Luis F Salazar and Digital Art: "I love giving the freedom for the observer to interpret my art"

Digital Art – Luis Fernando Salazar is a Colombian contemporary artist who captures in his work the colours and sensations, he says: “I like to represent the warmth of bright colours, the beauty of the world around us“.

Writer of verses, he found his inspiration at the age of 8, drawing. At the age of 16, he began to write short verses in classical poetry. A lover of the mountains and nature, he wanted to capture his perceptions of the world around him in painting and drawing.

Image credit: Luis Fernando Salazar (from his Facebook account)

Very skilled since childhood, he began to create decorative objects for Christmas while he also learned pyrography on wood.

Then, in this ever-growing digital era, Digital abstract art has been the focus of his work, without losing his affinity for brushes and canvases. With not too many resources, Salazar decided to continue with his inspiration and creation in Digital Art composing with diverse methods, editing, assemblies, and diverse digital techniques to create a variety and artistic works that express his love, especially, for the colourful forms, many abstract and insinuating, “I love giving the freedom for the observer to interpret my art” he told to The European Times.

For the first time, a newsroom portrays these works and presents them to the public to share for inspiration.

See his gallery here

Latvia files Allegations of Genocide re Ukraine v. Russian Federation

Latvia files a declaration of intervention in the proceedings under Article 63 of the Statute

THE HAGUE, 22 July 2022. Genocide – On 21 July 2022, the Republic of Latvia, invoking Article 63 of the Statute of the Court, filed in the Registry of the Court a declaration of intervention in the case concerning Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation).

Pursuant to Article 63 of the Statute, whenever the construction of a convention to which States other than those concerned in the case are parties is in question, each of these States has the right to intervene in the proceedings. In this case, the construction given by the judgment of the Court will be equally binding upon them.

To avail itself of the right of intervention conferred by Article 63 of the Statute, Latvia relies on its status as a party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the “Genocide Convention”). It states that “[a]s a Party to the Genocide Convention, Latvia has a direct interest in the construction that might be placed upon that treaty in the Court’s decision in the [proceedings”, indicating that it “wishes to intervene in order to make submissions on [the] construction of the Genocide Convention on issues relating to merits as well as jurisdiction”.

In accordance with Article 83 of the Rules of Court, Ukraine and the Russian Federation have been invited to furnish written observations on Latvia’s declaration of intervention.

Latvia’s declaration of intervention will soon be available on the Court’s website.

History of the proceedings

The history of the proceedings can be found in press releases Nos. 2022/4, 2022/6, 2022/7 and 2022/11, available on the Court’s website.

Note. The Court’s press releases are prepared by its Registry for information purposes only and do not constitute official documents.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established by the United Nations Charter in June 1945 and began its activities in April 1946. The Court is composed of 15 judges elected for a nine-year term by the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations. The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). The Court has a twofold role. first, to settle, in accordance with international law, through judgments which have binding force and are without appeal for the parties concerned, legal disputes submitted to it by States; and, second, to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and agencies of the system.

President Macron in Benin should demand the release of Reckya Madougou and Joel Aivo

On the eve of President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Benin, the Brussels-based NGO “Human Rights Without Frontiers” urged the French President to demand the release of two famous opposition leaders, Reckya Madougou and Joël Aivo, respectively sentenced to 20 years and 10 years in prison.

This month, Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) has filed a report with the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for Benin, in which the organisation outlined its concerns over human rights abuses in Benin, with particular regard to the continued detention of opposition figures Reckya Madougou and Joël Aivo and the fact that they were not included in a list of 17 detainees due to be temporarily released after a 13 June 2022 meeting between President Patrice Talon and Thomas Boni Yayi, former President of Benin (2006-2016).

Reckya Madougou, from her Facebook account

The submission by HRWF included details about the case of Reckya Madougou who was sentenced at the end of 2021 to 20 years in prison for allegedly financing terrorism. She had been arrested in March 2021 accused of wiring thousands of dollars to a military officer for the purpose of killing unnamed authorities. Her candidacy had earlier been rejected by the electoral commission. HRWF went on to detail that Ms Madougou was the leader of the opposition party, Les Démocrates, and a presidential candidate. HRWF’s statement also described Ms Madougou’s civil society campaign — “Don’t touch my constitution” — that rallied against leaders seeking to extend their rule under the guise of constitutional reform. The movement spread across West Africa, gaining her a high profile.

RMTB, CC BY-SA 4.0, Joel Aivo – via Wikimedia Commons

The HRWF report to the UPR also gave details about the case of Joël Aivo and his December 2021 sentencing by the controversial Economic Crime and Terrorism Court (CRIET) to 10 years in prison for allegedly plotting against the state and laundering money.

HRWF explained in their submission that Mr Aivo is a law professor who challenged Talon in the 2021 election. He was held for eight months ahead of sentencing and pleaded not guilty to the charges of plotting against the state and money laundering.

HRWF has been monitoring the backsliding that has been taking place around human rights in Benin since 2016. “We were especially dismayed to see that Reckya Madougou and Joël Aivo were not on the June 2022 list of 17 detainees to be temporarily released. Ms Madougou and Mr Aivo should be fully released immediately. The persecution and detention of opposition figures has no place in a democracy and we are concerned for the welfare of these two politicians. President Macron must use his visit to Benin to demand that President Patrice Talon release them,” Willy Fautré, director of Human Rights Without Frontiers told The European Times.

The Russian Idea. Orthodoxy and Statehood

Orthodoxy and Statehood – Policy Report of the Head of the Holy International Synaxis of the True Orthodox Churches, the Head of True-Orthodox Church in Russia, His Holiness Metropolitan Seraphim

It is well known that the following paradigmatic statement has been perceived by the Russian, orthodox people, so to say genetically, since the very moment of the baptism of Rus’ and up to the present day: «Moscow is the Third Rome, and there will be no Fourth».

