Suspicion of a militant hideout, Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) conducted a drive in Kulaura thana of Moulivibazar on Saturday morning. Additional Superintendent of Police Mahmudul Hasan in Moulvibazar confirmed the matter. Muhibul Islam, chairman of Karmadha Union Parishad (UP) of Kulaura said Law enforcement forces raided a newly constructed house on a hill in Baishali Bari area of ​​East Tatti Uli village of the union.

Data from Reporters Without Borders shows that 150 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 2000. In 2022 alone, 13 members of the press were killed there. Nelson Matus, a Mexican crime journalist, was shot dead in the parking lot of a store on Saturday in the tourist town of Acapulco, regional officials said. The killing marks the second death of a working journalist within a week in what is known to be the most deadly country for members of the press. Luis Martin Sanchez, a journalist for the Mexican newspaper La Jornada, was found dead on July 8 "with signs of violence" after going missing in the state of Nayarit. About the incident Matus, who was the director of a local news outlet called Lo Real de Guerrero, was shot as he was getting into his car in a thrift store parking lot. According to police reports, officers received a call shortly after 3 p.m., informing them of the incident. Paramedics arrived at the scene to find Matus' lifeless body, which was identified with his belongings. The area was then cordoned off. The Attorney General's Office of the coastal state of Guerrero initiated an investigation for aggravated homicide. In a statement, it said that it "reiterates its commitment to exhaust every line of investigation" into Matus' death. In a 15-year-long career, Matus largely covered "red news" — a genre of journalism in Mexico that focuses on crime, violence and disasters, according to Balbina Flores, the Mexico delegate for Reporters Without Borders (RSF). His most recent report, published on Saturday, was about the discovery of "human remains in black bags (...) next to the La Palapa hotel" in the city.   No safe place for journalists The killings of Lo Real de Guerrero's Matus and La Jornada's Sanchez are only the most recent in a long string of violence, kidnappings and threats against members of the press. Data from RSF shows that 150 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 2000. Just in 2022, 13 journalists were killed in country, according to government data. Sanchez was one of three journalists who had been abducted in the western state of Nayarit, according to the prosecutor's office. While he was found dead with messages pinned to his chest, another former journalist was abducted from his home in the town of Xalisco earlier this month. The third journalist was found alive. Leftist newspaper La Jornada lost two of its most widely known reporters — Miroslava Breach and Javier Valdez — in a matter of months in 2017. The Federation of Journalists of Acapulco and the Association of Police Information Reporters in Guerrero condemned the murder and demanded a thorough investigation which culminates in punishment. 

The Taliban's restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls should be investigated as possible crimes under international law, two NGOs said in a joint report. Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists, NGOs based in London and Geneva respectively, jointly released a report on Friday urging an investigation into the Taliban's restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls.  Titled, "The Taliban's war on women: The crime against humanity of gender persecution in Afghanistan," it cited the ICC statute, which lists gender-based persecution as a crime against humanity. The report shed light on the severe limitations imposed by the Islamic fundamentalist group on women and girls in the war-torn country, after they seized power in August 2021 as US and NATO troops were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from the country after two decades of war. How has the Taliban rule affected women's rights? Despite initial promises of a more moderate rule, the Taliban have turned increasingly authoritarian, with a profound impact on various aspects of women's lives. Women's access to education and work has been limited, along with their ability to travel and access medical care. The report also accused the Taliban of targeting women and girls who have taken part in peaceful protests by detaining, forcibly disappearing them and subjecting them to torture in custody. Amnesty also documented cases of women and girls being forcibly married to members of the Taliban, as well as attempts to force them into such marriages. The report said those who refused such marriages were "subjected to abduction, intimidation, threats and torture." "Afghan women and girls are the victims of a crime against humanity of gender persecution. The gravity of the crime demands a far more robust international response than has been seen to date. There is only one outcome acceptable: this system of gender oppression and persecution must be dismantled," said Agnes Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty International. Call for action against Taliban The organizations have called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to include "the crime against humanity of gender persecution" in its ongoing investigation into the situation in Afghanistan. They urged the international community to address the issue of "gender persecution and other potential violations of international law by the Taliban" during the upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council. "Holding the Taliban criminally accountable and tackling rampant impunity for the serious crimes documented in this report is a necessary step toward securing justice for survivors of their egregious practices. We simply cannot afford to fail the women and girls of Afghanistan," said Santiago A. Canton, secretary-general at the International Commission of Jurists. The Taliban authorities, who claim to have established an "Islamic system" following the departure of the US-led NATO forces, have not yet responded to the report. In the past, the Taliban dismissed similar reports as "biased and propagandistic." In April, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution calling on the Taliban to ensure the full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of women and girls in Afghanistan. The report by Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists adds further weight to the need for urgent action to address the dire situation faced by Afghan women and girls under Taliban rule.

