South Korean prosecutors have indicted impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of leading a rebellion after he briefly imposed martial law last month, according to the country’s opposition party, as well as several South Korean media reports.
Yoon, a conservative, has presidential immunity from most criminal prosecutions, but the privilege does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason. By law in South Korea, the leader of a rebellion can face life in prison or the death penalty.
“The prosecution has decided to indict Yoon Suk Yeol, who is facing charges of being a ringleader of insurrection,” Democratic Party spokesman Han Min-soo said at a press conference, according to Reuters. “The punishment of the ringleader of insurrection now begins finally.”
The move announced Sunday makes Yoon the first sitting South Korean president to face an indictment and criminal investigation, according to the Washington Post.
Yoon became the second conservative president to be impeached in South Korea when the opposition-led parliament voted to suspend his duties on Dec. 14.
IMPEACHED SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT DETAINED WEEKS AFTER MARTIAL LAW CHAOS
South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, attends the fourth hearing of his impeachment trial over his short-lived imposition of martial law at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, on Jan. 23, 2025. (Jeon Heon Kyun/Pool Photo via AP)
He was arrested earlier this month over his Dec. 3, 2024, martial law decree that plunged Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key U.S. ally into political turmoil. Yoon has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, calling his martial law a legitimate act of governance meant to raise public awareness of the danger of the liberal-controlled National Assembly, which obstructed his agenda and impeached top officials.
In declaring martial law, Yoon called the assembly “a den of criminals” and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces.”
He sent troops and police officers to the assembly, but enough lawmakers still managed to enter an assembly chamber to vote down Yoon’s decree unanimously, forcing his Cabinet to lift it.
Though Yoon rescinded the decree after just six hours, the martial law imposition was the first of its kind in South Korea in more than 40 years and evoked painful memories of past dictatorial rules in the 1960s-80s.
Yoon had resisted efforts by investigative authorities to question or detain him. After a days-long standoff between his security detail and authorities, Yoon was then apprehended on Jan. 15 in a massive law enforcement operation at his presidential compound, becoming the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested. Yoon, a former prosecutor himself, has been held in solitary confinement since then, according to Reuters.
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attend a rally to oppose his impeachment near the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, on Jan. 23, 2025.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
SOUTH KOREA’S IMPEACHED PRESIDENT AVOIDS ARREST ATTEMPT AFTER HOURSLONG STANDOFF
After a local court on Jan. 19 approved a formal arrest warrant to extend Yoon’s detainment, dozens of his supporters stormed the court building, destroying windows, doors and other property, according to the Associated Press. They also attacked police officers with bricks, steel pipes and other objects. The violence left 17 police officers injured, and police said they detained 46 protesters.
Separate from criminal judicial proceedings, the Constitutional Court is now deliberating whether to formally dismiss Yoon as president or reinstate him.
Leading Yoon’s investigation was the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, but since his detainment Yoon has refused to attend CIO’s questioning, saying it has no legal authority to investigate rebellion allegations. The CIO has said it can investigate Yoon’s rebellion allegation as it’s related to his abuse of power and other allegations.
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attend a rally to oppose his impeachment in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The CIO handed over Yoon’s case to the Seoul prosecutors’ office Friday and asked it to indict him on rebellion, abuse of power and obstruction of the National Assembly.
In a statement Saturday, Yoon’s defense team urged prosecutors to immediately release Yoon and launch an investigation into the CIO.
South Korean media outlets, including Yonhap news agency, reported on Sunday that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Yoon on rebellion charges.
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Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several other military commanders have already been arrested over their roles in the martial law decree.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.
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As part of the second stage of the high-stakes ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, four female hostages who had been held by the terror group in Gaza for 477 days — Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag — were reunited with their families Saturday.
In exchange, Israel released 121 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment for deadly terror attacks and an additional 79 prisoners serving lengthy sentences.
The release of Palestinian prisoners — some convicted of heinous terrorist acts — has stirred profound emotions and debate across Israel. While the deal has helped the return of hostages held in Gaza, it comes at a heavy cost.
Families of victims of the released prisoners have expressed anguish, grappling with the pain of reopening old wounds while recognizing the importance of reuniting hostages with their loved ones.
HAMAS RELEASES 4 FEMALE HOSTAGES AS PART OF ISRAEL CEASEFIRE
Hillel Fuld, whose brother Ari was killed six years ago by a Palestinian terrorist, shared the personal toll of hearing the perpetrator might be freed.
“It’s a punch to the gut, for sure, but I don’t think our personal loss changes our opinion on this deal,” Fuld said. “It’s both terrible and beautiful — terrible strategically, but beautiful because the hostages’ families get to reunite with their loved ones.”
Buses carrying Palestinian security prisoners are greeted by a crowd after they were released from an Israeli prison after a ceasefire agreement with Israel in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.(AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Fuld also highlighted security concerns.
“My understanding is that the terrorist who murdered my brother will be deported outside of Israel, to Turkey or Qatar,” Fuld said. “I’m not overly worried about that, but those returning to Judea and Samaria are definitely a security concern. I hope the government has a plan for what comes next.”
Orit Mark Etinger lost her father, Michael Mark, in a 2016 terrorist attack. Her younger brother, Fedya, who survived the attack that killed their father, was killed in Gaza. Two of her cousins were also victims of terror attacks.
“When I first heard about the decision to release terrorist prisoners in exchange for hostages, I felt deep pain and anguish,” Etinger told Fox New Digital, “Releasing murderers who destroyed entire lives is unbearable. No one can bring my father back. Meanwhile, the terrorist who murdered him may now walk freely on the street.
“One of my father’s murderers had already been released in the Shalit deal and returned to kill. We understand who we’re dealing with, which is why we fear the repercussions of releasing murderers with blood on their hands. But we cannot leave the hostages — innocent people — living in hell in Gaza. They must come home.”
