The TUC has criticised ministers for refusing to discuss proposals to save the Agricultural Wages Board.Unions have criticised ministers for refusing to discuss proposals to save the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB), during the final debate on the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill last night (16 April.)The AWB for England and Wales brings together employers and unions to set wages and conditions for 150,000 agricultural employees. It was abolished, without a vote after the government guillotined a debate in the House of Commons yesterday.TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said:"This Bill is a direct attack on agricultural workers and has been sped through the House without any proper debate on its likely impact."The government's own figures show that getting rid of the AWB could see wages in the agricultural industry fall by £13 million, with many farm workers and their families strongly relying upon it to stay above the breadline."We are also worried that removing the minimum sick pay entitlements set by the board will mean that farm workers will return from illness before they are properly fit. Agriculture accounts for a quarter of all workplace deaths with 41 people killed last year alone."Julia Long, national officer for agriculture for the Unite union described the AWB as having"been effective in the last 65 years in protecting the incomes of some of the lowest paid workers in the country.""Supermarkets and the growers, who supply them, are behind the Agricultural Wages Board’s abolition proposal as they want to drive down workers’ wages to poverty levels”, she said.[Ekk/4]

This architectural wonderment will rival the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Gateway to the West.Contact: Dean Brown, 417-414-0850BRANSON, Mo., April 17, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- A humble 80 year old retired mid-west executive put his entire retirement income on the line to purchase an Ozark mountain top outside of Branson, Missouri. He fought to obtain the necessary permits to construct one of the world's largest crosses and was successful obtaining the permits Source: Images At The Cross

Open Doors, Damascus Church Reaching Out to Refugees with Supplies, Medicines, Love of JesusContact: Jerry Dykstra, Media Relations Director, Open Doors USA, 616-915-4117, jerryd@odusa.orgSANTA ANA, Calif., April 16, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- More than 1.3 million Syrians have fled the war-torn country, according to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Syria is over 2 million. Source: Open Doors USA

The conviction of a renowned Turkish pianist for “denigrating Islam” on Twitter sends a “chilling” message to social media users in the country, Amnesty says.The conviction of a renowned Turkish pianist for “denigrating Islam” on Twitter sends a “chilling” message to social media users in the country, Amnesty International says.Fazil Say, who has played in some of the world's leading orchestras, was today given a 10-month suspended sentence for posting tweets mocking religious individuals and Islamic conceptions of heaven in April 2012.Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International’s Turkey expert, said: “The conviction of Fazil Say is a flagrant violation of his freedom of expression, made possible by one of Turkey's most draconian laws.“This case sends a chilling warning to anyone using Twitter or other social media in Turkey. Namely, that if you express an opinion the authorities don't like, you could be next."A package of reforms passed on 12 April by Turkey's parliament – called the “fourth judicial package” – failed to overhaul the county’s outdated and restrictive laws curtailing freedom of expression.Say, who has played with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra and others, said he was “saddened” by the verdict.“I am very disappointed for freedom of expression. The fact that I have been convicted despite not having committed a crime is more worrying for the right to freedom of expression and belief in Turkey than it is for me personally,” the pianist was reported as saying by Turkish media today. By the terms of Say's sentence, he faces jail is he is found guilty of the same offence within the next five years.Andrew Gardner added: “This conviction exposes the unjust Turkish laws that leave people vulnerable to a range of abuses - including jail - just for expressing an opinion.“In failing to make the required reforms in the fourth judicial package, the government missed a great opportunity to bring Turkey’s laws in line with international human rights standards.“The government must look again at its reform agenda and immediately abolish offences such as the one used to prosecute Fazil Say.”[Ekk/4]

