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> Tue., June. 20, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
Thanks to FSRN.org
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Today's lead stories:
US Senate Considers Exit Strategy in Iraq
Environmental Groups Fear Development of Sensitive Habitat
for Utility Corridors
Taliban Recruiting Disillusioned Youth in Pakistan
Writers and Publishers in Turkey Confront New Anti-Terror
Legislation
Worries over Violent Student Protests in Venezuela
World Refugee Day
FSRN Headlines
TWO MISSING U.S. SOLDIERS FOUND DEAD
The remains of two US soldiers have been found just south
of Baghdad. Privates Kristian Menchaca of Texas and Thomas
Lowell of Oregon went missing on Friday. U.S. military spokesman
Major General William Caldwell said the recovery effort was
delayed by the need to dismantle improvised explosive devises
planted at the scene. Meanwhile, bombs killed at least nine
people today in the Iraqi capital.
THREATS OF POSSIBLE ATTACK ON GAZA
Israel's Defense Minister has warned that a massive military
operation could soon be carried out against the Gaza Strip.
Manar Jibrin reports.
The statements of the Israeli Defense Minister, Amir Peretz,
came after a meeting with high-ranking military officials
on Monday. This morning, at least three homemade shells landed
in the Israeli town of Sderot, east of the Gaza Strip. Al
Quds Brigade, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, claimed
responsibility for the attack. No injuries or damage were
reported. Meanwhile, an Israeli helicopter fired a missile
into the northern Gaza Strip early on Tuesday, damaging a
building. No casualties were reported. The Israeli army has
continued attacks on residential areas in the Gaza Strip during
the last two weeks, saying that they are targeting resistance
fighters. Inevitably, these attacks kill civilian bystanders,
including children, as shells and missiles are dropped in
heavily populated areas of Gaza. In a recent shelling by an
Israeli gunship on a Gaza beach, seven members of one family,
including three children, were killed and many people injured.
Israel has so far denied responsibility for that attack. For
FSRN from IMEMC.org in Palestine I am Manar Jibrin.
NATIONAL GUARD TO NEW ORLEANS
One hundred Louisiana National Guard Troops and sixty state
police arrived in New Orleans this morning to assist local
police in dealing with the city's violent crime. Christian
Roselund has the story.
Yesterday, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco requested three
hundred guardsmen for the troubled city after this weekend's
murder of five teenagers in New Orleans' central city neighborhood.
Governor Blanco's office says the additional guardsmen will
arrive in the next few days. Another man was fatally stabbed
this morning blocks away from this weekend's murders. Though
less than half the city has returned since last fall's storm,
violent crime rates have met - or exceeded - pre-Katrina levels
in New Orleans in recent months. New Orleans led the nation
in per-capita murders for several years before last fall's
storm and the state of Louisiana has the world's highest incarceration
rate. Yesterday, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's office said
the city will reinstate a juvenile curfew which was in effect
in the 1990's. For FSRN, this is Christian Roselund in New
Orleans.
CHARLES TAYLOR
Former Liberian president Charles Taylor arrived in the Hague
today to stand trial at the International Criminal Court.
The United Nations Security Council authorized his transfer
from Sierra Leone last Friday. Taylor faces charges of war
crimes and crimes against humanity.
DIRTY WAR TRIAL IN ARGENTINA
The trial of an Argentine police chief accused of murder and
torture during the country's military dictatorship marks the
end of a 20 year old amnesty law. Marie Trigona reports from
Buenos Aires.
Retired police officer Miguel Etchecolatz is accused of involvement
in six murders, as well as torture and illegal arrests during
the 1976-1983 dictatorship's "dirty war" against
opponents. His trial opened this morning and is expected to
last several weeks. Human rights activists and relatives of
the disappeared booed Etchecolatz as he left the courtroom
in La Plata, 37 miles from Argentina's capital Buenos Aires.
Etchecolatz is the first military officer in 20 years to face
new charges of forced disappearances. This, after Argentina's
Supreme Court struck down legal immunity for former officers
who served during the era of military dictatorship, as unconstitutional.
For FSRN, I'm Marie Trigona in Buenos Aires.