The club's forward had pointed out fans allegedly shouting racist chants at him during a match, prompting the referees to stop the game for 10 minutes. Real Madrid said the abuse constitutes a "hate crime." Real Madrid on Monday lodged a criminal complaint over racist abuse against their forward Vinicius Junior.  On Sunday, a match at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia was stopped for 10 minutes after Vinicius pointed out fans who were allegedly shouting racist comments at him. Spanish prosecutors in Valencia opened a probe into the racist chants, according to the AFP news agency.  Real Madrid said it saw that the abuse constituted a "hate crime." It added that it filed the complaint with the State Attorney General's Office "in order for the facts to be investigated and for those responsible to be held accountable."  The probe came after the 22-year-old Brazilian forward received support from the Brazilian president, FIFA and fellow stars such as Kylian Mbappe. "I am sorry for those Spaniards who disagree but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists," Vinicius wrote on Twitter after the game.  Spain has 'a serious problem' Luis Rubiales, the chief of Spain's football federation, sided with Vinicius, admitting that racism was an issue in Spanish soccer.  "The first thing is to recognize that we have a problem in our country," Rubiales said at a press conference in Madrid on Monday. It is "a serious problem that also stains an entire team, an entire fan base, an entire club, an entire country," he added.  LaLiga President Javier Tebas was, however, defiant. He wrote on Twitter that the league is doing enough, and called on Vinicius to inform himself "before you criticize and slander LaLiga." Rubiales criticized Tebas's comments, which he said were "irresponsible behaviour." "Probably Vinicius is more right than we think and we all need to do more about racism," Rubiales said. Brazil's government calls for action against 'episodes of racism' Brazil's government has meanwhile condemned what it said were "recurring episodes of racism" against Vinicius. The Foreign Ministry called in a Monday statement on sponsors and the government to take action. "Taking into account the seriousness of the facts and the occurrence of yet another inadmissible episode, the Brazilian government deeply regrets that, until now, effective measures have not been taken to prevent and avoid the repetition of these acts of racism," the statement said. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva addressed the incident during a press conference on the G7 meeting. He called on FIFA, the Spanish league and other football leagues to take serious action "because we cannot allow fascism and racism to take over football stadiums." Vinicius was slammed a Red Card toward the end of the Sunday game with Valencia, after a mass altercation. Brazil's Foreign Ministry also condemned the Sunday incident as "racism," suggesting that the player's sending off was a racist act.  Addressing a seminar on African partnership on Monday, Brazil's Secretary General for Foreign Relations Maria Laura da Rocha said fans have "persistently" exercised racism against the Brazilian footballer.  "Vinicius Jr received a red card for not enduring all that. The red card should have been given to racism," she said. Another Vinicius complaint  Under Spanish laws, people convicted of racist behavior can be fined up to €4,000 ($4,403) and banned from stadiums for a year. But the country's penal code makes it difficult to prosecute such incidents in the first place.  Last September, prosecutors dropped a complaint of racist chants against Vinicius during another game. Prosecutors said at the time that the chants, which were fans calling him a "monkey," had "only lasted a few seconds."  According to the Interior Ministry, only three cases of racist acts were investigated during the 2021-22 season. With 23 goals this season, Vinicius is Real Madrid's second top scorer this season, behind Karim Benzema, who has scored 29 goals.  

