Tom Levitt
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Journalist/Commissioning Editor, Guardian
Articles by Tom Levitt
Saudi Arabia to execute man for being at protests and funerals when he was 15
A young man faces imminent execution in Saudi Arabia for attending protests and funerals when he was aged 15 to 17, say human rights groups, in the latest example of the kingdom's surging use of the death penalty for non-violent crimes. Youssef al-Manasif was arrested in 2017 and accused of crimes including joining demonstrations for religious freedom by the Shia minority and attending funerals that the Saudi authorities deem to be protests.
Saudi Arabia to execute man for being at protests and funerals when he was 15
The supreme court has reportedly upheld Youssef al-Manasif’s death penalty for offences committed as a minor. Last year Saudi Arabia put to death 356 people. Photograph: Handout A young man faces imminent execution in Saudi Arabia for attending protests and funerals when he was aged 15 to 17, say human rights groups, in the latest example of the kingdom’s surging use of the death penalty for non-violent crimes.
‘I hadn’t seen people smiling until I arrived in the UK’: one man’s harrowing journey from Yemen to safety
When Amal Sahel* was 15, he and his friends found a long length of metal lying abandoned in the street. The boys thought immediately of its best use: a sword. Over the past year, they had grown used to seeing strange debris – what Sahel calls “interesting pieces of metal” – in their neighbourhood. The debris had been left behind by repeated air raids on Sahel’s home city in Yemen: a previously quiet location in a country gradually collapsing into civil war.
‘A hunting ground for foreign regimes’: why violent attacks on dissidents are on the rise in Britain
default As Pouria Zeraati was crossing the street between his Wimbledon home and his car in south London in March 2024, he was confronted by two men. One held him firmly as the other stabbed him three times in the leg before they both fled. It was later said to be a targeted attack on behalf of the Iranian regime in Tehran. A punishment for Zeraati's work as a journalist covering Iran. He survived, but the ambush is one of dozens of violent incidents in recent years linked to foreign states.
‘I’m throwing everything at it’: one young man’s search for a job in Britain’s ‘worklessness capital’
Tue, 26 May 2026 at 5:00 am UTC Cohen, 19, set up his business, Co Co Mascots, in one of his many attempts to find work.Photograph: Polly Braden/The Guardian It’s mid-afternoon in the Lincolnshire seaside town of Cleethorpes and Cohen is sitting in the back seat of a car putting on an Easter bunny outfit. A group of teenagers nearby stare in amusement. Cohen isn’t fazed. He is hoping we can take some new photographs that he can use to advertise his mascot business for the upcoming holidays.
Stabbings, kidnap threats and arson attacks: how the Iranian regime targets UK journalists
The London offices of news channel Iran International, which opposes the regime in Tehran, were the target of an attempted arson attack last week.Photograph: Courtesy of Iran International Iranian journalists working in London say they fear for their lives after a recent spate of threats and physical attacks, which they blame on a Tehran regime intent on silencing Persian-language news media such as BBC Persian and Iran International.
‘A few beatings won't kill you': Judge rejects divorce request of woman abused by husband in Afghanistan
The shocking level of physical violence against women permitted under the Taliban's new laws has been revealed this week by the case of a woman in northern Afghanistan, who said she was beaten with a cable wire by her husband and told by a judge: “You want a divorce just because of that? … A little anger and a few beatings won't kill you.” Farzana* said her husband was quick-tempered and often resorted to beating her.
‘A few beatings won’t kill you’: judge rejects divorce request of woman abused by husband in Afghanistan
A woman in the female section of the Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul, Afghanistan.Photograph: Felipe Dana/AP The shocking level of physical violence against women permitted under the Taliban’s new laws has been revealed this week by the case of a woman in northern Afghanistan, who said she was beaten with a cable wire by her husband and told by a judge: “You want a divorce just because of that?
‘We want to give them their names back’: the team identifying Europe’s forgotten female murder victims
British-born Rita Roberts was recognised through Operation Identify Me, a joint European police appeal led by Interpol, 31 years after her body was discovered in an Antwerp river.Photograph: AP In the shadow of Antwerp’s main arena, close to the city’s docklands, runs the Groot Schijn River. It was here that the body of Rita Roberts was discovered in June 1992, floating against the grate of a water treatment plant. She appeared to have been murdered, but Belgian police were unable to identify her.
‘Don’t they have mercy?’: A mother on losing her son in a record year of Saudi executions
Essam al-Shazly, a 28-year-old Egyptian, spent four years on death row in Saudi Arabia. His mother says he was coerced into smuggling and into making a confession.Photograph: Supplied In his four years on death row, Essam al-Shazly’s mother was his only contact with the outside world. During their daily calls she would calm his fears, control her own tears and listen to his hopes of returning home.