Two of the prisoners released Saturday were involved in the terrorist attack that killed her father.
Hamas terrorists parade in Gaza before the transfer and release of four Israeli female hostages Jan. 25, 2025.(TPS-IL)
Among the 1,900 prisoners to be released in the ceasefire agreement are individuals responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in Israeli history. Wael Qassem is serving 35 life sentences for orchestrating suicide bombings that killed 35 people. Majdi Za’atri, sentenced to 23 life terms, drove a suicide bomber to a Jerusalem bus stop in 2003, killing 23, including children.
Another terrorist released on Saturday, according to the Israelis, was Mardawi Tabat, who “was serving 21 life sentences for murdering 21 civilians and injuring 150 others in five suicide bombings and shooting attacks,” according to a post on X.
Other high-profile prisoners include Ammar Al-Ziben, serving 32 life sentences for planning multiple suicide bombings, including the double bombing at the Mahane Yehuda Market in 1997 that killed 16. Ahmad Salah, serving 21 life sentences, was involved in two Jerusalem suicide bus bombings in 2004 that killed 19 people and injured over 100.
Israeli General Security Service Director Ronen Bar warned that 82% of the 1,024 prisoners released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit exchange returned to terrorism.
“Many of the leaders of Hamas who orchestrated the Oct. 7 massacre were among those released in previous deals,” Bar told the security cabinet, while still recommending going ahead with the deal.
BITTERSWEET REJOICING AS FIRST HOSTAGES RETURN TO ISRAEL AFTER 471 DAYS IN CAPTIVITY
A bus carrying released Palestinian security prisoners arrives in the West Bank city of Beitunia as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel. As part of the deal, the Netanyahu government agreed to release a large number of convicted terrorists Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Zohar Dvir, former commander of the elite Yamam counterterrorism unit, told Fox News Digital, “Arresting such a terrorist requires immense investment in intelligence, planning, creativity and a high level of risk for our forces, who often pay a heavy price. However, when it comes to the lives of many hostages, we are compelled to pay a heavy price by releasing terrorists.
“The chances of rescuing them alive diminish dramatically from one operation to the next, as time passes. The way to release hostages alive is through a deal. Talking from experience, the security establishment has a long memory and will settle accounts with everyone sooner or later, wherever they may be.”
Israeli journalist Yair Cherki, whose brother was killed in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem, weighed in on the deal’s implications.
“Israel succumbed to humanitarian pressure at the most critical moment, providing aid that effectively reinforced Hamas’s civilian control in Gaza,” Cherki said. “Diplomatically, the strategy relied entirely on waiting for Trump, which proved to be a dead end. Like Biden’s “don’t,” Trump’s gates of hell also worked both ways, leaving Israel without any diplomatic leverage.
Israeli hostage families carry the photos of their loved ones held hostage by Hamas in Gaza as they march to Jerusalem.(Matan Golan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“After 15 months, the time for the hostages has run out, and Israel is left with no choice but to accept the deal to bring the hostages home and begin healing a fractured society. Releasing these terrorists is not just a problem for the victims’ families, but for all Israeli society and future victims.
“This cycle of deals leading to murder and kidnapping must end. Releasing the hostages reflects our society’s commitment to life and mutual responsibility. This is our DNA.”
Even those directly affected, like Fuld and Etinger, acknowledge the hostages must be prioritized.
“Most families support the deal because they would do anything to bring their loved ones back,” Etinger noted. “But we fear these released terrorists will harm others.”
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Cherki underscored the collective responsibility of Israeli society.
“This deal is not just about individual families,” Cherki said. “It’s about a society’s commitment to life and solidarity. Despite its flaws, this deal may serve as a key to healing a broken nation.”
President Donald Trump said Saturday he wants Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations to accept more Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip, potentially moving out enough people to “just clean out” the area destroyed in the Israel-Hamas war, which is now under a ceasefire.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had a conversation earlier in the day with King Abdullah II of Jordan and would speak Sunday with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt.
“I’d like Egypt to take people,” Trump said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over.’”
Trump said he applauded Jordan for accepting Palestinian refugees but that he told the king: “I’d love for you to take on more, because I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.”
HAMAS RELEASES 4 FEMALE HOSTAGES AS PART OF ISRAEL CEASEFIRE DEAL
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he travels from Las Vegas to Miami on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.(AP)
A drastic displacement like this would contradict Palestinian identity and deep connection to Gaza.
“Palestinians in Gaza—like Palestinians in the West Bank and Israel—overwhelmingly trace their ancestry to cities and villages in the region that today comprises Israel and Palestine,” former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, who is Palestinian, wrote on X. “The idea that they are some kind of spillover from other countries in the so-called Arab world—that they are just interchangeable with other ‘Arabs’—is a false but routinely employed rhetorical device to erase their history on the land.”
“They are the descendants of Canaanites, Israelites, Phoenicians, and other ancient Levantine peoples,” Amash, a libertarian, said. “Their ancestry overlaps with that of their Jewish neighbors, but they are converts to Christianity, Islam, and other religions. Any effort to force them out or to pressure them to leave under threat of force is simply ethnic cleansing.”
But Trump said the part of the world that encompasses Gaza, has “had many, many conflicts” over centuries and that resettling “could be temporary or long term.”
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he travels from Las Vegas to Miami on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.(AP)
“Something has to happen,” Trump said. “But it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there. So, I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”
Senior Israeli officials said, according to Israel’s Channel 12, that “Trump’s statement about the migration of Gazans to Muslim countries is not a slip of the tongue but part of a much broader move than it seems, coordinated with Israel.”
