CANADA TO ERADICATE FORCED UYGHUR LABOUR FROM SUPPLY CHAINS
Canada has announced its intention to introduce legislation to eradicate forced labour from its supply chains, sparked by China’s ongoing persecution of its Uyghur Muslim population and the conditions in which they are forced to work. In its Budget 2023 announcement this week, the Canadian government stated that it “is gravely concerned by the ongoing human rights violations against Uyghurs and Muslim minorities in China, as well as by the use of forced labour around the world. Given these concerns, it is important that importers address their supply chain vulnerabilities and ensure their production promotes our shared Canadian values around the world.” It added that the country’s Budget 2023 “announces the federal government’s intention to introduce legislation by 2024 to eradicate forced labour from Canadian supply chains to strengthen the import ban on goods produced using forced labour.”
PALESTINIANS MARK LAND DAY AGAINST ISRAELI LAND THEFT
Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip commemorated Land Day on March 30 with marches, protests, and speeches. Thursday marked the 47th commemoration of Land Day, which marks when in 1976 thousands of Palestinians in Israel’s northern Galilee region rose up in protest against Israeli land theft and were confronted by Israeli forces, who killed six protesters. The day is also seen as significant because it’s deemed to mark the first time that Palestinian citizens of Israel organised collectively against Israeli policies. Protests in Israel started in the northern Palestinian city of Sakhnin. Demonstrators marched across the town holding the Palestinian flag, reaching the cemetery where the six Palestinians were buried almost five decades ago.
Speaking to the Palestinian outlet Arab48, one of the organisers of the protest said: “The main issue and our struggle with the Zionist movement was, is, and will remain to be the issue of land, and we are still suffering from racist policies in everything related to land and housing.”
THE HAGUE RULES US VIOLATED INT’L LAW WITH IRAN SANCTIONS
The International Court of Justice has ruled that the US “violated” international law by freezing some Iranian assets, ordering Washington to pay compensation for an amount to be determined in the future.
The Hague, however, rejected Iran’s bid to unblock nearly $2bn in assets belonging to its central bank which were frozen by the United States over alleged terror attacks. Iran said the International Court of Justice (ICJ) had demonstrated the legitimacy of its position and the “illegal” behaviour of the United States. “The verdict of the International Court of Justice handed down on March 30 shows once again the legitimacy” of Iran’s positions “and the illegal behaviour of the United States,” Tehran’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The ruling comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.
CAIR URGES S.C. SENATE TO PASS HATE CRIME BILL
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on March 30 urged South Carolina senators to support a hate crime bill following its passage by the state’s Senate Judiciary Committee. The Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crime Act, which was passed by South Carolina’s House of Representatives earlier last month, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with a 15-8 vote. It now goes to the state senate. South Carolina and Wyoming are the only two states without a hate crime statute. “Every state must have laws that enable law enforcement authorities to properly charge those who target others based on bigotry,” said CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw. “We urge lawmakers in South Carolina’s state senate to support this bill.”
TÜRKIYE QUAKE BABY REUNITED WITH MOTHER AFTER 54 DAYS
A baby was reunited with her mother on April 1, 54 days after being rescued from the rubble in quake-hit southern Türkiye. Three-and-a-half-month-old Vetin Begdas – whom health officials call ‘Mystery’ (Gizem in Turkish) – was saved in Hatay province 128 hours after earthquakes struck the country on February 6. She was then shifted to a hospital in the capital Ankara. Family and Social Services Minister Derya Yanik reunited the baby with her mother Yasemin Begdas in Adana province, where the latter is currently receiving medical treatment. The baby and the mother were brought together thanks to a DNA test that proved the relationship. The baby’s father and two brothers lost their lives in the quakes, which killed more than 50,000 people. “The baby is truly a miracle. The fact that she survived and had no health problems pulled at our heartstrings,” Yanik said. “‘Mystery’ is now our baby too,” she said, adding that the ministry’s support will always be with her.
LIBYA REJECTS UN REPORT ON VIOLATIONS OF MIGRANT RIGHTS
Libya’s government has rejected a UN report about violations of migrant rights in the war-torn country.
A report by a UN fact-finding mission cited evidence on crimes against humanity committed against migrants in Libya. The UN mission said its investigators collected nearly 2,800 items of information documenting numerous cases of abuse against migrants, including arbitrary detention, murder, torture, rape, enslavement, sexual slavery, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances.
In a statement, the Libyan Foreign Ministry called on the UN mission to present its information about the victims of violence and sex slavery to the authorities. The ministry said the UN report casts doubts on the ability of the Libyan institutions to deal with the issue professionally. Libya is considered a main transit point for migrants on their way to Europe seeking a better life.
ALGERIA REJECTS FOREIGN MILITARY INTERVENTION IN REGION
Algeria’s army chief, Lt. Gen. Said Chengriha on April 2 reiterated his country’s rejection of any foreign military intervention in the region under the claim of combating terrorism. “Algeria rejects any form of foreign intervention in the region under the pretext of combating terrorism because it is an approach that has proven to be a complete failure,” Chengriha said in a speech during a military meeting. “Algeria’s will is to give a new dynamism to efforts to combat terrorism in the Sahel and Sahara region,” Chengriha said. Algeria maintains that countries of the region have a responsibility to fight terrorism by themselves. Algeria opposed France’s military intervention in its neighbour Mali in 2013. Paris ended its military presence there in August 2022. Algeria also formed the Group of Field Countries to coordinate military, security, and intelligence efforts to combat terrorism, provided that each country fights inside its own territory without forming joint forces or seeking foreign intervention.
QATAR BUYS TWO GAS OFFSHORE LANDS IN CANADA
QatarEnergy entered into a farm-in agreement with ExxonMobil Canada for two exploration licences gas offshore the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, Qatari media reports. According to the report, Minister of State for Energy Affairs and QatarEnergy President and CEO, HE Saad Sherida Al Kaabi, said, “We are pleased to sign this agreement with our strategic partner, ExxonMobil, to further grow our offshore Atlantic Canada portfolio as part of our international growth drive, and look forward to continuing working within Canada’s transparent and stable regulatory environment.”