This claim is categoric and, essentially, very true.

During the reign of Emperor Nicholas I, the above-mentioned statement gained some transformation in understanding or, to sound more correct, acquired a new meaning in addition. It became easier in perception, yet it preserved its categorical sense: «Orthodoxy – Autocracy — Nationality». These are three statements, unified in themselves and impossible to be sustained one without the another. At least, it concerns our state.

Of course, there have been some certain attempts to substitute notions, through over the long history of our Fatherland. Moreover, even up to elimination of one or two conceptual parts away from the philosophical triad under discussion. But it did no good. Even more, all these false transformations, into which the statehood turned during the time of experiments, could exist only for a short period and broke down into pieces, like a house of cards in the wind, without completeness of the wise maxim.

History itself demonstrated that there are undeniable truths, on which the identity and self-consciousness of entire nations are being based, and which toughly fix the grounds of autocracy for centuries and thousands of years ahead.

Thereupon Russia seems to be the absolute proof of such autocracy, as it possesses an outstanding power based on antiquity of the nation and fulness of its faith. Yet, because it was precisely Great Russia that has become the Spiritual Center of our planet for real, while retaining its status of the Third Rome, which prevents the world from facing the total lawlessness.   

Our long-suffering Fatherland has gone through essential dramas for the present 120 years.

The revolutionary turmoil in 1905 was the first sign of the coming vague time. The attempt of forceful overthrow of the legal government in order to change the current political system, as well as empty slogans and unsubstantiated statements – this all twisted minds of the Russians. Basing myself on historical experience and on the practice of international relations of nowadays, I am pretty sure that these events were thoroughly planned from the outside even then. It was the first serious try to destroy a mighty stronghold of spirituality and the purity of Orthodoxy in troubled and uncertain world of vice and temptation.

Then follows an absolutely unnecessary and useless, at least from our point of view, participation of the Russian Empire in the First World War, in which the members of Entente tried their best to destroy the Russian army, our economy and our state from inside, by means of total and unlimited sponsorship of all possible oppositional and destructive parties, terroristic organizations, criminal units and anarchic groups.   

It resulted in the February Revoluion of 1917, abdication of the sovereign, and thereafter in October putsch, which led to atheism, accompanied by attempt to destroy the spiritual pivot in the once great Orthodox Empire.

Revolutionaries encouraged by the West managed to weaken the age-old Power. However, in order to build something new they required a sacrificial victim. Yet, not just a victim but the Victim with a capital V. It was necessary to destroy the very symbol that represented itself the true sense of being of the Russian people. There was a certain need for a challenge to God, furthermore a need for trampling the soul of Russia.

The Bolsheviks, in fact, were not even atheists. They were outright theomachists! Covered by pride, they considered the true sense of their life to be a total annihilation of Orthodoxy as religion and oblivion of the very memory of God and His Commandments.

Even the words of the ancient Jews could not frighten them: «Let His blood be on us». They were not scared of the sacrilege of a considerably awful scale. They would do absolutely anything, guided by the hate of God and Orthodoxy Russia.

The choice of the sacrificial victim was pretty clear to them.

In their opinion, it was Russian Emperor. However, not only him but all his royal family, all members of the Imperial House, — any of them whom the bloody hand of the mad overthrowers could only reach.

The crime was committed.

The Empire collapse was imbued with blood of the royal martyrs, and the execution of the tsar’s family put an end to that historical period of time, what resulted in strict separation between the great past and the unclear future.

I dare not, unlike some others, compare even in my mind the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ for the atonement of our sins with the sacrificial death of the last Emperor as the anointed of the Lord. Still, I discern a few parallels between what happened two thousand years ago and that what was committed by the crime — not so long ago – in 1918.  

However, the things did not turn out as the enemies of Orthodoxy had planned.

Namely by means of the Sacrifice of the Lord, the world survived and people got a chance to witness the Kingdom of Heaven.

And by the sacrifice of the Emperor his people were saved from annihilation, as well as the hope for revival of the Great Empire in the future was also preserved. 

But I am deeply upset by the fact that in the latter case, just like in the former one, people failed to understand the whole greatness of the Sacrifice.

Just like in case when the persecutors of Jesus did not repent, the murderers of the tsar’s family have not confessed yet. And the followers of them have taken upon themselves a terrible sin of the regicide.  

Unfortunately, we still can’t find sincere repentance. Because even in church we face hypocrisy and theatricalization of mysteries.

We keep on humbly begging God to give us an Orthodoxy Sovereign, yet I am not sure if our voice will be heard within all this bacchanalia of sin and vice. Still, I have hope in my heart…

There exist a lot of prophesies of the so-called «end times». All of them tell about an inevitable bloody outcome.

But in many of them Russia plays the key role as the state which possesses a chance to save the rest of the world and the humanity.

For example, the Prophesy by monk Abel, given to Emperor Paul, openly declares that there would take place a lot of attempts to vanquish evil by means of evil. But people would understand that it was only a temporary measure and they would start to pray for Russia. With the help of the entire world, all peoples, with one mouth and one heart. And the shackles that hold the Great Empire will fall down, and Great Russia – the House of the Most Holy Mother of God – will rise up full of its spiritual beauty and strength.

I am eager to believe that there is a certain piece of this prophesy concerning our True Orthodox Church. Because who is going to be that tocsin to wake the people up from the age-old sleep, calling up for pray and showing the way from darkness to light?