Woman pulled out of UK ultramarathon after death threats over Afghanistan fundraising
A woman was pulled out of Britain's most gruelling ultramarathon after receiving death threats over her fundraising for Afghan women and girls. Sarah Porter was nearly a third of the way through the 108-mile Montane Winter Spine Challenger South endurance race when organisers made the “difficult decision” to withdraw her due to threats to her life in relation to the foundation she runs helping women and girls in war zones. Speaking to the Guardian, Porter said she was disappointed.
Anruf aus der Todeszelle in Saudi-Arabien: „Ich werde am Dienstag hingerichtet“
In der Stadt Tabuk im äußersten Norden Saudi-Arabiens flackern Neonlichter in einer überfüllten Gefängniszelle und markieren den Beginn eines neuen Tages. Die Gefangenen warten. Wenn die Wärter eintreten, wissen sie, dass jemand weggebracht werden wird. Ein Exekutionskommando aus etwa 20 Wärtern nähert sich einem Insassen leise, flüstert ihm etwas ins Ohr und führt ihn hinaus. Einige brechen in Tränen aus, andere bitten einfach um Vergebung.
‘I’ll be executed on Tuesday’: families reveal panicked last calls from foreigners on Saudi’s death row
In the city of Tabuk in the far north of Saudi Arabia, neon lights flicker on in an overcrowded ward of a prison marking the start of a new day. The prisoners are waiting. When the guards enter, they know someone is about to be taken away. An execution squad of about 20 guards will approach an inmate quietly, whisper something in their ear and escort them out. Some break down in tears, others simply ask for forgiveness.
‘I’ll be executed on Tuesday’: families reveal panicked last calls from foreigners on Saudi’s death row
In the city of Tabuk in the far north of Saudi Arabia, neon lights flicker on in an overcrowded ward of a prison marking the start of a new day. The prisoners are waiting. When the guards enter, they know someone is about to be taken away. An execution squad of about 20 guards will approach an inmate quietly, whisper something in their ear and escort them out. Some break down in tears, others simply ask for forgiveness.
‘They told me not to speak out’: the woman who took on China - and won her husband’s freedom
Zeynure Hasan was at home in Istanbul in July 2021 when her husband finally called. It had been four days since she last heard from him as he got ready to board a flight to Casablanca. The silence had been torturous. But the news Idris now shared with her was even worse. He had been arrested and imprisoned on arrival in Morocco and told he was going to be deported to China. “You should call anyone who can help me, anyone who can rescue me,” he told her, before the phone went dead.
‘I sit alone and talk to myself’: a family ripped apart by Europe’s migration crisis
Each morning Zahia leaves the home she shares with her four grandchildren in the Algerian coastal city of Bou Ismaïl and heads to her job cleaning a primary school. For the past year she has lived alone with them, after the death of both her daughters ripped their family apart. Their tragic story started on 5 October 2021, when Zahia’s youngest daughter, Feryal, then 23, decided to leave Algeria with her husband, Aissa, and their son Amjad, aged 2.
How a teenager woke up with a Chinese bounty on her head
By Tom Levitt / The Guardian It was Christmas Eve 2024 and 19-year-old Chloe Cheung was lying in bed at home in Leeds when she found out the Chinese authorities had put a bounty on her head. As she scrolled through Instagram looking at festive songs, a stream of messages from old school friends started coming into her phone. Look at the news, they told her.
how a Leeds teenager woke up with a Chinese bounty on her head
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‘I don’t expect to live a normal life’: how a Leeds teenager woke up with a Chinese bounty on her head
It was Christmas Eve 2024 and 19-year-old Chloe Cheung was lying in bed at home in Leeds when she found out the Chinese authorities had put a bounty on her head. As she scrolled through Instagram looking at festive songs, a stream of messages from old school friends started coming into her phone. Look at the news, they told her. Media outlets across east Asia were reporting that Cheung, who had just finished her A-levels, had been declared a threat to national security by officials in Hong Kong.
Saudi Arabia accused of banning women’s rights activists from leaving the country
Saudi Arabia is banning large numbers of its own citizens from leaving the country in a “cruel” attempt to silence criticism, say human rights activists. High-profile women’s rights campaigners, including Loujain al-Hathloul, who pushed for the right for women to drive in Saudi Arabia, and Maryam al-Otaibi, one of three sisters targeted by the authorities for their activism, appear to have been given long travel bans. These restrictions frequently extend to family members.