On Monday, after he was inaugurated, Trump suggested that Gaza has “really got to be rebuilt in a different way.”
“Gaza is interesting,” he added. “It’s a phenomenal location, on the sea. The best weather, you know, everything is good. It’s like, some beautiful things could be done with it, but it’s very interesting.”
SURVIVOR OF NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL HAMAS TERROR ATTACK WINS SLOT TO REPRESENT ISRAEL AT EUROVISION
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he travels from Las Vegas to Miami on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.(AP)
Trump also said Saturday that he ended former President Joe Biden’s hold on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel that was in place during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which has been under a ceasefire for a week.
“We released them today,” Trump said of the bombs. “They’ve been waiting for them for a long time.” Trump said he lifted the ban on the bombs “Because they bought them.”
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Biden had halted the delivery of the bombs in May in an effort to prevent Israel from launching an all-out assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The 15-month-long war in Gaza started when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, prompting military retaliation from Israeli forces. Nearly 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza.
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President Donald Trump’s re-entrance into the White House has meant the complete overturning of Biden administration policies, the withdrawal of major international agreements and uncertainty that has left international partners waiting to see where they stand in the pecking order as some manage damage control while others vie for a seat at the table.
Trump’s actions came as no surprise this time around as the 47th president enters his second term. But what it means in terms of geopolitics remains unclear as adversaries and allies alike watch to see how these next four years will play out.
President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2025, including one that designates Mexican cartels as foreign terror organizations. (Jim Watson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
TRUMP’S ‘SHOCK AND AWE’: FORGET FIRST 100 DAYS, NEW PRESIDENT SHOWS OFF FRENETIC PACE IN FIRST 100 HOURS
WHO’S IN
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni: Trump met with Meloni, leader of the conservative Brothers of Italy party, at his Mar-a-Lago residence earlier this month. The Italian leader, who has already voiced her support for Trump’s position on international issues like increasing NATO defense spending, attended Trump’s inauguration on Monday. According to reports this week, she has been deemed the “Trump whisperer” and the “preferred interlocutor in the EU” – a particularly important relationship amid concern that Trump could start a trade war with Europe.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban: A long-time ally of Trump, Orban championed his return to the Oval Office this month and reportedly declared that with Trump in office he could launch the “second phase of the offensive that aims to occupy Brussels,” which he claimed is “occupied by a left-liberal oligarchy.” Orban, though invited, did not attend the inauguration due to a scheduling conflict.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei: Once hailed by Trump as the leader to “make Argentina great again,” Milei is looking to expand relations with the U.S. On Wednesday during the Davos World Economic Forum, he told Bloomberg he may be willing to leave the more than 30-year-old Mercosur trade bloc founded by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay in 1991, if it means securing a new trade deal with the U.S.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentina’s President Javier Milei share a joke as they arrive for the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST SUGGESTS TRUMP MAY USE HIS CRYPTO TOKEN TO TAKE FOREIGN BRIBES
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: India is also scrambling to secure a trade deal with the U.S. amid concerns over international tariffs. Despite improved ties between India and China, and a meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia last year, Reuters reported on Wednesday that Modi is looking to back off its reliance on Beijing – its largest trading partner – and instead lean in on relations with Washington. Modi is looking to meet with Trump in February.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Trump and Netanyahu maintained a strong relationship during the president’s first term, and a similar dynamic is expected to remain during Trump’s second term. Netanyahu on Monday released a video message congratulating Trump on his inauguration and said that “the best days of our alliance are yet to come.” He also thanked Trump for the role his administration played in helping to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which initiated the return of the hostages still held in Gaza.
WHO’S TOEING THE LINE
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer: The U.S.-U.K. partnership has often been described as a “special relationship,” and London has long been one of Washington’s closest allies. But the ties between the U.S. and U.K. will be tested as Trump faces Labour leader Keir Starmer, who has previously been critical of Trump.
Starmer, in 2023, condemned the U.K.’s Conservative party for “behave[ing] more and more like Donald Trump” rather than embodying the values championed by Winston Churchill.
“They look at the politics of America and want to bring that here,” he said. “Is there anybody in the government now who feels a sense of obligation to anything other than their own self-interest? To democracy, the rule of law, serving our country?”
“It’s all woke, woke, woke. Wedge, wedge, wedge. Divide, divide, divide,” he added.
Starmer has since pledged to work with Trump and to ensure the “special relationship” endures, though he is expected to face a tough road.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer addresses members at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, England on Tuesday.(AP)
UN URGES DIPLOMACY AS IRAN HITS NUCLEAR ‘GAS PEDAL,’ CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR TELLS TRUMP ‘DO NOT APPEASE’
France’s Emmanuel Macron: The leader of the U.S.’s oldest ally is the only remaining European leader on the United Nations Security Council who was in office alongside Trump during his first term. Trump and Macron often butted heads during Trump’s first term and, despite an invitation to the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in December, reports indicate this time will likely be no different.
While Macron was among the first to congratulate Trump on his second presidential victory, he also issued multiple statements of warning this week, first when he said that now is the time for a “European strategic wake-up call,” emphasizing the need to lessen reliance on the U.S. for defense.
The second warning came on Wednesday when it said “it is necessary more than ever for Europeans . . . to play their role of consolidating a united, strong and sovereign Europe” as it stares down stiff tariffs vowed by Trump.
French President Emmanuel Macron meets with President-Elect Donald Trump at the Élysée Palace on December 7, 2024, in Paris, France. Donald Trump was among the wave of foreign dignitaries descending on Paris this weekend to attend a reopening ceremony at Notre Dame Cathedral, more than five years after it was damaged in a major fire.(Oleg Nikishin)
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz: Scholz’s predecessor, Angela Merkel, often went head-to-head with Trump and reportedly believed that the U.S. president specifically had it out for Germany during his first term. Scholz, who leads the left-leaning Social Democrats, appears to be following in a similar no-nonsense approach when it comes to the second Trump administration and on Wednesday made it clear that Trump “will be, and so much is already clear, a challenge.”
