The UN Human Rights office urged demonstrators and the government Friday to "exercise maximum restraint" during farmers' protest in India as police complained of tweets by Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg. 

"The rights to peaceful assembly and expression should be protected both offline and online,” the office tweeted regarding the issue that has turned street protests into a Twitter war. “It's crucial to find equitable solutions with due respect to human rights for all.”

Thunberg tweeted support for the protests, which led police Thursday to complain about the Swedish climate campaigner, according to reports.

The cyber exchanges highlighted social media campaigning and the reaction that has again come to the fore in large protests in different countries.

A New Delhi police spokesman told Anadolu Agency that he does not have any details to offer regarding the development around the Swedish activist.

Thunberg said she still "supports their peaceful protest" after the new development.

"No amount of hate, threats, or violations of human rights will ever change that," she wrote.

Thousands of farmers have demonstrated on the outskirts of Delhi since November against laws meant to liberalize the agriculture sector.

Farmers claim the new rules will threaten their livelihoods.

While the protests were peaceful when they began, they turned violent Jan.26, when farmers broke police barricades to storm the historic Red Fort in New Delhi, injuring at least 400 officers.

The government cut off the internet at protest sites, installed iron nails and put barbed wire to barricade protesting areas.

Earlier, the government issued a disproportionate response to a tweet from popstar Rihanna supporting massive protests against the new laws.

"The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible," said a statement by India's Ministry of External Affairs.

The ministry noted protests must be seen in the context of India's "democratic ethos and polity" and "efforts of the government" and the farmers to resolve the "impasse."

Rihanna, who has more than 101 million Twitter followers, while sharing a news article by the CNN network about the protests, late Tuesday wrote: "Why aren't we talking about this?!"

Soon after her tweet, Thunberg, Meena Harris, niece of US Vice President Kamala Harris and other international celebrities extended support to the ongoing protests./aa

Prosecutors in Albania are conducting an investigation against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) for money laundering, the Turkish parliament speaker said Friday.

Mustafa Sentop’s remarks came during an official visit to Albania where he said Turkey has information about FETO’s structure in the Balkans, especially in Albania, and some measures have been taken.

“There are some fugitives of FETO that Turkey requests extradition. Some of them have been extradited over time. We express that this organization is an international, new generation terrorist organization,” he said. “There are a considerable number of individuals and organizations in Albania. Organized structure within the framework of education, media, non-governmental organizations and companies. Of course, all these legal structures are structures that hide their real goals and real activities. As a matter of fact, I know that the chief prosecutor's office in Albania is conducting an investigation in the context of money laundering, "

Sentop emphasized that FETO poses a serious threat in every country where it operates, especially in Albania.

“We have warned. We are pleased to observe that they agree on this matter, but we have expressed once again that the necessary actions should be done without too much delay,” he said.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Turkey accuses FETO of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary./aa

The Turkish Coast Guard rescued 84 asylum seekers in the Aegean Sea, security sources said Friday. 

Sixty-five asylum seekers were trying to reach Greece’s Lesbos Island by motorboat but had to request help from Turkish authorities when the boat’s engine stopped, according to sources.

A Turkish Coast Guard boat responded to the distress call and conducted a rescue operation off the coast of Ayvacik in Turkey’s western Balikesir province, the sources added.

Separately, 19 asylum seekers, whose rubber boat was pushed by Greek coastal authorities into Turkish territorial waters in the Aegean Sea, were rescued by a coast guard team off the Dikili coast in the western Izmir province.

After routine checks, the asylum seekers were sent to the provincial migration authority.

Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers aiming to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution./aa

A Turkish foundation focusing on education declared that it aims to open its first school in Azerbaijan in its capital Baku by the end of 2021.

Noting that an agreement has been settled for the school's opening, the chairperson of the Turkish Maarif Foundation, Prof. Birol Akgun, told Anadolu Agency that Turkey's national education minister would sign the agreement in the coming weeks in Ankara.

"We would like to open several schools in Azerbaijan and convey the globally qualified educational knowledge that we have to Azerbaijan's public as well," Akgun said.

He added that Azerbaijan would be the 44th country where the foundation has schools.

Akgun said the school to be opened in Baku would consist of grades from pre-school to high school. The foundation will also provide training to teachers of the school on the use of IT technologies, teaching experiences, and curriculum development.

