Iran / Pakistan / Afghanistan geopolitical watch team: Daniel Marco.
01/09/2023: Three more protesters sentenced to death in Iran -Daniel Marco-
Three more Iranian protesters were sentenced to death on January 9, bringing to 17 the total number of those sentenced to death in connection with the protests sparked by the murder of Mahsa Amini while she was in custody after being apprehended by Tehran’s morality police, RFE/RL reported.
Saleh Mir-Hashemi, Majid Kazemi and Saeed Yaghoubi were charged with “moharebeh”, which translates to “war against God”, for their alleged involvement in the shooting of three government agents on November 16, 2022, during a day of protests in the Khaneh Esfahan district, informs Iran International. DW notes that since the beginning of the widespread protests in September 2022 last year after the execution of Mahsa Amini, the Islamic Republic has executed 17 people. Four of them have already been put to death, including two last weekend.
Reuters underlines that Iran views its crackdown on protesters as a defence of national sovereignty and blames the unrest on its external enemies, notably the United States. On the day of the conviction, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, said in a televised speech that “people who set fire to public places have committed treason without a shadow of a doubt”, sending a message that the government has no intention of softening its stance. In Iran, treason is punishable by death under Islamic law.
09/01/2023 : Donors pledge $9 billion to help Pakistan recover from floods. -Daniel Marco-
Pakistan raised $9 billion – $1 billion more than it had requested to help the country recover from last year’s catastrophic floods at an international meeting on 9 January. The pledges came as the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan began in Geneva, Switzerland. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres co-hosted the summit and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, reports Dawn.
According to Reuters, the summit was attended by representatives from nearly 40 countries, who joined individual donors and representatives of international financial institutions. According to Pakistani Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, the donors included the Islamic Development Bank ($4.2 billion), the World Bank ($2 billion), Saudi Arabia ($1 billion), the European Union and China. In addition, the US and France have contributed.
Pakistan Today points out that according to historical records, Pakistan experienced the most severe and deadly flash floods, the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in most of the country, and extensive damage and destruction. These events began in June 2022 and lasted for a few months. They have been described as three times more intense and catastrophic than the flash floods of 2010. RFE/RL informs that the floods, which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called “a climatic tragedy of epic proportions”, killed at least 1,700 people in the days that followed.
