3 jailed for allegedly treating Champagne harvest workers “like slaves”
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Amnesty calls for investigation into Iran prison attack
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways: The Israeli attack on Iran’s notorious Evin prison. The Israeli Air Force bombed several areas of the detention centre in Tehran. Israel characterized the attack as a symbolic strike against the Iranian government. Evin Prison is considered a site of serious human rights violations.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways
The human rights organization Amnesty International called on Tuesday for an investigation into the Israeli attack on Iran’s notorious Evin prison around four weeks ago, calling it a possible war crime.
“Under international humanitarian law, a prison or place of detention is presumed a civilian object and there is no credible evidence in this case that Evin prison constituted a lawful military objective,” Amnesty said in a report published on Tuesday.
During Israel’s brief war with Iran, the Israeli Air Force bombed several areas of the detention centre in Tehran. Israel characterized the attack as a symbolic strike against the Iranian government.
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Activists and former inmates said the attack endangered the lives of political prisoners.
The Iranian judiciary says at least 71 people were killed in the bombing.
Amnesty estimates that between 1,500 and 2,000 prisoners were in the detention centre during the air strikes, including political prisoners and foreigners who had been convicted in controversial trials.
With the war ongoing, the Iranian judiciary transferred numerous inmates to other prisons. In some cases, relatives still do not know where their family members are. Evin Prison is considered a site of serious human rights violations.
Iranian judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said on Tuesday that 27 prisoners who had escaped in the chaos following the attacks were still at large. A total of 75 inmates had fled, 48 of whom had since been recaptured, he was quoted as saying by the Iranian state news agency IRNA.
France jails three in champagne ‘slaves’ case
A French court on Monday jailed three people for human trafficking in the champagne industry. The three were found guilty of exploiting seasonal workers and housing them in appalling conditions. A lawyer for the victims — more than 50 mostly undocumented migrant workers from Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Senegal — said the court had made a “historic” decision. The Champagne region is under tough scrutiny, with another inquiry looking into the use of Ukrainians during the same 2023 harvest, which was marked by exceptional heat and the death of four grape pickers. The court in Chalons-en-Champagne dissolved the servicing company and ordered a wine-making cooperative it worked with to pay a 75,000-euro ($87,000) fine. The victims, who said they had been treated “like slaves”, also praised the ruling, with one saying: “The people were working in really bad conditions, and this decision is fair”
The Champagne region is under tough scrutiny, with another inquiry looking into the use of Ukrainians during the same 2023 harvest, which was marked by exceptional heat and the death of four grape pickers.
A lawyer for the victims — more than 50 mostly undocumented migrant workers from Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Senegal — said the court had made a “historic” decision.
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The victims, who said they had been treated “like slaves”, also praised the ruling.
“The people were working in really bad conditions, and this decision is fair,” said Amadou Diallo, a 39-year-old from Senegal.
The court sentenced the director of a servicing company called Anavim, a Kyrgyz woman in her forties, to two years behind bars, and another two years suspended.
She had denied being responsible for the housing conditions, and blamed the two other defendants suspected of recruiting the harvesters.
The court sentenced the two others, both men in their thirties, to one year in jail, alongside suspended terms.
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All three were found guilty of human trafficking — defined under French law as “recruiting, transporting, transferring, housing or receiving a person to exploit them,” by means of coerced employment, abusing a position of authority, abusing a vulnerable situation or in exchange of payment or benefits.
The Anavim director was also found guilty of crimes including concealing employment of workers.
The court in Chalons-en-Champagne dissolved the servicing company and ordered a wine-making cooperative it worked with to pay a 75,000-euro ($87,000) fine.
The court ordered the three guilty to pay 4,000 euros each to each victim.
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A lawyer for the Anavim director called the ruling “unfair” and said there would be an appeal.
“My client is the ideal culprit for an industry that has long turned a blind eye to its own practices,” said Bruno Questel.
– ‘Like slaves’ –
Maxime Cessieux, an attorney for the victims, said the 2025 harvest “will be closely scrutinised and no one will be able to say ‘I didn’t know, I didn’t understand, I didn’t know who these people in my vineyards were’.”
In September 2023, the labour inspectorate found that the accommodation provided by Anavim for grape pickers southwest of Reims “seriously undermined” their safety, health and dignity.
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The accommodation was subsequently closed by the prefecture, which had pointed to makeshift bedding and “the appalling state of the toilets, washrooms and communal areas.”
Camara Sikou, one of the victims, told the court the workers had been treated “like slaves.”
“They put us in an abandoned building, with no food, no water, no nothing,” added Modibo Sidibe, who said the workers were in the fields from 5.00am until 6.00pm.
