January 16-31, 2023 Issue of The Unrest News Magazine

THE UNREST

RMN Digital Magazine | January 16-31, 2023

Editor: Rakesh Raman

THE UNREST News Magazine by RMN News Service | January 16-31, 2023 | Page 1 of 31

Stray Dogs in Delhi. Photo: Rakesh Raman / RMN News Service (Representational Image)

Delhi Politicians Fight Like Stray Dogs in MCD Mayor Election

Although the dogfight between Saxena and Kejriwal has been continuing, both of them are so unqualified that they cannot handle the problems of 30 million people who live in Delhi. The unruly politicians belonging to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) engaged in a fierce battle on January 6 during the election of the mayor for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

The newly elected councilors from the two parties pushed each other and hurled tables and chairs in the MCD office. Some of them claimed they were injured in the violent fighting.

The AAP of Delhi chief minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal had won the 250-seat MCD election with 134 seats while the BJP could win only 104 seats. The MCD election result was declared on December 7, 2022. The AAP politicians contend that the Delhi Lt. Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena - who has been handpicked by the BJP

Stray Dogs in Delhi Photo: Rakesh Raman / RMN News Service (Representational Image)

government of prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi - is conspiring to give the MCD control to BJP despite its defeat.

The AAP alleges that in the mayoral election, Saxena tried to give undue advantage to the BJP with the votes of 10 nominated MCD members so that BJP councilors could retain power in the decision-making committees of the MCD. The mayor election has been postponed. [ You can click here to watch a related video on RMN YouTube Channel. ]

As the administrative head of the city-state, Saxena has been closely monitoring the working of the Kejriwal government and has opened multiple cases of corruption in which AAP leaders are allegedly involved.

Although the dogfight between Saxena and Kejriwal has been continuing, both of them are so unqualified that they cannot handle the problems of 30 million people who live in Delhi.

Today, the people of Delhi are suffering with lethal pollution, rampant government corruption, collapsed health care systems, and lack of school education infrastructure.

But instead of providing the right governance to the citizens, Saxena, Kejriwal, and politicians of AAP and BJP keep fighting like stray dogs.

Now, only God - if he or she exists - can save the people of Delhi from the endless misery that they have been facing because of misgovernance in the city.

RSF Reports 1668 Journalists Killed Worldwide in 20 Years

Four countries – Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Honduras – are among the world’s 15 most dangerous countries.

At the end of a year in which the number of journalists killed in connection with their work rose again, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has compiled and analyzed

the figures for journalists killed during the past 20 years – two especially deadly decades for those in the service of the right to inform.

Stop killing journalists. Photo: UNESCO

With murders, contract killings, ambushes, war zone deaths and fatal injuries, a staggering total of 1,668 journalists have been killed worldwide in connection with their work in the last two decades (2003-2022), according to RSF’s tallies based above all on its annual round-ups. This gives an average of more than 80 journalists killed every year. The total killed since 2000 is 1,787.

“Behind the figures, there are the faces, personalities, talent and commitment of those who have paid with their lives for their information gathering, their search for the truth and their passion for journalism,” said RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire.

The annual death tolls peaked in 2012 and 2013 with 144 and 142 journalists killed, respectively. These peaks, due in large measure to the war in Syria, were followed by a gradual fall and then historically low figures from 2019 onwards.

Sadly, the number of journalists killed in connection with their work in 2022 – 58 according to RSF’s Press Freedom Barometer on 28 December – was the highest in the past four years and was 13.7% higher than in 2021, when 51 journalists were killed.

During the past two decades, 80% of the media fatalities have occurred in 15 countries. The two countries with the highest death tolls are Iraq and Syria, with a combined total of 578 journalists killed in the past 20 years, or more than a third of the worldwide total. They are followed by Afghanistan, Yemen and Palestine. Africa has not been spared, with Somalia coming next.

Russia continues to be Europe’s deadliest country for the media, with the biggest number of journalists killed during the past 20 years. Since Vladimir Putin took over, Russia has seen systematic attacks on press freedom – including deadly ones – as RSF has repeatedly reported. They include Anna Politkovskaya’s high-profile murder on 7 October 2006.

