OTTOMAN-ERA MOSQUE IN GREEK CITY TO BE RESTORED
The Hamza Bey Mosque, one of the oldest Ottoman-era mosques in Greece, will be restored, local media reported on May 11. The restoration of the mosque in the northern port city of Thessaloniki will be completed by 2025 and cost over €10.5 million ($11.5 million), said public broadcaster ERT, citing Culture Minister Lina Mendoni. It is part of a wider programme of restoration and promotion of the monumental inventories of Thessaloniki of all historical periods, it added. The Hamza Bey Mosque is the oldest Islamic religious building in Thessaloniki and is located at the intersection of Egnatia and Venizelou streets. It was built in 1467/1468 by the daughter of the Ottoman military commander Hamza Bey.
US LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BILL TO HOLD ASSAD GOVT. ACCOUNTABLE
US Congressmen introduced the “Assad Anti-Normalisation Act”, a bill that seeks to hold the government of Bashar al-Assad accountable for its crimes against the Syrian people, sanctioning any investment in territories controlled by the Syrian leader and deterring normalisation. “Assad, and his Russian and Iranian backers, continue to commit horrific acts against the Syrian people and undermine regional security,” House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Michael McCaul said in a statement. The bill, introduced on May 11, comes just days after Arab League foreign ministers adopted a decision to readmit Syria after more than a decade of suspension.
COURT GRANTS BAIL TO PAKISTAN EX-PREMIER
Islamabad High Court on May 12 granted bail to former Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan, in a corruption case, reports said. Khan filed a bail petition after the anti-corruption watchdog – National Accountability Bureau (NAB) – had filed a corruption case against the opposition leader. The Court reportedly granted bail for two weeks. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reviewed overall political situation in the country amid violent protests which erupted after his predecessor, Khan, was arrested this week in Pakhtunkhawa. Khan was arrested by the NAB from the Islamabad High Court on May 9, which the Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) party called “abduction”. Pakistan’s Supreme Court on May 11 declared Khan’s arrest illegal and ordered his immediate release. However, Khan was directed to appear before the Islamabad High Court on May 12, which is hearing the bail petition by Khan.
US CONGRESSWOMAN REINTRODUCES BILL ON AID TO ISRAEL
US Congresswoman Betty McCollum has reintroduced her bill to prohibit Israel’s government from using American taxpayers’ dollars from being used to abuse Palestinian children. The bill, “Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act”, was first introduced in 2021 and was reintroduced last Friday, a report said on May 8. McCollum said in a statement that Congress has a responsibility to not ignore the “well-documented mistreatment of Palestinian children and families” under Israeli occupation. There are currently 16 cosponsors of the bill, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Rashida Tlaib; Ilhan Omar; Ayanna Pressley; Cori Bush; and Barbara Lee. The bill is also supported by over 76 organisations, including HRW, AI, Jewish Voice for Peace Action; J Street; US Campaign for Palestinian Rights; and the IfNotNow Movement.