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Afghans jailed in Greece over Moria migrant camp blaze

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Four Afghan asylum-seekers were sentenced to 10 years in prison in Greece on Saturday for their part in a fire that destroyed the Moria migrant camp last year, in a case that highlighted the chronic refugee problem on Europe’s borders.

The men, charged with arson with risk to human life over the fire on the island of Lesbos last September, were found guilty after a court rejected a request by lawyers for three of them to be tried by a juvenile court because they were under 18 at the time.

Before the blaze, Moria was considered Europe’s biggest migrant camp, a sprawling and overcrowded town of tents and improvised shelters notorious for its poor and often dangerous living conditions.

Described by rights groups and the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR as unfit for humans, the camp had become a symbol of Europe’s stumbling response to the migration crisis on its southern borders, which left much of the burden to be carried by small islands like Lesbos.

Greek authorities believe the fire was deliberately lit by camp occupants after quarantine measures were imposed following the discovery of COVID-19 cases among people living on the site.

The blaze sent more than 12,000 people, mostly Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi refugees who had already endured a dangerous sea crossing, fleeing for their lives, forcing most to sleep in the open for days without shelter, food or water or sanitation.

No one was killed in the fire.

A new temporary camp was set up on the site of an old army firing range but tenders have been launched for new closed centres on Lesbos and the nearby island of Chios that the government says will provide safer accommodation but which critics say risk becoming like prisons.

The four men were among a group of six Afghans detained by police following the fire. The other two were sentenced in March to five years in prison.

Defence lawyers said the men had been framed by a witness and that the court’s decision was “an inconceivable conviction without evidence”.

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Bayat Foundation donates hundreds of tents to earthquake victims in Samangan

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As part of its ongoing humanitarian assistance, Bayat Foundation has distributed hundreds of tents to families affected by the earthquake in the Khulm and Feroz Nakhchir districts of Samangan province.

Officials from the foundation said their humanitarian efforts will continue and that more affected families will receive assistance.

Hujatullah Noori, a representative of Bayat Foundation, said: “Today, Bayat Foundation is distributing 100 tents to the victims of the recent earthquake in Khulm and Feroz Nakhchir districts of Samangan.”

Currently, the most urgent needs of those affected by the earthquake are shelter, house reconstruction, food, and medicine—assistance that victims emphasize is essential.

One victim said: “Our life has been devastated. We thank the Bayat Foundation for standing with us and bringing us tents.”

Another added: “The earthquake destroyed our entire house. We are asking for more help. We hope the Bayat Foundation continues its support and helps rebuild people’s homes.”

Local officials in Khulm district also welcomed the Bayat Foundation’s humanitarian assistance, describing its role in supporting disaster victims and reducing poverty as significant.

According to the Khulm district governor, the recent earthquake completely destroyed 200 residential houses and partially damaged more than 1,000 others in the district. The quake also left nine people dead and 60 injured.

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Pakistan urges Islamic Emirate to relocate TTP to Afghanistan, sources say

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Sources in Turkey have told Ariana News that the Afghan delegation at the Istanbul talks shared its views with the mediators, but the Pakistani side raised certain demands that have no connection to Afghanistan.

According to the sources, the Islamabad delegation asked Afghanistan to relocate the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group from Pakistan into Afghanistan.

The sources added that it is weird that, on one hand, Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering TTP members within its territory, yet on the other hand, it is itself requesting the transfer of such groups like the TTP into Afghanistan.

The sources emphasized that Afghanistan never wishes to create a major problem for itself under pressure.

According to the sources, the legitimate demands of the Islamic Emirate that Pakistan’s territory and airspace not be used by other country or by Daesh against Afghanistan — have not been accepted by Islamabad.

This comes as Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Tahir Andrabi said that a new round of talks with the Islamic Emirate began yesterday in Istanbul, during which the Pakistani delegation presented its evidence-based demands to the mediators with the aim of ending militant attacks.

Andrabi said at a press conference on Friday that the mediators are currently holding discussions with IEA regarding Pakistan’s demands.

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IEA ambassador in Moscow discusses role of ICC with Russian representative

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Gul Hassan Hassan, the Ambassador of the Islamic Emirate to Russia, met with Ilya Rogachev, the Special Representative of the President of Russia for International Criminal and Legal Cooperation, to discuss the role and position of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

According to a statement released by the Afghan Embassy in Moscow, the two sides exchanged views on issues related to the International Criminal Court, including its activities, status, and role as an international institution.

The statement added that the recent decisions of the ICC were also reviewed during the meeting.

It has been reported that Anton Lavrov, Head of the Afghanistan Department in the Second Asian Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was also present at the meeting.

This meeting comes after the Islamic Emirate previously announced the cancellation of Afghanistan’s membership in the Court, stating that history has shown the ICC acts based on political motives rather than the principles of justice and fairness.

ICC is an independent judicial body established to address serious international crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

The Court operates under the Rome Statute and its jurisdiction applies only to countries that have accepted this statute.

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