Andre McKechnie, aged 54, brought his fight for the salty brown brewing byproduct to Victoria's Supreme Court, according to court registry documents provided to Associated Press on Tuesday. His legal action targets both Victoria's Department of Justice and Community Safety and the prison management agency Corrections Victoria, with trial proceedings set for next year.

The lawsuit seeks a judicial declaration that defendants denied McKechnie's charter-protected right to "enjoy his culture as an Australian" under the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act, Associated Press noted. McKechnie additionally seeks recognition that defendants violated the Corrections Act through "failing to provide food adequate to maintain" his "well-being," the court documents state. His legal petition requests that the court mandate that the Vegemite prohibition decision be "remade in accordance with the law."

Since 2006, Victorian corrections facilities have maintained a Vegemite ban, with Corrections Victoria explaining it "interferes with narcotic detection dogs," according to Associated Press. Prison officials implemented the prohibition after discovering inmates would coat illicit drug packages with Vegemite, hoping the pungent smell would divert canine attention from contraband substances. The spread's yeast content also triggered its ban from Victorian facilities due to its "potential to be used in the production of alcohol," as stated in the contraband list.

Crime victim advocate and attorney John Herron characterized the lawsuit as frivolous and insulting to victims' families, Associated Press reported. "As victims, we don't have any rights. We have limited, if any, support. It's always about the perpetrator, and this just reinforces that," Herron stated, whose daughter Courtney Herron died after a 2019 beating in a Melbourne park, with her killer receiving a not guilty verdict due to mental impairment, according to Associated Press. "It's not a case of Vegemite or Nutella or whatever it may be. It's an extra perk that is rubbing our faces in the tragedy that we've suffered," Herron added, Associated Press noted.

Port Phillip Prison, a maximum-security facility, currently houses McKechnie, who was 23 when he fatally stabbed wealthy Gold Coast property developer Otto Kuhne in Queensland in 1994, according to Associated Press. A life sentence for murder was imposed on McKechnie, who transferred a decade later from Queensland's to Victoria's prison system, Associated Press reported. His writing from last year revealed eight years of freedom on Victorian parole before he "decided that I had had enough," subsequently returning to prison where he has remained for the past decade, according to Associated Press.

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According to an article in Asahi Shimbun, a Chinese court has sentenced journalist Huang Xueqin, a prominent figure in the country's nascent #MeToo movement, to five years in prison for the charge of incitement to subvert state authority. This verdict, along with a significant fine of 100,000 yuan (approximately $14,000), underscores the Chinese government's intolerance toward activism outside its control, particularly within a system where the upper echelons remain dominated by men.

According to supporters, Huang's release date is set for September 18, 2026, accounting for her earlier detention in September 2021, just a day before she was scheduled to commence a master's degree program on gender violence and conflict at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom.

The verdict against #HuangXueqin dealt a harsh blow to #MeToo movement in #China. It's Chinese gov's latest assault on defenders advocating for women's equal rights, fighting sexual harassment & violence against women. https://t.co/WLuUWxCpFU

— Renee Xia (@ReneeXiaCHRD) June 14, 2024

Her co-defendant, Wang Jianbing, an activist known for his labor rights advocacy who also assisted women in reporting instances of sexual harassment, received a sentence of three years and six months on the same charge.

Huang played a pivotal role in sparking China's first high-profile #MeToo case in 2018 when she publicized allegations of sexual harassment made by a graduate student against her PhD supervisor at one of the country's most prestigious universities.

Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International's China Director, condemned Huang's conviction, stating, "These convictions will prolong their deeply unjust detention and have a further chilling effect on human rights and social advocacy in a country where activists face increasing state crackdowns. In reality, they have committed no actual crime. Instead, the Chinese government has fabricated excuses to deem their work a threat, and to target them for educating themselves and others about social justice issues such as women's dignity and workers' rights."

The #MeToo movement in China initially gained traction but was promptly suppressed by the government's crackdown on dissent. Huang and Wang's cases seem intertwined with the broader wave of repression against rights advocates, which predates the #MeToo movement and includes previous incidents such as the 2015 detentions of women distributing pamphlets against sexual harassment on public transport.