Saudi Arabia executing ‘horrifying’ number of foreigners for drug crimes
Saudi Arabia has carried out a “horrifying” number of executions for drug crimes over the past decade, most of which were of foreign nationals, according to Amnesty International. Almost 600 people have been executed over the past decade for drug-related offences, Amnesty International has found, three-quarters of whom were foreign nationals from countries including Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria and Egypt.
is it possible to change the fortunes of young people living in England’s coastal towns?
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is it possible to change the fortunes of young people living in England’s coastal towns?
Microsoft Cares About Your Privacy Microsoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.
‘We’re told we won’t amount to anything’: is it possible to change the fortunes of young people living in England’s coastal towns?
On the beach in Weston-super-Mare, on the south-west coast of England, there is a hint of a chilly breeze in the air but the sun is out and the clouds are faint, whispy streaks across a pleasantly blue canvas. A couple of fishing boats are tethered to the harbour wall and a lone man with a metal detector wanders slowly along the sand. A small shop selling ice-creams has a few takers, despite the nip in the air.
BBC staff in London say their families are being ‘terrorised and punished’ by Iranian regime
BBC staff in London say their families are being “targeted and punished” by the Iranian regime as it intensifies a campaign of intimidation against journalists and media outlets. There have been more than 20 “threat-to-life” incidents against people in the UK by Iran in recent years, according to the Metropolitan police counter-terrorism commander.
Revealed: Saudi Arabia’s secretive rehabilitation ‘prisons’ for disobedient women
A young woman wearing a black abaya is pictured in a city in north-west Saudi Arabia standing precariously on a second-floor window ledge. A second photograph shows a group of men escorting her down with the help of a crane. The woman’s identity is unknown, but she was allegedly being held at one of Saudi Arabia’s notoriously secretive “jails” for women banished by their families or husbands for disobedience, extramarital sexual relations or being absent from home.
Company supplying critical EV metal ‘did not disclose’ Erin Brockovich pollutant in drinking water
One of Indonesia’s largest nickel-mining companies, which supplies a mineral critical to the global electric car industry, did not tell the public that local drinking water was polluted, according to documents seen by the Guardian. Indonesia has become the world’s biggest producer of nickel, used in the production of wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicle batteries.
Thailand condemned for ‘shameful’ mass deportation of Uyghur refugees to China
The family of one of dozens of Uyghurs feared to have been forcibly deported from Thailand to China have condemned the decision as “shameful”. The deportations came despite a UN statement saying those being sent to China faced a “real risk of torture” on their return. Thailand ignored protests by the UN refugee agency, EU and US in deporting 40 Uyghurs who had been detained in the country for a decade, claiming they had returned voluntarily “to their normal lives” with their families.
Taliban minister ‘forced to flee Afghanistan’ after speech in support of girls’ education
A senior Taliban minister who expressed support for reversing the ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan appears to have been forced to flee the country. Speaking at a graduation ceremony in Khost province, near the Afghan-Pakistani border, on 20 January, Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban’s deputy foreign minister, criticised the government’s ban on girls attending secondary schools and higher education. “There is no excuse for this – not now and not in the future,” Stanikzai said.
El oscuro secreto del champán francés: migrantes explotados y sin techo para recoger la uva de los vinicultores de lujo
Los trabajadores del sector del champán en Francia están mal pagados y se ven obligados a dormir a la intemperie y robar comida a los vecinos para no pasar hambre, asegura una investigación publicada por The Guardian.
Ashland City Hall Tidbits by David Runkel, 12/9, Part 3, Parks Capital Improvement Budget $0 for Golf Course, $12M for Pool
Parks Capital Improvement Budget: Zero for Golf Course, $12 Million for Swimming Pool by David Runkel In response to the Parks Commission’s request for public feedback on its proposed Capital Improvement Plan for the 2025-27, two old issues were raised by citizens at last week’s commission meeting. John Maurer expressed surprise that “there is no mention of the golf course” which he said is the “laughing stock of courses in southern Oregon.
Ashland City Hall Tidbits by David Runkel 12/9, Part 1, Budget Issues at Forefront for City Council and Ashland School Board
TIdbits 12/9/24 By David Runkel Budget Issues at Forefront for City, School Board While the school board is dealing with a budget gap in the current fiscal year, what happens in the 2025-27 city budget is of increasing concern for city officials, in particular City Manager Sabrina Cotta.
Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid to be ratified by Fifa despite rights violations
Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the men’s World Cup in 2034 will probably lead to “severe and widespread rights violations”, say human rights organisations anticipating Fifa’s rubber-stamping of the Gulf state’s bid this week.
Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid to be ratified by Fifa despite rights violations
Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the men’s World Cup in 2034 will probably lead to “severe and widespread rights violations”, say human rights organisations anticipating Fifa’s rubber-stamping of the Gulf state’s bid this week.
