Daily Report

Torture in Chiapas

From La Jornada, July 17, translation via Chiapas95:

Torture and harassment of political prisoners in El Amate prison denounced

by Hermann Bellinghausen

Civil organizations in Chiapas denounced the torture and harassment of "political prisoners" in the prison El Amate, in Cintalapa, on the initiative of the prison director, Armando Fabricio Maldonado Gomez, as well as physical aggressions against the relatives and friends of the prisoners constituting the group The Voice of El Amate and adhering to the Other Campaign.

New York activists remember Farouk Abdel-Muhti

"¡Farouk Vive! ¡La Lucha Sigue!"
Vigil Commemorating the Life of Farouk Abdel-Muhti

New York-based Palestinian activist Farouk Abdel-Muhti died suddenly of a heart attack on July 21, 2004, three weeks before his 57th birthday and 100 days after he was released from immigration detention. Federal agents and New York City police arrested Farouk in April 2002, just as he was beginning to work as a producer of segments on Palestine at New York's WBAI-FM. The US government then held him in a series of county and federal facilities for nearly two years—in clear violation of his constitutional rights—and refused to release him until ordered to do so by a federal district judge.

Iraq: more sectarian slaughter

From the LA Times, July 18:

Masked gunmen kill 42 in attack at Shiite market in Mahmoudiya

BAGHDAD -- Masked gunmen wielding rocket launchers and grenades swarmed a predominantly Shiite market in a town south of the capital Monday morning, firing at terrified men, women and children on the streets.

Israel targets Lebanon's infrastructure; Deep Purple unawed

From Lebanon's Daily Star, July 19:

Latest targets of air blitz: milk and medicine
BEIRUT: Israel switched gears in its military campaign against Lebanon Monday and Tuesday, launching a series of debilitating air strikes against privately owned factories throughout the country and dealing a devastating blow to an economy already paralyzed by a week of hits on residential areas and crucial infrastructure.

Meanwhile on the West Bank...

From the International Middle East Media Center (IMEC), July 18:

Troops invade Nablus, occupy a building belonging to its municipality
Israeli soldiers operating in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus broke into a building belonging to the Nablus municipality and used it as military post. Soldiers also occupied a school and fired shells at several houses in Old City.

McKinney campaign claims Diebold vote-switching

Press release from Congresswoman Cynthia Mckinney's campaign, July 18:

DIEBOLD ELECTRONIC MACHINES MALFUNCTION, VOTE FOR OTHER CANDIDATE

(Decatur) After one hour of voting, the McKinney campaign has received numerous calls that the voting machines are malfunctioning. Voters casting votes for McKinney are reportedly having their votes switched by the machines for Hank Johnson. This is not a new problem with Diebold machines. Lawyers for the campaign have been alerted and said that If this situation is not corrected, Cynthia McKinney for Congress will be forced to take additional measures.

Yucatan: police attack peasant protesters

From La Jornada, July 15, translation via Chiapas95:

In a large and violent operation - according to witnesses - the police of Yucatan arrested last Thursday in the community of Caucel more than 40 Maya ejidatarios [communal farmers], who were protesting peacefully against construction works imposed by the government of the PANista [governor] Patricio Patron Laviada in communities next to Merida, among them an airport - still in progress - in Hunucma, whose inhabitants have reiterated that they will not allow the dispossession of their land.

Mexicans march for recount

With the Middle East spinning out of control, few are taking note of how close the USA's southern neighbor is to a social explosion. From the LA Times, July 17 (via Chiapas95), with annotation and corrections added, buzz-words in bold (at risk of being obvious):

MEXICO CITY -- Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador led a massive protest march to Mexico City's central square Sunday and called for peaceful civil resistance to press his demand for a full recount in the presidential election he narrowly lost to a conservative rival. [Why is the LAT taking it for granted that in fact lost?]

Syndicate content