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world news Diahuebs 16 December 2021

Germany expels Russian diplomats over state-ordered killing

(AP) — Germany an- sources. she said. “The German gov-
nounced Wednesday it ernment will do everything
is expelling two Russian Judges at Berlin’s regional necessary to ensure that se-
diplomats after a Ger- court on Wednesday convict- curity in our country and the
man court concluded that ed 56-year-old Vadim Kra- respect for our laws is en-
Moscow was behind the sikov of the killing, but said sured.”
killing of a Chechen man he had acted on the orders
in Berlin two years ago. of Russian federal authori- After Wednesday’s verdict,
ties, who provided him with Russia’s ambassador in Ber-
Foreign Minister Annalena a false identity, a fake passport lin issued a statement reject-
Baerbock called the state-or- and the resources to carry out ing allegations of Russian in-
dered killing a “grave breach the hit near Berlin’s Kleiner volvement in the killing.
of German law and the sov- Tiergarten park on Aug. 23, “We consider the verdict an
ereignty of the Federal Re- 2019. unobjective, politically moti-
public of Germany.” Russia’s vated decision that seriously
ambassador in Berlin was “The central government of aggravates already compli-
summoned to discuss the the Russian Federation was cated Russian-German rela- dence during the 14-month customary in Germany.
court’s finding and informed the author of this crime,” tions,” Ambassador Sergei trial, including 47 witness
of the diplomats’ expulsion, presiding judge Olaf Arnoldi Nechayev said. He called the testimonies and material pro- Arnoldi said it was impor-
she said. said, labeling the killing “state verdict “an unfriendly act vided by a dozen countries, tant to note the victim’s in-
terrorism.” that won’t go unanswered.” along with “very limited an- volvement in fighting against
The 2019 brazen daylight kill- swers from the Russian Fed- Russian forces in Chechnya
ing of Zelimkhan “Tornike” Baerbock said during a call “The absurd notion about eration.” from 2001 onward. In 2004,
Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Tuesday with her Russian Russia’s involvement in the Khangoshvili led a group of
Georgian citizen of Chechen counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, wrongdoing during the en- The court found Krasikov fighters who attacked a police
ethnicity, sparked outrage she had made clear that Ger- tire course of the trial was be- guilty of murder and sen- station in Russia, and civil-
in Berlin and prompted the many wants an “open and ing methodically imposed on tenced him to life imprison- ians were killed along with
German government to expel honest exchange with Rus- the public ... but wasn’t in the ment. Defense lawyers had officers.
two other Russian diplomats sia,” and that this should end proved with convincing asked the court to acquit their
at the time — a move Russia happen “on the basis of in- evidence,” Nechayev said. client, who claimed a case of “There is no doubt that
swiftly reciprocated. ternational law and mutual mistaken identity. The judges Khangoshvili bears respon-
respect.” During an oral summary of said Krasikov bore “particu- sibility for people’s deaths,”
The two diplomats being ex- the court’s findings that last- larly grave responsibility” for the judge said, adding later
pelled now are linked to Rus- “It is clear that acts such as ed almost two hours, Arnoldi the slaying, meaning he won’t that Russian authorities had
sian intelligence agencies, ac- the Tiergarten murder weigh said he and four fellow judges be entitled to the automatic likely sought “revenge and
cording to Associated Press heavily on this relationship,” had reviewed a wealth of evi- parole after 15 years that is retribution” for his actions.

New Haiti disaster: Fireball from toppled tanker kills 75

(AP) — With fuel in short scene with buckets to collect fighters covered burned bod- connected to an IV while he “The entire Haitian nation
supply all across Haiti, what they could of the tank- ies in white sheets and loaded waited for a bed. is grieving,” Henry said on
some neighbors in the er’s cargo, likely for sale on them onto the back of a con- Twitter while declaring three
northern city of Cap- the black market, as the fuel struction truck. His sister, Bruna Lourdes, days of national mourning.
Haitien saw the crash of a drained toward a nearby pile said her brother stepped out “It is with a torn heart that I
tanker truck as a chance to of smoldering trash. “It’s horrible what happened,” of the house late at night to see the critical condition of
scoop up valuable spilled said Patrick Almonor, deputy look for something to eat. some of our compatriots ad-
gasoline. But then the “It was after midnight and I mayor of Cap-Haitien, the When she heard the explo- mitted to this facility.”
truck exploded, unleash- heard a loud noise so I asked country’s second-largest city, sion, she rushed down from
ing a fireball that swept one of my boys to go and who said late Tuesday that 75 the hillside shantytown in At least 15 victims were evac-
across people and homes, look. He told me a gasoline people had died.. “We lost so panic. uated by air to hospitals in
and local officials say at truck exploded,” said Abra- many lives.” the capital, Port-au-Prince.
least 75 people died. ham Joanis, 61, as he carried “I’m praying to God that
a guitar rescued from the Burn victims screamed in ag- he won’t take his life,” said Haitians for months have
Early reports indicate that the charred remains of his home, ony as they pleaded for help Lourdes, who is studying to been scrambling to find
tanker was trying to avoid an one of about 50 gutted by the at Justinian University Hos- be a nurse and planned to gasoline amid shortages that
oncoming motorcycle when blaze. pital, the city’s largest. spend the night by her broth- have shuttered gas stations,
it veered and flipped early er’s side to offer whatever as- sent fuel prices sprialing on
Tuesday. Hours after the blast, build- Prime Minister Ariel Henry, sistance she can to the over- the black market and forced
ings and overturned vehicles himself a physician, visited stretched medical staff. businesses to close.
Onlookers then rushed to the were still smoking as fire- there as victims bandaged
head to toe were fighting Henry, wearing a biohazard The country of more than 11
for their lives amid a short- suit, clasped his hands and million people also has been
age of medical supplies and leaned over to console one hit by a spike in gang-related
health workers in an impov- man collapsed on the hospi- kidnappings, including 17
erished nation that has been tal’s concrete floor because people with a U.S. mission-
bombarded by disasters in there were not enough beds ary organization who were
recent months — riots, a in the historic city’s largest abducted in mid-October.
wave of kidnappings, a pow- hospital. Five of them have been re-
erful earthquake that killed leased but another 12 are still
more than 2,200 people and The prime minister prom- being held.
the July 7 assassination of the ised more help in the form of
president. field hospitals and a contin- “It’s terrible what our coun-
gent of medical profession- try has to go through,” said
Among survivors who spoke als. But minutes after he left Dave Larose, a civil engineer
with the prime minister was the facility, five more patients who works in Cap-Haitien.
Riche Joseph, who spent died.
hours on the hospital’s floor