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Nicaraguan Catholic bishop sentenced to decades in prison, citizenship stripped

By Ismael Lopez MANAGUA (Reuters) -A Nicaraguan court sentenced Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez to more than 26 years in prison on Friday, a day after the cleric and critic of President Daniel Ortega declined to be expelled to the United States as part of a prisoner release. Alvarez, bishop of the Matagalpa diocese, was convicted of treason, undermining national integrity and spreading false news, among other charges. During Friday's court hearing it was also announced that he would be fined and stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship. Originally scheduled for late March, the sentencing of the bishop, widely known by the Catholic honorific monsignor, was sped up without explanation. The Nicaraguan dictatorship's hatred of Mons. Rolando Alvarez is irrational and out of control, Silvio Baez, a senior Nicaraguan bishop exiled in Miami, wrote on Twitter after the sentence. Praising Alvarez's moral high ground, Baez predicted Alvarez will eventually be freed. Alvarez was included in the surprise political prisoner release covering more than 200 people announced by Ortega's government Thursday, but Alvarez would not board the plane destined for a Washington, D.C.-area airport. In televised remarks later Thursday, Ortega derided the released prisoners as criminal mercenaries for foreign powers who sought to undermine national sovereignty, and said Alvarez had been returned to jail. Last August, Ortega's police arrested Alvarez after dislodging him from the church property where he, four other priests and two seminarians from his diocese had barricaded themselves. A cameraman for a Catholic television channel was also arrested with them. This month, seven of the men were sentenced to 10-year prison terms on charges of treason and spreading false news. But all of them boarded the flight to Washington on Thursday. Ortega has accused Catholic leaders of attempting to overthrow him when some served as mediators with protest groups after protests that killed about 300 people erupted in 2018. Since then, the government of the former Cold War-era Marxist rebel has expelled Catholic nuns and missionaries and closed Catholic radio and television stations. After Alvarez's arrest in August, Pope Francis called for open and sincere dialogue to resolve the conflict in Nicaragua. He said he was following the situation with worry and pain. The comments marked Francis' only remarks in the aftermath of the 2018 protests, and he did not specifically mention Alvarez by name. (Reporting by Ismael Lopez; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Gerry Doyle)

United-states , Washington , District-of-columbia , Matagalpa , Nicaragua , Miami , Florida , Managua , Nicaraguan , Daniel-ortega , Ismael-lopez , Silvio-baez

Brazilian senator says ex president Bolsonaro tried to coerce him into staging a coup: report

BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazilian opposition Senator Marcos do Val said on Thursday that a close aide to far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro tried to persuade him to join a conspiracy to annul the October elections. Do Val said in a news conference that a Bolsonaro associate asked him, in a meeting with the then-president, to get the top electoral authority, Justice Alexandre de Moraes, to make compromising comments in a taped conversation that would lead to his arrest. Bolsonaro sat in silence while former lawmaker Daniel Silveira suggested the plan, the senator told reporters. Do Val's statement is the hardest evidence yet to support accusations that Bolsonaro tried to overturn the result of the election that was narrowly won by leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who took office on Jan. 1. Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida 48 hours before Lula took office without ever conceding defeat. He is being investigated by Justice de Moraes on the Supreme Court for his possible role in encouraging riots by his supporters, who stormed government buildings on Jan. 8 seeking to provoke a military coup. It was not immediately possible to reach representatives for Bolsonaro, who has been reclusive in Orlando. His party, the right-wing Liberal Party, declined to comment for now. Do Val said he is considering resigning his Senate seat. Silveira, a former Rio de Janeiro police officer, was mentioned by do Val as the person who set up the meeting to persuade him to join the conspiracy, which do Val described as a bizarre, immoral and even criminal action, according to Veja news weekly, which first reported the alleged conspiracy. Do Val told the magazine that he later met then-President Bolsonaro for 40 minutes in his office in the Planalto presidential palace where Silveira explained the plan. Do Val said Silveira told Bolsonaro that he was a trusted person and asked the president to present the idea that would save Brazil to him, according to the Veja report. Silveira, a staunch Bolsonaro ally who backed the former president's attacks on Brazil's electronic voting system, was arrested by police on Thursday on a warrant issued by Justice de Moraes, who accused him of disobeying court rulings and for his complete disrespect and mockery of the judiciary. (Reporting by Steven Grattan, Gabriel Araujo and Eduardo Simoes; writing by Anthony Boadle; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Brazil , Brazilian , Steven-grattan , Jair-bolsonaro , Instagram , Reuters , President-jair-bolsonaro , Law-and-order , Judiciary-system-of-justice- , Macro-economics , Debt-market , Government-debt