The Methodist Council agreed further work on poverty, equality and inclusivity when it met at Uplands House in High Wycombe on 13 - 15 April.The Methodist Council agreed further work on poverty, equality and inclusivity when it met at Uplands House in High Wycombe on 13 - 15 April.Council members discussed a number of reports on the issues of inclusion and diversity, and considered plans to improve the ways the growing contributions of the diverse communities represented within the Church are valued. The Belonging Together project has involved engaging with a range of people and groups within and connected to the Church."This is not about committees and conditions", said Belonging Together Partnership Officer Katei Kirby."The Church has a responsibility to love all God's people, to affirm them, bring them together and celebrate them."The Council also received an update on the Church's work on challenging the stigma around poverty.Presenting the report, Public Issues Policy Adviser Paul Morrison said:"One of the things that the Church should do is stand up when people are misrepresented and when people who are in poverty are treated as less than they are. Everybody is valued, everybody is loved and everybody should be treated with dignity and respect. We have to challenge the narrative that people in poverty are somehow less deserving than the rest of society."The Church, together with the Baptist Union of Great Britain, United Reformed Church and Church of Scotland, produced a report on these issues which was launched last month. EntitledThe lies we tell ourselves, the report says that statistics have been manipulated and misused by politicians across the spectrum, as well as by the media, to support the belief that the poor deserve their poverty, and therefore deserve the cuts. The Council commended the report and associated resources for use by churches and groups throughout the UK.Council members also heard that significant progress had been made on establishing the Church's new Discipleship and Ministries Learning Network and discussed the details of the changes."It is exciting to see the vision of the Methodist Conference for a fresh approach to learning and development becoming real,"said Jude Levermore, Interim Head of the Discipleship and Ministries Cluster.Other matters discussed by the Council included plans to recommend that the Methodist Conference set up a working group to consider the implications of the Government's plans to legalise same sex marriage.[Ekk/4]

Contact: Lisa Lloyd, 405-605-2003, 405-973-6960 cell, Lloyd@saxum.com; www.hobbylobby.comOKLAHOMA CITY, April 15, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., a privately held retail chain with more than 500 arts and crafts stores in 45 states, today announced a minimum wage increase to $14 per hour for full-time hourly employees of Hobby Lobby and its affiliate Hemispheres, effective immediately. The company also announced a minimum wage increase for all part-time employees to $9.5 Source: Saxum

At least forty-seven people, including several Christians, have been arrested while peacefully blocking entrances to the Faslane nuclear base in Scotland.At least forty-seven people, including several Christians, have been arrested today (15 April) while peacefully blocking entrances to the Faslane nuclear base in Scotland.They were calling for Trident nuclear weapons to be scrapped and the estimated £100 billion that the UK government plans to spend on them to be directed to welfare, pensions, disability benefits, green jobs and other human needs.All gates were blocked with the base completely shut from 7am until 10am. The entrance was filled with people singing and in good spirits. The action was backed by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Trident Ploughshares, the Scottish Green Party, the Scottish Socialist Party, the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre and other groups.The blockade is one of more than a hundred actions on the Global Day of Action on Military Spending, calling for deep reductions in military spending, currently at $1.74 trillion annually, and follows a demonstration in Glasgow on Saturday (13 April) when thousands of protesters called for the government to scrap Trident.Activists from a dozen campaign groups and political parties laid down in the entrance to the base and locked themselves together with metal and plastic tubes, chains and thumb cuffs. Police used specialist cutting equipment to cut them out before they were able to lift them out of the road.Briain Quail, 70, a retired teacher from Glasgow was reportedly the first to be arrested. Others included Green MSP Patrick Harvie and CND chair Dave Webb.Krista van Velzen, a former MP in the Netherlands and Christian peace activist, was also arrested, shortly after declaring “It's appalling that the UK spends £3 billion per year on weapons of mass destruction, while refugees in Syria struggle even to have a piece of tarp to make a shelter.”Those arrested are reported to have ranged in age from 19 to 83 and came from across Scotland, Wales, England and possibly beyond. Older participants amongst those arrested include veteran Quaker campaigner Sylvia Boyes, 69, from Yorkshire, and Caerphilly Labour councillor Ray Davies, 83. They were joined by younger people including theology student Duncan Logie from Glasgow and Dominic Lindley, 20, from Yorkshire CND.Lindley said he was “taking action to stop the breach of the peace” committed by the UK government in “owning and refusing to disarm weapons of mass destruction”.Sheffield University student Sara Moon said, “Sheffied University Student Union has a firm commitment to the belief that money should not be spent on funding the arms trade and supporting war but instead be spent on fundamental social goods such as education.”She added, “It would take a fraction of the cost of the Trident nuclear programme to fund free education for all in the UK. At a time when the worst off in our communities have been stripped of their access to education we have to demand that public money is not wasted on something as unnecessary and devastating as Trident”[Ekk/1]

