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Full transcript of Merrick Garland’s comments on the F.B.I.’s search of Trump’s home.

Good afternoon.

Since I became attorney general, I have made clear that the Department of Justice will speak through its court filings and its work.

Just now the Justice Department has filed a motion in the southern district of Florida to unseal a search warrant and property receipt relating to a court-approved search that the F.B.I. conducted earlier this week.That search was a premises located in Florida belonging to the former president. The department did not make any public statements on the day of the search. The former president publicly confirmed the search that evening, as is his right. Copies of both the warrant and the F.B.I. property receipt were provided on the day of the search to the former president’s counsel, who was on site during the search.

The search warrant was authorized by a federal court upon the required finding of probable cause. The property receipt is a document that federal law requires law enforcement agents to leave with the property owner. The department filed the motion to make public the warrant and receipt in light of the former president’s public confirmation of the search, the surrounding circumstances, and the substantial public interest in this matter.

Faithful adherence to the rule of law is the bedrock principle of the Justice Department and of our democracy. Upholding the rule of law means applying the law evenly, without fear or favor. Under my watch that is precisely what the Justice Department is doing. All Americans are entitled to the evenhanded application of the law, to due process of the law, and to the presumption of innocence.Much of our work is by necessity conducted out of the public eye. We do that to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans and to protect the integrity of our investigations. Federal law, longstanding department rules, and our ethical obligations prevent me from providing further details as to the basis of the search at this time.

There are, however, certain points I want you to know.

First, I personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter.

Second, the department does not take such a decision lightly. Where possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means as an alternative to a search and to narrowly scope any search that is undertaken.

Third, let me address recent unfounded attacks on the professionalism of the F.B.I. and Justice Department agents and prosecutors. I will not stand by silently when their integrity is unfairly attacked. The men and women of the F.B.I. and the Justice Department are dedicated, patriotic public servants. Every day they protect the American people from violent crime, terrorism, and other threats to their safety while safeguarding our civil rights. They do so at great personal sacrifice and risk to themselves. I am honored to work alongside them.

This is all I can say right now. More information will be made available in the appropriate way and at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Thank you all for your questions. But as I said, this is all I can say at this time.

دا افغانستان، دا زمونږ زیبا وطن

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Fact check: Have the Taliban kept their promises?

A year ago, the Taliban retook Kabul. In their first press conference after seizing power in Afghanistan, they surprised the world with the announcement of moderate policies. A key pledge was to address women's rights.

Women's rights will be respected within the norms of Islamic law

Claim: The group's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in his first press conference in August 2021: "Women are going to be very active in the society, but within the framework of Islam." Within those frameworks, they would be allowed to work and study.

DW fact check: False

When the Taliban took power, many feared a regime as harsh on women as under the group's last rule in the 1990s. One year on, the Taliban have implemented many restrictions on women's lives.

Women must cover themselves from head to toe in public. If a woman doesn't cover her face outside the home, her father or closest male relative could be imprisoned or fired from government jobs. Women can't board planes without a male guardian, who has to be her husband or a close male relative past puberty.

Entry to public parks in Afghanistan is limited by gender. Three days are reserved for women, four for men. However, according to a decree, it is strongly recommended that women leave home only when necessary.

The Taliban quote safety concerns for making such decisions. But scholars say these kinds of restrictions are not covered by Islamic law. Sayed Abdul Hadi Hedayat, an Afghanistan-based religious scholar, is opposed to the Taliban's way of imposing rules on Afghan women to cover their bodies. "There is a consensus among Muslim clerics and countries on the hijab itself, but there are different opinions about the type of hijab for women," he told DW, adding that according to Islam face, hands and feet are not part of the areas that should be covered.

The Taliban have also restricted access to work in certain sectors, as outlined in a report by Amnesty International. "Most female government employees have been told to stay at home, with the exception of those working in certain sectors such as health and education," the report said. "The Taliban's policy appears to be that they will only allow women who cannot be replaced by men to keep working." Many women in high-level positions, even in the private sector, have been dismissed.

This policy also contravenes basic Islamic understanding. "Islam treated women equally, particularly in the field of education," said Farid Younos, a retired professor of Middle Eastern studies and Islamic philosophy at California State University, East Bay. Younos said that women have played a major role in education in history, and cites the example of the Prophet Muhammad's wife and daughter.