Germany's top court has ruled that police use of automated data analysis for crime prevention is unconstitutional. It said the technology should only be used where an "identifiable danger" exists. Germany's Federal Constitutional Court on Thursday declared as unconstitutional regulations in the states of Hesse and Hamburg that allow police to automatically process personal data using special software to prevent crime. Both German states must now make improvements in how the software, which helped police probe an underground network charged with plotting to overthrow the German government, is allowed to be used. What did the court say about the rules? The Karlsruhe-based court criticized state laws for not regulating circumstances in which data could be processed precisely enough, and demanded that the legislation be rewritten. "Given the particularly broad wording of the powers, in terms of both the data and the methods concerned, the grounds for interference fall far short of the constitutionally required threshold of an identifiable danger," the judges said. Provisions regulating the use of the technology in the central state of Hesse and the northern city-state of fHamburg violated the right to informational self-determination, a statement from the constitutional court said. The court ruled that automated data analysis or interpretation could be justified, but that the seriousness of the possible crimes must be taken into account. "Compatibility with the principle of proportionality is of particular importance, the specific requirements of which depend on the reach of the powers in question," it said. The court said the two states had successfully demonstrated the need for the technology, given the "increasing use of digital media and means of communication." "Particularly in the areas of terrorist and extremist violence and organized and serious crime, the police authorities are faced with ever larger data streams that are increasingly heterogeneous in terms of their quality and format." What does the software do? Provided by the CIA-backed Palantir Technologies, the software can find connections that individual investigators would not see. It networks information already stored in various police inventories with each other to help establish relationships between people, groups, or even places and things. At a previous hearing, a Hesse state official explained that a suspected ATM bomber had been arrested after the software, named "Hessendata," showed that a certain car was near several crime scenes. Hessendata is available to some 2,000 police officers and has been used to investigate terrorism, organized crime, and child sex abuse.  The software was also used to investigate the far-right, underground "Reichsbürger" network, with some of its members charged with plotting to overthrow the German government in December, an official told the court. The case challenging the use of the software was brought by the German Society for Civil Rights. The group argued that the  software used innocent people's data to provide leads and could also produce errors, as well as impact people at risk of police discrimination. What happens next? The state of Hesse has been given a deadline of September 30 to rewrite its provisions, while the present legislation in Hamburg — where the technology is not yet in use — was nullified. A constitutional complaint against the law in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which also already uses the software, is still pending in Karlsruhe. Other states also want to allow their police forces to use automated data analysis. Constitutional Court president Stephan Harbarth said states now had the option "of shaping the legal basis for further processing of stored data files in a constitutional manner."

Bangladesh Muktijuddha Mancha (BMM) wrote a memorandum to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and requested an unconditional apology for the attack and atrocities during the 1971 liberation war. In the memorandum, BMM writes, “Request the government of Pakistan in general and Pakistani Army in particular, to offer an unconditional apology to our Prime Minister and leader Sheikh Hasina and to the people of Bangladesh for the brutalities in Bangabandhu killing, 21st grenade attack and the atrocities of 1971 liberation struggle.” The memorandum also demanded Pakistan to desist, overtly or covertly, from engaging with those forces that stood against our freedom struggle and also the trial of the Pakistani army involved in killings and Genocide during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. In the memorandum, Bangladesh Muktijuddha Mancha reminded about the 1971 Liberation struggle of Bangladesh and said thirty Lakhs people were killed and Pakistani militaries raped two lakhs of women, during the war. The party also said that Pakistan ISI was directly involved in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman killing. “To take revenge for surrender in the Liberation War, Pakistan started conspiring against Bangabandhu’s government. With the help of Zia-Mostaque, Pakistan killed Bangabandhu and his family members which was the most brutal political killing in the world,” the memorandum reads. Pakistan also patronised and supplied grenades to BNP-Jamaat-Huji to kill Bangabandhu’s daughter Shiekh Hasina on August 21, 2004. Some Awami League leaders created human protection to save the life of Sheikh Hasina. Finally, Sheikh Hasina was saved but 24 Awami League leaders were killed due to grenades attack,” it added. Bangladesh Muktijuddha Mancha also said that Pakistan cannot avoid responsibility for these killings. Party threatened Pakistan and said that if the country continues sponsoring terrorism in Bangladesh, they will make that their government would be bound to cut all diplomatic relations with Pakistan. “We demand to United Nations to bring the Pakistan militaries under the trial of the International War Crimes Court for their involvement in genocide and intellectuals killings in 1971,” the party concluded the sentence. The latest good news for Bangladesh is that Pakistan’s “genocide” against Bengalis, and Hindus in the 1971 war has been finally recognized as the US House condemns Islamabad’s actions and called on President Joe Biden to recognise the atrocities. The legislation brought by Congressmen Ro Khanna, and Steve Chabot, recognise Pakistan’s atrocities against ethnic groups constitute crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. “…condemns the atrocities committed by the Armed Forces of Pakistan against the people of Bangladesh from March 1971 to December 1971; recognizes that such atrocities against ethnic Bengalis and Hindus constitute crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide; calls on the President of the United States to recognize the atrocities committed against ethnic Bengalis and Hindus by the Armed Forces of Pakitan during 1971 as crimes against humanity war crimes, and genocide,” the legislation read. Source: ANI

