Washington: Two women who say they experienced and escaped Chinese “re-education camps” have provided first-hand testimony to members of the US Congress, giving harrowing detail while imploring Americans not to look away from what Washington has declared a continuing genocide of Muslim ethnic minorities.
Testifying before a special House committee on Thursday, Gulbahar Haitiwaji, an Uyghur woman, said that during her nearly three years in internment camps and police stations, prisoners were subjected to 11 hours of “brainwashing education” each day, the Guardian reported.
It included singing patriotic songs and praising the Chinese government before and after meals.
Haitiwaji said detainees were punished for speaking in Uyghur and endured routine interrogations during which they were hooded and shackled to their chairs.
On one occasion, she said, she was chained to her bed for 20 days.
Female prisoners were told they would be vaccinated, when they were being sterilised, the Guardian reported.
“There are cameras all over the camp,” Haitiwaji said. “Our every move was monitored.”
She said in written testimony that after her head was shaved, she had a feeling of “losing my sense of self, losing my ability to even remember the faces of my family members”, the Guardian reported.
Qelbinur Sidik, a member of China’s ethnic Uzbek minority who is now a human rights activist living in the Netherlands, told of being coerced by Chinese authorities into teaching classes at one of China’s internment camps.
Through a translator, she described the detention facilities as “like a war zone” with razor wire fencing and armed guards.
Sidik recalled hearing the “horrible screaming sounds” of Uyghur prisoners as they were tortured, the Guardian reported.
After the death of Mahsa Amini, tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets in September to protest against the Islamic Republic. The regime cracked down on the demonstrators. Middle East correspondent Melvyn Ingleby spoke to detained Iranians and heard their stories of police brutality and torture. Has this suppressed the protests?
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Imprisoned in Iran: ‘I get the death penalty, don’t tell mom anything’
New Delhi: The National Board of Examinations (NBE) on Friday told the Supreme Court that around 2.09 lakh candidates have registered for NEET-PG exam 2023, scheduled on March 5, and if the exam were to be postponed, then no alternative date may be available in the near future.
A bench comprising Justices S R Bhat and Dipankar Datta orally observed that postponing the exam would be a mental torture for those who are waiting for the exam, and added that it will not pass any order either way.
The bench asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the NBE, to bring a solution on the issue raised by the petitioners in connection with National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-PG exam.
The bench noted: “When we postpone a judicial exam, there is agony for the candidates who are preparing for it. The whole dynamics change.”
The top court was hearing two petitions seeking postponement of the NEET-PG exam saying that counselling has to be conducted after August 11 since the cut-off date for internship has been extended to that date.
Sharing the information in connection with the exam, Bhati said around 2.09 lakh candidates have registered for the exam and all preparations have been made to conduct the test, which involved engaging a technology partner to conduct the test.
Opposing the postponement of the exam, she contended that no alternate test date may be available in the near future as the technology partner may not be available and authorities are trying to follow the schedule affirmed by the top court earlier.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the petitioners, told the bench that though 13 petitioners have come before the court, the issue raised by them affects nearly 45,000 candidates. He added that when one would go to the counselling, the person would need to carry the internship certificate and since the date has been extended to August 11, therefore the counselling should happen after this date.
Sankaranarayanan contended that internship is for 12 hours a day and for these students there is not much time to prepare for the examination.
The bench noted that students preparing for months would have to wait.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who also appeared for the petitioners, submitted that different states have different schedules for internship and the issue has arisen due to this.
After hearing arguments, the bench told Bhati: “We are not indicating that it will be postponed… we are not passing any order either way. We are keeping it open. You come with the figures”.
The top court has scheduled the matter for further hearing on February 27.
Hyderabad: Four police officers in Telangana’s Medak district were suspended on Sunday over the death of a man in police custody following alleged torture.
Circle inspector Madhu, sub-inspector Rajasekhar and constables Prashanth and Pavan Kumar of Medak town have been suspended, Medak Superintendent of Police Rohini Priyadarshini said.
Inspector General of Police Chandrasekhar Reddy ordered their suspension, a day after Director General of Police Anjani Kumar ordered an investigation by a senior officer into the incident.
The DGP had directed the IGP to give the investigation to a senior officer of Kamareddy district and supervise the investigation.
The police chief also announced that disciplinary action has been initiated against the inspector and sub-inspector.
Daily wage labourer, Mohammad Qadeer, 35, on Friday succumbed to the injuries he had sustained due to torture by police.
The man was picked up from his sister’s house in Hyderabad on January 29 on suspicion of being involved in a theft case. He was taken to Medak where police allegedly kept him in illegal custody for five days and tortured him.
Qadeer was let off on February 2. His family alleged that he was tortured by police using third-degree methods.
Due to the alleged torture, Qadeer could not stand on his feet, and his kidneys were also damaged. On February 9, he was admitted to a hospital in Medak.
As Qadeer’s condition kept deteriorating, he was referred to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad for better treatment. However, he succumbed to his injuries on February 17. He is survived by his wife and two children.
The body was handed over to the family members early Saturday morning after autopsy and it was later buried in Medak.
