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The Nigerian Press Organisation, in its resolve to resist the government's attempt to stifle the media’s constitutional freedom of speech in Nigeria, has started a front page protest through the publication of a uniform artwork in all of Nigeria's newspapers.

On Monday, July 12, major newspapers displayed the artwork boldly on their front pages and at the base is written, 'Information Blackout: This is what the National Assembly wants to achieve with the NPC and NBC (Media) Act Amendment Bills.

“It's not just against the media...it's about society's rights to know, your rights to be heard.”

The message was jointly sponsored by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nigerian Guild of Editors and Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria.

The protest, which started on Monday, is expected to continue on July 13, 2021, with all newspapers carrying a front-page editorial “with a central theme – denouncing the government’s attempt to stifle the people’s right to know through its crude attempt to return the country into the draconian era of the military, even as we are in a democracy.”

A statement signed by Feyi Smith, on behalf of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), after a meeting held in Lagos, said the July 14, 2021 publication will explain why and what prompted the activities of the two previous days.

Ths statement read, "It confers on the Press Council the power to determine ethics and fake news, investigate infractions and impose fines on journalists, publishers and distributors. It proposes fines of up to N.25 million on the journalist and N5 million on a corporate body. It specifies jail terms of one to three years and fines ranging from N.25 million to N5 million on journalists, newsagents and media outlets. 

“It proposes a fine of between N2 million to N5 million to erring purveyors, two years in jail and compensation for fake news while the medium of publication is liable to N10 million fine or closure for one year in addition to payment of N20 million as compensation to the aggrieved party. 

“The bill, draconian and anti-press freedom is a poor mix and resurrection of the obnoxious Public Officers Protection Against False accusation Decree No. 4 of 1984 and the Newspapers Registration Decree 43 of 1993, both vestiges of the dark days of military rule. It assumes that there are no extant laws to penalise media infractions and exact restitution for the aggrieved persons.

"The new NBC is no less galling, making the Minister of Information the Monster Minister with sweeping powers to make and enforce regulations online and offline.”

The meeting noted that the bill as currently concorted, “is a sinister, draconian legislative ambush, which seeks to choke the media with exactly those prayers the NPAN has taken before the Supreme Court of Nigeria, seeking relief to unshackle the press in a democracy, and encourage it to from perform its constitutional responsibility of holding the government accountable to the people at all times, as enshrined in Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

“The ambush is amplified by the hush-hush manner of a legislative public hearing which was conducted, without a formal invitation to the key stakeholders- NPAN, NGE and NUJ- while the only one that got an invitation received same at the venue and on the day of the hearing.”

The media stakeholders’ meeting, however, resolved that “that the proposed bill is unconstitutional as it runs against the principle and tenets of the rule of law. That it is subjudice of a pending case on the subject matter before the highest court of the land – the Supreme Court. That it violates the rule of the National Assembly not to deliberate on matters that have been surrendered to the Court for adjudication.

“That the bill seeks to criminalise journalism business and practise despite the surfeit of laws of country with enough provisions and avenues for legal redress where individuals or groups feel ‘offended’ by media reports or business infractions.

“That the bill smirks of an attempt at undue suffocation of the operations of the media business away from the Company and Allied Matters Act provisions.

“That the bill seeks to invest the regulatory bodies with judicial powers, and usurp the powers of the courts.

"That the bill lacks any redeeming feature of a good law as it is discriminatory and offensive to public good and morality.”

The statement said: “On July 12, 2021, All newspapers to stage a FrontPage Protest by publishing a common designed artwork, denouncing government ‘s attempt to stifle the people’s rights to know and freedom of speech. 

“July 13, 2021, All newspapers to carry a front page editorial with a central theme – denouncing government’s attempt to stifle the people’s right to know through its crude attempt to return the country into the draconian era of the military, even as we are in a democracy. 

“July 14, 2021, Publication of materials explaining why and what prompted activities of the two previous days.”

