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world news Diabierna 13 november 2020

Prosecutors read racist messages by Ahmaud Arbery's killer

(AP) — The man who fa- along with everyone and had “He told me he wished it false imprisonment.
tally shot Ahmaud Arbery at least one Black friend. never happened like that,” The video shows the truck Gregory McMichael, 64, is
had previously used racial Then prosecutor Jesse Evans she said. “He prayed for Ah- stopping in the middle of a a retired investigator for the
slurs in a text message and asked Langford about a text maud's mother and his fam- residential street and Tra- Brunswick Judicial Circuit
on social media, a pros- message Travis McMichael ily daily.” vis McMichael getting out district attorney's office and a
ecutor said Thursday as a had sent him last year that The judge had made no deci- before Arbery tries to run former Glynn County police
judge weighed whether to used a slur for Black people sion on bond for either of the around the vehicle. Arbery officer. His lawyers said in a
grant bond for the defen- when referring to a “crack- McMichaels. The hearing can be seen grappling with legal filing that they plan to
dant and his father. head ... with gold teeth." was scheduled to continue Travis McMichael over the present evidence in court to
Langford at first said he didn't Thursday afternoon. shotgun and punching him show why he should be freed
Travis McMichael and his recall receiving the message. Arbery's mother, Wanda before being shot at point- on bond.
father, Gregory McMichael, Then after reviewing a tran- Cooper-Jones, said outside blank range. The McMichaels’ attorneys
have been jailed since their script of the exchange, he an- the Glynn County court- In June, a grand jury indict- are also asking the judge to
arrests in May, more than swered: “He was referring to house that the McMichaels ed both McMichaels and a reject the indictment’s mal-
two months after Arbery was a raccoon, I believe.” should remain jailed pending neighbor, William “Roddie” ice murder charge, saying it
slain. The McMichaels, who Evans also cited a photo trial because “those guys are Bryan, on charges. was written in a way that im-
are white, chased and fatally Langford posted to Facebook dangerous.” She also said she Travis McMichael's attor- properly “charges two crimes
shot the 25-year-old Black last year to which Travis Mc- doubted they had regrets. neys, Robert Rubin and Ja- in one count.” They made a
man after they spotted him Michael replied: “Sayonara,” son Sheffield, wrote in court similar argument for toss-
running in their neighbor- along with an offensive term “I live right there in the com- documents requesting bond ing out a charge of criminal
hood just outside the port for Asians followed by an munity,” Cooper-Jones said. that he lives with his par- attempt to commit false im-
city of Brunswick. expletive. Langford said he “Nobody reached out to say, ents, has a 3-year-old son and prisonment.
didn't recall that, either. `I'm sorry for your loss.' I doesn't have a passport. They
Questions about whether don't think they are remorse- cited his past service as a U.S. Bryan was previously denied
racism played a role in the Defense attorneys for both ful at all.” Coast Guard machine tech- bond. His attorney has ar-
killing sharpened during McMichaels have denied any The McMichaels weren’t nician as proof of his charac- gued in court motions that
a previous hearing when a racist motives in the shoot- arrested until the cellphone ter. the entire indictment should
third defendant, who took ing. Right after the Feb. 23 video of the shooting leaked “In no way, shape or form is be dismissed.
cellphone video of the shoot- shooting, Gregory McMi- online and the Georgia Bu- Travis hateful towards any The outside prosecutor as-
ing, heard Travis McMichael, chael told police that he and reau of Investigation took group of people, nor does he signed to the case, Cobb
34, utter a racial slur after he his son armed themselves over the case. Prosecutors say look down on anyone based County District Attorney
blasted Arbery three times and got in a pickup truck to Arbery was merely out jog- on race, religion or beliefs," Joyette Holmes, was defeated
with a shotgun. pursue Arbery because they ging. Curt Hall, a former Coast in the Nov. 3 election. Hol-
In the courtroom Thurs- suspected he was a burglar. Each of the defendants is Guard roommate of Travis mes' successor, Flynn Broady,
day, Zachary Langford — a Langford's wife, Ashley Lang- charged with malice murder, McMichael who described will inherit the case, said Ka-
friend of Travis McMichael's ford, testified that Travis Mc- felony murder, aggravated as- himself as “multiracial,” tie Byrd, spokeswoman for
since boyhood — testified his Michael expressed remorse sault, false imprisonment and wrote in a letter supporting state Attorney General Chris
friend was a jokester who got about shooting Arbery. criminal attempt to commit bond for his friend. Carr.

