Trump's media attacks close to incitement of violence: Top UN official
New York, Aug 13 : Outgoing UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein has singled out US President Donald Trump's repeated designation of the press as "the enemy of the people", terming it "very close to incitement to violence".
Trump's anti-press rhetoric would lead to journalists censoring themselves or being attacked, said Al-Hussein, a Jordanian prince and diplomat, in an interview to the Guardian daily.
Al-Hussein is stepping down in August from the UN post after deciding not to stand for a second four-year term, in the face of a waning commitment among world powers to fighting abuses.
He said the Trump administration's lack of concern about human rights marked a distinct break with previous administrations and that the US President's own rhetoric aimed at minorities and at the press was "redolent of two of the worst eras of the 20th century", the run-up to the two world wars.
"We began to see a campaign against the media … that could have potentially, and still can, set in motion a chain of events which could quite easily lead to harm being inflicted on journalists just going about their work and potentially some self-censorship," Al-Hussein said.
"And in that context, it's getting very close to incitement to violence."
He said that Trump's example was already being followed elsewhere, giving license to authoritarian leaders to crack down on the media in ways they had not previously dared to, the daily said on Monday.
Al-Hussein pointed to Cambodian leader Hun Sen, who he said had used similar language when he closed down independent media organisations.
"The US creates a demonstration effect, which then is picked up by other countries where the leadership tends to to be more authoritarian (in) character or aspires to be authoritarian."
Al-Hussein has also taken on the Trump administration over its policy of separating children from their parents in migrant families arrested at the border and the US President's own long history of rhetoric aimed at minorities.
"The Trump administration seems to have separated itself from previous administrations in its upholding of human rights globally."
"The administration's failure to appoint an ambassador to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, before withdrawing from the council altogether, Al-Hussein added, was "illustrative of the lack of any deep commitment to the human rights".
His advice to his successor, Michele Bachelet, who has been both a political prisoner and President in her native Chile, was to stay courageous and not to run for a second term.
"I would be very suspicious of any commissioner seeking a second term because I'd wonder what deals are being struck and if they'd been struck they've been struck on the back of victims," he said.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
