Day: November 27, 2023

Pashinyan angered Abkhazia

Prime minister Nikol Pashinyan recently stated, “In my public statements, I have reiterated multiple times that we fully and unequivocally support the unity and statehood of Georgia.” His remarks faced criticism from several ethnic Armenian members of the Abkhazian parliament, as they issued a statement expressing disapproval of the Armenian Prime Minister’s words.

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“After the tragedy in Artsakh, where the current Armenian leadership condemned 120,000 of its own citizens living in Nagorno-Karabakh to eviction, one might have chosen to leave Pashinyan’s recent speech uncommented. However, the assertion of supporting the territorial integrity of Georgia appeared too cynical.

Cynical not because the Republic of Abkhazia is an independent state with no affiliation to sovereign Georgia, but because just a couple of years ago, Yerevan was vehemently asserting that Artsakh is Armenia and would not permit any Azerbaijani encroachment on Karabakh’s territory,” stated MPs Galust Trapizonian, Levon Galustian, Ashot Minasyan, and Eric Rshtuni.

Abkhazian president Aslan Bzhania remarked that “Pashinyan’s endorsement of Georgia’s “unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, and democracy” fundamentally conflicts with Abkhazia’s sovereignty.”

He further noted that the Armenian community in Abkhazia is present across various aspects of life, encompassing politics to culture.

“Armenians in Abkhazia have everything that Nikol Pashinyan could not ensure for the Armenians of Karabakh, who, due to his policies, experienced the tragedy of statehood collapse and a mass exodus from their homeland. Furthermore, a consequence of Nikol Pashinyan’s policies was the breach of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia itself.”

Originally, Bzhania’s statement contained a paragraph asserting that “Abkhazia, unlike Armenia and Georgia, controls its entire territory.” This stance did not find favor with the opposition RESPUBLICA Telegram channel.

“Georgia regards Abkhazia and South Ossetia as part of its territory, a perspective we do not share. However, given that Aslan Bzhania acknowledges the existence of ‘his’ uncontrolled territories within Georgia, it implies recognition of their presence. We anticipate clarifications from the Presidential Administration,” states RESPUBLICA.

No clarification was provided, but the paragraph mentioned earlier disappeared from Bzhania’s statement.

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Bangladesh has come under fire from human rights groups and foreign governments for launching a sweeping and violent crackdown on opposition parties to “eliminate competition” ahead of general elections, including arresting almost 10,000 activists.

The main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has accused the ruling Awami League of using security forces and its supporters to attack its rallies, raid its offices, and detain its leaders and activists on false charges. The BNP has also claimed that at least four of its members have been killed and hundreds injured in clashes since August^.

The crackdown has intensified in recent weeks, as the BNP announced its plans to hold a massive rally in the capital, Dhaka, on December 10, to mark the International Human Rights Day and demand free and fair elections. The authorities have denied permission for the rally, citing security reasons, and have set up checkpoints and barricades to prevent opposition supporters from entering the city^.

On December 7, one man was killed and over 50 others injured during clashes between police, Awami League and BNP supporters in different parts of the country³. On December 8, police raided the BNP headquarters and arrested two senior leaders, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Mirza Abbas, accusing them of inciting violence.

On December 9, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reportedly told her party leaders and activists, “The hands that would be raised against us have to be broken”^.

The crackdown has drawn condemnation from international human rights organizations, which said that the authorities should respect the rule of law and protect political opposition supporters’ right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly^.

 The UN special rapporteur on freedom of association and peaceful assembly, Clement Voule, said the authorities should guarantee the right to peaceful assembly and not use excessive force against protesters.

Bangladesh is scheduled to hold its 12th parliamentary elections on January 7, 2024. The Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, is seeking its fourth consecutive term in power, while the BNP, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is hoping to make a comeback after boycotting the last elections in 2014. The BNP has demanded a neutral caretaker government to oversee the polls, but the Awami League has rejected the idea, saying it is unconstitutional.

The BNP has also alleged that the government is trying to rig the elections by manipulating the voter list, the electoral commission, and the judiciary. The BNP leader, Khaleda Zia, has been in jail since February 2018, after being convicted of corruption charges, which she denies as politically motivated. The BNP has said that it will not participate in the elections unless she is released and allowed to run.

The elections are expected to be a test of Bangladesh’s democracy, which has been marred by violence, repression, and corruption in the past. The country, which has a population of about 170 million, is also facing challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, and the Rohingya refugee crisis.

Garbage moment #memes #DispicableMe #gru #ReactionImage #meme pic.twitter.com/J7Fg1l5TYb

— Photo House Roulette (@RouletteGallery) November 21, 2023