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The Nigerian Press Organisation, in its resolve to resist the government's attempt to stifle the media’s constitutional freedom of speech in Nigeria, has started a front page protest through the publication of a uniform artwork in all of Nigeria's newspapers.

On Monday, July 12, major newspapers displayed the artwork boldly on their front pages and at the base is written, 'Information Blackout: This is what the National Assembly wants to achieve with the NPC and NBC (Media) Act Amendment Bills.

“It's not just against the media...it's about society's rights to know, your rights to be heard.”

The message was jointly sponsored by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nigerian Guild of Editors and Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria.

The protest, which started on Monday, is expected to continue on July 13, 2021, with all newspapers carrying a front-page editorial “with a central theme – denouncing the government’s attempt to stifle the people’s right to know through its crude attempt to return the country into the draconian era of the military, even as we are in a democracy.”

A statement signed by Feyi Smith, on behalf of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), after a meeting held in Lagos, said the July 14, 2021 publication will explain why and what prompted the activities of the two previous days.

Ths statement read, "It confers on the Press Council the power to determine ethics and fake news, investigate infractions and impose fines on journalists, publishers and distributors. It proposes fines of up to N.25 million on the journalist and N5 million on a corporate body. It specifies jail terms of one to three years and fines ranging from N.25 million to N5 million on journalists, newsagents and media outlets. 

“It proposes a fine of between N2 million to N5 million to erring purveyors, two years in jail and compensation for fake news while the medium of publication is liable to N10 million fine or closure for one year in addition to payment of N20 million as compensation to the aggrieved party. 

“The bill, draconian and anti-press freedom is a poor mix and resurrection of the obnoxious Public Officers Protection Against False accusation Decree No. 4 of 1984 and the Newspapers Registration Decree 43 of 1993, both vestiges of the dark days of military rule. It assumes that there are no extant laws to penalise media infractions and exact restitution for the aggrieved persons.

"The new NBC is no less galling, making the Minister of Information the Monster Minister with sweeping powers to make and enforce regulations online and offline.”

The meeting noted that the bill as currently concorted, “is a sinister, draconian legislative ambush, which seeks to choke the media with exactly those prayers the NPAN has taken before the Supreme Court of Nigeria, seeking relief to unshackle the press in a democracy, and encourage it to from perform its constitutional responsibility of holding the government accountable to the people at all times, as enshrined in Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

“The ambush is amplified by the hush-hush manner of a legislative public hearing which was conducted, without a formal invitation to the key stakeholders- NPAN, NGE and NUJ- while the only one that got an invitation received same at the venue and on the day of the hearing.”

The media stakeholders’ meeting, however, resolved that “that the proposed bill is unconstitutional as it runs against the principle and tenets of the rule of law. That it is subjudice of a pending case on the subject matter before the highest court of the land – the Supreme Court. That it violates the rule of the National Assembly not to deliberate on matters that have been surrendered to the Court for adjudication.

“That the bill seeks to criminalise journalism business and practise despite the surfeit of laws of country with enough provisions and avenues for legal redress where individuals or groups feel ‘offended’ by media reports or business infractions.

“That the bill smirks of an attempt at undue suffocation of the operations of the media business away from the Company and Allied Matters Act provisions.

“That the bill seeks to invest the regulatory bodies with judicial powers, and usurp the powers of the courts.

"That the bill lacks any redeeming feature of a good law as it is discriminatory and offensive to public good and morality.”

The statement said: “On July 12, 2021, All newspapers to stage a FrontPage Protest by publishing a common designed artwork, denouncing government ‘s attempt to stifle the people’s rights to know and freedom of speech. 

“July 13, 2021, All newspapers to carry a front page editorial with a central theme – denouncing government’s attempt to stifle the people’s right to know through its crude attempt to return the country into the draconian era of the military, even as we are in a democracy. 

“July 14, 2021, Publication of materials explaining why and what prompted activities of the two previous days.”

