WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a superseding indictment on June 6 charging five members of the Proud Boys, including the group’s former national chairman, with seditious (treason) conspiracy and other charges for their actions before and during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Their actions disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
The defendants include Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, 38, of Miami, Florida, the former national chairman of the Proud Boys; Ethan Nordean, 31, of Auburn, Washington; Joseph Biggs, 38, of Ormond Beach, Florida; Zachary Rehl, 37, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Dominic Pezzola, 44, of Rochester, New York. All previously were indicted and remain detained. They pleaded not guilty to charges contained in earlier indictments.
The superseding indictment adds two charges to the earlier indictment: one count of seditious conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging any duties. All defendants now face a total of nine charges and Pezzola faces an additional robbery charge.
According to court documents, the Proud Boys describe themselves as members of a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world, aka Western Chauvinists.” Through at least Jan. 6, 2021, Tarrio was the national chairman of the organization. In mid-December of 2020, Tarrio created a special chapter of the Proud Boys known as the “Ministry of Self Defense.”
As alleged in the indictment, from in or around December 2020, Tarrio and his co-defendants, all of whom were leaders or members of the Ministry of Self Defense, conspired to prevent, hinder and delay the certification of the Electoral College vote, and to oppose by force the authority of the government of the United States.
On Jan. 6, 2021, the defendants directed, mobilized and led members of the crowd onto the Capitol grounds and into the Capitol, leading to dismantling of metal barricades, destruction of property, breaching of the Capitol building, and assaults on law enforcement. During and after the attack, Tarrio and his co-defendants claimed credit for what had happened on social media and in an encrypted chat room.
A sixth defendant, who was earlier charged with the group, pleaded guilty on April 8, 2022. Charles Donohoe, 34, of Kernersville, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The charges in the investigation are the result of significant cooperation between agents and staff across numerous FBI Field Offices and law enforcement agencies.
In the 17 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 800 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 250 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
EUROPE
JOHNSON VOWS UNITY AFTER SURVIVING “NO CONFIDENCE” VOTE
After avoided expulsion from office via a “No Confidence” vote, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is looking to move forward.
“We need to come together as a party and focus on what this government is doing to help people with the cost of living, to clear the COVID backlogs and to make our streets safer,” Johnson said after Conservative lawmakers voted 211-148 to keep him as PM.
“We will continue to unite, level up and strengthen our economy… This is a government that delivers on what the people of this country care about most. We are focused on uniting and levelling up across the country and unleashing the potential of the whole United Kingdom.”
Since then, he is calling on Ministers to drive forward progress on the government’s priorities – easing financial pressures on families, making access to NHS care quicker and easier, making the streets safer and levelling up and uniting the country.
Johnson is also working on new policy commitments that will continue to make a real difference to people’s lives. This will include measures to reduce childcare costs for parents and a renewed drive to get more people onto the housing ladder.
The Prime Minister also thanked dedicated NHS staff as he highlights the progress made by the biggest catch-up program in the health service’s history.
The Health and Social Care Levy, announced by the government last year, promised £39 billion of investment over the next three years so the NHS has the funding it needs to recover from the pandemic, treat patients quickly and end spiraling social care costs. This represents more funding for health and social care than any government has ever invested before.
This money is already making a difference, with the NHS confirming that 90 Community Diagnostic Centers (CDCs) are now open across the country and have delivered 1 million checks and tests on patients so far.
WORLD
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR REACHES 100 DAYS
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its 100th day on June 3, António Guterres marked the grim milestone with a renewed call for an immediate end to the violence, while the United Nations kept up its push to secure food and fertilizer exports from the war-torn region to the wider world, amid rising levels of food insecurity.
In a statement, the Secretary-General said that the conflict, which began on Feb. 24, has already taken thousands of lives, caused untold destruction, displaced millions of people, resulted in unacceptable violations of human rights and is inflaming a three-dimensional global crisis – food, energy and finance – that is pummeling the most vulnerable people, countries and economies.
“As we mark this tragic day, I renew my call for an immediate halt to violence, for unfettered humanitarian access to all those in need, for safe evacuation of civilians trapped in areas of fighting and for urgent protection of civilians and respect for human rights in accordance with international norms,” stated the UN chief.
Mr. Guterres said that the UN remains committed to the humanitarian effort, “but as I have stressed from the beginning, resolving this conflict will require negotiations and dialogue.” The sooner the parties engage in good-faith diplomatic efforts to end the war, he stressed, “the better for the sake of Ukraine, Russia and the world.”
“The United Nations stands ready to support all such efforts,” the Secretary-General concluded.
Meanwhile, UN humanitarians on Friday issued a fresh alert about the enormous needs sparked by the war, as the Organization has continued to push to secure food and fertilizer exports from Ukraine and Russia, to the wider world, amid alarming levels of food insecurity.
Amin Awad, UN Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine, confirmed that the Organization was making every effort to secure the release of grain stuck in Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. Equally important for the world’s farmers is a secure supply of fertilizer from Russia, a major world producer.
Leading the discussions are top UN officials Martin Griffiths – the Organization’s Emergency Relief Coordinator – and Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the UN Trade and Development agency, UNCTAD.
“The negotiations are going on,” said Mr. Awad, speaking to journalists in Geneva from Kyiv. “There (are) a lot of details and shuttling between Moscow and other countries that have concerns and the negotiations continue. But there’s no clear-cut emerging solution right now because it’s a board of puzzles that they have to move it together.”
Highlighting the difficulties linked to international trade with Russia even though there are no sanctions on food and fertilizer humanitarian exports from the country, Mr. Awad explained that Ms. Grynspan was working “with other financial institutions and the West in general to see how Russia can really, as far as transactions are concerned, resume.”
Around 1.5 billion people “are in need of that food and fertilizers” around the world, the UN official explained, adding that he hoped that the negotiations “really go in a smooth manner and be concluded as soon as possible so that the blockade of ports and the resumption of export of fertilizer and food takes place, before we have another crisis in hand.”
Today, at least 15.7 million people in Ukraine are now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection, Mr. Awad said. Numbers are rising by the day as the war continues, and with winter around the corner, the lives of hundreds of thousands are in peril.
AFRICA
CHURCH ATTACK CONDEMNED
The UN Secretary-General has condemned “in the strongest terms” a brutal attack on a Catholic church in southwest Nigeria at the weekend, which left at least 50 people dead and wounded dozens more.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, António Guterres described the attack in the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, as “heinous,” as worshippers gathered on Sunday to celebrate Pentecost – an important date in the Christian calendar.
According to reports, attackers infiltrated the congregation before shooting at people who had gathered for mass inside the church.
Attacks on places of worship are “abhorrent,” continued Mr. Guterres, who also urged the Nigerian authorities to spare no effort in bringing those responsible to justice.
To date, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which is considered unusual for southwest Nigeria.
It is a more peaceful region than the country’s north, where there have been numerous kidnappings for ransom by bandits, and past attacks on churches by separatists.
Echoing Mr. Guterres’s condemnation of the killings, the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) called for the mutual respect of all religions and faiths, and for greater communal efforts to foster peace.
The UN agency is behind a plan of action to keep places of worship safe, and to allow people of all faiths to practice their religions in peace.
In light of the attack, UNAOC High Representative Miguel Moratinos urged all governments to support the plan’s implementation.
