[Canada] Support Bill C-300 - Activist being intimidated, jailed or even killed for asking BP or the USA to do more!

  Posted by Siriel Admin 2010 Jun 21 - 12:51am 

   [Themes:  | Canada & Quebec | El Salvador | Guatemala | Niger | USA | •Activ. & Actions | •Democracy | ::Justice & Human Rights:: ]

Photo Credit: Forced eviction leaves Maya Q’eqchi’ elder homeless in eastern Guatemala. January 2007 Copyright: James Rodriguez/MiMundo

June 17, 2010
Today, international headlines are occupied with the news of the environmental disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico– with inevitable comparisons made to the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989.

What’s less well known is that this amount of oil is spilt every year in Africa’s Niger Delta* – one of the ten most important wetland and coastal marine ecosystems in the world.

What’s worse is that the spill in Nigeria is happening next to people’s homes and water and food sources, without anywhere near adequate clean up.

Imagine an environmental activist being intimidated, jailed or even killed for asking British Petroleum or the US Administration to do more to prevent this kind of environmental disaster.

 Freedom Flotilla to Gaza - news summary and videos

  Posted by Siriel Admin 2010 May 31 - 6:07pm 

   [Themes:  | Israel | Palestine | ::Justice & Human Rights:: | ::World Relations:: ]

[ NEWS SUMMARY ] This editorial from the Electronic Intifada gives a good summary of what’s known so far in regards to the deadly attack inflicted by Israeli forces on the Freedom Flotilla. There is a lot that isn’t known, since Israel has not released basic information such as: Names of the dead and injured. -Racheli Gai (Jewish Peace News).

[ ARTICLE ] Israeli attack on Gaza ship violates International Law

– Paul Jay, CEO and Senior Editor of The Real News Network. He is an award-winning filmmaker, founder of Hot Docs! International Film Festival and was for ten years the Executive Producer of the CBC Newsworld show counterSpin.

VIDEO NEWS REPORTS suggested by TheREALnews Network

 Members of Swedish Parliament demand security for Ship to Gaza

  Posted by Siriel Admin 2010 May 20 - 10:29pm 

   [Themes:  | Israel | Palestine | Suede/Sweden | ::World Relations:: | •Sanctions-blockade ]

Press release 20 May 2010

On Wednesday, Helén Pettersson, Social Democratic member of the Swedish Parliament, submitted a written inquiry to Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, asking what measures the government intends to take in order to protect Ship to Gaza’s peaceful, lawful, humanitarian initiative. The reason for the inquiry is that Ship to Gaza and the Freedom Flotilla—the coalition in which the Swedish initiative will be included— has been threatened with military resistance from Israeli authorities and private individuals. The following is Petterson’s inquiry in its entirety:

“One and a half million Palestinians are living in isolation on the Gaza Strip, in pure misery. There is a shortage of food, medicine and other necessities, such as building materials to repair homes, schools and other buildings which were destroyed by the bombings during the war around Christmas in 2008. In order to address the situation, Ship to Gaza is planning to take the sea route to Gaza, bringing medicine, desalination plants, cement, etc. in order to help the people in need. Ship to Gaza is a politically and religiously independent, non-profit organization that is working to promote increased respect for human rights and general international law. Israel’s government has now threatened to stop Ship to Gaza and to use force if necessary. Does the Foreign Minister intend to protect this humanitarian initiative?”

 Palestinian teens killed as tensions rise (theREALnews Network)

  Posted by Siriel Admin 2010 Mar 24 - 2:24pm 

   [Themes:  | Israel | Palestine | •Crime of War | •Untruthful Propaganda ]

Four teenagers in the West Bank villages of Iraq Burin and Awarta were killed this weekend by Israeli soldiers. Initially the army denied the use of live ammunition but an X-ray of an M-16 bullet lodged in the skull of one of the killed disproved the claim. In the second incident, where Israeli soldiers detained two teenage farmers, the army claimed the Palestinians were shot (one with five bullets and the other with at least two) because they attempted to attack a soldier with pitchforks, knives, or axes. The Real News’ Lia Tarachansky spoke to Edo Medicks and Jesse Rosenfeld of The Daily Nuisance. Rosenfeld and Medicks attended the funerals at Iraq Burin when the shooting in Awarta took place and investigated what actually took place.

Source: theREALnews Network, March 24, 2010.

 Support Russian Activists Calling for their Constitutional Rights (Strategy 31)

  Posted by Siriel Admin 2010 Mar 23 - 3:38am 

   [Themes:  | Russia | •Activ. & Actions | •Democracy | •Personal Freedoms ]

On March 31, 2010, hundreds of protesters are expected to gather in Moscow and other Russian cities to exercise their Constitutional right to freedom of assembly. Previous protests have been broken up and obstructed by the authorities, and numerous human rights defenders and activist have been detained.

TAKE ACTION NOW to urge Russian President Dmitri Medvedev to grant peaceful protesters the rights guaranteed to them by Article 31 of the Russian Constitution and by binding international human rights treaties.