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The proposed amendments of the National Press Council (NPC) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is a sponsored legislative misadventure to undermine press freedom, strangulate free speech and undermine reportage on true but embarrassing government actions and policies. It is a wicked improvement on the obnoxious Media Bill, National Broadcasting Code and the Twitter ban. It is, in fact, a draconian bill that shares parentage with the infamous Decree 4 and the colonial Public Order Bill all of which sought to undermine reportage on wrongful government activities at the cost of truth and justice. 

I have taken the trouble to go through the proposed amendments and the following ugly heads stand out. Firstly, the bill seeks without pretence to vest control of the NPC and NBC in the President through his Minister of Information. The new proposal gives the President power to elect new Board Members, a Chairman and Executive Director for the Council only on the whimsical advise of his Information Minister, doing away with the provision to seek Senate approval in line with the principle of Checks and Balances that courses through our constitutional existence. This effectively gives the President and his Minister unfettered opportunity to tamper with Press Freedom and is in fact a legislative annexation of the Press as a subsidiary of the Ministry of Information. Secondly, the introduction of heavy jail terms and fines effectively criminalizes media practice in Nigeria.

Further, the proposed amendments seek to regulate social media- Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc, and revoke media licenses, jail journalists and shrink the civic space all on the government’s whims and sense of embarrassment. It is a malicious and punitive bill seeking to  empower the government to control narratives about its activities with little or no room for media advocacy. If it sees the light of day, we might as well repeal section 22 and 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which respectively demands that the Press hold the government to account and which guarantees Freedom of Speech and Press.

President Muhammadu Buhari

At a time when governments around the world are consolidating on efforts to expand the frontiers of Press Freedom through frameworks that enhance the role of the media in a democracy, the Nigerian Executives and Legislators are hard at work to shrink the media space and impose their version of events on the masses. An independent press is a threat only to a corrupt political class and such proposed legislative encumbrances to Press Freedom will further undermine the little traction gained over the years in this sector of the country. It must be opposed. 

It is impressive that media houses have decided to run the gauntlet in opposing these repressive legislative proposal currently at the public hearing stage at the National Assembly. A look at several national dailies today shows that these group of professionals are awake to the threat to their profession, the imposition on Free Press and its wider implication for the country. They understand that nations can be built or broken on the backs of narratives, and that the truth itself can be muddled into a lie and a lie into a truth if the watchmen in our civic and media spaces are successfully incapacitated by such draconian legislation. Opposition to the proposed amendments is, however, more than just the job of the media industry, it should be a national rally against legislative oppression.

When given a thought, it becomes apparent that it is not a coincidence that Mr. Lai Mohammed, the Information Minister, is one of the most notoriously visible cabinet member of this regime. This government’s fascination with controlling narratives is not without motive. A government whose actions speak for itself in terms of productivity, efficiency and reliability would have no pressing need to regulate the Media. What are they afraid of?  Meanwhile, there are very many Nigerians who would have difficulty remembering the names of the Finance, Petroleum, Power, Works & Housing, Youths, Defence and Info-Tech Ministers of Nigeria, and yet, a serious country with a viable plan about the future would have such key Ministries prominently emphasised in its tenure-ship. 

In reaching my conclusions above, I am not unaware of the threat that hate speech/fake stories and an unregulated media mean to a nation’s development. The argument is that a group of professionals guided by the law are best suited to self-regulate rather than the government itself who are more often than not subject to media scrutiny and criticism. There are abundant municipal laws which deal with media professionalism and which regulate social media such as the constitution and the Cyber Crimes Act. An unblemished administration of these set of laws will indeed serve the country’s purpose in protecting against hate speech and false narratives. There is absolutely no moral ground to vest the government with total control of the media, not in a democracy, and as such, the over-zealous sponsor of the NPC and NBC amendments must retract his tender. Where this fails, the National Assembly must discountenance such a proposal made in contempt of constitutionally guaranteed rights and thus save our fragile democracy.

Pelumi Olajengbesi, Esq. is a Legal Practitioner and the Principal Partner at LAW CORRIDOR PARTNERS, Abuja. Lawcorridor@gmail.com.

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Alhaji Alhassan Adamu, Emir of Kajuru, has been released from captivity.

