World

Sri Lanka’s new government came under international censure Monday over the use of tough anti-terror laws to detain protesters who forced Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down from the presidency last month.

Three student activists arrested last week during the first anti-government rally after the end of a state of emergency were being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), authorities said late Sunday, including student leader Wasantha Mudalige.

The PTA allows suspects to be detained for 90 days without judicial review.

“Using laws that don’t conform with international human rights standards – like the PTA – erodes democracy in Sri Lanka,” said US ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung. 

“We encourage the government to uphold the rights of the people to express their views,” she tweeted.

The European Union said it was “concerned” by the development, with the EU office in Colombo tweeting that there had been a “de-facto moratorium of the use of #PTA”.

Another 13 demonstrators arrested at Thursday’s protest have either been released on bail or are being held under normal procedures.

UK-based rights group Amnesty International said the use of anti-terror laws against peaceful protesters was a sign authorities were “unwilling to withstand any form of criticism and are systematically stifling dissenting voices”.

“Charges of terrorism do not commensurate with any offences the protesters are alleged to have committed,” said its South Asia Director Yamini Mishra.

“Time and time again, the Act has been used as a tool to silence government critics, journalists and minorities.”

An unprecedented economic collapse sparked often huge anti-government rallies in Sri Lanka this year, after the country ran out of foreign currency to finance imports, leaving its 22 million people enduring chronic shortages of essential goods, rolling blackouts and spiralling inflation.

The government imposed a state of emergency that gave security forces sweeping detention powers, but the ordinance lapsed last week.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt in mid-April and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a possible bailout.

Kenya’s defeated presidential candidate Raila Odinga filed a petition to the country’s top court on Monday challenging the result of the August 9 election that handed victory to his rival William Ruto.

Odinga, a veteran opposition leader who ran with the backing of President Uhuru Kenyatta and the ruling party, has rejected the outcome of the poll, branding it a “travesty.”

He narrowly lost to Ruto by around 230,000 votes — less than two percentage points.

The 77-year-old politician filed a physical copy of the petition with barely an hour to go before the court’s 2 pm (1100 GMT) deadline for accepting the case. An online copy was filed earlier in the day, according to a member of his legal team.

Hundreds of supporters cheered as dozens of boxes of evidence were unloaded from a truck outside the court.

“We have hopes that we have made a good case and will win,” Daniel Maanzo, a member of Odinga’s legal team, told AFP.

Although polling day passed off peacefully, the announcement of the results a week ago sparked angry protests in some Odinga strongholds and there are fears that a drawn-out dispute may lead to violence in a country with a history of post-poll unrest.

Since 2002, every presidential election in Kenya has triggered a dispute, with this year’s outcome also causing a rift within the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) which oversaw the poll.

Odinga, who was making his fifth bid for the top job, said last week that the figures announced by the IEBC were “null and void and must be quashed by a court of law”.

According to a copy of the 72-page petition seen by AFP, Odinga’s team alleges that IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati failed to tally around 140,000 votes.

As a result, Ruto “did not meet the constitutional threshold of 50% plus 1 of the valid votes cast” — a requirement for him to be declared the winner.

Judges now have 14 days to issue a ruling. If they order an annulment, a new vote must be held within 60 days.

– ‘We want justice’ –

Odinga supporters began gathering outside the court hours before his arrival, blowing whistles and waving placards reading “Electoral Justice Now!” and “We want justice now”. 

“Odinga must win so that we get the 6,000 shillings ($50) promised in his manifesto,” said one man, wearing a crown made with plants who was referring to a monthly cash handout for vulnerable households.

Another man — armed with a Bible and wearing huge green glasses — knelt down in prayer as police guarded the court premises.

Judges are also expected to consider other challenges against the result, with a court clerk telling reporters the tribunal had already received two petitions filed by a voter and a non-profit organisation.

The IEBC was under heavy pressure to deliver a clean vote after facing sharp criticism over its handling of the August 2017 election, which was also challenged by Odinga.

The court annulled that election in a first for Africa and ordered a re-run which was boycotted by Odinga. Dozens of people died during a police crackdown on protests.

In a shock development shortly before the results of this year’s poll were announced, four of the IEBC’s seven commissioners accused chairman Chebukati of running an “opaque” operation and later said the numbers did not add up.

Chebukati dismissed the claims, insisting he had carried out his duties according to the law of the land despite “intimidation and harassment”.

– Divided opinion –

Legal experts are divided on whether Chebukati needed the commissioners’ backing to announce the results, with constitutional lawyer Charles Kanjama telling AFP there was “some ambiguity” surrounding the issue.

Odinga has previously said he was cheated of victory in the 2007, 2013 and 2017 elections, and the poll’s aftermath is being keenly watched as a test of democratic maturity in the East African powerhouse.