Click Here to Take Action »» (on line message-action from Human Rights First)

Human rights defenders and opposition political activists have formed a coalition in Russia to defend basic political rights that have been under attack for years. The Strategy 31 protests are organized on the 31st day of every month that has 31 days, with the next one scheduled to take place on March 31st. They take their name from Article 31 of the Russian Constitution, which upholds freedom of peaceful assembly.

 [Canada - Afghanistan] No Olympic Truce in Marjah

  Posted by Siriel Admin 2010 Feb 19 - 4:48pm 

   [Themes:  | Afghanistan | Canada & Quebec | •Imperialism & Neocon. | •Untruthful Propaganda | •Protection Duty ]

While our Prime Minister talks about the the “Olympic Truce”, a symbolic suspension of war during the winter games, the people of Afghanistan are facing a new wave of violence.

The official website for the 2010 Winter Olympics claims that “Vancouver 2010 aims to pursue the Olympic Truce (www.olympictruce.org) goals of protecting the interests of athletes and contributing to peaceful and diplomatic solutions to conflict around the world.” However, on Friday, February 12, NATO forces launched the largest assault to date in the nine year war.

 [Palestine] 18 Demonstrators arrested after a Gate in the Wall was Breached in Deir alGhussoun

  Posted by Siriel Admin 2009 Nov 15 - 3:19am 

   [Themes:  | Israel | Palestine | •Soc: Associations | ::Justice & Human Rights:: ]

14 November 2009
(إصابة متظاهر واعتقال ثمانية عشر شابا خلال مظاهرة ضد الجدار العنصري في دير الغصون)

The protesters were arrested as the demonstration was coming to an end, by soldiers who invaded the village and flanked them from the back.

Eighteen demonstrators were arrested today in the West Bank village of Deir alGhussoun, north of Tul Karem, after Israel’s Separation Wall was breached by Palestinian, Israeli and international protesters. The protesters intended to march to village’s lands that were left isolated behind the Wall, and managed to break open one of the barrier’s gates.

 Quebec Court rejects Bil'ins' (Palestine) claim against builders registered in Quebec

  Posted by Siriel Admin 2009 Oct 2 - 5:02pm 

   [Themes:  | Canada & Quebec | Israel | Palestine | •Crime of War | ::World Relations:: ]

Palestinian village’s Court Case is dismissed by Quebec Judge

Montreal, September 28th, 2009 (Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East) – In his decision of September 18th, Judge Louis-Paul Cullen of the Superior Court of Quebec dismissed the case of the Palestinian village of Bil’in which had filed a lawsuit against Green Mount International Inc. and Green Park International Inc., two companies registered in Quebec and involved in the construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The judge based his argument on the legal exception of forum non conveniens, arguing that Quebec courts lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate, arguing that the case must be decided in Israeli courts.

 Gaza's Water Supply Near Collapse (IPS)

  Posted by Siriel Admin 2009 Sep 23 - 12:31pm 

   [Themes:  | Israel | Palestine | •Sanctions-blockade ]

By Mel Frykberg, Sept. 16, 2009 – Copyright© IPS-Inter Press Service.

RAMALLAH, Sep 16 (IPS) – The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that Gaza’s access to safe supply of drinking water could cease at any time. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says outbreaks of disease could be triggered as a consequence.

... During Israel’s bombardment of Gaza during the December-January war, the strip’s already degraded infrastructure was heavily targeted.

... Javier Cordoba, the ICRC water and habitation coordinator who is supervising Red Cross reconstruction efforts in Gaza says the situation is very fragile. “A lack of construction material and parts has led to a de-development of the water infrastructure, which could collapse at any minute,” Cordoba told IPS.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48464

The population of Gaza is submitted to an Israeli and Egyptian blockade.
     / La population de Gaza est soumise à un blocus israélien et égyptien.

 BBC: UN condemns 'war crimes' in Gaza

  Posted by Siriel Admin 2009 Sep 16 - 10:39am 

   [Themes:  | Israel | Palestine | •Crime of War | ::World Relations:: ]

Une entrevue avec le Dr. Finkelstein au sujet du rapport Goldstone de l’ONU
sur les crimes commis lors de l’attaque sur Gaza en janvier 2009: voir l’article ici»»

BBC News – Sept. 16, 2009.

There is evidence that both Israeli and Palestinian forces committed war crimes in the recent conflict in Gaza, a long-awaited official UN report says.

Selected excerpts :

The Israeli operations, the document states, “were carefully planned in all their phases as a deliberately disproportionate attack designed to punish, humiliate and terrorise a civilian population”. [...]

[About rockets launched on Israeli communities] It says the launching of rockets which “cannot be aimed with precision at military targets” breaches the fundamental principle of sparing civilian lives. [...]

Eight months after the conflict, very little reconstruction has taken place in Gaza because of the strict Israeli-imposed blockade which bans all but essential supplies from entering the enclave.

The stated aim of the blockade is to weaken Hamas’s leadership but aid agencies say it serves only to punish the civilian population.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8257301.stm

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Le rapport complet est disponible par le lien ci-dessous (site officiel)
The full report can be found with this link (official page)
اللغة العربية (Arabic) | 中文 (Chinese) | English | Français | Pусский | Español

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/9/FactFindingMission.htm