The Comite Champagne, which represents winegrowers and champagne houses, was a plaintiff in the trial.
“You don’t play with the health and safety of seasonal workers. Nor are we playing with the image of our appellation,” the trade association said.
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The CGT champagne trade union said the punishment was not sufficient.
“What we are asking for is the downgrading of the harvest” in the zones where the offences were committed so it could no longer be used to produce champagne, said Jose Blanco, CGT general secretary.
Every year, around 120,000 seasonal workers are recruited to pick the grapes grown across 34,000 hectares (84,000 acres) in the Champagne region.
In 2023, four harvesters died, possibly the result of sunstroke after working in scorching heat.
A service provider and its manager will go on trial in November on suspicion of having housed 40 Ukrainians in unfit conditions.
zl/ah-as/tw
Prince William Was Reportedly Caught on Camera Calling a Protection Officer to Grab Kate Middleton
Prince William and Kate Middleton walked to church with the rest of the royal family on Christmas Day. Kate joked that she had lost her family, but later caught up with them. Body language expert says Kate was “upbeat” and “confident” as she walked. She also wore a smaller hat to show she wasn’t feeling vulnerable.
Meanwhile, Hello! reports that Prince William hopped on the phone with a protection officer when he realized Kate had been left behind, and that they were seen chatting as the Princess of Wales caught up with the group.
FYI, body language expert Judi James, noticed a sweet moment between Kate and William during the royals’ Christmas Day walk, saying that the “dimpling” in Kate’s smile “suggests authentic joy and good humor and as William looked across and saw it, his own smile seemed to widen, to match those of their very Christmas Day–excited children.”
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She also noted that Kate was “upbeat” and “confident,” adding that she “arrived at church walking crowd-side and had she worn a wide-brimmed hat as she has in the past, there would have been an option of partly hiding her face if she felt vulnerable. A smaller hat like hers tends to signal strength and a more confident, upbeat approach, and that was reflected in her beaming smile as she passed the fans.”
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Champagne industry boss, 2 others jailed for human trafficking, allegedly treating workers in France “like slaves”
A French court on Monday jailed three people for human trafficking in the champagne industry. The workers, all undocumented migrants, were found during the 2023 September harvest. They were living in cramped and unhygienic conditions in a building at Nesle-le-Repons. The Champagne region is under tough scrutiny, with another inquiry looking into the use of Ukrainian workers during the same 2023 harvest, which was marked by exceptional heat and the deaths of four grape-pickers. A lawyer for the victims — more than 50 mostly undocumented migrant workers from Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Senegal — said the court had made a “historic” decision in the trial. The victims, who said they had been treated “like slaves,” also praised the ruling. the court in Chalons-en-Champagne dissolved the servicing company and ordered a wine-making cooperative it worked with to pay a $87,000 fine. The champagne trade association, which represents winegrowers and champagne houses, said the punishment was not sufficient.
The Champagne region is under tough scrutiny, with another inquiry looking into the use of Ukrainian workers during the same 2023 harvest, which was marked by exceptional heat and the deaths of four grape-pickers.
A lawyer for the victims — more than 50 mostly undocumented migrant workers from Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Senegal — said the court had made a “historic” decision.
The victims, who said they had been treated “like slaves,” also praised the ruling.
“The people were working in really bad conditions, and this decision is fair,” said Amadou Diallo, a 39-year-old from Senegal.
The workers, all undocumented migrants, were found during the 2023 September harvest living in cramped and unhygienic conditions in a building at Nesle-le-Repons in the heart of champagne country, the BBC reported.
The court sentenced the director of a servicing company called Anavim, a Kyrgyz woman in her 40s, to two years behind bars, and another two years suspended.
She had denied being responsible for the housing conditions, and blamed the two other defendants suspected of recruiting the harvesters.
The court sentenced the two others, both men in their 30s, to one year in jail, alongside suspended terms. One is a man from the country of Georgia and the other is a Frenchman, the BBC reported.
All three were found guilty of human trafficking — defined under French law as “recruiting, transporting, transferring, housing or receiving a person to exploit them,” by means of coerced employment, abusing a position of authority, abusing a vulnerable situation or in exchange of payment or benefits.
Some workers were recruited via a Whatsapp group message for the West African Soninke ethnic community living in Paris, which promised “well-paid work” in the Champagne region, the BBC reported.
The Anavim director was also found guilty of crimes including concealing employment of workers.
The court in Chalons-en-Champagne dissolved the servicing company and ordered a wine-making cooperative it worked with to pay a $87,000 fine.
The court ordered the three guilty to pay 4,000 euros each to each victim.
A lawyer for the Anavim director called the ruling “unfair” and said there would be an appeal.