The TUC has called on the UK Statistics Authority to investigate Iain Duncan Smith for"misusing"official statistics to justify the government's benefits cap.The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has today (15 April) written to the UK Statistics Authority, calling on it to investigate Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith for"misusing"official statistics to justify the government's benefits cap.Mr Duncan Smith hailed figures published on Friday - which showed that the number to be affected by the £26,000 cap on benefits had fallen by 16,000 - as proof that his welfare reforms were driving people to find work.However, the government analysis upon which Mr Duncan Smith based his claims explicitly states there is no evidence of people changing their behaviour as result of the cap. It says the main reason behind the fall is because ministers have changed the rules over eligibility.The TUC says this is not the first time that Mr Duncan Smith has found himself in trouble for misrepresenting statistics.In January 2012 the UK Statistics Authority rebuked him for his handling of figures on benefits claimed by immigrants. And in 2010 he was criticised by the watchdog's former head, Sir Michael Scholar, for"serious deficiencies"in his use of statistics during a debate on housing reform.TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said:"It was wrong for Iain Duncan Smith to claim that the impending benefits cap has spurred people into finding jobs."The government's own analysts say that 16,000 fewer people will be affected because ministers have changed the rules about who is eligible, not because of any change in behaviour."The Department for Work and Pensions is a serial offender for misusing statistics. Perhaps ministers should be subject to a three strikes and you're out rule. If you need to make the supporting evidence up, then you must have a pretty weak argument."She concluded:"It is essential that the UK Statistics Authority investigates Mr Duncan Smith's use of official figures."[Ekk/4]

A Declaration on Preventing Sexual Violence In Conflict has been agreed by the G8 countries.A Declaration on Preventing Sexual Violence In Conflict has been agreed by the G8 countries, declaring that rape and other serious sexual violence amount to war crimes and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions constitutes an emphatic reminder that states are required to investigate and prosecute conflict-related sexual violence wherever it occurs.Amnesty International UK, REDRESS and TRIAL welcomed the landmark Declaration but called on states to enact comprehensive laws that enable them to do so and to take steps to ensure the G8 Declaration results in more trials of alleged perpetrators.Every state is obliged to exercise universal jurisdiction over “grave breaches” of the Geneva Conventions, defined as certain war crimes that occur in international armed conflict. The Declaration means that the G8 countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and the US– now reaffirm and support the view that all states have an obligation to search for and prosecute (or hand over for trial) any individual alleged to have committed or ordered rape and other serious sexual violence regardless of the nationality of the suspect or victim or where the crime occurred, said the rights groups.A milestone to end impunity for rape in war?It has long been recognised by the International Committee of the Red Cross and others that rape and other serious forms of sexual violence amount to grave breaches, but the G8 Declaration demonstrates that these countries now have the political will to act on their obligation to pursue alleged perpetrators.“This Declaration is a major political milestone in the struggle to end impunity for rape in war,” said Philip Grant, TRIAL Director.“But not enough states have opened their doors to prosecuting grave breaches wherever they occur despite what international law has long said. The human rights community will now be watching and waiting to see if governments follow through on the G8’s pledge by bringing their laws and practices into line with their international obligations.”The rights groups hailed the Declaration as recognition by states that they have a shared responsibility to tackle impunity for sexual violence in conflict and that such crimes cannot be left only for international courts to address.Lingering gapsThe Declaration only applies to sexual violence that occurs in international armed conflicts and amounts to torture, inhuman treatment or willfully causing great suffering. But if states show real political will, it could pave the way for prosecution of alleged perpetrators of rape in international armed conflicts from the Balkans to the DRC by foreign courts, said the rights groups.“This Declaration must not become yet another piece of paper. G8 states must use it as impetus to renew their commitment to ending impunity for sexual violence in conflict, whether committed in internal or international armed conflicts and whether against men, women or children. States must prosecute these crimes in their national courts or extradite suspects to face justice in another country exercising universal jurisdiction,” said Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK.“In this way, the Declaration should galvanise efforts to ensure that there is truly no safe haven for alleged perpetrators of sexual violence crimes committed in armed conflict of all kinds.”As holder of the G8 presidency, the UK proposed the move as part of its Preventing Sexual violence in Conflict Initiative , a multi-million pound programme launched in May 2012 that also saw the formation of a UK team of experts which has provided technical assistance in Bosnia and Herzegovina and on the Syrian border to strengthen investigation and prosecution of sexual violence in conflict.“This Declaration is a useful tool for the UK’s global initiative to combat sexual violence in armed conflict,” said Dadimos Haile, Interim Director of REDRESS.“Now the UK must fulfill its commitment by prosecuting suspected perpetrators of sexual violence amounting to international crimes – wherever they have been committed – who are present within its jurisdiction. Part of its obligation also includes ensuring victims’ access to adequate reparation.”Amnesty International UK, REDRESS and TRIAL called on states to remove all obstacles to the investigation and prosecution of all crimes under international law, including sexual violence, noting that states should establish specialised units to handle such investigations and prosecutions in fair trials without the death penalty.Read the declaration here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/fil...[Ekk/4]

