New Age Islam: Salman Taseer's Killer Mumtaz Qadri Hanged

Photo: Taseer's killer Mumtaz Qadri hanged

First Iran Vote after Nuclear Deal Gives Reformists Momentum

Islamist Group Kills 30 in Twin Blasts in Somali Town

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Pakistan

Salman Taseer's Killer Mumtaz Qadri Hanged

Lahore Court Sentences Brothers to Death Over 'Honour' Killing

Activist of banned outfit arrested in Islamabad

Wife of former ISI operative claims Nawaz Sharif received money from Osama Bin Laden

Pathankot JIT to complete air base attack probe this week: Tariq Fatemi

Pakistani troops off to UN mission

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Mideast

First Iran Vote after Nuclear Deal Gives Reformists Momentum

Erdoğan: Turkey Will Not Allow a Terrorist Corridor In North Syria

Election Results: Principlists Win Iran, Rreformists-Moderates Win Tehran

Iran’s pragmatic Rouhani cheers election triumph

Turkish military strikes on Syria would ‘deal blow’ to ceasefire plan – Russia

Draft requiring consent for trial of soldiers raises human rights concerns

Minister says 355,000 people have left Southeast due to clashes

Turkey denies Russian claim Syrian town attacked from its territory

Turkey has foiled 18 suicide attacks since start of year, minister says

Russia says Turkey has to admit downing jet ‘disaster’ to normalize ties

Soldier killed during anti-PKK operations in Sur

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Africa

Islamist Group Kills 30 in Twin Blasts in Somali Town

Deadline Given To Radical Muslim Groups in Bosnia Expires

Designing a Hospital like a Village Could Solve One of Africa’s Biggest Health Problems

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Arab World

Iraq Death Toll From IS Bombing Of Baghdad Market Now At 73

Over A Dozen Militants Killed In Clashes with Syrian Army in Aleppo

Saudi Forces Sustain Heavy Casualties in Ta'iz, Ma'rib Provinces

Syrian Army, Hezbollah Inflict More Defeats on Militants in Hama

Syrian Army Repels Militants' Offensive in Hama Province

Syria: Turkish Artillery Units Shell Key Town North of Raqqa

Over 100 Terrorists Cross Turkish Border to Syria

Syrian Sources Deny Terrorists' Claims about Taking Back Key Town in Aleppo

Syria: Russian Air Force Pounds Terrorists' Defense Lines in Idlib

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South Asia

MoD: 57 Militants Killed In Latest Counter-Terrorism Operations

Senior ISIS Commanders among 7 Killed In Nangarhar Drone Strike

3 killed, 11 wounded as explosion rocks Lashkargah city in Helmand

Gen. Salangi slams ISI for its destructive role in Afghanistan

1 killed, 10 wounded as rocket hits residential house in Kunar

NDS rescues 3 hostages in Logar, 4 still in kidnappers’ custody

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Southeast Asia

Indonesia Hopes Village Spending Will Counter Radicalism

Online shopping takes a hit in Malaysia

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Europe

IS Hacks UK Solar Firm Site in Revenge

Asian Man's Finger Cut-Off in Racist Attack in UK

Greece says up to 70,000 migrants may be 'trapped' next month

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North America

Canada Fulfils Promise to Take 25,000 Syrian Refugees

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL: http://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/new-age-islam-news-bureau/salman-taseer-s-killer-mumtaz-qadri-hanged/d/106504

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Salman Taseer's Killer Mumtaz Qadri Hanged

IANS | Feb 29, 2016

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities on Monday executed commando Mumtaz Qadri for the murder of former Punjab governor Salman Taseer in 2011.

Qadri was hanged at the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi after an anti-terrorism court convicted and sentenced him to death in October 2011 for shooting Taseer 28 times in Islamabad's Kohsar Market on January 4, 2011.

Governor Taseer had reportedly criticized Pakistan's anti-blasphemy laws, prompting Qadri to shoot him in broad daylight, Daily Pakistan reported.

He had filed a mercy plea before President Mamnoon Hussain after Supreme Court maintained his conviction in October last year.

Religious parties had threatened nationwide protests if Qadri was hanged. In view of a possible backlash, the president's family has been moved from Karachi to Islamabad.

Strict security measures were taken within the jail premises and a heavy contingent of Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) personnel were deployed to avoid any untoward incident.

All routes leading to the jail were sealed.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-hangs-ex-policeman-over-governors-murder/articleshow/51185981.cms

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Erdoğan says he does not obey or respect top court ruling on jailed journalists

February 28, 2016

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Sunday he does not obey or respect the decision by the Constitutional Court declaring that the imprisonment of two prominent journalists for a report on alleged illegal arms transfers to Syria amounted to a violation of their rights.

Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar and its Ankara representative Erdem Gül were freed in the early hours of Friday after 92 days in jail following the top court's ruling. The court said the journalists' right to freedom and security, the right to express their thoughts and freedom of the press under articles 19, 26 and 28 of the Constitution, respectively, were violated.

"The Constitutional Court may have reached such a verdict. I would only remain silent. I am not in a position to accept it," Erdoğan told reporters before departing for a visit to African countries. "I do not obey it nor do I respect it."

Dündar and Gül were arrested on charges of espionage and aiding a terrorist organization in November after the publication of video footage purporting to show the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) helping to send weapons to Syria when they were intercepted in 2014 by gendarmerie forces. The arrest drew international condemnation and revived concern about media freedom in Turkey.

Erdoğan, who had described the interception of the MİT trucks as an act of espionage aimed at undermining Turkey internationally, vowed that Dündar would pay a "heavy price" for reporting on the incident. "I will not let him go [unpunished]," he said back in November.