Loving heart is always regained by us through good deeds. I have said about that many times before. So, I will repeat the same thing now.

The essence of the True Orthodox Church is to serve God by serving people, by caring about them, by guiding each soul from the countless Lord’s flock.

It has always been like that in Russia. And I hope it will be the same in the entire world, with the help of the Holy International Synaxis of the True Orthodox Churches which I am to head till the rest of my days and which is supposed to bring the Light of Truth and Love of God to people, what reveals the real meaning of His Great Sacrifice.

I often ask myself: «What do I need this all for?». I address this question not only to myself but also to those who have stayed by me all these years, as well as to those who come today and perhaps will come tomorrow.

And I know the answer.

Christianity, rather Orthodoxy, cannot stand loneliness. Neither it can stand isolation within oneself and one’s problems. It is longing for cognition of one’s own self, growing and spreading among those who haven’t yet accepted God in their heart and mind but have already turned to God in their soul.

Today we face roaming and chaos within the Orthodox world which calls itself canonical. Churches are separating from one another. They are tearing the Lord’s garments in a bloody madness, they discontinue communication and stop their common praying, they deny each other and call enemies all those, with whom they have been recently taken the Holy Sacrament together by the Throne.

Religious hierarchs are intentionally neglecting to the words of the Symbol of our Faith, to everything on which the doctrine of the international Church is being grounded, and what we keep on repeating every time we dare start acceptance of the Holy Mysteries of Christ: «I believe in a single Holy Cathedral and Apostolic Church». As I see it, they are consciously replacing the Truth by their momentary wishes, by their enormous pride and unstoppable hunger for power.

To my great sadness, some of the «canonical» churches are becoming more and more similar to totalitarian sects, concerned about their wellness and prosperity of their own religious leaders of various scale.

However, those who have ears – let them hear, those who have eyes – let them see.

God’s people learned to distinguish between the good and the bad, to separate lambs from goats and wheat from chaff. And they are openly turning away from those who make falsehood and obscenity the meaning of their lives, who drop their serving down to the level of sin, finally who hide their animal bared teeth under a lambskin.

Moreover, as soon as the world Orthodoxy was directed towards disunity and mutual accusations, the True Orthodox Churches, on the contrary, are joining one another to build a family.

It’s been 25 years since I started my episcopal service to the church. During this time I have had an opportunity to watch the formation, development and collapse of many True Orthodox communities, which used to call themselves metropolis and churches. Every time I saw the same thing and the same mistake, which finally became fatal. All of them considered themselves only to be the ultimate truth, and they all wanted to be chiefs, without acceptance of other authorities and separating themselves from the rest of the world. They enjoyed their existence within self-isolated religious communities. 

In the end, it resulted in collapse, termination of activity or rebirth into real sects and marginal units.

Those who were open to dialogue, were longing for unity and who put first their serving to God and people – today they have become the true conscience of people, the voice the spiritual candlestick, the real hope for that God will stay by us till the very end.

Our International Synaxis is the way forward, the way to God, the way of spiritual creation and true faith.

This is the way of consolidation of those who dismiss lies and injustice with their lives, who believe in a single Holy Cathedral and Apostolic Church, as it is stated in the Symbol of Faith, and who help building the International True Orthodox Church by means of ascetism.

You can take it from me: this way is predestined by the history and predetermined by God. We feel it and we are ready to go through any difficulties, as we clearly realize that it was like that and it will be like that further. 

Those who disjoin, hate, deny and are self-isolated – they all lose themselves in nothingness, they turn into garbage and stay forever at the historical dump, just to display with their own example the depravity of such a mistaken way.

Those who strive to meet each other, who open themselves to love and common praying, who are not scared of difficulties of the thorny path and who follow Christ’s Commandments – they all stay forever, as they become the cornerstone, upon which The Church of Christ is grounded.

Well, we have a long road ahead. It will be the way of prayer and creation. The way of love and spiritual feat. The way of serving and church building. And I am sincerely glad that the revival of the True Orthodoxy, just like a century ago, starts from Russia again.

I must say once more. I have read a plenty of prophesies, well known and absolutely unknown, manifested to the world and hidden from anyone who seek for them with hunger and greed. They all are totally different and not each of them is supposed to go under comprehension and understanding.

Still, there is one statement that is a cross-cutting theme in all of them.

Salvation of the world will come from Russia. As the Star of the East, Russia will unite all those who are filled with faith, light and love.

Precisely under the canopy of the Russian Royal Crown comes the long-awaited «peace on earth and goodwill toward men» as Russia symbolizes the Crown of the Queen of Heaven, our Most Holy and Most Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.

Our common task is as follows: let our descendants and successors continue our path of creation, union and gathering the True Orthodoxy around the world, and let us lay a solid foundation for that by means of The Universal True Orthodoxy Church.

Today I can feel with all my soul those changes happening in the society and state of Russia.

The consciousness of people is being renewed, the moral background of the Russian citizen is being strengthened, the Orthodox faith is being filled with true sense, and there is the Lord’s spark that lightens up in the heart of everyone.

I hope so much that one day The Russian Orthodox Church which is dominating now in the Russian state will realize that its target is a little different from care about itself and its clergy, its institutions and profit. Anyway, it’s not our business.

However, let no one judge us by the deeds of Moscow Patriarchy. We are totally different from them. We do not welcome conviction of brothers. We do not stand for disorder and separation in the Orthodoxy world.

We follow the path of creation and union.

Our main goal is to bring love and peace, by means of protecting from sins, misfortune and temptations for the soul of those who shares with us and accepts our path.

We have chosen not an easy burden, indeed.

But… as they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Let our all-good Lord help us about that.