Two other accused in Sylhet MC College gang rape case made confessional statement under section 164 of the CrPC on Sunday. With these, all the arrested eight accused confessed to their crime in the court. Additional Judge Md Zihadur Rahman recorded statement of the accused Tarequl Islam Tareq and Metropolitan Magistrates Court-2 Judge Saifur Rahman that of Mahfuzar Rahman after Inspector Indranil Bhattacharya, investigation officer of the case, produced them before the courts.  Later, they were sent back to jail. Earlier, six accused in the cases delivered confession statements in the case on Friday and Saturday. They all tied up a man and raped his 19-year-old wife at the MC College dormitory on the night of September 25. After police rescued the couple, the victim’s husband filed a case with Shahporan Police Station in the early hours of Sept 26 against nine people mentioning the names of six. Eight of the accused in the case are currently in police custody. Source: UNB AH

Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has found cyber crime proofs against former Officer in Charge (OC) of Sonagazi police station Moazzem Hossain. The police officer who is closed at the moment has committed the crime by recording the visual statement of late Feni madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi and spreading it on social media. The information was delivered to the newsmen by PBI Chief DIG Banaj Kumar Majumder at its head office at Dhanmondi in the capital on Thursday. He said, the report against Moazzem Hossain will be submitted on May 27 for committing cyber crime. The report will be submitted before the court very soon. The investigation revealed that the former Sonagazi OC not only recorded the video on the mobile phone but also tried to harass Nusrat in different ways. By this time OC Mozzem was withdrawn and attached to Rangpur range. In this incident Feni Police Super SM Jahangir Alam was also withdrawn and attached to the police headquarters. Miscreants set Nusrat ablaze by pouring kerosene on her on April 6 on the rooftop of her madrasa. She was later admitted to the Burn Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. After fighting for her life for five days Nusrat Jahan Rafi succumbed to her injuries on April 10. AH   

