A UN human rights expert on Thursday accused Bangladeshi security forces of using murder as a means of law enforcement and warned that the country's reputation was on the line. "The government of Bangladesh must stop the Rapid Action Batallion and other elite security forces from using murder as a policing technique," the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions Philip Alston said in a statement.
Alston said in a report that his request for information on 27 deaths that authorities had attributed to "crossfire" in police shootouts had gone unanswered. "The pattern of incidents would suggest that what the police and special forces report as crossfire' deaths are in fact staged extrajudicial executions," the report added. Alston called the Bangladeshi government's "apparent indifference" to the allegations "deeply disturbing."
"The involvement of the police in extrajudicial executions is of great concern to the international community, and the reputation of Bangladesh is on the line," he warned. Alston, an Australian academic, underlined that the state of emergency could not justify any violations of the right to life.
President Iajuddin Ahmed imposed emergency rule in January and cancelled disputed elections scheduled that month. The new government, headed by former central bank governor Fakhruddin Ahmed, said earlier this month that it would set up a national human rights commission as soon as possible to deal with all rights issues.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
No, no! It was those d*mn Shutter-Guns®, I tell ya...
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
03/30/2007 10:11 Comments ||
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I've been following this for months, and it's quite apparent that cohorts are to blame. Maybe Phil the Expert should take an Upazila trip at 2:15AM and see if any miscreants sense his presense.
The Department of Defense announced today that the United States will cease operations at two military facilities in the United Kingdom. With the U.S. European Commands force structure realignment and transformation, it was determined that RAF West Ruislip and RAF Daws Hill are no longer required. Facilities affected by this decision will begin the process of return to the host nation. As with all stationing actions, the United States coordinated with host nation officials before making this announcement. For additional information regarding this announcement, contact Navy Region Europe public affairs.
Never heard of these two, must be small detachments
#1
West Ruislip used to be a SAC forward operating base and weapons stockpile. With extended range aircraft and a different enemy, they're no longer needed. I've never heard of Daws Hill myself. For our Brit friends: exactly where in Britain are these two installations? That would help answer both what they were used for, and why they're closing.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/30/2007 13:13 Comments ||
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what they were used for
Propping up the local economy
why they're closing
We're tired of propping up the local economy
#3
Daws Hill is aboot 30 mi W of London off M40. It became a major place for directing bombers armed with nukes (from Answers.com)
Then, in 1975, activity escalated, revitalizing the base's importance to the American military in Europe. Its nuclear bunker, with 23,000 square feet (2,100 square meters) of space, housed high-tech equipment for the direction of nuclear bombers and guided missiles.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/30/2007 15:24 Comments ||
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The European Union has drawn up guidelines advising government spokesmen to refrain from linking Islam and terrorism in their statements. Brussels officials have confirmed the existence of a classified handbook which offers "non-offensive" phrases to use when announcing anti-terrorist operations or dealing with terrorist attacks.
Banned terms are said to include "jihad", "Islamic" or "fundamentalist". Ban the words, and the things they refer to disappear? Neat! The word "jihad" is to be avoided altogether, according to some sources, because for Muslims the word can mean a personal struggle to live a moral life. Depends on what you mean by "moral"...
One alternative, suggested publicly last year, is for the term "Islamic terrorism" to be replaced by "terrorists who abusively invoke Islam". "Abusively invoke Islam"??? As in screaming "Allahu Akhbar!! when they slit your throat???" Dear God...
An EU official said that the secret guidebook, or, "common lexicon", is aimed at preventing the distortion of the Muslim faith and the alienation of Muslims in Europe. Got bad news for you: Muslims are "pre-alienated".
"The common lexicon includes guidance on a number of frequently used terms where lack of care by EU and member states' spokespeople may give rise to misunderstandings," he said. "Careful usage of certain terms is not about empty political correctness but stems from astute awareness of the EU's interests in the fight against terrorism. "Terrorists exploit and augment suspicions." No, terrorists exploit and augment weakness-- like this happy horseshit.
Details on the contents of the lexicon remain secret, but British officials stressed that it is there as a helpful aid "providing context" for civil servants making speeches or giving press conferences. "We are fully signed up to this, but it is not binding," said one.
