【844-846】亚兹迪儿童在叙利亚等待家庭团聚&西爪哇限制“成人”外国歌曲&Guaido 返回委内瑞拉，呼吁更多的抗议

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AS IT IS

Yazidi Children in Syria Await Family Reunions

March 04, 2019

Some Yazidi children, who were recently freed from Islamic State, pose for a picture with their aid worker, near Hasaka, Syria, Feb. 27, 2019. (Jabber Jendo/VOA)

U.S.-backed Syrian forces fighting Islamic State militants said they freed more than 12 Yazidi children from IS last week. The children were released when the Syrian Democratic Forces evacuated civilians from the town of Baghuz. The children had been held by the militant group for years.

Mustafa Bali is a spokesman for the Kurdish-led alliance. He wrote in a social media tweet, "Among many children saved from [IS] territory today, a group of Yazidi children also arrived to safe areas."

Yazidis are a Kurdish-speaking religious minority who live mostly in northern Iraq. They are viewed as infidels by IS extremists.

Sex slaves, soldiers

In August 2014, IS militants attacked Sinjar in northern Iraq, then home to the largest Yazidi community in the world. At least 5,000 Yazidis were killed during the attack, mostly men and boys. IS militants then kidnapped thousands of Yazidi children and women and made them work as child soldiers or sex slaves.

The 12 children recently freed in Baghuz are now in a special home near Hasaka, a Kurdish-held area in northeast Syria.

"I was held for more than four years," said Mazin Salim, 14, a former captive.

"Along with many other Yazidi children, I was then taken to a location in Syria. I believe it was Aleppo. After staying there for a few months, they (moved) us to Raqqa," he added.

Islamic State made Raqqa its capital. The city was taken from IS by the SDF with support from the U.S.-led coalition in October 2017.

The Yazidi teenager said that while he was held, IS brainwashed him with its extremist ideology.

"In the beginning, they would beat me every day because I didn't know Arabic and didn't know anything about Islam," Salim explained. "But slowly, they taught me how to read… from the Quran."

Brainwashed children

While it controlled parts of Syria and Iraq, IS forced brainwashed and abused children to carry out suicide attacks, kill civilians and perform other cruel acts.

"I checked up on all of these children," said Shahin Hossein, a Kurdish doctor. He has been providing medical care to the Yazidi children since their arrival. "All of them have … psychological problems."

Hossein also said some of the children have been suffering from physical illnesses for a long time without receiving any treatment.

Since the battle to capture Baghuz began, SDF fighters have been better able to find Yazidi children and women.

“Since all civilians are leaving Baghuz, it is easier to identify Yazidis as they come out of the town," SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali told VOA.

Yazidi children and women are taken to a location that is separate from refugee camps for the other civilians fleeing IS.

"Our job is to receive them, give them medical treatment and then…. return to Sinjar," said Mahmoud Resho. He is part of Yazidi House Council, a local organization that supports Yazidi refugees and captives.

"So far, we have a total of 25 children and a woman who are waiting to go to their families in Sinjar," Resho told VOA.

Resho said the Iraqi government has recently closed its border with Syria. "That's why these people have been waiting for a while," he added.

Uncertainty about families

The Yazidi children rescued from IS in Syria have other problems as well. Many do not know where their families are now, Resho said.

"These kids have been kidnapped for almost five years. Some of their families are either killed or have migrated to Europe," he said.

Fourteen-year-old Salim says he does not know what he will find when he returns to Sinjar. “I miss my family so much,” he said. But he does not know whether they are alive or dead.

I'm Susan Shand.

VOA’s Sirwan Kajjo reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

evacuate – v. to remove someone from a dangerous place

infidel – n. a person who does not believe in a religion that someone regards as the true religion

teenager – n. a boy or girl between the ages of 13-18.

cruel – adj. used to describe people who hurt others and do not feel sorry about it

psychological – adj. of or relating to the mind

a

S IT IS

West Java Restricts ‘Adult’ Foreign Pop Songs

March 04, 2019

FILE - Ariana Grande performs at Wango Tango in Los Angeles, June 2, 2018. Ariana Grande’s Love Me Harder is one of the songs restricted in West Java.