"The media cannot have unlimited freedom. These reports are an attack on the current president of this country," Erdoğan said on Sunday. "This has nothing to do with freedom of expression at all. This is an espionage case."

He also said the İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court, which is overseeing the two journalists' trial and ruled for their release in line with the decision of the Constitutional Court, could have resisted the top court's ruling and refused to free them.

"That would have invalidated the Constitutional Court ruling or those who were freed would have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights," he said.

Despite their release from prison, Dündar and Gül are still facing possible life sentences in a trial, which is due to start on March 25. The indictment against the two journalists seeks an aggravated life sentence, a life sentence and 30 years of imprisonment on separate charges including “obtaining and revealing secret information pertaining to the security of the state for espionage purposes,” “seeking to overthrow the Turkish government” and “aiding an armed terrorist organization.”

Erdoğan's remarks lead to strong criticisms

Erdoğan's remarks on the Constitutional Court's decision about Gül and Dündar attracted strong criticisms from intellectuals, jurists and politicians.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Sezgin Tanrıkulu said Erdoğan has to respect and implement both the Constitution and the decisions of constitutional institutions as befitting his current position.

Tanrıkulu said: “A president cannot disregard the Constitution. If he says such a thing, this clearly implies he also does not respect the current constitutional order in the country. He is also encouraging people not to respect the Constitution and the court rulings.”

Bülent Tezcan, the deputy parliamentary group chairman of the CHP, also reacted against Erdoğan's statement on Twitter on Sunday. He said Erdoğan does not recognize the Constitution, adding, “Now, he [Erdoğan] is calling on the courts to not recognize the laws and the Constitution.”

Constitutional law professor and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Mithat Sancar said he was not surprised by Erdoğan's recent statement, underlining Erdoğan has not been respecting constitutional laws since he was elected president in August 2014. “Not only with his statements, he has also violated the Constitution with his acts. One of the most typical violation is engaging in an electoral campaign as though he was the chairman of a political party [ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party)] before the June 7 election,” Sancar said.

Saying Erdoğan engaged in similar acts that do not comply with the Constitution while he was serving as prime minister before he was elected president, Sancar stated: “Actually, the AK Party has never been at peace with the rule of law. When it feels it is necessary, it puts the laws aside. When it also feels the need, it uses these laws against its opponents in the harshest manner.”

Responding to critics who accuse him of violating his constitutional limits, Erdoğan had said he was elected by the nation and is determined to use his authorities “to the end.”

"You can either accept it or not. Turkey's government system has been de facto changed in this regard. What should be done now is to finalize the legal framework of this de facto situation with a new Constitution," Erdoğan said during a speech on Aug. 16, 2015.

'Erdoğan staged a coup on anniversary of Feb. 28'

CHP deputy Özgür Özel held a press conference in Parliament on Sunday. Reminding that Sunday marks the anniversary of the Feb. 28, 1997 post-modern coup, Özel accused Erdoğan of staging a coup on the anniversary of Feb. 28 coup.

“Erdoğan made a coup against the judiciary on the anniversary of Feb. 28. He attempted to adjust the higher judiciary,” Özel stated.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) parliamentary group chairman Oktay Vural said Erdoğan has admitted that Turkey is no longer a state being ruled by law. Speaking at a press conference in Parliament on Sunday, Vural said that Erdoğan also gave an order to the local court during his speech, but Erdoğan had promised to respect the supremacy of law during his presidential oath.

“If you say you don't respect the court ruling, this means you don't think of a state as being ruled by law. There is no supremacy of law, but you have the law of superiors in your mind. This one-man, pro-coup mindset is against the rule of law and the supremacy of law. This is a typical example of the Feb. 28 [coup]," Vural maintained.

Contemporary Journalists Association (ÇGD) President Ahmet Abakay said the president is obligated to respect the Constitutional Court. “However, we know that the president does not respect even the Constitution via his practices and statements. This situation does not comply with a democratic country. The state administrators have to respect the laws, Constitution and the judicial bodies and they are binding for them. But now in Turkey, the administrators do not respect the law,” Abakay said.

Pointing to Erdoğan's remarks that the trial of Dündar and Gül was not a case of freedom of expression but an espionage case, Abakay said this is not true. He added: “This is not an espionage case. For a journalist, whether a report is factual or not is important. Erdoğan has never said the report [of Cumhuriyet daily] was a lie. He even confirmed it by saying, ‘So what if the trucks were filled with weapons?' Reporting is the duty of those friends [Gül and Dündar] and they just did their job.”

Commenting on Erdoğan's remarks that the local court should have resisted the ruling of the top court, Abakay also said his statement was actually a clear threat against those judges who gave the decision. “He tells the judges in what way they should give their rulings,” Abakaya added.

Veteran journalist Hasan Cemal also posted a tweet on the issue on Sunday, stating: “I don't know what to say; you become tongue-tied, when you look at Erdoğan's reactions against the Constitutional Court's ruling. I repeat this: Stability is nothing more than a dream in a country with Erdoğan, who is disregarding the law in such level.”

Journalist Özgür Mumcu addressed Erdoğan in a tweet on Sunday, saying: “You are now in your palace because the Constitutional Court, which you say don't respect, did not decide to shut down your party previously. If people also had not respected that ruling of the court, where would you be now?”

Emin Çapa, CNN Türk's senior economy editor, also commented on the issue, saying that Erdoğan can say that he does not agree with the ruling, but he holds a position in which he is obligated to respect court rulings and implement those rulings.

The Constitutional Court's ruling, which Erdoğan is highly critical of, was praised by members of the European Parliament, Council of Europe and diplomats on Friday.