In 2022 @IndexCensorship gave our Freedom of Expression in journalism award to Sophia Huang Xueqin. Here's the video that accompanied the award. A little glimpse into how remarkable she is. She must be freed, as must Wang Jianbing, also sentenced today https://t.co/fOxTLcmWo0

— Jemimah Steinfeld (@JFSteinfeld) June 14, 2024

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The Israel Police has launched an investigation into the suspected beating of a 38-year-old security-related prisoner who died.

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At least 14 guards at the Ktzi'ot prison are being investigated, with the investigation team at the Lahav 433 special police unit having been tasked with the probe.

The prisoner was from the West Bank and associated with Fatah. His list of convictions included attempted murder, shooting, involvement in causing death, as well as other serious crimes like wearing an explosive belt.

The incident occurred in the prisoner's cell, in which eight other inmates are held, about a month ago. The violent incident allegedly involved some of the guards that beat the 38-year-old with sticks, causing serious injuries. Other guards are being investigated for suspected involvement.

After attempts at providing medical treatment, the prisoner was declared dead and his body transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy, but the circumstances of his death cannot yet be definitively determined based on the findings of the autopsy.

Pending the trial, the suspects were interrogated with a warning and put on leave until further notice. Though their legal representation, from the Honenu National Legal Aid Society, have filed appeals against the restrictive conditions.

"Since the 'Iron Swords' war began, the prison service has taken in thousands of security prisoners," the Israel Prison Service said in a statement. "In light of this, the level of challenges and threats faced by the guards have risen and they are carrying out their tasks and mobilizing for the war effort."

"We emphasize that even under the difficult security reality in Israel, the organization is careful to maintain professionalism and values. Events that require an investigation, if any, will take place in full cooperation with the investigating unit until its conclusion," the statement said.

National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir responded to the incident, "They have the presumption of innocence – and there is no place to determine their fate before a thorough investigation is carried out."

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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The IDF has had to recently forgo the arrest of wanted terrorist suspects in Judea and Samaria after the Israel Prison Service said it was in overcapacity, Israel Hayom has exclusively learned.

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The IPS asked that the troops halt administrative detentions, a procedure that allows the arrest of terrorists who are considered "ticking bombs," namely, they get arrested using probable cause of a likely act in the making rather than because of a past attack.

In the wake of the surge of attacks over the past 18 months, the Central Command has shifted gears by stepping up the use of administrative detentions. Just over the past four days, the IDF, the Shin Bet security agency, and the Border Police have arrested more than 65 suspects, with raids being conducted on a brigade level in several areas in Judea and Samaria.

In 2021, some 450 administrative detentions were recorded, while in 2022 this spiked to 900 in the wake of the terrorist uptick. So far in 2023, more than 500 Palestinians have been arrested using this procedure.

But in light of the situation in Israeli prisons, this has slowed recently, and in light of the IPS request, this has resulted in arrests not being carried out in some cases.  According to Israel Hayom's reporting, the IPS made several requests to end or lower the intensity of those arrests because they could not properly handle the inflow. As a result, the IDF heeded the request, despite this potentially allowing terrorists to continue plotting attacks that could threaten Israelis.

"We have reached a situation in which when we look at the arrest list, we ultimately have to strike out names because there is no room in prison. This is just mind-boggling. This has happened several times," a military official told Israel Hayom.

Video: Troops arrest terrorist behind Mount Hebron attack / Credit: Israel Police

The lack of new prisons is one of the reasons IPS facilities are overcapacity, as is the longer incarcerations and the long periods detainees have to wait behind bars before they are put on trial. The situation has also resulted in prisoners being released early under administrative parole, including terrorists.

IPS officials have claimed that the number of terrorists being released is small and that they have already served almost all of the time. They have also noted that starting in September, administrative parole will no longer apply to terrorists even in cases where there is overcapacity.

As for the request made to the IDF, the IPS released the following statement: "The IPS is not involved in devising policy for various law enforcement agencies. The nationwide shortage in prison cells is impacted by many circumstances and that is why the IPS has been routinely engaged in the matter to solve this issue so that prisoners' and detainees' rights can be properly upheld. As part of that, the IPS commissioner has instructed that some 200 new places be vacated for new prisoners in areas that were previously meant for renovation."

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Clashes between US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters and Islamic State group terrorists continued for a fourth day Sunday near a prison in northeastern Syria that houses thousands of ISIS members, the Kurdish force said.