Humble +SERAPHIM

His Holiness and Blessed Metropolitan

Of Moscow and of all Russia

The Head of the True Orthodox Church of Russia

The Head of the Holy International Synaxis

Of the True Orthodox Churches

N.B. N.B. As a branch of the Local Russian Church organizationally began its formation in the end. 20s – early. 30s 20th century It was formed as a result of the refusal of the majority of the episcopate and clergy of the Russian Church to cooperate with the communist atheistic regime in the USSR, which was done by the pro-renovation group headed by Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky). As a result of what Mr. Sergius under the leadership of the OGPU-NKVD schism, in the USSR since that time there existed in parallel the official (“Soviet” or “red”) church, which in 1943, by order of Stalin, was formalized into the “Moscow Patriarchate”, and independent of the God-fighting regime of the True- Orthodox Russian Church (TOC). The latter, as a result of cruel repressions and persecution, was forced to switch to an illegal way of serving, which is why she got a different name – the Catacomb Church.

The Catacomb Church, as a branch of the once united Local Russian Church, is also called “Tikhon’s” – after the name of the Holy Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin, +1925).

The canonical foundation of the Russian True Orthodox Church is based on the Decree of the Holy Patriarch Tikhon No. 362 of November 7/20, 1920.

Saint Tikhon was the last legitimate patriarch of the Russian Church, elected by the All-Russian Local Council, expressing the fullness of the Russian Church.

http://ipckatakomb.ru/2022/07/18/policy-report-of-the-head-of-the-true-orthodox-church-in-russia-his-holiness-metropolitan-seraphim-the-russian-idea-orthodoxy-and-statehood/

Switzerland is particularly concerned about the increasing number of hate crimes (FoRB Ministerial)

Message from Switzerlands’s Ambassador to the UK, H.E. Ambassador Markus Leitner on 5th July 2022 to the International Ministerial on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB Ministerial) hosted by the Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom.

Full message (original transcript by The European Times):

Ministers, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

Switzerland thanks the United Kingdom for convening and hosting this important conference.

The peaceful coexistence of and respect between different religious, linguistic and cultural groups are core values of Switzerland.

As a multicultural and multilingual society, Switzerland is particularly committed to promoting inclusive societies based on respect for differences and the protection of minorities contributing to a country’s stability and well-being.

My country stays convinced that no one should be discriminated, disadvantaged or treated differently based on their religion or the way to express their belief.

Freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief for all is firmly established in the Swiss Constitution and forms an integral part of the Swiss international human rights policy.

Serious violations of freedom of religion, violence, persecution, discrimination, domination and hatred against religious, linguistic and cultural minorities continue to occur across the world and pose a threat to democracies and durable peace.

Switzerland is particularly concerned about the increasing number of hate crimes and violent attacks on discriminatory motives offline and online.

Racism and hate speech are spreading today, mostly through Internet and social media, fueled during the COVID pandemic, and conspiracy theories, especially anti-Semitic ones, are proliferating.

The promotion and protection of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and or belief is also a key element of Switzerland’s international peace-building policies.

Social and political exclusions are part of society and lead either to resignation or violence, both of which are detrimental to the development of lasting peace and security.

There is a strong correlation between inequality, less economic development, more political instability, and increased violence.

The political participation of religious or belief communities on the basis of the principle of citizenship is, therefore, a necessary precondition for a peaceful resolution of conflicts. Switzerland addresses violations against ethnic and religious minorities on the bilateral and multilateral levels and encourages a mutual understanding by means of dialogue.

We are convinced that it is primarily through experience and knowledge and through contacts and dialogue in everyday situations that the coexistence of different cultures and religions can be successful.

Every citizen can and must contribute to non-discrimination.

Finally, it is up to policymakers to provide adequate conditions in order to effectively and sustainably combat all forms and manifestations of discrimination.

Pros and cons: International Ministerial on FoRB - London 2022

The fourth annual Ministerial conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) was held in London following a strong impetus to bring awareness of, and action to, the many transgressions against FoRB around the world.

This initiative was first held in Washington DC and the instigation of the US government in 2018, and then again in Washington DC in 2019. Lockdowns cancelled the 2020 conference whilst the 2021 conference, hosted by Poland, was virtual.

One of the most notable aspects of this initiative is that it seeks to go against the current of political interests driven primarily by economic factors – which certainly puts these deliberations on a higher ethical ground.

That the UK administration has embraced this initiative and held such a major conference – taking over the entire QE II Conference Centre in London for two days – is clearly a commitment to FoRB. Today, the state of religious freedom in many parts of the world is in a pretty poor state.

From China to Russia, from Nigeria to India and Pakistan, we find human rights abuses founded in religious discrimination ranging from rape and murder to organ harvesting and banning of innocent religious groups.

The two days of the conference along with many other additional ‘side events’ in Parliament, government buildings, and others around London and the UK were held with the intention to bring focus on the often egregious violations and suppression of this essential human right.

Will this bring about improved conditions for those believers – be it religious or non-religious – remains to be seen? But the signs are promising. A multi-country juggernaut is being built to highlight these issues rather than turn a blind eye.

A number of conference declarations were signed by governments – certainly not enough as we can see, the key declaration was signed by only 30 countries. Led by the United States and the United Kingdom, the remainder were mostly European – though notable omissions were France, Germany and Spain. Whilst outside of Europe, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Columbia, Israel and Japan were also signatories.

