GENEVA: A United Nations expert voiced alarm Thursday over alleged widespread torture by Russian military forces in Ukraine, saying it pointed to “state-endorsed” abuse.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards, said the alleged victims included both Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war, adding that she had written to Moscow about this.
She cited reports and testimonies that torture was being consistently used to extract intelligence, to force confessions or used to punish former membership or support of Ukrainian armed forces.
“The alleged practices include electric shocks, beatings, hooding, mock executions and other threats of death,” she said in a statement.
“If established, they... may also amount to a pattern of state-endorsed torture.”
Those allegedly tortured were often held in “grossly inadequate conditions” in facilities run by Russian forces inside Ukraine after Moscow invaded in February last year, the statement said.
It detailed how the alleged torture had left people suffering from things like hallucinations, damage to internal organs, fractures and cracks in bones and strokes.
Edwards said she and other UN rights experts had voiced their concerns in a letter to Moscow.
In the letter, she said the consistency and methods of the alleged torture suggests “a level of coordination, planning and organization, as well as the direct authorization, deliberate policy or official tolerance from superior authorities.”
Edwards and other special rapporteurs are independent rights experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, but who do not speak on behalf of the UN.
“Torture is a war crime, and the systematic or widespread practice of torture constitutes a crime against humanity,” Edwards warned.
“Obeying a superior order or policy direction cannot be invoked as justification for torture, and any individual involved should be promptly investigated and prosecuted by independent authorities.”
Edwards said she planned to conduct a fact-finding mission to Ukraine later this year.
“The longer the war goes on, the more reports are emerging of torture and other inhuman treatment,” Edwards said.
“I strongly urge relevant authorities to ensure that civilians and prisoners of war are protected and treated humanely at all times.”
UN expert concerned over Russian state-backed torture in Ukraine
https://arab.news/7my7s
UN expert concerned over Russian state-backed torture in Ukraine
- The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards, said the alleged victims included both Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war
- "The alleged practices include electric shocks, beatings, hooding, mock executions and other threats of death," she said in a statement
Bangladeshi women break driving taboo on male-dominated roads
- Country’s largest development organization opened all-female driving school in 2012
- Most of its graduates now employed by NGOs, international organizations
DHAKA: When Sharmin Akter Pinky sat behind the steering wheel for the first time, it was because of her aunt, who encouraged her to venture into a field which, in Bangladesh, had traditionally been dominated by men.
“She used to inspire me to be an independent woman and to do something with my own abilities,” Pinky told Arab News.
Her aunt saw women learning to drive at a school in Dhaka and convinced the rest of the family that it would be the right path for her niece as well.
“She kept insisting that if the other girls could do it, I would also be able to do the same,” Pinky said.
“This is how I stepped into this driving career, with the support of my parents, uncle, and aunt.”
Pinky was 20 at the time. Now, eight years later, she is a professional driver working with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.
The all-female driving school she enrolled in was opened by BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee), Bangladesh’s largest development organization, in 2012. Each year, more and more women have been taking the classes — making the wheel their tool for earning a livelihood and building a career.
“There was a time when people had a very negative mindset about girls entering the driving profession, but things have improved a lot since then. I would encourage more women to take it up. Girls should be independent and explore the world around them,” Pinky said.
For her, it also comes with a personal mission to help empower others who may not have had as much support from their families as she did.
In Pinky’s village, it was not widely accepted that women could work.
She said: “In the early days, when I went back to the village during holidays, people would say things like ‘This isn’t a respectable job,’ or ‘You’ll have trouble getting married,’ or ‘You might fall in with the wrong crowd.’
“But my father always stood by me. He told me not to listen to what people around us said. He encouraged me to focus on being a good human being, doing honest work, and helping others improve their lives.
“Later, I brought two other girls from my village, arranged driving training for them, and helped them find jobs. Now, people admit that driving can be a good job for women too. I feel proud I have started something.”
For Sharmina Akter Banu, who now also works at FAO, driving offered a means of survival.
When her father and husband passed away, she was left alone caring for her 18-month-old child, younger siblings, and mother.
“I received an offer from the BRAC Driving School to take driving training. I completed the training over a period of three months. After that, I got a job as a professional driver,” she said.
“At that time all of my siblings were still attending school. With the income from my driving job, I took on the responsibility of supporting my younger siblings. Thanks to that, all of them were able to complete their education.”
Banu’s younger brother is now pursuing his honors degree, and her son is completing high school.
The job has become a source of pride for her. She has a stable profession, is financially independent, has been able to support her family, and feels like an equal member of society.
“I’m surrounded by many male drivers and, among them, I am the only female. It’s a matter of pride for me, because as a woman I’ve been able to work in this challenging profession alongside men,” she said.
“Wherever I notice a female driver, it fills my heart with joy. More and more girls are coming into this profession. And they are doing well.”
Banu and Pinky are among more than 3,500 professional women drivers trained by BRAC. They come from various parts of Bangladesh and different backgrounds.
“We have BRAC’s network in the remotest parts of the country … We receive applications from minorities and underprivileged women,” Abdul Quddus, who is in charge of the organization’s driving schools, told Arab News.
“After receiving training, the female drivers start working at different organizations, especially with international NGOs … To date, all the women who received professional driving training from us are doing well at their workplaces.”
They are contributing not only to the workforce and efforts to change social norms, but also to improving road safety in a country where traffic accidents are common.
“The society has now mostly overcome the stereotype that driving is mostly a male job,” Quddus said.
“Women can play a significant role in ensuring road safety. They don’t get involved in risky driving like men, and they are more respectful of the traffic rules.”
Deadly civilian plane crashes in India over the decades
- Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad on Thursday
- Plane reportedly crashed on top of the dining area of state-run BJ Medical College hostel, killing many medical students as well
NEW DELHI, India: An Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India’s western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, the airline and police said, and India’s federal health minister said that “many people” were killed.
Following are details of some other airline accidents in India in recent years:
AUGUST 2020
Twenty-one people died when an Air India Express Boeing 737 plane skidded off the runway in the southern city of Kozhikode during heavy rain, plunged into a valley and crashed nose-first into the ground.
MAY 2010
An Air India Boeing 737 flight from Dubai overshot the runway at the airport in the southern city of Mangaluru and crashed into a gorge, killing 158 people on board.
JULY 2000
More than 50 people were killed when a state-owned Alliance Air flight between Kolkata and the capital, New Delhi, crashed in a residential area of the eastern city of Patna.
APRIL 1993
An Indian Airlines Boeing 737 crashed during takeoff in the western city of Aurangabad and killed 55 people on board.
AUGUST 1991
An Indian Airlines Boeing 737 flight from Kolkata crashed during descent near Imphal, the capital of the hilly north-eastern state of Manipur, killing all 69 occupants onboard.
OCTOBER 1988
More than 130 passengers died when an Indian Airlines Boeing 737, flying from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, crashed as it was coming in to land.
JANUARY 1978
All 213 passengers of an Air India flight were killed when the captain lost control of the plane after take-off and plunged it into the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai, India’s financial hub.
NATO chief hopeful of spending deal as meets allies in Rome
- Rutte is urging NATO members to commit to 3.5 percent of GDP on direct military spending by 2032
ROME: NATO chief Mark Rutte said Thursday he was “pretty confident” of getting a deal on boosting defense spending at a summit later this month, as he met European allies in Rome.
He joined foreign ministers and diplomats from Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Poland, Spain, Ukraine and the EU to discuss defense spending and their support for Kyiv, as Russia escalates its bombardments.
The meeting of the so-called “Weimar+” group comes ahead of a G7 summit in Canada on June 15-17, where allies will push US President Donald Trump to be more aggressive in punishing the Kremlin.
It will be followed by a NATO meeting in The Hague on June 24-25, where the focus will be reaching a deal that satisfies Trump’s demands to spend five percent of GDP on defense.
Rutte is urging NATO members to commit to 3.5 percent of GDP on direct military spending by 2032, and an additional 1.5 percent on broader security-related expenditure.
“We are discussing the final decisions we will take in The Hague. I’m pretty confident indeed... that we will get to a joint position, all 32 (members),” he told reporters heading into the talks in Rome.
He praised Trump’s efforts to reach a peace deal in Ukraine by talking directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying “he broke the deadlock” — even if the discussions are stalled.
Russia has fired record numbers of drones and missiles at Ukraine over recent weeks, escalating three years of daily bombardments as it outlines hard-line demands — rejected by Kyiv as “ultimatums” — to halt the war.
Rutte noted that Russia had sent a historian to talks in Istanbul, “explaining more or less that Ukraine is at fault here. I think that’s not helpful, but at least, step by step, we try to make progress.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the meeting host whose country spends 1.5 percent of GDP on defense, said he was “very happy” with Rutte’s spending plan.
“For Italy it’s important to spend more but we need more time, 10 years, I think it is more or less possible to achieve this goal,” he said.
Air India plane with 242 on board crashes at India’s Ahmedabad airport
- The plane was reportedly a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most modern passenger aircraft
- It was headed to Gatwick airport in the United Kingdom when it crashed in a civilian area near the airport
NEW DELHI: An Air India plane headed to London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India’s western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, the airline and police said, without specifying whether there were any fatalities.
The plane was headed to Gatwick airport in the UK, Air India said, while police officers said it crashed in a civilian area near the airport.
Aviation tracking site Flightradar24 said the plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most modern passenger aircraft in service.
“At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates,” Air India said on X.
The crash occurred when the aircraft was taking off, television channels reported. One channel showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then disappearing from the screen before a huge cloud of fire rising into the sky from beyond the houses.
Visuals also showed debris on fire, with thick black smoke rising up into the sky near the airport.
They also showed visuals of people being moved in stretchers and being taken away in ambulances.
According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad airport, the aircraft departed at 1.39 p.m. (0809 GMT) from runway 23. It gave a “Mayday” call, signalling an emergency, but thereafter there was no response from the aircraft.
Flightradar24 also said that it received the last signal from the aircraft seconds after it took off.
“The aircraft involved is a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with registration VT-ANB,” it said.
Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The last fatal plane crash in India involved Air India Express, the airline’s low-cost arm.
The airline’s Boeing-737 overshot a “table-top” runway at Kozhikode International Airport in southern India in 2020. The plane skidded off the runway, plunging into a valley and crashing nose-first into the ground.
Twenty-one people were killed in that crash.
More than 200 killed as Air India plane crashes after take-off in Ahmedabad
- The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants, a source said
- Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian, Air India said
AHMEDABAD: More than 200 people were killed when an Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from the western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, authorities said, in the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade.
The plane came down in a residential area, crashing on to a medical college hostel outside the airport during lunch hour. It was headed for Gatwick Airport, south of the British capital.
City police chief G.S. Malik told Reuters that 204 bodies had been recovered from the crash site. There were no reports of survivors being found, and the Indian Express newspaper said all 242 on board had perished, citing police.
Malik said the bodies recovered could include both passengers and people killed on the ground.
Relatives had been asked to give DNA samples to identify the dead, state health secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi said.
“The building on which it has crashed is a doctors’ hostel... we have cleared almost 70 percent to 80 percent of the area and will clear the rest soon,” a senior police officer told reporters.
Parts of the plane’s body were scattered around the building into which it crashed, photographs and videos from the area showed. The tail of the plane was stuck on top of the building.
India’s CNN News-18 TV channels said the plane crashed on top of the dining area of state-run B.J. Medical College hostel, killing many medical students as well.
The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants, a source told Reuters. Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian, Air India said.
Aviation tracking site Flightradar24 said the plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most modern passenger aircraft in service.
It was the first crash for the Dreamliner, which began flying commercially in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. The plane that crashed on Thursday flew for the first time in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, Flightradar24 said.
“At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates,” Air India said on X.
The crash occurred just after the plane took off, television channels reported. One channel showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then disappearing from the screen before a huge jet of fire can be seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses.
Visuals also showed debris on fire, with thick black smoke rising up into the sky near the airport.
They also showed people being moved in stretchers and being taken away in ambulances.
“My sister-in-law was going to London. Within an hour, I got news that the plane had crashed,” Poonam Patel, a relative of one of the passengers, told news agency ANI at the government hospital in Ahmedabad.
Ramila, the mother of a student at the medical college, told ANI her son had gone to the hostel for his lunch break when the plane crashed. “My son is safe, and I have spoken to him. He jumped from the second floor, so he suffered some injuries,” she said.
According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad Airport, the aircraft departed at 1:39 p.m. (0809 GMT) from runway 23. It gave a “Mayday” call, signalling an emergency, but thereafter there was no response from the aircraft.
Flightradar24 also said that it received the last signal from the aircraft seconds after it took off.
US aerospace safety consultant Anthony Brickhouse said one problematic sign from videos of the aircraft was that the landing gear was down at a phase of flight when it would typically be up.
“If you didn’t know what was happening, you would think that plane was on approach to a runway,” Brickhouse said.
Boeing said it was aware of initial reports and was working to gather more information. Boeing shares fell 6.8 percent to $199.13 in pre-market trade.
Aircraft engine-maker GE Aerospace said that it would put a team together to go to India and analyze cockpit data, India’s CNBC TV18 reported.
Britain was working with Indian authorities to urgently establish the facts around the crash and to provide support to those involved, the country’s foreign office said in a statement posted on its website.
“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. “It is heartbreaking beyond words.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said images emerging of the crash were “devastating,” and that he was being kept informed as the situation developed. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said King Charles was also being kept updated.
“My wife and I have been desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning,” the monarch said in a statement.
Modi’s home state
The Indian aviation minister’s office said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed it to ensure all support was extended to the rescue efforts immediately.
Ahmedabad is the main city in Modi’s home state of Gujarat.
Ahmedabad Airport, which suspended all flight operations after the crash, said it was operational again but with limited flights. The airport is operated by India’s Adani Group conglomerate.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy of Air India Flight 171,” Gautam Adani, founder and chairman of the group, posted on X.
“Our hearts go out to the families who have suffered an unimaginable loss. We are working closely with all authorities and extending full support to the families on the ground,” he said.
The last fatal plane crash in India, the world’s third largest aviation market and its fastest growing, was in 2020 and involved Air India Express, the airline’s low-cost arm.
The airline’s Boeing-737 overshot a “table-top” runway at Kozhikode International Airport in southern India. The plane skidded off the runway, plunging into a valley and crashing nose-first into the ground.
Twenty-one people were killed in that crash.
The formerly state-owned Air India was taken over by Indian conglomerate Tata Group in 2022, and merged with Vistara — a joint venture between the group and Singapore Airlines – in 2024.