The war that began in Ukraine on 24 February 2022 is one of the reasons why this country has Europe’s second highest death toll. Eight journalists have been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded. But an additional 12 were killed there during the 19 preceding years.

France ranks as the fourth deadliest European country as a result of the massacre at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris in 2015.

During the past decade, reporters have run the greatest risks in areas where armed clashes were taking place. Of the 686 killings since 2014, 335 have been in war zones (including Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen).

The five deadliest years were from 2012 to 2016, with 94 killed in 2012, 92 in 2013, 64 in 2014, 52 in 2015 and 53 in 2016. Some slight encouragement can be derived from the fact that the annual total of journalists killed in war zones has not

exceeded 20 during the past three years. Aside from a decline in the intensity of some wars, these figures reflect the effectiveness of preventive and protective measures taken by news organizations as well as, sometimes, reporting precautions and restrictions.

Countries where no war is officially taking place are not necessarily safe for reporters and some of them are near the top of the list of those where killings have occurred. In fact, more journalists have been killed in “zones at peace” than in “zones at war” during the past two decades, in most cases because they were investigating organized crime and corruption.

With 47.4% of the journalists killed in 2022, America is nowadays clearly the world’s most dangerous continent for the media, which justifies the implementation of specific protection policies.

Four countries – Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Honduras – are among the world’s 15 most dangerous countries. Asia also has many countries on this tragic list, including the Philippines, with more than 100 journalists killed since the start of 2003, Pakistan with 93, and India with 58.

Finally, while many more male journalists (more than 95%) have been killed in war zones or in other circumstances than their female counterparts, the latter have not been spared.

A total of 81 women journalists have been killed in the past 20 years – 4.86% of the total media fatalities. Since 2012, 52 have been killed, in many cases after investigating women's rights.

Some years have seen spikes in the number of women journalists killed, and some of the spikes have been particularly alarming. In 2017, ten women journalists were killed (as against 64 male journalists) – a record 13.5% of that year’s total media fatalities. THE UNREST News Magazine by RMN News Service | January 16-31, 2023 | Page 7 of 31

Short Stories of Politics and Unrest in the World

The United States launched an online system on January 12 that allows migrants at the border with Mexico to apply for asylum online. The app, called CBP One, has been available with limited functionality in English and Spanish since 2020. But now, the Biden administration has expanded the system so that migrants in central and northern Mexico can upload their biographical information and a photo to request an appointment at eight border crossings in Texas, Arizona and California. Read More

A “small number” of classified documents have been found at United States President Joe Biden’s residence in the state of Delaware, the White House has confirmed, saying the files were turned over to the Department of Justice. White House special counsel Richard Sauber said on January 12 that documents with classified markings that date back to Biden’s time as vice president were found in the garage at the now-president’s home in Wilmington, Delaware. Read More

Brazil's Supreme Court has agreed to include right-wing former president Jair Bolsonaro in its investigation into the storming of government buildings in Brasília. It is the first time that Mr Bolsonaro has been named among those potentially responsible for the 8 January riots. It comes days after Mr Bolsonaro posted a video questioning the legitimacy of October's presidential election. Prosecutors said Mr Bolsonaro may have incited a crime by making such claims. Read More

Iran said on January 14 it had executed a dual Iranian-British national who once worked for its defense ministry, despite an international outcry over his death sentence and those of others held amid nationwide protests. Iran’s Mizan news agency, associated with the country’s judiciary, announced Ali Reza Akbari’s hanging. It did not say when it happened. However, there were rumors he had been executed days ago. Read More

A bleak report from the World Bank warns that 2023’s growth outlook looks ripe for recession. The U.S.-based international organization conducts research and provides financing and advice to developing nations. In its Global Economic Prospects Report, the World Bank warns, “Global growth has slowed to the extent that the global economy is perilously close to falling into recession.” Read More

Research Project on Corruption in India Launched for 2023

The report ICRR 2023 will be the second annual report which will be published by the RMN Foundation - which is the humanitarian initiative of RMN (Raman Media Network) News Service.

While India is already perceived to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world, bureaucratic and political corruption is still increasing dramatically in the country.

India Corruption Research Report 2023 (ICRR 2023) Project by RMN Foundation / RMN News Service

However, there is no reliable information available on the extent of corruption. This research project - being carried out by the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation - aims to compile a comprehensive report - under the title India Corruption Research Report 2023 (ICRR 2023) - on diverse aspects of corruption in India.

The findings of the report will help the central as well as state governments in the country make actionable strategies to combat corruption. The report will also be

equally useful for other stakeholders including businesses, political parties, and international organizations.

Download All Issues of The Unrest Magazine

You can click here to download and read the previous issues of The Unrest news magazine.

The report ICRR 2023 will be the second annual report which will be published by the RMN Foundation - which is the humanitarian initiative of RMN (Raman Media Network) News Service. The first report ICRR 2022 was released in October 2022.

[ You can click here to study the ICRR 2022 in ebook format. ]

STAKEHOLDERS AND OBJECTIVES

The report will strengthen the anti-corruption efforts of the government agencies such as the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), anti-corruption authority Lokpal, anti-corruption ombudsman organizations Lokayukta in different Indian states, the anti-corruption wing of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and other departments run by traditional bureaucrats.

The report will provide necessary inputs to the business community including industry associations such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and foreign business associations that operate in India.

In its international coverage, the report will enable the global anti-corruption organizations particularly under the UN umbrella and international lawmakers to understand the reasons and scope of corruption in India. It will help them strategize their relationship with India in order to focus on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

REPORT TITLE: India Corruption Research Report 2023 (ICRR 2023)

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RESEARCH REPORT

COMPONENTS

Evolving Corruption Definition and Scope Findings from a Primary Perception Survey

Corruption Data from Secondary Sources Corruption Laws and Limitations

Anti-Corruption Agencies and Functions Government-to-Citizen Interfaces

Role of Technology to Combat Corruption Interviews with Corporate Executives

Corruption Case Studies Grand Corruption Cases and Trends

Learnings from Global Cases and Trends Findings of the Report

The research project is being spearheaded by Rakesh Raman who is a national award-winning journalist and founder of RMN Foundation.

People and organizations from all over the world are invited to join hands with RMN Foundation as donors, volunteers, and partners for the ICRR 2023 project and other humanitarian activities for diverse communities.

You can click here to know about the ICRR 2023 project and donation details.

UN Experts Urge Tech Leaders to End Hate Speech on Social Media

While some claim to not allow hate speech there is a gap between company commitments to their policies and enforcement on social media sites.

A group of UN experts has called on top tech executives Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook, and CEOs of other social media platforms to follow human rights principles to curb hate speech on social media.

They said that a sharp increase in the use of the racist “N” word on Twitter after its recent acquisition highlights the urgent need for a deeper level of accountability from social media corporations over the expression of hatred towards people of African descent.

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The experts said that in the early days of the Twitter acquisition, the Network Contagion Research Institute of Rutgers University highlighted that the use of the hateful and racist “N” word on the platform increased by almost 500 percent within a 12-hour period compared to the previous average.

Photo: Twitter Logo

Although Twitter advised this was based on a trolling campaign and that there is no place for hatred, the expression of hatred against people of African descent is deeply concerning and merits an urgent response centered on human rights.

Hate speech, advocacy of national, racial and religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination and violence, as well as racism on social media, are not just a concern for Twitter but also for other social media giants such as Meta.

While some claim to not allow hate speech there is a gap between company commitments to their policies and enforcement on social media sites. This is particularly salient in the approval of inflammatory ads, electoral disinformation on Facebook, and content that talks of conspiracy theories. Research from Global

Witness and SumOfUs recently revealed how Meta is unable to block certain advertisements.

In response to many complaints, Meta took a significant step with the establishment of an Oversight Board in 2020. This group of experts from diverse areas of expertise is in place to “promote free expression by making principled, independent decisions regarding content on Facebook and Instagram and by issuing recommendations on the relevant Facebook Company Content policy”.

Resourced with funds and having received two million appeals regarding content, the Board has made a number of recommendations and decisions. However, the effectiveness of the Oversight Board can only be seen over a long-time horizon and will require continued commitment at the highest levels of the social media to review and modify their mechanisms to address incitement to racial hatred online.

“There is a risk of arbitrariness and profit interests getting in the way of how social media platforms monitor and regulate themselves,” the UN experts said in their statement released on January 6, 2023.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, recently penned an open letter to Twitter CEO Elon Musk which emphasized that free speech is not a free pass to spread harmful disinformation that results in real world harm.

The UN human rights experts believe that content moderation can only address a part of what happens in cyberspace but does not take into account the intended and unintended effects in society.

There are deeper issues about advocacy of racial hatred, lack of accountability for abuses, and an absence of efforts to promote tolerance. If addressed, these can be strong determining factors in building a positive future both online and offline.

At stake is the future of current and succeeding generations, as well as social cohesion amongst and across communities. Social media has a major role to

prevent further rifts so that racial justice and human rights can be upheld to build less racist, less divisive, more tolerant, just, and equitable societies.

The experts suggest that social media companies must urgently address posts and activities that advocate hatred and constitute incitement to discrimination, in line with international standards for freedom of expression.

They added that corporate accountability for racial justice and human rights is a core social responsibility and respecting human rights is in the long-term interest of these companies and their shareholders.

The International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights provide a clear path forward on how this can be done.

“We urge all CEOs and leaders of social media to fully assume their responsibility to respect human rights and address racial hatred,” the experts said in their statement.

Kejriwal Gets Notice to Pay Money Spent on Deceptive Political Ads

While Delhi continues to be one of the worst managed states of India, Kejriwal has been deceiving the illiterate voters with false advertisements to win elections deceptively.

Delhi chief minister (CM) and leader of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal has been issued a notice to repay the money that he spent on political advertisements under the garb of promoting government schemes.

The news agency ANI reported on January 12 that the Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) issued a recovery notice of Rs. 164 crores to Kejriwal and asked him to pay this amount within 10 days. The reports also reveal that if the AAP leader THE UNREST News Magazine by RMN News Service | January 16-31, 2023 | Page 14 of 31

failed to deposit the money, legal action will be taken against him. It will include the attachment of properties belonging to AAP.

Arvind Kejriwal. Photo: Rakesh Raman / RMN News Service

The action has been taken nearly a month after Delhi Lt. Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena accused Kejriwal’s party of spending public money on political advertisements under the cover of government advertisements.

Instead of accepting its mistake and repaying the money, the AAP has blamed the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for similar ad spending. The AAP leader Manish Sisodia - who is facing serious corruption charges in a liquor scandal - said in a couple of tweets that the amount should also be recovered from the CMs of BJP. Sisodia’s lame argument is like a thief telling the police that he or she can be punished only if another thief is also punished.

Although almost all political parties of India are full of corrupt politicians, it appears that AAP has crossed all limits of corruption. Kejriwal and AAP splurge massive

public funds to promote Kejriwal and AAP in different states where elections take place.

Since most Indian voters are uneducated, AAP exploits their illiteracy and deceives them with misleading advertisements that have Kejriwal’s own photos or appearances in TV shows.

After taking advertisement money from Kejriwal, the newspapers promote AAP and Kejriwal dishonestly through editorial stories and TV channels hold fake interviews with him to allow him to promote himself and his party. Instead of interviewing Kejriwal properly, the corrupt TV anchors keep sitting like statues in front of him.

As AAP pays huge money - which is a kind of bribe - to media outlets, they do not ask Kejriwal and AAP politicians relevant questions or subtly digress from the debates about AAP’s corruption and its misgovernance.

It is not only Kejriwal, but an AAP CM in Punjab Bhagwant Mann - who is an illiterate and incapable politician - is spending public money foolishly to promote himself. Recently, the leaders of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) urged the Punjab Governor to hold the AAP government in Punjab accountable for splurging public money on extravagant advertisements.

The Right to Information (RTI) replies by the Directorate of Information and Publicity reveal that the Delhi Government’s spending on advertisements increased by a whopping 4,273% over 10 financial years ending with 2021-2022, particularly under Kejriwal’s rule.

While Delhi continues to be one of the worst managed states of India, Kejriwal has been deceiving the illiterate voters with false advertisements to win elections deceptively. The AAP is so corrupt that its ministers who are in jail or facing serious corruption investigations have not been removed from their positions by the party.

For example, an AAP politician Satyendar Jain - who has been in jail for the past many months as an accused in a massive money laundering and corruption case - is still a minister in the Delhi Government.

Similarly, Delhi deputy CM Sisodia - who is facing multiple investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) - has not been removed from his position in Delhi Government.

Worse, Kejriwal is spending huge public money to hire legal services to save his colleagues who are allegedly involved in corruption cases. Reports suggest that the AAP government in Delhi paid more than Rs. 25 crore in just about a year to lawyers who are appearing for AAP corruption cases in courts.

Since Delhi LG Saxena is a lethargic administrator, he only sends letters and notices to Kejriwal but fails to take any punitive action against the unruly AAP politicians who are misusing public funds for their own interests.

As a result of administrative inaction, the people of Delhi are suffering under lethal pollution, extreme corruption, collapsed health care system, and lack of basic infrastructure in the city-state of 30 million people.

RMN Foundation Appeals for the Release of Political Prisoners in Belarus

Viasna is a non-governmental human rights organization, formed in 1996 during mass protest actions of the democratic opposition in Belarus.

As the attacks on human rights activists continue to escalate in Belarus, hundreds of political prisoners have been languishing in jails. RMN Foundation appeals to the despotic Belarusian regime to release all political prisoners immediately.

The Human Rights Center "Viasna" reports that by the end of 2022, there were 1,446 political prisoners in Belarus while 889 people were recognized as political prisoners. Viasna is a non-governmental human rights organization, formed in 1996

during mass protest actions of the democratic opposition in Belarus. In 2022, according to Viasna, arrests, torture, and criminal proceedings on political grounds against Belarusian activists continued.

“The Belarusian regime should respect democratic and human rights principles and immediately release all prisoners who have been arbitrarily detained for expressing their political views,” said Rakesh Raman, founder of the RMN Foundation.

He added that the international community should take some concrete steps to restore democracy in Belarus as most citizens believe that the presidential election in 2020 was not fair.

When the intensity of protests increased, President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus shut down dozens of independent organizations and media outlets. The regime also harassed the Viasna activists.

The attacks on Viasna are part of a broader crackdown on civil society while the Belarus government has prosecuted and jailed critics and peaceful protesters, forcing many to flee the country.

Hundreds of Belarusians have been arrested and jailed because they peacefully exercised their rights to freedom of expression and assembly in response to a fraudulent election in August 2020 that allowed Lukashenko to retain power. Human rights activist and the founder of Viasna Human Rights Center, Ales

Photo: Viasna

Bialiatski who is Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has also been arrested by the Lukashenko’s regime.

He was arrested in July 2021 on tax evasion charges, which are believed to be politically motivated. Bialiatski and two other activists have been kept in harsh conditions in a Minsk prison. Their trial began in Belarus on January 5, 2023 and they faced up to 12 years in jail.

Since all international efforts, including sanctions, to tame the dictatorial Lukashenko regime have failed, RMN Foundation urges the UN and other democratic forces in the world to take military action to save people from Lukashenko’s atrocities.

The international community should also intervene to help hold a free and fair election in Belarus so that people could live in a new democratic environment.

RMN Foundation is the humanitarian initiative of Raman Media Network (RMN) News Service. It runs various projects and campaigns in the areas of human rights, environment protection, school education, and corruption prevention.

Lokayukta Urged to Open Corruption Case Against Delhi MLAs

I also request you to completely revamp your corruption complaint management, investigation, and prosecution processes if you really want to weed out corruption from the government systems.

To January 6, 2023

Justice Harish Chandra Delhi Lokayukta, Office of the Lokayukta

Government of NCT of Delhi New Delhi

Kind Attention: Mr. Satya Prakash, Assistant Director, Office of the Lokayukta

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Dear Sir,

Please refer to your letter No. C-4522/Lok/2022/2408 dated 30.12.2022 sent to me regarding the petition that I had filed against Delhi MLAs. The said letter is reproduced below as Exhibit 1.

Exhibit 1: Lokayukta Letter No C-4522/Lok/2022/2408 dated 30 12 2022

As you have asked, I verify / authenticate the information given in my petition dated May 8, 2022 (reproduced below for your ready reference). Since I do not have

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resources to commute and spend money in this case, you are requested to consider this communication as my affidavit for the said petition that I had filed. I also request you to completely revamp your corruption complaint management, investigation, and prosecution processes if you really want to weed out corruption from the government systems. Instead of bothering the complainants with multiple requirements such as affidavits, paper documents, etc., you should deploy technology to make the complete system online.

As a journalist and anti-corruption activist, I have been observing that the government anti-corruption agencies keep tossing the corruption complaints between different departments or keep sending the perfunctory letters to the complainants. But they never dare to formally investigate the accused. The investigations happen only when some political angle is involved. That is why corruption is increasing rapidly in the country.

I have stated some of these facts in the “India Corruption Research Report 2022 (ICRR 2022)” that I have compiled and released recently. You can click here to download and study the report. In order to bring transparency in the Lokayukta processes, you are requested to put all the communications related to my petition on the Lokayukta website, which also needs an immediate redevelopment.

Note: I will be available for online meetings / video conferencing to explain various aspects of the case to the Lokayukta office. Request for an early response.

The case details are reproduced in the 12-page document. You can click here to download and study the document.

Thank You | Rakesh Raman

Volker Türk Asks Iran to Stop Illegal Executions of Protesters

Thousands have been detained since the nation-wide protests erupted last September following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini.

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Criminal proceedings and the death penalty are being weaponized by the Iranian Government to punish individuals participating in protests and to strike fear into the population so as to stamp out dissent, in violation of international human rights law, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said on January 10.

Four individuals engaged in the recent demonstrations have been executed over the past month following expedited trials that did not meet the minimum guarantees of fair trial and due process required by international human rights law binding on Iran, making their executions tantamount to arbitrary deprivation of life, he said.

“The weaponization of criminal procedures to punish people for exercising their basic rights – such as those participating in or organizing demonstrations - amounts to state sanctioned killing,” Türk said. “The Government of Iran would better serve its interests and those of its people by listening to their grievances, and by undertaking the legal and policy reforms necessary to ensure respect for diversity

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk Photo: UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

of opinion, the rights to freedom of expression and assembly, and the full respect and protection of the rights of women in all areas of life.”

Violations of due process and fair trial guarantees recorded by the UN Human Rights Office include: application of vaguely worded criminal provisions; denial of access to a lawyer of choice and the right to present a defence; forced confessions obtained through torture and ill-treatment; failure to respect the presumption of innocence; and denial of meaningful right to appeal against conviction.

Furthermore, Türk added, the death sentences were imposed following convictions on charges – such as moharebeh (waging war against God) and efsad-e fel arz (corruption on earth) – that fall far short of ‘the most serious crimes’ as required by international human rights law. This means crimes of extreme gravity, such as intentional killing.

According to reports, the first of the four executions – that of Mohsen Shekari – was carried out on 8 December 2022. Four days later, Majdireza Rahanavard was executed only 23 days after his arrest on 19 November. On 7 January 2023, Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini were executed. All were executed secretly without their families being informed. This in itself constitutes a violation of international human rights law.

At least 17 others have been reportedly sentenced to death, and up to 100 more face charges for capital crimes. Thousands have been detained since the nation-wide protests erupted last September following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, who died shortly after she was arrested for improperly wearing her hijab. Hundreds have died in the government crackdown against the demonstrators.

The UN Human Rights Office says it has received information that two further executions are imminent - that of Mohammad Boroughani, aged 19, and Mohammad Ghobadiou, aged 22. “I reiterate once more my call to the Government of Iran to respect the lives and voices of its people, to impose an immediate

moratorium on the death penalty and to halt all executions,” the High Commissioner for Human Rights said.

“Iran must take sincere steps to embark on the reforms that are required and demanded by their own people for the respect and protection of their human rights.”

Courtesy: UN Human Rights Office

Crime, Corruption, and Impunity in India

Politicians, bureaucrats, police, and judges have formed a criminal gang in India. The following cases depict how they collude with criminals and commit crimes and corruption with impunity while the ordinary citizens are suffering. Click the following links for details.

