajaei, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Mohsen Rafighdoost, Mohammad Foruzandeh, Mohammad Saeedi-Kia, Parviz Fattah

Some of the other main subsidiaries of this foundation are listed below.

Alavi Foundation

The Peyvand Ferdous Pars Agriculture and Gardening, which includes: Sirjan Bonyad Agriculture, Mashhad Gardening and Farming, Pars Milk And Meat Investment, Fajre Esfahan, Fajre Sari Gardening and Agriculture, Dasht-e Naz-e Sari Farming, Sina Seed and Plant, Ebrahim Abad Agriculture, Ferdous Tehran Agriculture and Gardening, Peyvand-e Khavaran Agro Industry, Nemat Agro Industry, Golcheshmeh Agro Industry, Ran-e Behshahr Agriculture and Farm Animals, and Mahya Agro Industry.

Kaveh Pars Mining Industry Development

Pars Milk and Beef Investments, which includes: Magsal Agro and Farm Animals, Teliseh Nemooneh Farm Animals, Milk and Farm Animals, Yassouj Agro, Mahdashe Sari Milk and Beef, Azarnegin Agro Industry, Binaloud Neyshabour Agro Industry, Dasht-e Novin Malayer Agro Industry, Negin Fam Khouzestan Agro Industry, Arak Cultivation, Kangavar Beef and Milk, Zagros Shahr-e Kord Milk and Beef, Khorramdareh Agro Industry.

Sina Food Industries Development, which includes: Domestic Chickens, Oroumieh Toyour Complex, Mehrshar Food Industry, Pakdis, Behnoush Iran, Ab-Ali Beverages, Shahd-e Kouhrang, Glucosan, Gousht-Iran, Pak Dairy Products.

Cultural Institutions:

Other Companies:

Financial Institutions:

According to websites affiliated with the economic organization of this institution, the Razavi economic organization is recognized as the biggest economic holding in eastern Iran with high diversity in different businesses. It controls the production of 10 percent of sugar, 11 percent of decorative stones, 3.7 percent of city and inter-city coach buses, and one-sixth of bread production in the country.

The cartel of companies tied to Astan-e Qods-e Razavi controls the annual production of 47,000 tons of non-homogenized milk, 2,000 tons of red meat, 1,000 tons of white meat, 100,000 tons of agricultural products, 10,000 square meters of fabric, 6,000 square meters of hand-weaved carpets, while also executing over 136 construction, development, road, and urban development projects.

Large swathes of farmland in northeastern Iran, estimated to be at least 990,000 acres with an estimated value of over $20B, are owned by this foundation. Additionally, 43.5 percent of Mashhad citys urban land is under the foundations ownership. It also has endowments in 14 provinces, real estate offices in 20 provinces, and 300,000 rentals.In the context of the regimes export of fundamentalism, the foundation conducts activities in Syria, including bridge construction. In 2016, the foundation and the IRGC conducted negotiations for the foundation to allocate at least 20 percent of its annual income to cover the IRGCs expenses.

Below is a list of some of the conglomerates firms and holding companies.

Construction

Auto Manufacturing

Food Products

Sugar Industry

Agricultural

Textile Industry

Pharmaceuticals

Financial

Others

Ebrahim Raisi, the then caretaker of AQR, offers Qassem Soleimani, commander of terrorist Quds Force, the highest honorary title of AQR, July 21, 2018, Mashhad, Iran

The Shahid (Martyr) Foundation was created in 1979 on the orders of former Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini. Its reach grew after the start of the eight- year Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, as it provided services to the victims families. Much like other similar institutions, the foundation took huge leaps in the 1990s to accumulate wealth quickly. Under Khameneis direct control, the foundation took ownership of many financial, commercial and manufacturing enterprises. Despite owning a vast range of assets and generating significant revenues, it is also allocated a portion of the government budget. The chairman of the foundation is a representative of the Supreme Leader.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated the Martyrs Foundation on July 24, 2007 under Executive Order 13224. Designations under E.O. 13224 freeze any assets the designees may have under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibit transactions by U.S. persons with the designees. In its statement, Treasury said, The Martyrs Foundation is an Iranian parastatal organization that channels financial support from Iran to several terrorist organizations in the Levant, including Hizballah, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). To this end, the Martyrs Foundation established branches in Lebanon staffed by leaders and members of these same terrorist groups. Martyrs Foundation branches in Lebanon have also provided financial support to the families of killed or imprisoned Hizballah and PIJ members, including suicide bombers in the Palestinian territories.