Pointing out that the top court's ruling reveals its implicit acknowledgment that pre-trial imprisonment is an act of illegal confinement, Rebecca Harms, president of the Greens in the European Parliament, noted that freedom of expression and opinion must not be labeled a criminal offense since pluralism and freedom of speech are basic prerequisites of a viable democracy.

Daniel Höltgen, Council of Europe spokesman, said in a statement on Thursday evening that he was glad to hear of the Constitutional Court's decision to release the two journalists. “I trust that the Constitutional Court will continue to assert itself for the sake of freedom of expression in Turkey, relying on the European Convention on Human Rights,” Höltgen said.

Commenting on the Constitutional Court's decision on her Twitter account on Thursday evening, European Parliament's Turkey rapporteur Kati Piri also welcomed the ruling and said both Dündar and Gül should be freed soon.

todayszaman.com/national_erdogan-says-he-does-not-obey-or-respect-top-court-ruling-on-jailed-journalists_413496.html

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Islamist group kills 30 in twin blasts in Somali town

Reuters | Feb 29, 2016

MOGADISHU: Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist group bombed a busy junction and a nearby restaurant in the town of Baidoa on Sunday, killing at least 30 people, police said.

Al Shabaab often carries out such suicide attacks in the capital and elsewhere in its bid to topple Somalia's Western-backed government.

The group wants to impose its strict version of Islamic rule in the Horn of Africa nation.

"The restaurant and the junction were very busy," Police Major Bilow Nurr told Reuters from Baidoa, which lies about 245 km (152 miles) northwest of Mogadishu.

Police Colonel Abdi Osman said the death toll was 30, with 40 others injured.

According to Hospital authorities, many of the bodies it received were charred beyond recognition.

"A suicide car bomb blew up at the junction while a second blast, possibly a bomb that had been planted or a suicide bomber struck the restaurant.

"We targeted government officials and forces," al Shabaab's military operation spokesperson Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters, adding that there was a police station nearby.

Ismail Olad told Reuters that the two locations were full of civilians and security forces. "I heard a huge crash at the busy junction and as I ran, I heard another blast at a restaurant ahead of me. The whole place was covered by smoke," he said.

The blasts follows a car bomb attack in Mogadishu near a park and hotel on Friday that killed 14 people, police said. He said three militants from the al Shabaab group were also killed.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Islamist-group-kills-30-in-twin-blasts-in-Somali-town/articleshow/51185831.cms

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Pakistan

Salman Taseer's Killer Mumtaz Qadri Hanged

IANS | Feb 29, 2016

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities on Monday executed commando Mumtaz Qadri for the murder of former Punjab governor Salman Taseer in 2011.

Governor Taseer had reportedly criticized Pakistan's anti-blasphemy laws, prompting Qadri to shoot him in broad daylight, Daily Pakistan reported.

He had filed a mercy plea before President Mamnoon Hussain after Supreme Court maintained his conviction in October last year.

Religious parties had threatened nationwide protests if Qadri was hanged. In view of a possible backlash, the president's family has been moved from Karachi to Islamabad.

Strict security measures were taken within the jail premises and a heavy contingent of Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) personnel were deployed to avoid any untoward incident.

All routes leading to the jail were sealed.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-hangs-ex-policeman-over-governors-murder/articleshow/51185981.cms

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Lahore court sentences brothers to death over 'honour' killing

Feb 29, 2016

LAHORE: A sessions court on Monday sentenced two brothers, Ahsan and Zeeshan Butt, to death twice for killing their sister and her husband over 'honour' six years ago.

Judge Naveed Iqbal also imposed a fine of Rs one million each on the convicted men.

The two brothers had shot dead their sister, Saba, and her husband, Shafiq, for marrying out of their own will six years ago.

The couple, who were residents of Yaki Gate area of Lahore's walled city, had married of their free will in 2009 and had moved away. But Ahsan and Zeeshan invited them over for a meal and shot dead the couple only a few months after their marriage.

The sentence comes as Pakistan celebrates its second Oscar win, courtesy of filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy whose documentary based on the heinous crime won the prestigious award.

Earlier in 2012 Sharmeen had won an Academy Award for the film Saving Face, which highlighted the plight of acid attack survivors.

More than 500 men and women died in honour killings in 2015, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

‘Honour killing’ is defined as: “killing of a female, and sometimes her love-interests and other associates, for supposed sexual or marital offenses, typically by her own relatives, with the justification being that the ‘offence’ has brought dishonour to the family.”

Such crimes are perpetrated for a wide range of offences, marital infidelity, pre-marital sex, flirting, refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of sexual assault, seeking a divorce even from an abusive husband or allegedly committing adultery, can all be perceived as impugning the family honour.

dawn.com/news/1242656/lahore-court-sentences-brothers-to-death-over-honour-killing

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Activist of banned outfit arrested in Islamabad

February 29th, 2016

ISLAMABAD: An activist of a banned outfit was arrested on the charge of distributing literature against the government and for seeking enforcement of Sharia in the country.

The Bhara Kahu police said the accused, a university student and worker of a banned organisation, had already been booked by the Sabzi Mandi and Industrial Area police under the same charges.

Shaukat Ali, an official of the Bhara Kahu police, told Dawn that the suspect was distributing literature in front of Farooqia Masjid on Murree Road when he was arrested.

“The literature was against the government and it stressed that Sharia should be enforced in the country. As the accused belongs to a banned outfit, he was arrested,” he said.

In reply to a question, Mr Shaukat said the suspect was a university student. He belongs to a well-educated family and his father is a retired government servant, he added.

The suspect has been involved in the circulation of banned material for a long time. In the past, cases were also registered against him by the Sabzi Mandi and Industrial Area police, he said.