Migrant workers exposed to deadly 45C temperatures in Gulf - report
Migrant workers across the Gulf are risking their lives by being forced to work up to 14 hours a day in deadly temperatures, according to human rights researchers. Equidem, a human rights organisation, interviewed more than 250 migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE between 2021 and May 2024 for a new report on the conditions they were facing including their exposure to extreme heat and long working hours.
Top female footballers urge Fifa to end deal with Saudi ‘nightmare sponsor’
More than 100 professional female footballers have signed a letter calling on Fifa to end its sponsorship deal with the state-owned Saudi Arabian oil company, Aramco, accusing Saudi authorities of “brutal human rights violations”. A four-year deal signed in April will see Aramco, which is 98.5% state-owned, sponsor major tournaments including the men’s World Cup in 2026 and the Women’s World Cup in 2027.
‘A slap in the face to victims of abuse’: UN urged to reject Saudi Arabia’s bid to join Human Rights Council
Saudi Arabia is on the brink of being elected on to the United Nation’s Human Rights Council, warn campaigners, in a move they say would undermine its ability to demand justice for rights violations and would feel like a “slap in the face” to the many victims of the Saudi regime. While the Saudi Arabian government has attempted to present itself as a reformed country that has made progress on gender equality and human rights, its record on both has been fiercely criticised by activists.
Saudi fitness instructor stabbed in face while jailed over women’s rights posts
A Saudi Arabian fitness instructor and influencer has been stabbed in the face in prison after being jailed in January for promoting women’s rights on social media. Manahel al-Otaibi, 30, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for that generated widespread criticism, with activists saying it showed the “hollowness” of Saudi progress in human rights. This week, Manahel told her family she had been stabbed in the face with a sharp pen by an unknown assailant and required stitches.
Gender equality stalling or going backwards for 1bn women and girls
More than 850 million women and girls are living in countries rated as “very poor” for gender equality, says a new report, subjecting them to a litany of potential restrictions and abuses, including forced pregnancies, childhood marriage and bans from secondary education. The SDG Gender Index, published today by a coalition of NGOs, found that no country has, so far, achieved the promise of gender equality envisioned by the UN’s 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs).
‘Working here is hell’: latest death of farm worker in 40C heat shocks Italy
A young worker from Bangladesh laying irrigation pipes on a farm in Foggia, Italy. Photograph: Stefania Prandi Italy has been shocked by reports of the “brutal” treatment of migrants working on farms across the country and the death of a flower picker in temperatures of about 40C (104F). Tens of thousands of migrants have been taking to fields to pick tomatoes and other crops across Italy at the same time as the country has been engulfed in consecutive heatwaves since the middle of June.
UK ‘turning a blind eye’ to threats to kill Saudi activists living in exile
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UK ‘turning a blind eye’ to threats to kill Saudi activists living in exile
Activists say Saudi Arabia is one of the main perpetrators of attacks on exiled critics, especially women’s rights activists. Amnesty says it pioneered ‘transnational repression’.Photograph: Alamy Saudi exiles living in the UK have spoken of threats to their lives and harassment over their support for improvements in human rights in their home country.
Shutting Afghan women out of key UN conference to appease Taliban ‘a betrayal’
Members of a Taliban delegation in a meeting with foreign diplomats in Doha, shortly after the group took power in 2021.Photograph: Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images Excluding Afghan women from an upcoming UN conference on Afghanistan would be a “betrayal” of women and girls in the country, say human rights groups and former politicians.
Monday Reads
Photo by Florencia Viadana on Unsplash Happy Monday! Here are some fine reads from around the web, plus what you might have missed from the newsletter and elsewhere this week. Jill Filipovic is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
‘Nobody is coming to help us’: Afghan teenage girls on life without school
A 17-year-old girl in her room in Kabul last year. Girls have in effect been banned from secondary schools in Afghanistan for more than three years, with no prospect of the Taliban reversing their policy of excluding girls and women from education. Photograph: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Just over three years ago, Asma’s* future contained many possibilities. Aged 15, she was at secondary school. After that lay the prospect of university and then onwards, striding forwards into the rest of her life.
‘They’ve destroyed us because of some tweets’: the Saudi sisters jailed and intimidated for wanting equal rights
Fawzia al-Otaibi says police dragged her out of her room before detaining her. ‘It felt more like a kidnapping.’Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian In September 2022, Fawzia al-Otaibi was a week into a trip to her home country of Saudi Arabia, staying with a friend near the Bahrain border, when her phone rang. As soon as she heard the male voice on the other end of the line, she realised that returning had been a terrible mistake.
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