International

UN high-level meet and proof of vaccination explained

AFP

The high-level 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly gets underway next week amid confusion about whether all delegates, including world leaders, have to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to attend.

Here, AFP answers the key questions surrounding the snafu, which started when New York issued a vaccine directive that the assembly initially supported, before reversing course after complaints from members.

– Where are we now? –

It appears delegates will not have to show proof of vaccination to enter the UN headquarters but they should have their vaccine cards ready if they want to eat or drink in any of New York’s many bars and restaurants.

The Big Apple began enforcing a vaccine mandate on Monday, requiring proof of at least one shot for many indoor activities, including dining, entertainment venues and gyms.

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But UN officials say the city’s jurisdiction does not extend to the UN headquarters itself.

The United States does not require proof of vaccination to enter the country, only negative tests from some countries, so there is no enforcement at airports.

– How did this all start? –

In a letter dated September 9, the city government told the General Assembly president that “all persons” entering the UN headquarters for the purposes of attending the debate in the main hall would have to show proof of vaccination.

The mayor’s office cited its local vaccine mandate law and said the UN debate hall was classified as a “convention center,” meaning all attendees must be vaccinated.

“They must also show proof of vaccination prior to dining, drinking or exercising indoors on the UN campus, and in order to partake in all of New York City’s wonderful entertainment, dining and fitness activities,” it said.

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– What was the UN’s response? –

On September 14, assembly president Abdulla Shahid of the Maldives wrote to members saying he “strongly supported” the proof of vaccination requirement laid out by the city authorities.

That was met with a quick backlash, led by Russia’s ambassador to the UN, who disputed that New York had the authority to enforce the mandate.

Vassily Nebenzia wrote to Shahid on September 15, saying the agreement between the United States and the UN about the headquarters prohibited US actors from regulating the running of the world body.

He added that preventing delegates to access the hall was a “clear violation of the UN charter” and that the directive failed to take into account the “rights of people who have received vaccines that are not approved by the CDC.”

Russia’s Sputnik V has not received approval from the World Health Organization, meaning it is not recognized in New York.

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– Then what happened? –

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he no authority to issue a vaccine mandate for entry into the high-level dialogue.

But all public-facing UN staff are subject to a vaccine mandate, his spokesman added.

“Member states will have to come to a resolution amongst themselves,” his spokesman said Thursday.

That day, Shahid wrote to member states again, this time assuring them that entry to the UN headquarters for the debate will be based on an “honor system” regarding their vaccination status.

The city will host a vaccine pop-up site outside UN HQ next week to try to tempt anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated with a single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

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International

Guatemala considers sending high-risk gang members to military prisons

Amid the escalating crisis in Guatemala’s prison system, the government is considering transferring high-risk gang members to military-run detention facilities, a move that analysts say could help address overcrowding and the lack of control in civilian prisons.

The debate has gained urgency following the killing of ten police officers by gang members, reportedly in retaliation after the government refused to meet demands made by Aldo Dupie Ochoa, alias “El Lobo,” leader of the Barrio 18 gang, which authorities identified as responsible for the attack.

Guatemala’s Minister of Defense, Henry David Sáenz, told local media that the possibility of relocating high-danger inmates to military brigades has not been formally discussed. However, he noted that the practice is not new to the Armed Forces and said it is something that “was already being done.”

One example is the detention center located within the Mariscal Zavala Military Brigade, in Zone 17 of Guatemala City, where several inmates are held under military supervision. The facility also houses high-profile detainees, including former official Eduardo Masaya, who faces corruption charges.

In 2015, a ministerial agreement authorized the establishment of the Zone Seventeen Detention Center within the brigade, with a maximum capacity of 114 inmates in Area A and 21 in Area B. The agreement specified that the facility would be used exclusively for civilians or military personnel considered at risk of assassination.

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Additionally, since 2010, a prison has operated within the Matamoros Barracks in Zone 1 of Guatemala City, holding dangerous or high-profile inmates. However, media outlets have described these military detention centers as “VIP prisons,” particularly for former government officials such as ex-president Otto Pérez Molina.

International

Rights group says over 5,000 killed in Iran protests, mostly civilians

A U.S.-based human rights group said on Friday it has confirmed that more than 5,000 people were killed during the recent protests in Iran, most of them civilians allegedly shot by security forces.

Non-governmental organizations monitoring the toll from the crackdown on what have been described as the largest demonstrations in Iran in years said their work has been hampered by an internet shutdown imposed by authorities since January 8. They warned that the actual death toll is likely significantly higher.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), based in the United States, reported on Friday that it had verified the deaths of 5,002 people, including 4,714 protesters, 42 minors, 207 members of the security forces, and 39 bystanders.

The group added, however, that it is still investigating an additional 9,787 possible deaths, underscoring the difficulty of independently confirming information amid ongoing restrictions and repression.

International

Japan reopens Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Plant despite public concerns

La centrale nucléaire japonaise de Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, la plus grande au monde, a repris ses activités mercredi pour la première fois depuis la catastrophe de Fukushima en 2011, malgré les inquiétudes persistantes d’une partie de la population.

La remise en service a eu lieu à 19h02 heure locale (10h02 GMT), a indiqué à l’AFP Tatsuya Matoba, porte-parole de la compagnie Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco).

Le gouverneur de la préfecture de Niigata, où se situe la centrale, avait donné son feu vert à la reprise le mois dernier, en dépit d’une opinion publique divisée. Selon une enquête menée en septembre par la préfecture elle-même, 60 % des habitants se déclaraient opposés au redémarrage, contre 37 % favorables.

Mardi, plusieurs dizaines de manifestants ont bravé le froid et la neige pour protester près de l’entrée du site, sur les rives de la mer du Japon.

« L’électricité de Tokyo est produite à Kashiwazaki. Pourquoi seuls les habitants d’ici devraient-ils être exposés au danger ? Cela n’a aucun sens », a déclaré à l’AFP Yumiko Abe, une riveraine de 73 ans.

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La centrale de Kashiwazaki-Kariwa avait été mise à l’arrêt lorsque le Japon a fermé l’ensemble de ses réacteurs nucléaires à la suite du triple désastre de mars 2011 — un séisme, un tsunami et un accident nucléaire — survenu à Fukushima.