Former Wagner commander says he is sorry for fighting in Ukraine

By Nerijus Adomaitis, Janis Laizans and Gwladys Fouche OSLO (Reuters) - A former commander of Russia's Wagner mercenary group who fled to Norway told Reuters he wanted to apologise for fighting in Ukraine and was speaking out to bring the perpetrators of crimes to justice. Andrei Medvedev, who crossed the Russian-Norwegian border on Jan. 13, said he witnessed the killing and mistreatment by Wagner of Russian convicts taken to Ukraine to fight for the group. Many consider me to be a scoundrel, a criminal, a murderer, Medvedev, 26, said in an interview. First of all, repeatedly, and again, I would like to apologise, and although I don't know how it would be received, I want to say I'm sorry. Yes, I served in Wagner. There are some moments (in my story) that people don't like, that I joined them at all, but nobody is born smart. Medvedev added he had decided to speak out to help to ensure that perpetrators are punished in certain cases, and I will try to make my contribution, at least a small bit . He cited one incident in which he said he witnessed two people who did not want to fight being shot dead in front of newly released convicts who had been enrolled in Wagner. Asked about other incidents he witnessed, he said he could not comment on them at this stage as a Norwegian police investigation about war crimes was ongoing. Reuters was not immediately able to verify his claims. Kripos, Norway's national criminal police service, which has responsibility for investigating war crimes, has begun questioning Medvedev about his experiences in Ukraine. He has a status as a witness and is not suspected of anything apart from the illegal border crossing. Medvedev said he had nothing to hide from the police, adding I did not commit any crimes, I was just a combatant . The Wagner group said Medvedev had worked in a Norwegian unit of Wagner and had mistreated prisoners . Be careful, he's very dangerous, the group said in an emailed statement to Reuters, reiterating previous comments made by its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, about Medvedev. SCARED Wagner forces have been locked in a bloody battle of attrition against Ukrainian forces in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. At Wagner, Medvedev said he led a squad, taking orders from a platoon commander and planning combat missions. He said he saw acts of courage from both sides . Medvedev said he was scared that he could be executed by someone on his own side at any time. The scariest thing? To realise that there are people who consider themselves to be your compatriots, and who could come and kill you in an instant, or on someone's orders, he said. Your own people. That probably was the scariest thing. Medvedev left Wagner at the end of his four-month contract, even though his superiors told him he had to serve longer, he said. Medvedev said he fled Russia last month over the Arctic border, climbing through barbed-wire fences and evading a border patrol with dogs, hearing Russian guards firing shots as he ran through a forest and over the frozen river that separates the two countries. FROM ORPHAN TO JOINING WAGNER Medvedev was born in the region of Tomsk in Siberia. He said he was placed in an orphanage when he was around age 12, after the death of his mother and the disappearance of his father. He said he was drafted in the Russian military in 2014, aged 18, and served with the Ulyanovsk-based 31st Airborne Brigade. That was my first deployment in Donbas, Medvedev added, declining to give more details. The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was toppled in Ukraine's Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea, while Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas - comprised of Donetsk and Luhansk - sought to break away from Kyiv's control. Medvedev said he had served several jail terms, including one for a robbery, and when he came out of prison the last time, he decided to join the Wagner group, in July 2022. Medvedev said he hadn't been recruited straight out of the prison, but decided to join because he realised he would likely be mobilised in the regular Russian armed forces anyway. He signed a four-month contract for a monthly salary of some 250,000 roubles ($3,575). He crossed into Ukraine on July 16, he said, and fought near Bakhmut. It was fucked up. The roads to Artemovsk were littered with the corpses of our soldiers, he said, using the Russian place name for Bakhmut. The losses were heavy. ... I saw many friends die. A special report published by Reuters last week found a graveyard in southern Russia, burial site for men who were convicts who had been recruited by Wagner to fight in Ukraine. ($1 = 69.9305 roubles) (Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis, Janis Laizans and Gwladys Fouche in Oslo; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien, Leslie Adler and Frances Kerry)

Norway , Ulyanovsk , Ul-yanovskaya-oblast- , Russia , Donbas , Ukraine-general- , Ukraine , Bakhmut , Nizhegorodskaya-oblast- , Oslo , Kyiv , Kyyiv

