'Proud Australian tradition of calling out the bully': Islamic leaders praise Andrew Hastie over plight of Uighurs

Australia's peak Muslim group has joined with Liberal MP Andrew Hastie to condemn the Chinese government for its persecution of Uighurs in the remote Xinjiang province.

Mr Hastie, who has sometimes disagreed with Australian Muslim leaders over how to combat Islamic extremism, has been praised by the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils for raising the plight of Muslim Uighurs.

The AFIC said it was important to stand up for the Western Australian MP because "China has applied pressure on him for criticising its flagrant human rights abuses".

Mr Hastie, chair of the Parliament's powerful intelligence and security committee, was denied a visa to China last year over his public criticism of the Chinese Communist Party.

The emergence of new satellite imagery last month revealed the Chinese government has been expanding its detention centres in the western region of Xinjiang, despite Beijing’s claims that all detainees have "graduated" from the "re-education camps".

It is believed China has forced more than 1 million Uighurs - a Turkic-speaking ethnic group of mostly Sunni Muslims - into grounds that resemble internment camps in the region.

After meeting with senior Australian Muslim leaders on Monday, AFIC president Dr Rateb Jneid said it was important to provide backing for Mr Hastie.

"Mr Hastie has publicly raised the issue of human rights in the People’s Republic of China on several occasions, it is important for AFIC to show Mr Hastie support particularly as China has applied pressure on him for criticising its flagrant human rights abuses," he said.

AFIC vice president Zouber Sayed said Mr Hastie was a "champion of a proud Australian tradition of calling out the bully".

Mr Hastie said Australians from all backgrounds "condemn the persecution happening to the Uighur people".

“Anyone who cherishes the dignity of human life— as Dr Jneid and I both do — is deeply troubled by what is happening to them. I will continue to speak up for the Uighur people," he said.

“I thank AFIC President Dr Jneid and his colleagues President Yahaya and Vice President Sayed for meeting with me to discuss this important issue.”

Abdul Rahman Yahaya, president of the Islamic Council of WA, said the meeting with Mr Hastie "was very productive" and "it is time more of our fellow Australians become aware of human rights abuses by the Chinese authorities in East Turkistan".

East Turkistan, which bordered China and Mongolia, was annexed by China in 1949.

In a statement, AFIC said Uighers have since suffered "immense persecution at the hands of Chinese authorities culminating in reports of mass incarceration in concentration camps, rapes, disappearances, cultural and religious repression, torture, organ harvesting, destruction of places of worship, forced labour and killings".

"AFIC encourages all Australians to stand with and support Mr Hastie and to call on other political representatives to do the same," the peak Muslim group said.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/proud-australian-tradition-of-calling-out-the-bully-islamic-leaders-praise-andrew-hastie-over-plight-of-uighurs-20201017-p565z3.html

https://www.facebook.com/AFICOfficial/posts/969965583500393

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Murder and abduction claims have Rwandan Government accused of intimidating critics in Australia

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Members of Australia's Rwandan community fear relatives are being murdered in their former homeland, as the country's regime moves to intimidate and silence international critics.

The ABC has also learned a Melbourne father has been trapped in Rwanda for more than a year after having his Australian passport confiscated by authorities during a visit to farewell his dying mother.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) confirmed it was providing consular assistance to the Australian citizen who returned to Rwanda in early 2019, and the ABC has chosen not to name him over fears for his safety.

"He can't fly back to Australia and he has been regularly monitored," a friend familiar with the man's situation said.

Last year, another Rwandan refugee anonymously described to the ABC how the East African nation's visiting High Commissioner allegedly threatened to kill him for refusing to become a foreign agent of influence.

Now, Noel Zihabamwe is choosing to speak publicly because he believes his two brothers in Rwanda have been murdered in retaliation for his decision to report the incident to NSW Police.

The Sydney-based human rights advocate said his siblings Jean Nsengimana and Antonine Zihabamwe were abducted from a bus by Rwandan police in September last year and have not been heard from since.

"They were arrested because they are my brothers, because they (Rwanda's Government) want me to work for them," said Mr Zihabamwe, who came to Australia as a refugee in 2006.