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The standoff followed a bold assault by the jihadists who broke into Gweiran Prison, enabling an unknown number of terrorists to escape and hold hostages. At least 27 US-backed fighters of the Kurdish-led force were killed.

The US-led coalition said the Kurdish-led forces, with its assistance in the form of surveillance, intelligence and airstrikes, had contained the threat.

But several dozen terrorists remained holed up in one wing of the prison, to the north and in adjacent buildings.

More than 3,000 suspected ISIS terrorists, including over 600 minors, are held in Gweiran, the largest of a dozen detention facilities in Syria housing them.

The terrorists were using hundreds of minors held in the same facility as human shields, preventing a final assault, a spokesman for the Kurdish forces, Farhad Shami, said.

The UN children's agency, UNICEF, called for the release of the detained children, warning that violence may spread to other prisons or in camps holding families and children of suspected ISIS members in Syria.

"While it is militarily defeated, Daesh remains an existential threat to the region," said Maj. Gen. John Brennan, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. "Due to its severely degraded capability, Daesh's future survival is dependent on its ability to refill its ranks through poorly-conceived attempts" such as the prison attack.

The coalition said the ISIS terrorists seized weapons from prison guards before killing them and attempted to destroy a new, more secure facility under construction next to Gweiran prison.

Siamand Ali, another spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, said ISIS terrorists attempted two attacks Sunday on the prison, also known as al-Sinaa prison. One attack was from terrorists holed up nearby and another from outside the city of Hassakeh, where the prison is located. Both were foiled, Ali said.

Between 150 and 200 terrorists were believed holed up in the northern wing of the prison and an adjacent residential area, including Zuhour neighborhood which was cordoned off by security forces, Ali added.

Late Sunday, the Kurdish-led administration announced a weeklong nightly curfew would start Monday, between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Ali called it a precautionary measure to prevent ISIS terrorists from sending reinforcements to those holed up in and around the prison.

The violence has driven hundreds of civilians out of the city seeking safety.

Earlier Sunday, a Hassakeh resident said warplanes from the US-led coalition flew over the prison breaking the sound barrier. The resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said the US-backed Kurdish forces were heard calling on ISIS terrorists in the prison and in surrounding buildings to turn themselves in. A war monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said helicopters dropped fliers over the city, urging residents to report suspicious activities.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attempted prison break on its Aamaq news service.

Freeing convicts and imprisoned comrades has been a main tactic of the group. During its 2014 surge that overwhelmed territory in Iraq and Syria, ISIS carried out multiple prison breaks.

The attack launched Thursday evening was the biggest by ISIS combatants since the fall of the group's "caliphate" in 2019. Its demise came after ISIS lost its last territory in Syria following a years-long military campaign backed by the US-led coalition in Iraq and Syria.

In the ambitious assault, more than 100 terrorists armed with heavy machine guns and vehicles rigged with explosives attacked the facility aiming to free their comrades. They detonated a car bomb at a petroleum warehouse nearby, creating a diversion and leaving fire and smoke in the air for two days.

A video posted by ISIS late Saturday showed vehicles ramming through what appears to be the walls of the prison, creating large holes. Dozens of men were seen walking in the facility in the dark, seemingly escaping the prison. The Kurdish-led forces said Friday they arrested over 100 inmates who escaped.

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The total number of fugitives remains unclear.

In another video posted on the ISIS news service, the terrorists showed two dozen prison staff, some in military uniforms, taken hostage, including some who appeared bruised and beaten. One terrorist read out a statement to the camera and another stood guard with what seemed to be either a saw or a machete. Both terrorists were masked.

The Kurdish forces said late Saturday the men were probably among the prison kitchen staff with whom they lost contact since the assault began.

In its version of the attack, ISIS quoted one of its fighters in a statement posted late Saturday on its news service who said the attack began with two foreign suicide bombers who detonated two trucks at the gate of the prison and along its walls, causing major damage and casualties. Then jihadists fanned out, first heading to the prison towers and the petroleum warehouse. A second group attacked a Kurdish post nearby while two other groups clashed with nearby patrols and cut supply lines to undermine the prison defenses.

The assault coincided with riots inside the prison, where jihadist inmates seized weapons and held guards and prison staff hostage, ISIS said, claiming that it freed more than 800 of its fighters, some of whom are taking part in the ongoing operation.

