The trial of Saddam Hussein is once again in the headlines. The first case against him, concerning the 1982 mass arrests and killing of Shi’ites at the town of Dujail, has been concluded. Presiding Judge Raouf Abdel-Rahman charged Saddam with… Read moreSaddam trial tackles Kurdish genocide: grim test for historical memory
The Bush administration has been meeting with quite a few reversals at the hands of the judiciary lately, as we have noted. From CNN, Aug. 21: MIAMI — A federal judge in Miami on Monday dismissed a terror count against… Read moreJudge drops Padilla terror charge, calling it redundant
Citing “lack of evidence,” on Aug. 14 a Haitian criminal tribunal in Port-au-Prince headed by Judge Fritznel Fils-Aime ordered the immediate release of Annette Auguste (“So Ann”), Georges Honore, Yvon Antoine (“Zap-Zap”) and Paul Raymond, prominent supporters of former president… Read moreHaiti: Lavalas activists freed; Constant convicted
According to the Indianist Missionary Council (CIMI), a Catholic church-based group which works in solidarity with Brazil’s indigenous communities, 15 Tupinikim and Guarani indigenous people and seven non-indigenous people have been jailed since Aug. 9 in the city of Aracruz,… Read moreBrazil: land barons set up arrests of indigenous leaders
Simon Romero writes for the New York Times, Aug. 21 (emphasis added): Venezuela, Tired of US Influence, Strengthens Its Relationships in the Middle East CARACAS — Venezuela has long cultivated ties with Middle Eastern governments, finding common ground in trying… Read moreVenezuela-Iran alignment grows
Peru’s populist hero of the left faces charges in an atrocity from the “dirty war” against leftist guerillas in the early ’90s. From Lima’s La Republica via Living in Peru, Aug. 16: Arturo Campos Vicente, district attorney of Tocache, has… Read morePeru: Ollanta Humala charged in “dirty war” atrocity
Colombian authorities detained 14 top paramilitary leaders Aug. 16, saying they were not complying with the amnesty law. The leaders, who include two former commanders wanted in the United States on drug-trafficking charges, were taken into custody in various parts… Read moreColombia: paramilitary leaders arrested
From AP, Aug. 22: Close election in Chiapas spurs another protest TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, MEXICO – The dispute over Mexico’s presidential vote took a new twist Monday as a gubernatorial candidate backed by the ruling party vowed to protest a state… Read moreMexico’s electoral crisis: Chiapas next?
From Xinhua, Aug. 22: Mexico’s Jews march for Middle East peace More than 1,500 people, mostly Jews, staged a peaceful protest on Monday, calling for peace in the Middle East and an end to the armed conflict between Israel and… Read moreMexican Jews march for Middle East peace
From an Aug. 22 NYC Die-In Press Release: New York Jews Stage PENN STATION “DIE-IN” Say to Israel and U.S.: The War Didn’t Work, Honor the Cease-Fire! Destroying Lebanese and Palestinian societies is a crime, not a security policy New… Read moreNYC: Jews stage Penn Station “Die-in”
From the Washington Post, Aug. 21:. BAGHDAD, Iraq – Sunni Arab insurgents armed with rifles and mortar shells killed 20 pilgrims and wounded 300 others who thronged the capital Sunday for one of Shiite Islam’s most important holidays, authorities said…. Read moreBaghdad: Shi’ite pilgrims massacred —again
This comes, of course, in response to activist pressure. On Aug. 17, a lively grassroots “public hearing” on the proposed regulations was held at St. Marks Church in the East Village, where at least three City Council members spoke out… Read moreNYC: another victory in Critical Mass struggle