“My client is the ideal culprit for an industry that has long turned a blind eye to its own practices,” said Bruno Questel.
“No food, no water, no nothing”
Maxime Cessieux, an attorney for the victims, said the 2025 harvest “will be closely scrutinized and no one will be able to say ‘I didn’t know, I didn’t understand, I didn’t know who these people in my vineyards were.'”
In September 2023, the labor inspectorate found that the accommodation provided by Anavim for grape-pickers southwest of Reims “seriously undermined” their safety, health and dignity.
The accommodation was subsequently closed by the prefecture, which had pointed to makeshift bedding and “the appalling state of the toilets, washrooms and communal areas.”
Camara Sikou, one of the victims, told the court the workers had been treated “like slaves.”
“They put us in an abandoned building, with no food, no water, no nothing,” added Modibo Sidibe, who said the workers were in the fields from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m.
“I never thought the people who made champagne would put us up in a place which even animals would not accept,” Kanouitié Djakariayou, 44, told La Croix newspaper, per the BBC.
The Comite Champagne, which represents winegrowers and champagne houses, was a plaintiff in the trial.
This aerial photo taken on Sept. 20, 2024 near Pierry and Epernay, in eastern France, shows grape pickers in a vineyard during the Champagne harvest. PIERRE BEAUVILLAIN/AFP via Getty Images
“You don’t play with the health and safety of seasonal workers. Nor are we playing with the image of our appellation,” the trade association said.
The CGT champagne trade union said the punishment was not sufficient.
“What we are asking for is the downgrading of the harvest” in the zones where the offenses were committed so it could no longer be used to produce champagne, said Jose Blanco, CGT general secretary.
Every year, around 120,000 seasonal workers are recruited to pick the grapes grown across 84,000 acres in the Champagne region.
In 2023, four harvesters died, possibly the result of sunstroke after working in scorching heat.
A service provider and its manager will go on trial in November on suspicion of having housed 40 Ukrainians in unfit conditions.
Traffickers jailed for up to four years for abusing champagne grape pickers
Traffickers jailed for up to four years for abusing champagne grape pickers. Three people were jailed for recruiting scores of undocumented workers. They forced them to work for long hours picking grapes to make champagne and live in squalid conditions. Workers hailed from Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire and were hired in Paris and then transported to the Marne region. One of the workers told the court: “We were treated like slaves.”Every year, around 120,000 seasonal workers are brought in to pick grapes across the Champagne region’s 34,000 hectares of vineyards.
Three people were jailed for recruiting scores of undocumented workers, forcing them to work for long hours picking grapes to make champagne and live in squalid conditions.
Three people were jailed on Monday for human trafficking after subjecting migrants from Africa to long working days and then housing them in appalling conditions during the 2023 grape harvest in the Champagne region of north-eastern France.
The main defendant, the director of a wine services company from Kyrgyzstan, was also charged with concealed work, employing foreigners without authorisation and with non-existent or insufficient remuneration.
The court in Châlons-en-Champagne sentenced her to four years, two of which were suspended with a committal order. The presiding judge ordered the dissolution of her wine services company and fined a wine cooperative, which was also being prosecuted, 75,000 euros.
During the trial, the woman denied being responsible for the grape pickers’ accommodation. She said two other men were responsible.
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One man was sentenced to one year in prison and the other received a two-year jail term, one of which was suspended.
‘Squalid living conditions’
The court was told that workers hailed from Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire and were hired in Paris and then transported to the Marne region.
An investigation revealed working days lasting from 5am to 6pm and a return to squalid living conditions.
The grape pickers, the court heard, stayed in a house undergoing renovation and a shed, sleeping on inflatable mattresses on the floor, with makeshift showers, unusable toilets and numerous electrical faults.
In September 2023, an inspection of the accommodation provided for grape pickers in the town of Nesle-le-Repons found living conditions that they said seriously undermined the safety, health and dignity of the inhabitants
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Police authorities blocked up the house after highlighting makeshift bedding, the disgusting state of the toilets, washrooms and communal areas as well as dangerous electrical installations.
‘Treated like slaves’
Camara Sikou, one of the grape pickers, told the court: “We were treated like slaves.”
Every year, around 120,000 seasonal workers are brought in to pick grapes across the Champagne region’s 34,000 hectares of vineyards.
In 2023, the industry came under scrutiny after four harvesters died, reportedly from heatstroke during extreme temperatures.
For the first time, the Comité Champagne – representing 16,200 growers and 370 champagne houses – joined proceedings as a civil party.
In a statement released just before the start of the trial, its director, Charles Goemaere, said the organisation was firmly opposed to such unacceptable practices.
(With newswires)