MONTREAL: A sentencing hearing in Canada began Thursday of the man convicted of murdering four members of a Muslim family with his truck over two years ago.
Nathanial Veltman, a 23-year-old self-proclaimed white supremacist, was found guilty of murder in November. He has denied the claims.
On June 6, 2021, Veltman ran over the family with his pickup truck in the Ontario city of London, killing both parents, the grandmother, and their 15-year-old daughter. The sole survivor, a nine-year-old boy, was severely injured.
“This was not only a crime against the Muslim community, but an affront to the safety of all Canadians,” said Tabinda Bukhari on Thursday morning. Her daughter, 44-year-old Madiha Salman, was among those killed.
As many as 70 people close to the victims will give impact statements during the two-day hearing.
“The sorrow and the sadness, the fear, the anger, the pain, they come again and again,” said Amira Elgahawby, who was appointed last year as Canada’s special representative on combating Islamophobia.
In Canada, a guilty verdict for premeditated murder carries a minimum sentence of life imprisonment, with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
According to local media, Judge Renee Pomerance of the Superior Court of Justice in Ontario will determine this month whether or not Veltman’s actions constitute an act of terrorism, before announcing his sentence.
Canadian man who killed Muslim family with car to be sentenced
https://arab.news/9twr6
Canadian man who killed Muslim family with car to be sentenced
Indonesia’s first woman president awarded honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah University
- Megawati was recognized for her leadership and contributions to social, legal affairs
- She has received 10 other honorary degrees from Indonesian and foreign institutions
JAKARTA: Megawati Sukarnoputri, who served as Indonesia’s fifth president and was the country’s only female head of state to date, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, becoming the first foreign national to receive the title.
Megawati, the eldest daughter of Indonesia’s first President Sukarno and chairwoman of the country’s largest political party, the PDIP, served as president from 2001 to 2004.
The 79-year-old was awarded an honorary doctorate in organizational and legal affairs in Riyadh on Monday during a ceremony overseen by Princess Nourah University’s acting president, Dr. Fawzia bint Sulaiman Al-Amro.
“This recognition was given in appreciation of her efforts during her presidency, her significant contributions to social, organizational, and legal fields, and her role in strengthening institutional leadership in Indonesia,” the university said in a statement.
This is Megawati’s 11th honorary doctorate. She has received similar degrees from Indonesian and foreign universities, including the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2003 and the Soka University of Japan in 2020.
She has also been awarded the title of honorary professor by several institutions, including by the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2022.
“We gather at the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, a university that stands as a symbol of women’s progress in education, knowledge and public service … To see so many intelligent women, I feel very proud,” Megawati said in her acceptance speech.
“Women’s empowerment is not a threat to any values, culture or tradition. It is actually a condition for nations that believe in their future … A great nation is one that is able to harness all of its human potential. A strong nation is one that does not allow half of its social power to be left on the sidelines of history.”
Megawati is the longest-serving political leader in Indonesia. Indonesia’s first direct presidential elections took place during her presidency, consolidating the country’s transition to democracy after the downfall of its longtime dictator Suharto in 1998.
