Authorities in Melbourne arrested more than 70 people for flouting stay-at-home orders to protest against lockdown restrictions Sunday, with some demonstrators clashing with riot police at a market in the city.

About 250 people attended the illegal protest — the second in as many days in the city — promoted by coronavirus conspiracy groups on social media.

The demonstrators ignored official warnings and public health orders to gather at the central Queen Victoria market, calling for an end to a weeks-long lockdown of Australia’s second-biggest city.

They were met by a heavy police presence, with scuffles breaking out as the riot squad swept through market’s fruit and vegetable aisles.

Police arrested 74 people and fined 176, saying in a statement that “many protestors were aggressive and threatened violence towards officers”.

One man believed to be a “primary agitator” is facing charges of incitement while another was charged with assaulting police, according to the statement.

Last weekend, “Freedom Day” events were held across Australia to protest what some labelled the government’s “overblown” response to the pandemic, which has killed more than 900,000 people worldwide.

The latest rallies come ahead of the gradual easing of virus restrictions in Melbourne, with daily outdoor exercise increased to two hours and small “social bubbles” allowed for people living alone from Monday.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews, who has previously branded the protestors “selfish”, said Sunday the state could not afford to reopen too quickly.

“No-one is enjoying the reality we face, but none of us have the option of ignoring the reality that we face,” he said.

“We cannot open up now and stay open. It would not be safe, it would not be smart.”

An overnight curfew, restrictions on visitors to homes and a limit on travelling more than five kilometres (about three miles) are set to remain in place across Melbourne until October 26.

Despite Victoria’s second wave, Australia has been relatively successful in containing the virus, allowing other regions to roll back restrictions.

The nation has recorded more than 26,600 cases and 810 deaths in a population of 25 million, the vast majority in Melbourne and its surrounds.

Report says government brutally punishes all unauthorized forms of religious and political expression

DNA

ASHGABAT: Human rights watch has released its report about Turkmenistan. The Turkmen government’s dire human rights record saw no improvements in 2019. Turkmenistan remains an isolated and repressive country under the authoritarian rule of President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and his associates.

Turkmenistan’s economic crisis continued in 2019. The government abandoned subsidies on water, gas, and electricity. Emigration from the regions most affected by the crisis continued, but authorities attempt to bar people from traveling abroad to seek work.

The government brutally punishes all unauthorized forms of religious and political expression. Access to information is tightly controlled by the state. No independent human rights monitoring groups are allowed. Dozens of forcibly disappeared are presumably held in Turkmen prisons.

There is a total absence of media freedom in Turkmenistan. The state controls all print and electronic media. Foreign media outlets have almost no access to the country. The government retaliates against local stringers for foreign outlets.

The state continues to limit and tightly control internet access. In January, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported that the government allegedly uses imported, privately developed surveillance equipment to track and block websites, identify people which use services to bypass blocks, intercept phone calls, and block mobile messengers.

RFE/RL and the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights (TIHR), an exile group, reported that in January the government started blocking all Virtual Private Networks (VPN) services. According to an exile-run news website, Turkmen.news, by the end of July most VPN servers were not accessible.

In March, the border control authorities, without explanation, barred Soltan Achilova, an independent journalist, from boarding a flight to attend a conference abroad. On August 20, the Security Ministry informed her that she may travel abroad.

On March 23,  Saparmamed Nepeskuliev, a freelance contributor to Turkmen.news and RFE/RL left Turkmenistan. Prior to his departure, he wrote on his Facebook page that since his 2018 release from prison, plainclothes security service agents openly followed him wherever he went and surveilled him at home.

Independent groups cannot openly carry out human rights work inside Turkmenistan. Operating a nongovernmental organization without registration is punishable by a fine, short-term detention, and confiscation of property. Registration requiriments remain burdensome. Civil society activists are constantly threatened by authorities.

On September 6, labor rights activist Gaspar Matalaev was released from prison, after fully serving a three-year prison sentence on unfounded fraud charges in retaliation for monitoring state-sponsored forced labor in the cotton harvest. An activist for Baloch minority rights, Mansur Mingelov, convicted in 2012 on bogus narcotics and other charges continued to serve his 22-year sentence.

In June, Turkmenistan’s ombudsperson, Yazdursun Gurbannazarova, published the second annual report on the institution’s work. She received 985 complaints, the majority of them on housing issues and disagreement with a wide range of court decisions. Sixteen were resolved. Gurbannazarova also reported that she received 150 complaints of civil and political rights violations, three of which were resolved.

FULL REPORT AVAILABLE ON https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/turkmenistan   

Afghan, Taliban delegation form joint committee to facilitate Intra-Afghan talks

DNA/NEWS DESK

DOHA:  The Afghan representatives and the Taliban delegation – who launched the intra-Afghan talks in Qatari capital Doha on Saturday – formed a joint committee of 10 members to facilitate the negotiations.

The Chief Executive of Afghanistan who is heading the Afghan side said that there is no need to involve foreign powers as Afghan would themselves sort out this issue.

He said at this point there was no need to ask foreign stakeholders to help us.

In this committee, there are five members from each parties to represent their group accordingly – the Afghan negotiation team and the Taliban delegation.

Enayatullah Baligh, Zarar Ahmad Moqabel, Massom Stanikzai, Fowzia Kofi and Nader Nadiri are introduced by the Afghan government to the committee, according to sources.

While Taliban introduced Shekh Abdul Kabir, Abbas Stanikzai, Shekh Delawar, Shekh Qasem and Noorullah Noori to represent its delegation
within the committee.

This came after the initial meeting on Intra-Afghan talks was held Saturday in Doha, Qatar, as Afghan and Taliban delegation, including international allies from Asian, Europe, United Nation and NATO
representatives, came together in a bid to determine a political
settlement to Afghanistan.

The first round of Intra-Afghan talks is due on Monday, September 14, between the Afghan and Taliban delegation in Doha.

Sayed Saddat Mansoor Nadiri, State Minister for Peace Affairs, said the primary demand by the Afghan government is a comprehensive ceasefire during the intra-Afghan talks held in Qatari
capital Doha.

Nadiri said the first and primary demand by Afghan negotiation team is a
comprehensive ceasefire in Afghanistan. “Peace is a wish for all Afghan
people,” he added.

“Today is (a representation of) a positive pace for the Afghan nation towards achieving peace,” Nadiri exclaimed. “Really, it is a wish for all Afghans to obtain peace with dignity and permanent.”