Russia’s Presidential aircraft and funds were used in a program deporting children from occupied Ukrainian territories, stripping them of Ukrainian identity, and placing them with Russian families, concludes a report by Yale University’s School of Public Health.

The study identifies 314 Ukrainian children taken to Russia in the early months of Vladimir Putin’s invasion. It concludes that Putin and senior Kremlin officials “intentionally and directly” pursued a “systematic program of coerced adoption and fostering”. The evidence includes verified, leaked Russian documents, with direct orders from senior Russian officials — including Putin — to carry out the program.

The assessment bolsters the International Criminal Court arrest warrant, issued in March 2023, for Putin and Russia’s “Children’s Rights” Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova over the deportations.

Nathaniel Raymond, the Executive Director of Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab, will present the findings to the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

Raymond explained that the report proved “the deportation of Ukraine’s children is part of a systematic, Kremlin-led program”. He said the evidence supports additional charges by the ICC against Putin.

“It reveals a higher level of crime than first understood,” the Research Lab summarizes.

Ukraine officials say they have confirmed the forced transfer of almost 20,000 children to Russia or Russian-occupied territory, and around 6,000 are in a network of re-education camps. They add that the actual number is likely to be far higher.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/5351469

Archived link

Summary

• Deadly rampages are on the rise in China, including recent vehicle attacks and stabbings.
• These assaults are seen as acts of personal revenge against an unjust society; social exclusion and lack of access to help mechanisms are considered as causes.
• Growing economic hardships and a narrow definition of success contribute to discontent.

This November alone, at least three men carried out deadly attacks in China. A 62-year-old drove his SUV into a crowd, killing 35 people. A 21-year-old vocational student fatally stabbed eight women in his school’s female dormitory. Another driver plowed into a group of schoolchildren, leaving several injured. On Thursday, unverified reports and videos on social media pointed to yet another incident involving a truck, though official confirmation is still pending.

Such violent acts are becoming more frequent and more severe in China. But they are far from unprecedented. They carry a chilling familiarity, akin to how mass shootings are viewed in the United States. Yet, with China's strict gun laws, attackers often resort to knives, axes or vehicles as their weapons of choice. As is the case in the U.S., schools are a disturbingly common target, and the perpetrators are overwhelmingly male.

[...]

According to a 2019 study by researchers Ma Ziqi and Zhao Yunting from Shanghai, most violent offenders experience some form of societal exclusion before committing their crimes – whether from the job market, the education system or other institutional frameworks. Many lack access to mechanisms that could help them address their grievances, such as legal aid, mediation bodies or public forums. Others are excluded from social benefits, such as unemployment insurance, health care or even the right to enroll their children in urban schools.

[...]

High unemployment rates, an issue identified in the 2019 study, is even more pressing today. Youth unemployment alone is estimated at around 20%. Mediation systems are poorly developed, public discourse is tightly censored, and the legal system often appears arbitrary. Migrant workers – numbering in the millions – face particularly stark challenges as they are treated as second-class citizens in urban areas, excluded from many social benefits.

When the economy is thriving, such systemic flaws often go unnoticed. Economic growth offers the promise of upward mobility, allowing people to improve their living standards through hard work. This implicit «social contract» between the people and the Communist Party – where the Party retains political control in exchange for year-on-year economic betterment – has kept dissent in check.

But the ongoing economic slowdown has left many feeling abandoned. Optimism has given way to a sense of powerlessness. A growing number of Chinese citizens are asking how, after a lifetime of hard work, they find themselves drowning in debt – losing their jobs, their homes and even their families.

[...]

Archived link

Summary

• Deadly rampages are on the rise in China, including recent vehicle attacks and stabbings.
• These assaults are seen as acts of personal revenge against an unjust society; social exclusion and lack of access to help mechanisms are considered as causes.
• Growing economic hardships and a narrow definition of success contribute to discontent.

This November alone, at least three men carried out deadly attacks in China. A 62-year-old drove his SUV into a crowd, killing 35 people. A 21-year-old vocational student fatally stabbed eight women in his school’s female dormitory. Another driver plowed into a group of schoolchildren, leaving several injured. On Thursday, unverified reports and videos on social media pointed to yet another incident involving a truck, though official confirmation is still pending.