There are many important issues in public life right now, but for a large number of people in Scotland the future of football, the national game, is no small matter, says Simon Barrow. It is not just about sport, it is also about people, communities, hopes and dreams, culture and values. Put bluntly, who does (and who should) own a sport loved by hundreds of thousands? Whose interests are being served by the way it is presently being run?There are many important issues in public life right now, but for a large number of people here in Scotland the future of football, our national game, is no small matter. It's not just about sport, it's also about people, communities, hopes and dreams, culture and values. Put bluntly, who does (and who should) own a sport loved by hundreds of thousands? Whose interests are being served by the way it is presently being run?Next week we will get to see those questions in action. The Scottish Premier League (SPL), the elite division (though'elite'may be a relative term when one looks at the multi-millionaires down south!) will be voting on a range of resolutions concerning the achievement of a new league structure, unified governance and the distribution of income. Then the Scottish Football League (SFL), comprising the 30 teams below the top tier, will have to pick up what comes down to them. Already, this pattern begins to tell the story of how Scottish football governance is shaped and why it needs to change.An unequal gameFor years, thinking and decision-making in football north of the border has been massively over-determined by the dominance of two teams, Celtic and Rangers (the so-called ‘Old Firm’), who account for around half of all its followers as well as the lions'share of its resources. The other senior clubs, let alone the juniors (non-league), are different varieties of minnow by comparison.The huge, growing economic disparity this situation has created has been solidified and worsened by absurd inflationary pressure from high fees and wages in England, the hegemony of uni-directional television money, the damaging impact of the SPL breakaway on the rest of senior football, and lack of investment in youth and development. It has contributed to a situation where the sport in Scotland continues to be in decline.Rising prices, the stunting of genuine competition, the boredom of playing the same teams all the time, lack of publicity for the SFL (whose teams get virtually no mainstream TV coverage), stagnation of on-field standards, and an ingrained culture of pessimism fed from the top: these are among the factors that have led to a continued decline in attendances at live games.Getting back to the people's gameAt present Scotland still retains one of the highest per capita football attendance levels in Europe, and fans passing through the turnstiles continue to stump up around 60 per cent of the game's income. But with a population of 5 million and football clubs who find themselves part of an inflationary industry trying to negotiate a recessionary climate, it is vital that things start to move in a positive direction once more. The inheritance that has kept the game’s head above water in recent years is being rapidly eroded.Quite simply, Scottish football needs to get ordinary people back in the stands and into the boardrooms. It needs to re-engage youth, to raise the profile of the sport, to push for much more supporter / community ownership, and to boost the morale of what is and should be “the people's game” – not the part-time plaything of flighty private investors, TV moguls, inbred governing interests, and leaders who are too remote from the grassroots.Combine those challenges with the recommendations in the McLeish report [1] commissioned by the Scottish Football Association, the results of the National Football Survey [2], and the growth in fan involvement and consciousness (Annan Athletic, Clyde, East Stirling, Stirling Albion and Dundee are all fan owned senior sides; Clydebank, Gretna 2008 and Clachnacuddin are non-senior fan owned; Motherwell and St Mirren are working towards fan ownership) and you have a significant agenda for change.To achieve this we need a ‘Claim of Right’ for Scottish football [3]; a declaration of the sovereignty of ordinary supporters and communities over the game they created and (despite it all) continue to love. What we have instead is a lot of infighting, short-termism, austerity thinking and politicking within governing bodies where those popular interests go unrepresented and only fitfully'consulted'. Which brings us back to next week’s decisions.Reform and reconstructionThe most contentious issue on the table – or, at least, the one drawing most comment – pertains to league structure. It sounds arcane, but in some ways it is axial. Fans want larger divisions, because they offer greater sporting interest, variety and opportunity to progress. Every single supporter survey, including one sponsored recently by the governing bodies themselves, has demonstrated this. It is hardly a matter of debate. But it is routinely ignored. Yet the supporters, let us not forget, are those who provide the funding basis for the entire game, directly and indirectly. What other business could possibly hope to flourish by systematically ignoring its customers? But that is what happens in the