Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction is overturned by New York’s top court

Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction is overturned by New York’s top court
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Harvey Weinstein leaves a Manhattan courthouse after closing arguments in his rape trial in New York on Feb. 14, 2020. (AP Photo/File)
Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction is overturned by New York’s top court
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Harvey Weinstein arrives at the courthouse during jury deliberations in his rape trial on Feb. 24, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/File)
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Updated 26 April 2024
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Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction is overturned by New York’s top court

Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction is overturned by New York’s top court
  • The court found the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against Weinstein based on allegations that weren’t part of the case
  • The 72-year-old ex-movie mogul, however, will remain in prison because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape

NEW YORK: New York’s highest court on Thursday threw out Harvey Weinstein ‘s 2020 rape conviction with a ruling that shocked and disappointed women who celebrated historic gains during the #MeToo era and left those who testified in the case bracing for a retrial against the ex-movie mogul.
The court found the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against Weinstein based on allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Weinstein, 72, will remain in prison because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape. But the New York ruling reopens a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures — an era that began in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein.
#MeToo advocates noted that Thursday’s ruling was based on legal technicalities and not an exoneration of Weinstein’s behavior, saying the original trial irrevocably moved the cultural needle on attitudes about sexual assault.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office said it intends to retry Weinstein, and at least one of his accusers said through her lawyer that she would testify again.




Former film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, California, on October 4, 2022. (Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)

The state Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s 23-year sentence in a 4-3 decision, saying “the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts” and permitted questions about Weinstein’s “bad behavior” if he had testified. It called this “highly prejudicial” and “an abuse of judicial discretion.”
In a stinging dissent, Judge Madeline Singas wrote that the Court of Appeals was continuing a “disturbing trend of overturning juries’ guilty verdicts in cases involving sexual violence.” She said the ruling came at “the expense and safety of women.”
In another dissent, Judge Anthony Cannataro wrote that the decision was “endangering decades of progress in this incredibly complex and nuanced area of law” regarding sex crimes after centuries of “deeply patriarchal and misogynistic legal tradition.”
The reversal of Weinstein’s conviction is the second major #MeToo setback in the last two years. The US Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a Pennsylvania court decision to throw out Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction.
Weinstein has been in a New York prison since his conviction for forcibly performing oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006, and rape in the third degree for an attack on an aspiring actor in 2013. He was acquitted on the most serious charges — two counts of predatory sexual assault and first-degree rape.
He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in the Los Angeles case.




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Weinstein’s lawyers expect Thursday’s ruling to have a major impact on the appeal of his Los Angeles rape conviction. Their arguments are due May 20.
Jennifer Bonjean, a Weinstein attorney, said the California prosecution also relied on evidence of uncharged conduct alleged against him.
“A jury was told in California that he was convicted in another state for rape,” Bonjean said. “Turns out he shouldn’t have been convicted and it wasn’t a fair conviction. … It interfered with his presumption of innocence in a significant way in California.”
Weinstein lawyer Arthur Aidala called the Court of Appeals ruling “a tremendous victory for every criminal defendant in the state of New York.”
Attorney Douglas H. Wigdor, who has represented eight Harvey Weinstein accusers including two witnesses at the New York criminal trial, called it “a major step back” and contrary to routine rulings by judges allowing evidence of uncharged acts to help jurors understand the intent or patterns of a defendant’s criminal behavior.
Debra Katz, a prominent civil rights and #MeToo attorney who represented several Weinstein accusers, said her clients are “feeling gutted” by the ruling, but she believes — and is telling them — that their testimony had changed the world.
“People continue to come forward, people continue to support other victims who’ve reported sexual assault and violence, and I truly believe there’s no going back from that,” Katz said. She predicted Weinstein will be convicted at a retrial and said accusers like her client Dawn Dunning feel great comfort knowing he will remain behind bars.
Dunning, a former actor who was a supporting witness at the New York trial, said in remarks to The Associated Press conveyed through Katz that she was “shocked” by the ruling and dealing with a range of emotions, including asking herself, “Was it all for naught?”
“It took two years of my life,” Dunning said. “I had to live through it every day. But would I do it again? Yes.”
She said that in confronting Weinstein, she faced her worst fear and realized he had no power over her.
Weinstein’s conviction in 2020 was heralded by activists and advocates as a milestone achievement, but dissected just as quickly by his lawyers and, later, the Court of Appeals when it heard arguments on the matter in February.
Allegations against Weinstein, the once powerful and feared studio boss behind such Oscar winners as “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love,” ushered in the #MeToo movement.
Dozens of women came forward to accuse Weinstein, including stars such as Ashley Judd and Uma Thurman. His New York trial drew intense publicity, with protesters chanting “rapist” outside the courthouse.
“This is what it’s like to be a woman in America, living with male entitlement to our bodies,” Judd said Thursday.
Weinstein, incarcerated at the Mohawk Correctional Facility, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Albany, maintains his innocence. He contends any sexual activity was consensual.