However, Conservative MEP Syed Kamall hit out at the lexicon. "It is this kind of political correctness and secrecy that creates resentment among both the mainstream in Europe and in Islam," he said. Meanwhile, UK Independence Party MEP Gerard Batten claimed that the EU was in denial over the true roots of terrorism. "This type of newspeak shows that the EU refuses to face reality," he said. "The major world terrorist threat is one posed by ideology and that ideology is inspired by fundamentalist jihadi Islam."
I think we need a new category here at Rantburg: call it "Circling the Drain", or maybe "Not With A Bang But A Whimper" or something like that. Poor bastards, they're doomed.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
03/30/2007 10:41 ||
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Funny how you can also tell when an English-language phrase was originally coined in French. So, what does the manual say I should call "treasonous cunts"?
#10
My gawd. Well at least NATO's expeditionary units now have some general guidance about how to treat any jihadis whose bomb-belts malfunction, etc. Whatever you do, my gawd man don't use a term that might be misunderstood and cause "suspicions".
#11
Inbred cluelessness. The European Union is doomed, either to dhimmitude or self-destruction. The Eastern European nations might want to opt out now, and take the economic pounding before they're totally destroyed from within. We also need to start weeding out NATO "partners" with no military capability to even stand up for themselves any better than the Belgians in 1940. What was that, "History repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as farce."? Let's see - 1914-1918, 1939-1945, 2007-????. This time, let's defeat their enemies, but leave the rebuilding bill to THEM.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/30/2007 13:23 Comments ||
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The European Union has drawn up guidelines advising government spokesmen to refrain from linking Islam and terrorism in their statements.
Next step: guidelines on how to avoid Thought Crime.
Meanwhile, UK Independence Party MEP Gerard Batten claimed that the EU was in denial over the true roots of terrorism. "This type of newspeak shows that the EU refuses to face reality,
#13
In fairness, I get the feeling these people are desperately attempting to avoid the kind of sectarian violence that we are seeing in Iraq now between Sunnis and Shias. Only in Europe it would be between muzzies and their post-christian hosts and on a far more massive scale, more like the holocaust of WWII. The problem is they might already be past the point of no return. If I was a muzzie I would think seriously about that because, as wimpy as they look to us now, the Europeans have a long history of extreme violence and it wouldn't be the first time that muzzies have been on the losing end of it. They all got righteously indignant about Slobodan Milosevic but if push comes to shove the Germans, French, Spanish and others have all proven many times over that they can be even worse. Nobody in their right mind wants it and all this PC bullshit is just a shaky, unrealistic attempt to keep a lid on it in the hope that someday the more "fundamentalist" elements will mellow out.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/30/2007 20:53 Comments ||
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Appeasement writ large. Chamberlain would be so proud.
I'll second the Newspeak observations. Right about now, George Orwell should be topping out at around 10,000 RPMs.
When clean-up time comes, people who collaborated (and I do mean collaborated), on this tract of treason and other crapulence like it should be trotted off to the nearest lamp post for a brief aerial view of things.
A Jordanian national accused of laundering at least $6 million via fraudulent schemes will remain behind bars because of fear he will flee the country before he can be tried. "At this point the case is strong," said U.S. Magistrate Holly B. Fitzsimmons said of the charges facing Fares Khraisat, 37, of Judd Road, Easton and owner of Zam Zam Telecard Inc., 2690 East Main St. "He knows he's going to be deported and his wife is going to be deported. That's a powerful incentive to flee."
Khraisat and his wife, Jumana Qutishat, 29, were among five people arrested Friday when the FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Secret Service pulled the wraps off a two-year money-laundering and immigration-fraud case. Agents detained 10 illegal immigrants found working at Zam Zam Telecard and being paid "under the table," according to Assistant U.S. Attorney David Ring.
Khraisat and his wife face deportation because Ring said the government has proof that she participated in a sham marriage with a U.S. citizen so she could stay in the country. She then divorced the citizen and married Khraisat, with whom she already had two children, allowing him to stay in the country. "She admitted this to agents from INS," Ring said, referring to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. "That makes it highly, highly, highly unlikely of either of them maintaining citizenship here."
Khraisat and Amer Ramzi Chanal, 46, of Forest Hills, N.Y. both pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the numerous charges they face. Any trial will take place before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall. Chanal was caught Oct. 26, 2006 leaving Khraisat's store with a box containing $50,000 cash. The plan was to move the money to a bank in Hong Kong and then to a bank in Jordan, the prosecution charged. Ring also said Khraisat owns the $1.5 million strip mall where Zam Zam is located, while his wife owns a home on Quarry Road in Monroe worth at least $600,000, with no mortgage. Khraisat also has at least $600,000 equity in his multi-million dollar Judd Road home in Easton, Ring said.