Stating that Azerbaijan won a glamorous victory in Karabakh, which was also appreciated and celebrated by the Turkish public, he said, "We are ready for any support if there is anything that we can do in the field of education, concerning the re-building of Karabakh and re-establishing the social and civilian life there."

He added that they are getting prepared to open schools in Karabakh as well once Azerbaijan's government provides security and concludes the strategic planning of the population that will settle in the provinces in the region.

"We are ready to utilize all our knowledge for the development of our brothers and sisters there," Akgun remarked.

Turkish Maarif Foundation is an Ankara-based non-profit public educational foundation established in 2016 that aims to develop Turkey's international education arena, enhance cultural and civilizational interaction, and pave the way for achieving common well-being./aa

Bosnians gathered Friday to commemorate the 26th anniversary of a massacre that took the lives of 68 people and injured nearly 150.

The 1994 Markale marketplace shelling was one of the biggest massacres committed during the siege of Sarajevo from April 1992 to December 1995.

Family members, victims, and survivors paid tribute, laid wreaths, and prayed for the dead.

The ceremony was also attended by Zeljko Komsic, the Croat chairman of the Council of Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Komsic, at the ceremony, pointed out that the ceremonies held on the anniversaries of the massacres were an indicator of solidarity and empathy.

"Those killed in the marketplace were innocent civilians. This shows how terrible the tragedy that befalls them. One of the responsibilities of the people of Sarajevo is not to let these victims be forgotten," said Komsic.

Another commemoration program was organized at the National Theater to honor the victims with limited participation due to COVID-19 measures.

Participants in the program then came to the Markale market place and left flowers at the memorial to the victims.

On Aug. 28, 1995, a second mortar exploded in the main market square, killing 43 people and injuring 75.

In Sarajevo, which was besieged for 44 months during the war, 11,541 people, including 1601 children, were killed.

War crimes

The shelling is among the crimes former Serbian leader Radovan Karadzic was found guilty of committing during his trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

The UN court in The Hague also sentenced former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic to life in prison for his part in spreading terror among civilians in the capital of Sarajevo and other parts of Bosnia in an attempt to clear non-Serbs from certain territories.

He was also found to have had "significant responsibility" for the 1995 genocide of over 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica.

For the Markale massacre, the court also sentenced Dragoslav Milosevic, commander of the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps of the Army of Republika Srpska, to 29 years in prison, among other charges./aa

The Central African Republic (CAR) extended a state of emergency for six months across the war-torn country as the fight against the rebel groups continues, the government announced Friday.

The country's lawmakers gathered in a plenary assembly session on Friday and adopted the bill extending the Jan. 21 state of emergency, the government said in a Facebook post.

Prime Minister Firmin Ngrebada welcomed the decision and congratulated the country's armed forces and allies fighting to restore order and security.

The armed forces took over the city of Yaloke and its surrounding areas on Friday from rebel groups.

On Wednesday, the UN secretary-general condemned the recent violence in the CAR, reiterating his call for a global cease-fire.

The situation in CAR, a landlocked country in the African continent, worsened after the rejection of former President Francois Bozize's candidacy for the presidential election in December last year.

Earlier this week, the Democratic Opposition Coalition, comprising over a dozen political parties, announced its withdrawal from the current electoral process and its rejection of the results.

Violence and insecurity related to the recent elections in the CAR have forced more than 200,000 people to flee their homes in less than two months, the UNHCR said last week, warning that tens of thousands of people face dire living conditions./aa

Peace and stability in South Asia are important as the region is rising with its growing economy and human resources, said a Turkish lawmaker on Friday.

“We believe that peace and stability of South Asia can’t be thought separately from the Kashmir issue,” said Muhammet Balta, a member of the Turkish parliament and the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party.

Speaking at an event in the Turkish capital Ankara to mark the Kashmir Solidarity Day, hosted by the Pakistani Embassy, Balta said peace and stability in South Asia are important for global actors, too.

Recalling Kashmir statement made by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the UN General Assembly last year, Balta said: “Our state and nation are in solidarity with Kashmiri people who experienced big pains in the past and also experiencing today.”

According to Islamabad, every year on Feb. 5, Pakistanis, the Kashmiri diaspora, and their well-wishers hold seminars, conferences, and rallies to shore up support for the cause.