Indonesia’s most populous province has set restrictions on when more than 80 English language songs can be broadcast.

The West Java provincial broadcast commission identified 85 songs its members consider “adult” because of their offensive language. It said that local radio and television stations can only play such music between 10 at night and 3 in the morning.

The songs include Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You, Ariana Grande’s Love Me Harder and That’s What I Like by Bruno Mars.

Indonesia is the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country. It has seen a rise in restrictions on subjects or behavior considered pornographic. The country is officially secular, meaning there is no state religion. But local lawmakers sometimes pass laws based on sharia or Islamic law.

Broadcast programs are barred from having songs and/or video that show or contain “obscenities, sex...and drugs,” said Neneng Athiatul Faiziyah, a member of the commission. She said the action followed public comments on the issue. There were similar objections over thousands of songs, she said.

Faiziyah said that she and other members were also making a list of Indonesian language songs they considered “adult”.

West Java is home to 48 million people. It is known for being among the most conservative provinces in Indonesia.

At the national level, Indonesia already has strong anti-pornography laws. Critics say these measures can be misused to threaten tolerance or creative expression in the Southeast Asian country.

Last month, Indonesia’s parliament dropped a music bill after protests by artists and rights activists who were concerned that it could restrict freedom of expression.

The bill included wording that aimed to prevent the creation of music considered to include bad influences from foreign cultures. The Jakarta Post newspaper said it also was designed to control influences that could incite violence or illegal behaviors.

I'm Jonathan Evans.

The Reuters news agency reported this story. George Grow adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

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Words in This Story

pornographic – adj. of or involving images or writing meant to produce an intense emotional reaction

obscenity – n. an extremely offensive word or expression

tolerance – n. the ability to accept something

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

AS IT IS

Guaido Returns to Venezuela, Calls for More Protests

March 04, 2019

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido sings the national anthem during a rally held by his supporters against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government, in Caracas, Venezuela March 4, 2019. (REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins)

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido returned home to Venezuela on Monday and urged his supporters to intensify their campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

Guaido spent the last week traveling outside the country, having ignored an official ban on foreign travel.

There were concerns that Guaido might be detained upon his return. But the 35-year-old said he got through immigration checks at Venezuela’s main airport with no problems. He was met at the airport by top diplomats from the United States, Germany, Spain and other countries.

Guaido later spoke to a crowd of demonstrators in Caracas. He called on his supporters across the country to fill the streets on Saturday to protest Maduro’s hold on power.

Guaido is leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly. He declared himself interim president of Venezuela on January 23, two weeks after Maduro began his second six-year term. Many Venezuelans say the election should not be recognized because Maduro barred his opponents from running against him.

In the last week, Guaido visited Colombia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Ecuador -- all countries that support his claim to be Venezuela’s interim president.

Guaido said he hopes his return to Venezuela will increase pressure on Maduro to resign so a temporary government can prepare the country for fair and free elections.

Maduro has said he is the target of a U.S.-backed plot to overthrow him. The United States and about 50 other countries have recognized Guaido as the true leader of Venezuela.

There was no immediate comment Monday from the Maduro government, which has in the past jailed and driven into exile other key opposition leaders.

Instead, the Maduro government has been trying to center the public’s attention on the carnival celebrations going on this week. On Sunday, Maduro tweeted that Venezuelans nationwide were enjoying carnival “in peace and happiness.”

Among the demonstrators who waited for Guaido at the Caracas gathering Monday was Wildredo Moya. He is a 55-year-old former construction worker. He said Venezuelans hoping for change should understand it will take time.

“It’s a long process,” Moya said.

I'm Ashley Thompson.

The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

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Words in This Story

interim - adj. used or accepted for a limited time : not permanent

construction - n. the act or process of building something (such as a house or road)