Intimidation

Sri Lanka journalists protest over attacks

pirate — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:49:52 -0400

by Amal Jayasinghe Wed Jul 2, 2008

COLOMBO (AFP) - Hundreds of Sri Lankan reporters and cameramen staged a protest outside President Mahinda Rajapakse's home Wednesday demanding an end to a wave of killings, abductions and assaults against journalists.

Media workers' associations peacefully demonstrated outside the main access to Rajapakse's Temple Trees residence while dozens of unarmed police stood behind yellow iron barricades. read more »

UC Berkeley Starts To Remove Tree-Sits at Memorial Oak Grove

pirate — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:24:09 -0400

Indybay.org June 16, 2008

On Tuesday, June 17th, at least five hired contract workers arrived at 6:30am and climbed into the branches of the oak trees to take down tree-sit platforms. On Tuesday, June 17th, at least five hired contract workers arrived at 6:30am and climbed into the branches of the oak trees to take down tree-sit platforms. Around 5pm, one woman tree-sitter was taken down from a tree and arrested. Police cordoned off the area with barricades as oaks supporters converged on the site. read more »

Number of refugees worldwide rises to 11.4 million

pirate — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:43:51 -0400

By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press June, 17, 2008

LONDON - Tents, sacks of food and a replica of a burnt-out village hut appeared in Trafalgar Square on Tuesday as a tourist hotspot became a refugee camp to highlight the plight of millions of people displaced in Darfur and elsewhere.

The display, set up to mark World Refugee Day this week, came as the U.N. refugee agency reported a record 11.4 million people were driven from their home countries last year. read more »

Mexican troops and police threaten food supply in La Garrucha

rick — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:55:03 -0400

On June 4, 2008 some 200 Mexican troops and police engaged in aggressive actions against Zapatistas in the Patiwitz Canyon of the Lacandon Jungle. Specifically the heavily armed military / police convoy entered the corn and banana fields surrounding Zapatista communities. This threat to the communities' only food supplies provoked a desperate response by Mayan boys and girls, women, and men. read more »

U.S. detains terror suspects on ships: rights group

pirate — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:25:12 -0400

Mon Jun 2,2008

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has been secretly detaining terrorism suspects aboard floating "prison ships," a British legal charity charged on Monday, but the Pentagon described the report as inaccurate. read more »

Main Core and Martial Law: The Central Database They'd Use to Populate the Camps

rafael — Mon, 26 May 2008 21:10:03 -0400

This article from Radar magazine discusses (all in good histrionic-free reporterese) "Main Core", the database that may identify contain up to 6 million names the Fascist's in power would want to round up if they ever got their martial law,. read more »

Immigration raids at 11 El Balazo restaurants - 63 seized

pirate — Sat, 03 May 2008 15:49:55 -0400

(In apparent retaliation for the mass immigration rallies on May 1. SR)

Heather Knight San Francisco Chronicle May 3, 2008

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Friday stormed 11 El
Balazo restaurants around the Bay Area, arresting 63 illegal immigrants -
and drawing the outrage of immigration advocates who had marched the
previous day to call for the legalization of undocumented workers.

The raids began at 10:30 Friday morning in San Francisco, San Ramon,
Lafayette, Concord, Pleasanton and Danville and involved 62 people from
Mexico and one from Guatemala. read more »

Venezuela: Peasants Murdered

pirate — Sat, 03 May 2008 15:37:45 -0400

From: EL NUEVO TOPO <giltapia@igc.org>

May 3, 2008 10:51 Two peasants were murdered on or about April 25, according to the Frente Campesino Ezequiel Zamora. (FNCEZ)

The FNCEZ states: "A group of criminals who hide behind police uniformssilenced the lives of two noted peasants, Fabricio Duglas Ivan Perez Heredia and his brother Engel Alexander Hernesto Perez Heredia. Their bodies were found in the zone of Pavia. Witnesses confirmed that the companeros were transported in a police car shortly before their bodies were found. read more »

China sentences 30 for alleged involvement in Tibet riots

pirate — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:02:41 -0400

By TINI TRAN, Associated Press April 29, 2008

BEIJING - A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced 30 people, including six monks, to jail terms ranging from three years to life in prison for their alleged roles in deadly riots in the Tibetan capital last month, state media reported.

The Intermediate People's Court of Lhasa announced the sentences at an open session, state media reported. The trial was the first since the mid-March riots. read more »

Pentagon records detail prisoner abuse by US military

pirate — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:59:49 -0400

By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press April 16, 2008

WASHINGTON - Military interrogators assaulted Afghan detainees in 2003, using investigation methods they learned during self-defense training, Pentagon documents released Wednesday show. read more »