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Conviction of US journalist symbolic of media repression in Myanmar: UN rights chief
https://www.globalissues.org/news/2021/11/12/29340
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday urged authorities in Myanmar to immediately release all journalists who have been jailed for practicing their profession.
Rights chief Michelle Bachelet said the conviction and harsh sentencing of American journalist Danny Fenster was emblematic of a wider plight of journalists in the country who have faced constant repression, in the wake of a military coup in February.
Reverting to censorship
“Journalists have been under attack since 1 February, with the military leadership clearly attempting to suppress their attempts to report on the serious human rights violations being perpetrated across Myanmar as well as the extent of opposition to the regime”, she said.
“Myanmar has quickly reverted to an environment of information control, censorship and propaganda seen under military regimes in the past”.
Since the military takeover, at least 126 journalists, media officials or publishers have been detained in Myanmar, the UN rights chief said. Forty-seven are still in detention, 20 of whom have been charged with crimes related to their work as journalists.
She added that nine media outlets have had their licences revoked, while 20 others have had to suspend operations. Dozens of journalists are reportedly in hiding due to outstanding arrest warrants.
Second trial pending
Mr. Fenster, 37, is the managing editor of an independent magazine called Frontier Myanmar. On Friday he was sentenced to 11 years in jail by a military court in Yangon, the country’s largest city, for violating visa laws, unlawful association with an illegal group, and sowing dissent against the military.
The sentencing followed what Ms. Bachelet described as “a closed door, unfair trial”. Mr. Fenster still faces a second trial with charges of high treason and violations of the country's counter-terrorism law.
Deprivation of information
In deploring the persecution of journalists, Ms. Bachelet said that attacks against them further increase the vulnerability of huge sections of society who rely on accurate and independent information.
“With the crackdowns on journalists, internet shutdowns, restrictions on free access to online and other data sources, people are being deprived life-saving information”, she added.
“I urge the military authorities to immediately release all journalists being detained in relation to their work".
Austria orders lockdown for those not vaccinated against COVID-19
https://www.rawstory.com/austria-orders-lockdown-for-those-not-vaccinated-against-19/
VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria is placing millions of people not fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in lockdown as of Monday to deal with a surge in infections to record levels and the growing strain on intensive-care units, the government said on Sunday.
Europe is the epicentre https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/covid-19s-epicentre-again-europe-faces-fresh-reckoning-2021-11-12 of the COVID-19 pandemic again, prompting some governments to consider re-imposing unpopular lockdowns. Austria has one of the continent's highest infection rates, with a seven-day incidence of 815 per 100,000 people.
"We are not taking this step lightly but it is necessary," Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg told a news conference announcing the new measure, under which the unvaccinated can only leave their homes for a limited number of reasons like going to work or shopping for essentials.
Roughly 65% of Austria's population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the lowest rates in western Europe. Many Austrians are sceptical about vaccines, a view encouraged by the far-right Freedom Party, the third biggest in parliament.
The measures on Monday will extend those brought in a week ago which banned the unvaccinated from places including restaurants, hotels, theatres and ski lifts.
While the Netherlands is dealing with its surge in cases by imposing a partial lockdown that applies to all, Austria's conservative-led government wants to avoid imposing further restrictions on those who are fully vaccinated.
"In reality we have told one third of the population: you will not leave your apartment anymore apart from for certain reasons. That is a massive reduction in contacts between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated," Schallenberg said.
In Germany, the federal government and leaders of Germany's 16 states are due to meet next week to discuss tightening measures. Germany has already classified Austria as a high-risk area, meaning people arriving from there have to go into quarantine, a blow to Austria's winter tourism industry.
Targeted measures have recently been introduced in Australia, where 83% of people aged 16 and above have been fully inoculated. Some states have mandated vaccinations for some occupations and barred the unvaccinated from activities such as dining out, leading to demonstrations.
Singapore, where 85% of the population has been fully vaccinated, has said those who remained unvaccinated by choice would have to foot their medical bills from next month.
Austria's lockdown, which does not apply to the under-12s or people who have recently recovered from COVID-19, will initially last 10 days, Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein said.
Many officials, including within Schallenberg's conservative party and the police, have expressed doubts this lockdown can be properly enforced as it applies to only part of the population. Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said there will be thorough police checks.
“UNSPEAKABLE.” 2 Arkansas men admit to sex trafficking 6-year-old girl
https://breaking911.com/unspeakable-2-arkansas-men-admit-to-sex-trafficking-6-year-old-girl/
LITTLE ROCK – Two Little Rock men have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a 6-year-old child. Demarcus George, 27, entered his guilty plea Wednesday afternoon. George joins his codefendant, Mario Waters, 33, who pleaded guilty last week.
The guilty pleas effectively cancel George and Waters’ upcoming jury trial, which was scheduled to begin on November 15.
In February 2018, a 6-year-old child was taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital due to symptoms that were later determined to be caused by several sexually transmitted diseases. The child was interviewed by an FBI forensic interviewer and disclosed that a man, later determined to be Demarcus George, had raped her. The child also disclosed that another man, later determined to be Mario Waters, had also raped her. The child told interviewers that the rape occurred in a hotel room with a curtain in the middle of the room, and she described a picture hanging on the wall in the hotel room.
Law enforcement was able to locate a hotel in Little Rock that matched the description provided by the minor, including the picture on the wall and the curtain in the room. Financial records from the hotel showed that the minor’s mother had rented a room at the hotel in March 2018 and paid with a credit card. The child has since been removed from the mother’s custody.
Doctors at Arkansas Children’s Hospital determined that it was unlikely the child had obtained each sexually transmitted disease from the same offender and that there were likely multiple offenders. Officers obtained search warrants for George and Waters’ blood and urine. Results indicated that George and Waters tested positive for sexually transmitted diseases that the minor had contracted. Both George and Waters admitted in court that they had sexual contact with the minor and were involved in trafficking her with others.
“The unspeakable crimes committed against this child remind us how vitally important it is to have law enforcement officers willing to investigate and put a stop to these horrific actions,” stated Acting United States Attorney Jonathan D. Ross. “These guilty pleas will spare the young victim from having to relive her experience on the witness stand at a trial. Our law enforcement partners work hard every day to protect children from this abuse, and our office will continue to aggressively pursue those who commit these deplorable crimes.”