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> Tue., Oct. 17, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Critics Decry Bush Signing Military Commissions Act
Attacks on Media Increasing in Iraq
Civil Rights Attorney Sentenced to Two-And-A-Half Years
Mexico’s Senate to Decide for Impeachment of Oaxaca’s
Governor
Georgian Ex-Pats Targeted in Moscow
South Koreans Respond to North Korea’s Nuclear Test
FSRN Headlines
SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT FOR LATIN AMERICAN BLOC
Venezuela and Guatemala continue to compete for a temporary
seat on the UN Security Council. Guatemala holds the lead
after two days and 14 rounds of secret voting, but falls short
of the 124 votes needed to win. The United States opposes
a Security Council seat for Venezuela, saying the country's
agenda is disruptive. Unless an agreement breaks the stalemate,
the seat may have to go to a compromise country from the Latin
American bloc.
GUATEMALA ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR TORTURE AND MURDER OF
REBEL LEADER
In other news, the Guatemalan government has officially accepted
responsibility for the torture and killing of Guatemalan guerrilla
leader, Efraín Bámaca Velásquez, who
was captured in combat in 1992. Jill Replogle reports from
Guatemala.
U.S. lawyer, Jennifer Harbury claimed a small victory yesterday
in her tireless pursuit of justice for the brutal torture
and death of her husband, Efraín Bámaca Velásquez.
Bámaca was one of over 250,000 people killed or disappeared
during Guatemala's 36-year long civil war, which ended in
1996. In a small ceremony in the National Palace, a government
representative publicly admitted that the army held and tortured
Bámaca for two years and then killed him. In front
of the same National Palace, in 1994, Harbury staged a 32-day
hunger strike to pressure for information about her husband's
whereabouts. For the past 10 years, she has been pushing a
case in the U.S. court system against the CIA for their involvement
in Bámaca's death. However, Harbury said this case
will probably have to be taken abroad: (Tape_Harbury) "As
soon as I've finished all of the steps up the ladder, then
I will go to Spain or Germany or wherever I have to go to
file a case of universal jurisdiction...not just for this
case, but for the 20 other cases across Latin America that
I've documented. And there are many more, where the person
was very badly tortured with the same techniques that we're
now using in Iraq; waterboarding, electrical shocks, stress
and duress positions, and a CIA official came into their cell
and asked questions or gave advice like 'put the wire over
there, it'll hurt more', those kinds of things. So it has
to stop. They are the same techniques." Jill Replogle,
FSRN, Guatemala.
MEXICO'S NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION ON ATENCO
Mexico's National Human Rights Commission has issued recommendations
for the federal government in the case of the abuse of prisoners
arrested during raids on the towns of Atenco and Texcoco in
May of this year. The commission found that most of those
taken into custody on May3rd and 4th were detained illegally.
The report also found that police subjected more than 200
detainees to cruel and degrading treatment, sexually abused
26 women and that immigration authorities deported five foreigners
in an irregular manner. The Human Rights Commission named
the Federal Preventative Police, the National Migration Institute,
and the state police of the State of Mexico as responsible
for the abuses. Presidential spokesperson Ruben Aguilar today
said the presidency will carry out the commission's recommendations.
President Fox leaves office in six weeks.
MILITARY OPERATION IN WEST BANK KILLS THREE
The Israeli army invaded several West Bank cities today, killing
three Palestinians and abducting fourteen. Manar Jibrin reports.
In an ongoing military operation, the Israeli Army, backed
by at least twenty armored vehicles, invaded the West Bank
city of Qabatyah from its main entrances today at dawn. Soldiers
broke into several homes, turning them into military posts,
and exchanging fire with the resistance fighters. Three local
residents were killed, including two members of the Al Quds
brigade, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad. Several others were
injured in the clashes. Soldiers also abducted five residents
of the city. The Israeli Army also invaded the West Bank city
of Hebron today. Soldiers surrounded and broke into the office
of the Hamas bloc in the city, abducted its director, and
destroyed its contents. In a separate incidents, the Israeli
Army invaded several West Bank cities and abducted eight residents,
including a woman in the West Bank refugee camp of Al Amaari
refugee camp near Ramallah.
ELECTION PROTESTS IN ECUADOR
Hundreds of people protested in front of Ecuador's Supreme
Electoral Tribunal yesterday, calling for transparency in
the counting of ballots from Sunday's presidential election.
Diletta Varlese reports from Quito.
The system used to count Ecuador's ballots collapsed on Sunday
night, arriving only at 70% of the official result. Brazilian
company, E-vote was responsible for digitally counting the
results. At the moment of the system's collapse, right-wing
candidate, Alvaro Noboa, led with 27% of the vote. Leftist
candidate, Rafael Correa, followed with 23% of the tabulated
ballots. Correa and hundreds of his supporters called fraud
yesterday, citing numerous reports of irregularities at the
polls. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal annulled the initial
results and decided to begin a hand count of the ballots.
With 50% of the ballots now counted, the outcome has reversed
in Correa's favor. Regardless, the two candidates will face
off in a second round on the 26th of November. For FSRN, Diletta
Varlese in Quito, Ecuador.
[top]
Critics Decry Bush Signing Military Commissions
Act (3:27)
The Military Commissions Act to try detainees is now law.
President Bush signed the bill this morning in what he called
an important step in the war on terror. A barrage of skeptics
voiced their opposition to the measure, including more than
200 people who held a vigil outside the White House. FSRN’s
Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.
[top]
Attacks on Media Increasing in Iraq (3:03)
Iraq’s parliament passed a new law that will divide
the country into three federal states. The slim decision,
passed 137-to-138, vote, will take effect in 18 months. Meanwhile,
attacks against the media in Iraq are increasing. Armed men
killed a reporter who worked for Al-Iraqia Television in Baghdad
today. Last week nine reporters were killed at Alshbia Television
while they slept in their beds at the station. Iraq’s
parliament has now asked Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki to
ban the popular Iraqi media firm from working in the country.
FSRN’s Salam Talib has the story.
[top]
Civil Rights Attorney Sentenced to Two-And-A-Half
Years (4:00)
Civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart, her paralegal and interpreter
were sentenced yesterday in New York Federal Court. Rebecca
Myles reports from New York.
[top]
Mexico’s Senate to Decide for Impeachment of
Oaxaca’s Governor (2:45)
Mexico's Senate will soon decide whether to initiate impeachment
proceedings against the governor of Oaxaca. Teachers and members
of the state's popular movement who walked to Mexico City
from Oaxaca have begun a hunger strike to urge the Senate
to annul the mandate of the state's government and call for
elections at the earliest date possible. With the governor
refusing to step down, the decision of the Senate represents
the last legal recourse for forcing Ruiz to leave office.
Vladimir Flores reports from Oaxaca City.
[top]
Georgian Ex-Pats Targeted in Moscow (3:17)
As relations between Russia and the small Caucus Mountains
nation of Georgia worsen, some say that authorities in Moscow
are ensuring that the city's Georgian ex-pat community is
feeling the wrath. Ben Seeder went to some of Moscow's food
markets where many Georgians work, to see how they're fairing
under the pressure.
[top]
South Koreans Respond to North Korea’s Nuclear
Test (3:37)
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Japan today, on
the first leg of her diplomatic tour of some Asian countries
and Russia. Rice’s trip comes amid hopes of isolating
North Korea after the UN Security Council’s unanimous
decision to impose sanctions on the country for its recent
nuclear test. The White House admits that another nuclear
test by North Korea would not be surprising. Jason Strother
reports from Seoul, South Korea.
[top]
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