Displaying items by tag: criminal charges

The USA has filed criminal charges against Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, and five other individuals for orchestrating the deadly attack on 7 October which killed 1,200 people, including forty Americans. The charges include conspiracy to support a terrorist organisation, conspiracy to murder US nationals, and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. The complaint alleges support from Iran and Hezbollah. Three of the defendants are believed to be dead, while Sinwar remains in hiding. These charges are part of a broader effort to dismantle Hamas’s operations, but the White House also says it is actively working with Egypt and Qatar on a new ceasefire and hostage deal. In other developments, in Israel there have been three days of huge protests against Benjamin Netanyahu, and the UK government has decided to suspend sale of certain types of arms sales to Israel because they might be used in violation of international humanitarian law.

Georgia prosecutors have charged Donald Trump and 18 others with attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss. Trump is facing thirteen new charges, including racketeering. Racketeering is organised crime where someone makes money through illegal activities. Penalties are prison terms - five to twenty years, or £197,000 fines - which can help persuade subordinates to cut deals with the prosecution in exchange for lesser sentences. Organised criminal activity is prosecuted under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (Rico) Act; this includes convicting mafia bosses. When the court proceedings take place, they will dominate the next presidential election - making it a campaign unlike any other.

Criminal charges against eight leaders of the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC) were confirmed on 7 October. They are charged with criminal trespass and illegal possession of church properties. The SCOC is a Nuban denomination experiencing religious and ethnic discrimination. However, a new minister of guidance and religious endowments could change the spiritual atmosphere. He stated recently, ‘Sudan is pluralistic in its thought, culture, ideologies, Islamic religious sects, and even religions.’ He also called for the return of Sudan’s Jewish community. He told the UN that ‘all public order laws are suspended and will be repealed’. These were used against women, especially those from marginalised communities. Sadly, reports emerged on 10 October that public-order police were patrolling Khartoum and harassing individuals. Pray for Sudan’s new multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious nature to be welcomed by police, and for the new policy changes to be applied by all law courts.