release

Later this morning, a ceasefire is set to take hold in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, ushering in a tentative hope for an end to a brutal conflict that has gripped the region for 15 long and tumultuous months. As part of this fragile truce, a release of hostages is slated to occur a few hours thereafter, which could signal a shift toward peace, albeit a complicated one. This breakthrough follows months of fluctuating negotiations, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States. Interestingly, the timeline coincides with…

The anguish experienced by the families of those held hostage has been relentless ever since the pirates seized the MV Albedo off the Somali coast in November 2010, taking Pakistani sailors captive. Sadly, the trauma of those left behind shows no signs of waning. To begin with, the Somali pirates set the ransom for the release at a whopping $8 million. Thanks to continuous negotiations, that staggering amount was eventually reduced to about $2.85 million. The head honcho at Pakistan's Citizens-Police Liaison Committee…

President Asif Ali Zardari has stepped up to the plate, instructing Interior Minister Rehman Malik to do everything possible to free the Pakistani hostages held by Somali pirates. This is a serious mission, and President Zardari made it clear that failure isn't an option.Sources reveal that late Monday night, Zardari reached out to Malik via phone, urging him to pull out all the stops to secure the release of these captives before the Tuesday deadline imposed by the pirates. "Leave no stone unturned," was the essence of his…

The U.S. embassy cautioned, "While attacks can happen anytime, worries spike around anniversaries of former terrorist assaults like 9/11, the Westgate Mall tragedy on September 21st, and the October 7th Hamas strike on Israel." Americans in Nairobi are encouraged to stay undercover, dodge protest zones, and remain vigilant in hangouts popular with tourists and foreigners. The UK embassy in Kenya backed this up with a travel warning, urging travel only when necessary. The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office…

Nigerian gunmen released the remaining students of more than 100 students kidnapped from an Islamic seminary in northwest Niger state nearly three months ago, the school principal said on Thursday. Heavily armed…

The Court for the Suppression of Economic Crime and Terrorism on Friday rejected the request for the provisional release of the opponent Reckya Madougou, and the rejection decision was sent to his lawyers on Saturday. On July 9, the French lawyer Pierre Stasi went to Cotonou and submitted this request to his Beninese colleagues, given that "the file was empty and their client was placed in total isolation in the Missérété prison. as reported from Cotonou, Jean-Luc Aplogan The order was issued on Friday and announced to…

Four Guinean opponents - key leaders of Cellou Dalein Diallo's UFDG who have been imprisoned for several months - will benefit from this supervised provisional release this Saturday, July 17th. A freedom that allows them to seek treatment, according to a statement from Guinea's prison administration read in the Guinean state media.…

Loïc Djeukam, known as "Shakiro", and Roland Mouthé, known as "Patricia", had been weakened in prison since February. Shakiro and Patricia were arrested on suspicion of homosexuality in February last year while eating at a restaurant because they were wearing dresses, stilettos and make-up. They were sentenced on April 11 to a maximum sentence of five years and a fine of 200,000 CFA francs in the first instance for "attempted homosexuality". The two transgender women were finally released on bail by the judges on…

Following the release in early May of 40 people detained since the October 2020 demonstrations around Guinea's presidential election, Amnesty International recalls that 57 detainees, arrested under the same circumstances, are still behind bars. NGOs demand respect for their rights and for criminal proceedings. "Despite these…

In Gabon, following a 48-hour ultimatum, authorities sent the army to stalls from street vendors in the capital. The goal is to get rid of all traders who sell illegally on the sidewalk. It is within the framework of a clean-up operation called "Free the sidewalks" that the soldiers acted on Sunday, June 20 from kl. 4. They started the operation at PK12 outside Libreville.…