NEPAL'S KING MAY FACE CHARGES FOR APRIL CRACKDOWN
Nepal's King Gyanendra could soon face a judicial commission,
investigating the deadly crackdowns against April's pro-democracy
demonstrations. PC Dubey reports.
Justice Krishna Jung Rayamajhi, chairman of the Judicial
Investigation Commission, said today that even King Gyanendra
would have to testify before the commission. Such a statement
vindicates the May 18th parliamentary proclamation that ended
all sorts of legal immunities enjoyed by the King. Ironically,
Justice Rayamajhi had been handpicked by the King to sit on
the Supreme Court. With his legal immunity lifted, King Gyanendra
can now face charges for perpetrating atrocities against innocent
protesters soliciting their fundamental rights and democracy.
King Gyanendra led the Royal Nepalese government from February
1, 2005 to April 24, 2006, during a period of extreme violence
against those opposed to his authoritarian rule. Rishu Vatsa,
a constitutional attorney, says that while heads of state
are sometimes shielded from prosecution for duties performed
while in office, the king should in no case enjoy immunity
for his criminal acts. (Rishu Vatsa audio) "King Gyanendra
has betrayed his constitutional commitments. He usurped power
and committed crimes against his very sovereign people. He
must be tried and meted out appropriate penalty." From
Kathmandu I am PC Dubey for Free Speech Radio News.
[top]
US Senate Considers Exit Strategy in Iraq
(3:00)
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced today
that his country will withdraw its troops from Iraq - just
one week after Italy began to pull its forces out of the region.
The decision to send troops to Iraq has been unpopular in
Japan, a country that has not had an active military presence
in a war zone since World War II. The Japanese withdrawal
may be complete as early as next month. Meanwhile, the US
Senate is taking up its own measures to withdraw troops from
the war-torn country. Democrats are offering two separate
proposals, both of which are garnering little support from
Republicans. Washington Editor Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.
[top]
Environmental Groups Fear Development of Sensitive
Habitat for Utility Corridors (3:35)
A consortium of federal agencies has begun the process of
identifying thousands of miles of utility corridors in 11
western states. The corridors, which crisscross the rural
west, may be used for power, gas, and oil lines intended to
serve the region’s growing population. So far, the public
only has access to a preliminary, low resolution map of where
the corridors may cross federal land. The map is already raising
concerns among an array of environmental groups who fear more
development in sensitive habitat. Leigh Robartes has more.
[top]
Taliban Recruiting Disillusioned Youth in Pakistan
(3:00)
The Taliban’s influence in Waziristan, the tribal
region between Afghanistan and Pakistan is growing, some say,
because of a lack of basic facilities like education, health
and jobs. The Taliban have set up their own courts, collect
taxes, and hold sway over the political administration traditionally
run by Pakistan. Young boys sometimes join their ranks because
they see it as an alternative to the Pakistan Army, which
is at times viewed as an extension of US imperialism. The
Taliban also offers a social system in which the powerful
landlords known as Maliks cannot exploit the poor. So far,
the Taliban has been successful in bring back a certain type
of stability in the region after the Pakistan Army launched
a military operation to flush out terrorists in 2003. FSRN’s
Masror Hussain reports from Islamabad.
[top]
Writers and Publishers in Turkey Confront New Anti-Terror
Legislation (2:40)
Turkey’s government is preparing to pass a new legislation
– an anti-terror bill that critics claim violates democracy
and freedom of expression. Ezgi Saritas reports.
[top]
Worries over Violent Student Protests in Venezuela
(3:23)
Students from the University of the Andes in Merida, Venezuela
recently participated in a peaceful march, demanding university
autonomy. Businesses closed down, covering their windows and
leftist students stayed away from downtown and clustered in
groups for their own safety. The march comes on the heels
of events three weeks ago, when a student organization called
the Movimiento 13 de Marzo held violent protests. Josue Wilson
reports from Merida, Venezuela.
[top]
World Refugee Day (3:37)
People across the world are observing World Refugee Day
today, which was established by the United Nations in 2000
to recognize the international contribution of refugees. The
United States remains the largest resettlement country in
the world: over 2.6 million people have found new homes here
since 1975. One of the places refugees often find themselves
is in Utica, upstate New York, home of the Mohawk Valley Resource
Center for Refugees. Danuta Szafraniec reports from Utica.
[top]
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