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came down heavily on BNP and its election partners for giving nominations to the persons convicted for corruption, militancy and war crimes saying it seemed that they would like to take the country’s politics to the ‘crime world’. “It’s a misfortune for the people of Bangladesh as a political party picked up the persons for coming election who mostly were engaged in criminal activities,” she said. She went on saying that “Some of those are collaborators of Pakistani army or their family members, some of them are perpetrators of the grenade attack on August 21, 2004.” “Where they want to take the country by making those persons parliament members,” she said while addressing a discussion in the capital on Friday marking the Martyred Intellectuals’ Day. Reports BSS. “If they are elected to the parliament what will be the situation of Bangladesh and how people will get security of their lives and property…, and how the country would prosper?” she asked. Bangladesh Awami League organized the discussion at Krishibid Institution auditorium with prime minister and president of the party Sheikh Hasina in the chair. The Prime Minister said the US Congress has also sent a list of the persons linked with terrorism and militancy which included some names of those persons. Canada Federal court also branded BNP as a militant organization rejecting petition of one their leaders seeking political asylum in that country, she added. Sheikh Hasina questioned about the conscience of the persons who have been vocal against the government criticizing its activities. Now they (persons) have forged electoral unity with BNP and anti-liberation forces, she added. “Politics should be dedicated to welfare of the people and development. But what will be the destiny of the country if those criminals are elected as parliament members?” she asked. Minister for Relief and Disaster Management Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Joint Secretary of Awami League Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Organizing Secretaries Ahmed Hossain, BM Mozammel and AFM Bahauddin Nasim and central committee member Pervin Jahan Kalpona addressed the meeting, among others. Dr. Nuzhat Chowdhury, daughter of martyred intellectual Dr Alim Chowdhury, Shami Kaiser, daughter of martyred intellectual Shahidullah Kaiser also spoke at the meeting conducted by party’s deputy publicity secretary Aminul Islam. AH

The sixth Bangladesh-India home minister level talks decided to work in closer cooperation to ensure a crime free border, training of policemen and combating militancy. Briefing newsmen after the talks with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said security issues largely featured their meeting with particular focus on border management, cross-border crimes and illegal activities. Reports BSS. “Discussions were held to ease travel arrangements between the two countries as well,” he said adding that under a revised travel agreement signed on Sunday Bangladeshi freedom fighters and elderly nationals would get five years’ multiple Indian visa. He said the meeting decided to increase facilities at the entry points on the border and simultaneously discussions were held to make easier the visa issuance process for students and medical treatment seekers in India. “We had a successful meeting,” Singh said in a brief comment the Indian home minister said but did not join Kamal in the media briefing. An Indian High Commission, however, issued a statement saying the meeting discussed “all security related matters of interest including counter terrorism, capacity building and increased cooperation between security agencies, border management, countering illegal activities like fake currency, drug and human trafficking, consular issues etc”. It said the two home ministers noted the significant progress was made in the bilateral relationship under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her counterpart Narendra Modi while both sides reiterated their commitment to further strengthen the ties on the basis of friendship, trust and understanding for the mutual benefit of the two peoples. The two ministers also witnessed the signing of the Revised Travel Arrangement 2018 (RTA 2018) amending the earlier RTA 2013 for further liberalizing the visa regime between the two countries, including enhanced duration for employment and student visas. In a tweet later Singh said “India and Bangladesh signed the Revised Travel Arrangement (RTA)-2018 in Dhaka” as the meeting came at the fag-end of his three-day visit. “After spending three days in Bangladesh I am heading back to New Delhi. I am deeply touched by the warmth and hospitality of the people of Bangladesh. Bharat-Bangladesh Moitree Chirojeebi Hok,” he wrote. Kamal said Bangladesh reassured India that “we will not allow its soil to be used for any terrorist activities particularly against India in line with our zero tolerance policy about to terrorism and militancy”. He said India so far extended all types of supports to Bangladesh as sought to counter terrorism and militancy and “they are now exchanging militancy related information with us”. Kamal said the Rohingya issue came up in the talks when his counterpart conveyed India’s commitment to extend their assistance for safe, speedy and sustainable return of the forcibly displaced people to Myanmar’s Rakhine state. Asked about the development on the return of two Bangabandhu murder trial convicts believed to be hiding in India, he said “a committee was formed earlier to look into the matter and they are working on it” Kamal said his counterpart also assured Bangladesh side of providing higher training to “our law enforcement agencies”. The two ministers co-chaired the meeting when Kamal led 13-member Bangladesh side while Singh led 9-member delegation of his country. Prior to beginning of the meeting Rajnath Singh was given a ‘guard of honor’. Earlier, the Indian Minister visited Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and paid tribute to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Later, he visited the Dhakeswari National Temple in old part of the capital and placed offerings there. Singh arrived in Dhaka on July 13, on a three day official visit, to attend the home ministerial level meeting while the previous home ministerial level meeting was held in New Delhi in India in 2016. He departed for home in a special Indian aircraft in the afternoon. AH