Initiated by Qazi Hussain Ahmad, the former chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, a mainstream religious-political group, in the early 1990s, the day was later declared a public holiday in Pakistan.

“Turkey and Pakistan are two countries that share unprecedented historical friendship and brotherhood ties and that share their joy as well as their pain and grief in the most sincere and sacrificing manner as they have proved in their history many times before,” the Turkish lawmaker said as the event also hosted a photo exhibition which showcased alleged human rights violations in the Indian-administered Kashmir.

“Therefore, Kashmir and our brothers living in those lands always keep a place in our hearts and minds the same way as Pakistan,” he added.

“The resolution of this issue will serve the benefit of the entire region.

“However, it is not possible to resolve this issue keeping away the sociological, ethnic, and demographic realities of the region from our eyes,” said Balta.

Dialogue, UN resolutions way forward

Referring to India’s Aug. 5, 2019 move to scrap the minimal autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, Balta said: “Protecting the ethnical and demographic structure of the region is serving as a basis for resolving of this problem. Therefore, related UN Security Council resolutions also underline the need to protect the demographic structure of the region that is peculiar to itself.”

“On the other hand, the problem has become more complicated when India unilaterally lifted Article 370 of the Indian Constitution on 5 August 2019,” he added.

The lawmaker said the steps are “increasing the problems of the people of the region who are Muslim in the majority. We see these steps as not acceptable.”

“The current picture seems to be on the contrary against UN Security Council decisions that take dialogue as a basis for Kashmir,” he explained. “We all believe that the entire international community should follow UN resolutions in a sincere manner.”

The lawmaker also said Turkey “wishes that a just and stable solution to be found for the issue in a way to be able to reach peace and collaboration in the entire region.”

“Our country is willing to provide the necessary support to contribute to peace and stability of South Asia with which we have very special historical and cultural ties and to reduce tensions in the region by dialogue,” he said. “I'm Kashmir,” he concluded his speech, referring to the title of a new song composed by a Turkish lyricist about the region.

'I'm Kashmir' song released

Alongside a documentary depicting the situation in Kashmir, the song “I’m Kashmir”, written by Turkish lyricist Turgay Evren, was also played at the event.

Earlier, messages of Pakistani President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Khan were read out on the occasion.

Pakistan's Ambassador to Turkey Syrus Sajjad Qazi in his brief speech highlighted what he called “massive human rights violations by India to instill fear in the local population.”

“In this day and age, no matter what lengths the Indian regime goes to block access, no matter how many curtains of secrecy it tries to pull down on the conduct of its armed forces in the Kashmir valley, no matter how many fake NGOs or dead persons it resurrects to peddle its fake news all over the world, the truth is eventually getting out -- and the truth is dark and ugly,” he said, expressing gratitude to Turkey’s “principled position and continuous support on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, including from the government, Turkish parliament and the people of Turkey.”/aa

An Islamic association of Malaysia on Friday called on the international community to stand up in solidarity with the Kashmiri people and stop human rights abuses by the Indian security forces who are enjoying “impunity for crimes” committed in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

In a message on the “Kashmir Solidarity Day”, Malaysian Consultative Council for Islamic Organization President Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid claimed that since 1947, more than 700,000 Kashmiri people, particularly civilians, have been killed in “genocide and human rights abuses by the Indian military with impunity."

“Today the world must stand [up] in solidarity with Kashmir. Just being passive and ignoring the fate of Kashmir is a betrayal of the principles of humanity. Silence and being muted are not an option,” he said in a statement.

The Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir is already "suffering under a militarized COVID-19 lockdown," he added.

"This is a multilateral issue of violations of human rights and international law," Azmi said, adding: "Incidents of Indian military attacks on the people of Kashmir are almost on daily basis."

"India arrogantly ignores the international law or the UN Declaration of Human Rights," he also noted.

Every year on Feb. 5, Pakistan, the Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir, the Kashmiri diaspora, and their sympathizers organize seminars, conferences, and rallies to support the cause.

Qazi Hussain Ahmad, the former leader of Pakistan's mainstream religious-political group Jamaat-e-Islami, in 1990 started observing the "Kashmir Solidarity Day" on Feb. 5 and, since then, the Pakistani government and Kashmir diaspora have been observing it elsewhere to support the Kashmir cause and “denounce human rights abuses” in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

Kashmir dispute 

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965, and 1971 -- two of them over Kashmir.