On the campaign trail, both frontrunners pledged to resolve any disputes in court rather than on the streets.

Since the results were declared, Odinga has commended his supporters for “remaining calm” while Ruto has taken a conciliatory tone and promised to “work with all leaders”.

Kenya’s worst electoral violence occurred after the 2007 vote, when more than 1,100 people died in politically motivated clashes involving rival tribes.

If the Supreme Court upholds the results, Ruto will become Kenya’s fifth president since independence from Britain in 1963, taking over the reins of a country battling surging inflation, high unemployment and a crippling drought.

Pakistan opposition leaders warned Monday that authorities would cross a “red line” if they arrested former prime minister Imran Khan after he was reported under the anti-terrorism act for comments he made about the judiciary.

Since being ousted by a vote of no confidence in April, Khan has held mass rallies across the country, warning state institutions including the military not to back the coalition government led by his long-time political rival Shehbaz Sharif.

Hundreds of people gathered outside Khan’s house Monday — ostensibly to prevent police from reaching him — but the former leader has been fighting a raft of charges for months and has so far not been arrested.

“Wherever you are, reach Bani Gala today and show solidarity with Imran Khan,” tweeted former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, referring to Khan’s home.

“Imran Khan is our red line.”

A First Information Report was filed with police Sunday — the first step of a process that could lead to formal charges and arrest.

Lawyers for Khan preemptively applied for pre-arrest bail at the Islamabad High Court Monday, which was granted until at least Thursday.

– ‘Frivolous’ accusations –

There was a low-key police presence outside Khan’s residence Monday, with around 500 party supporters gathered in the affluent suburb of Bani Gala.

Muhammad Ayub said he had travelled overnight from Peshawar in the northwest to show support for Khan.

“We will protest and will block roads if Khan is arrested,” he told AFP.

In a statement, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) said the latest accusations against him were “frivolous”.

“We have serious reservations on this politically motivated move which leads towards further instability in the country,” it said.

On Saturday he criticised a magistrate responsible for keeping a PTI official in police custody, after party leaders say he was tortured in detention.

Khan’s main goal is an early general election — the next one must be held before October next year — but the government has shown no sign of wanting to go to the polls as it grapples with major economic problems.

Khan swept into power in 2018 thanks to an electorate weary of the dynastic politics of the country’s two major parties, with the former cricket star promising to sweep away decades of entrenched corruption and cronyism. 

But under his rule the country’s economy went into free fall, and the International Monetary Fund suspended a $6 billion loan programme that the new government has only just gotten back on track.

Khan also lost the support of the military.

Political Analyst Hassan Askari Rizvi told AFP that filing the latest case against Khan was not symbolic, but rather a genuine attempt to stifle him.

“The government is using the state institutions to malign the opposition,” he said, adding ordinary Pakistanis were being hurt by the political wrangling.

“The only thing left for the ruling party and the opposition is to malign each other. In the current situation, the real priority should be the economy so that the common man can get some relief.”

Over the weekend, Pakistan’s media watchdog banned television channels from broadcasting live addresses by Khan, saying he was “spreading hate speech”.

“His provocative statements against state institutions and officers… is likely to disturb public peace and tranquillity,” the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority said.

Jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai will face a no-jury court when he goes on trial under a new Beijing-imposed national security law, AFP has learned.

Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Paul Lam has ordered the trial to be heard by three judges handpicked by the government to try national security cases in the latest move away from the city’s trial-by-jury tradition.

A copy of the order, seen by AFP, cited the “involvement of foreign elements” in the case, the “personal safety of jurors and their family members” and the “risk of perverting the course of justice if the trial is conducted with a jury”.

Trial by jury has been used by Hong Kong’s common law legal system for 177 years but legislation imposed by China in 2020 to curb dissent allows cases to be heard by dedicated national security judges.

So far authorities have rejected jury trials for all three major cases that have made it to the High Court, where defendants can face up to life in prison.

Lai, 74, is one of Hong Kong’s best known democracy activists and is openly loathed by Beijing.

For years his Apple Daily tabloid newspaper was scathing in its criticism of China’s Communist Party and openly supportive of democracy.

It collapsed last year after its funds were frozen under the new security law and many of its senior staff, including Lai, were charged with “collusion with foreign forces”, one of the new national security crimes.

On Monday, prosecutor Anthony Chau informed the court that six Apple Daily executives have indicated that they plan to plead guilty.

A guilty plea usually entitles defendants to a sentence reduction. 

Two other activists linked to the case have already pleaded guitly and been convicted on the same charge.

Lai, who is currently serving a protest-related sentence, plans to plead not guilty, meaning a full trial is expected towards the end of the year or early next year, the court heard.