A general view of Mohawk Correctional Facility in Rome, New York, where Harvey Weinstein is currently being held. (REUTERS)

His lawyers argued on appeal that the trial overseen by Judge James Burke was unfair because testimony was allowed from three women whose claims of unwanted sexual encounters with Weinstein were not part of the charges. Burke’s term expired at the end of 2022, and he is no longer a judge.
They also appealed the judge’s ruling that prosecutors could confront Weinstein over his long history of brutish behavior, including allegations of punching his movie producer brother at a business meeting, snapping at waiters, hiding a woman’s clothes and threatening to cut off a colleague’s genitals with gardening shears.
As a result, Weinstein, who wanted to testify, did not take the stand, Aidala said.
The appeals court labeled the allegations “appalling, shameful, repulsive conduct” but warned that “destroying a defendant’s character under the guise of prosecutorial need” did not justify some trial evidence and testimony.
In a majority opinion written by Judge Jenny Rivera, the Court of Appeals said defendants have a right to be held accountable “only for the crime charged and, thus, allegations of prior bad acts may not be admitted against them for the sole purpose of establishing their propensity for criminality.”
The Court of Appeals agreed last year to take Weinstein’s case after an intermediate appeals court upheld his conviction. Prior to their ruling, judges on the lower appellate court at oral arguments had raised doubts about Burke’s conduct. One observed that Burke let prosecutors pile on with “incredibly prejudicial testimony” from additional witnesses.
At a news conference, Aidala predicted that the lasting effect of the reversal would be that more defendants will testify at their trials, including Weinstein, who “will be able to tell his side of the story.”
He said that when he spoke to Weinstein on Thursday, his client told him: “I’ve been here for years in prison for something I didn’t do. You got to fix this.”
 


Police in Hungary investigate bomb threats affecting over 240 schools

Police in Hungary investigate bomb threats affecting over 240 schools
Updated 2 sec ago
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Police in Hungary investigate bomb threats affecting over 240 schools

Police in Hungary investigate bomb threats affecting over 240 schools
The threats, which came in the form of emails, were identical in their text
Officers were being dispatched to all affected institutions

BUDAPEST: Police in Hungary said Thursday they were investigating bomb threats that were sent to more than 240 schools across the country, resulting in classes being canceled at some schools.
The threats, which came in the form of emails, were identical in their text and likely sent by a single sender, police said in a statement. Officers were being dispatched to all affected institutions. No explosives or explosive devices were found in the buildings inspected so far, police added.
Gergely Gulyás, chief of staff to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, said that “education in most schools in the country proceeds smoothly,” and that school administrators could decide for themselves whether to send students home.
He said Orbán on Thursday had consulted repeatedly with the interior minister and the minister in charge of Hungary’s secret services.
The emails were sent from numerous email providers “including foreign ones,” Gulyás said. Hungarian secret services were in consultation with their counterparts in neighboring Slovakia, where similar bomb threats were made last year, Gulyás said.
On Wednesday, numerous schools in around a dozen cities in Bulgaria also received bomb threats, according to Bulgarian public broadcaster BNT.