"I doubt that they're still alive because it's now 13 months, if they're arrested and they've committed any crime I don't think it would take that long to take them to justice."

Mr Zihabamwe, who co-authored the book One Thousand Hills about surviving the Rwandan genocide, wants the Australian Government and public to know more about the threats faced by members of the African diaspora community.

"You'll be receiving threats if they hear you are a critic towards the current regime, there's many members who've been reporting to Australian police about being targeted, about being threatened," he said.

"Their family members, who live back in Rwanda, they will face some consequences that the ones that my brothers have faced."

In a statement, DFAT said the Australian Government took the alleged threats made towards an Australian citizen seriously.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of these concerns, and has raised them with the Rwandan Government," a spokesman said.

"The department has also reaffirmed with the Rwandan Government the importance of freedom of expression and the right of all Australians to exercise this right free from intimidation.''

Last week the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation's (ASIO) annual report warned foreign powers were "monitoring, harassing and intimidating of Australia's culturally diverse communities".

"We have uncovered many cases — involving multiple countries — where Australian community members and their families have been threatened for expressing views at odds with the foreign government's policies or values.

"It is unacceptable that people in Australia are being intimidated simply for advocating democratic reforms or criticising human rights abuses," ASIO's Director General Mike Burgess said.

ABC attempts to contact Rwandan Government officials went unanswered.

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Rwanda's overseas network of agents face scrutiny

Images and documents seen by the ABC suggest the Rwandan regime, headed by controversial President Paul Kagame, has established a network of agents across Australia to monitor its main refugee populations in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

A video of Rwanda's ruling political party congress in 2018 appears to show a prominent member from Sydney's diaspora community who arrived in Australia in 2009.

Mr Zihabamwe said the man fled from Rwanda as a student claiming persecution, but instead now works closely with Mr Kagame's regime to monitor other community members in New South Wales.

Photographs seen by the ABC also reveal how Rwandan parents in Perth, who support the Kagame regime, are sending their children to a youth military training camp in the African nation where they dress in army uniforms.

In the United Kingdom, a video recently leaked from inside the Rwandan High Commission in London appears to show members of the Rwandan community being pressured to swear allegiance to their homeland.

Samuel Makinda, a Professor of International Relations and Security Studies at Murdoch University believes Rwandans are being targeted all over the world.

"People from Rwanda, not just in Australia but even in other countries, have been followed by their Government, some of them have been abducted — some have been murdered.

"The Rwandan Government is composed of people who came into power as fighters," Professor Makinda explained.

Professor Makinda said President Paul Kagame feels his nation was abandoned during the time of the Rwandan genocide when the Tutsis were massacred.

"Anybody who opposes him is put in the same bracket as people who were killing the Tutsis in the mid-1990s, which is wrong of course."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-18/rwanda-murders-abductions-threats-against-australians-refugees/12771134

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>>11127329

Pandemic linked to rise of conspiracy theories

By Anna Patty

September 5, 2020 — 12.00am

Riccardo Bosi doesn't trust many people. But he has faith in his belief the government has over-reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic, that masks don't stop the spread of the coronavirus, the 5G mobile network is a surveillance tool of the Chinese government, and vaccines can be ineffective.

Much of this is untrue of course. But these conspiracy theories are increasingly common on the social media feeds of many like-minded Australians. Many are aligned to the QAnon movement, which has made its way from the "dark web" and into Facebook and Instagram. It is just one strand in a growing web of disinformation and fake news flourishing during the pandemic.

A spokesperson for ASIO said it was aware of extremists seeking to exploit the circumstances and uncertainties of the COVID-19 environment. The spokesperson said some other extreme right-wing groups and individuals willing to engage in acts of violence to achieve political objectives represented "a serious, increasing and evolving threat to security".

Mr Bosi says he does not align himself with QAnon even though he shares some of the movement's views. "I align myself with me," he said.

The 60-year-old son of Italian migrants, born and raised in Sydney, is a motivational speaker and a former Australian Army lieutenant. He is starting his own political party called AustraliaOne after two tilts at Parliament running as an independent in the Eden-Monaro byelection and a NSW Senate candidate in Senator Cory Bernardi's de-registered party. He says he has thousands of prospective members.