Speaking alongside Macron on Wednesday, Scholz pledged to stand united with his European allies and said, “Our position is clear. Europe is a big economic power with around 450 million citizens. We are strong, we stand together. Europe will not duck and hide but will be a constructive and self-confident partner.”
WORLD LEADERS REACT AS TRUMP RE-ENTERS THE WHITE HOUSE
European Union: Trump has made clear that the EU is in his crosshairs, telling reporters this week, “The European Union is very, very bad to us.” But President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen made clear this week she is ready to work with the new U.S. president.
“No other economies in the world are as integrated as we are,” she said, noting that the trade volumes between the U.S. and Europe account for 30% of all trade globally, reported Reuters. “Our first priority will be to engage early, discuss common interests and be ready to negotiate.”
She made clear that the EU will not be bullied by Trump and said, “We will be pragmatic, but we will always stand by our principles. To protect our interests and uphold our values – that is the European way.”
EU feelings toward Trump appear fairly divided as the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has backed Trump’s push to increase defense spending across the board in Europe. Right-wing Danish member of the European Parliament Anders Vistisen addressed Trump’s stated desire to acquire Greenland and in a public message did not mince words.
“Dear President Trump, listen very carefully: Greenland has been part of the Danish kingdom for 800 years. It is an integrated part of our country. It is not for sale,” Vistisen said. “Let me put it in words you might understand. Mr. Trump, f*** off!”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Friday Nov. 29, 2024 to discuss topics like the economy, illegal immigration and a proposed 25 percent tariff.(Justin Trudeau X)
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: Following a series of dramatic reports and resignations relating to Trudeau’s handling of Trump after he was newly elected and claimed that Canada should be the U.S.’s 51st state, Trudeau resigned from the top job this month.
It remains unclear who will replace Trudeau in a March 9 election, within his Liberal Party ahead of the general election later this year, where the party is expected to lose to the country’s Conservatives.
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Trudeau has said, “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States,” and government officials across the board are bracing for a trade war with the U.S. after Trump threatened to levy 25% tariffs on Canada, starting Feb. 1.
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said this week that Ottawa “will continue to work on preventing tariffs” but said that officials are also “working on retaliation.”
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In the final hours of his term, President Joe Biden negotiated a prisoner exchange with the Taliban that released U.S. citizens Ryan Corbett and William Wallace McKenty from Taliban custody.
Not included in the deal, however, were U.S. citizens George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi.
On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X that he was “just hearing” of the detentions of additional Americans by the Taliban.
“If this is true, we will have to immediately place a VERY BIG bounty on their top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on Bin Laden,” Rubio wrote.
2 AMERICANS RELEASED IN EXCHANGE FOR TALIBAN PRISONER
Dennis Fitzpatrick, who is coordinating efforts outside the U.S. government for Glezmann’s release, claimed Glezmann was “never a serious priority for the Biden White House.”
“President Biden and [former National Security Advisor] Jake Sullivan decided to leave George Glezmann in Kabul for no good reason,” Fitzpatrick told Fox News Digital. “We are confident that President Trump’s clear-eyed leadership will secure George’s release to his family.”
Two U.S. citizens, George Glezmann, left, and Mahmood Habibi, were not included in the recent Biden administration deal that freed two other Americans from the Taliban.(James Foley Foundation/Getty Images)
Fitzpatrick added that 66-year-old Glezmann is “a totally innocent man” who was “a hard-working, blue-collar airline mechanic before he was wrongfully detained. He doesn’t deserve to be used as a pawn.”
Glezmann has been in detention since Dec. 5, 2022, when he was traveling to Afghanistan to “explore the cultural landscape and rich history of the country” according to a Senate resolution from July 2024 calling for his immediate release.
The resolution states that Glezmann’s mental and physical condition were deteriorating as a result of his detention in a nine-foot square underground cell. He has only been allowed limited calls to family and has experienced “facial tumors, hypertension, severe malnutrition, and other medical conditions” as a result of his detention.
Former President Joe Biden at the White House (Anna Moneymaker)
While the Taliban admit to holding Glezmann in custody, they insist they do not hold Mahmood Habibi.
TALIBAN DISMISS DISCRIMINATION ACCUSATIONS AS ‘ABSURD’ DESPITE BANNING WOMEN FROM THE PUBLIC IN AFGHANISTAN
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks after being sworn in by Vice President JD Vance in the Vice Presidential Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus Tuesday, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Habibi’s brother Ahmad told Fox News Digital the family “know[s] that my brother is still in Taliban custody. I can’t share too much about that because we don’t want to put him or others at risk. But anyone accepting the Taliban’s hollow suggestions that they do not have him is falling for their lies.
“We have multiple witnesses to his arrest by the [General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI)]. We have multiple witnesses who were held with him at GDI headquarters. The Taliban has always claimed they don’t have him and don’t know who he is. How do they explain the obvious contradictions to this?”
Ahmad also claimed the family “know[s] that the U.S. government has technical evidence that Mahmood was in GDI custody long after his arrest.”
He alleges the Biden National Security Council “micromanaged the State Department’s effort to secure my brother’s release” and “blocked [the State Department] from using the data in their discussions with the Taliban, even though we told them that it would have directly confronted the Taliban’s claims that they never heard of my brother.”
