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world news Diamars 18 mei 2021

South Africa's ex-president says he is ready for graft trial

(AP) — Former South ed by corruption. President Cyril Ramaphosa,
African President Jacob De Lille compiled a dossier who has pledged to root out
Zuma says he is ready for that she says has documents corruption, and a faction sup-
his trial on charges of cor- that prove influential mem- porting Zuma and others ac-
ruption, racketeering, and bers of the ruling party, the cused of graft. One of Zuma's
money laundering. African National Congress, most prominent supporters
corruptly benefitted from the is Ace Magashule, who has
Zuma appeared at the Piet- government's lucrative con- been suspended as the party's
ermaritzburg High Court on tracts with international arms secretary-general because he
Monday where the trial was manufacturers and suppliers. is also facing criminal cor-
adjourned to May 26 when ruption charges.
he will announce his plea. De Lille was in court Mon-
day and has been asked to ap- A defiant Magashule told
He is accused of receiv- pear when the trial resumes supporters in front of the
ing bribes from French next week. courthouse that he would not
arms manufacturer Thales be silenced even though the
through his then financial Several ANC leaders and a terms of his suspension spec-
advisor Schabir Shaik, who crowd of Zuma's support- ify that he may not publicly
was convicted of related cor- ers dressed in colorful ANC mobilize or address ANC Former ANC member of "This is nothing else but a po-
ruption charges in 2005. outfits showed up at the supporters. parliament Tony Yengeni, litical trial. President Zuma is
courthouse to demonstrate who was found guilty of cor- being persecuted. No trial in
The first witness in the trial their backing for the former "Nobody under a democracy ruption in 2003 and served a South Africa has ever taken
will be Public Works Minis- president. will ban me, nobody will re- prison sentence, also attend- this long, where a person has
ter Patricia De Lille, who was move the ANC from me," he ed the opening of the trial been coming to court for 20
among the first to allege that Zuma's trial starts as the said. and voiced his support for years," Yengeni told support-
the 1999 arms sale was taint- ANC party is torn between Zuma. ers outside court.

Full-blown boycott pushed for Beijing Olympics
Importante pa e grupo di edad
entre 18 pa 40 aña vacuna
(AP) – Groups alleging human- Uyghur Congress. Activists have already singled out
rights abuses against minorities China's foreign ministry has criti- IOC sponsor Airbnb for attention.
in China are calling for a full- Tethong, herself, was detained and cized "the politicization of sports"
blown boycott of the 2022 Winter deported from China in 2007 — a and has said any boycott is "doomed "First is the moral question," Tethong
Olympics in Beijing, a move like- year before the Beijing Summer to failure." China has denied accusa- said. "Is it OK to host an international
ly to ratchet up pressure on the Olympics — for leading a campaign tions of genocide against the Uyghur goodwill sporting event such as the
International Olympic Commit- for Tibet. people. Olympic Games while the host na-
tee, athletes, sponsors and sports tion is committing genocide just be-
federations. "The situation where we are now is A recent U.S. State Department re- yond the stands?"
demonstrably worse that it was then," port stated explicitly that "genocide
A coalition representing Uyghurs, Tethong said, pointing out that the and crimes against humanity" have In meetings with the IOC, activists
Tibetans, residents of Hong Kong IOC said the 2008 Olympics would taken place in the past year against say they have asked to see documents
and others issued a statement Mon- improve human rights in China. "If Muslim Uyghurs and other minori- in which China has given "assuranc-
day calling for the boycott, eschewing the games go ahead, then Beijing gets ties in the western region of Xinjiang. es" about human rights conditions.
lesser measures that had been floated the international seal of approval for Activists say the IOC has not pro-
like "diplomatic boycotts" and further what they are doing." Tethong said she knows some ath- duced the documents.
negotiations with the IOC or China. letes may be opposed. But she said
The push for a boycott comes a day others, who gained traction from The IOC included human rights re-
"The time for talking with the IOC before a joint hearing in the U.S. Black Lives Matter movement, may quirements several years ago in the
is over," Lhadon Tethong of the Ti- Congress focusing on the Beijing become allies. She acknowledged this host city contract for the 2024 Paris
bet Action Institute said in an exclu- Olympics and China's human-rights as a "gloves-off" moment. Olympics, but it did not include
sive interview with The Associated record, and just days after the Unit- those guidelines — the United Na-
Press. "This cannot be games as usual ed States Olympic and Paralympic "There are obviously a lot of people tions Guiding Principles on Business
or business as usual; not for the IOC Committee said boycotts are ineffec- who are concerned about the ath- and Human Rights — for Beijing.
and not for the international commu- tive and only hurt athletes. letes and their lifelong work," Teth- Paris is the first Olympics to contain
nity." ong said. "But in the end it's the IOC the standards, long pushed for by hu-
"People have worked to engage with that has put them in this position and man rights groups.
The Beijing Games are set to open on the IOC in good faith to have them should be held accountable."
Feb. 4, 2022, just six months after the understand the issues directly from Last week, human rights groups and
postponed Summer Olympics in To- the mouths of those most impacted American skier Mikaela Shiffrin, a Western nations led by the United
kyo are to end. — the Uyghurs at the top of that list two-time Olympic gold medalist, States, Britain and Germany accused
and the Tibetans and others," Tethong spelled out the dilemma for athletes China of massive crimes against the
Rights groups have met several times said. "It's clear the IOC is completely in a recent interview on CNN. Uyghur minority and demanded un-
in the last year with the IOC, ask- uninterested in what the real impacts impeded access for U.N. experts.
ing that the games be removed from on the ground for people are." "You certainly don't want to be put
China. A key member in those talks in the position of having to choose At the meeting, Britain's U.N. Am-
was Zumretay Arkin of the World The IOC has repeatedly said it must between human rights like morality bassador, Barbara Woodward, called
be "neutral" and stay out of politics. versus being able to do your job," she the situation in Xinjiang "one of the
The Switzerland-based body is es- said. worst human rights crises of our
sentially a sports business, deriving time."
about 75% of its income from selling Tethong suggested coalition mem-
broadcast rights, and 18% more from bers might lobby the IOC's top 15 "The evidence points to a program of
sponsors. It also has observer status at sponsors, American network NBC, repression of specific ethnic groups,"
the United Nations. which generates about 40% of all Woodward said. "Expressions of re-
IOC revenue, sports federations, civil ligion have been criminalized and
"We are not a super-world govern- society groups "and anyone that will Uyghur language and culture are dis-
ment," IOC President Thomas Bach listen." criminated against systematically and
said recently. at scale."