"The reason we started the party was because I didn't trust anybody, literally. The only person I trust is me myself, my wife and a small team around me," Mr Bosi said.

Australian security experts including Lydia Khalil and Joshua Roose from Deakin University have warned that extreme conspiracy groups including QAnon have promoted false theories that the pandemic was either a deep-state plot, a hoax, or a Chinese bio-weapon. They said the management of disaster and emergency response needs to recognise how the pandemic and the summer bushfires have been exploited to promote social division.

Dr Roose said an increasing number of socio-economically marginalised people felt disempowered by politicians and were angry about the way the pandemic was being handled.

"The government needs to do more to communicate with people in the suburbs and to make them feel more empowered and valued," Dr Roose said.

"There is a lot of anger in the community and there are a lot of quite reasonable people who have lost it and ranting on Facebook about conspiracies. I think it is the impact of having been in some form of lockdown for the best part of six months."

Mr Bosi's views include a belief that Australia's response to COVID-19 was "completely overblown" as was the reporting of the number of deaths attributed to the virus. He said masks were "ineffective", "symbolic" and "another way of controlling" citizens. He said people "should not be forced to vaccinate" and some vaccinations carried health risks, including the disproven link to autism.

"The entire country should end the COVID lockdown immediately and get back to work before we destroy more lives," he said. "Coronavirus is a more virulent form of a flu. We don't stop the world for a flu outbreak."

The federal government has reported more than 26,000 cases of COVID-19 and 737 deaths.

Mr Bosi dismissed concerns right wing extremists and supporters of conspiracy theories were exploiting coronavirus fears as a "joke" and believes "agent provocateurs" will be in place at the rallies to provoke fights.

"The people aren't being stirred up by the right, the politicians' actions are stirring up the people and they've had enough," he said.

Asked about QAnon allegations about a global network of Satan-worshiping paedophiles including a cabal of Democrats and Hollywood celebrities who allegedly control a "deep state" within the US government, Mr Bosi said he had no evidence. But he believes unproven allegations raised by former Senator Bill Heffernan in 2015 about a list of 28 alleged paedophiles including a former prime minister needs to be investigated.

Mr Bosi's views about the dangers of some vaccinations and the security risk posed by the 5G network which he believes is a surveillance tool of the Chinese government have earned him the growing support of conspiracy theorists. While he and his wife Rhiannon Bosi, who works as his chief of staff, do not identify as part of the QAnon movement, Mr Bosi says he "likes the idea of Q" as a cute meme.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/pandemic-linked-to-rise-of-conspiracy-theories-20200904-p55sf6.html

https://archive.vn/ZX9Zq

>Be careful who you follow.

New 25km bubble as Premier reveals lockdown rules for Victoria

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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced an easing of coronavirus restrictions for the state.

Mr Andrews said that from 11.59pm on Sunday night there would not be any time limit on leaving the home and the 5km limit on travel for Melburnians would lift to 25km.

Outdoor gatherings would be allowed with up to 10 people from two households and skate parks, golf and tennis would be permitted.

Hairdressers would also be allowed to reopen, subject to some restrictions.

Outdoor real estate auctions would be allowed with a maximum of 10 people and commercial real estate inspections can occur.

"I know some people will reasonably ask why it's limited to two households - and not five or ten. But by limited the number of households, we're limited any potential spread of the virus," he said.

All allied health professionals already operating would be able to resume face-to-face care.

Outdoor pools can host 30 swimmers. Indoor pools can open up for one-on-one hydrotherapy with a health professional.

However, Mr Andrews hammered home that Melburnians can not have their usual AFL Grand Final parties.

The Premier warned that as “significant as the day is”, people should not break the rules and host parties or barbecues on Saturday against the rules.

“You cannot have friends over into your home. You cannot pretend that it is over because we all desperately want it to be,” he said.

“I know that many people would normally spend time with family and friends to celebrate that day … it is a big part of who we are.”