TOP GENERAL IN FIGHT AGAINST THE TALIBAN SAYS AFGHANISTAN HAS ONCE AGAIN BECOME A ‘CRUCIBLE OF TERRORISM’
Neither the State Department nor the National Security Council responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for confirmation of Ahmad’s claims.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Taliban spokespersons Zabihullah Mujahid and Suhail Shaheen about Habibi’s detention and asked Mujahid what happened to Habibi after he was arrested by the GDI. Mujahid did not respond. Shaheen directed Fox News Digital to reach out to the GDI and claimed no knowledge of the situation.
The Taliban have long sought the release of Guantanamo Bay detainee and al Qaeda facilitator Muhammad Rahim in exchange for the Americans they admitted were in their prisons. Ahmad Habibi told CBS News President Biden assured him in a Jan. 12 phone call that the U.S. would not release Rahim unless the Taliban released Habibi.
Taliban fighters in Kabul, Afghanistan(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
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Former Principal Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Hugh Dugan told Fox News Digital the Trump administration could pursue multiple “lines of effort” to secure the release of Glezmann and Habibi.
Dugan said this could involve “outright rescue by the military” at one level or continued “subtle diplomacy in the background.”
Dugan said he recognized that “to say we’re doing everything we can … is not satisfying to a family member, frankly, or anybody, and they want to hear that you’re continuing to identify what might have eluded us all along, or that there’s a crack in the horizon that’s opening.
“And we need to realize that that might be another step in our path to recovery and a line of effort has to be amended to accommodate new realities at any given moment.”
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A film shows a large group of children walking out of Auschwitz concentration camp in the company of nuns. Regina Horowitz recognized her own child and begged the camera operator to give her the frames of the film depicting Ryszard.
There are very few survivors left as the world commemorates the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz. The Horowitz family’s tale of survival is one such documentation.
The Kraków orphanage would send her Regina Horowitz to another address, where she miraculously found her five-year-old son, who was just as shocked to see his mom alive. And not just her, but also his sister Niusia and his grandmother . . . all three women saved by German industrialist Oskar Schindler.
HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS CAN LIVE ON FOR GENERATIONS WITH CREATIVE USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY
Ryszard Horowitz, Niusia Horowitz-Karakulska and Roman Polanski enjoying a day at Wawel Royal Castle in Kraków, with Roman’s uncle. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.(Ryszard Horowitz )
Renowned photographer Ryszard Horowitz was born on May 5th, 1939, to a loving family in the historic city of Kraków, the former capital of Poland, but just four months later Nazi Germany invaded Poland, resulting in utter devastation.
Ryszard Horowitz, highlighted, behind the barbed wire of Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Liberation of the camp in 1945. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.(Ryszard Horowitz )
The war would turn brutal and sinister, especially for Poland’s Jews.
“When the Germans marched into Kraków,” Horowitz told Fox News Digital, “my parents’ first reaction was to run away. They packed their suitcases and left me with my non-Jewish nanny, Antosia. But soon they returned with my sister, because they did not want me to stay behind. So, we were reunited but eventually forced to relocate to the ghetto.”
Dawid and Regina Horowitz, wedding photo. Kraków, 1932. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.(Ryszard Horowitz )
The Nazis segregated Jews from the rest of the population, forcing them into Krakow’s notorious ghetto. Life was bleak behind the fences, in constant fear of Nazi persecution.
Kraków Ghetto, gate one, 1941. Photo from the collection of The Historical Museum of the City of Kraków, Poland.
Fortunately for Ryszard, there was an older boy there, called Roman Liebling, known later as Roman Polanski, who attended his third birthday party. According to Polanski, although food was scarce, by some miracle Ryszard’s mother, Regina, managed to procure hot chocolate for the kids. Ryszard, however, did not care for hot chocolate and refused to drink it.
Niusia Horowitz, Roman Polanski, Ryszard Horowitz, Roma Ligocka in Kraków, 1946. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.(Ryszard Horowitz)
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By 1943, the Germans were liquidating Kraków’s ghetto, and the Horowitz family was forced to relocate to a Nazi concentration camp in Plaszow. It was run by a notorious Nazi commander, Austrian officer Amon Göth.
The remnants of a wall from the Jewish ghetto in Krakow, Poland. January 11, 2023.(Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
“It was a terrible camp, because the man in charge was an extremely brutal character. He created a tremendous sense of fear. He was shooting people right and left. He was like a God in terms of his power and made life there totally impossible,” Horowitz recalled.
Göth liked to throw parties in his villa, where two of Ryszard’s musician uncles were forced to play.
Ryszard Horowitz’s uncles had careers as entertainers before World War Two began. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.(Ryszard Horowitz)
One of the men attending the parties was German industrialist Oskar Schindler. His friendship with Göth enabled him to run a business that would ultimately become a lifeline for many of the camps Jews.
“Oscar Schindler got permission to open a factory producing utensils for the German army, and my family worked there.” Horowitz explained.
Steven Spielberg, Ryszard Horowitz, Ania Bogusz and Bronisława Horowitz-Karakulska. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.(Ryszard Horowitz)
Steven Spielberg introduced Oskar Schindler to the entire world in his 1993 movie “Schindler’s List,” and Horowitz shared some observations about the famed businessman.
“Everybody will tell you something else about him. How good he was, how bad he was, how handsome he was, how many women he had, but the bottom line is . . . somehow, he felt this urge to save people. Once, he got into trouble when he kissed my sister when she gave him a cake for his birthday,” Horowitz said.
In 1944, the Germans decided it was time to dismantle Plaszow, disguise the traces of their atrocities, and close Schindler’s factory.
The Jewish Cemetery in Kraków, photocomposition by Ryszard Horowitz. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.(Ryszard Horowitz)
“Schindler managed to get permission to move a certain number of workers to his factory in Brünnlitz, in Czechoslovakia,” Horowitz said.