“We have obtained two days’ remand of the suspect. During the interrogation, he will be asked who was providing him the material for circulation,” the official added.

dawn.com/news/1242569/activist-of-banned-outfit-arrested-in-islamabad

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Wife of former ISI operative claims Nawaz Sharif received money from Osama Bin Laden

By Khaama Press - Mon Feb 29 2016

NawazA new book authored by the wife a former operative of Pakistan’s spy agency has once again made the claim that Nawaz Sharif received money from al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

The book, Khalid Khawaja: Shaheed-i-Aman, is authored by Shamama Khalid, the wife of former ISI operative Khalid Khawaja.

“Chief of PML-N Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif received funding from Osama Bin Laden, founder of Al-Qaeda, to contest elections against Benazir Bhutto’s led Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) after the end of Zia regime,” the book states, as per the report Pakistan’s Dawn news agency.

The book claims that Mr Sharif’s pledge of introducing an Islamic system attracted Khawaja as well as Bin Laden. But even though the Al Qaeda head honcho funded Nawaz Sharif heavily, the latter backtracked from all his promises after coming into power.

Book by slain spy’s wife claims Al Qaeda leader backed Sharif against Benazir Bhutto

The book also carries a note from former ISI director general, retired Lt-Gen Hamid Gul, which also claims that Khawaja was very close to Nawaz Sharif for some time. The book claims that Abdullah Azzam introduced Khawaja to Bin Laden.

Azzam, who is also known as the ‘father of global jihad’, was a Palestinian Sunni. Azzam raised funds and recruited jihadis from the Arab world, known as Afghan Arabs. A mentor of Bin Laden, he is said to have persuaded him to come to Afghanistan.

The book claims that Khawaja was killed by a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban while he was on a peace mission in the restive tribal areas.

Khalid Khawaja went to North Waziristan along with retired Col Imam and British journalist Asad Qureshi. Khawaja and Col Imam were killed while Qureshi was released in exchange for a ransom.

The Asian Tigers group, that claimed responsibility for the crime, had never been heard of before.

The book alleged that the Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) were behind the killing of Khawaja and Col Imam.

khaama.com/nawaz-sharif-received-money-from-osama-bin-laden-report-4608

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Pathankot JIT to complete air base attack probe this week: Tariq Fatemi

February 29th, 2016

ISLAMABAD: The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the Pathankot air base attack earlier this year will complete its investigation this week, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi said Monday, Radio Pakistan reported.

There are currently two JITs probing the attack. A six-member investigation team was formed by the federal government to investigate the case soon after the attack, while a five-member JIT was constituted by the Punjab government last week after a First-Information Report (FIR) was filed by the Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department against the attackers at a Gujranwala police station.

The FIR was filed after Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar accused Pakistan of "pretending to sleep" and not being serious about the probe into the air base attack.

Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz last week revealed that one of the mobile phone numbers linked to the Pathankot airbase attackers had been traced to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) group’s headquarters in Bahawalpur.

JeM chief Masood Azhar has been named by India as the mastermind of the airbase attack and Sartaj had confirmed media reports that Azhar had been under “protective custody” since Jan 14.

He the FIR filed by the CTD had created legal basis for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Pakistan to visit India to collect evidence. The SIT may visit Pathankot in the first few days of March to probe the attack, he said, adding that India had agreed to the SIT visit.

dawn.com/news/1242649/pathankot-jit-to-complete-air-base-attack-probe-this-week-tariq-fatemi

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Pak team to complete Pathankot probe this week

PTI | Feb 29, 2016

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani team investigating the Pathankot terror attack will complete its probe this week, a top official said on Monday, days after three suspects in the high-profile case were remanded to police custody.

"The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) will complete probe into Pathankot incident this week," Prime Minister's special assistant on Foreign affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi was quoted as saying by Radio Pakistan.

Pakistan last week set up a five-member JIT to probe the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase, a week after it lodged an FIR over the assault without naming Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, who, India has accused of having masterminded the strike.

Earlier, a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) was set up by the federal government for the initial probe into the January 2 attack based on the leads given by India.

Three men arrested for their alleged role in the attack were sent to a six-day police remand by an anti-terrorism court in Gujranwala city of Punjab on Saturday.

The FIR by the counter-terrorism department of Punjab police has been lodged on the basis of information provided by National security advisor Ajit Doval that four attackers crossed from Pakistan into India and attacked the airbase.

The attack led to the postponement of a scheduled meeting between foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India in January in Islamabad. Since then, no date has been fixed for the talks.

Meanwhile, Fatemi also said the dates for the upcoming SAARC Summit in Islamabad are being worked out in consultation with member states.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to attend the summit.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-team-to-complete-Pathankot-probe-this-week/articleshow/51193327.cms

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Pakistani troops off to UN mission

February 29th, 2016

LAHORE: A batch of 250 Pakistan army troops left for Central African Republic (CAR) on Sunday to perform peace-keeping duties under the aegis of the United Nations Mission.

Brig Maqbool Ahmad bade them farewell at the Allama Iqbal International Airport prior to their departure on a UN chartered aircraft.

The departing troops will replace the already deployed Pakistan army contingent in the war-ravaged country as part of the relieve and rotation schedule.

Speaking to troops, Brig Ahmad said the Pakistan army had added glorious chapters in the history of peace-keeping by rendering dedicated services for the restoration of peace all over the globe.

The services of Pakistani contingent to secure stable environments for maintenance of peace and order in Somalia, Eastern Slovenia, Bosnia, Haiti, East Timor, Liberia, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Congo and Sierra Leone had enhanced the country’s image among the comity of nations.

dawn.com/news/1242598/pakistani-troops-off-to-un-mission

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Mideast

Erdoğan says he does not obey or respect top court ruling on jailed journalists

February 28, 2016

"That would have invalidated the Constitutional Court ruling or those who were freed would have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights," he said.