Some of the companies and institutions controlled by the Shahid Foundation are listed below.

Kowsar Economic Organization, which itself owns over 30 companies, including:

Dey Bank (47 branches): According to the Dey Banks financial disclosure information for the fiscal year 2014, the bank owns over $3.5B worth of assets; additionally, it owns at least 13 other companies, including:

One of Bank Days branches in Iran

The Imam Khomeini Relief Committee (IKRC) was established on March 5, 1979. Its declared goal is to support the destitute and oppressed and to enable them to be self-reliant. Although the committee receives a remarkable share of the annual government budget, it also runs separate commerce and financial enterprises, obtaining significant profits.

Despite its declared aim of helping the destitute, numerous reports, including those published in the regimes own media outlets, confirm that the Emdad Committee is part of the regimes apparatus of exporting terrorism and fundamentalism. Its website declares it has offices in Iraq, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Syria, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and the African country of Comoros. According to state-run media, Based on official figures, the Emdad Committee has official representation in 6 countries. Per its former chairman, the committee has formed popular cells in 30 countries around the world. As of 2014, the committee helps a total of 34,219 people in Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Iraq and Comoros. Afghanistan has the most beneficiaries with 13,200 people in need of help. Iraq is second, with 12,700 people.

Some of these so-called beneficiaries are the same people who, after undergoing a series of training sessions, are sent to Syria by the Quds Forceto fight for the Assad dictatorship. Many other reports describe the Emdad Committees activities associated with exporting fundamentalism in various countries of the region. On July 8, 2016, Tajikistans Ministry of Justice asked a court in the country to ban the activities of the Emdad Committee.

A 2016 report obtained from inside the Iranian regime indicates that the Emdad Committee pays monthly stipends to over 5,000 households of the Syrian dictatorships forces killed in recent years.

On August 3, 2010, the U.S. Treasury Department designated The Imam Khomeini Relief Committee Lebanon Branch pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224. Treasury stated, Iran has provided millions of dollars to the Hezbollah-run branch in Lebanon since 2007. The IKRC has helped fund and operates Hezbollah youth training camps, which have been used to recruit future Hezbollah members and operatives. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has acknowledged the IKRC branch in Lebanon as one of Hezbollahs openly-functioning institutions linked to and funded by Iran.

On December 20, 2015, Iranian media reported that Parviz Fattah, the head of Emdad, had paid a visit to the Beqaa (Bekaa) Valley in south Lebanon, which is the stronghold of Hezbollah, to meet with persons who had received the committees aide.

Some of the holding companies and institutions controlled by the Emdad Committee are:

Construction and Building

Agriculture and Food Industry

Mines and Mining Industry

Commerce

Financial

Real Estate: The lands confiscated by the Emdad Committee in various provinces include:

The committee also owns significant land and farms in other provinces, including Tehran, Esfahan, Hamedan, Semnan Alborz, Khorasan, Qazvin, Ilam, Kermanshah, Azarbaijan, Lorestan, Charmahal Bakhtiari, and Ardebil. However, there are no official reports in this regard.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cooperative Foundation (Bonyad Taavon Sepah) is regarded as the most powerful financial institution in the country. Article 4 of the charter of this so-called foundation states, The initial investment in the foundation at the time of its founding was ten million Rials (roughly $315), contributed by the Supreme Leader. Article 23 says, All of the funds and assets of the foundation belong to His Excellency the Supreme Leader. In case of its dissolution, after settling all debts, all of the properties and assets will be handed over to His Excellency.

