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Isa Yusibov wrote that October 17, 2003, was a day of conflicting feelings for him: he wished it had never happened, but he was also proud of it. He was 14 years old at the time and said his family had considered him an adult since then. The day after the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, in which his father played an important role according to him, Yusibov claimed to be one of the first victims of the repression against the pro-Western opposition. He wrote that he was beaten, humiliated, and spat on in front of about 300 to 400 students. Afterwards, he received his school file and was informed that he was no longer welcome because his father was considered a state enemy. Yusibov said that on his way to the exit, he made eye contact with teachers who had treated him kindly before the elections. Several teachers reportedly gestured for him to leave quickly. He wrote that the experience made him proud of his father and convinced him that the dictatorship would continue. A month later, his family reportedly fled to the Netherlands. The event compelled him to focus on geopolitics. Yusibov argued that the power transition surrounding Aliyev was a consensus among the West, Putin, Erdogan, and Iran. According to him, the West, led by Bush, had betrayed the democrats in Azerbaijan in favor of authoritarian stability. He also wrote that great power interests dictated politics in the Caucasus and that this situation had not changed 23 years later. Yusibov stated that his experiences had taught him how difficult it was to stand up for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. He wrote that he had seen the first signs of undermining democratic principles in the Netherlands as well, by parties that he believed targeted democracy. He referred to a previous interview with NRC and said he would not allow the Netherlands to become a country where the government disregarded fundamental rights. #Democratie #Mensenrechten #Geopolitiek (translated)

In all of France, thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the high cost of living, leading to violent confrontations and chaos, while a large number of demonstrators also peacefully fought for their rights. #ManifestationsFrance #ColèrePopulaire #VieChère (translated)

Hendro Munsterman wrote that Pope Leo XIV had left the Gemelli Hospital in Rome and was in excellent condition. According to Munsterman, the pope had undergone surgery there four days earlier to have a cancerous tumor removed from his right lung. https://t.co/D1t27BzLKG #PausLeoXIV #Gezondheid #Rome (translated)

Only the cook accused CDU/CSU politician Sepp Müller of constructing a Hitler comparison from Vanessa Emde's statement that people have a right to exist, while invoking German state interests and the slogan "Never again is now." Koch described Emde's statement as legally correct and wrote that Müller had instrumentalized German history with his reaction to publicly defame the politician. This had occurred through the official channel of a taxpayer-funded Bundestag faction. Koch criticized the reaction as a mockery of international law, history, and the intelligence of the population. #Menschenrechte #Völkerrecht #Politik (translated)

Apollo News reported that the tax office in Göttingen demanded detailed information from the sponsoring association of a left-wing youth center about its political activities related to "Antifa." The background is possible violations of the requirements for charitable status. The youth center described the actions as a political attack and categorized the underlying right-wing myths as part of the rightward shift. https://t.co/skbAiAZYWT #Finanzamt #Gemeinnützigkeit #Antifa (translated)

Three Mexicans have been sentenced by a judge to 158 years and nine months in prison each for the triple murder of two Australian brothers and their American friend, who were shot dead within 36 hours of their arrival in Mexico during a robbery. #MexicaanseJustitie #Moord #Surftourisme (translated)

Regina Laska wrote that the Pope had part of his right lung removed on Tuesday. On Friday, according to Cardinal Secretary of State Parolin, he personally called Putin to advocate for the population of the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky. He demanded a ceasefire so that food and medicine could be brought into the city and civilians could be safely and voluntarily evacuated. According to the information cited by Laska from the United Nations, about 1,700 people, including 47 children, were still waiting there. The Kremlin had promised cooperation, but no commitment to a ceasefire had been announced, Laska wrote. Parolin hopes that Putin will comply with the request. Laska rejected the objection that Ukraine is blocking aid. Ukrainian forces had delivered about four tons of food to Oleshky by drone at the end of September and nearly four tons of aid supplies in early October. However, a city could not be permanently supplied in this way, she wrote. Additionally, according to the Ukrainian city administration, Russian soldiers were seizing the aid supplies. Drones also cannot bring people out of the city. Laska emphasized that a phone call is not yet a humanitarian corridor and a friendly note of conversation does not feed the people of Oleshky. She thanked the Pope for his initiative and wrote that Putin must now allow the people in the city to continue living. #Papst #Putin #Oleschky (translated)

Judges Elmy Elderman and Joyce de Ruiter emphasize the need for better cooperation and support for confused individuals who get stuck in the criminal justice system, as they are often seen as a last resort and cannot be helped in a timely manner. #overlastgevers #strafrecht #psychiatrischeproblemen (translated)

Theologians from Germany and Austria warn of the rise of the Christian right, which advocates a return to authoritarian ideologies and the establishment of a Catholic theocracy as well as the introduction of the death penalty for heretics, alarming both the Vatican and society. #ChristlicheRechte #Neointegralismus #Todesstrafe (translated)

Jan B. Hommel wrote, referring to a report from NOS, that families and businesses had to leave near Lelystad airport due to the expansion of the defense sector. He stated that residents in the Netherlands had little legal protection according to him and that people like Derk Boswijk and the Ministry of Defense could take away their rights. Hommel noted that the airport, in his opinion, did not yet have an environmental permit, but that Boswijk had said that they could not wait for it. He wrote that citizens and companies sometimes could not wait for permits either, but that their interests, according to him, did not count. Hommel called the Netherlands a "banana kingdom," said that only cynicism remained, and wrote that it was time to leave the country. #Lelystad #Defensie #Rechten (translated)

Daniela Seidel asked Julius Böhm and the Brandenburg police whether it was about not unsettling the population, not inciting xenophobia, or not giving a boost to the political right. She also referred to a "climate-induced change in humanity" as a possible explanation. #Gesellschaft #Fremdenfeindlichkeit #Klimawandel (translated)

The text examines the complexity of contemporary far-right movements in Europe and questions the extent to which they can truly be compared to Nazism, while also highlighting the challenges of national identity and the situation surrounding rights and counterpower. #ExtrêmeDroite #Nazi #Démocratie (translated)