Erdoğan's remarks lead to strong criticisms

Erdoğan's remarks on the Constitutional Court's decision about Gül and Dündar attracted strong criticisms from intellectuals, jurists and politicians.

Responding to critics who accuse him of violating his constitutional limits, Erdoğan had said he was elected by the nation and is determined to use his authorities “to the end.”

'Erdoğan staged a coup on anniversary of Feb. 28'

“Erdoğan made a coup against the judiciary on the anniversary of Feb. 28. He attempted to adjust the higher judiciary,” Özel stated.

The Constitutional Court's ruling, which Erdoğan is highly critical of, was praised by members of the European Parliament, Council of Europe and diplomats on Friday.

todayszaman.com/national_erdogan-says-he-does-not-obey-or-respect-top-court-ruling-on-jailed-journalists_413496.html

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First Iran vote after nuclear deal gives reformists momentum

AP | Feb 29, 2016

TEHRAN: Iranian reformists appear have won all 30 seats representing the nation's capital in parliament, a definitive rebuke to the hard-liners opposing President Hassan Rouhani's efforts to open the economy and cooperate with the West.

In the first elections held since last year's nuclear deal, none of Iran's three main political camps; reformists, conservatives and hard-liners, is expected to win an outright majority in the 290-seat parliament, but early results indicate the best reformist showing in more than a decade.

Moderate conservatives also gained seats, and if their tentative coalition with the reformists holds, they could end the domination of parliament by hard-liners who were opposed to the nuclear deal. The reformist gains reflect strong public support for the agreement's promise of more economic opportunities now that the West has dropped crippling sanctions in exchange for limiting the nation's nuclear program.

State television said Friday's vote heralds ``the end of the presence of a powerful majority in the parliament that overshadowed decision-making apparatus in the country over the past decade.''

Rouhani thanked voters on Saturday night in a message that encouraged Iranians to help him end the nation's isolation.

``The competition has ended. Now it is time to open a new way through unity between people and the government to have a new chapter in growth of the national economy by using domestic strength and foreign opportunities,'' he said.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, called the vote ``proof of democracy'' at work in Iran.

But Khamenei also addressed hard-line concerns that greater integration with the West could undermine Iranian independence and morality. He urged the next parliament, which begins its work in May, to remain vigilant against ``foreign intervention,'' and warned that democratic progress does not mean ``integration into the global arrogance.''

The Interior Ministry is expected to release final results on Monday. Provincial reports suggest that of the first 185 districts reporting, 55 have gone to reformists, 66 to moderate conservatives and 64 to hard-liners.

Reformists hold fewer than 20 seats in the outgoing parliament and have been virtually shut out of politics since losing their parliamentary majority in the 2004 elections. Nearly 55 million of Iran's 80 million people were eligible to vote, and more than 60 percent turned out, based on partial results.

Iranians also elected a new Assembly of Experts, 88 senior clerics whose most important role is to select a new supreme leader. The assembly is elected every eight years and could be asked to choose a successor to Khamenei, 76, who had prostate surgery in 2014.

Mehrnaz Hemmati, a 21-year-old tailor shop worker, said she voted for the coalition of reformists and moderates; and won't celebrate until final results were announced.

``I expect more attention to be paid to job opportunities for women,'' Hemmati said. ``Rouhani, with help from the new parliament, should open doors to the world to bring in foreign investments.''

Mohammad Reza Shahabi, an accountant in a construction company, hopes that with hard-liners losing some influence, ``The government will have a more free hand in implementing deals with the world from now on. The elections should add to Rouhani's power, since new lawmakers will not create barriers like before,'' he said.

But Aida Ghorbani, an employee at an advertising and public relations firm, remains doubtful.

``Based on experience, they cannot take big steps because of the greater influence of hard-liners in the government, however I feel happy,'' she said.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/First-Iran-vote-after-nuclear-deal-gives-reformists-momentum/articleshow/51187866.cms?

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Election Results: Principlists Win Iran, Rreformists-Moderates Win Tehran

Feb 29, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Interior Ministry announced on Monday that Principlist candidates have won the most seats in the Friday parliamentary elections, while the reformists-moderates coalition has garnered a strong support in the capital.

According to the officials, with 100 percent of the votes counted by Monday, 30 seats belonging to the capital city at the parliament have been won by the coalition of reformist figures and the pro-Rouhani List of Hope.

However, reformists have lost the game in constituencies outside the capital. In Isfahan that is the second most constituency after Tehran, for example, the Principlists have earned a crushing victory over the Reformoderates candidates.

According to Interior Ministry results, the Principlists have won 50 percent of the seats, the reformoderates have garnered 44 percent of the votes and independent candidates have earned 6 percent of the 290-seat parliament. Meantime, in 34 constituencies, there will be election runoffs.

From the 34 candidates who have gone for the runoff vote in April, 45 percent are Principlists, 35 percent Reformoderates and 20 percent Independents.

Winners of Tehran Constituency:

1-Mohammad Reza Aref

2-Ali Motahari

3-Alireza Mahjoub

4-Soheila Jelodarzadeh

5-Elyas Hazrati

6-Kazzem Jalali

7-Mohammadreza Badamchi

8-Farideh Olad Qobad

9-Mostafa Kavakebian

10-Fatemeh Hosseini

11-Parvaneh Salahshouri

12-Abolfazl Soroush

13-Ali Nobakht Haqiqi

14-Gholamreza Heidari

15-Mehdi Sheikh

16-Fatemeh Saeidi

17-Mahmoud Sadeqi

18-Mohammad Ali Vakili

19-Behrouz Nemati

20-Parvaneh Mafi

21-Fatemeh Zolqadr

22-Seyed Farid Mousavi

23-Mohammad Javad Fathi

24-Tayebeh Siavoshi Shah-Enayati

25-Mohammadreza Najafi

26-Davoud Mohammadi

27-Mohsen Alijani Zamani

28-Ahmad Mazeni

29-Alireza Rahimi

30-Abdolreza Hashemzaei

Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said turnout for the twinned elections stood at 62 percent.

