WORLD NEWS FLASH
IRAN
A cruel and unnecessary act has women in one strict country mad as hell and not willing to take it anymore.
On Sept. 16, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested in Iran for not wearing a hijab, in accordance with strict dress codes in that country. Hours later, authorities claimed she died of a heart attack. However, medical scans that leaked showed that she was brutally beaten, apparently for breaking strict and controversial moral guidelines. Since then, women have cut off their hair and taken to the streets in protest of Amini’s death.
As the protests carry on, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has called on authorities in Iran to fully respect the rights of protestors calling for justice for Amini.
OHCHR said it was very concerned about the continued violent response to the protests, as well as communications restrictions affecting phones, the internet and social media, Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told journalists in Geneva.
Ms. Shamdasani said the Iranian Government had so far failed to launch an “adequate investigation” into the circumstances surrounding Ms. Amini’s death.
Since her death, thousands have joined anti-government demonstrations throughout the country. Security forces have responded at times with live ammunition, and many people have been killed, injured and detained in the protests.
“Due in part to restrictions on telecommunications, it is difficult to establish the precise number of casualties and arrests,” said Ms. Shamdasani.
On Sept. 24, State media put the number killed at 41, she added. However, non-governmental organizations monitoring the situation have reported a higher number of deaths, including of women and children, and hundreds injured across at least 11 provinces.
“We are extremely concerned by comments by some leaders vilifying protesters, and by the apparent unnecessary and disproportionate use of force against protesters,” said Ms. Shamdasani.
“Firearms must never be used simply to disperse an assembly. In the context of assemblies, they should only be used in cases of an imminent threat to life or of serious injury.”
Meanwhile, reports indicate that hundreds of people have also been arrested, including human rights defenders, lawyers, civil society activists, and at least 18 journalists. The Government has not announced the overall number of arrests.
Ms. Shamdasani reported that in the province of Gilan alone, the police chief said 739 people, including 60 women, had been detained during three days of protests.
OHCHR called on the authorities to ensure the rights to due process and to release all who have been arbitrarily detained.
UNITED STATES
OMICRON BOOSTERS COMING FOR YOUNG CHILDREN?
NEW YORK & MAINZ, Germany – (BUSINESS WIRE) – Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX) announced they have completed a submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of a 10-µg booster dose of the companies’ Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 through 11 years of age.
The request for Emergency Use Authorization of the Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent vaccine in this age group is supported by safety and immunogenicity data from the companies’ bivalent Omicron BA.1-adapted vaccine, non-clinical and manufacturing data from the companies’ 10-µg bivalent Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted vaccine, and pre-clinical data from the companies’ Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted vaccine in their decision. An application to extend the Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent vaccine marketing authorization to include children ages 5 through 11 years will be submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in the coming days.
The companies have also initiated a Phase 1/2/3 study NCT05543616 (C4591048) to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of different doses and dosing regimens of the companies’ Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine in children 6 months through 11 years of age. This pediatric study is consistent with regulatory guidance and follows a previous Phase 1/2/3 trial involving these age groups that demonstrated the original Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is well-tolerated and offers a high level of protection against COVID-19, measured at a time when the Omicron BA.2 strain was highly prevalent.
Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 Vaccine, which is based on BioNTech’s proprietary mRNA technology, was developed by both BioNTech and Pfizer. BioNTech is the Marketing Authorization Holder for BNT162b2 (COMIRNATY®) in the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries, and the holder of emergency use authorizations or equivalents in the United States (jointly with Pfizer) and other countries. Submissions to pursue regulatory approvals in those countries where emergency use authorizations or equivalent were initially granted are planned.
RUSSIA
“AMERICAN STYLE” SCHOOL SHOOTING
As it continues its invasion of Ukraine, Russia recently had to cope with the tragedy of an American style problem.
On Sept. 26, 15 people, including 11 children, died at a school in the Russian city of Izhevsk, following an attack by a lone gunman who killed himself at the scene. Two dozen people were wounded in the massacre. The attacker had reportedly been registered with a local psychiatric facility.
According to news reports, the gunman, who was known to authorities and was a former pupil at school Number 88 (the school targeted), was wearing a Nazi swastika on his T-shirt during the attack, and Russian authorities are investigating the perpetrator’s suspected neo-Nazi links.
The incident caused great sorrow for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who via a statement through his Deputy-Spokesperson, strongly condemned the “act of violence, and expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the Government and people of the Russian Federation. He wishes those injured a speedy and full recovery.”
News reports said that the attacker, who was in his early 30s, killed two security guards at the school then opened fire on students and teachers. All but two of those wounded were children. He had been armed with two pistols and a large supply of ammunition.
The school is located in western Russia, some 600 miles (965 kilometers) east of Moscow. Izvesk is the capital of the Udmurt Republic.
