Neo-Nazis seize German village

Neo-Nazis have taken over the entire village of Jamel in northeastern Germany, and are running it as a “nationally liberated zone”—with no interference from authorities.

Belarus: pressure grows for release of detained dissidents

Belarussian dissidents are calling for sanctions against the regime, with 200 of the protesters arrested last month still being held—some 30 in special KGB political prisons.

Belarus: demand immediate release of all political prisoners

From exile in Warsaw, Belarussian opposition activists demanded release of all dissidents arrested in last month’s wave of terror, and sanctions against the Lukashenko regime.

Why the media blackout of WikiLeaks-Belarus scandal?

The NY Times reports that the US is warning foreign dissidents named in the WikiLeaks cables of possible repression—but fails to note that this is already happening in Belarus.

Anarchist cell claims Rome embassy attacks

Italian authorities say an anarchist cell claimed responsibility for parcel bomb attacks on the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome, in which two staff members were injured.

HRW protests deportation of Roma to Kosova

Roma and related minority groups deported from Western Europe to Kosova face discrimination and severe deprivation amounting to human rights abuse, Human Rights Watch says in a new report.

Spain: police on trial for alleged torture of ETA members

A group of Spanish police officers went on trial for the alleged torture of two ETA activists who were convicted and sentenced to prison in the 2006 Madrid airport bombing that killed two people.

Hungary: CEO arrested over deadly chemical spill

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that police have arrested Mal Rt CEO Zoltan Bakonyi on criminal negligence charges for the company’s role in last week’s Akja chemical spill.

Hungary: sludge spill flows toward Danube River

A flood of red toxic sludge spilled by an aluminum plant in western Hungary has advanced along a secondary tributary to the Danube River and could reach the international waterway by the weekend.

Italy: green mayor assassinated

Organized crime is widely suspected in the slaying of Angelo Vassallo, the environmentally conscious mayor of the Italian coastal town of Pollica.

International day of action for imprisoned Russian anti-fascists

An international day of action has been called for Sept. 17 to support Alexei Gaskarov and Maxim Solopov, two young anti-fascist activists facing prison in Russia.

Echoes of Nazism seen in Sarkozy’s Roma policy

France reacted angrily to comments by former Cuban leader Fidel Castro that Paris is carrying out a “racial holocaust” against the Roma community with its policy of forced expulsions.