Monthly Archives: October 2021

2021-10-23: News Headlines

Staff (2021-10-23). Snowden tells The Belmarsh Tribunal: If you love truth, you're as much of a criminal as Assange and risk sharing his fate. rt.com WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange is a political prisoner and the process against him is a crime against journalism, said a group of academics, politicians, journalists and advocates convened ahead of his extradition hearing. | "What we're witnessing is a murder," NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden told the 'Belmarsh Tribunal' in London on Friday, appearing via video link. | "Everywhere we look, from Afghanistan to economics, from pandemic to pervasive surveillance, the obvious has been made unspeakable," he added, because speaking up would put one in the same category as Assange, a "political criminal" charged…

Akio Tanaka (2021-10-23). Misstatements Regarding the "Pacifica Lawsuit" indybay.org Pacifica did file a complaint against New Day; however there has not been any court judgment on the complaint.

Free Sean Swain (2021-10-23). Call-In Campaign to Keep Sean Swain in Ohio. itsgoingdown.org Call-in campaign for anarchist prisoner Sean Swain. In early 2019, intrepid anarchist author and prisoner was swept away by the ODRC without legal process (requiring a hearing) to the hands of Virginia. His time in VADOC was basically without incident, but due to circumstances beyond Sean's case (the interstate transfer agreement between VA & OH)…

WSWS (2021-10-23). Alabama executes Willie B. Smith III, an intellectually disabled prisoner, after US Supreme Court fails to intervene. wsws.org Smith died by lethal injection in the execution chamber of the Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama.

Jeff Cohen (2021-10-22). The big lie in Rahm Emanuel's Senate testimony. nationofchange.org Now all eyes will be on Merkley — and other Democratic senators who profess that "Black lives mater" and that police need to be held accountable — to see whether they vote to confirm this tainted mayor and elevate him to a prestigious ambassadorship.

Moderator (2021-10-22). Chris Hedges: God "Caged" in Jersey. scheerpost.com Chris Hedges (in a tie) with the East Jersey State Prison inmates who collaborated to write "Caged," world premiered at Passage Theatre in Trenton, N.J. [Photo courtesy of Chris Hedges] | Click to subscribe on: Journalist and author

Editor2 (2021-10-22). Biden kidnaps Venezuelan Diplomat: #FreeAlexSaab now! orinocotribune.com By Greg Butterfield — Oct 19, 2021 | The Biden administration on Oct. 16 kidnapped Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab from the West African country of Cape Verde, in blatant violation of international law. Under U.S. pressure, Saab had already been imprisoned and tortured in Cape Verde for 16 months. | "On a flight chartered by the [U.S.] Department of Justice, in which the Cape Verdean authorities had no control that could guarantee the safety of the Venezuelan diplomat, because they do not have a bilateral extradition treaty with the North American nation, Alex Saab arrived Saturday night and was transferred to…

_____ (2021-10-22). Palestinians Protest In Support Of Prisoners On Hunger Strike. popularresistance.org On Wednesday, October 20, Palestinians staged a protest at the al-Manara square in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank in solidarity with six prisoners who are on hunger strike against their illegal administrative detention in Israeli jails, reported Al Jazeera. Several Palestinian civil society groups and prisoner rights groups participated in the protest, along with the families of those who are on hunger strike. They called for immediate and unconditional release of the six prisoners and expressed fear about their health. | The six prisoners are Kayed Fasfous, on hunger strike for the last 100 days, Miqdad al-Q…

_____ (2021-10-22). Palestinians Protest In Support Of Prisoners On Hunger Strike, Demand Their Immediate Release. popularresistance.org On Wednesday, October 20, Palestinians staged a protest at the al-Manara square in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank in solidarity with six prisoners who are on hunger strike against their illegal administrative detention in Israeli jails, reported Al Jazeera. Several Palestinian civil society groups and prisoner rights groups participated in the protest, along with the families of those who are on hunger strike. They called for immediate and unconditional release of the six prisoners and expressed fear about their health.