Overall statments

The Broad Conference Statement of Freedom of Religion or Belief can be found on the government site (here). It commits governments:

• to protect “freedom of thought, conscience, religion, or belief and ensure individuals can freely change their beliefs, or not believe, without penalty or fear of violence”;
• to “raise awareness of the current challenges to FoRB across the world, the relevance of FoRB to other human rights, and best practice in preventing violations and abuses and protecting and promoting FoRB for all”;
• to “speak out bilaterally, as well as through multilateral institutions, against violations and abuses of the right to freedom of religion or belief” whilst working “more closely together with international partners, civil society actors, human rights experts, academia and faith and belief actors to implement practical solutions to address FoRB challenges, exchange best practice, and build shared commitments” whilst
• strengthening “the voices and build the capacity of defenders of FoRB, including religious or belief actors, inspiring future leaders and young people, and building and reinforcing global coalitions for collective action”.

Words versus actions

We know that words are cheap whilst action and commitment can be expensive – but the simple fact that these governments have made such a move in the face of growing intolerance in some parts of the world is a positive sign.

Some actions taken, in particular by the US administration have shown their teeth by declaring the actions taken in Myanmar against Rohingya Moslems as genocide – something the UK government should emulate.

It goes without saying that civil society played a significant role in encouraging and moving this whole process along.

The creation of FoRB Round Tables or Forums are entirely civil society innovations open to any individual or belief group where issues of religious discrimination can be aired and actions taken to urge government or other sectors of civil society to take a stand on different issues.

These processes play an important role in keeping governments both informed and on their toes with regard to abuses occurring in the world. Most notable ones are in the US, UK and in Brussels (convening groups from around Europe) whilst one about to start in Mexico was announced during the conference.

Constructive Criticism

The conference organisation was not without criticism, however.

Many NGOs and even governments complained about the extremely late notification of seat availability and corresponding access passes for attendees which generated a lot of difficulties for attendees.

Quite a number of NGOs complained about the ‘discrimination’ between civil society and official government delegates as civil society did not have access to any of the main proceedings.

A floor had been assigned to civil society with 12 booths and this was relatively empty most of the time.

Those with limited civil society passes were consigned to stay in isolation whilst the main conference went on without them, with room for many more attendees.

This differentiation was seemingly at odds with the spirit of the whole conference and was not a credit to the organisers. Unfortunately, the successful model used by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Human Dimension Meetings, where all attendees are able to meet each other and attend all meetings was not adopted –creating discontent amongst civil society groups.

Conclusion

Still, whatever the thinking behind excluding sections of civil society, these things are mainly organisational issues which can be easily corrected for future conferences.

Overall, the initiative driven by the UK and US governments to ensure that the vital human right of freedom of religion or belief is raised, exposed, protected and nurtured was an extremely important step in moving the political momentum in the right direction.

Spanish Psychiatrist Criado condemned to one year in prison

Spanish Psychiatrist Criado has just been condemned to one year in prison for ‘inappropriate, foul and humiliating’ treatment of his patient. In addition, the psychiatrist, with a practice in Seville, will have to compensate the victim with 5,000 euros for moral damages.

Article is written originally in Spanish by Rosalina Moreno. for the famous legal newsroom CONFILEGAL. [Here it is translated to make it known in other languages]

The 9th Criminal Court of Seville (Spain) has condemned a psychiatrist, José Javier C. F., to one year in prison for a crime against moral integrity, with the aggravating circumstance of undue delay, for the “inappropriate, vulgar and humiliating” treatment of one of his patients.

1 YEAR OF PRISON AND 5.000 EUROS COMPENSATION FOR MORAL DAMAGE

In addition to the prison sentence, he was banned from communicating with or approaching the victim within 300 metres for two years and ordered to pay the victim 5,000 euros in compensation for moral damages.

The ruling, handed down on 31 June (352 /2022), was signed by Judge Isabel Guzmán Muñoz and has just become public.

The patient filed the complaint on 17 December 2015 together with seven other women who reported similar events, but for which these proceedings are not being pursued as they have been declared time-barred on appeal by order of 11 January 2017 by the Seville Provincial Court (Seventh Section).

The case has been handled by lawyer Inmaculada Torres Moreno.

THE PROVEN FACTS

The head of Criminal Court 9 of Seville considers it proven that the plaintiff attended the private consultation of José Javier C. F., in Seville, on 20 and 26 January and 4 and 9 February 2015 – the first of them accompanied by her husband -, receiving “at all times inappropriate, foul and humiliating treatment” by the convicted person, who, “without at any time taking an interest in her psychiatric history, continuously uttered denigrating expressions and enquired about her sex life”.

According to her, he asked her “how many times she had fucked that week” or commented that sending her pills was for nothing “because a good fuck would cure her“, urging her to “wear red thongs, red high heels… because that was what her husband and any man would get her like that” (gesturing with his arm to simulate an erection).

wear red thongs, red high heels… because that was what her husband and any man would get her like that

The judge describes in the ruling various phrases that the psychiatrist uttered to the victim in these consultations, in which he frequently addressed her with expressions such as “crazy” (sometimes even in front of other patients), also telling her “this crazy woman cannot be cured“, while at the same time maintaining a jocular attitude towards her for being a fan of the Real Betis Balompié football club or liking Easter Week.

According to the judge, the victim, who presented depressive episodes of anxiety, “used to leave the consultations in a state of despondency and anxiety“, and after consulting with her husband, she decided to stop going…

THE PLAINTIF’S STATEMENT IS ‘TOTALLY CREDIBLE’.

The prosecution charged him with a continuous crime against moral integrity, articles 74 and 173.1 of the Spanish Criminal Code, and asked that he be sentenced to two years in prison and that he be prohibited from communicating with or approaching the victim within 300 meters for three years, and that he compensate the victim with 6,000 euros.