Last week AFP reported that the largest national security trial to date — that of 47 prominent democracy activists — will also be heard without a jury, citing a similar order from the justice ministry.

China says its security law has restored stability after huge and sometimes violent democracy protests rocked Hong Kong in 2019.

Critics says it has criminalised dissent and eviserated Hong Kong’s freedoms.

Last month a UN watchdog said the “overly broad interpretation of and arbitrary application” of the security law had led to deteriorating freedoms and it called for the law to be repealed.

What’s small, yellow, loves bananas and promotes the rule of law? A Minion, at least according to an edited version of the latest animated film featuring supervillain Gru and his army of tiny sidekicks being screened in China. 

The fifth instalment of the lucrative “Despicable Me” franchise, “Minions: The Rise of Gru”, premiered in China this month, several weeks after the film opened in United States cinemas.

But while the international version of the kung fu-filled family-friendly romp set in 1970s San Francisco tells the story of how the dastardly Gru cut his teeth as a tween criminal, filmgoers in China are treated to an alternative ending in which the good guys win.

A series of subtitled still images inserted into the credits sequence on mainland Chinese screens reassures audiences that police catch Gru’s law-breaking mentor Wild Knuckles and lock him up for 20 years after a failed heist.

International viewers simply see Knuckles give police the slip by faking his death earlier in the film’s concluding scenes, but in the Chinese version he puts his con artist skills to positive use in prison, where he follows his “love of acting” and sets up a theatrical troupe.

As for Gru, he “eventually became one of the good guys”, devoted to raising his family, the Chinese ending says.

It is not the first time a popular foreign film has been altered for cinemas in China, where the entertainment industry faces some of the world’s strictest censorship rules and is tasked with promoting “healthy” values.

David Fincher’s 1999 cult classic “Fight Club” starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton was given similar treatment when Chinese streaming platform Tencent Video in January uploaded a version where police shut down the protagonist’s plan to bring down modern civilisation.

And the highly anticipated return of US sitcom “Friends” to Chinese streaming platforms in February prompted fury among fans after viewers noticed a LGBTQ plotline was cut.

It is unclear if the “Minions” ending was altered due to censors’ demands or if producers considered it a more palatable conclusion for the Chinese market.

Universal did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

Social media reaction to the Chinese “Minions” ending was mixed, with one person on the Twitter-like Weibo social media platform saying they had gone to the cinema specifically to see the new ending but was disappointed that it was “just subtitles”.

Other fans were upset by the discontinuity between young Gru’s virtuous transformation in the new film, a prequel, and his continued villainous behaviour in the other films, set in the present day.

“We can only say that the Gru of the main films lives in another parallel Minion universe,” one Weibo user complained.

Shanghai will switch off decorative lights along its famed Bund riverfront for two days from Monday, city authorities said, in response to a nationwide heatwave that has sent power demands soaring.

Multiple provinces have announced power cuts to cope with a surge in demand, driven partly by people cranking up the air conditioning to cope with temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).

China has been hit by extreme weather this summer, including record temperatures, flash floods and droughts — phenomena that scientists have warned are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.

To save power, Shanghai authorities said in a notice Sunday that they would switch off “landscape lighting” at the Bund, the city’s most famous landmark.

Ornamental lights, billboards and video screens on both sides of the Huangpu River would be turned off on Monday and Tuesday, according to the notice.

The heatwave has reduced stretches of the Yangtze River, China’s most vital inland waterway, to unprecedented drought levels, according to official data.

That has resulted in high pressure on hydroelectric plants that supply power to some of the country’s key economic zones.

In the southwestern megacity of Chongqing, home to 31 million, authorities on Monday declared that all shopping malls must only operate between 4:00pm and 9:00pm daily to cut power costs until the “temperature and supply-demand situation” changes.

The city last week announced industrial power cuts lasting until Wednesday and reduced scenic lighting at tourist attractions.

In neighbouring Sichuan, authorities on Sunday extended industrial power cuts and activated their highest level of emergency response to deal with the heatwave.

“Since July this year, the province has faced the most extreme high temperatures, the lowest rainfall in the corresponding period in history… (and) the highest power load in history,” local authorities said.

Some of the world’s biggest automakers — including Japanese giant Toyota and Elon Musk’s Tesla — operate factories in Sichuan.

The province is also home to parts manufacturers that are crucial to global auto supply chains.

Many major factories were forced to halt work because of the Sichuan power cuts, which were supposed to end on Saturday but were extended to Thursday, Chinese news outlet Caixin reported.

Analysts have warned that Sichuan’s power woes could have ripple effects on the wider Chinese economy and international supply chains.

Hydropower generated in the province supplies domestic consumers and factories, but also industrial powerhouse provinces Jiangsu and Zhejiang.