Azerbaijan refuses to release the Armenian hostages whom it has illegally held and abused since capturing them in 2020 and 2023. Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing against the Armenian people of Artsakh has been proceeding for the past four years. https://t.co/rukiAEyfAZ
I see no news on these farce trials anywhere. I have not seen a single NGO or media outlet speak out about this.
This is an abhorrent, audacious scam of a trial in one of the worst dictatorships of the world and nobody is speaking out about it.
BREAKING: Azerbaijan has intensified its crackdown on dissent by filing 45 politically motivated charges against Armenian humanitarian and political prisoner Ruben Vardanyan, according to his legal team. These charges, based on fabricated evidence spanning 25,000 pages in 100 volumes written in Azeri, could result in life imprisonment for Vardanyan. Azerbaijan has denied Vardanyan and his counsel access to translations or full copies of the evidence, severely limiting their ability to prepare a defense.
Vardanyan’s legal counsel, Jared Genser, described the charges as a blatant violation of international law and part of President Ilham Aliyev's broader effort to justify ethnic cleansing in Artsakh and silence dissent. Ruben’s son, David Vardanyan, called the charges retribution for Azerbaijan’s failures during the COP29 climate summit and appealed to the global democratic community to intervene.
Ruben Vardanyan, who served as State Minister of Artsakh from November 2022 to February 2023, has been held in Baku under inhumane conditions for over a year. His arrest followed Azerbaijan’s September 2023 invasion of Artsakh, which forcibly displaced 120,000 Armenian Christians. Vardanyan's trial, widely seen as a political show, has been repeatedly delayed and falls short of international legal standards. This escalation highlights Azerbaijan's worsening human rights record, ranked among the world's worst by Freedom House.
I heard someone talking about medieval witch burnings.
Me: "That was actually an early modern thing."
Them: "It was those Christians!"
Me: "It was mostly Protestants. Witch burnings didn't really happen in the Orthodox East, and the Catholic Church was trying (and often succeeding) in putting a stop to the witch burnings."
Them: "Well the Inquisition got a lot worse after they published the Malleus Maleficarum!"
Me: "The Inquisition didn't publish the MM. In fact, the Inquisition condemned the MM right away."
Them: *shrug* "Whatever."
They were annoyed at me.
Why do people SAY THINGS THAT AREN'T TRUE and then get annoyed when challenged?
At the start of the month I committed to praying the rosary everyday. Only made it 12 days the first time, but I finished August strong with 14 straight days and counting! #catholic#rosary#joyful
Try not to cry… Angela Carini talks about competing in the Olympics for her late father.
She just quit her boxing match after being forced to compete against a man.
Allowing men in women’s competitions is evil. Democrats support it.
Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who’s knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered. #Paris2024
Here’s a message the media doesn’t want you to hear from the @GOP:
To black Americans: the media has tried to convince you for decades that Republicans don’t care about your communities. We want for you what we want for every American: safe neighborhoods, clean streets, good jobs, a better life for your children, and a justice system that treats everyone equally – regardless of your skin color or your political beliefs.
To every legal immigrant: you’re like my parents. You deserve the opportunity to secure a better life for your children in America.
To Gen Z: you’re going to be the generation that actually saves our country. You want to be a rebel? Try calling yourself a conservative. Say you want to get married, have kids, and teach them to pledge allegiance to your country.
@christlieb_k Exactly. The role of responsible leadership is to fulfill the mission. So many people grow up with hopes and dreams, some of which is to do heroic things in service to God and community. We don't always measure up to our hopes, and need appropriate standards ensure readiness.
@christlieb_k And I am seeing alot of mockery and self-righteousness out there. Not saying you're mocking, just that since we're friends, you won't presume I'm some random internet jerk by my replying. The people who deserve the most accountability is leadership.
@christlieb_k I've worked with well-trained infantrymen, and could tell of one who froze in a big way. People who raise their hand to say they're willing to put their life on the line don't always live up to the level of heroism they hoped to exhibit. They don't deserve to be mocked.
@christlieb_k Its better to have a woman pat down women for weapons during encounters and when securing a public space, it is more secure to have a woman secure women's restrooms. If you have a man announce his presence and there is an assassin inside, you've given them time to shoot.
@christlieb_k I'm not going to comment or her competence, or lack thereof, because I don't know her training and experience. What I would offer to those saying there shouldn't be women agents, I'd suggest understanding executive protection...