At least 35 million out of the 55 million eligible voters took part in Iran’s 5th Assembly of Experts and 10th Parliamentary elections on Friday.

en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941209000822

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Iran’s pragmatic Rouhani cheers election triumph

February 28, 2016

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani won an emphatic vote of confidence and reformist partners secured surprise gains in parliament in early results from elections that could accelerate the Islamic Republic's emergence from years of isolation.

While gains by moderates and reformists in Friday's polls were most evident in the capital, Tehran, the sheer scale of the advances there suggests a legislature more friendly to the pragmatist Rouhani has emerged as a distinct possibility.

A loosening of control by the anti-Western hard-liners who currently dominate the 290-seat parliament could strengthen his hand to open Iran further to foreign trade and investment following last year's breakthrough nuclear deal.

A reformist-backed list of candidates aligned with Rouhani was on course to win all 30 parliamentary seats in Tehran, initial results released on Sunday showed. Top conservative candidate Gholamali Haddad Adel was set to lose his seat.

"The people showed their power once again and gave more credibility and strength to their elected government," Rouhani said, adding he would work with anyone who won election to build a future for the industrialized, oil-exporting country.

The polls were seen by analysts as a potential turning point for Iran, where nearly 60 percent of its 80 million population is under 30 and eager to engage with the world following the lifting of most sanctions.

"Based on the votes that we have so far it looks like the principlists will lose the majority in the next Majlis (parliament) shy of 50 percent. The reformists gained 30 percent and independent candidates did better than before, gaining 20 percent," said Foad Izadi, an assistant professor at the Faculty of World Studies in Tehran University.

Principlists, otherwise known as hard-liners, hold 65 percent of the outgoing parliament and the rest is divided between reformists and independents who traditionally support Rouhani.

Izadi said the reformists' strong lead was prompted by Rouhani's success in reaching a nuclear agreement between Iran and international powers, the removal of most of the punitive sanctions that had strangled the country's economy over the past decade and restoration of relations with the West.

"It is a sweeping victory for Tehran but for other cities it is not yet clear cut. It is beyond expectations," he added.

Etemad, a reformist newspaper whose managing-editor Elias Hazrati won a seat in Tehran, has chosen the first headline of "clean up in the parliament."

"The next parliament will be like no other parliament in the history of Iran as no political faction will have the absolute say," the newspaper said on its front-page.

Millions crowded polling stations on Friday to vote for parliament and the Assembly of Experts, which selects the country's highest authority, the supreme leader. Both bodies have been in the hands of hard-liners for years.

Supporters of Rouhani, who promoted the nuclear deal, were pitted against hard-liners close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who are wary of detente with Western countries.

Acumen

Rouhani and key ally and former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani were leading the race for the Assembly of Experts with most votes counted, and appeared to be sure of winning seats, early results released on Saturday showed.

Until now, the contest for this seat of clerical power was an unremarkable event, but not this time. Because of Khamenei's health and age, 76, the new assembly members who serve eight-year terms are likely to choose his successor. The next leader could well be among those elected this week.

Rafsanjani is among the founders of the Islamic Republic and was its president from 1989-1997. Nearly always at the center of Iran's intricate webs of power, the arch-fixer is famous for his pragmatism and political acumen.

Two prominent hard-liners were on course to be elected with lesser scores in the experts assembly race: Ahmad Jannati was in 11th place and the assembly's current chairman, Mohammad Yazdi, was 15th. Arch-conservative Mohammad-Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi appeared unlikely to win a seat, according to partial results.

The results were initially announced as final in an official statement. A later statement said the results were partial and a final tally would be announced in due course.

Influence

A Reuters tally, based on official results published so far, suggested the pro-Rouhani camp and allied independents were leading in the parliamentary vote. Some moderate conservatives, including current speaker Ali Larijani, support Rouhani.

A breakdown of the results had independents on 44, reformists on 79, and hard-liners on 106, the tally showed. A number of seats will be decided in run-offs in late April because no candidate won the required 25 percent of votes cast. Eight of the initial winners were women.

Analyst say the large number of independents may be significant as they could cooperate across ideological lines with Rouhani's government.

Whatever the outcome, Iran's political system places much power in the hands of the conservative Islamic establishment including the Guardian Council, which vets all laws passed by parliament.

todayszaman.com/world_irans-pragmatic-rouhani-cheers-election-triumph_413488.html

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Turkish military strikes on Syria would ‘deal blow’ to ceasefire plan – Russia

Feb 29, 2016

Russia is concerned about Turkey’s military preparations along its border with Syria, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Monday. He warned that an armed intervention by Ankara would deal an “irreparable blow” to the Syria ceasefire plan, Reuters reported. “Unfortunately, our Turkish colleagues still have not abandoned the idea of cross-border strikes,” Ryabkov told reporters.

https://rt.com/news/line/

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Draft requiring consent for trial of soldiers raises human rights concerns

February 28, 2016

A new draft proposal that will demand the consent of both the defense minister and the prime minister in order to prosecute soldiers charged with torture or ill-treatment while serving in the army could have terrible consequences, according to human rights advocates and security experts.

The draft legislation prepared by the Ministry of National Defense (MSB) and submitted to the Justice Ministry states that “all members of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) engaged in the struggle against terror” should only be tried with consent.