Editor (2021-10-22). A different sort of truth. mronline.org In the novel released this year, Mohamedou Ould Slahi offers a glimpse of the world he created to escape Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, writes Alexander Hartwiger.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-10-22). US detention of Afghan man at Guantanamo is illegal, says court. peoplesdispatch.org Assadullah Gul has spent 14 years at the Guantanamo detention center without being formally charged and tried. He is one of the 39 remaining detainees and underwent physical and psychological torture…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-10-22). New Israeli bill proposes to let police enter homes of Arab citizens without warrant. peoplesdispatch.org Critics argue that in the name of fighting rising crime rates within the Arab community, Israel is legalizing discrimination against Arab citizens. Recently, the policy of indefinite detention. so far followed only in the occupied territories, was extended to Arab citizens of Israel…

Staff (2021-10-22). Former CITGO Executives to Remain in Prison, House Arrest Measure Revoked. orinocotribune.com On Saturday, October 16, six former Venezuelan executives of the state-owned oil company CITGO, a subsidiary of PDVSA, were taken to jail again, according to sources in the judiciary. They had been under house arrest since April this year after being convicted for crimes of embezzlement. Relatives and lawyers confirmed this information. The criminal court that is handling their case revoked their house arrest measure. | One of those executives is José àÅngel Pereira, former president of CITGO. Pereira was sentenced to 13 years and seven months in prison for embezzlement, entering into an agreement with a co…

_____ (2021-10-22). Assange To Get Same Judge Who Sided With US On Appeal Over Medical Issues. popularresistance.org Lord Justice Timothy Holroyde, the High Court judge who reversed an earlier court order to bar the U.S. from appealing Julian Assange's medical issues, will preside over the substantive U.S. appeal hearing at the High Court next week. | In January, lower court Judge Vanessa Baraitser refused the U.S. request to extradite the WikiLeaks publisher because of his high risk of suicide and the conditions of U.S. prisons. The U.S. applied to appeal that decision, which was granted by the High Court in July. The court allowed three of five grounds of appeal, excluding the matter of Assange's health. | The U.S. challenged…

Jacqueline Luqman (2021-10-22). Film Review: Radical Alternatives Left Out of 'The Prison Within'. towardfreedom.org Although "The Prison Within" makes a few fleeting mentions of expanding treatment and mitigation programs to keep traumatized people from going to prison in the first place, restorative justice is presented inside the narrow construct of reforming prisons to make them "better." That all makes sense when the discussion is not intended to be about replacing prisons with humane and truly restorative systems.

Sara Flounders (2021-10-22). Free U.S. political prisoner Dr. Aafia Siddiqui! workers.org The case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui is another great miscarriage of justice in the long history of the U.S. legal-carceral system, which reinforces xenophobia, anti-Muslim prejudice and white supremacy. New York City protest, Oct. 20. Credit: WW PHOTO: Toni Arenstein. Arrested and brought to the United States for a "crime" . . . |

teleSUR (2021-10-22). Belmarsh Tribunal Judges the US For the Assange Case. telesurenglish.net On Friday, the Belmarsh Tribunal held its first face-to-face session at the London Convocation Hall to judge the U.S. government for its crimes against humanity in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and for the imprisonment of Julian Assange, who revealed such information. | RELATED: | With this process, the Belmarsh Court emulates the Russell-Sartre people's court, which sat in Stockholm and Copenhagen in 1967 to try the White House fo…

Molly Davis (2021-10-22). Illinois Bans Cops From Lying to Kids; Your State Should be Next. counterpunch.org Cateresa Matthews was only 14 when she was brutally raped and murdered in Illinois in 1991 — and police botched her investigation. They sent five innocent boys to prison scapegoating justice for her family. In 2012, after spending a cumulative 78 years in prison for a crime they didn't commit, all five were exonerated by

teleSUR (2021-10-22). Chile: Supreme Court Condemns 19 Agents Of The Dictatorship. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, Chile's Supreme Court sentenced 19 agents of the defunct National Intelligence Directorate (DINA) to prison for the kidnapping of the brothers Carlos and Aldo Perez during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990). | RELATED: | In September 1974, these Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR) militants were arrested, tortured, and killed. Judge Hernan Crisosto Greisse determined that Carlos Perez was detained in his office by agents of the Milita…

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2021-10-22: News Headlines

Sara Flounders (2021-10-22). Free U.S. political prisoner Dr. Aafia Siddiqui! workers.org The case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui is another great miscarriage of justice in the long history of the U.S. legal-carceral system, which reinforces xenophobia, anti-Muslim prejudice and white supremacy. New York City protest, Oct. 20. Credit: WW PHOTO: Toni Arenstein. Arrested and brought to the United States for a "crime" . . . |

Moderator (2021-10-22). Chris Hedges: God "Caged" in Jersey. scheerpost.com Chris Hedges (in a tie) with the East Jersey State Prison inmates who collaborated to write "Caged," world premiered at Passage Theatre in Trenton, N.J. [Photo courtesy of Chris Hedges] | Click to subscribe on: Journalist and author

Jeff Cohen (2021-10-22). The big lie in Rahm Emanuel's Senate testimony. nationofchange.org Now all eyes will be on Merkley — and other Democratic senators who profess that "Black lives mater" and that police need to be held accountable — to see whether they vote to confirm this tainted mayor and elevate him to a prestigious ambassadorship.