Both Hedayat and Younos said that according to Islamic teachings, education is mandatory for both men and women. "Islamic Sharia is not against the education and working of women because we won't have a functioning and prosper society without the role of women," said Hedayat.

Women who have protested against the Taliban's restrictions and policies have been harassed, threatened, arrested and even tortured, said Amnesty International.

Girls will be able to attend high school

Claim: While younger girls were able to resume education in segregated classes a few weeks after the Taliban seized power, female students in secondary schools have not been able to go back. On September 21, Taliban spokesperson Mujahid said the "Ministry of Education is working hard to provide the ground for the education of high school girls as soon as possible." No time frame was mentioned.

DW fact check: False

In March, the Education Ministry announced that classes would open for all students, including girls. However, one day later, as girls attended school for the first time, the ministry reversed the order, calling for female students to leave school. The ministry blamed a lack of teachers and school uniform issues, and claimed it would open schools up to girls once a plan was drawn up in accordance with "Islamic law and Afghan culture." Since then, nothing has changed.

General amnesty for former enemies

Claim: On August 17, 2021, Mujahid said: "I would like to assure all the compatriots, whether they were translators, whether they were with military activities or whether they were civilians, all of them have been important. Nobody is going to be treated with revenge." And: "Thousands of soldiers who have fought us for 20 years, after the occupation, all of them have been pardoned."

DW fact check: False

After an initial "wave of reprisal killings […] unleashed during the Taliban takeover", as Amnesty International puts it, and a "door-to-door manhunt" for alleged "collaborators" in the days surrounding the Taliban's seizure of power in Kabul, it appears the Islamists have not carried out the feared sweeping revenge campaign against their former enemies.

However, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has recorded at least 160 extrajudicial killings, 178 arbitrary arrests, 23 incommunicado arrests and 56 cases of torture of former government and security officials committed by the Taliban authorities between August 15, 2021 and June 15, 2022. The UNAMA report on Human Rights in Afghanistan concludes that the amnesty was violated on several occasions.

These figures do not include dozens of extrajudicial killings, ill treatment and arbitrary arrests of alleged members of the "Islamic State - Khorasan Province" and the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF). The NRF defended the Panjshir Valley from Taliban forces until September last year, and is still attempting to wrest back control in the region.

In June, Amnesty International reported "the use of torture, extrajudicial executions and arbitrary arrest of civilians (accused of being NRF members) by the Taliban in Panjshir province." Zaman Sultani, a South Asia researcher with Amnesty described this practice as "a growing pattern." 

'No threat or reprisal will be carried out against journalists'

Claim: Taliban spokesmen have reiterated this promise given to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) claiming their commitment to impartial media and press freedom — as long as they do not interfere with the Taliban's "cultural framework."

DW fact check: False

Only days after taking power in Kabul, Taliban fighters killed a relative of a DW journalist they were hunting. In September 2021, the International Federation of Journalists reported that Fahim Dashti, the head of Afghanistan's National Journalists Union was killed in a clash between Taliban and NRF fighters.

Rights organizations say they have no concrete evidence that journalists have been killed by the Taliban. However, there is little doubt that press freedom has deteriorated ever since the Taliban conquered Kabul. Of the over 10,000 people working in Afghan newsrooms in July 2021, only 4,360 were still working in December, according to a report by RSF published at the end of last year. Moreover, it said 231 media outlets out of 543 operating in the summer of 2021 disappeared during the first three months of the Taliban's rule. 

 A survey conducted by the Afghan journalists' union and the IJF found that 318 national media outlets have been shut down since the Taliban took over.

In January, a Taliban spokesman told DW that the regime had not shut down any media stations in the country. Yet, some had stopped working after running out of funding, he said. In the same interview, he admitted that media coverage in Afghanistan had to follow rules that might be perceived as very restrictive in Western countries.

In March, the Taliban blocked several international media from broadcasting in Afghanistan, including the BBC, Voice of America and DW. A month later, at least a dozen journalists were arrested in Afghanistan, prompting the UN to call on the Taliban to stop arbitrary detentions of journalists.