Brazil senator says Bolsonaro associate planned conspiracy with former president

By Ricardo Brito BRASILIA (Reuters) -A Brazilian senator said on Thursday that a close aide to far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro had tried to persuade him to join a conspiracy to annul the October elections that Bolsonaro had lost. Senator Marcos do Val said at a news conference that he was invited to a meeting on Dec. 9 with the then-president by Bolsonaro associate, former lawmaker Daniel Silveira. At the meeting, Silveira asked do Val to try to get the top electoral authority, Justice Alexandre de Moraes, to make compromising comments in a taped conversation that would lead to de Moraes' arrest, do Val said. Bolsonaro sat in silence while Silveira laid out the plot, the senator told reporters. The former president had made baseless attacks on the voting system's integrity and de Moraes had defended the system in decisions that Bolsonaro blamed for his defeat. Silveira was arrested by police on Thursday on a warrant issued by de Moraes, who accused him of disobeying court rulings and complete disrespect and mockery of the judiciary. It was not immediately possible to reach representatives for Bolsonaro, who has been reclusive in Orlando since late December. His party, the Liberal Party, declined to comment. Do Val's statement is the hardest evidence yet to support accusations that Bolsonaro tried to overturn the result of the election that was narrowly won by leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who took office on Jan. 1. Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida 48 hours before Lula took office without ever conceding defeat. He is being investigated by de Moraes on the Supreme Court for his possible role in inflaming riots by his supporters, who stormed government buildings on Jan. 8 seeking to provoke a military coup. De Moraes ordered Senator do Val to testify before federal police within five days as part of the probe into the former president's alleged attempt against democracy, according to a Supreme Court document seen by Reuters. Do Val, who said he was considering resigning his Senate seat, described the meeting as a bizarre, immoral and even criminal action, according to Veja news weekly, which first reported the alleged conspiracy. Do Val, a Bolsonaro supporter, said Silveira told the former president that he was a trusted person and asked the president to present the idea that would save Brazil to him, according to the Veja report. (Reporting by Ricardo Brito, Steven Grattan, Gabriel Araujo and Eduardo Simoes; writing by Anthony Boadle; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Rosalba O'Brien)

Florida , United-states , Brasilia , Distrito-federal , Brazil , Rio-de-janeiro , Estado-do-rio , Orlando , Brazilian , Steven-grattan , Luiz-inacio-lula , Eduardo-simoes

Colossal tax dodging: the odd case of billionaire Pierre Castel

French billionaire Pierre Castel allegedly owes back taxes to Geneva worth CHF410 million ($443 million).

Central-african-republic , Geneva , Genè , Switzerland , Liechtenstein , France , Vaduz , Singapore , French , Swiss , Gregory-clerc , Olivier-blamangin

Lebanon's top public prosecutor says he has summoned Beirut blast judge

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's top public prosecutor Ghassan Oweidat told Reuters that he had summoned the judge investigating the Beirut port blast, after rejecting the judge's surprise resumption of the probe into the explosion. In a text message exchange, Oweidat said he had summoned Judge Tarek Bitar for questioning but did not specify whether he had charged him. Two judicial sources had earlier said Oweidat had filed charges against Bitar. (Reporting by Laila Bassam; Writing by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)

Beirut , Beyrouth , Lebanon , Ghassan-oweidat , Maya-gebeily , Tarek-bitar , Frank-jack-daniel , Laila-bassam , Reuters , Judge-tarek-bitar , Law-and-order , Judiciary-system-of-justice-

What distinguishes war crimes from other criminal offences?

Should war crimes be tried as criminal offences? Join the discussion!

Rome , Lazio , Italy , Russia , Ukraine , Russian , International-criminal-court , After-russia , Rome-statute , Foreign-affairs , Ukraine-crisis

'I'm used to pressure', says embattled Swiss president

Alain Berset says he is ready to face parliamentarians’ questions over alleged leaks from his office to the media during the pandemic.

Switzerland , Swiss , Alain-berset , Office-of-the-attorney , Office-of-public-health , World-economic-forum , Federal-office , Public-health , Attorney-general , Latest-news , News-media , Politics-general-

FIFA president meets special prosecutors in Switzerland

FIFA President Gianni Infantino met special prosecutors in Switzerland on Tuesday as part of their criminal investigation.