Editor (2021-10-22). A different sort of truth. mronline.org In the novel released this year, Mohamedou Ould Slahi offers a glimpse of the world he created to escape Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, writes Alexander Hartwiger.

_____ (2021-10-22). Palestinians Protest In Support Of Prisoners On Hunger Strike, Demand Their Immediate Release. popularresistance.org On Wednesday, October 20, Palestinians staged a protest at the al-Manara square in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank in solidarity with six prisoners who are on hunger strike against their illegal administrative detention in Israeli jails, reported Al Jazeera. Several Palestinian civil society groups and prisoner rights groups participated in the protest, along with the families of those who are on hunger strike. They called for immediate and unconditional release of the six prisoners and expressed fear about their health.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-10-22). New Israeli bill proposes to let police enter homes of Arab citizens without warrant. peoplesdispatch.org Critics argue that in the name of fighting rising crime rates within the Arab community, Israel is legalizing discrimination against Arab citizens. Recently, the policy of indefinite detention. so far followed only in the occupied territories, was extended to Arab citizens of Israel…

Molly Davis (2021-10-22). Illinois Bans Cops From Lying to Kids; Your State Should be Next. counterpunch.org Cateresa Matthews was only 14 when she was brutally raped and murdered in Illinois in 1991 — and police botched her investigation. They sent five innocent boys to prison scapegoating justice for her family. In 2012, after spending a cumulative 78 years in prison for a crime they didn't commit, all five were exonerated by

Jacqueline Luqman (2021-10-22). Film Review: Radical Alternatives Left Out of 'The Prison Within'. towardfreedom.org Although "The Prison Within" makes a few fleeting mentions of expanding treatment and mitigation programs to keep traumatized people from going to prison in the first place, restorative justice is presented inside the narrow construct of reforming prisons to make them "better." That all makes sense when the discussion is not intended to be about replacing prisons with humane and truly restorative systems.

teleSUR (2021-10-22). Chile: Supreme Court Condemns 19 Agents Of The Dictatorship. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, Chile's Supreme Court sentenced 19 agents of the defunct National Intelligence Directorate (DINA) to prison for the kidnapping of the brothers Carlos and Aldo Perez during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990). | RELATED: | In September 1974, these Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR) militants were arrested, tortured, and killed. Judge Hernan Crisosto Greisse determined that Carlos Perez was detained in his office by agents of the Milita…

teleSUR (2021-10-22). Belmarsh Tribunal Judges the US For the Assange Case. telesurenglish.net On Friday, the Belmarsh Tribunal held its first face-to-face session at the London Convocation Hall to judge the U.S. government for its crimes against humanity in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and for the imprisonment of Julian Assange, who revealed such information. | RELATED: | With this process, the Belmarsh Court emulates the Russell-Sartre people's court, which sat in Stockholm and Copenhagen in 1967 to try the White House fo…

It's Going Down (2021-10-21). This Is America #150: University Occupations Spread; Daniel Baker Gets 3.5 Years for Facebook Posts. itsgoingdown.org photo: @ChuckModi1 Welcome, to This Is America, October 20th, 2021. On today's episode, we speak with attorney Brad Thomson about the case of anarchist and antifascist, Dan Baker, who was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison in Florida, after posting calls to social media for counter-demonstrations against the far-Right, directly after the attempted January 6th…

Staff (2021-10-21). Headlines for October 21, 2021. democracynow.org Republican Senators Use Filibuster to Block Federal Voting Rights Bill, Biden Touts Compromise Deal After Sens. Manchin and Sinema Reject Build Back Better Agenda, White House Prepares for Mass Vaccinations of Children Aged 5 to 11 in November, Police Unions Oppose COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates, Senate Questions Rahm Emanual on Police Murder of Laquan McDonald in Ambassadorship Hearing, Syrian Civilians Killed in Idlib Shelling; HRW Warns of Abuses Against Returning Refugees, Ethiopian Gov't Continues Airstrikes in Tigray Amid Mounting Humanitarian Crisis, U.S. Court Rules in Favor of Guantánamo Prisoner Held for 14…

