Rahul Gandhi strikes a chord with Indian expats in UAE

Khaleej Times

January 12, 2019

Dubai, Jan 12: A rockstar politician with dreams of a new India, Indian opposition leader and Congress party president Rahul Gandhi struck the right notes on pluralism and compassion on Friday, the first day of his two-day visit to the UAE.

More importantly, he was here to listen to the harmony enjoyed by Indians and other communities. He told Indian workers at a labour accommodation that he would be their voice if they didn't have one. He would vocalise their mann ki baat (what's in their hearts), in what was a dig at Indian PM Narendra Modi's radio programme by the same name.

That struck the right chord for what would be a busy day of events for the man who will lead his Congress party against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Indian elections soon.

What was interesting about the leader was that he showed that he had the common touch. He was humble, accessible, friendly and engaging.

And the crowd loved him for it - more than 25,000 of them - who had packed the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on a nippy night. The mass of humanity overflowed on the roads outside the venue as they hung on to his every word.

"I want to tell you that till the day I die, my doors, my ears and my heart will always be open for you," said Gandhi during his politically-charged but rousing speech.

"We are going to make sure that your voice is heard in your country," he told Indians to loud applause. He held out hope that they would find representation in the Indian upper house of Parliament. Rahul was all praise for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. "I experienced humility. Great nations are built with that kind of humility," he said of the visionary leader.

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UN condemns Israeli regime’s ‘organized torture’ against Palestinians

News Network

November 30,2025

The United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT) has condemned the Israeli regime for enforcing a policy of “organized torture” against Palestinians.

In a report published on Friday, CAT stated that the occupying regime enforces a deliberate policy of “organized and widespread torture and ill-treatment” against Palestinian abductees, particularly since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza.

The committee expressed “deep concern over repeated severe beatings, dog attacks, electrocution, water-boarding, use of prolonged stress positions [and] sexual violence” inflicted on Palestinians.

Palestinian prisoners were degraded by “being made to act like animals or being urinated on,” systematically denied medical care, and subjected to excessive restraints, “in some cases resulting in amputation,” the report added.

CAT also condemned the routine application of “unlawful combatants law” to justify the prolonged detention without trial of thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children.

More than 10,000 Palestinians, including women and children, are currently held in Israeli prisons, according to Palestinian and international human rights groups, with 3,474 Palestinians in “administrative detention,” meaning they are imprisoned without trial for indefinite periods.

The report highlighted the “high proportion of children who are currently detained without charge or on remand,” noting that while Israel sets the age of criminal responsibility at 12, even younger children have been abducted.

Children designated as security prisoners face severe restrictions on family contact, may be subjected to solitary confinement, and are denied access to education, in clear violation of international law.

The committee further suggested that Israel’s policies across the Occupied Territories constitute collective torture against the Palestinian population.

“A range of policies adopted by Israel in the course of its continued unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading living conditions for the Palestinian population,” the report said.

On Thursday, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas condemned the systematic killing and torture of Palestinian abductees in Israeli prisons, urging international action to halt these abuses.

Citing human rights data, Hamas stated that 94 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli prisons since the start of Tel Aviv’s genocidal war on Gaza.

“This reflects an organized criminal approach that has turned these prisons into direct killing grounds to eliminate our people,” the resistance movement said.

Hamas called on the international community, the UN, and human rights organizations to immediately pressure Israel to end crimes against prisoners and uphold their rights as guaranteed by all international conventions and norms.

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