Juridico Social Consultoria, the legal advocacy group representing 17 alleged victims, said Richard Daschbach made the threat to one of its partners, Barbara Oliveira, at the Oecusse district court on Tuesday. A source confirmed that the incident was the latest in a series of threats targeting the lawyer. Most threats were made online.
Richard Daschbach speaks to a policeman at the Oecusse district court on Feb. 22. The defrocked priest has been accused of threatening to kill the lawyer of alleged sexual abuse victims. (Photo: YouTube)
However, Daschbach’s lawyer Miguel Faria said he was not aware of such a threat from his client. The 84-year-old former Divine Word priest is accused of sexually abusing young girls at the Topu Honis shelter in Oecusse, which he founded in 1993. He also faces charges of child pornography and domestic violence and faces up to 20 years in prison.
The Vatican dismissed him from the priesthood after an investigation found credible evidence of child abuse. He is the first clergy in the Catholic-majority nation to face a trial for child abuse.
At least 23 church and rights groups in restive Papua province of Indonesia have accused police of arresting and brutally assaulting 23 students participating in a peaceful protest.
The students protested in provincial capital Jayapura on Wednesday to denounce the government’s controversial decision to extend special autonomy status for the province. The status, first implemented in 2001, guaranteed Papuans the right to manage their own region politically, economically and culturally, but it was due to expire this year.
Papuan students are seen here prior to their arrest during a protest in Jayapura on July 14. (Photo supplied)
However, the move to extend it has met with opposition from Papuans who would prefer a referendum on independence from Indonesian rule. Church and rights groups accused police of a violation of rights and demanded punishment for those responsible for assaults.
Christian-majority Papua has experienced a bloody insurgency for independence for decades, leading to displacement and the deaths of thousands of soldiers, separatists and civilians. The violence has intensified recently as the Indonesian government branded pro-independence separatists as terrorists and launched a crackdown.
Prominent Catholics including a senior priest in the Philippines have strongly criticized a government minister for providing false information to defend President Rodrigo Duterte over dubious use of state funds during the pandemic.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said the government should be lauded for “fiscal prudence” in debt management and handling government funds in its fight with the pandemic. His statement came after the country’s debt hit an all-time high of 10.99 trillion pesos – around 219 billion US dollars – in April. Former audit commissioner Heidi Mendoza and Society of Divine Word Father Flavie Villanueva brushed off the finance secretary’s statement.
Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez (center) has come under fire for defending government spending during the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo: AFP)
They alleged that state funds have been misused and redirected to allies of Duterte. Mendoza also claimed that state funds were paid to troll farms run by Duterte’s allies to promote the president and discredit his critics on social media through spreading fake news or direct insults.
Duterte has faced strong criticism for failing to revive an ailing economy, worsening poverty, thousands of extrajudicial killings, verbal attacks on opponents and the Church, and a poor response to the pandemic.
Cambodia’s government of Prime Minister Hun Hen has ruled out an independent inquiry with foreign observers into the killing of Kem Ley, an activist and radio commentator who was shot dead more than five years ago. Chin Malin, secretary of state at the Ministry of Justice and vice-president of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee, said the state had an obligation to investigate and seek legal justice.
But he dismissed any form of legal redress on political and emotional grounds by politically motivated groups that seek to accuse, criticize, demean and doubt the authorities. He responded to a statement by 45 non-governmental organizations, including the International Commission of Jurists and Amnesty International, for an impartial and independent inquiry into the murder.
Bou Rachna, widow of slain Cambodian analyst Kem Ley, at Wat Buddharangsi Buddhist temple in Melbourne, Australia, on July 9. (Photo: AFP)
Kem Ley was shot in broad daylight at a coffee shop after calling for an independent inquiry into the family wealth of Hun Sen following a report out of London claiming the clan was worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The Cambodian government has strenuously denied any involvement in his death.
Kem Ley was the most prominent Cambodian government critic to be killed since 2004 when trade union leader Chea Vichea was shot dead.
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