The U. S. Treasury Department announced in December 2010 that pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13382 an authority aimed at freezing the assets of proliferators of weapons of mass destruction Bonyad Taavon Sepah had been designated for providing services to the IRGC.

The foundation is one of the five largest economic powerhouses in the country. Some of the commercial companies and groups of this foundation are:

A considerable portion of this automotive group belongs to the IRGC Cooperative. The Ghadir Investment Company also owns a significant portion. The automobile manufacturing group itself owns the following companies:

Saipa Company: Saipa is the second-largest automaker in Iran. Despite only holding 17 percent of shares in the company, in effect the IRGC is the main decision-maker and beneficiary of its profits. Saipa owns other companies, including:

National Iranian Investment Company

Bahman Investment Company

Bahman Leasing Company

Bahman Diesel (montage of Japanese Isuzu trucks)

Iran Credit (79 percent share)

Bahman Brokerage

Etemad Development Investments

Thamen Institution

Thamen al-ameh Financial and Credit Institution: Also known as a credit cooperative, it has 500 branches. By early 2010, the company had lent over $13B to applicants.

Behshahr Industrial Investments (16 percent)

Iranian Negin Khatam Investments (owns shares in Ansar Bank)

Saman Majd Investments (belongs to Thamen Credit)

Ayak Investments

One of Ansar Banks branches in Iran

Ansar Bank has 600 branches across Iran and is the fourth largest bank in the country. It has formed several other companies, including:

Atlas Iranians Investment Holding Company, which is active in real estate services, and owns the following:

Ansar Electronics

Houshmand Iranian Electronics

Novin Padideh Ansar

More:

Inside Irans Army of Terror and Oppression: Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) - Part 2 - National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

ISLAMABAD (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Jan, 2021 ) :Pakistan on Friday said for Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the year 2020 was marked with "Indian brutalities and oppression" of Kashmiris.

"The military siege, communications blockade, media blackout, incarceration of Kashmiri leadership, and every possible violation of human rights of the Kashmiri people continue for 515 days since Indian's illegal and inhuman actions of 5th August 2019," the Foreign Office Spokesperson said at a weekly press briefing. Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in their brazen acts of state terrorism, the Indian occupation forces martyred more than 300 innocent Kashmiris, including women and children, in fake encounters and staged cordon-and-search operations.

He said during the same period, 750 Kashmiris were critically injured, while 2,770 innocent Kashmiris were arbitrarily detained and 922 houses destroyed as part of collective punishment inflicted on the Kashmiri communities.

In pursuit of its agenda to convert the Muslim majority of IIOJK into a minority, he said, the Indian government issued more than 2 million fake domicile certificates to non-Kashmiris under the so called "Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules, 2020".

The Spokesperson said Pakistan reiterated its call for a UN Commission of Inquiry, as recommended by the OHCHR in its two reports in 2018 and 2019.

"The Commission should thoroughly investigate the Indian crimes against the Kashmiri people during the past three decades," he stressed.

The FO Spokesperson expressed Pakistan's deep concern over the health condition and continued incarceration of Kashmiri leadership, including founding leader of Kashmiri organization "Dukhtaran-i-Millat" and the "Iron Lady of Kashmir" Asiya Andrabi, leader and founder of the Jammu & Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party; Shabbir Ahmed Shah; and prominent leaders such as Yasin Malik, MasaratAlam Bhat, Mohammad Ashraf Sehraie, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

He recalled that Pakistan had written to the UN Secretary General and the UN Human Rights Commissioner, particularly highlighting the inhuman and illegal treatment of Ms. Andrabi. Zahid Chaudhri said to divert attention from its internal failings and the situation in IIOJK, India continued to escalate tensions along the Line of Control (LOC).

"During 2020 alone, Indian occupation troops made 3,097 ceasefire violations, deliberately targeting the civilian populated areas.In these unprovoked Indian violations, 28 innocent civilians embraced shahadat, while 257 sustained serious injuries," he said.