Thirteen other persons abducted from the monarch’s private residence including his daughter are still in captivity, Daily Trust reports. 

SaharaReporters Media

“The Sarkin Kajuru was released around the forest areas leading to Kajuru castle,” the source said.

A member of the Emir’s family said he is well and will be taken to the hospital for examination.

Ibrahim Inuwa Kajuru, a former chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Kaduna, confirmed the monarch’s release.

See Also Insecurity Abductors of Kaduna Emir, 13 Family Members Demand N200million Ransom 0 Comments 3 Hours Ago

The journalist, who is also a resident of the town, said the Emir has addressed his subjects at his palace.

It is unclear if any ransom was paid but the bandits earlier demanded N200 million for the release of the 85-year-old monarch.

Gunmen had on Sunday morning abducted Kajuru and 13 of his family members in his palace.

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Alhaji Alhassan Adamu, Emir of Kajuru, has been released from captivity.

Thirteen other persons abducted from the monarch’s private residence including his daughter are still in captivity, Daily Trust reports. 

SaharaReporters Media

“The Sarkin Kajuru was released around the forest areas leading to Kajuru castle,” the source said.

A member of the Emir’s family said he is well and will be taken to the hospital for examination.

Ibrahim Inuwa Kajuru, a former chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Kaduna, confirmed the monarch’s release.

See Also Insecurity Abductors of Kaduna Emir, 13 Family Members Demand N200million Ransom 0 Comments 4 Hours Ago

The journalist, who is also a resident of the town, said the Emir has addressed his subjects at his palace.

It is unclear if any ransom was paid but the bandits earlier demanded N200 million for the release of the 85-year-old monarch.

Gunmen had on Sunday morning abducted Kajuru and 13 of his family members in his palace.

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The Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested three bankers for an alleged case of conspiracy, stealing, forgery and obtaining money by false pretence.

The suspects, Kagha Emmanuel Uchenna, Okoro Chinasom Davidson and Egbogu Emmanuel Obiora, who are employees of one of the new generation banks, allegedly conspired and defrauded a customer of the bank of the sum of N51, 978, 883. 37 (Fifty-one Million, Nine Hundred and Seventy-eight Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty-three Naira, Thirty-seven Kobo.)

EFCC

Investigations revealed that the trio forged the signature and National Identification Management (NIM) number slip of the customer, activated his mobile banking application and fraudulently withdrew the money.

The suspects, who were arrested on July 7, 2021 at the Nsukka, Enugu branch of the bank, have volunteered statements and will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

Wilson Uwujaren

Head, Media & Publicity

12 July, 2021

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The family members of an aged woman, Folasade Mokereola Gbadebo, are currently troubled since she went missing while on her way to a clinic on Saturday, July 3.

A family member who reached out to SaharaReporters said the woman left her house at Abanise street in Moniya, Ibadan, Oyo State on the said date, headed towards the clinic and never returned home. 

He said, “She left home last Saturday and yet to be found. Please we would appreciate your help.

”An Elderly woman, Mrs Folasade Mokereola Gbadebo popularly called 'Mama  Gbadebo' left her house at Abanise street in Moniya (Ibadan) on Saturday, July 3rd, 2021 on her way to the Clinic.

”She's about 4 feet tall, slim, dark in completion with Oyo tribal mark. She wore a black top on a black shirt and a red scarf.

”Please if found contact: 08139687091; 08030654481; 08028780769; 08150762438."

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The family members of an aged woman, Folasade Mokereola Gbadebo, are currently troubled since she went missing while on her way to a clinic on Saturday, July 3.

A family member who reached out to SaharaReporters said the woman left her house at Abanise street in Moniya, Ibadan, Oyo State on the said date, headed towards the clinic and never returned home. 

He said, “She left home last Saturday and yet to be found. Please we would appreciate your help.

”An Elderly woman, Mrs Folasade Mokereola Gbadebo popularly called 'Mama  Gbadebo' left her house at Abanise street in Moniya (Ibadan) on Saturday, July 3rd, 2021 on her way to the Clinic.