“As important as it is, in a cultural sense, in a very passionate way, for every single football fan across our state, it is not worth risking all that we have done, all that we have built, all that we can do in just a few days' time by having gatherings that are unsafe.”

Next big step in fortnight

People in Melbourne will be able to visit other people’s homes and retail and hospitality will reopen in part from November 2.

Mr Andrews said that from 11.59pm on November 1, including the new measure which will allow a maximum of two people plus dependent children able to visit another home once a day.

The ‘four reasons to leave home’ would also be removed from November 2.

"Not a bubble, not an exclusive arrangement, but essentially one family, two adults and children, to your home, once-a-day. No more often than that," Mr Andrews said.

A maximum of 20 people inside and 50 people outside, depending on space limits, will be allowed at cafes and restaurants from this date. Retail, beauty and personal services will also reopen.

From this date, contact sport for under 18 -year-olds and non-contact for adults will recommence. A maximum of 20 people will be allowed for outdoor religious gatherings. A maximum of 10 people will be allowed at weddings. A maximum of 20 mourners at funerals.

Outdoor seated entertainment venues will be able to host a maximum of 50 people or 25 per cent of the venue's fixed seat capacity.

Mr Andrews said if the case numbers remain low over the new week, "further announcements that what is slated for the first of November can be brought forward".

"I hasten to add it will not be on (next) Sunday with immediate effect Sunday night. There will be a couple of days to make sure venues are, for example, COVIDSafe," he said.

(continued)

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Further easing for Regional Victoria

Regional Victorians would also get some greater freedoms, he said.

Hospitality businesses outside Melbourne would be allowed to host up to 40 customers indoors and up to 70 people outdoors from 11.59pm on Sunday night.

Regional libraries and toy libraries will be able to reopen for a maximum of 20 people indoors while outdoor religious gatherings would be allowed with a limit of 20 people. Religious gatherings of up to 50 people would be allowed in two weeks.

"Not so long ago we had 725 cases and there was simply no way we could have a debate, a perfectly legitimate debate about how to open, went to open, how to do that," Mr Andrews said.

"But Victorians, in every community, from every background, every circumstance, have stayed the course and we just have a little longer to go, just a little longer to go in order to see off the second wave, defeat the second wave, and then to find the normal and to begin the process of rebuilding."

The benchmarks for Victoria’s next steps have changed, with case numbers no longer needing to be under an average of five per day over two weeks to move to the next step.

Premier Daniel Andrews said that “modelling gets very challenging” when case numbers get low.

He said the number of tests completed each day, the number of mystery cases and the ‘story’ that sits behind each new case will determine if the state can roll back more restrictions from November 2.

“As the numbers gotten very low, you do have to make that difficult judgement, could this be as good as it is going to get? And then make a proportionate decision,” he said.

Two new cases

Victoria recorded two new cases of coronavirus and no news deaths on Sunday.

Melbourne's rolling 14-day average of case numbers has dropped to 7.5, a reduction of 0.6 from Saturday. Regional Victoria's two-week case average remains at 0.5.

The current tally for mystery cases recorded between October 2 and October 5 is 15.

There is a new mystery case of COVID-19 in Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs.

The new case is connected to postcode 3081, which takes in Melbourne, Heidelberg West, Heidelberg Heights and Bellfield.

Another mystery case was revealed on Saturday in the 3128 postcode, within the Box Hill area. Metropolitan Melbourne has had 15 mystery cases - COVID-19 cases without a clear source - between October 2 to October 15.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said this mean that there is “at least another unidentified individual” in the 3081 postcode, or even chains of transmission in the city’s north-east.

“The interviews are indicating that people have not been to those high risk sites that are listed on the (health department) website,” he said.

“It again points to the importance of wearing masks for all of those outdoor activities that you are involved in, whether it is food shopping or other essential business outside of your home, including meeting others with the new limits from midnight tonight.”

Health Minister Greg Hunt said that Victoria had met the public health benchmarks needed to open up to the same extent as NSW, and "hospitality, movement and family reunions among others" should be allowed.

Victoria recorded only one case on Saturday and no deaths.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/premier-reveals-new-lockdown-rules-for-victoria-20201018-p5665h.html