Ring said Khraisat's cousin, Hamzeh, 38, is now in Jordan. Hamzeh Khraisat is accused of laundering money he got by selling high-priced jewelry that he bought using credit cards. The credit card bills were never paid and he fled to Jordan. Ring said Jordan will "not extradict" Hamzeh or allow the government to seize a $300,000 apartment Fares Khraisat bought there last year.
Ira Grudberg, Fares Khraisat's lawyer, said none of the crimes is "heinous" and the fact the couple has three children and property is enough to keep him here. But Ring countered that Khraisat and his wife will be deported no matter whether they are convicted and sentenced to prison or acquitted.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2007 00:00 ||
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They're only doing the credit card, money laundering, tax evasion, illegal immigrant fake marriage scams Americans aren't willing to do...
Girl students of Jamia Hafsa on Thursday released an alleged brothel owner and her relatives, but only after forcing her to repent in public. The students kidnapped Shamim Akhtar, her daughter, daughter-in-law and a six-month-old baby from their house on the allegation that they were running a brothel on Tuesday night. They were released only after Shamim read out a statement to the press confessing that her house had been misused. I am under no pressure to say this and I also now plan to vacate the house where I live, she said at the press conference, at which she appeared in a veil alongside the head of the madrassa, Abdul Rashid Ghazi.
Ghazi said Shamim had been given three options: seek forgiveness; face a case in the Federal Shariah Court; or stand trial in a Shariah court headed by a government-appointed judge in Lal Masjid. However, on her return home, Akhtar reporters that she had been tortured, mentally and physically.
I was forcefully picked up, beaten and dragged along with my daughter, sons wife and a six-month-old baby to the madrassa, she said in tears. They beat us with batons and said the government cant do anything, and we had to read out a written confession. Male and female madrassa students had attacked her house, broken furniture, and taken away jewellery and Rs 25,000 in cash, she said. She said she had threatened to become a Christian over her treatment by the students. I dont think Islam allows anyone to beat a woman and drag her through the streets like a dog, she said.
She said the students had wanted to get her house vacated and had been threatening her for quite some time. Shamims release followed hours of intensive negotiations between madrassa officials and the Islamabad district administration.
A teacher of Jamia Hafsa said Shamim had identified several brothels in Rawalpindi and Islamabad and warned the government that if they were not shut down, the madrassa students would take the matter into their own hands. We want the government to take action against them, otherwise, we will handle the matter ourselves, said Bint-e-Abdul Wahid, a teacher at the madrassa. If the government does not move, we will move into action. That will be the first step towards enforcement of Shariah in the country. Wahid denied Shamim was beaten up during her two days of captivity at the madrassa.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2007 00:00 ||
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I dont think Islam allows anyone to beat a woman and drag her through the streets like a dog, she said.
There's a huge surprise coming for you Ms. Akhtar and you ain't gonna like it.
#11
Seems like this was just a simple real estate transaction, not a fight against immorality.
IIUC, many cases of "blasphemy" in The Land Of THe Pures are motivated by greed, rivalry, professional disputes,... that is, if you're a christian/hindu/(file your non-muslim religion here), and that a member of the One True Religion owes you money, you have to live with the fact that he can denounce you for having defiled the koran or whatever; insecurity is one major feature for you, since you have no rights, or at least, not the same, equal rights.
Remember, that christian women who had been stripped naked after confronting a mob protesting the mo' cartoons? she had the bad idea of pressing charges, and, voilà!, she was immediatly accused by her aggressors of having soiled a photography of the kaaba. A victim of the background noise of muslim persecution. I wonder what happened to her, but she is but one drop in a sea.
Here, of course, the Pious students didn't forget to take her valuable. Well, she and her children haven't been gangraped, I suppose that lady is lucky.
The government has directed the Islamabad administration not to take immediate action against the management of two Islamabad madrassas and their students who have challenged the writ of law in a bid to Talibanise society.
The madrassa students told a press conference on Thursday that they would continue their jihad against prostitution if the government failed to take action against those involved in immoral activities. We will continue our campaign. This is the first step to Islamise our society, a madrassa teacher said.