Japan, China, Germany, Slovakia, Uganda win U.N. court seats

(AP) — Judges from Japan, China, Germany, Slovakia and Uganda butinde of Uganda, Xue Hanqin of China, Yuji Iwasawa of Japan and Pe-
won seats Thursday on the International Court of Justice, the U.N.’s ter Tomka of Slovakia -- were re-elected, and Germany’s Georg Nolte was
top judicial organ. elected. Candidates from Nigeria, Rwanda and Croatia lost their bids to join
the International Court of Justice.
In the contested race, eight candidates were vying for five seats on 15-mem-
ber world court based in The Hague, Netherlands whose job is to settle Five judges are elected to the court every three years by majority vote in
disputes between countries. both the U.N. General Assembly and U.N. Security Council. Since the first
election in 1946, the voting has been conducted by secret ballot in simulta-
After two rounds of voting, four current members of the court -- Julia Se- neous meetings of the 193-member assembly and 15-member council.

North Korea calls UN nuclear watchdog `a marionette' of West

(AP) — North Korea Council resolutions. program.” earlier in the 1990s,” Song agency inspectors from the
called the U.N.’s nuclear said. “I’d like to make it clear country.”
watchdog “a marionette The IAEA has not had in- Song accused the IAEA of once again that the DPRK
dancing to the tune” of spectors in the Democratic lacking “impartiality and ob- will never have any business It is known that North Ko-
hostile Western countries People’s Republic of Korea -- jectivity" as an international to deal with the IAEA so long rea has facilities to produce
Wednesday, rejecting its North Korea’s official name organization and being “no as it runs short of impartial- both plutonium and highly
information about the -- since Pyongyang expelled more than a political tool of ity and objectivity, the lifeline enriched uranium, two key
country's nuclear program them in 2009. The agency the Western countries.” of its activities, and remains ingredients to manufacture
as “grossly distorted” and said in a Sept. 1 report that “This is our appraisal of the a marionette dancing to the bombs, at its main Yongbyon
based on “guesswork and it continues to prepare for IAEA at present, as it was tune of the hostile forces nuclear complex north of the
fabrication.” inspectors to return should more than 20 years ago,” he against the DPRK.” capital, Pyongyang.
leader Kim Jong Un decide told the 193-member assem-
North Korean Ambassador to re-admit them. bly. Grossi called on North Ko- In a report in September,
Kim Song delivered the re- rea to comply with Secu- the IAEA said there were no
buke at a U.N. General As- Grossi said the IAEA moni- “We left the IAEA long ago rity Council resolutions, signs that North Korea had
sembly meeting where the tors North Korea's nuclear and have not forgotten its cooperate with the nuclear been reprocessing fuel from
International Atomic En- activities using satellite imag- despicable acts of having agency, implement the Nu- its main nuclear reactor into
ergy Agency’s executive di- ery and open source informa- sided with the hostile forces clear Nonproliferation Treaty plutonium over the past year,
rector, Rafael Grossi, called tion, and he said “the agency in their maneuvers to put Safeguards Agreement, “and but Pyongyang appeared to
Pyongyang's nuclear activi- is intensifying its readiness pressure on us, raising `sus- resolve all outstanding issues, still be enriching uranium,
ties “deeply regrettable" and to play its essential role in picions' about the DPRK’s especially those that have which could potentially be
“a clear violation” of Security verifying the DPRK’s nuclear peaceful nuclear facilities arisen during the absence of used in a nuclear weapon.