The head of UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, tweeted that she was deeply shocked by the shooting of children and their teachers at the school.
“I strongly condemn this horrendous attack. Deepest condolences to (the) families of victims and the Russian people. We need immediate action to stop this senseless violence, and make schools safe.”
There have been several school shootings in Russia in recent years including in the provincial capital of Kazan, in May 2021, when nine people were killed by a gunman – seven students and two employees – and last September, when six were killed and 47 injured, on a university campus, in the city of Perm.
In response to those incidents, the Russian Government reportedly tightened gun ownership laws.
EUROPE
UK ACTS AGAINST SHAM REFERENDUM
The UK’s Foreign Secretary announced on Sept. 26 that 92 sanctions were levied in response to the Russian regime imposing sham referendums in 4 regions of Ukraine – a clear violation of international law, including the UN charter.
The Russian regime has organized these sham referendums in a desperate attempt to grab land and justify their illegal war. The process reflects their approach in Crimea in 2014, combining disinformation, intimidation, and fake results. These referendums do not represent the demonstrated will of the Ukrainian people and are a severe violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and political independence.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said, “Sham referendums held at the barrel of a gun cannot be free or fair and we will never recognize their results. They follow a clear pattern of violence, intimidation, torture, and forced deportations in the areas of Ukraine Russia has seized.
“Today’s sanctions will target those behind these sham votes, as well as the individuals that continue to prop up the Russian regime’s war of aggression. We stand with the Ukrainian people and our support will continue as long as it takes to restore their sovereignty.
In order to implement these fake referendums, the Russian regime has deployed officials and collaborators to each of the these temporarily controlled regions – 33 of these individuals are being sanctioned today. These include:
- Sergei Yeliseyev: the Head of Government in Kherson, recently installed by the Russian government and Vice Admiral in the Russian Navy. Since defecting from the Ukrainian navy in 2014, Yeliseyev has continued to undermine the independence of Ukraine
- Ivan Kusov: the Minister of Education and Science of the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic and tasked with “helping our educational institutions to seamlessly blend in the educational system of Russia” by Pasechnik – leader of the LPR
- Yevhen Balytskyi: the Russian installed head of the so-called Government in Zaporizhzhia, who has been supporting the Russian invasion since March through public statements of support. In August, Balytskyi reportedly signed a decree to allow a referendum on Zaporizhzhia joining the Russian Federation
- Evgeniy Solntsev: the Deputy Chairman of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic
IMA Consulting, branded “Putin’s favorite PR agency,” has also been sanctioned. IMA has reportedly been awarded the contract to manage the public campaigns for these sham referendums – both to support their implementation within the four temporarily controlled territories and spin their false legitimacy back in Russia.
Goznak, a security documents company known for its monopoly on the production of “tens of millions” of state documents including expedited passports in the temporarily controlled territories, has also been sanctioned.
Putin continues to rely on his cabal of oligarchs and selected elites in order to fund his war. Also, four more oligarchs, with a combined global net worth estimated at £6.3 billion (British pounds, approx. $6.73 million US), have also been sanctioned for supporting or obtaining benefit from the Government of Russia and operating in sectors of strategic significance. These include:
- God Nisanov and Zarakh Iliev: known as the ‘Kings of Russian real estate’, and with a joint global net worth of £2 billion, the pair own and control the Kievskaya Ploshchad Group, a major construction company operating across Russia
- Iskander Makhmudov: President and founder of Ural Mining and Metallurgic Company. A major metals magnate, Makhmudov has an estimated global net worth of £2.7 billion
- Igor Makarov: President and owner of ARETI International Group, a major investor in the oil and gas sector, and founder of Itera, Russia’s first independent gas company before being bought by state-owned Rosneft. Makarov is worth an estimated £1.6 billion
The package also included 55 board members from state-linked organizations that continue to bankroll the Russian war machine – serving as a stark reminder of the cost of supporting Putin’s operation. Amongst those sanctioned are:
- 23 individuals from the Gazprombank Board of Directors and Management Board
- 16 members of the Sberbank Supervisory Board, Executive Board, and other Directors
- 10 individuals from Sovcombank, including the Deputy Chairman and members of the Supervisory Board and Management Board
The UK will never recognize the results of any sham referendums or attempts to annex Ukraine’s sovereign territory. Ukraine voted overwhelmingly for independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and their continued brave resistance against Russian aggression clearly demonstrates their wish to remain an independent sovereign state.
We stand united alongside our international partners in condemning the Russian government’s egregious actions. Alongside partners we will continue to pursue targeted sanctions and are committed to sustained economic and political pressure on Russia.
As of today, the UK has sanctioned over 1,200 individuals and over 120 entities, including over 120 oligarchs with an estimated combined global net worth of over £130 billion (approx. $149.53 million US).