”She's about 4 feet tall, slim, dark in completion with Oyo tribal mark. She wore a black top on a black shirt and a red scarf.

”Please if found contact: 08139687091; 08030654481; 08028780769; 08150762438."

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How does Pastor Paul Enenche pray at night? How is he untroubled by the misery of innocent parishioners who continue to languish in DSS' cells enduring estrangement and possible torture for simply daring to speak up against bad leadership? And what efforts are underway on the part of his church and leadership to correct this most terrible error of judgement? Pastor Paul Enenche owes remains responsible for the fate of those young men and women, and no virtue signalling on earth can displace his duty of care to them. 

When I heard news of the arrest of the five worshipers by Pastor Paul Enenche's Dunamis Gospel Church in its Headquarters, Lugbe-Abuja, my first reaction was to discountenance it as the popular man of God is one of just a handful of clergy-men that have gone without irritating controversy. In fact, Pastor Paul Enenche who hails from the troubled Benue state has severally used his platform to voice out against his people’s plight and also frequently organises redemptive prayers for the state of the nation. 

But apparently, five individuals wearing ‘Buhari-Must-Go' shirts and who had answered the ‘alter-call' were detained by the church’s security and handed over to the DSS. As I write, all five individuals remain unhappy special guests of honour with the DSS. I guess the church isn’t a house of refuge after all again. 

The choice of the DSS is a curious call. The DSS are only ever involved where a conspiracy/action that threatens the sovereignty of Nigeria is afoot. So the church must have been reasonably convinced that all five church-comers who responded to its own alter call were threats to the integrity of Nigeria. An administrative church member who spoke to newsmen on condition of anonymity explained the church’s position thus:

“Those people sneaked into the church, I used the word sneaked because the church was not aware of their intention, no department in the church knew anything. They even came out for altar call and before you know it we saw that they had ‘Buhari must go’ T-shirts and they were recording people making it seem as if the church planned the protest. We had to hand them over to security operatives because we believe in three things. It is either they were sent in by agencies to make sure that the church is at loggerheads with the government or either make it seem like the church sponsored the protest. Third is even if they have a genuine protest, the church is not the right place to go. If there is a problem in the country, the duty of the church is to pray that God help our leaders. We have handed them over to the authorities for investigations.”

There is an absolute lot to unpack in the pregnant assumption of the Dunamis Church leader's statement above, and in the absence of an official church position, one can safely take it to indeed reflect the church’s fear and apparent cowardice. Fear because the Church considers itself vulnerable enough to be setup by the mere appearance of peaceful protesters in its premises and cowardice because you see, protest is a fundamental right and not a crime.

Far too many Nigerian churches have been cowered into servitude or outright subservience to the political status quo. The fear of entrapment encapsulated in the Elder's words is an acquiescence to political labelling as a tool of oppression. Why else would written words on a shirt elicit such a strong reaction from the church? 

In trying to avoid taking a political stand, the church ended up siding with the Nigerian Government against disaffected citizens who committed no crime known to Nigerian Law by registering their displeasure with the current leadership. Even if the church suspected it was being setup to take a fall, haven’t the unfolding facts in the matter shown their apprehension to be misplaced? What redemptive actions have the Dunamis church taken to see to the release of this innocent individuals whose disaffection with political leadership has been criminalized by a fascist government? 

Granted, the church is not a protest ground and as such any political chanting or related action could (should) have rightly been construed as an overreach and a nuisance in which case the protesters should have been asked off the premises (shoo'ed off, even). THIS WAY, the church could have avoided taking a side in the matter. To have handed over said protesters to the DSS, the church made an indirect statement. Firstly, that it believes and accepts the government ’s position that legitimate protests against political leadership is a crime. And secondly, that the Dunamis Gospel Church International is not a safe haven for politically conscious members or attendees. 

