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> Fri., Jan. 20, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
House Judiciary Members Looks into Bush's Spy Authorization
Violence Increasing in Sri Lanka
Australians Protest Against West Papuans Placed on Island
Detention Center
Violence against Poor Haitians Continues
FBI Error Leads to Targeting Wrong Person
Farewell to Washington Editor Mitch Jeserich
FSRN Headlines
SHIA ELECTION VICTORY IN IRAQ
Preliminary results are in from Iraq's parliamentary elections.
The United Iraqi Alliance, dominated by Shia Muslims, won
more seats than any other party, but failed to secure an absolute
majority. The Shia religious bloc will likely have to form
a coalition government with Kurdish and Sunni factions. Groups
alleging fraud have 2 days to challenge the preliminary results.
ALL-DAY CURFEW IN NEPAL
Nepal's king declared an all-day curfew and deployed more
than 20,000 soldiers to the streets of the capital city today
to prevent a demonstration called by opposition groups. Vinod
K. Jose has the story.
Army vehicles with machine guns were stationed across Kathmandu,
while thousands of soldiers and police in green and blue marched
almost every street, square, and junction. Anybody who broke
the curfew was picked up and taken into custody. Nepal's king
had imposed a curfew in advance of what was to be today's
large, anti-monarchy demonstration. King Gyanendra ordered
the arrest of all the leaders and organizers of the rally
by last night. Though the monarchy is silent, it is assumed
that more than 500 pro-democracy leaders are now in custody.
Today the traffic was blocked and movement of civilians impeded
by armed police and army. The majority of the country is under
the control of Maoist guerrillas. Fearing overthrow, King
Gyanendra seized absolute power a year ago. He arrested opposition
leaders, and imposed restrictions on the media and civil liberties.
He justified his actions by saying a communist revolution
is at doorstep. This is Vinod K. Jose for Free Speech Radio
News.
DOJ VS. GOOGLE
The internet search engine, Google, is refusing to comply
with a Department of Justice request that the company turn
over data on millions of internet searches. In Washington
DC, Evelyn Caldwell has the story.
On Wednesday, the Department of Justice asked a San Jose
federal judge to order Google to comply with a subpoena to
hand over information on millions of internet searches and
web addresses. The Justice Department is seeking the information
under the terms of a 1998 anti-pornography law that the Supreme
Court has deemed unconstitutional. Included in the data requests
are week-long lists of every Google search made and one million
randomly selected web addresses. The government says it needs
the information to determine how often porn appears in searches
and whether the 1998 Child Protection Act is more effective
than internet filters. Google responded yesterday, saying
that the Department's demand is overreaching and that the
company will continue to resist the request. Google company
policy protects personal information, although it says it
will comply with government and legal requests. Search engines
MSN and Yahoo have already given similar information to the
Department. For Free Speech Radio News, I'm Evelyn Caldwell
in Washington DC.
VA PRISONER'S FOIA LAWSUIT
Civil rights advocates in Virginia are challenging a state
law that restricts prison inmates' access to public records.
From Richmond, Catherine Komp reports.
Joseph Giarratano, a Hepatitis C positive inmate at Virginia's
Red Onion state prison filed a lawsuit this week to challenge
a 1997 Virgina statute that prohibits prisoners from requesting
government documents under the state's Freedom of Information
Act. Giarratano wanted to know if the treatment he was receiving
was adequate, but he was denied the Freedom of Information
request seeking copies of the prison's protocol for Hepatitis
C treatment. The lawsuit states Virginia is violating the
constitutional right to equal protection and the right to
access the courts. Michigan, Louisiana, and Texas have similar
statutes excluding prisoners from FOIA rights. Several other
state, including New Jersey and Ohio, put restrictions on
what information a prisoner can request. For FSRN, I'm Catherine
Komp.
ANTI-GAY LEGISLATION IN NIGERIA
Nigeria's President has approved a bill prohibiting amorous
relationships and marriages between people of the same sex.