Qatar , Zurich , Züsz , Switzerland , Swiss , Hans-maurer , Ulrich-weder , Gianni-infantino , Michael-lauber , Associated-press , Swiss-attorney-general-michael , World-cup

Analysis-Iran executions quash protests, push dissent underground

By Parisa Hafezi DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's hanging of protesters -- and display of their lifeless bodies suspended from cranes -- seems to have instilled enough fear to keep people off the streets after months of anti-government unrest. The success of the crackdown on the worst political turmoil in years is likely to reinforce a view among Iran's hardline rulers that suppression of dissent is the way to keep power. The achievement may prove shortlived, however, according analysts and experts who spoke to Reuters. They argue the resort to deadly state violence is merely pushing dissent underground, while deepening anger felt by ordinary Iranians about the clerical establishment that has ruled them for four decades. It has been relatively successful since the number of people on the streets has decreased, said Saeid Golkar of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, referring to the crackdown and executions. However, it has created a massive resentment among Iranians. Executive Director at the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Hadi Ghaemi said the establishment's main focus was to intimidate the population into submission by any means. Protests have taken a different shape, but not ended. People are either in prison or they have gone underground because they are determined to find a way to keep fighting, he said. Defying public fury and international criticism, Iran has handed down dozens of death sentences to intimidate Iranians enraged by the death of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, 22. Her death in the custody of morality police in September 2022 unleashed years of pent up anger in society, over issues ranging from economic misery and discrimination against ethnic minorities to tightening social and political controls. At least four people have been hanged since the demonstrations started, according to the judiciary, including two protesters on Saturday for allegedly killing a member of the volunteer Basij militia forces. Amnesty International said last month Iranian authorities are seeking the death penalty for at least 26 others in what it called sham trials designed to intimidate protesters . The moves reflect what experts say is the religious leadership's consistent approach to government ever since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought it to power -- a readiness to use whatever force is needed to crush dissent. The regime's primary strategy has always been victory through terrorizing. Suppression is the regime's only solution since it is incompetent and incapable of change or good governance, said Golkar. ECONOMIC MISERY Protests, which have slowed considerably since the hangings began, have been at their most intense in the Sunni-populated areas of Iran and are currently mostly limited to those regions. And yet, the analysts said, a revolutionary spirit that managed to take root across the country during the months of protest may yet survive the security crackdown -- not least because the protesters' grievances remain unaddressed. With deepening economic misery, largely because of U.S. sanctions over Tehran's disputed nuclear work, many Iranians are feeling the pain of galloping inflation and rising joblessness. Inflation has soared to over 50%, the highest level in decades. Youth unemployment remains high with over 50% of Iranians being pushed below the poverty line, according to reports by Iran's Statistics Center. There is no turning point (back to the status quo), and the regime cannot go back to the era before Mahsa's death, Ghaemi said. Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said Tehran was banking on repression and violence as its way out of this crisis. This might work in the short term but ... it won’t work in the long term, Vatanka said, citing reasons such as Iran's deteriorating economy and its fearless young population who want big political change, and they will fight for it. There are no signs that President Ebrahim Raisi or other leaders are trying to come up with fresh policies to try and win over the public. Instead, their attention appears to be fixed on security. The clerical leadership appears worried that exercising restraint over protesters could make them look weak among their political and paramilitary supporters, the analysts said. Reuters could not reach officials at Raisi's office for comment. Golkar said an additional motive for the executions was the leadership's need to satisfy core supporters in organisations like the Basij, the volunteer militia that has been instrumental at countering the spontaneous and leaderless unrest. KHAMENEI BACKS CRACKDOWN The regime wants to message its supporters that it will support them by all means, Golkar said. To send shockwaves, the authorities imposed travel bans and jail terms on several public figures from athletes to artists and rappers. A karate champion was among those executed. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday signalled the state has no intention of softening its crackdown, saying in a televised speech that those who set fire to public places have committed treason with no doubt . Wielding uncompromising state power has been a central theme of Raisi's career. He is under U.S. sanctions over a past that includes what the United States and activists say was his role overseeing the killings of thousands of political prisoners in the 1980s. When asked about those 1980s killings, Raisi told reporters shortly after his election in 2021 that he should be praised for defending the security of the people. Ghaemi said the main officials pushing for the executions today were deeply involved in the 1980s killings of prisoners. But this is not the 1980s when they carried all those crimes in darkness, he said. Everything they do gets on social media and attracts huge international attention. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Michael Georgy, William Maclean)

Basij , Fars , Iran , United-states , Dubai , Dubayy , United-arab-emirates , Tennessee , Washington , Tehran , Iranian , Iranians