Such violent acts are becoming more frequent and more severe in China. But they are far from unprecedented. They carry a chilling familiarity, akin to how mass shootings are viewed in the United States. Yet, with China's strict gun laws, attackers often resort to knives, axes or vehicles as their weapons of choice. As is the case in the U.S., schools are a disturbingly common target, and the perpetrators are overwhelmingly male.

[...]

According to a 2019 study by researchers Ma Ziqi and Zhao Yunting from Shanghai, most violent offenders experience some form of societal exclusion before committing their crimes – whether from the job market, the education system or other institutional frameworks. Many lack access to mechanisms that could help them address their grievances, such as legal aid, mediation bodies or public forums. Others are excluded from social benefits, such as unemployment insurance, health care or even the right to enroll their children in urban schools.

[...]

High unemployment rates, an issue identified in the 2019 study, is even more pressing today. Youth unemployment alone is estimated at around 20%. Mediation systems are poorly developed, public discourse is tightly censored, and the legal system often appears arbitrary. Migrant workers – numbering in the millions – face particularly stark challenges as they are treated as second-class citizens in urban areas, excluded from many social benefits.

When the economy is thriving, such systemic flaws often go unnoticed. Economic growth offers the promise of upward mobility, allowing people to improve their living standards through hard work. This implicit «social contract» between the people and the Communist Party – where the Party retains political control in exchange for year-on-year economic betterment – has kept dissent in check.

But the ongoing economic slowdown has left many feeling abandoned. Optimism has given way to a sense of powerlessness. A growing number of Chinese citizens are asking how, after a lifetime of hard work, they find themselves drowning in debt – losing their jobs, their homes and even their families.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/5350761

Labour MP Sarah Champion’s comments come after an investigation found that tomato puree sold in four leading UK supermarkets appeared to contain tomatoes produced using harsh and coercive forced labour in Xinjiang.

Some of the products have “Italian” in their name others have “Italian” in their description.

[...]

In an urgent question in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Champion described the UK’s product labelling as “weak and confusing".

The chairwoman of the International Development Select Committee also called for consumers to be given more information on which countries the product ingredients come from and stronger legislation to effectively ban the importing of products made with forced labour.

Champion said UK supply chains are "awash with Uighur forced labour products" because human rights due diligence is "optional" for British companies.

"To supermarkets, I say, all of you are complicit in putting profits above human rights and I hope the British public do the right thing and make their mark with their pocket, in their wallet," she said.

[The investigation found that] most Chinese tomatoes come from the Xinjiang region, where their production is linked to forced labour by Uyghur and other largely Muslim minorities.

The UN accuses the Chinese state - which views these minorities as a security risk - of torture and abuse.

[...]

Addition: There is also a thread on this topic at https://feddit.org/post/5294871

Labour MP Sarah Champion’s comments come after an investigation found that tomato puree sold in four leading UK supermarkets appeared to contain tomatoes produced using harsh and coercive forced labour in Xinjiang.

Some of the products have “Italian” in their name others have “Italian” in their description.

[...]

In an urgent question in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Champion described the UK’s product labelling as “weak and confusing".

The chairwoman of the International Development Select Committee also called for consumers to be given more information on which countries the product ingredients come from and stronger legislation to effectively ban the importing of products made with forced labour.

Champion said UK supply chains are "awash with Uighur forced labour products" because human rights due diligence is "optional" for British companies.

"To supermarkets, I say, all of you are complicit in putting profits above human rights and I hope the British public do the right thing and make their mark with their pocket, in their wallet," she said.

[The investigation found that] most Chinese tomatoes come from the Xinjiang region, where their production is linked to forced labour by Uyghur and other largely Muslim minorities.

The UN accuses the Chinese state - which views these minorities as a security risk - of torture and abuse.

[...]

Archived link

The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association [GYLA] issued a statement on December 2 saying that according to lawyers from the Legal Aid Network, which unites several human rights watchdogs, most of those arrested on December 2 were severely beaten and subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment. The protests have been ongoing since November 28, following Georgian Dream’s decision to halt accession negotiations with the EU, and against a backdrop of unprecedented police violence.

The statement notes that some of the detainees are currently being held in a medical facility, adding that “they have bruises all over their bodies and facial injuries in the form of broken noses and jaws. All the detainees in the clinic have concussions, multiple bruises and haematomas, and have difficulty moving and speaking.”