The government says the intention is to check the erosion
of Nigeria's value systems. Sam Olukoya reports from Lagos.
The bill, approved this week, prescribes a five-year jail
term with no option of fine for offenders. Nigeria's attorney
general, whose office drafted the bill, describes same sex
marriage as un-African. The government says the bill is a
reaction to the increase of homosexual behaviour in developing
countries. Nigeria's gay and lesbian community has grown in
recent years. Gay and lesbian organizations held a rally late
last year in the federal capital of Abuja to demand equal
rights. The rally embarrassed both the Nigerian government
and the country's influential, but conservative, Anglican
Church. Under the new law, it will be a criminal offence for
anyone to hold such a rally. For Free Speech Radio News, this
is Sam Olukoya in Lagos.
[top]
House Judiciary Members Looks into Bush's Spy Authorization
(4:02)
Democratic members from the House Judiciary Committee held
an unofficial hearing today on President Bush's authorization
of domestic spying without a court order. The hearing comes
as the Department of Justice releases its most detailed explanation
of why the President could go beyond the 1978 Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act that requires such surveillance have a court
order. Mitch Jeserich reports from Capitol Hill.
[top]
Violence Increasing in Sri Lanka (3:49)
It's been nearly 4 years since the Sri Lankan ceasefire
declaration offered some hope for peace in the troubled multi-ethnic
island nation. However, the threat of conflict between the
Tamil Tigers who are fighting for the rights of the minority
Tamils and the Sinhalese-dominated central government has
never fully disappeared. And in the year since the Asian Tsunami
devastated the country’s coastal areas, tensions between
the two sides have dramatically increased. Next Monday, the
Norwegian Government, which has been facilitating Sri Lanka's
peace process, will send an envoy to discuss the situation
with both sides. The talks, which will take place as killings
continue on a daily basis, could determine whether peace will
prevail. Rachel Maher and Sam Silva file this report, starting
with Jehan Perera, who explains the violent situation currently
facing Sri Lanka.
[top]
Australians Protest Against West Papuans Placed on
Island Detention Center (3:01)
It's been two years since forty-three West Papuans arrived
in the far north of Australia after traveling by canoe for
5 days across the Torres Strait. The group of forty three
men, women and children, comprised of West Papuan Independence
activists and their families, have fled persecution from the
Indonesian military, and strung a banner across their canoe
accusing Indonesia of genocide. West Papua, a former Dutch
colony that was taken by Indonesia in the 1960's after a sham
referendum, has seen an influx of big corporations mining
resources like gold and tin - and West Papuans have been persecuted
ever since. The Australian government has flown the asylum
seekers to Christmas Island, it's offshore detention center,
despite protests from the Greens and community groups, who
say there is no reason to remove these people from the mainland.
Cinnamon Nippard has more from Sydney.
[top]
Violence against Poor Haitians Continues
(3:41)
Haitian voters are scheduled to head to the polls on February
7 to elect a new leader, almost two years after the US, French,
and Canadian-sponsored coup d'état toppled then-President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide. As FSRN's Aaron Lakoff reports from
Port-au-Prince, violence against the poor continues in the
nation's capital.
[top]
FBI Error Leads to Targeting Wrong Person
(2:31)
Because of errors at the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Portland lawyer Brandon Mayfield was arrested in connection
with the 2004 Madrid train bombings, that killed 191 people.
A recently released report from the Office of the Inspector
General details the FBI's mistakes. FSRN's Julie Sabatier
has more from Portland, Oregon.
[top]
Farewell to Washington Editor Mitch Jeserich
(2:30)
As we close our newscast today, we also say goodbye to Mitch
Jeserich as Washington Editor. Mitch has worked with our editorial
team for over 2 years. On behalf of the entire team here at
FSRN, we would like to thank you for all your hard work and
wish you the very best in the future. Let's hear back from
some of Mitch Jeserich from Washington DC.
[top]
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