We were asked [by high-ups] to take a lenient view of the situation created by the madrassa students, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Chaudhry Mohammad Ali told Daily Times. The DC confirmed that a first information report (FIR) had been registered against 200 people for kidnapping two policemen and an alleged brothel organiser along with two other women. We have sealed the FIR till further orders, he said.
Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said the government would take proper action. We will not allow any one to challenge the writ of the government, he said. PPPP Information Secretary Sherry Rehman said the situation showed the government had not taken action to stop creeping Talibanisation of the capital.
A senior official, requesting anonymity, said there was a view in the government that the madrassa students were trying to get themselves in newspapers and on television. And the government does not want to open another front at a time when the lawyers community is already up in arms on the issue of the chief justice, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I get the feeling even Perv is either scared of the Taliban or he wants talibanisation of Society.
#2
What's with all the focus on sex? First a few big shots, mostly older, collect most of the women into polygamous marriages, which leaves the bulk of the young men unable to marry. Then they apply the death penalty to adultery. And now they shut down the brothels. Sounds like the goal is to concentrate the testosterone so the mullahs can manipulate these guys into violent jihad. I think that's more rational than thinking Muslim men are all homos or goat 'lovers', though the words 'rational' and 'Muslim' don't really go together in a sentence.
The radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr issued a scathing attack on the United States on Friday, following one of the country's bloodiest days, blaming Washington for Iraq's troubles and calling for a mass demonstration April 9 the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.
As al-Sadr's remarks were read in a mosque, Shiites in Baghdad loaded wooden coffins into vans and shoveled broken glass and other debris into wheelbarrows in the aftermath of a double suicide bombing at a marketplace. At least 181 people were killed or found dead Thursday as Sunni insurgents apparently stepped up their campaign of bombings to derail the seven-week-old security sweep in Baghdad.
Violence has increasingly erupted in towns and cities outside the capital in recent weeks, as insurgent fighters take their fight to regions where U.S. and Iraqi forces are thinly deployed. The U.S. military and its diplomats have voiced cautious optimism about the sweep that began Feb. 14 and emphasized that the full American surge force would not be in place until June.
An aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pledged the government would persist in its efforts to stem the violence.
"There is a race between the government and the terrorists who are trying to make people reach the level of despair," the adviser Sami al-Askari said. "But the government is doing its best to defeat terrorists and it definitely will not be affected by these bombings."
Al-Sadr's statement was his first since March 14, when he urged his supporters to resist U.S. forces in Iraq through peaceful means. Al-Sadr has been said by U.S. and Iraqi officials to be in neighboring Iran, but his aides insist he is still in Iraq.
The latest statement was read to worshippers during Friday prayers at a mosque in Kufa, a Shiite holy city south of Baghdad where al-Sadr frequently led the ritual.
"I renew my call for the occupier (the United States) to leave our land," he said in the statement, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. "The departure of the occupier will mean stability for Iraq, victory for Islam and peace and defeat for terrorism and infidels."
Al-Sadr, whose Mahdi Army militiamen fought U.S. troops in 2004 but have generally cooperated with an ongoing U.S.-Iraqi security push in Baghdad, blamed the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq for the rising violence, lack of services and sectarian bloodshed.
"You, oppressed people of Iraq, let the entire world hear your voice that you reject occupation, destruction and terrorism," he said in calling for the April 9 demonstration.
"Fly Iraqi flags atop homes, apartment buildings and government departments to show the sovereignty and independence of Iraq, and that you reject the presence of American flags and those of other nations occupying our beloved Iraq. Keep them there until they leave our land," he said.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshayr Zebari on Thursday rejected remarks by Saudi Arabia that the US occupation of Iraq was illegal. 'We don't think there is an illegal occupation because these forces are present and working according to international resolutions, and are accepted by a representative elected Iraqi government,' Zebari said on the sidelines of the Arab summit being held in Riyadh.
The minister added that he does not support a pullout of the US- led multi-national forces. His remarks came in response to an earlier statement by Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdel-Aziz who rejected the US presence. 'In our beloved Iraq, blood is spilled between brothers, under the shadow of a foreign illegal occupation,' the Saudi monarch said during the opening session of the Arab League Summit on Wednesday.
Zebari also said that he was hopeful that there would be another Iraq reconciliation meeting at the end of April, either in Baghdad, Cairo or Istanbul. The last international meeting held in Baghdad was deemed 'fruitful' and important, Zebari said, because it featured the presence of Syrian, Iranian and US delegations.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2007 00:00 ||
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The sauds are getting mighty grabby here
Posted by: Captain America ||
03/30/2007 0:32 Comments ||
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#2
There you have it. Saudi Arabia, please go sit in the corner and shut up.
#5
We really need to attach a major price tag to Saudi Arabia's treachery. .com's idea of seizing their eastern oil fields makes more and more sense with each passing day.
#6
Just how incredibly stinging must that one word - "elected" - be to the assembled gangsters, retards, nano-despots, and jokers who make up the Arab summit members.
Note that wire service and other MSM "reporting" from Iraq never, ever uses the word "elected" in any of their catch-phrases when referring to the Iraqi govt. (at least I never saw in '05 or '06) Even though it's the most relevant regional distinction - and of course should and does carry great moral weight when considering the barbaric terrorist opposition it and the Coalition face.
"US-backed, Shi'ite dominated Iraqi government"
Oodles of important distortion can be packed into just a little phrase, even by a simple ommission.
#10
Zenster your recommendation concerning the Wahhabist Saudis is well taken.
One has to wonder how much Saudi money coupled with Arabian jihadists have been pouring into Iraq trying to blow themselves before Iran's infiltrated Shi'ite jihadists self detonate wherever crowds of 'infidels gather.
Iraq is is being used by one barbaric Islamic evil waring against another faction of Islamic blood thirsty barbarians, and our troops are in the middle.
The solution to Iraq's externally instigated inter-Islamic war is régime changes are required in Tehran, Damascus as well as Riyadh.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
03/30/2007 6:02 Comments ||
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If / when coalition forces pack up the tents, Iraq fractures and breaks apart and the mad mullahs get the big boom boom, exactly who does the house of Saud think is going to die in the defense the royal princes?
The Filipino or pakistanis who make up 95 % of what you would refer to as blue collar workforce?
The wasabi students so well educated in the modrassas?
It will be mighty inconvenient to be skiing in Aspen with no one to water the cactus back at the palace.
#9
What Israel's hostile neighbors need is another replay of June 5, 1967. Just as with how it is vital that we take Ahmadinejad at his word, so should Abbas be taken at his. If it's war they want, give them war. Not a limited engagement, but total war. Keep bombing the living crap out of them until they deliver forth an unconditional surrender. Use that surrender to flush out all of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and be done with it for once and all!
This crapulence will never end so long as Israel does not show a willingness to begin killing massive amounts of their enemies. Not one of Israel's avowed enemies are of any use to the global community. They are a rogue's gallery of thugs, despots, tyrants and terrorists whose lifespan on this earth has already been far too long.
#12
Its an insult to the nation that Condi is talking to these folks. The paleo population percentage compared to the worlds is so so small that it should be an undersec of an undersec of an undersec talking to them.
Anybody else gives them status they do not deserve.
(IsraelNN.com) Two Arabs involved in the sale of a Hebron building to the Jewish community have been placed under arrest, one by the Palestinian Authority, the other by Jordon.
The arrested Arabs now face capital punishment, as Palestinian Authority law dictates the death sentence for anyone found guilty of selling property to a Jew.
Orit Struk, political activist and member of the Hebron Jewish Committee, contends that the arrests "prove the sale was legal."
The Beit HaShalom, Peace House, located amongst Arab buildings between the Jewish enclave in Hebron and the neighboring large Jewish neighborhood of Kiryat Arba, was purchased two weeks ago for the sum of $700,000.
Immediately following the announcement of the transaction, Israeli police launched an investigation into the legality of the sale, and the Defense Ministry under the auspices of left-leaning Labor Chairman Amir Peretz began searching for grounds to expel the new Jewish residents of the building.
The resulting police investigation could not find any evidence of wrongdoing in the sale, and many within the police and defense establishment are acknowledging the sale was legal, albeit off-the-record.
Jewish Community Spokesman David Wilder claimed he does not see the arrests as proof of the legitimate nature of the sale. We dont need any proof that this was done legally, we know that the transaction was completely legal and the resulting police investigation confirmed this.
The Jewish community in Hebron used numerous available channels to arrange the purchase. Much of the exchange took place in Jordan.
According to Wilder, at least one of the men involved in the sale did not know he was selling the building to a Jew.
It is a disgrace that selling houses is considered a capital offense, said Wilder. This is a regular transaction that takes place everyday throughout the free world. That someone would be arrested for selling their home if they choose is preposterous.
I wonder where all the Human Rights organizations that station themselves in Hebron contending to look after the rights of Arabs in the city are now.
The government of Israel should help these individuals to show that this type of law cannot continue in a free society, Wilder added.
MK Uri Ariel (National Union) has urged the Israeli government to work for the release of the Arabs involved in the sale.
If you're gonna rally for the guy, ya might wanna get the name right? And I'm not gonna correct it to get you off the hook...
PCHR in cooperation with 50 civil society organizations in Khan Yunis and Rafah organized an event of solidarity with abducted journalist Alan Johnson. The event was organized in the Unknown Soldier Park in Gaza City. Work Accident Park booked up?
The participants expressed their solidarity with the reporter, condemned the abduction. In addition, they stated that the resurfacing of abductions of internationals is a serious violation of the rule of law, and a transgression on freedom of expression, pointing that the presence of international journalists and activists sheds light on the crimes perpetrated by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) against Palestinians. Further, they agreed that these abductions undermine the history and just struggle of the Palestinian people, who reject these crimes that go against Palestinian values and traditions. Uh-huh...
In his speech, PCHRs deputy director, Jaber Weshah, expressed solidarity with Alan Johnson, and the condemnation of Palestinian civil society of the abduction. He stated that this crime was perpetrated by a group of criminals who do not represent the Palestinian people and its values. He called upon the abductors to release Johnson immediately and unconditionally, noting that the continuation of abductions undermines the Palestinian cause. Wonder how much they're asking for?
Weshah demanded that the PNA work seriously to secure Johnsons release, and to put an end to all abductions and other forms of security chaos. He stated that this action by the PNA should be also respect human rights. No shots in the feet, no severe torture marks. None that show, anyways...
Weshah pointed that the alternative would be the rule of the jungle. Yeah. Kinda like...now?
He called upon the Attorney-General to seriously investigate all abductions, and to prosecute the perpetrators. Weshah also called upon all international journalists and guests to continue working in the OPT, noting that the Palestinian people as a whole condemn these abductions that are perpetrated by criminals aiming to achieve narrow personal gains over the broader national interests. Yeah. Must be why they keep happening... In addition, Weshah paid tribute to Johnsons brave work in covering IOF crimes and violations against Palestinians. He apologized to Johnsons family, friends, and colleagues for this crime. I'm really sorry the useful idiot got scooped.
Suad Hijjo, coordinator for civil society organizations in Khan Yunis and Rafah, condemned the abduction, and called upon the PNA and its security forces to work to ensure Johnsons release. ...or at least tell the BBC the price.
The BBC Middle East Director Simon Rylson thanked civil society in Khan Yunis and Rafah. He also reminded that Johnson remains kidnapped since 15 days. He pointed that his family and colleagues are concerned, and that there is no information about him. And on behalf of Johnsons family, Rylson thanked the organizers of the solidarity event and other events. He expressed hope that Johnson would be released soon. Finally he stated that solidarity events are effective in lobbying and pressuring for the release of the abducted journalist. And it's really great to be here...
In a statement distributed at the event, civil society organizations in Rafah and Khan Yunis called upon all political parties and on the Palestinian people as a whole to condemn abductions of internationals, and to work to isolate the perpetrators. They called upon the government to fulfill its responsibility of pursuing the perpetrators and bring them to justice. The statement reminded the abductors that Johnson was a friend of Rachel Corrie, the American solidarity activist, who was killed by IOF in Rafah as she tried to defend Palestinian homes from destruction. Well, I see that counts for...not much.
The participants formed a human ring around the PLC building in Gaza City to remind its members of their responsibility towards Alan Johnson. Hands Around the Block. I notice he ain't out yet.
#5
...the presence of international journalists and activists sheds light on the crimes perpetrated by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) against Palestinians.
Israeli crimes like uh, kidnapping? Irony so thick it could bog a chainsaw.
ISRAELI officials today refused to accept the revived Arab peace initiative as it currently stands, saying negotiations were needed. "There is only one way to overcome our differences, and that is negotiation," Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres told Israeli public radio. "It's impossible to say: you must take what we offer you as is."