The private prosecution, for its part, accused him of a crime against moral integrity under article 173.1, and demanded two and a half years in prison, a ban on communication and approaching within 500 meters of the victim for a period of five years longer than the prison sentence imposed and 40,000 euros in compensation for the physical and psychological harm and moral damage caused.

In imposing the prison sentence, the judge particularly valued the “seriousness” of the facts, “damaging with his conduct the integrity of a very vulnerable person, in view of his specific medical situation, and likewise, the fact that the action was not an isolated act“, specifying that “criminal continuity is not penalised as such, since in crimes against moral integrity, degrading treatment is integrated by a reiteration of acts that can be inserted in the typical unit of action provided for in article 173. 1 of the punitive text, which in itself excludes the concept of a continuous offence”.

Guzmán Muñoz indicates that it has not been duly accredited that the victim has suffered objective psychological harm as a result of the actions of the convicted person. However, he explains that the accredited reality of the facts and their content demonstrates a situation of “unavoidable moral damage beyond its objective verification“. She argues that in this case, the moral damage “results from the protected legal right and the seriousness of the action that has criminally damaged her“, and therefore sentences José Javier C. F. to compensate the plaintif with 5,000 euros.

An amount that the judge considers “proportionate and adequate” in view of the circumstances of the case, the context in which the events took place and their description; their duration, as well as the impact that the events have had on the victim, their evolution and the damage to dignity caused, without reaching the amount claimed by the private prosecution, on the grounds that the possible consequences suffered have not been expressly defined.

The judge emphasised that the prosecution’s evidence focused on the victim’s witness statement, which “is totally credible”, being “clear and thorough, despite the time that has elapsed since the events, coherent, with no contradictions and persistent“, is “surrounded by objective peripheral corroborations that reinforce the plausibility of her testimony” and “is supported” by various medical and psychological reports.

Thus, the judge refers to the testimony of the plaintif’s ex-husband, who accompanied her in the first consultation, or that of several patients who went to the psychiatrist’s practice for various mental health problems and who agreed “on the humiliating treatment they were given, with the defendant repeatedly engaging in conduct of a sexual nature, [and them] being subjected to continuous interrogations to find out their sexual tastes, which made them feel humiliated and not treated with respect“.

“These witnesses have narrated their different experiences in the oral trial, which will not be dealt with in this decision, so as not to cause any defencelessness as they have been declared time-barred and cannot be prosecuted, but even if they are not examined, their testimony of reference must be valued,” she explains.

FEELINGS OF ANGUISH AND INFERIORITY

The magistrate highlights that in the case in question, “the victim’s statement, persistent, coherent and objectively corroborated, is rationally sufficient to prove the commission of the crime, despite the fact that the defendant, using his right to defence, denies the facts, even having treated patients in a familiar and close manner, or having used some crude expression with them, as the forcefulness of the statements made contradict his version of the facts“.

In the judge’s opinion, “there is no doubt that the subjection by a psychiatrist to a patient with mental disorders to a situation of humiliation with comments” such as those described in the rulin, constitute the behaviour punishable under article 173 of the Spanish Criminal Code, since “such expressions are not only inappropriate for the doctor-patient relationship, but also created feelings of anguish and inferiority in the victim, likely to humiliate her, taking into account that she was a particularly vulnerable person due to her psychiatric history“.

The sentence is not final. An appeal may be filed against it with the Provincial Court of Seville.

such expressions are not only inappropriate for the doctor-patient relationship, but also created feelings of anguish and inferiority in the victim

Pope Francis to visit Putin: Fuss in Moscow

On July 4, Pope Francis announced that he had the intention to visit Moscow and Kyiv as soon as possible. The head of the Vatican is regularly speaking to Ukrainian President Zelensky but would like to visit Putin before heading toward Kyiv. He believes that he might be the neutral agent that could convince Putin to put an end to the war.

On the other side of the line, in Moscow, there are different reactions to this idea. In the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, most are in favour of such a visit. Even in the Presidential administration, the reaction is pretty positive, and they view this controversial proposal favourably. But that is not the case within the FSB and the military. There, it is another story, and the intervention of Francis is viewed with at least suspicion and more usually with complete reluctance.

The main actor of this diplomatic move is the head of the World Union of Old Believers Leonid Sevastianov. Sevastianov has access to the Pope and is highly considered by him, and is the one whom the Supreme Pontiff would listen to when it comes to Russia. He is also the one lobbying the Presidential administration in Russia, pushing the idea that the Vatican is the only “neutral” State and then the only one in a position to act as a genuine mediator. Leonid Sevastianov is a strong Christian, who strongly believes that his spiritual mission is to do all in his power to put an end to the war.

But the fiercer opposition is coming from the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) Moscow Patriarch Kirill. Kirill is a strong supporter of the war, and justifies it, as several religious leaders in Russia, by the need of protecting the Christian world from the decadent West corrupted by cults and pagans, a message that is embraced by the Kremlin. His biggest fear is to see the Pope coming into his “territory”, preaching for peace. Even before the war, Kirill opposed the coming of the Vatican’s head, and the reason was then clear: Kirill is poorly considered by the believers, and barely attracts none (or very few) when he publicly appears. If Pope Francis would come to Russia, it’s likely that he attracts thousands of Christians to greet him, which would definitely undermine Kirill’s image in the country.

So Kirill is activating his network behind the scene to prevent Sevastianov to succeed, which is not without risk for the latter. Kirill is a former agent of the KGB and does not back off from dirty tricks to reach his goals. Sevastianov, who in fact is a former colleague of Kirill, and worked for years as the director of the St. Gregory the Theologian’s Charity Foundation, the biggest Orthodox Foundation in Moscow founded by Kirill and Metropolitan Hilarion, has recently declared that the support of the Moscow Patriarch to the war was to be considered as heresy, from a religious point of view. That’s no shy statement by far.