Brünnlitz was a German labor camp, and as Spielberg showed in his film, a list was created with names of those who would be relocated there.
“There is no question that there was a list, and my family was on that list. I was not, because I was too small to work, but somehow, I managed to squeeze in. There were two transports, one of men and one of women. I was traveling with my father,” Horowitz explained.
Schindler’s men made it to Brünnlitz alive, but Ryszard’s life was about to unravel.
“We waited for the women to follow us to Brünnlitz. But, for some reason, we do not know why, they were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp instead,” he said.
Schindler hurried to Auschwitz to rescue his women and left Josef Leipold in charge of his factory.
“Leipold was the exact opposite of Schindler.” Horowitz said. “From the beginning, his idea was to finish us off. And he did not want children there. So, he packed us with our fathers and shipped us to Auschwitz.”
Upon arriving at Auschwitz, Ryszard was selected to have concentration camp numbers tattooed on his forearm. Which meant he would stay alive, for a time.
Businessman Oskar Schindler speaks about saving lives during the Holocaust of Germany’s Third Reich in an interview with United Press International.(Bettmann / Contributor/Getty Images)
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Oskar Schindler managed to rescue the women. They were aboard a train that was about to depart for Auschwitz.
Horowitz recalled these heartbreaking moments, “My cousin and I saw the train, and my mother was there, my sister, my grandmother . . . and they saw us. My mother was certain this was the last time she would see me. They went to Brünnlitz, and my father and I remained in Auschwitz.”
In January 1945, with the Red Army approaching, German SS forces marched thousands of prisoners out of Auschwitz to different camps on German territory. Richard’s father, Dawid “Dolek” Horowitz, was forced to leave his son behind.
“I think that one of the reasons I survived was that a man in charge of a warehouse, Roman Gunz, agreed to look after me. Sometimes he would feed me, and when things got difficult, he would hide me in the warehouse or inside the infectious hospital ward,” Horowitz said.
Then one day, the nightmare of Auschwitz came to an end.
“When the Red Army came close to the camp, the Germans were in a panic. They rounded all the kids up and were ready to shoot us, but just then two German officers arrived on motorcycles screaming to drop everything and follow them, so they did,” Horowitz remembered.
A few hours later, Soviet troops entered Auschwitz.
“The Red Army arrived, most of them on horseback,” he said. “They gave us food and sweets. They had cameras with them, and they recorded a lot of footage. The following day, nuns arrived and took us to an orphanage in Kraków. Polanski’s aunt Tosia found me there and took me to her apartment on Dluga Street. And Roman was already there.”
The Horowitz Family survivors, Szachne, Sabina, Niusia, Regina, Ryszard and Dawid. Kraków, Poland. (Ryszard Horowitz)
In March 1945, Brünnlitz was liberated, and the Horowitz women returned to Kraków.
“One day, my mom was out in the market Square, where they were showing a documentary movie about the liberation of Auschwitz, and she recognized me in it,” Horowitz said.
The Horowitz women moved in with Roman Polanski’s family. They were soon joined by Dawid Horowitz.
“We all lived under one roof for two years, until my father got us a nice apartment near Market Square,” Horowitz said.
After the war, Poles found their country in ruins with a hostile communist regime in charge.
“Most of my closest friends and their families were anti-communists. Everybody’s dream was to get out of Poland as fast as possible,” Horowitz explained.
Regina and Dawid Horowitz reunite with Oskar Schindler and Henry Rosner in Vienna. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.(Ryszard Horowitz)
Dawid Horowitz managed to open a store selling tools and building materials, with Polanski’s aunt Tosia as his business partner. Life went on.
“For me and my friends, life was pretty good at the time, because we were not engaged in politics. We were artists, and we believed that we lived in a totally free society, so we did what we wanted to do, and we had this amazing outlet, a cabaret called “Piwnica pod Barnami” (The Cellar under the Rams). And we had jazz,” Horowitz recalled.
Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond, in Kraków,1958. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.(Ryszard Horowitz)
In 1958, American jazz pianist Dave Brubeck arrived in Kraków to perform. Ryszard Horowitz was there with his camera and documented it in pictures. Little did he know that photography was his future. And that future was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Ryszard Horowitz, aboard the Polish ocean liner “MS Batory,” departing for America in 1959. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.(Ryszard Horowitz)
“I had this opportunity because my uncles here in New York were ready to offer me room and board. And I also received a scholarship from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn,” Horowitz said.
With his father’s encouragement and some U.S. dollars hidden in the heel of his shoe, Horowitz boarded the Polish ocean liner “MS Batory.”
Life as an immigrant in the Big Apple was a mixed bag. But at the Pratt Institute, Horowitz quickly exhibited a unique talent for photography.
Ryszard Horowitz photo shoot for Tiffany & Co. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.(Ryszard Horowitz)
“I created their first photography lab at Pratt, and I was asked to design their 75th anniversary yearbook, which I edited, and I pretty much took all the photographs for them. It was the first time in history that the New York Art Directors Club gave an award to a student. So, this became my portfolio,” Horowitz explained.
Photocomposer Ryszard Horowitz: One-Man show in Beijing, China.(Ryszard Horowitz)
Ryszard connected with influential people who helped pave his way to success. Among them were photographer Richard Avedon, graphic artist Saul Steinberg and ballet choreographer Sergei Diaghilev, as well as his idol, disc jockey Willis Conover, who hosted the Jazz Hour on the Voice of America.
Through the lens of his camera, Horowitz saw the world somewhat differently. His photographs looked like computer-generated graphics, except that they predated the digital age. He became known as the pioneer of special effects photography.
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“I found a way of reversing perspective and juxtaposing large objects to make them look small and vice versa,” Horowitz said.
Horowitz was a master of light. He learned to manipulate light to photograph expensive jewelry and new cars.