The Spokesperson said the Indian government with its illegal and inhuman actions had failed and "will continue to fail in breaking the will of the Kashmiri people". "The brutalization of innocent Kashmiris at the hands of Indian occupation troops, will only further strengthen their resolve for freedom from illegal Indian occupation.

I wish to reassure our Kashmiri brothers and sisters that they are not alone in their rightful struggle," he said.

He said Pakistan would continue to stand with them till the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination.

MORE/

Excerpt from:

Year 2020 for IIOJK marked with Indian brutalities, oppression: FO Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez - UrduPoint News

Slamming the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for making "false promises" of giving jobs to 75 lakh youths in the country, the Trinamool Congress on Thursday called the saffron party one of "cheats".

The TMC credited itself with improving the condition of the tribals in West Bengal in the past 10 years that it has been in power and ensuring their democratic rights and representations.

TMC tribal cell leader Deb Tudu told a press meet here that the same NDA government at the Centre had promised that Rs 15 lakh would be given to the bank account of everyone and that too remains unfulfilled.

"This is a central government which cheats people with false promises before elections. From providing jobs to 75 lakh youths to giving Rs 15 lakh to every bank account, they make promises only to take it back and deceive people," Tudu said.

Highlighting the achievements of the TMC regime since 2011 when it came to power in the state, Tudu said the democratic rights of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and indigenous people have been established in the state and a democratic environment has been created.

He said the TMC government has ensured more representation of indigenous people in panchayats.

"Before 2011 the economic situation in tribal-dominated areas was characterised by hunger, illiteracy, non-development. The poor people were branded as Maoists and incidents of oppression, exploitation, torture, and deprivation on poor tribals were rampant.

"After 2011 for the first time, the whole of West Bengal, including Jangalmahal (tribal area of the state) changed. There has been a significant development for scheduled castes, tribes and adivasis in the past nine years," he claimed.

Tudu accused the Left parties of turning saffron and called for fighting the 'slanderous propaganda war' that has been started against TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien said in a tweet "What the tourist gang wont tell you. Bengal's allocation for SC/ST welfare more than doubled in the last 10 years, Rs 2024 cr per annum.

He was apparently referring to visiting BJP leaders when he spoke of "tourist gangs.'"

"Union budget saw massive shortfalls in allocations. SC Population: 16.6% Funds allocated: 8.5%, ST Population: 8.6% Funds allocated: 5.6%, Photo ops by henchman of the tourist gang versus work by a diligent CM," he said.

"While the country saw 37% increase in Crimes against SC/ST population, Bengal with second-highest SC population ranked one of the lowest in crimes against SC/ST (SC: rank 27th, ST: rank 24th)," O'Brien said.

More here:

NDA govt making false promises, BJP party of cheats: TMC - Deccan Herald

Chinas National Peoples Congress ratified a treaty with Turkey at the weekend allowing for the forcible deportation of ethnic Uyghurs fleeing persecution by authorities in Xinjiang, with opposition lawmakers in Turkey vowing to block ratification in their own parliament.

Beijing has described the treaty signed in 2017 as a measure to defeat Islamic terrorism in northwestern Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), where more than a million Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minority groups accused of religious extremism are believed to have been held in a vast network of internment camps since April of that year.

Turkey, is home to more than 50,000 of the worlds nearly 12 million Uyghurs, who historically have viewed a fellow Turkic nation as a refuge and advocate for their religious and cultural rights.

Speaking in interviews with RFAs Uyghur Service, Turkish lawmakers pledged to block Turkeys ratification of the agreement with China, citing fears that Uyghurs sent back to China by force would face political persecution and human rights abuses for peacefully stating their views.

Clauses defining criminal offenses in the treaty with China are ambiguous and unclear, said Yurter Ozcan, a representative in the United States of the Turkish opposition Republican Peoples Party, saying his party respects freedom of expression.