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At least 250 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel have begun a hunger strike to protest their relocation to isolated cells, officials said Wednesday.

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The hunger strike, led by the Islamic Jihad group, comes amid heightened tensions in Israeli detention facilities following the escape of six prisoners from a high-security prison last month. All six were recaptured within a couple of weeks, but the escape embarrassed Israeli authorities and was hailed as a stroke of defiance by Palestinians.

'It was a mistake, it showed weakness, which damaged the State of #Israel and has triggered the military confrontations with #Hamas since then,' says #EhudOlmert on Gilad Shalit release anniversry#MiddleEastNow pic.twitter.com/CAkmTxKQqz

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) October 18, 2021

Israel is currently holding more than 4,600 Palestinian prisoners.

The prisoners organize themselves by political faction and have secured concessions over the years through hunger strikes and other collective actions.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club, which represents former and current prisoners, said the latest strike is to protest the separation of Islamic Jihad prisoners into designated cells, isolating them from most other members of the group.

Qadura Fares, the head of the organization, said at least 250 Islamic Jihad prisoners in multiple facilities would take part in the strike and that 100 of them would begin refusing water after one week.

He called for protests in support of the prisoners and said other Palestinian factions – including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement – would also participate in the hunger strike.

Israel's prison service said it was unaware of any mass hunger strike. It said it has not isolated the Islamic Jihad prisoners but instead has mixed them with the general population. It said the group was not happy with the move and acknowledged there has been "tension."

Five of the six escapees were Islamic Jihad members, and the terrorist group was the driving force behind rioting that broke out in some prisons as Israel tightened security and relocated prisoners to prevent other breakouts.

Islamic Jihad has carried out scores of deadly attacks over the years.

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The head of Iran's prison system acknowledged Tuesday that videos purportedly obtained by a self-described hacker group that show abuses at the Islamic republic's notorious Evin prison are real, saying he took responsibility for the "unacceptable behaviors."

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The alleged hackers said the release of the footage was an effort to show the grim conditions at the prison, known for holding political prisoners and those with ties abroad who are often used as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West.

The comment by Mohammad Mehdi Hajmohammadi came the day after The Associated Press published parts of the videos and a report about the abuse at the facility in northern Tehran.

Writing on Twitter, Hajmohammadi vowed to "avoid the repeat of such bitter incidents as well as confront the perpetrators."

"My apologies to the Almighty God, the dear Supreme Leader, our great nation and the noble prison officers whose efforts will not be ignored because of the wrongdoings" of others, he wrote.

State television in Iran also reported Hajmohammadi's remarks. An arm of state TV later said the country's judiciary chief ordered an investigation into the abuse as well.

Hajmohammadi, however, offered no plan on how to address the abuses at Evin. Since its construction in 1971 under Iran's shah, the prison has seen a series of abuses that continued into the Islamic republic.

After Iran cracked down on protesters following the disputed 2009 re-election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, many of the arrested protesters ended up in Evin. Lawmakers later pushed for reforms at Evin, following reports of abuses at the prison – which led to the installation of the closed-circuit cameras.

In one part of the footage, a man smashes a bathroom mirror to try to cut open his arm. Prisoners – and even guards – beat each other in scenes captured by surveillance cameras. Inmates sleeping in single rooms with bunk beds stacked three high against the walls, wrapping themselves in blankets to stay warm.

Four former prisoners at Evin, as well as an Iranian human rights activist abroad, told the AP that the videos resemble areas from the facility in northern Tehran. Some of the scenes also matched photographs of the facility previously taken by journalists, as well as images of the prison as seen in satellite photos accessed by the AP.

An online account that shared the videos with the AP calls itself "The Justice of Ali," a reference to the Prophet Muhammad's son-in-law who is revered by Shiites. It also mocks Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. However, the account did not respond to AP questions about its membership or how it conducted the hack.

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A court in Peru ordered Tuesday the release of Hodaya Monsonego, an Israeli woman who has been held in the country for two years over allegations of attempted drug smuggling, Israel's Foreign Ministry announced this week.

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Monsonego, a 25-year-old with special needs, was arrested at a local airport in May 2019 after authorities discovered more than 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of cocaine in her bag. Following a three-month-long legal proceeding, she was held at a women's prison for 279 days. In May 2020, she was released to house arrest in Lima.