“My art education in Kraków helped me – my devotion to the great masters of painting,” Horowitz explained.
Ryszard Horowitz receives an honorary doctorate at the University of Warsaw, Poland. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.(Ryszard Horowitz)
His iconic commercial work captivated audiences in the world of advertising, bringing him fame and prestigious awards. He received honorary doctorates from the University of Warsaw and Wrocław in Poland, and in 2014, his hometown of Kraków made him an honorary citizen.
“Some of my photographs consist of different images taken in different parts of the world, and they are merged into a single unit that’s not jarring but believable. They appear as though they are an instance of a situation that never existed except in my head. That’s why I call myself a ‘photocomposer,” Horowitz explained.
Award-winning digital photo-composition: Allegory (1992) by Ryszard Horowitz. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.(Ryszard Horowitz)
He achieved success in his personal life as well. Since 1974, he’s been happily married to Anna Bogusz, and they have two grown sons: Daniel and Emil.
Emil, Ania and Daniel Horowitz. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.
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“I met Ania at a party. She was an architecture student from a Polish family living in Caracas, Venezuela. She was only passing through New York on her way to Paris to continue her studies. She never made it to Paris,” Horowitz smiled, recollecting meeting the love of his life.
Ania Bogusz and Ryszard Horowitz, 1974. Photo courtesy Ryszard Horowitz.
So many years after he walked out of Auschwitz alive, Ryszard Horowitz feels blessed to live the American Dream with his family, and doing what he loves most – creating his photo compositions . . . and listening to jazz.
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Argentinian President Javier Milei rallied against “the mental virus of woke ideology” during a fiery speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.
Milei credited the fundamental values of Western civilization, like respect for life and liberty, free speech and freedom of religion, for enabling the Industrial Revolution that lifted “90% of the global population out of poverty.” He then slammed wokeism as the disease that will destroy everything dear to the West.
“This is the great epidemic of our time that must be cured. This is the cancer we need to get rid of. This ideology has colonized the world’s most important institutions – from the political parties and governments of leading Western nations to global governance organizations, even NGOs, universities and media outlets,” said Milei, adding, “Western civilization – and even the human species – will not be able to return to the path of progress demanded by our pioneering spirit. It is essential to break these ideological chains if we want to usher in a new golden age.”
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Argentinian President Javier Milei gives a speech after his Inauguration Ceremony at the National Congress on Dec. 10, 2023 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.(Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)
Milei did not hold back talking about gender ideology and criticized the left for their radically liberal policies.
He castigated those leaders who are “attempting to impose the idea that women are men and men are women simply based on self-perception. And they say nothing about when a man dresses as a woman and kills his opponent in a boxing ring, or when a male prison inmate claims to be a woman and ends up sexually assaulting women in prison.”
Milei used an example of a same-sex couple in Georgia who were jailed last month for abusing and pimping their adopted boys to a pedophile ring, according to a report by the New York Post.
The Argentine leader said, “I want to be clear when I say abuse. This is no euphemism, because in its most extreme forms, gender ideology is outright child abuse. They are pedophiles,” Milei declared.
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Calling Elon Musk a dear friend, Milei put up a furious defense of children against the dangers of transgenderism.
“Healthy children are being irreversibly harmed through hormone treatments and mutilation, as if a 5-year-old child could possibly consent to such things, and should their family not agree to this, there will always be state agents ready to step in in favour of what they call the best interests of the child.”
Musk’s biological son transitioned into a girl a few years ago, which led the billionaire to remark that his child was figuratively “killed” by the “woke mind virus.”
Two trans people hold hands while marching under a trans pride flag in the New York City Pride Parade on June 26, 2022 in New York City.(Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Milei added, “Only now are we beginning to see the effects of an entire generation that has mutilated their bodies, encouraged by a culture of sexual relativism, and these people will have to spend their entire lives in psychiatric treatment to cope with what they have done to themselves. Yet no one dares to speak about these issues. Not only that, but the vast majority have also been subjected to the misguided self-perceptions of a tiny minority.”
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The libertarian Milei became president in 2023, and the chaotic economy of Argentina has stabilized under his leadership, according to The Associated Press. He was optimistic about his country’s future, calling it a “new Argentina,” but not so much about the state of the world unless wokeism is reversed.
“Believe me, the scandalous experiments in the name of this criminal ideology will be condemned and likened to those committed in the darkest periods in our history.”
Milei ended with his often said slogan, “Thank you all very much and long live freedom, damn it.”
The terrorist group Hamas released four additional hostages from Gaza on Saturday after a ceasefire deal with Israel took effect nearly a week ago.
Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag — all of whom are members of the Israeli Defense Forces —were freed on Saturday in the second round of hostage releases.
In exchange, Israel was expected to free 200 Palestinian prisoners or detainees, including 120 militants serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks.
The first round of hostage releases on Sunday freed Romi Gonen, Emily Demari, and Doron Steinbrecher.
Video from Palestine Square in Gaza shows the four newly released women hostages being taken from the cars. They are alive and walking, wearing uniforms.
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L: Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Liri Albag, Naama Levy.(Handout/Bring Them Home Now)
“The Red Cross has communicated that four Israeli hostages were transferred to them and are on their way toward IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF and Israeli Securities Authority said in a joint statement.
The four female soldiers were believed to have been, at least at one time, held all together.
Under the ceasefire deal, a total of 33 hostages are to be set free over the course of six weeks, including those already released, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, three female hostages who have been held in Gaza, return to Israel as part of a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, January 19, 2025.(REUTERS/Amir Cohen)
Hamas agreed to release three female hostages on the first day of the deal, four on the seventh day and the remaining 26 over the next five weeks.
This is the second cease-fire achieved during the war that began more than a year ago.