According to a report in the Hürriyet daily on Sunday, there will be “no direct investigation” into accusations placed against members of the TSK engaged in combat. If there are grounds to open a case against a member of the TSK, the prosecutors will have to gain consent from the MSB. This constitutes the first part of the consent process, as if the defense minister consents to the investigation, the prosecutors will then have to apply for the consent of the prime minister.

A delicate cease-fire, which had been providing relative peace since March of 2013, was broken by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) when it killed two Turkish security personnel in July of 2015 in retaliation for the state failing to prevent a suicide bombing in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa on July 20 that killed 34 people and injured more than 100.

Nearly 40,000 people have been killed in clashes with the PKK since 1984, when the armed group launched its first attacks. The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by the US, the EU and Turkey.

According to Ali Fahir Kayacan, former secretary-general of the Military Court of Cassation, there are no rules indicating a need for consent when opening a court case against a member of the military.

“Regarding members of the army, there is the Code of Military Procedure. Military personnel are tried in a military court for crimes they have committed whilst performing their duties” he said.

Ercan Taştekin of the Research Center for Security Strategies (GÜSAM) in Ankara told Today's Zaman on Sunday that the introduction of the draft proposal will be a catastrophe for Turkey's struggle against terror.

“States need democratic, transparent procedures that adhere to the rule of law when facing combat against terrorist organizations,” he said.

Noting that terrorist organizations grow on the mistakes made by countries in combat with them, Taştekin said, “This [draft] will lead to possible human rights infractions, which will allow for terrorist organizations to trick youngsters into joining their ranks.”

The head of the Human Rights Association (İHD), Öztürk Türkdoğan, told Today's Zaman that the political executive is making a grave mistake if it is thinking of providing immunity to soldiers who may have committed crimes while on duty.

He noted that such laws bestowing impunity to members of the military who committed crimes were not even introduced during the military coup-era after 1980.

“The acceptance of this [draft] will have terrible consequences,” he said. “Until now, a policy of impunity was being conducted, not formally, but unofficially. If this draft law passes into existence, then this policy will become official.”

Stating that the most important ties citizens can have with their state stem from the belief that the state can carry out justice, Türkdoğan said that if citizens fail to believe the state can provide justice, their allegiance to the state will cease to exist. “This will render obsolete the feeling of belonging to the state, especially that of the Kurds.”

He noted that people will try to carry out their own justice if they feel that those responsible for certain crimes are protected by the ministers and prime ministers of this country. “This would be a call of insurrection to the people. Those who make laws should be thinking 1,000 times before they think of passing such laws,” he said.

Previously, the Constitutional Court endorsed a similar privilege granting immunity to members of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT). The top court only annulled two articles of a controversial law that was taken to the Constitutional Court by the Republican People's Party (CHP) in 2014.

The law, which entered into force on April 26 after it was approved by then-President Abdullah Gül, has been the focus of criticism from both domestic and international rights groups for sidelining fundamental rights and freedoms.

The Constitutional Court decided against annulling highly controversial articles in the amendment such as immunity of MİT agents from legal and criminal liability and the arbitrary phone tapping of suspects by order of the undersecretary of MİT or his deputy.

He noted that such laws bestowing impunity to members of the military who committed crimes were not even introduced during the military coup-era after 1980.

todayszaman.com/national_draft-requiring-consent-for-trial-of-soldiers-raises-human-rights-concerns_413541.html

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Minister says 355,000 people have left Southeast due to clashes

February 28, 2016

Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu has said that 355,000 people have migrated from Turkey's Kurdish-majority Southeast to other cities across Turkey since the beginning of December 2015 due to clashes between the military and the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Speaking at a Justice and Development Party (AK Party) meeting in Bursa on Saturday, Müezzinoğlu said that following the June 7, 2015 parliamentary election, the PKK has attempted to create an atmosphere of chaos in Turkey via terrorist attacks. The authorities had tried to stop terrorist activities by imposing curfews in the districts of Cizre and Silopi in Şırnak province and Sur in Diyarbakır province, Müezzinoğlu said, adding that the security forces had taken precautions to prevent civilians deaths during the anti-PKK operations, which were launched in Sur on Dec. 2 of last year and in Silopi and Cizre on Dec. 14.

The operations in Cizre and Silopi have since finished, with the curfew in Silopi being lifted in January, while the curfew imposed on Dec. 14, 2015 in Cizre is still in place. The anti-PKK offensive in Sur is still ongoing, along with a curfew.

“So far, 355,000 people [from the Southeast] have left their homes. We in the Ministry of Health have accounted for all of the displaced people. We ask them what their new addresses are, where pregnant women will deliver their children, whether there are dialysis patients who need medical services and whether there are cancer patients and where they are being treated. These people are citizens too,” Müezzinoğlu said.

A settlement process launched by the government in 2012 to end Turkey's long-standing Kurdish problem came to an end in late July 2015 with a revival of clashes between the PKK and the security forces in the Southeast. The end of the two-year cease-fire triggered the worst violence seen in the region in two decades.

The Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TİHV) said in a report in January that, as of Jan. 24, at least 198 civilians, including 39 children, have died in combat areas under curfew since August 2015. According to media reports, more than 260 members of the security forces have been killed in clashes in the region.

todayszaman.com/national_minister-says-355000-people-have-left-southeast-due-to-clashes_413510.html

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Turkey denies Russian claim Syrian town attacked from its territory

February 28, 2016

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Sunday that its coordination center in Syria had received information about an attack on the Syrian town of Tel Abyad from Turkish territory using large-caliber artillery, the Interfax news agency has reported.