The watchdog says that according to the detainees, the police used violence both during and after their arrest. The detainees describe in detail their treatment by the police: “They were mercilessly beaten by at least six members of the Special Branch in a detention minibus. During the beating, the police officers took turns and agreed in advance to break the arms or legs of the detainees. Their superiors instructed them to hit them in the liver and head. While being beaten, the detainees were spat on, cursed and shouted at. The detainees recall the following phrases being thrown at them by police “I’ll stick a baton up your ass”, “Did you like Gvaramia and Khazaradze? [You European, you’re a s***hole, I’ll stick a baton in your back”.

“After a long and continuous beating, the minibus was covered in blood”, the detainees recall. During the beating, one of the people was covered in blood. The torture was supervised by a relatively elderly man who made sure that no one died during the beating. Those who got out of the minibus were led one by one through the so-called riot police corridor before being taken to the patrol car.

According to the detainees’ testimonies, the riot police on some occasions removed the detainees’ shoes and many were taken barefoot to the medical facility. The riot police also confiscated the detainees’ mobile phones and asked them to unlock them.

The GYLA says: “We condemn this inhuman and degrading treatment and demand an immediate investigation into each and every crime.”

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/5320635

It is the first time chief executive Tadashi Yanai has directly addressed the contentious issue. China is a crucial market for Uniqlo not just for customers but also as a major manufacturing hub.

Xinjiang cotton was once known as some of the best fabric in the world. But it has fallen out of favour after allegations that it is produced using forced labour by people from the Muslim Uyghur minority.

[...]

Many global brands removed products using Xinjiang cotton from their shelves, which led to fierce backlash in China. Brands such as H&M, Nike, Burberry, Esprit and Adidas were boycotted.

Sweden's H&M saw its clothing pulled from major e-commerce stores in China.

At the time, Mr Yanai - who is Japan's richest man - refused to confirm or deny whether Xinjiang cotton was used in Uniqlo clothing, saying he wanted "to be neutral between the US and China".

His decision not to take a side helped Uniqlo to remain popular in China's huge retail market.

But speaking to the BBC in Tokyo about the firm's measures to be more transparent about where the materials in its clothes come from and how they are made, he said: "We’re not using [cotton from Xinjiang]."

"By mentioning which cotton we’re using..." he continued, before pausing and ending his answer with "Actually, it gets too political if I say anymore so let's stop here".

[...]

Retailers like Uniqlo are also facing intense competition from ultra-fast fashion as brands like China's Shein and Temu gain popularity with price-conscious customers.

But Mr Yanai says “I don’t think there’s a future for fast fashion".

"They’re producing clothes without any careful consideration which you only wear for one season. That is a waste of the planet’s resources."

He adds that Uniqlo's strategy is to focus on essential items that can be worn for years.

[...]

A string of prominent sanitary pad brands in China have become embroiled in a scandal about the quality of their products. The controversy began in early November when consumers complained that that the advertised lengths of many sanitary pads were misleading.

Then, a few days later, customers discovered that many pads had pH levels similar to textiles such as curtains and tablecloths that do not come into frequent contact with skin, potentially causing irritation or harm to users.

The anger only intensified when ABC, one of the companies at the centre of the controversy, responded dismissively to concerned consumers. ABC emphasised that it was complying with national standards, and reportedly replied to a complaint with: “If you cannot accept it, then you can choose not to buy it”.

Chinese companies have since apologised for their sub-par products, and ABC has even said that it was “deeply sorry” for its “inappropriate” response. But for many women in China, this scandal is about more than just defective products. It is part of a troubling pattern in which women’s health and dignity is blatantly disregarded.

[...]

Archiv-Link

[...]

Der Mord an einer Beamtin in der Kommunalverwaltung im chinesischen Nantong ist einer von zahlreichen Fällen seit dem vergangenen Sommer, bei denen aufgebrachte Chinesen Beamte und andere Provinzvertreter der Regierung getötet haben. Für viele Chinesen ist das Leben schwerer ge­worden seit den drakonischen Corona-Maßnahmen, dem Platzen der Immo­bilienblase und dem Wirtschaftsabschwung. Zudem legt die Zentralre­gie­rung den Fokus auf die Industrie­pro­duktion und den Export, weniger auf das finanzielle Wohl­ergehen des Volkes. Die Inlandsnachfrage ist schwach, das Vermögen der großen Mehrheit der Haushalte schrumpft.

