Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 24 april 2018
Dutch lawyer seeks

Qatari compensation

for terror victims

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A prominent human
rights lawyer demanded Monday that Qatar com-
pensate Dutch-based victims of an al-Qaida-linked
Syrian extremist group, saying the Al Nusra group was
financed by Qatar-based funding networks.
In a letter sent to Qatar’s ruling emir that was seen
by The Associated Press, lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld ac-
cused the wealthy Gulf state of failing to take action
against the al-Nusra Front and said: “Qatar is there-
fore liable for the damages suffered by the victims.”
Qatar denies funding extremist groups.
Qatari authorities did not immediately respond to an
email from The Associated Press seeking comment on
Zegveld’s claims and her demand for compensation.
In her letter to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani,
Zegveld alleged that one of the victims was taken
hostage by members of al-Nusra near Damascus in
December 2012.
In this photo taken on Sunday, April 22, 2018, former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, left,
leaves a meeting with protest leader Nikol Pashinian, right, in Yerevan, Armenia. The man, whose identity was not released out of
Associated Press safety concerns, was repeatedly tortured, forced to
watch the executions of two other hostages and sub-
Armenia’s leader quits amid jected to a mock execution.

The militants demanded nearly $2 million for his re-
protests, saying ‘I was wrong’ lease.
He eventually escaped and fled Syria, and has since
been granted asylum in the Netherlands, Zegveld
said.
By AVET DEMOURIAN Russian President Vladimir demands.” Qatar, which hosts some 10,000 U.S. troops and the
Associated Press Putin, Armenia’s closest Pashinian told an evening forward operating base of the U.S. military’s Central
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — ally. Leaders of other for- rally of tens of thousands of Command, is a peninsular nation that juts out like a
Serzh Sargsyan, who ruled mer Soviet republics, from people at Republic Square thumb into the Persian Gulf.
Armenia for 10 years, re- Belarus to Central Asia, in Yerevan that opposition It has the world’s highest per-capita income due to its
signed Monday as prime have similarly extended activists want to meet with massive natural gas reserves.
minister after thousands their terms. Karapetian on Wednes- While the country denies funding extremist groups,
of people poured into the The parliament’s action day to discuss a “peaceful it remains a key patron of the Islamic Hamas move-
streets to protest his politi- had triggered massive transfer of power.” ment, which rules the Gaza Strip.
cal maneuvering to cling anti-government protests The opposition will push Western officials also have accused Qatar of allow-
to power in this former So- in Yerevan since April 13, for an early parliamentary ing or encouraging funding of Sunni extremists like the
viet republic. with demonstrators block- election to prevent Sarg- Nusra Front. It also has hosted members of the Afghan
The stunning development ing government buildings syan from running Armenia Taliban.
touched off jubilation in and facing off with police. from behind the scenes, However, those ties have been useful to Western gov-
the capital of Yerevan, A rally on Sunday attracted Pashinian said. ernments.
with car horns blaring and about 50,000 people, and Alexander Iskanderian, di- Qatar helped negotiate the release of captives held
people dancing, hugging about 200 soldiers joined rector of the Caucasus In- by the Nusra Front in the past.
and waving the tricolor Ar- the protesters on Monday. stitute in Yerevan, said the It also helped negotiate the 2014 release of U.S. Army
menian flag. Protest leader Nikol Pashin- protests pushed Sargsyan Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for five Taliban pris-
The opposition called for ian met Sunday with Sarg- into a corner: oners.
a meeting with the acting syan, who walked out of “The protests in the past Qatar also has backed members of the Muslim Broth-
prime minister to discuss a the session after Pashinian couple of days have erhood, a pan-Arab Islamist organization that the
“peaceful transfer of pow- refused to talk about any- swelled to a point that you Gulf’s hereditary Arab rulers view as a threat to their
er.” thing but the prime minis- either had to use violence sheikhdoms.
Sargsyan, 63, was president ter’s resignation. or find another way out,” That has been at the heart of the ongoing boycott of
of the Caucasus moun- Pashinian was later arrest- Iskanderian told The Associ- Qatar by four Arab nations.
tains nation from 2008 until ed but abruptly released ated Press. The Nusra Front “was only able to arise and maintain
term limits forced him out in on Monday. Russian officials and state its terrorist activities due to the financing provided by
March. In his surprise resignation television have been cau- Qatar,” Zegveld said in her letter.
But parliament, which is announcement posted on tious in commenting on the “Qatar supports and facilitates the terrorist organiza-
controlled by his party, vot- his website, Sargsyan said political crisis in Armenia. tion in various ways.”
ed to reduce the powers he should not have resisted In the past, Moscow has Zegveld said that if Qatar fails to establish a compen-
of the presidency and give the opposition’s demands. decried anti-government sation fund, she will launch legal proceedings against
them to the prime minister, “Nikol Pashinian was right. I rallies and so-called “color the country, state officials and “other individuals and
ultimately installing Sarg- was wrong,” Sargsyan said. revolutions” in neighboring organizations residing in Qatar that are involved in
syan in that post last week. “The movement on the post-Soviet nations as ex- the financing of terrorism.”
The move echoed a ma- streets is against my rule. amples of hostile Western She gave Qatar six weeks to respond.q
neuver a decade ago by I’m complying with their interference.q