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> Fri., June. 6, 2003
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Sierra Leone Indictment – A Step Towards Peace?
SF Protests Against Bechtel
Turkey on Path to Joining EU
Al-Arian Loses Bid for Quick Trial
Office Max Targeted by Environmentalists
Controversy Over Community Center in S. Dakota
Sierra Leone Indictment – A Step Towards Peace?
This Wednesday, the Special Court for Sierra Leone unsealed
an indictment against Liberian President Charles Taylor, while
he was attending a peace conference in Ghana. Taylor is perhaps
the biggest figure indicted by the court thus far. He is accused
of actively coordinating and funding the activities of rebel
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) during Sierra Leone’s
decade long civil war. However, as Brendan Sweeney reports,
the Taylor indictment could potentially further plunge a war
ravaged region into more fighting, as the last two days -
the aftermath of the indictment - have shown, the Taylor government
has resisted an unsuccessful coup attempt and increased activity
by the country’s main rebel group.
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SF Protests Against Bechtel
Activists in the San Francisco bay area wrapped up 4 days
of action against Bechtel, a corporation that they claim is
profiting greatly from the U.S. led bombing campaign against
Iraq. With over 20, 000 projects in a 140 nations, Bechtel
is one of the worlds largest engineering and construction
firms. In 2002, Bechtel earned 11.6 billion dollars in revenue,
and most recently Bechtel received one of the first and largest
of the rebuilding contracts in Iraq worth $680 million over
18 months. Sarah Olson reports from the week-long protests
against Bechtel.
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Turkey on Path to Joining EU
European Union justice minister’s agreed today to
sign an extradition deal with the US, a move that has alarmed
human rights advocates. The deal has been in negotiations
for nearly one year and also includes accords that will allow
U.S. and EU police officers to set up joint investigation
teams and share evidence and information in crime and terrorism
cases. Meanwhile, the Turkish foreign minister Abdulah Gul
declared that Turkey will not wait for the approval of the
military in order to pass a reform package that was required
of Turkey as a condition for EU membership. As Ezgi Saritas
reports from Ankara, the ruling Justice and Development party
seems to be more courageous in challenging the long-standing
military dominance of Turkish politics because of the growing
EU support.
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Al-Arian Loses Bid for Quick Trial
A prominent anti-Castro Cuban who has been in the US for
36 was arrested this week for being out of status. Ramon Saul
Sanchez, director of the anti-Castro group Democracy Movement
said he never applied for permanent residency – which
he was supposed to do one year after arriving in the US -
because he claims he was a political refugee. However Sanchez,
unlike the vast majority of non-immigrants arrested since
9-11, has not been held in custody awaiting trail, he was
allowed to go the same day and must appear before an immigration
judge on September 23. Meanwhile, also in Florida, former
University of South Florida Professor Sami Al-Arian lost his
bid for an immediate trial, meaning he could spend the next
18 months in jail before his case is heard. Federal Judge
James Moody ruled yesterday that Al-Arian, Sammy Hammadouh,
Haten Naji Raiz and Ghassan Zayed Ballut who were all indicted
in February as U.S. operatives of the Palestinian Islamic
Jihad, will NOT go to trial until January 2005. WMNF's Kristen
Friend-Weaver reports.
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Office Max Targeted by Environmentalists
Shareholders of the Office Max corporation got a bit of
a surprise at a shareholders meeting in Cleveland, Ohio yesterday
as a national coalition of environmental activists circled
Office Max's headquarters with a banner accusing the nation's
third largest office supply retailer of environmental irresponsibility.
Evan Davis has this report.
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Controversy Over Community Center in S. Dakota
Controversy over a planned community center on South Dakota's
Pine Ridge Reservation erupted into violence last week outside
a meeting of the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council. Wounded Knee
community members – mostly women - and their invited
guests, allege that they were verbally abused and assaulted
when they attempted to ask the tribal council about the fate
of their independently financed community center. Free Speech
Radio correspondent Jim Kent spoke with members of the Wounded
Knee community, their non-tribal guests and representatives
of the Oglala Sioux tribe and files this report.
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