International
Iran temporarily releases Nobel Mohammadi for medical reasons
The Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was released for a period of three weeks for medical reasons after the removal of a leg tumor last month, a measure that the family considered insufficient.
“The Tehran Prosecutor’s Office suspended the execution of Mrs. Narges Mohammadi’s sentence for three weeks and she was released from prison,” Mostafa Nili, the activist’s lawyer, reported on social networks on Wednesday.
The lawyer indicated that the temporary release is due to the removal of a benign tumor in a leg and a bone graft performed 21 days ago, after the activist’s family denounced that she was being denied medical care.
The family asks for more time
After the operation, Nili said that the doctors indicated that Mohammadi “needs about three months of care in favorable conditions” and that is why he had requested the suspension of the sentence.
“Therefore, the activist’s family considered that the three-week release is insufficient and demanded her unconditional release or at least for ninety days, as recommended by the doctors.
“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi or, at least, an extension of his exit permit to three months,” the family said in a statement.
“As the doctors have emphasized, a minimum of three months of recovery is crucial for his cure,” they added.
Condemnations and struggles of Narges
Mohammadi, 52, imprisoned in Evin de Tehran prison since 2021, has been sentenced on six occasions to a total sentence of 13 years and nine months in prison and 154 lashes, among other punishments.
The last sentence of six months in prison against him was handed down in mid-October, a month after protesting in prison against the execution of prisoner Reza Rasai for his alleged involvement in the murder of an intelligence agent during the revolt unleashed by the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022.
Despite convictions and imprisonment, the human rights and women’s activist has continued to denounce violations in Iran, including the application of the death penalty or violence against women who do not wear the Islamic veil.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the prestigious award to Mohammadi in 2023 “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and to promote human rights and freedom for all.”
The award was collected by her children in a ceremony in Oslo in which the activist asked through them for international support to end an Iranian Government “at its lowest level of legitimacy and popular support.”
International
Climate-driven rains trigger one of Indonesia’s deadliest flood emergencies in years
A torrential monsoon season, compounded by two unusual tropical cyclones, has triggered intense rainfall in several regions since last week, including southern Thailand, northern Malaysia, and large parts of Indonesia.
Climate change has recently intensified rainfall patterns, as a warmer atmosphere is able to hold more moisture. In Indonesia, desperation is growing among those affected by the disaster due to the slow pace of rescue operations and the distribution of humanitarian aid.
Relief agencies warned that the scale of the emergency is nearly unprecedented, even for a country accustomed to frequent natural disasters.
Across the island of Sumatra, the death toll was revised downward to 770 fatalities and at least 463 people still missing as of Wednesday night. Earlier, the national disaster management agency had reported 804 deaths.
Gathering accurate information on the ground remains difficult, as many regions are still cut off due to flood damage, widespread power outages, communication failures, or a combination of all three.
International
Russian authorities ban Roblox citing child safety and moral concerns
Russia has blocked access to the U.S.-owned game creation platform Roblox, accusing it of distributing extremist materials and what authorities described as “LGBT propaganda,” state media reported on Wednesday.
The country has repeatedly threatened to ban certain foreign digital platforms, a move that human rights organizations view as part of broader efforts by authorities to tighten control over internet use.
In a statement released through Russian news agencies, the federal communications watchdog Roskomnadzor accused Roblox of hosting “inappropriate content that can negatively affect the spiritual and moral development of children.”
“The game exposes minors to sexual harassment, tricks them into sharing intimate photos, and encourages them to commit acts of depravity and violence,” the regulator claimed.
Last week, the same agency also threatened to ban WhatsApp, the country’s second most widely used messaging app, accusing it of failing to prevent criminal activity.
Roblox, which is owned by the U.S.-based Roblox Corporation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to company data for 2024, the platform has around 100 million daily users worldwide, nearly 40% of whom are under the age of 13.
Other countries, including Qatar, Iraq and Turkey, have also restricted or banned Roblox, mainly over concerns about the safety of underage users. In the United States, the states of Texas and Louisiana have filed lawsuits against the platform on similar grounds.
International
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty on Monday to drug trafficking charges in a U.S. court, months after his brother Ovidio reached a similar plea agreement, according to local media reports.
The defendant appeared before a federal court in Chicago early Monday afternoon and changed his previous plea in the case, the Chicago Tribune reported. U.S. authorities accuse him of forming, together with his three brothers, the cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos.”
The group is believed to have continued the operations of El Chapo, who has been serving a life sentence in the United States since 2019.
Guzmán López, 39, was arrested after landing in Texas in a small aircraft alongside cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
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