According to the survey by the journalists' union, lack of access to information, self-censorship, fear of reprisals and the economic crisis were the main drivers of what the report calls an "unprecedented collapse of the Afghan media." While a third of the respondents said they distrusted local and national media, almost nine out of 10 said they trusted international media stations.

No more illegal drugs from Afghanistan

Claim: After the Taliban's takeover, spokesman Mujahid said: "We are assuring our countrymen and women and the international community [that] we will not produce any narcotics." He reminded the world that the Taliban brought poppy-based drug production to zero back in 2000, and pledged international help to provide alternative crops.

DW fact check: Unproven

Afghanistan has been by far the world's biggest producer and exporter of heroin and opium for decades. In 2020, the country provided some 85% of all non-pharmaceutical opioids worldwide, according to  research by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime.

Earlier this year, the Taliban banned poppy cultivation and the harvest in early April, threatening to put farmers in prison and burn their fields. Mullah Abdul Haq Akhund, the deputy interior minister for counternarcotics, told The Associated Press that the Taliban were working with other governments and nongovernmental organizations to find alternative crops to provide farmers with an income.

So far, the Taliban seem to be sticking to this promise, and — as Mujahid pointed out — they have a track record in the field. According to a 2004 World bank study, poppy production in Afghanistan plummeted to almost zero after the Taliban cultivation ban in 2000. It only soared again after the United States toppled the regime in late 2001.

However, experts question how effective and sustainable the effort to eradicate opioid production will be this time, notwithstanding that success in this endeavor could have a positive impact on foreign relations. After all, drug trafficking is a vital part of the country's economy, generating revenues between $1.8 billion (€1.7 billion) and $2.7 billion in 2021. The total value of opiates made up 9% to 14% of the Afghan GDP.

Given other global challenges and substantial human rights issues, foreign aid could fall short of both the Taliban's expectations and the country's financial needs to cope with the economic downside of ending drug production, said South Asia analyst Shehryar Fazli. 

"Going by the past record, curbing the opium trade could provide the Taliban's armed rivals with the same opportunity to exploit rural discontent that eradication efforts under the republic gave the Taliban insurgency," he said.

https://www.dw.com/en/fact-check-have-the-taliban-kept-their-promises/a-62649985

Afghanistan returns to the dark ages

By Zahid Hussain 

@hidhussain

 IT is a year since the Taliban stormed Kabul to retake control of Afghanistan some two decades after the conservative Islamic regime was routed by American forces following the events of 9/11. It was a return of the old order though with the promise of some moderation.

Unfortunately, the Taliban regime has fully reverted to its old ways.

While the war has ended and there is relative peace, Afghanistan is witnessing a great leap backward as fundamental human rights are severely curtailed. The international community may have remained engaged with the Taliban administration but there is no sign of their recognising them formally.

The Taliban’s own intransigence, fostered by the hard-liners among them, regarding women and other human rights as well as their constant violation of the promises made have stood in the way of formal recognition by the international community, besides being a cause of serious concern even to those countries that had been in favour of a more lenient approach towards them.

Thus, a year down the road, the country continues to face international isolation as the Taliban, who favour a strict interpretation of religious law, have gone back on their pledges to moderate their stance on women’s education and women in government offices, among other things.

The regime’s dreaded Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice is back in action. Besides, Taliban officials have also banned women from travelling in taxis, unless a male family member accompanies them, for a distance greater than 72 kilometres. Such actions remind one of the strict rules framed and enforced by the Taliban regime of Mullah Omar before 9/11. Those who were hailing the Taliban takeover of Kabul last year should be over their euphoria by now. Finding themselves under international pressure, the Taliban had earlier announced they would reopen high schools for girls but reversed their decision quickly, shattering the dreams and aspirations of a million girl students who were excited about returning to their studies.

The rationale given by the Taliban’s education authorities for their action was that a plan built on Islamic principles was to be drawn up to reopen the schools; until such time, girl students would not be able to access these schools. Some officials are even said to have said that religion asserts that Muslim women receive limited education. There is no time frame as to when these schools will reopen.

Clearly, this reversal of the decision to reopen girls’ high schools shows that the hard-liners call the shots in the ruling administration and control its leadership. The move came following a council meeting. Meanwhile, in their ongoing attempt to stamp their conservative writ, the regime has also imposed restrictions on the media in the country and have cracked down on peaceful protests.