The blueprint, endorsed at an Arab summit yesterday, offers Israel full normalisation of relations if it withdraws from all land occupied in the 1967 war and allows the creation of a Palestinian state and the return of Palestinian refugees. The Arab nations called on "the government of Israel and all Israelis to accept the Arab peace initiative and seize the opportunity to resume the process of direct and serious negotiations on all tracks".
The Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement that it was interested in dialogue with moderate Arab states, but it did not endorse the document. "Israel is sincerely interested in continuing dialogue with Arab countries who want to make peace with a view to promoting a process of normalisation and cooperation and hopes that the Riyadh summit will contribute to this effort," it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2007 00:00 ||
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Sheep reject wolves' plan for flock.
Posted by: ed ||
03/30/2007 0:56 Comments ||
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An Arab surrender, on the other hand, is long over-due and would be welcome at any time. Interested parties can find appropriate contact info on the Website of the Israeli foreign ministry. Have a nice day.
#4
The Arab nations are scripting this 'front'. Acting like barnyard roosters waiting for the fox to come around to grab the hen; and we all know who that hen is...Iran!
#7
The right of return will always be a huge sticking point. If permitted by the Israeli's, they would quickly become the minority in Israel.
The Muslims would then demand more concessions in favor of religion, politics and lifestyle. Israel would slowly cease to be a Jewish Nation.
You would witness an example of what is currently going in Europe and the attempts being made in the U.S. and Canada to change civil and religious authority.
Islam appears for intents and purposes, to not coexist, but to co-op anything that does not confer with their own idea of lifestyle. For some, if needed, using the sword or the pulpit to meet their aims. Political chicanery can be used as easily as the sword as seen in Canada and some places in the U.S. Birthrate can be used as another weapon as another example as seen in Russia and Europe.
#1
Damn, why didn't we think of that. Load up CNN, AP, Al Reuters, NYT, Al Guardian, etc in a military green bus for an unescorted tour of Iraq outside the hotel zone. "Kick Me" finger etched in dust on the back of the vehicle optional.
THE US has harshly criticised Syria for arbitrarily arresting political opponents and today called on it to free four dissidents. The US State Department made its appeal before Syria's April parliamentary election, urging Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government to show greater respect for political freedoms. "We deplore arbitrary arrest and detention of political prisoners by the Syrian government," the State Department said, saying it was particularly concerned about activists Anwar al-Bunni and Kamal al-Labwani.
Bunni, a non-partisan campaigner for political freedoms, was dragged screaming from his home by security forces in May 2006. Labwani was jailed in November 2005 after he attended a White House meeting. The State Department said both men were being tried in criminal courts "for expressing their opinions".
"We join others in calling on the Syrian government to immediately and unconditionally release them and other prisoners of conscience including Mahmoud Issa and Michel Kilo," the State Department said. Issa, a Communist politician, and Kilo, a prominent political writer, were detained after signing a declaration that criticised Syrian policy toward Lebanon.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
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#1
Ya, that's the ticket. I'm sure they'll comply.
Posted by: Captain America ||
03/30/2007 0:33 Comments ||
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#2
Release political prisoners (apprehend Pelosi)
Posted by: Captain America ||
03/30/2007 20:18 Comments ||
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#2
the activation of a propaganda machine in order to prime public opinion against Iran
Puhlease, Iran manufactures enough negative publicity all by its little own self to where we need only sit back and take notice of the mullahs' latest belligerent stunt.
#3
What a joke! Arabs would like nothing better than to see the Ayatollahs tossed. As I write, even al-Qaeda in Iraq is not targeting US troops in Baghdad, because it is an anti-Shiite front. US casualties usually occur in Arab populated Anbar Province.
Sorry, but ethnic cleansing IS the solution. Frankly, before Clinton stuck his corrupt nose in the Balkans, the Serbs were doing OUR dirty work.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
A Jordanian national accused of laundering at least $6 million via fraudulent schemes will remain behind bars because of fear he will flee the country before he can be tried. "At this point the case is strong," said U.S. Magistrate Holly B. Fitzsimmons said of the charges facing Fares Khraisat, 37, of Judd Road, Easton and owner of Zam Zam Telecard Inc., 2690 East Main St. "He knows he's going to be deported and his wife is going to be deported. That's a powerful incentive to flee."
by Alex Traiman