We are indeed living in troubled times and the timid feet of the Church today would bleed the heels of Jesus Christ all over again. In his earthly time, the Messiah was a bold critic of bad leadership and unperturbed by personal conveniences in the discharge of His duty. A man (read ‘church’) who has a clean conscience (read ‘slate') ought to fear no condemnation. The church does not have a duty to go lengths to prove its inherent neutrality unless such an effort is intended to scurry political approval, or....simply depicts spineless-ness.  

To avoid earthly recompense in the form of public opprobrium, the Dunamis Gospel Church International have the redemptive grace of bringing its influence to bear, not in exculpating the detainees where any REAL imputation of crimes can be made against them but to ensure that this protest-inclined parishioners are released. Dunamis Church and its hierarchy must watch the DSS' handling of the matter to avoid vindictive penitence against the detainees. 

Guilt over any further and continuous harm that befalls the detained parishioners falls squarely on the shoulders of the Dunamis Church and its leaders who betrayed the confidence of those individuals and handed them over to be unjustly crucified just like Judas’ betrayal of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The evocation of such unfaithfulness on the church’s part against its parishioners is reminiscent of Christ’s criticism of the tepid spiritless-ness of the present day Church who glory in seeking the patronage of the political class while condemning ordinary worshippers to the scorn of political jobbers. 

The action of Dunamis Gospel Church International in this matter is simply NOT Christ-like. What would Jesus have done or how would he have reacted to a group of peaceful believers protesting against bad leadership? Too often, the Church, in words, pride itself as mirroring the life of Christ but are caught out by their actions which betray a need to serve personal conveniences as against bearing the cross of standing in the gap. 

Pelumi Olajengbesi Esq. is a Legal Practitioner and Principal at Law Corridor, Abuja. Lawcorridor@gmail.com 

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Public and civil servants in Osun State have been mandated to wear Adire (a distinctive local fabric) uniform to work every Thursday to promote Nigerian fashion and culture.

Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun made the remarks during the state's International Fashion Week in Osogbo.

Governor Gboyega Oyetola

The spokesperson for the governor, Ismail Omipidan, said that the governor's directive would take effect from August 27.

The governor maintained the initiative was part of efforts to preserve and promote the production of Adire Osun as well as bolster the image of Osun as a culturally correct and indigenous product inclined state.

The governor, represented at the event by the Secretary to the State Government, Wole Oyebamiji, launched mass production, promotion and marketing of Adire.

He said the International Fashion Week and the launch of Adire Osun were no doubt giant strides towards diversifying the state's economy and creating jobs for the teeming youths.

Oyetola said the state government had partnered with Musty Great Development and Alexandria Jones Couture, United States of America, to organize the International Fashion Week to promote the Osun brand of Adire for global exhibition.

"Adire is indigenous to Osun and it is not for nothing that Osogbo, the capital, is referred to as 'Ilu Aro' (Home of dye)," the governor said in a report by the News Agency of Nigeria.

Oyetola also urged the residents to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the initiative.

He said his administration was committed to promoting and projecting culture to the world in a way that would draw attention and attract humongous revenue to the state.

"In furtherance of efforts of this government to preserve and promote the production of Adire Osun as well as bolster the image of Osun as a culturally correct and indigenous product inclined state, every Thursday has been declared Adire Osun Day.

"Consequently, effective from August 27, 2021, all public and civil servants in the state shall wear Adire to work," he said.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Adebisi Obawale, said the initiative aimed to unlock the untapped potential in culture, fashion, and tourism.

Obawale said the purpose was to build marketing channels through which Adire products would be produced, promoted and marketed globally.

Residents of the state were urged to embrace the development and to brace up to their responsibility by promoting their cultural heritage to the outside world.

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US group The Base, which aims to start a race war, is banned after recruitment efforts in Britain.

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Shops are looted and buildings set on fire as the former president challenges his prison sentence.

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An ex-royal court chief and a minor royal are jailed for 15 years after being convicted of sedition.

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The decision comes after hundreds of medical workers caught Covid despite being fully vaccinated.

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Wildlife authorities say the unprecedented number of deaths was primarily caused by starvation.