Such moves only make one thing clear: the Taliban want their obscurantist views to prevail over international engagement, and in order to do so, the radicals among them have no qualms about sidelining the more moderate Taliban elements. Such an approach will surely spell doom for a country already in the throes of multiple economic, social and political challenges.

There seems to be little realisation among Taliban ranks that the country’s problems cannot be successfully solved while Afghanistan remains isolated from the rest of the world which is not willing to accept a retrogressive regime that thwarts fundamental human rights and equal rights for women.In spite of some humanitarian aid from the international community, which helped to alleviate last winter’s misery in Afghanistan, the crisis is far from over. Increasing international isolation will only worsen the regime’s predicament. With such scant regard for human rights, including the Taliban’s U-turn on ensuring that girls receive an education — a key condition of potential donors if Afghanistan is to receive foreign aid and recognition — it is unlikely that donors will come forward. The regime’s actions could cost it millions of dollars in foreign aid.More worrying are reports of transnational militant groups resurfacing in Afghanistan and presenting a serious threat to regional security. The presence of Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul, where he was apparently living under the protection of the Taliban interior minister, means that the worst fears of Afghanistan once again becoming the centre of militant activities are coming true. He was killed in a US drone strike in a highly protected upscale neighbourhood of the capital.

The increasing frequency of Zawahiri’s video and audio messages had reinforced suspicions about his presence in the country. His killing has come as a serious blow to the Taliban government which had given its commitment to the international community to not allow any militant activity on Afghan soil. It is apparent that a faction of the Taliban refused to break its ties with the global terrorist network.

Besides Al Qaeda, there are militant groups like the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement that continue to use Afghanistan as a base for their cross-border operations and are a source of serious concern to Islamabad and Beijing, the two capitals which have been urging the international community to maintain close contact with the Taliban administration. There has been a marked increase in militant activities attributed to the TTP in Pakistan’s former tribal regions and other parts of KP. The militant attacks have taken the lives of scores of Pakistani soldiers over the past one year. Instead of taking action against the terrorist sanctuaries, the Taliban have been calling Pakistan to negotiate peace with the terrorist group. It’s apparent that the TTP is being protected by the Haqqani faction of the Afghan Taliban. The initial euphoria among a section of the Pakistani ruling elite after the Taliban took Kabul last year should have vanished with the spillover effects of the conservative regime in the country.

One year on, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan may not be facing any organised resistance yet with its backward actions, public discontent has been rising and could take the form of a strong movement. Moreover, the Taliban’s protection to transnational militant groups could cause its further international isolation. Twitter: @hidhussain

China defends decision to delay bid at U.N. to sanction Pakistan militant

China on Thursday defended its decision to delay a proposal by the United States and India at the U.N. Security Council to sanction a senior commander in a Pakistan-based militant group.

India and the United States want Abdul Rauf Azhar, commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant group, to be subjected to a global travel ban and asset freeze. The move has to be agreed by all 15 members of a Security Council sanctions committee.

"We placed a hold because we need more time to study the case. Placing holds is provided for by the Committee guidelines, and there have been quite a number of similar holds by Committee members on listing requests," a spokesperson for China's mission to the United Nations told Reuters. When asked for further comment at a regular briefing in Beijing on Thursday, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry defended China's track record at the sanctions committee, also known as the 1267 Committee, and asked the media not to "speculate". "China has always participated in the work of the 1267 Committee in a constructive and responsible manner in strict accordance with the rules and procedures of the Committee, and we hope that other members will do the same," foreign ministry Wang Wenbin said.

The U.S. Treasury designated Azhar in 2010, accusing him of urging Pakistanis to engage in militant activities and organize suicide attacks in India.

The United States respects other countries needs to verify that a sanctions proposal meets their "domestic evidentiary threshold to justify a listing at the U.N.," a spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the United Nations said on Wednesday.

"The United States values cooperation with our Security Council partners to effectively use this tool in an apolitical way to stop terrorists from exploiting the global order to do their misdeeds," the spokesperson said.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china-delays-bid-by-us-india-sanction-pakistan-militant-un-2022-08-10/