Monsonego's family claimed that she was taken advantage of by a friend she was traveling with because of her disability. They launched a social media campaign in Israel to raise awareness of her situation.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid was personally involved in efforts to return Monsonego home.

Upon hearing of her release, Lapid said: "In my first week in office, I appointed a special team to handle Hodaya's release and worked closely with them. We will not celebrate until we see her land in the country, although the news is cause for joy.

"I consider helping young people with special needs to be my life's mission," said Lapid, who has a daughter with special needs.

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The vote took place after Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked of the Yamina party violated an earlier agreement with Religious Zionist Party MK Orit Strock – who along with Likud MK Avi Dichter introduced the legislation, refusing to postpone the vote by two weeks.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett did not even bother showing up for the vote.

The legislation failed to pass the preliminary reading although Shaked called the legislation appropriate and said she supported revoking terrorists' citizenship in principle. Shaked even signed on to the bill prior to her appointment as a government minister.

Israel Hayom has learned coalition members suggested Dichter and Strock reach an agreement on the proposed law and bring it to a vote on an agreed-upon date. According to coalition sources, they voted against the bill because Dichter and Strock violated the agreement when they brought it for a preliminary vote.

According to the principles of the law, any Israeli citizen or permanent resident sentenced to prison for terrorist activity who has been shown to receive stipends for their actions from or on behalf of the PA will lose their citizenship or permanent residency status, to be canceled by the interior minister. Such an individual will be directly released to the Palestinian territories upon completing their prison sentence.

The bill's preamble states that: "Many people who hold Israeli citizenship or residency at this time receive monthly payments from the Palestinian Authority as income and compensation for carrying out acts of terror. These salaries gradually increase the longer they serve in prison.

"It is inconceivable that Israeli citizens and residents who not only betrayed the country and Israeli society but also agreed to accept and continue to enjoy payment from the PA as a salary for perpetrating an act of terror would continue to hold Israeli citizenship or residency.

The preamble notes that "revoking someone's citizenship or residency is not a trivial matter. Therefore the present proposal gives decisive weight to the considerations of the interior minister on the individual's actions."

Dichter: Those who pay terrorists' salaries will also grant them citizenship

"There must be a law that says you cannot have one foot financially in Ramallah and one foot as a citizen in Jerusalem. That won't happen," Dichter said. "Those who pay a terrorist's salary will also grant them citizenship. If the ministerial committee that discussed the matter of the legislation Sunday had decided to discuss my proposed legislation in another two weeks, I would have accepted it and been understanding. Since they postponed the discussion by four months, we decided to bring the bill to the Knesset plenum today."

He said, "This was a vote to determine the stripping of citizenship from Israeli terrorists who receive salaries from the Palestinian Authority with no tricks involved: a law, plain and simple. Today the government proved it is captive to the Arab parties and that is how we will need to treat it [i.e. as a hostage]. We will not rest. This law will pass."

Shaked said: "These are indeed good proposals that make a lot of sense and that I have also signed off on. That is why we spoke with those introducing [the legislation] and offered them to sit with the Justice and Interior Ministries and try to reach agreements, and if they were to be reached, we would support the proposal.

"The introducers [of the bill] agreed to a two-week postponement, and when it was not made clear that agreements would be reached within two weeks, they decided to bring the proposal to a vote, which as was stated, was rejected," she explained.

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An Israeli man who had been on the run for 12 years after being convicted of a federal drug conspiracy charge has been sentenced to 30 months in prison, federal prosecutors in New Hampshire said Thursday.

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Boaz BenMoshe, 58, pleaded guilty in 2009 to conspiracy to engage in unlicensed wholesale distribution of prescription drugs, but he returned to Israel later that year before he could be sentenced.

He was brought back to the United States last summer and pleaded guilty in January to the bail jumping charge.

The court sentenced BenMoshe to 18 months in prison for the conspiracy offense and an additional 12 months for the bail jumping offense. He will receive credit for the time he has been in custody prior to sentencing.

BenMoshe's attorney Michael Iacopino said his client was "very happy" that the judge gave him time served for the 19 months he spent in an Israeli prison awaiting extradition. As a result, Ben Moshe is likely to serve less than 11 additional months of his 30-month sentence.

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