Hilarion himself, who was considered the number 2 of the ROC and was the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, has recently been demoted and sent to a small diocese in Hungary. There is no clear interpretation of this demotion: some say that Hilarion was opposed to the war and was punished for that. Others say that Kirill saw him as a threat as he was in a position to replace him as Patriarch, and some say that it is to have him in a better position to lobby for the ROC on the international scene after Kirill has been sanctioned by the UK, and barely avoided the EU sanctions thanks to the last-minute intervention of Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary.

Nevertheless, if Sevastianov’s diplomacy is a risky one for himself, it is also a steady one. Sevastianov has kept pushing for it since February, gained the support of the Supreme Pontiff and is now making progress in Moscow. Of course, even if he would succeed in getting Francis to Moscow, the big question is will it have any impact on Vladimir Putin? History will tell.

UN launches Business Integrity Portal to bolster anti-corruption efforts

New Business Integrity Portal launched to bolster anti-corruption efforts in the private sector

16 countries included in the portal thus far.

Vienna (Austria), 30 June 2022 —Tackling corruption requires all parts of society to play their part. One sector, though, has a particularly critical role as the world’s key economic driver: the private sector.

The private sector has a vested interest in curbing corruption. Corruption impedes the economic and financial growth of businesses by distorting markets and increasing costs. The private sector can therefore be a powerful agent for change by contributing to a culture of integrity and transparency and by strengthening the rule of law. It is not only possible but also beneficial for the business community to create stronger economies and more prosperous societies.

For over a decade, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been fostering dialogue between businesses and governments to find common solutions to a common problem and enhance the capacity of both sectors to prevent and counter corruption. By improving accountability and transparency in industries and supply chains, and by educating and empowering employees to speak up and report corrupt practices, UNODC promotes a culture of integrity in business. Educating youth on fairness and ethics today is key to building generations of integrity business leaders tomorrow.

To ensure forward momentum on business integrity, UNODC has launched its brand-new Business Integrity Portal. Serving as an online one-stop shop, the Portal houses a wealth of resources, tools, and good practices, emerging from a range of anti-corruption projects for the private sector implemented by UNODC and funded by the Siemens Integrity Initiative. The projects, delivered in 16 countries across the globe, are designed to reduce corruption by strengthening legal frameworks, public-private dialogue and private sector capacity in line with the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. Collective action increases the impact and credibility of individual action.

“Addressing corruption in the private sector demands collective action, which can be effective only when we cooperate and coordinate with one another,” commented UNODC’s Brigitte Strobel-Shaw on the launch of the Portal. “The Business Integrity Portal is another crucial step in the right direction. It showcases preventive action in the private and public sectors, a key driver for change and for the establishment of a culture of integrity.”

The Portal provides users with an overview of how governments and other stakeholders such as civil society and academia have joined forces with the corporate world to develop practical solutions to prevent and counter corruption in specific countries and sectors.

In addition to providing users with an in-depth look at UNODC activities in the area of business integrity, the Portal also offers opportunities to connect with the Office and participate in events. More details can be found here.

Further information

Business Integrity Portal

To support States parties’ efforts to fully implement the United Nations Convention against Corruption, UNODC delivers technical assistance in various corruption-related thematic areas, including prevention, education, asset recovery, and integrity in the criminal justice system, among others. Learn more here.

Von der Leyen: I believe in Ukraine's European future... The reason is the tenacity of the Ukrainian people

President Zelenskyy, dear Volodymyr,

Chairman Stefanchuk,

Prime Minister Shmyhal,

Members of the government,

Honourable Members of the Rada,

Duzhe dyakuyu, thank you so much for inviting me to address this special session. Just days ago, on Constitution Day, President Zelenskyy, you said that your ‘victory is not far off’. Of course, Putin’s army is still killing your brothers and sisters. They continue occupying your land, stealing your grain and bombing your cities. You are fighting back bravely. And Europe will stand up with Ukraine as long as it takes. We will not rest until you prevail.

Your brave soldiers on the frontline are making ultimate sacrifices to defend the soil of Ukraine and its people. And behind the lines, there are countless other Ukrainians working to support this national endeavour. And they all hope for a brighter future for their country. This is a courageous generation, on the march towards their vision. Their vision of a free Ukraine that is part of a democratic Europe. I have them clearly in my mind as I speak to you today. You have kept your state and your democracy up and running against all odds. I saw it with my own eyes, after taking the train to Kyiv twice since the beginning of the war. You have kept the Parliament open even in the darkest days, when bombs fell on Kyiv and you had to build barricades to protect the Rada.

Ukraine filed its application for membership in the European Union only days after the Russian invasion. And you managed to provide us with all the necessary information to put forward a strong opinion. We in the European institutions worked day and night to support you. But it is your effort that got the work done. You mobilised not only your institutions, but the best energies in your country. You reached out to thousands of experts from civil society and academia, to showcase everything Ukraine has achieved since the Revolution of Dignity. And because of this effort, you have gained the endorsement and the respect of all EU Member States. This is a significant sign of trust. Ukraine now has a clear European perspective and it is candidate to join the European Union, Something that seemed almost unimaginable just five months ago. So today is first and foremost a moment to celebrate this historic milestone. A victory of determination and resolve. And a victory for the whole movement that started eight years ago on the Maidan.

You have come such a long way since 2014. You have chosen firmly to be a democracy and to live under the rule of law. This choice, Ukraine has already made for itself, for its own sake. Mr President, you once told me that everything that Ukraine would do for EU membership it would do anyway. Because that is the modern and prosperous Ukraine you want it to be. The next steps are within your reach. But they will require hard work, determination and above all unity of purpose.