Cabinet Secretariat Case Ministry of HomeAffairs (MHA) Case

Prime Minister Office (PMO) Case Delhi Lokayukta Case

DoPTCase CBI Case

Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Case Supreme Court Case

Delhi Govt Case Delhi Petitions Committee / CVC Case

NHRC Case School Education Case

Environmental Crime Case Lokpal Removal Case

Judicial Corruption Case

RCS Corruption Case

AAPCorruption Case Widehouse Scandal

NHRC Case at UN HRC

IAS Group Corruption Case

CPGRAMS Cases PGMS Cases

IAS Corruption Record UNCAC Petition

Delhi Police Case DoPTProcesses

RCS RTI Violations

DDACorruption Case

Petitions and Representations by Rakesh Raman. Up to January 2023

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Corruption in Delhi Group Housing Societies

The cooperative group housing societies (CGHS) of Delhi have become dangerous centers of crime and corruption. The crimes in these housing societies are being committed by the management committee (MC) members or administrators in connivance with the corrupt officials of Registrar Cooperative Societies (RCS) of Delhi Government, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Police, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), and a few other departments.

In order to stop crimes in the housing societies, the local residents should not feel scared and formally complain against the criminal MC members, administrators, and government functionaries. Click here for details.

Training to Teachers Is a Political Stunt of Kejriwal Govt

While the services of all teachers in Delhi schools should be terminated, Kejriwal and his clique are squandering public money on their training so that they could tell lies about Delhi school education to get undue political advantage in elections.

Manish Sisodia - an education minister in the Delhi Government of chief minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal - claimed on January 13 that the Lt. Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena - is not allowing 30 Delhi school teachers to attend foreign training in Finland. In a tweet written in Hindi, Sisodia said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to destroy the Delhi education system through the LG.

According to reports, while rejecting the proposal of the Kejriwal government, LG Saxena has said that there is no cost-benefit analysis of the proposed training abroad and this training can be done in the country itself.

A tweeted statement from the LG office clarified that the Delhi Government has been advised to evaluate the proposal in totality and record the cost-benefit analysis in tangible terms, so as to assess the effectiveness of various foreign training programmes for teachers undertaken in the past.

In fact, Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and minister Sisodia – who is facing multiple corruption investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) - have been telling blatant lies about the school education.

Students of a government school in Delhi cross high walls and barbed wires to abscond from the school. School education is bad and teachers have no control on students.

Photo: Rakesh Raman / RMN News Service

They falsely claim that the Delhi education model is very good. But the truth is that the education in Delhi schools is so bad that the students cannot be called educated after completing their education. The education in government and private schools is equally deplorable.

God only knows if Sisodia himself is properly educated, but he positions himself as a self-styled best education minister in the country. If Sisodia is so good, why can’t he train teachers in Delhi itself instead of wasting public money on their training abroad? Actually, the teachers in almost all Delhi schools are so unqualified that they cannot be trained in India or abroad. They are spoiling the lives and careers of

millions of students, as these teachers are clueless about the modern education paradigm, pedagogy, and job market requirements.

While the services of all teachers in Delhi schools should be terminated, Kejriwal and his clique are squandering public money on their training so that they could tell lies about Delhi school education to get undue political advantage in elections.

A new research report on reforms in school education asserts that teachers are mainly responsible for the poor education which is causing extreme joblessness in the country. Since most existing school teachers are neither qualified nor trainable in the contemporary fields of studies, they must be removed from their jobs and replaced with new teachers who clear a specially designed test for them.

Moreover, the report recommends that school teachers must sign legal Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) to ensure education quality in the schools. And they must be terminated and prosecuted if they are not able to provide the assured level of education services.

Therefore, Delhi LG Saxena has taken the right decision - at least in this case - to question the dubious proposal of the Kejriwal government to send teachers for training abroad. LG Saxena should also order an onsite quality assessment based on a set of parameters in Delhi schools and on the basis of this assessment, he should remove teachers from schools and even close down some of the schools.

U.S. Launches #WithoutJustCause Political Prisoners Initiative

The United States calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners.

As political prisoners around the world begin another year behind bars, the United States announced on January 11 the launch of the Without Just Cause initiative, which seeks to raise international awareness of the plight of political prisoners and

their families, and to advocate for the release of all individuals worldwide who are detained unfairly.

Prison,

June 2014.

According to the U.S. Department of State, the individuals highlighted in this initiative are emblematic of the many political prisoners held by governments in every region of the world.

Many are subjected to torture, gender-based violence, inhumane conditions, enforced disappearance, or other forms of abuse. Some are held in reprisal for peaceful protest, exposing corruption, or critical reporting.

Others are held because of their race, ethnicity, religion, language, gender identity, or for perceived or real LGBTQI+ status or conduct. Some governments abuse their legal systems to target peaceful protestors or government critics on contrived charges such as “terrorism,” “extremism,” “cybercrimes,” “fake news,” or “hooliganism.” Many are sentenced by courts that lack independence, in trials closed to outside observers, while others are detained without being afforded other

Moldova,

Photo: UNAIDS Photographer D.Gutu (Representational Photo)

applicable legal protections. The Without Just Cause initiative will include diplomatic engagement and public diplomacy in Washington, DC and by U.S. embassies abroad. It reflects input from political prisoner advocates, family members, and nongovernmental organizations.

As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights makes clear, every person worldwide is entitled to respect for their human rights, including freedom of opinion and expression, peaceful assembly, and association. The United States calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners, and invites all who believe in the universality of human rights and fundamental freedoms to support this initiative.

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About the Editor

The editor of The Unrest news magazine Rakesh Raman is a national award-winning journalist and founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation. Besides working at senior editorial positions with leading media companies, he was writing an exclusive edit-page column regularly for The Financial Express (a daily business newspaper of The Indian Express Group).

Nowadays, for the past 12 years, he has been running his own global news services on multiple news sites. He runs various environment protection, education awareness, and anti-corruption campaigns, and publishes digital magazines and research reports on different subjects.

Earlier, he had been associated with the United Nations (UN) through the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as a digital media expert to help businesses use technology for brand marketing and business development.

At present, Rakesh is associated with the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project as a Country Expert for India to provide expert research inputs on multiple topics

THE UNREST News Magazine by RMN News Service | January 16-31, 2023 | Page 29 of 31

pertaining to democracy and governance. The V-Dem Project is managed by V-Dem Institute under the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Currently, he is also working as an editor for Wikipedia, which is a free online global encyclopedia.

In order to inform the Indian citizens and the global community about the extent of corruption in India, he compiled and released in October 2022 a comprehensive report on corruption in the country. Under the title “India Corruption Research Report 2022 (ICRR 2022),” the research report covers diverse aspects of corruption in India. He has also been publishing The Integrity Bulletin news magazine since 2018 to cover local and international corruption issues to engage with different stakeholders who are trying to combat corruption in the world.

He has launched a nationwide campaign to introduce social democracy in India in order to build an egalitarian society in which all citizens could enjoy equal rights, opportunities, freedoms, and access to justice. He is running an editorial section / microsite “Power Play: Lok Sabha Election 2024 in India” to cover the election news, events, and political campaigns.

He is also running a nationwide campaign to save school students of India from directionless education so that students could acquire modern skills that can help them in the job market. In his anti-corruption activities, he participated in a global petition led by Germany-based international organization Transparency International to call for the UN General Assembly Special Session against Corruption, UNGASS 2021, to direct all countries to set up central, public registers of beneficial ownership.

He runs a community-driven anti-corruption social service “Clean House” to help the residents of Delhi raise their voice against the growing corruption and injustice in housing societies where millions of people suffer because of rampant corruption and lawlessness. He has also formed an environment protection group called Green Group in New Delhi, which is the most polluted national capital in the world.

As Rakesh has been facing constant threats including death threats for his editorial and anti-corruption work, the Paris-based international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) that defends freedom of journalists has urged the Indian government to save him from threats and persecution. You can click here to download and read his full profile.

Collaboration with the Project

THE UNREST news magazine is being published by RMN Foundation, which is the humanitarian initiative of RMN News Service. It is being circulated among different UN agencies, government departments, leading global politicians, international political organizations, colleges / universities, law-enforcement agencies, civil society organizations, social activists, and others in India and abroad.

As the founder of RMN Foundation and editor of RMN News Service, I am managing this project independently without any financial or other support. RMN News Service is looking for sponsors and collaborators across the world who can help it expand the content creation activity around this editorial initiative.

Contact

Rakesh Raman Founder

RMN Foundation 463, DPS Apts., Plot No. 16, Sector 4 Dwarka, Phase I, New Delhi 110 078, INDIA Call: 9810319059 | Contact by email

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