Small-scale dissentfor example, criticisms of Chinas state systemare classified by China as crimes, and this agreement unfortunately could lead to the repatriation of Uyghurs who oppose [Chinas policies] and have commented on the oppression faced by Uyghurs in East Turkestan, Ozcan said, referring to Xinjiang by the name preferred by many Uyghurs for their historic homeland.

This is a great injustice, and we will work hard in the Republican Peoples Party to block this agreement from being ratified by the National Assembly, he said.

'Not right to remain silent'

With China having ratified the extradition treaty, the agreement will now likely be brought forward for approval by Turkeys parliament, said Fahrettin Yokusha member of parliament for Turkeys opposition Iyi, or Good, Party.

It is not right to remain silent on the issue of East Turkestan, Yokush told RFA, conceding there is now a risk that Turkey may approve the agreement, putting all Uyghurs seeking refuge in Turkey in danger.

China is a country where our brothers and sisters who suffered various difficulties to come to Turkey have been trampled on, Yokush said. And China has signed this agreement with Turkey so that they can demand the return of our Uyghur brothers and sisters who came here.

Lets not lose hope, he said.

Iyi party leader Meral Asksener has dedicated herself to the cause of Turkic identity, the cause of Islam, and especially the cause of East Turkestan, Yokush said, adding that the party now has 36 members in the National Assembly, all of them working together to reject the agreement with China.

The Republic of Turkey should never approve this Criminal Mutual Transfer Agreement with China, agreed Selcuk Ozdag, vice president of Turkeys opposition Future Party, calling the protection of Uyghurs seeking asylum in Turkey a duty.

In remarks directly addressing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ozdag appealed to the Turkish president to end consideration of the extradition agreement with China as soon as possible.

Neither your heart nor your conscience should allow this, he said.

A stronger relationship

Analysts have noted that the relationship between Turkey and China is increasingly growing stronger, however, with Turkeys President Erdogan recently pledging security cooperation with Beijing and saying that residents of the XUAR live happy and prosperous lives under Beijings rule, according to reports in Chinese state media.

The Turkish government had long refused to deport Uyghurs back to China, but that changed in June last yeartwo months after the extradition treaty was submitted to the parliamentwhen Turkey sent several Uyghurs home via Tajikistan, including a woman named Zinnetgul Tursun along with her two toddler daughters.

A month later, Tursuns sister, who lives in exile in Saudia Arabia, learned from her mother in the XUAR that Tursun had disappeared and that her family had no information about what had happened to her, and was warned by her mother to end all further communication.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Germany-based World Uyghur Congress called on Turkey to abide by international law and the principle of non-refoulement and refrain from signing the extradition treaty with the government of China.

If adopted by Turkey, the extradition treaty is likely to become another instrument of persecution for China, aiding the Chinese government in its coordinated efforts to forcibly return Uyghurs living abroad, the WUC said.

Reported by Nuriman Abdulreshid for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Richard Finney.

See original here:

Turkish Lawmakers Vow to Block Extradition Treaty With China That Puts Uyghurs at Risk - Radio Free Asia

Future historians may well look back on 2020 as a dark time for humanity.

The Covid-19 pandemic has left virtually no part of the world untouched and will infect 2021, despite incredible scientific efforts to develop vaccines.

But for millions around the world, even the spread of a deadly disease was not the worst thing to happen this year.

Conflicts broke out in Ethiopia and between Armenia and Azerbaijan, while the Syrian civil war continued to devastate a nation, as did the Yemen crisis.

There were also uprisings against oppression in Belarus and Nigeria and, of course, a global movement demanding equality for black people after the killing of yet another African-American.

It meant that moments of compassion and togetherness were even more precious in 2020.

Marcus Rashford and Captain Sir Tom Moore inspired millions, while a 90-year-old woman became the first to receive a Covid-19 vaccine in the UK, followed by a man called William Shakespeare.

Here, we've tried to document the lows and few highs from a torrid year with images that defined 2020.

January

2020 began for millions the same way 2019 ended - with an invasion of locusts.

The desert locust crisis that swept large parts of east Africa put food supplies for millions at great risk.