Kyiv claims Russian forces killed six captured Ukrainian troops

Kyiv claims Russian forces killed six captured Ukrainian troops
Updated 3 min 35 sec ago
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Kyiv claims Russian forces killed six captured Ukrainian troops

Kyiv claims Russian forces killed six captured Ukrainian troops
  • Officials both in Moscow and Kyiv have accused the other’s army of carrying out killings
  • “In the video, the occupiers recorded their own crime,” Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets wrote in a social media post

KYIV: Kyiv accused Russian forces on Thursday of killing six captured Ukrainian servicemen and said it was notifying international rights groups of the latest alleged Russian war crime.
Officials both in Moscow and Kyiv have accused the other’s army of carrying out killings of captured soldiers in violation of international law.
The Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets made the allegations referring to footage circulating on social media that appears to show Russian troops shooting unarmed Ukrainian troops to death.
“In the video, the occupiers recorded their own crime — shooting six Ukrainian soldiers who were captured in the back,” he wrote in a social media post.
The video, which has spread across social media, could not be verified by AFP and there was no immediate comment from Moscow on the claims.
It appears to show Russian soldiers in a muddied frontline area ordering the Ukrainian troops to a clearing where they are then shot in the back one by one.
“I am once again sending information about this crime to the UN and the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross). These facts must be recorded,” Lubinets added.


Saudi Arabia’s transformation attracting rising number of students in India

Saudi Arabia’s transformation attracting rising number of students in India
Updated 23 January 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s transformation attracting rising number of students in India

Saudi Arabia’s transformation attracting rising number of students in India
  • India’s Education Ministry sponsored a university program on the Kingdom’s development programs
  • Sessions in New Delhi also garnered interest from students in other parts of India, coordinator says

NEW DELHI: Saudi Arabia’s transformation programs and Vision 2030 are gaining interest among university students in India, as one of the country’s most prestigious educational institutions hosts a special course on the topic this week.

The five-day course — organized by Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi in cooperation with the Ministry of Education — is part of the Indian government’s Global Initiative of Academic Networks program aimed at encouraging exchanges with the world’s top faculty members and scientists.

The special course that will conclude on Friday has been led by Prof. Joseph Albert Kechichian, senior fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, who specializes in West Asian politics and foreign policy, especially of the Gulf region.

The sessions have attracted students from different parts of India, said Prof. Sameena Hameed from the JNU’s Centre for West Asian Studies, who coordinates the course.

“It’s a very niche course focused on one country and a specific region but to our surprise it has gained traction,” Hameed told Arab News, adding that the number of registered participants was double the initial expectation of 50 students.

“I’m still receiving the request from students … down south in Kerala and other states as well, so it means these kind of subjects are gaining traction because it moves in tandem with India’s increasing bilateral interest and relations in the region.”

The rising interest among Indian students was also evident for Kechichian, who was visiting India for a third time after previous speaking engagements at JNU in 2006 and 2016.

“In 2025, I’m beginning to notice sharp improvements, sharp interests in terms of young scholars who are looking at Saudi Arabia in very different eyes; no longer looking at it only as the mere oil producer, but also as a dynamic society with which Indian communities must come to terms (with), and that’s a positive development,” Kechichian told Arab News on the sidelines of the sessions on Tuesday.

The course, which was also livestreamed to registered participants, aims to provide people with “a comprehensive understanding of the changes that are taking place in the Kingdom,” he added.

“Saudi Arabia is is a young country; the majority of the population is relatively young and they are in the process of acquiring new skills, opening new opportunities in terms of entrepreneurship and others, and, obviously, all of these young people need to have contacts with the rest of the world, among whom India, of course, plays an important role as well.”

Saudi-Indian ties have steadily gained prominence over the past three decades, and reached a new level of engagement in 2019, following Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to New Delhi and the establishment of the Strategic Partnership Council.

These aspects set the stage for further collaboration, which gained momentum when Saudi Arabia presided over the Group of 20 largest economies in 2020, followed by India’s presidency of the bloc in 2023.

The evolving relationship has not only deepened strategic ties, but also fostered cooperation in trade, security, new technologies and regional stability.

Amid “tremendous interest” to improve ties between Saudi and Indian business communities, Kechichian said that such courses will help both sides to get to know each other better and pave the way for future cooperation.

“All indications are, in fact, that both sides are trying to encourage business leaders to create entrepreneurship and to do as much as possible to benefit both sides,” he said.

For Aarya R. Sardesai, a political science student at the Janki Devi Memorial College in the University of Delhi, understanding Saudi Arabia better was integral to her education.