Editor2 (2021-10-21). The US Flies Alex Saab Out From Cabo Verde Without Court Order or Extradition Treaty. orinocotribune.com By Dan Kovalik — Oct 18, 2021 | On October 16, Colombian businessman and Venezuelan Special Envoy Alex Saab was in practical terms kidnapped for the second time, first by Cabo Verde under pressure from Washington, and now by the U.S., in flagrant violation of international law. | For nearly a year and a half, Saab had been imprisoned on the island nation of Cabo Verde, 400 miles off the northwestern coast of Africa in the Atlantic. As a Bloomberg article

Dario Alvarez (2021-10-21). My Life Was Derailed By a Traffic Ticket. aclu.org The morning started out like any other. I was on my way to work at a food safety lab, in a new car with tinted windows and a temporary plate displayed behind tinted windows. A highway patrol officer pulled me over and gave me a ticket for the windows and for not having a license plate, because he couldn't see it. I thought it was a minor infraction. I didn't know it would kick off an ordeal that has cost me thousands of dollars and three jobs for over a decade since. That traffic ticket changed my life and I am still feeling the effects every day. | I ended up facing fines of about $500 in total, including abo…

Dania Akkad (2021-10-21). UN: Palestinians detained in Saudi Arabia are held arbitrarily and should be released. middleeasteye.net UN: Palestinians detained in Saudi Arabia are held arbitrarily and should be released | UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention says Hamas leader and his son are 'deprived of their liberty' in Riyadh because they are Palestinians | Thu, 10/21/2021 – 13: 57 | Mohammed al-Khoudary, 83, was being treated for prostate cancer at the time of his arrest in April 2019 and has been denied medical treatment while…

teleSUR (2021-10-21). IMF Drawing Rights Allocation Discriminates Against Venezuela. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez accused the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of discriminating against Venezuela during the allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). | RELATED: | "Venezuela will continue to denounce that we are victims of discrimination… Our people are being denied the US$5 billion assigned to our country," Rodriguez said during the 7th Forum of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Dev…

Mark Ashwill (2021-10-21). Of Spirits, Martyrs & Legends: the Magic & Sorrow of Vietnam's Cà¥n S∆°n Island. counterpunch.org This tropical paradise was a penal colony during the French colonial era and the US War in Vietnam. For 22,000 Vietnamese and some Cambodians, Cà¥n S∆°n Island was literally the last stop on a journey that began with their arrest and incarceration on the mainland. Their crime? Resisting the foreign invader du jour and fighting for their country's independence and unification. In addition to execution, causes of death included disease and torture.

Staff (2021-10-21). Jailed Egyptian Activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah Publishes Prison Writings as Sisi Cracks Down on Dissent. democracynow.org The Biden administration says it is withholding about 10% of its annual military aid to Egypt because of concerns over human rights abuses by the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Egypt will still get nearly $1.2 billion in military assistance, even as a new report by Human Rights Watch finds Egyptian authorities have killed perhaps hundreds of secretly held dissidents in extrajudicial executions in recent years. Egypt holds an estimated 60,000 political prisoners, including the prominent activist and blogger Alaa Abd El-Fattah, who appeared in court this week to face charges of spreading "false news"

Staff (2021-10-21). Uprising continues inside Israeli occupation prisons as more Palestinian prisoners join collective strike. samidoun.net Mahmoud al-Ardah, the leader of the Freedom Tunnel operation in which six Palestinian prisoners liberated themselves from Gilboa prison, launched an open hunger strike on 21 October in the Ayalon prison in Ramleh where he is held. He launched his strike to reject the arbitrary penalties and deprivation of rights imposed upon him and his […] | The article

Tamara Nassar (2021-10-21). 100 days without food in a fight for freedom. electronicintifada.net Prison authorities continue reprisals following great escape.

Editor2 (2021-10-21). 'In the Spirit of Mandela': International Tribunal Seeks to Charge US Government with Crimes Against Humanity. orinocotribune.com By Bob Lederer and Matt Meyer — Oct 18, 2021 | In this era of police violence, pandemic worries, and economic crisis, it is no surprise that U.S. (and local) government agencies have a poor track record of sharing information honestly and directly—especially information about their own complicity in actions and policies that are undemocratic, militaristic, racist, sexist or otherwise oppressive. | Basic truths about the society we live in are actively suppressed and denied—including truths about the imprisonment of those whose political views and actions challenge the powers that be. | Though the…

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