world of fantasy football – which is, in fact, the world of actual football in terms of the way it is organised and owned right now.Nor is it true that ‘there is no alternative’. A 16-team top division, 10-team intermediate division and 16-team third division model (with a viable pyramid below that) was finally proposed by the SFL some weeks ago. While not perfect, this meets the basic wishes of most supporters. In fact it is quite similar to the detailed fans'plan first put out by Supporters Direct Scotland (SDS) earlier last year, and then developed and published [4] by FansFirst Scotland. This plan set out how a 16-16-10 structure could be made to work both practically and financially in the longer term. Yet this and other alternatives were pushed off the table of the governing bodies, on grounds that critics believe to be far too narrow and unimaginative in their assumptions – including the extraordinary notion that games with less pressure where it is possible to experiment, try out young players and go for attractive, attacking football are"meaningless".The only option being considered right now is a 12-12-18 setup with a Heath-Robinson'three leagues of eight split'delivery system for the first two divisions, which many know to be profoundly flawed, and which may give way to further fracture below if rumours about Rangers’ demands prove true. The supporters'trust at my own club, Dumbarton, are now promoting an Open Letter [5] explaining why, from a supporters'perspective, the present proposal is the wrong move, and how going for reconstruction in 2014/15 rather than next season would aid a better-informed, better-resourced decision.There are other vital issues under consideration, too. If a sensibly unified league governing body can be achieved, that would be a positive step forward – provided it does not simply end up being a takeover of the SFL by the SPL in another guise. In this respect, the voting rights and constitution agreed next week will be crucial. There are grounds for concern about what may emerge from the 11-1 SPL voting structure and a three-year lock-down on change in the rules (among other problems). Those with the largest interests seem not to recognise that their long-term health actually depends upon the health of the whole game, and are therefore keen to keep the chips on their side of the table irrespective of wider considerations.Likewise with the financial settlement. A through-distribution model for resource-sharing is what is needed for Scottish football overall, it is now widely accepted. That is a very important gain. But a much more radical financial redistribution is required to revive genuine sporting competitiveness. While we should not spurn steps in the right direction, a critical eye towards the way the cake is being cut is always needed.Rethinking the bigger pictureIn the larger picture, the Scottish game needs to learn to live within its means – which may mean more, not fewer, clubs going part-time in the first instance. Resources have to be maintained and developed – principally by achieving a more varied, competitive and reasonably-priced matchday experience to attract attendance related income (and tempt broadcasters to a wider palette). The measure of success has to be the sustainability of clubs that represent an achievable scale of operation and performance in a small, enterprising country – rather than considering the billionaire-driven English Premier League the benchmark. Above all, the Old Firm of Celtic and Rangers, as long as they remain part of the Scottish football, need to be treated as a ‘bonus’ rather than as the unconditional basis for the game’s overall business model.At present this is not the way the leading determinants of the game in Scotland are looking at things at all. To change the climate of thinking and bring real renovation to football in this country, proper supporter representation at all levels of the sport is needed, together with a large expansion of community ownership and engagement. Indeed, what Scotland and the other nations of these islands need is the 51% supporter ownership rule from Germany.Meanwhile, it is likely that what is arrived at in the coming weeks remains well short of the mark. If that is so, the crisis facing football in Scotland is likely to continue to gnaw away at its roots and branches. Only a widespread outbreak of democracy, accountability, transparency, creativity, participation and new economic / governance thinking can change that. Otherwise we will end up dealing with a (probably messy) process of managed decline.What fans, supporter groups and community organisations needs to realise is that the alternative is not someone or somewhere else – it's us and our allies.References:[1] Scottish Football Association:The McLeish Report.[2] SFA, SFL, SPL, Supporters Direct Scotland:The National Football Survey.[3] FansFirst Scotland:A Claim of Right for Scottish Football.[4] FansFirst Scotland:The FansFirst Plan.[5] Dumbarton Supporters Trust:An Open Letter on Scottish League Reconstruction.----------©Simon Barrowis co-director of Ekklesia. He is also an associate of the policy and campaign group,FansFirst Scotland, and a board member of theSonstrust, the not-for-profit supporters’ provident society at Dumbarton FC, itself part ofSupporters Direct Scotland.

