NEWS OF THE DAY
_1 Russia politics: Police in Moscow detained opposition leader Alexei Navalny for most of the day Friday in an apparent bid to prevent him from joining a rally that he organized in another city, where several people were also detained. Navalny had planned to travel to Nizhny Novgorod, where he was to lead a rally, the latest in a series of demonstrations he has organized across Russia, when he was detained early Friday. He was kept at a Moscow police station until late evening. The Interior Ministry said in a statement Friday that Navalny was detained because of his calls for unsanctioned rallies.
_2 Syria fighting: Opposition activists say air strikes hit towns and villages in northern Syria on Friday, killing and wounding dozens. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes were concentrating on Idlib, Hama and Aleppo provinces. Rami Abdurrahman, the Observatory’s chief, said 42 towns and villages were bombarded, killing at least 12 and wounding 31. Opposition activists say Syrian and Russian warplanes have been bombing northern Syria for nearly a week, killing as many as 150.
_3 Afghanistan attack: A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a mosque in Kabul on Friday, killing five people and wounding 29 others, authorities said, in the latest attack to target the country’s minority Shiites. The attack struck worshipers leaving the Hussainia Mosque following Friday prayers. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place two days before the Muslim holy day of Ashura. But Afghanistan has faced a series of attacks in recent months targeting minority Shiites for which the Sunnidominated Islamic State group affiliate in Afghanistan has taken responsibility.
_4 LGBT crackdown: Lawyers and activists say dozens of gay and transgender people in Azerbaijan have been swept up in raids in the capital of Baku this month and some were sentenced to up to 30 days in jail. Homosexuality was decriminalized in majority-Muslim Azerbaijan in 2000, but animosity toward LGBT people remains strong. Gulnara Mehtiyeva of the Minority Azerbaijan organization said the arrests that started Sept. 18 “are the most extensive raids against representatives of sexual minorities in our country.” An attorney helping to coordinate legal representation for those arrested, Samed Rahimli, says at least 46 people have been sentenced to between 10 to 30 days in jail for resisting police. Interior Ministry spokesman Ehsan Zahidov said the arrests were sparked by citizen complaints of “disrespect.”
_5 Rwanda abuses: Government authorities have arrested, forcibly disappeared, and threatened political opponents since the August presidential elections, an international human rights group said Friday. Human Rights Watch urged the international community to condemn what it called a blatant clampdown on the political opposition in the East African country. Those targeted recently include former presidential candidate and women’s rights activist Diane Rwigara, her family members and supporters, the rights group said. Police arrested Rwigara, a leading critic of President Paul Kagame, last week for alleged offenses against state security but she has not yet been charged in court. Rwigara’s mother, Adeline, and sister, Anne, have been also detained for alleged non-payment of taxes. Speaking from the United States, Diane’s brother, Aristide Rwigara, said his family members are being denied food and his mother is not getting medical treatment.
Chronicle News Services