“Obviously, it will benefit me to know in terms of how my country and Saudi Arabia can have better relations and stronger ties in future,” Sardesai told Arab News.

“I think Saudi Arabia is trying to set a new trend; it is trying to incline itself with the fast-paced globalized world and the attempts that they are making to bring these shifts … are quite commendable.”

The changes happening in Saudi Arabia were a point of attraction for many of the participants.

“This is more about the future parts of Gulf countries and how they are going to go about diversifying their economies … it is very close to my research,” said Ph.D. student Deepika Matangi.

Kelvin Benny, a Ph.D. candidate at JNU, said that he took part in the course because of Saudi Arabia’s importance in India’s Act West Policy, a government strategy aimed at strengthening relations with Arab countries.

“So, for our academic input we need deep research on Saudi, and especially Saudi is a country undergoing a huge transformation from a typical oil-based economy to a modern economy,” Benny told Arab News. “So, in this context, Saudi is very essential.”


UK delaying reversal on Israeli arms export ban: Report

UK delaying reversal on Israeli arms export ban: Report
Updated 23 January 2025
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UK delaying reversal on Israeli arms export ban: Report

UK delaying reversal on Israeli arms export ban: Report
  • British PM expects ‘sustained’ aid deliveries to Gaza before reversing partial weapons freeze
  • Israeli counterpart raised the matter during phone call on Tuesday

LONDON: The UK is delaying lifting its partial ban on arms exports to Israel until “sustained” humanitarian aid shipments arrive in Gaza, The Times reported.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who spoke to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu by telephone on Tuesday, is believed to be resisting pressure from Tel Aviv on the matter.

Starmer is expected to wait for formal legal advice that Israel’s policy on aid deliveries has improved before reversing the ban.

A source told The Times: “There are signs that the trucks are getting through. But we have told the Israelis we need that to be sustained and to see numbers increased.”

Last September, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy suspended 30 of 350 export licenses to Israel due to fears that the weapons could be used to commit violations of international law, implicating Britain in the process. Licenses are reviewed every six weeks as per government policy.

The government’s existing legal position on the banned export licenses cites credible claims of Israeli mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners of war, as well as insufficient aid deliveries to Gaza. Israel could “reasonably do more to facilitate humanitarian access and distribution,” it says.

During Tuesday’s phone call, Netanyahu “raised the issue of the weapons export licenses to Israel that have been frozen in the UK,” according to an Israeli government report.

There are concerns that an Israeli law set to take effect next week designating the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees as a terrorist group could prevent it from helping with urgent aid deliveries.

UNRWA is the largest aid organization in Gaza, with about 13,000 staff in the Palestinian enclave.


Daesh claims responsibility for killing Chinese national in Afghanistan

Daesh claims responsibility for killing Chinese national in Afghanistan
Updated 23 January 2025
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Daesh claims responsibility for killing Chinese national in Afghanistan

Daesh claims responsibility for killing Chinese national in Afghanistan
  • Daesh said it had targeted a vehicle carrying the Chinese citizen, which led to his death and damage to his vehicle
  • China said it was “deeply shocked” by the attack and demanded the Afghan side thoroughly investigate the incident

KABUL: Daesh (Islamic State) has claimed responsibility for the killing of a Chinese national in Afghanistan’s northern Takhar province, it said in a post on its Telegram channel late on Wednesday.

Afghan police in the province had said on Wednesday that a Chinese citizen was murdered and a preliminary investigation had been launched, but it was not clear who was behind the attack.

Daesh said it had targeted a vehicle carrying the Chinese citizen, which led to his death and damage to his vehicle.

China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday it was “deeply shocked” by the attack and had demanded that the Afghan side thoroughly investigate the incident and severely punish the perpetrators.

“We urge the Afghan interim government to take resolute and effective measures to ensure the security of Chinese civil institutions and projects in Afghanistan,” ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing.

China was the first country to appoint an ambassador to Afghanistan under the Taliban and has said it wants to boost trade and investment ties.

The Taliban took over in 2021, vowing to restore security to the war-torn nation.

Attacks have continued, including an assault in 2022 on a Kabul hotel popular with Chinese investors. Daesh has claimed responsibility for many of them.