There are fears a another wave yet to come could be even worse or at least match the scale seen here in Kenya, which saw its first locust invasion in 70 years in January.

2020 was the year justice finally caught up with Hollywood giant Harvey Weinstein, who was jailed for 23 years in March after he was found guilty of rape in the third degree in February.Here he was in January, leaving court with the help of a zimmer frame.

Thousands of homes were destroyed as wildfires, which began in 2019, burned through Australia through the early weeks of 2020.

The devastation left 113 animal species in need of "urgent intervention" after months of fires left their habitats destroyed.

The year's first month ended on a tragic note with the death of Basketball icon Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, 13, who were both among nine killed in a helicopter crash.

The Los Angeles Lakers - the team Bryant played for during his entire career - would go on to win the NBA championship for the first time since Bryant himself led the franchise to victory in 2010.

They dedicated the win to Bryant.

February

Children were particularly devastated by the ongoing civil war in Syria, with more than 6,000 taken from Idlib to refugee camps every day in the early parts of the year.

The suffering was unrelenting as forces of President Bashar Assad and his Russian allies focused on Idlib, inflicting suffering and death on thousands.

An average of two children were killed per day at one stage, according to the UN, one of whom was found here in Idlib after an air strike.

Storm Ciara caused widespread flooding in the UK, resulting in this picture of a Tesco in Carlisle.

From one force of nature to another - Tyson Fury roared to victory over champion Deontay Wilder for the WBC Heavyweight title.

He dominated the match from start to finish, 14 months after a controversial draw between the fighters.

Popular TV presenter Caroline Flack was found dead in her flat in east London in the middle of February.

March

This month would be remembered for the beginning of the end of normal life for the year but there was also a huge shift in royal life.

Harry and Meghan officially left the royal family - in a move dubbed 'Megxit' - to pursue a new life in California.

This was one of the last photos taken of the Sussexes on royal duty.

Then came the lockdown.

On March 23, Boris Johnson announced the country would head into a lockdown the next day as it became clear to the government just how serious the Covid-19 outbreak was becoming.

This was what Westminster, usually packed with people and traffic, looked like on the morning of March 24 - the first day of lockdown.

April

Appreciation for health workers, nurses and doctors grew in 2020 and this picture sums up why it was so deserved.

Many worked to the point of exhaustion to save lives, despite the obvious personal risk, as this picture shows.

Boris Johnson was taken to hospital after his coronavirus symptoms persisted into April.

He was moved into intensive care later in the month but was back speaking in front of 10 Downing Street before May.

April saw one of the highlights of the year as 99-year-old Captain Sir Tom Moore (now 100) raised tens of millions of pounds for the NHS with sponsored walks.

The former British Army Officer was knighted by the Queen in July.

May

One of the more grim images to surface from the pandemic surfaced in May.

This woman died on the street in Ecuador and she wasn't the only one.

Rescue workers and local residents search for survivors in the wreckage of a plane that crashed with nearly 100 people onboard in a residential area of Karachi, Pakistan on May 22.

The footage showing a white police officer kneel on black man George Floyd, who died as a result, shocked the world.

Transcripts from the body-cam footage of the arrest confirm unarmed Mr Floyd said "you're going to kill me, man" as police officerDerek Chauvinknelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.

His death, for which four police officers have been charged, sparked protests around the world as Black Lives Matter campaigned for true racial equality.

Property was damaged during some of the subsequent protests in the US, in the wake of the killing of Mr Floyd.

Here, an Arby's fast food restaurant was torched.

In Minneapolis at the end of May, some were ordered to lie face down on the ground during a protest.

June

An emotional embrace was caught on camera as a protester and police officer - both black - shook hands in the midst of demonstrations.

This picture of an elderly couple kissing and hugging through a screen would not be the only poignant image to come out of Barcelona in the pandemic.

This was as close as they could get to each other in a nursing home.

Donald Trump's June rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma was billed to be a sell-out event, with crowds overflowing outside the arena.

