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> Mon., Apr. 19, 2004
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Rantissi Assassination: with Bush’s Blessing?
Rantissi Assassination: Arab World Reacts
America holds 20,000 Iraqi Prisoners
Supreme Court hears Case on Death Penalty
Mumia Abu Jamal Commentary: ...And What A Democracy
All-Union TV Boxing Match!
FSRN Headlines
Spain, a major coalition member in the Bush orchestrated
occupation of Iraq, has announced they are packing up and
leaving the Middle Eastern nation. David Oancia reports from
Madrid.
The ACLU argues for same gendered marriage in Oregon. Andy
Seaton reports from KBOO, in Portland.
Tampa City police officers arrested 3 more people who were
trying to serve free meals to the homeless without a permit.
WMNF’s Mitch Perry reports from Tampa.
A South African community radio station executive director
was strip-searched then interrogated and held for 12 hours
by U.S. Homeland Security Department officials during an airport
layover. Na’eem Jeenah explains from Johannesburg.
The President of East Timor said his nation could become
like the failed states of Haiti and the Solomon Islands. According
to President Gusmao, negotiations over the oil rich Timor
Sea must reassign boundaries by international convention as
opposed to the deal brokered by Australia with Indonesia.
Maritime law traditionally sets sea boundaries through the
middle between countries, in this case leaving much of the
oil in East Timorese control. Australian officials say they
are in control of the estimated 30-billion dollar reserve
and the associated contracts and unwilling to give it up,
saying they helped broker East Timor’s independence
from Indonesia.
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Rantissi Assassination: with Bush’s Blessing?
Hamas leader Dr. Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi was killed on Saturday
by a targeted Israeli missile strike, just 26 days after Israel
assassinated Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Israel said
Dr. Rantissi is directly responsible for the killing of scores
of Israelis. While numerous African, Middle Eastern, and European
countries condemned the targeted assassination as a violation
of international law, the White House says Israel has the
right to defend itself. Hamas vowed to revenge the assassinations
and blames the United States for paving the way for the killing
when President Bush gave his blessing to Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon’s plan for Palestine. Mitch Jeserich has
more.
[top]
Rantissi Assassination: Arab World Reacts
Meanwhile, the assassination of Hamas Gaza Chief Dr Abdul
Aziz al-Rantissi provoked anger and criticism from citizens
in the Arab world. In Jordan, Oula Farawati reports.
[top]
America holds 20,000 Iraqi Prisoners
A survey by Christian Aid documents the quality of life
for Iraq's poor has deteriorated markedly since the overthrow
of Saddam Hussein. Some 1,000 families, in eight of Baghdad's
poorest, predominantly Shia neighborhoods, were interviewed
making this the first ever large-scale survey of the living
conditions of poor Iraqis. Meanwhile, the number of troops
killed in Iraq is now over 700 with April proving a very deadly
month. The numbers of Iraqis killed is much higher, with more
than 600 dead in Fallujah in just this latest uprising. Many
of those are reported to be civilians. Iraqi insurgents have
taken their first American soldier prisoner since the fall
of Saddam Hussein. Private First Class Matt Maupin, was assigned
to the Army Reserve's 724th Transportation Company, based
at Bartonville, Ill., near Peoria. In footage first shown
Friday on the Arab Satellite Channel al-Jazeera, Maupin did
not appear hurt but was surrounded by insurgents who offered
to exchange him for imprisoned Iraqis. As FSRN's Aaron Glantz
reports from Baghdad, the US military is currently holding
more than 20,000 Iraqi's behind bars.
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Supreme Court hears Case on Death Penalty
The U.S. Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional for
a judge rather than a jury to sentence someone to death in
2002. Now defendants convicted and sentenced before the ruling
want to know if their right to a constitutional jury sentencing
will be reinstated. While the Court heard arguments about
the issue today, the logic of the death penalty went unquestioned.
Darby Hickey of FSRN’s D.C. Bureau reports.
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Mumia Abu Jamal Commentary: ...And What A Democracy
Mumia Abu-Jamal has been on death row for 20 years after
being convicted in 1982 of killing Philadelphia police officer
Daniel Faulkner. Mumia has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence.
This weekend Mumia turns 50, and to mark the occasion, we
bring you one of his latest commentaries from his cell on
death row in Pennsylvania.
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All-Union TV Boxing Match!
Just when you were getting sick of your corporate-drenched
sporting challenges brought to you by any multinational company
that has nothing to do with sports itself, along came a boxing
match that broke many rules. Appearing live on Showtime at
the Hammerstein Ballroom in midtown Manhattan, was the first
ever all-union member televised professional boxing match.
Affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters,
the Joint Association of Boxers (JAB) is headed by former
light heavyweight champ, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. FSRN’s
Sarah Turner was ringside.
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