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Naama Levy had been held hostage for more than a year.(The Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
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The 15-month-long war in Gaza started when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, prompting military retaliation from Israeli forces. Nearly 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, has formally notified U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of Israel’s demand for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to cease its operations in Jerusalem and evacuate its premises by January 30, 2025.
The directive follows recent legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset, terminating Israel’s agreements with UNRWA and citing national security concerns.
In a letter addressed to Guterres, Danon outlined the rationale behind the decision, emphasizing “the acute national security risks posed by the widespread infiltration of UNRWA’s ranks by Hamas and other terrorist organizations.” He also accused the agency of failing to address Israel’s long-standing concerns and of compromising its “fundamental obligation to impartiality and neutrality beyond repair.”
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UN vehicle enters the UNRWA offices in Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Apr 2, 2024. (Photo by Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS)
President Donald Trumphas also been a vocal critic of UNRWA, withholding funding for it during his first term as president. The United States had previously been UNRWA’s largest donor, contributing more than $350 million annually. In March, Congress agreed to cut funding to the controversial agency for a year.
A spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General told Fox News Digital, “The Secretary-General has been clear in the need to maintain support for UNRWA, which is the backbone of U.N. operations in the occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Danon’s letter stated that “months of good-faith engagement” with the United Nations had failed to produce results, accusing UNRWA of abusing its immunity to bypass local laws and regulations. He underscored Israel’s legal position, asserting that “no state is required to assist and cooperate with an entity that undermines its national security.”
The IDF and ISA eliminated Hamas terrorist, Nukhba commander, Mohammad Abu Itiwi. He was involved in the murder and abduction of Israeli civilians on October 7th. Itiwi worked for UNRWA according to the Israelis.(IDF Spokesman’s Unit)
Anne Bayefsky, Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and President of Human Rights Voices, told Fox News Digital said Israel’s move is a long time coming. “UNRWA is a cash cow for the United Nations, and also for Palestinian so-called refugees who—in marked contrast to refugees everywhere else in the world—supposedly inherit their refugee status as long as the Jews are still there. UNRWA schools have taught generations of Palestinians to hate the Jews next door and to spend their lives seeking to terminate Israel instead of cohabiting in peace.”
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Israel Ambassador Danny Danon speaks to the members of the media before the United Nations Security Council meeting, following a ballistic missile attack on Israel, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., October 2, 2024. REUTERS/Stephani Spindel
The legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset includes two complementary bills that sever all ties between Israel and UNRWA, including the termination of diplomatic visas and services provided to the agency. The bills received overwhelming support from both coalition and opposition members of the Knesset.
Critics of the legislation, including the Biden administration, have warned that it could create a humanitarian crisis for the millions of Palestinians who rely on UNRWA for education, healthcare, and basic services.
During a U.N. press briefing on Friday, a spokesperson responded to questions regarding the situation, stating, “We are in touch, but we have continued to emphasize the indispensability of UNRWA.” When asked about contingency plans should the Israeli legislation be implemented, the spokesperson said, “We will see what the future brings. Obviously, we are doing our utmost and UNRWA will do its utmost to continue to provide aid to the people under our mandate, as much as we can.”
Photos released by the Israeli Defense Force show three individuals that the Israeli military claims are Hamas terrorists inside a UNRWA compound in Rafah.(IDF)
Before the Israeli letter was made public, an UNRWA spokeswoman had previously told Fox News Digital they didn’t have a plan in place for ongoing operations once the ban starts.
The spokesperson claimed that, “UNRWA has the most robust systems in place in comparison to other United Nations agencies when it comes to the adherence to the principle of neutrality with regards to our programs that we do and our staff.”
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In August, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini confirmed the probable involvement of UNRWA employees in the Oct.7 massacre. He later confirmed that at least nine UNRWA staffers were fired after an internal probe.
Danon called on the United Nations to “put an end to the unprecedented infiltration and abuse of a U.N. organ by terrorist organizations” to restore the U.N.’s credibility.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law a bill that will allow the government to seize land without having to pay compensation, which some in the government say is a threat to private ownership.
The law, which replaces the pre-democratic Expropriation Act of 1975, “outlines how expropriation can be done and on what basis” by the state, the government says, according to the BBC.
Ramaphosa’s party, the African National Congress, or ANC, hailed the law as a “significant milestone.” However, some members of the government have signaled they will challenge the legality of the law.
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Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa, delivers a speech during a plenary session in Congress Hall during the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 21, 2025. (Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP)
The country’s majority Black citizens own just a small fraction of farmland more than 30 years after the end of apartheid. Most landowners are part of the White minority, according to the news report.
The new law allows for the expropriation of land without compensation only in circumstances where it is “just and equitable and in the public interest.”
That includes when the property is not being used and there’s no intention to either develop it or if it poses a public safety risk.
“In terms of this law, an expropriating authority may not expropriate property arbitrarily or for a purpose other than a public purpose or in the public interest,” Vincent Magwenya, the president’s spokesperson, said in a news release.
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Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, in July 2023(Xabiso Mkhabela/Xinhua via Getty Images)
“Expropriation may not be exercised unless the expropriating authority has without success attempted to reach an agreement with the owner or holder of a right in property for the acquisition thereof on reasonable terms,” he added.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in the government, said it “strongly opposes” the law and was consulting with its lawyers.
It says that while it supports legislation addressing land restitution, it takes issue with the process followed by the country’s parliament to enact the law, the BBC report states.
South Africa’s ANC party has fielded candidates facing corruption charges.(Reuters/Mike Hutchings)
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The Freedom Front Plus party, which defends the rights of South Africa’s White minority, vowed to challenge the law and do “everything in its power” to have it amended if it is found to be unconstitutional.