A million had expressed interest in tickets, Republican claimed, but in the end large sections of the audience were empty and the rally was a flop.

A grim-faced Trump was pictured ambling across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington after stepping off the helicopter that brought hum back from the failed rally.

The year wouldn't get much better for the president.

Liverpool FC ended a 30-year wait for the league title in style, finally lifting the elusive Premier League trophy after a dominant campaign was paused by Covid-19.

Because of coronavirus restrictions, the squad celebrated in an empty stadium, but that didn't stop fans from setting off fireworks and celebrated a momentous occasion for the city.

Marcus Rashford's campaign for an extension to the free school meal voucher scheme through the summer holidays was widely praised.

The Manchester United and England forward became a figurehead for the movement against child hunger, even forcing a government u-turn on the matter.

July

Donald Trump delivered a divisive speech at Mount Rushmore, warning over the rise of 'far left fascism' and taking aim at Black Lives Matter on July 3 - the day before what is supposed to be a unifying date in the US calendar.

Later reports suggested Trump had asked about the possibility of adding his face to landmark, which he has denied.

Later in July, England World Cup winner Jack Charlton died aged 85.

The former Leeds United player had been diagnosed with lymphoma in the last year and was also battling dementia.

It may feel like masks and face coverings have been with us for a long time, but they only became mandatory in shops on July 24.

The so-called 'new normal' was now complete.

But before masks became so widespread, 'Super Saturday' was welcomed by punters up and down the country as a taste of normal life finally returned after months of lockdown.

On Saturday, July 4, pubs and bars reopened under strict measures.

August

Around 200 were killed and thousands more injured during the huge explosion in a port in Lebanon's capital city, Beirut.

One of those to lose their life was Alexandra Naggear, who was just 3.

ITV News spoke to her father, who called it a "murder of incompetence."

Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994, denied the August 9 election was rigged despite widespread claims to the contrary.

Millions have since taken to the streets in protest in the country, despite reports of a brutal crackdown, and one of the enduring moments was captured at the end of the month in Minsk.

Two women were pictured kissing during a protest - in a country where LGBT+ rights have regularly been oppressed.

A 'Wakanda Forever' tribute sits next to a mural of the actor Chadwick Boseman's character T'Challa from the 2018 film Black Panther.

Mr Boseman died aged 43 in August after a four-year battle with colon cancer.

September

Months after massive fires spread across Australia, California was dealing with its own crisis.

Large parts of the state were lit up, resulting in this Hollywood-style image at the Bidwell Bar Bridge.

Francisco Espana had spent weeks in intensive care with Covid-19 in Barcelona and his doctors felt the need to provide him with a small mercy.

He was wheeled out from his ward to overlook the Mediterranean sea in the outdoors from his bed.

A reminder of normal life during a weeks' long battle with death.

ITV News witnessed a brazen display of militia in Louisville in September. Civilians were armed with guns and rifles and looked like their own little army.

You can watch the full, shocking report here.

In the same month, ITV News uncovered chilling testimonies from Uighurs in China, including forced abortions and sterilisation.

The Chinese government has detained an estimated one million in Xinjiang, holding them in internment camps and prisons where they are subjected to ideological discipline, forced to denounce their religion and language and physically abused.

You can read more here.

October

The brutal war fought over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan cost at least 5,000 lives.

Many of those deaths were military but dozens of civilians were also killed, including a seven-year-old girl in Azerbaijan, Aysu Isgandarova.

Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite and ex-girlfriend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, awaits trial in a high-profile case in the US.

She is charged with facilitating the sexual abuse of underage girls by Epstein.

In October, formerly sealed documents in which Maxwell was asked about her knowledge of Epstein's sex trafficking operations were published in the US for the first time.

November

Saudi Arabia's bombardment of Yemen - backed by the US and UK - has devastated the country for years and 2020 saw the emergency come to the fore once again.

Two-thirds of Yemen's population of about 28 million people are hungry, and nearly 1.5 million families currently rely entirely on food aid to survive.

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