Munassar bin Hussein bin Sheikh Al-Rasas, civilian (right) and Hadi Hussein Salem Al-Saw’i, soldier. Photo: Twitter
Two Yemeni nationals abducted by the Houthis died after being brutally tortured in prisons of the Houthi militia in the capital, Sanaa, local media reported.
The two Yemenis are Munassar bin Hussein bin Sheikh Al-Rasas, civilian and Hadi Hussein Salem Al-Saw’i, soldier.
As per a report by Arab News, on Friday, January 20, the Houthi representative informed the families of Munassar and Hadi’s death, but gave no further details.
40-year-old Munassar bin Hussein bin Sheikh Al-Rasas, a Yemeni expatriate working in Saudi Arabia, was kidnapped while returning to his family home in the central Al-Bayda governorate to celebrate Eid Al-Adha in July 2022.
26-year-old Hadi Hussein Salem Al-Saw’i, from Al-Nu’man district, had died under horrific Houthi torture, a year and a half after his captivity.
These two individuals are the latest recorded victims of the Houthis’ brutal interrogation methods in areas under their control, including Sanaa.
محافظة البيضاء وفاة مختطفين وفاة المختطف المدني الرصاص منصر بن حسين الرصاص(40 عاما)تحت التعذيب في سجون مليشيات الحوثي بعد 7 أشهر من اختطافه من منزله في مديرية مسورة. كما توفي الجندي في الجيش الوطني هادي حسين سالم الصوعي(26 عاما)من أبناء مديرية النعمان تحت التعذيب في سجون الحوثي pic.twitter.com/7jKJh9Gm2N
What were you hoping for? An enjoyable and interesting evening with someone new.
First impressions? A friendly guy who put me at ease straight away.
What did you talk about? Our families. Motorbikes. The state the country is in.
Most awkward moment? The selfie.
Good table manners? We shared our starters, which seemed a perfectly natural thing to do.
Best thing about Dennis? He is a good talker and a good listener.
Would you introduce Dennis to your friends? Yes, because he seems to be so easygoing and chatty.
Describe Dennis in three words. Family-minded and adventurous.
What do you think Dennis made of you? He must have noticed that I’m passionate about politics.
Did you go on somewhere? No, the restaurant was in the middle of the countryside and on that night it was -4C.
And … did you kiss? Yes, we had a little kiss on the lips.
If you could change one thing about the evening what would it be? Can’t think of one thing.
Marks out of 10? 8.
Would you meet again? I wouldn’t mind seeing his narrowboat and riding pillion on his motorbike. But don’t tell my children. They are already worried that I might glue myself to a building and get arrested.
Dennis and Juliet on their date.
Q&A
Want to be in Blind date?
Show
Blind date is Saturday’s dating column: every week, two
strangers are paired up for dinner and drinks, and then spill the beans
to us, answering a set of questions. This runs, with a photograph we
take of each dater before the date, in Saturday magazine (in the
UK) and online at theguardian.com every Saturday. It’s been running since 2009 – you can read all about how we put it together here.
What questions will I be asked? We
ask about age, location, occupation, hobbies, interests and the type of
person you are looking to meet. If you do not think these questions
cover everything you would like to know, tell us what’s on your mind.
Can I choose who I match with? No,
it’s a blind date! But we do ask you a bit about your interests,
preferences, etc – the more you tell us, the better the match is likely
to be.
Can I pick the photograph? No, but don’t worry: we’ll choose the nicest ones.
What personal details will appear? Your first name, job and age.
How should I answer? Honestly
but respectfully. Be mindful of how it will read to your date, and that
Blind date reaches a large audience, in print and online.
Will I see the other person’s answers? No. We may edit yours and theirs for a range of reasons, including length, and we may ask you for more details.
Will you find me The One? We’ll try! Marriage! Babies!
Can I do it in my home town? Only if it’s in the UK. Many of our applicants live in London, but we would love to hear from people living elsewhere.
How to apply Email blind.date@theguardian.com
Dennis on Juliet
What were you hoping for? Some lively conversation about current affairs and social unrest.
First impressions? She seemed a very confident lady.
What did you talk about? Velocette motorcycles! Her father owned one, as did I. From then on we covered so much. How lovely Ireland is. A turtle who lives on the Coventry canal. The suffragette movement. The Jarrow march.
Most awkward moment? Taking the selfies.
Good table manners? Excellent: we agreed to share but were so busy talking we almost forgot.
Best thing about Juliet? Very open and a great conversationalist.
Would you introduce Juliet to your friends? Absolutely, Juliet will go down a storm.
Describe Juliet in three words. Confident, attractive, talkative.
What do you think Juliet made of you? I think I managed to leave a favourable impression.
Did you go on somewhere? No, it was too late.
And … did you kiss? You would need to torture me to get me to answer that.
If you could change one thing about the evening what would it be? It to have been a lunchtime date, which would have given us more time together.
Marks out of 10? 10.
Would you meet again? Definitely. We have tentative plans for a pillion ride on one of my classic motorcycles, and a trip aboard my narrowboat.
Dennis and Juliet ate at The George, Great Oxenden, Leicestershire. Fancy a blind date? Email blind.date@theguardian.com
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