Today, the international community is mobilising to support your efforts to rebuild your beautiful country. Next Monday, together with President Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Shmyhal, I will participate in the Lugano conference for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Your European path and the reconstruction of the country will go hand in hand. Ukraine will be in the lead. Massive investments will have to come. But to maximise their impact and to foster business confidence, investments will have to be coupled with a new wave of reforms.

You have determined your reform agenda and you have already made important progress. Take the fight against corruption. Preventing and combatting corruption has been particularly high on your agenda since the Revolution of Dignity. You have created an impressive anti-corruption machine. But now these institutions need teeth, and the right people in senior posts. The new head of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor´s Office and the new director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine should be appointed as soon as possible. Or take your plans to reform the Constitutional Court. Legislation is needed for selection procedures for judges, in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission. Institutions must come to life, so that they can deliver on the aspirations of your people. Or think about the excessive influence of oligarchs on the economy. Today, Ukraine is the only country in Europe’s Eastern Partnership to have adopted a law to break the oligarchs’ grip on your economic and political life.  And I commend you for that. Now you have to focus on the implementation of this law in a legally sound manner, taking into account the forthcoming opinion of the Venice Commission. A media law should also be adopted, one that aligns Ukraine’s legislation with current EU standards and empowers the independent media regulator. In sum, many of the laws and the institutions you need are already in place. Now is the time to translate rules and bodies into positive and enduring change.

Of course, reforms always take time. That is how all our democracies work. They need constant commitment and dedication. And for instance, no one expects Ukraine to fill in all posts in your new institutions while so many of your best and brightest are fighting on the front. But Ukraine’s democracy must be kept on the right track. You have already shown that you can pass important laws even as the war still rages on, and make every day count.

You know the work that lies ahead better than anyone else. The word Rada means council, and council means collective wisdom. I am confident that you will put your collective wisdom at the service of Ukraine, when it comes to reforms and to the future of your country. So today, I come here with a very simple message. There is a long road ahead but Europe will be at your side every step of the way, for as long as it takes, from these dark days of war until the moment you cross the door that leads into our European Union.

I believe in Ukraine’s European future. And the reason is simple. The reason is the tenacity of the Ukrainian people. Your resolve. Your passion for Europe. Your desire to live the European dream in your beautiful country. As President Zelenskyy said in his first speech in front of this parliament: ‘Europe is not somewhere else. Europe is here, in your mind. And when Europe is in your mind, then Europe will come to your country too.’ It is your country. It is your future. And only you can make it happen. You are the ones who can change this country for good. And this will be your ultimate victory. A free, prosperous and vibrant Ukraine. A sovereign Ukraine that is finally reunited with our European family.

Slava Ukraini.

Czech MEP Zdechovsky : ”Organ harvesting is a lucrative state-sponsored business in China”

“Organ harvesting is a lucrative business that is state-sponsored in China and specifically targets Falun Gong practitioners as well as other prisoners of conscience, which is unacceptable,” Czech MEP Tomas Zdechovsky said in his introductory speech at an event organized at the Press Club in Brussels on 29 June, on the eve of the EU rotating presidency by the Czech Republic.

The conference was an initiative of EU Today which had invited to the debate [watch full conference below]

• Carlos Iglesias, head of the legal team of NGO Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH)
• Nico Bijnens, President of Falun Gong Belgium,
• A Chinese Falun Gong practitioner who had been a victim of the repression of the Chinese Communist Party, and
• Willy Fautre, director of the Brussels-based watchdog Human Rights Without Frontiers. 

“I was one of those MEPs who tabled the last resolution against this practice adopted by the European Parliament on 5 May last,” Zdechovsky said.

“The European Parliament considers that organ harvesting from living prisoners on death row and prisoners of conscience in China may amount to crimes against humanity, as defined in Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. If China wants to have harmonious commercial relations with the EU, it must put an end to this inhuman practice.”

During the conference, the attendees could watch a video showing several phone conversations between a potential client abroad in search of an organ and several hospitals in China. It could be concluded from those discussions that human organs could be provided to him, even “à la carte.” Indeed, the foreign client asked with insistence to get an organ from a Falun Gong practitioner because “those people have a healthy life, do not smoke or use drugs” and the potential traffickers in the hospitals agreed to this sort of transaction.

In the resolution, the Parliament is calling on the Chinese authorities to promptly respond to the allegations of organ harvesting and to allow independent monitoring by international human rights mechanisms, including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Up to now, there has not been any constructive response.

The Parliament is concerned over the lack of independent oversight as to whether prisoners or detainees provide valid consent to organ donation. Its resolution also denounces the lack of information from the Chinese authorities on reports that the families of deceased detainees and prisoners are being prevented from claiming their bodies.

The EU and its Member States should raise the issue of organ harvesting in China at every Human Rights Dialogue, said MEP Zdechovsky, who insisted that the EU Member States should publicly condemn organ transplant abuses in China

The resolution also warns EU citizens against transplant tourism to China and proposes to take the necessary measures in order to prevent such a business. No detail is however provided about the nature of such measures but some think this sort of tourism should be criminalized.

The issue has however become more complex since China has established transplant centers in the Gulf region which have advertised ‘halal organs’ which can only come from Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.

The Parliament calls on its Member States to ensure that their conventions and cooperation agreements with non-EU countries, including China, in the area of health and research respect the EU’s ethical principles in relation to organ donation and the use for scientific purposes of elements and products of the human body.

On the eve of its presidency of the EU, the Czech Republic should consider the resolution of the Parliament about the issue of forced organ harvesting as a matter of priority.

Watch and listen the conference here: