Donald Trump tweets in support of protesters in Iran

US President Donald Trump (Reuters file photo)

US President Donald Trump has slammed the Iranian government for shutting down the internet amdist country-wide protests against it.

“Iran, the Number One State of Sponsored Terror with numerous violations of Human Rights occurring on an hourly basis, has now closed down the Internet so that peaceful demonstrators cannot communicate. Not good!” Trump tweeted last evening.

Earlier in the day, in a separate tweet, Trump said the US is watching “very closely” for human rights violations in Iran in wake of the protests.

“Big protests in Iran. The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer. The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations!” he said.

Trump’s statements were followed by a White House statement in support of the Iranian protesters.

“We support the right of the Iranian people to express themselves peacefully. Their voices deserve to be heard,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said last night.

“We encourage all parties to protect this fundamental right to peaceful expression and to avoid any actions that contribute to censorship,” she said.

In a separate statement, the US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said the long-repressed Iranian people are now finding their voice.

“The Iranian government is being tested by its own citizens. We pray that freedom and human rights will carry the day,” she said.

At least two demonstrators have reportedly been killed in the Iranian protests in the last few days, The New York Times said on Sunday.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called for calm urging people not to resort to violence.

“We are a free nation, and based on the Constitution and citizenship rights, people are completely free to express their criticism and even their protest,” Rouhani was quoted as saying by the state-run PressTV.

Comments

China recovers $112 million in misused poverty relief funds

China’s government has pledged to wipe out poverty by 2020. (AP file photo) Chinese authorities have recouped 730 million yuan ($112.20 million) in misappropriated funds as part of an investigation into the country’s national poverty-reduction scheme, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. Nearly 450 people have been charged for offences relating to the misused funds in an inspection of 28 provinces, said Xinhua, citing the Ministry of Finance and the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development. The report gave no details on how the funds were misused. China’s government has pledged to wipe out poverty by 2020, targeting 70 million people living below the poverty line, but researchers and social workers say a lasting solution will take much longer. China has spent 196.1 billion yuan ($30.14 billion) on poverty relief over the past four years, said Xinhua. Earlier this month, Hu Zejun, the head of the National Audit Office, said...

Detained Cambodian opposition leader calls for free and fair vote

Kem Sokha said 2017 was marked by big political crises that led to a “democracy walked backward.” (AP Photo) Cambodia’s detained opposition leader Kem Sokha called for free and fair elections in the Southeast Asian country in a New Year’s message on Monday. Kem Sokha, head of the banned opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was arrested in September. He is accused of trying to overthrow the government of strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen with American help and of espionage – charges he denies and says are politically motivated. In a two-page letter read by his daughter Kem Monovithya and posted on Facebook on Monday, Kem Sokha said Cambodia faces losing aid and its export markets abroad as well as condemnation by the international community after the CNRP’s dissolution. “Leave an opportunity for people to choose leadership representatives through an election that is free and fair,” Kem Sokha said, calling for national unity and non-violence to solve ...

US may withhold USD 255 million aid to Pak for inaction against terror groups: Report

The NYT report comes days after US Vice President Mike Pence said in Kabul that the Trump administration has put Pakistan on notice. (Donald Trump and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi) The United States government is reportedly considering to withhold USD 255 million in aid to Pakistan. PTI quoted a New York Times report as saying that the internal debate of Trump administration whether to deny Pakistan the money is a test of whether President Donald Trump will deliver on his threat to punish Islamabad for failing to cooperate on counter-terrorism operations. “Now, the Trump administration is strongly considering whether to withhold USD 255 million in aid that it had delayed sending to Islamabad, according to American officials, as a show of dissatisfaction with Pakistan’s broader intransigence toward confronting the terrorist networks that operate there,” the New York Times report said. ALSO READ | US will not tolerate Pakistan providing safe havens to terrorists: Nikki Hale...

I GLOBAL NEWZ

Search This Blog