[Xiomera]

27 November 2020

Aurora accused of attempt to kill Kerlian Councillors

One of the Kerlian sleeper agents created as part of that country’s infamous “Aurora Programme” is on trial in the Kerlian High Court, facing allegations that she attempted to assassinate three members of the Council of Kerlile.

The Aurora, a Kerlian of Xiomeran ethnicity identified in court records as “Nelly Aurora” and who uses the name Zichitla, stands accused of attempting to kill Councillors Pauline Pierre, Jennifer Hale and Letitia Greenwood on October 17th during a meeting in the Council Chambers. She also stands accused of threatening Kerlian Foreign Secretary Katrine Porter. The incident reportedly stemmed from a dispute on whether or not to continue participating in the civil conflict taking place in Xiomera. Kerlile is allied to the Huenyan Federation faction in that conflict. Reports allege that the Aurora, who was serving as an advisor on Xiomera, objected to the Council’s decision to seek a peaceful end to the conflict.

Two of the alleged victims, Councillors Pierre and Hale, will appear in court as witnesses for the prosecution. However, Councillor Greenwood, the third alleged victim, has refused to appear in court and has stated publicly that she believes Zichitla to be innocent. The unusual refusal by Greenwood to testify has sparked acrimonious debate between the members of the Council on Kerlian social media.

The accused Aurora was seen outside the Court on November 24th, the day the trial began, with a noticeable bruise on her face. The Kerlian government confirmed that a prison guard has been arrested for breaking the country’s Prohibition of Torture Act of 2019 in relation to the bruising incident.

The accused Aurora has submitted a plea of innocent on all charges, and the trial is expected to last several weeks.

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Warriors of Our Earth under fire

The Warriors of Our Earth – a breakaway faction of the Lauchenoirian environmental group Watchdogs of Our Earth which endorses the use of violence – are under fire after being designated as a terrorist organization by multiple nations.

The government of Lauchenoiria designated the group as a terrorist organization after 21 of its members allegedly seized control of the headquarters for the Butterfly Island provincial government in Seahaven on November 15th. The Lauchenoirian authorities arrested the 21 activists on November 23rd after a prolonged standoff.

The nations of Shuell and Xiomera have since designated the group as terrorists as well. National Shuellian Broadcasting Network (NSBN) called WOE a “radical anarcho-primitivist organization, with the goal of destroying modern society and any semblance of civility”, while Xiomera decried the influence of “foreign-manipulated terrorism” in their present civil conflict.

Both Xiomera and Shuell have accused the group of destroying vehicles and killing Xiomeran soldiers on Manauia Island prior to the Imperial withdrawal from the island. Shuell has also accused the group of targeting Watchtower mercenaries hired to assist the Xiomeran government. Empress Calhualyana, the leader of Xiomera, has called for the extradition of those responsible and placed WOE on the nation’s terrorism watch list. Prime Minister Josephine Alvarez would only promise to “consider” extraditing any Lauchenoirian citizen accused of committing terrorist attacks abroad, in echoes of previous extradition disputes between Xiomera and Lauchenoiria.

No official statement has been released from the Warriors organization. However, the main WOE organization has issued a statement denouncing the classification of the Warriors faction as terrorists. The statement called the designation an “attack on civil liberties” and accused Prime Minister Alvarez of being a “dictator in disguise and puppet of Shuell” for making it.

Other governments have weighed in as well. The government of the separatist Huenyan Federation issued a statement, in the name of the Huenyan Assembly, condemning the designation of Warriors as terrorists and citing their “fighting for freedom” in Manauia Island as proof of their “worthy intentions”. The government of Milintica also issued a statement strongly condemning the designation and announcing that Milintica will not recognize it nor honor any arrest warrants for WOE members. The provisional government of Manauia Island has also sent a formal letter of protest to the Lauchenoirian government, saying that the group “fought both for the environment and for the freedom of the people of Manauia Island” and that its members “deserve better than a prison cell.”

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Xiomerans on Netlcoātl Islands arm themselves, vow to resist expulsion

Xiomerans on the Netlcoātl Islands have begun arming themselves and have vowed to resist an order from the new government there for them to leave the islands by midnight on November 28th.

The Netlcoātl Islands declared independence on August 21st, two days after expelling Xiomeran military forces. Since then, a provisional government led by Ahuac, the son of the local leader Itzamatul, has run the islands. The islanders claim that Itzamatul was killed by Imperial soldiers while in their custody. The Xiomeran government has denied this, saying that Itzamatul died of natural causes. The Xiomeran government has also accused the islanders’ provisional government of executing unarmed Xiomeran soldiers who had surrendered.

Ahuac issued an order on November 22nd giving all those of Xiomeran ancestry until midnight on November 28th to voluntarily leave the islands or else be forcibly expelled. While some Xiomerans on the islands have fled, many have refused to do so and are reportedly arming themselves in defiance of the provisional government’s mandate.

The Xiomerans refusing to leave are led by Necacoehua, the mayor of the islands’ capital Citlamina. “We have been on these islands for centuries,” Necacoehua told a DTNS reporter. “The native islanders are telling us to go back home - but this is our home. It has been for generations. For that matter, we are as much ‘natives’ of these islands by now as anyone else. We will not give up our homes and our lives.”

The mayor said that he offered to negotiate terms with the provisional government under which the Xiomeran residents of the islands could stay, but told DTNS that the provisional government has refused to talk. A negotiator sent from the separatist government of the Huenyan Federation has also been turned away, according to Necacoehua.

“We don’t want to fight - but we will if we have to,” the mayor said.

For its part, the provisional government has warned that its deadline for Xiomerans to leave is “non-negotiable and will be enforced.” The provisional government also accused the Xiomeran government of sending weapons and fighters to the islands in secret, after they intercepted a smuggling craft they claim was bringing weapons to the Xiomerans on the islands. The Xiomeran leader, Empress Calhualyana, would neither confirm nor deny the accusation, and reiterated her previous warning that Xiomera “won’t just stand by and watch as Xiomeran civilians are targeted for ethnic cleansing.”

“If the international community does not intervene to protect our civilians, we will,” the Empress told DTNS.