Some Kashmiri groups in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against the Indian rule for independence, or unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989./aa

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday his country would allow Kashmiris to determine whether they wish to join or stay independent if they vote in favor of Pakistan in a UN-promised plebiscite. ​​​​​​​

Addressing the "Kashmir Solidarity Day" rally in Kotli area of Azad Kashmir or the Pakistani-administered Kashmir, Khan said: "When residents of Indian-occupied Kashmir as well as Azad Kashmir get the right to self-determination, and when Kashmiris choose Pakistan Insha’Allah, Pakistan will give Kashmir the right to decide whether or not they want to be part of Pakistan or remain independent."

“The whole Pakistan stands with the occupied Kashmir … not just Pakistan but the whole Muslim world stands with people of the occupied Kashmir,” he said.

"If Muslim governments, for any reason, are not supporting you [Kashmiris] today, I can assure you the entire population of the Muslim world is standing with the people of occupied Kashmir," he said.

He urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) to come forward and implement its resolutions on Kashmir.

"The UNSC resolved the East Timor issue because it was an island of a Muslim country and Christians were in the majority there," he said, criticizing the UNSC's silence on the issue of Kashmir.

No power could defeat public

Khan said no military power in the world could win a war against the public and “India is also facing defeat in Kashmir.”

"India may bring 900,000 army soldiers or even more, but they [India] could not win in Kashmir," he opined.

Referring to the US defeat in Vietnam, Russia in Afghanistan, and France in Algeria, Khan said that even superpowers lost their wars against the public.

Khan offers India dialogue

Khan asked his Indian counterpart that there is no option with India except to resolve the Kashmir dispute according to UNSC resolutions.

"I ask [Narendra] Modi to restore Article 370 [of the Indian Constitution] in Kashmir and take back all illegal actions taken in August 2019, and then let us start the process of composite dialogue as per the UNSC resolutions,” Khan offered during his address.

"The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideology has hurt India and divided the country," he said of a prominent Hindu nationalist organization with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its political wing.

"Today India's farmers are protesting and the Muslims' condition is in front of everyone because of its discriminatory citizenship laws against them," he said.

President calls India an ‘irresponsible nuclear state’

Earlier on Friday, Pakistani President Arif Alvi called India an "irresponsible nuclear state" and said New Delhi is "playing with fire."

Addressing Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly to mark “Kashmir Solidarity Day”, Alvi said Pakistanis commemorate the “sacrifices made by brave Kashmiris for freedom against occupied forces of India.”

“Today we want to encourage our Kashmiri brothers and sisters, who are fighting for their freedom, and want to tell them that we [Pakistanis] stand behind them,” the president said.

Their struggle has entered the final phase, and Kashmiris will soon be free, he said.

Pakistan asks UNSC to implement its resolutions on Kashmir 

Pakistan, on the “Kashmir Solidarity Day”, called on the UNSC to ensure implementation of its resolutions to resolve the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir.

In a letter addressed to the UN secretary-general and the UNSC, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi asked them to "exercise their legal and moral authority to ensure the implementation of resolutions on the Jammu and Kashmir which guarantee the Kashmiris’ inalienable right to self-determination."

The foreign minister underscored that all “unilateral and illegal measures taken by India in the occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir in violation of international law including relevant resolutions of the UNSC and the 4th Geneva Convention, such as changes in the demographic structure, usurpation of land and farcical ‘elections’, are null and void.”

Disputed region

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, New Delhi and Islamabad have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965, and 1971 – two of them over Kashmir.

Also, in the Siachen glacier in northern Kashmir, Indian and Pakistani troops have fought intermittently since 1984. A cease-fire took effect in 2003.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands have reportedly been killed in the conflict since 1989./aa

Turkish gendarmerie forces on Friday arrested 11 people over their alleged links to the PKK terror group in Istanbul and the eastern province of Bitlis.

Local gendarmerie teams in Bitlis conducted an operation to nab the suspects, who had been identified as members of the PKK terror group, a statement by the governor’s office said.

In Bitlis-based operation which was carried out in Istanbul simultaneously, the teams also seized a Kalashnikov infantry rifle, a large number of cartridges, two unlicensed shotguns, nine smart mobile phones, and a hand-held camera.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people including women, children, and infants./aa