Das trifft insbesondere zahlreiche Provinzen der Volksrepublik, deren Verwaltungen ebenfalls sparen müssen. Eine Gemeindemitarbeiterin der Provinz Zhejiang berichtete im Oktober in einer Wochenzeitung von den Finanzschwierigkeiten der Behörden. So gebe es Vorgaben, die Zahl der Sozialhilfeempfänger zu verringern. In einem Dorf, für das sie zuständig sei, wurde etwa die Zahl der Beihilfeempfänger von dreißig auf zwanzig reduziert.

Andernorts konfiszieren Lokalverwaltungen Wohngebäude, worauf es in der Provinz Shanxi zu einem weiteren Mord an einem ranghohen Beamten kam. Im Juni wurde der Chef der örtlichen Konsultativkonferenz des Qin-Distrikts, Guo Jianyu, vor seiner eigenen Wohnung von einem Mann erstochen, dessen Wohnhaus von den Behörden abgerissen worden war. Guo war offiziell für die Abrissarbeiten in dem Bezirk zuständig. Eine Kompensation hatte der Täter nicht erhalten.

Beamte führen nur noch Befehle aus

Laut örtlichen Medien hatte es sich um ein altes, baufälliges Gebäude gehandelt, das nach dem Konkurs einer Getreidefabrik vor zwei Jahrzehnten aufgegeben worden war. Über die Jahre hatte der spätere Täter An Yaohong das alte Gebäude repariert, mehrere Tausend Euro in­vestiert und zusätzlich zu seiner eigenen Wohnung eine Reihe weiterer Zimmer eingebaut, möbliert und anschließend vermietet. Bis die Lokalbehörden das Gebäude vor wenigen Monaten abreißen ließen, weil sie das Gelände anderweitig zu Geld machen wollten. An Yaohong konnte seinen Anspruch auf das Gebäude nicht belegen, verlor dadurch seine Wohnung und alle seine Einkünfte.

Der F.A.Z sind zehn ähnliche Fälle bekannt, über die in Lokalzeitungen und in den sozialen Medien berichtet wurde. Die Dunkelziffer dürfte weit höher sein. „Wenn gewöhnliche Chinesen von Regierungsbeamten ungerecht behandelt wurden, hatten sie traditionell Wege, sich zu beschweren“, sagt Victor Shih, Professor für chinesische Politik an der University of California in San Diego. „Die Welle der Gewalt gegen Beamte deutet darauf hin, dass einige dieser traditionellen Wege als unwirksam gelten.“

Die Ermächtigung lokaler Parteisekretäre zulasten der Entscheidungsmöglichkeiten lokaler Beamter könnte dazu geführt haben, dass diese Kanäle immer we­niger effektiv seien, fügt Shih hinzu. Die Parteisekretäre haben tendenziell übergeordnete Vorgaben zu erfüllen, deren Spielraum eng ist.

[...]

Da ist die Richterin Wang Jiajia, die im August in Henan von einem Bürger erstochen wurde, der mit ihrem Urteil im Prozess über einen Autounfall nicht zufrieden war. Oder der Bürgermeister Kuang Haijuan in der Provinz Jiangxi, der im September umgebracht wurde, ohne dass die Behörden weitere Informationen zu dem Fall bekannt geben. Da ist der Leiter der städtischen Marktregulierungsbehörde von Zouping namens Miao, der im Juli wegen „finanzieller Streitigkeiten“ ermordet wurde.

[...]

Xi reagiert mit einem Schlagwort

Der Führung ist die fragile Lage in Teilen der Gesellschaft offensichtlich bekannt.

[...]

„Soziale Stabilität“ ist ein Schlagwort, mit dem die Staatsmedien den Staats- und Parteichef Xi Jinping derzeit wieder häufiger zitieren.

[...]

Schon 2021 hatte der stellvertretende Dekan der Abteilung für öffentliche Verwaltung der einflussreichen Chinesischen Akademie der Sozialwissenschaften darauf hingewiesen, dass das Verhältnis zwischen Beamten und der Öffentlichkeit stark angespannt ist. „Die Beamten an der Basis sind mit übermäßigen ‚Amtspflichten‘ belastet“, schrieb Vizedekan Zhou Shaolai, noch unter dem Eindruck der Corona-Pandemie. „Sie sind ständig damit beschäftigt, Befehle von oben zu erfüllen.“

[...]