Campaigners from 39 UK organisations will call for a shift in government spending on 15 April, the Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS)"The UK spends £39 billion a year on the military and arms, while vital services in health, education, welfare and renewable energy are cut or under threat."This is the message that campaigners from 39 UK organisations will highlight on Monday 15 April, the Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS).UK military spending is currently the fourth highest in the world. Campaigners are calling for an immediate shift in government policy and spending priorities, away from military spending and arms trade exports towards public services and sustainable energy.The key demands include:- redirect military spending and shift spending to meet social and environmental needs- no replacement of Trident, the UK’s nuclear weapons system- end the annual £700 million government subsidy of arms exports and redirect the funds towards renewable energy and energy-saving measures- develop a clear programme of government action for spending, research and investment to build sustainable, common security at national and international levels.Anne-Marie O'Reilly of Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), said:"While our public services face drastic cuts, the government cannot continue to spend more than almost every other country in the world on weapons and war. The UK's military spending each year is enough to stop the cuts to the NHS twice over. Ordinary people know what our priorities are. Now it's time for the government to listen."[Ekk/4]

One in three people could not pay their rent or mortgage for more than a month if they lost their job, new figures from Shelter have revealed.One in three people could not pay their rent or mortgage for more than a month if they lost their job, new figures from the housing and homelessness charity Shelter have revealed.Of those questioned in the YouGov survey published yesterday (11 April):- 35 per cent, equivalent to 8.6 million people, could not pay their rent or mortgage from their savings for more than a month.- 18 per cent, equivalent to 4.4 million people, would not be able to pay their rent or mortgage at all if they were unable to secure a new job immediately.The research reveals families with children are in the most precarious situation: 43 per cent could not pay for their home for more than a month, and nearly a quarter (23 per cent) could not meet their payments at all.Unemployment in the UK rose by 7,000, to 2.52 million in the three months before January 2013, according to the Office for National Statistics.In total, 3.9 million British families may be just one paycheque away from losing their family home.As Government cuts take effect and the squeeze on family budgets means saving becomes ever harder, Shelter says it is is bracing itself for a surge in demand from people at risk of becoming homeless.Campbell Robb, Chief Executive of Shelter said:"These figures paint an alarming picture of a nation where the buffer between having a home and potentially becoming homeless is a single paycheque."Millions are living on the edge of a crisis, only secure in their homes for a matter of weeks. At the same time, support for people who have lost their homes is being stripped away - it’s easy to see why every fifteen minutes, another family in England finds themselves homeless."[Ekk/4]

The Chief Justice of Peshawar’s High Court had said that drone strikes in north west Pakistan violate the country’s sovereignty and are illegal.The Chief Justice of Peshawar’s High Court said yesterday (11 April) that drone strikes in north west Pakistan violate the country’s sovereignty and are illegal, regardless of whether they were consented to by members of the government.Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan was presiding over a suit brought against the Pakistani government by victims of a 17 March 2011 drone strike, which killed upwards of 50 civilians who had met to resolve a chromite mining dispute.He observed today that since there is no armed conflict in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) where the strikes are taking place, they are in violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. As such, international human rights law applies and everyone killed by US drone strikes are civilians.He also addressed claims that Pervez Musharaf, during his time as Head of State, may have secretly consented to the strikes, stating that a political leader or a dictator cannot consent to drone strikes against its people by a foreign power and that any such consent was therefore both illegal and unconstitutional.The parties to the suit are asking the court to hand down a writ ordering the government to protect the people of FATA through any means necessary. The Petitioner is also seeking remedies in form of compensation for the victims of drone strikes.The Chief Justice is expected to hand down an order in the case soon. During the hearing, he considered a number of options, including whether American diplomats could be held personally responsible, or CIA staff be criminally liable for murder.Reprieve Legal Fellow, Shahzad Akbar, who represents the victims in this case, welcomed the judge’s comments: “The judge’s observations reaffirm that under international law, a political leader cannot consent to the killing of his people. Such consent is illegal and prohibited by the Pakistani constitution. We are hopeful that the Peshawar High Court will soon provide justice for these civilian victims and bring an end to the drone’s daily terror.”[Ekk/4]

Contact: Bob Fu, President, Bob@ChinaAid.org; Mark Shan, News Analyst, 888-889-7757, 267-205-5210 cell, Mark@ChinaAid.org; Eddie Romero, LA Office, 323-521-6777, ChinaAid.LA@gmail.com; all with China Aid Association; www.ChinaAid.org, www.MonitorChina.org WASHINGTON, April 11, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- In advance of Secretary of State John Kerry's first trip to China, ChinaAid and seven other human rights groups have advised him his visit is a"unique opportunity"for the Source: China Aid Association, Inc.