Interfax cited the head of the coordination center as saying Russia had contacted a US center in Amman for clarification over the shelling of Syrian territory from Turkey. Turkish military sources denied the Russian claim. Speaking to Hürriyet newspaper, the sources said Turkish forces have not fired at targets of either of the warring sides in Tel Abyad, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Tel Abyad came under an ISIL attack on Saturday only hours after a US-Russian engineered "cessation of hostilities" agreement went into effect at midnight. The attack prompted air strikes by the US-led anti-ISIL coalition to try to drive them back.

The Kurdish militia group YPG, which controls Tel Abyad, said the attack was repelled. YPG spokesman Redur Xelil said some of the attackers infiltrated from the Turkish border to the north, reiterating accusations that Turkey was supporting ISIL. Turkey has consistently denied such accusations and the security sources said recent measures to stop illegal crossings meant it was impossible for the attackers to have entered from Turkey.

The YPG captured Tel Abyad from ISIL last year in an offensive backed by US-led air strikes. The town lies north of Raqqa and had been a key supply line for the jihadi capital.

Turkish security sources told Reuters on Saturday that the attack on Tel Abyad was launched on two fronts and that the sound of gunfire and explosions, audible from the town of Akçakale on the Turkish side, had continued for several hours. While not directly addressing the Tel Abyad attack, 14 Turkish F-16s patrolled the Turkish-Syrian border on Friday, the Turkish military said.

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Turkey has foiled 18 suicide attacks since start of year, minister says

February 28, 2016

Interior Minister Efkan Ala, who is currently at the center of public criticism due to recent terror attacks, has said the Turkish police have prevented 18 suicide attacks since the beginning of 2016.

Accusations of negligence and deliberate connivance have been strongly leveled at the government and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) in relation to the latest terrorist attack, in the heart of Ankara, which on Feb.17 claimed 28 lives and injured dozens more after targeting an area housing military headquarters and almost all state institutions. The death toll later rose to 29 when one of the injured died in the hospital.

Speaking on a TV program on Sunday, Ala said: "As the Interior Ministry and the police, we have called on everyone to be on alert regarding these issues [suicide attacks]. Since the beginning of the year, we have prevented 18 such incidents. Four vehicles [to be used in suicide attacks] were brought [to Turkey] and we seized three of them. We seized one of these vehicles at Boğaziçi recently."

Ala was referring to a suspected bomb-laden car that was discovered on the campus of Boğaziçi University in İstanbul last Thursday.

The minister also said a would-be suicide attacker who was planning to carry out an attack during New Year celebrations was arrested by the police before he could carry out the attack.

"We don't reveal most of the attacks plans we prevented. There is need not to do so. We are working to maintain peace for the public," he said.

Turkey has been shaken by major terrorist attacks over the past months following which government has faced accusations of negligence.

On June 5, 2015, a suicide attack that killed five civilians was staged by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militant Orhan Gönder ahead of the June 7 general election as the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) was holding an election rally in Diyarbakır. It was revealed that Gönder had been monitored by police but was taken off technical surveillance on the day the bombing occurred, raising suspicions as to whether the attack was deliberately not prevented.

On Oct. 10, 2015, there was another terrorist attack, this time in Ankara, in which 103 people taking part in a peace rally were killed and hundreds more injured. Some politicians and the media raised similar accusations of security lapses and intelligence failures.

todayszaman.com/national_turkey-has-foiled-18-suicide-attacks-since-start-of-year-minister-says_413535.html

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Russia says Turkey has to admit downing jet ‘disaster’ to normalize ties

February 28, 2016

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has said Turkish-Russian relations will not be normalized until Turkey admits that the downing of a Russian jet on Nov. 24 of last year was a “disaster.”

Speaking to Sputnik news, Zakharova said the downing of the Russian jet last year by Turkey at the Syrian border was a “disaster.” Recalling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks saying that Russia has lost a friend like Turkey due to the mistakes of two Russian pilots, Zakharova criticized Erdoğan and said the pilots were Russian citizens and that it is not right to say the incident was all about the pilots' mistake.

She said Russia has lost two pilots and unfortunately Turkish-Russian relations have turned sour. Zakharova said the Russian pilots had not visited Turkey as tourists, but they were protecting not only Russia's but the world's interests, as they were fighting against terrorist organizations.

Zakharova said when Ankara admits that the jet's downing was a disaster, then the right steps will be taken to normalize Turkish-Russian relations.

She also refuted reports of Russia bombing civilians in Syria and asked to see evidence. Zakharova in addition criticized Turkey for not allowing Russian planes to fly at the Syrian border. She claimed this shows that Ankara has something to hide, such as smuggling oil and allowing jihadist militants to cross into Syria.

In the meantime, the Turkish Parliament has left Russia out when announcing the formation of parliamentary groups with other nations. Parliament has recently announced the establishment of parliamentary friendship groups with 129 countries around the world. Russia is not one of these countries. Israel, Syria, Egypt and Greece were also snubbed by Parliament as Turkey does not have normalized relations with those countries, either.

todayszaman.com/diplomacy_russia-says-turkey-has-to-admit-downing-jet-disaster-to-normalize-ties_413516.html

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Soldier killed during anti-PKK operations in Sur

February 29, 2016

A soldier has died after sustaining injuries in an attack by terrorists from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the Sur district of Diyarbakır on Sunday, the General Staff announced.

Noncommissioned officer Can Çalışkan died at Diyarbakır Military Hospital despite medical efforts to save him, and his body was sent to his hometown of Ankara after a funeral ceremony in Diyarbakır on Monday.

Parts of Sur have been under curfew since Dec. 2, 2015, and operations by the security forces to remove barricades and fill trenches dug by PKK members are continuing.

todayszaman.com/national_soldier-killed-during-anti-pkk-operations-in-sur_413569.html