Das hat Auswirkungen auf weite Teile der Bevölkerung, für die China kein soziales Sicherheitsnetz aufgebaut hat. Bis auf Weiteres fließt der große Teil der Staatsausgaben in die Industrieproduktion und den Aufbau einer „Festungs­wirtschaft“ zur eigenen Absicherung im Systemkonflikt gegen die USA.

[...]

Chinesische Sozialwissenschaftler warnen vor den Folgen mittlerweile deutlich. „Die weitverbreitete Präsenz einer negativen Stimmung stellt ein latentes po­litisches Risiko dar“, schrieb der Sozialwissenschaftler Han Linxiu im Juli in der akademischen Fachzeitschrift „Sekretär“. In wissenschaftlichen Papieren ist der Freiraum, sich auszudrücken, größer als in den staatlichen Massenmedien. So beklagte Liu die ungleiche Verteilung von Vermögen und Einkommen.

Ein erheblicher Anteil der in Städten lebenden und arbeitenden Landbewohner habe keinen vollständigen Zugang zu hochwertiger städtischer Sozialversicherung und dem Lebensstandard, so Liu, „und innerhalb der Städte besteht eine implizite, auf wirtschaftlichen Faktoren beruhende Spaltung“. Zudem seien Chinas Sozialsysteme unzureichend, „ins­besondere in ländlichen Gebieten, wo Lebensstandard und Sozial­hilfe unterentwickelt sind und hinter den städtischen Standards zurückbleiben, was den Aufstieg weiter erschwert“.

• Pyongyang’s involvement and Russia’s testing of new ballistic missiles in Ukraine mark “a new phase in the war”
• Call on Beijing to end all military or dual-use assistance given to Russia
• MEPs ask for more sanctions against sectors of special economic importance for Russia

In a resolution adopted on Thursday (28 November), the European Parliament condemned Russia’s use of North Korean troops against the Ukrainian army and its testing of new ballistic missiles in Ukraine. These recent escalatory steps represent a new phase in the war and a new risk for Europe’s security as a whole, MEPs argue, calling on the EU and Ukraine’s other partners to respond accordingly.

[...]

Further sanctions for countries providing military support to Russia

Denouncing Iran, Belarus and North Korea for their military support of Russia, MEPs urge the EU member states to further strengthen the sanctions regime against these countries. They stress that both Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and North Korea’s participation in the war and its nuclear and missile programmes constitute grave threats to the rules-based international order.

Involvement of China

MEPs also call on Beijing to end all military or dual-use assistance it is giving to Russia, adding that a refusal to change course risks seriously affecting bilateral EU-China relations. Instead, China could use its significant influence over North Korea and Russia to help reduce tensions, they say.

[...]

Gabrielius Landsbergis, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania announced on December 1, that the three Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania “jointly agreed to impose national sanctions against those who suppressed legitimate protests in Georgia.”

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister added: “Opponents of democracy and violators of human rights are not welcome in our countries.”

[...]

On November 30 The European Parliament members had initiated a letter to Kaja Kallas, the new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, urging the EU to impose sanctions on Georgian officials responsible for election fraud, democratic backsliding and the repression of civil society. The letter calls for “immediate action to protect democracy in Georgia” and asks the High Representative to present a proposal for sanctions.

This followed the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on November 28, “On Georgia’s worsening Democratic crisis following the recent parliamentary elections and alleged electoral fraud” which slams the ruling Georgian Dream for the authoritarian shift, condemns the democratic backsliding in Georgia, including as a result of the allegedly rigged elections, proposes a number of steps, such as targeted sanctions against those individuals who contribute to democratic backslide, and calls on the Georgian government to hold new, free and fair elections within one year.

Archived version

“Instead of taking responsibility for peace and security in the world as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China is opposing our core European interests with its economic and weapons aid to Russia,” German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said in an emailed statement before departing Berlin airport on Sunday for her two-day visit to Beijing.

Vladimir “Putin’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine is a direct threat to our peace. I will also speak in Beijing about the fact that we cannot simply ignore this in our relations with China.”

The European Union is proposing to sanction several Chinese firms that it claims helped Russian companies develop attack drones that were deployed against Ukraine. Baerbock will meet her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing to address this issue, her spokesman said. Germany’s top diplomat will also discuss the humanitarian situation in China, as well as EU tariffs against Chinese electric vehicles that were introduced in October.