Kat's "Kat's Korner: Hamilton Leithauser and Ronnie Spector and that album we never actually got to hear" and Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Joe The Racist"
Kat's "Kat's Korner: Hamilton Leithauser and Ronnie Spector and that album we never actually got to hear" and Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Joe The Racist"
Howie Hawkins is running for the Green Party's presidential nomination.
He's got my vote. His campaign issued the following last Wednesday:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:Howie Hawkins, howie@howiehawkins.us
HAWKINS BLASTS DEMOCRATS’ REJECTION OF “DEFUND THE POLICE”
(Syracuse, NY – June 10, 2020) –
Howie Hawkins, the Green Party presidential candidate with a commanding
lead in the party’s primaries, blasted Democratic Party leaders today
for rejecting the popular demand “Defund the Police” that is being
raised by the nationwide protests against police brutality and racism.
“Democratic leaders have no
convictions and no backbone. A nationwide uprising for racial justice
demands defund the police. Trump calls it the demand of ‘Radical Left
Democrats.’ So Democratic leaders cave and join Trump in rejecting it.
It’s just like their retreat from popular demands for Medicare for All
and a Green New Deal because Trump called them ‘socialist’,” Hawkins
said.
Joe Biden said this week he
opposes defunding the police and wants to increase federal funding for
them by $300 million. James Clyburn (D-SC), House Majority Whip, said
demonstrators making this demand were trying to “hijack” the movement.
Karen Bass (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, called the
demand a “distraction.”
“Defunding the police means to
stop paying police to harass, exploit, and control poor communities of
color over non-criminal behavior and low-level offenses like
homelessness, drug possession, and mental health crises. It means
scaling back policing to dealing with serious crimes of violence and
theft. It means investing the savings in real solutions, like homes for
the homeless, legalizing marijuana, and medical treatment for the
addicted and mentally ill,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins noted that an analysis of FBI and national survey data by the Vera Institute for Justice found
that violent offenses make up less than 5% of arrests and property
crimes less than 13% of arrests by police. The study also found that
about 60% of crime victims do not report their experience to the police
and that the police clear less than 25% of reported crimes with arrests.
“The police are doing a terrible
job solving serious crimes because they spend most of their time
harassing people, particularly Black people, for non-criminal or minor
violations,” Hawkins said.
“Defunding the police is just a
start,” Hawkins said. “We could cut local police budgets down to the
less than 20% now devoted to dealing with violent and property crimes
and there still won’t be nearly enough money in savings to repair
damages of the discrimination, exclusion, poverty, and economic despair
that low-income communities of color have long suffered. We must demand a
Marshall Plan for the Cities and an Economic Bill of Rights.”
Hawkins called for a sustained
multi-trillion dollar federal investment in affordable public housing,
community schools with wrap-around services, neighborhood health
clinics, grocery stores in food deserts, more convenient and affordable
public transit, parks and recreation programs, a job guarantee, and a
guaranteed income above poverty. Hawkins’ budget for an ecosocialist Green New Deal is
a 10-year, $42 trillion program to create 38 million new jobs providing
these community needs as well as climate safety by rebuilding all
productive systems in the economy for zero-to-negative carbon emissions
and 100% clean energy by 2030.
Hawkins reiterated his support
for reparations for African-Americans. He called on Congress to use the
current outcry against police brutality and racism to enact the
Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for
African-Americans Act (H.R. 40; S. 1083).
Congressional Democrats have
unfurled a Justice in Policing Act that would boost law enforcement
accountability and change policing practices. Among its measures are a
ban on chokeholds, money for racial bias training, ending the qualified
immunity that shields police officers from personal liability in civil
lawsuits, a federal registry for misconduct complaints and disciplinary
actions against police, and limits on the transfer of military-grade
equipment to state and local police departments.
“These reforms are good as far as
they go, but they do not go nearly far enough,” Hawkins said. “Police
harassment and brutality persist because we allow the police to police
themselves. The Justice in Policing Act does nothing to change that.”
Hawkins renewed his call for community control of the police in
which elected police commissioners hire and fire police chiefs,
independently investigate and punish police misconduct, oversee police
budgets, and negotiate police union contracts.
“We have to democratize who
governs the police so that the police work for the community instead of
just themselves and the power structure’s elites,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins said the Justice in
Policing Act’s grants for state Attorneys General to independently
investigate and prosecute police brutality cases are a weak remedy.
Hawkins has long called for a Jonny Gammage Law that
would require a federal investigation and prosecution in all cases
where the civil rights of a person are violated by police, including
bodily injury and death.
Jonny Gammage was suffocated to
death by police in October 1995 years ago just as George Floyd was on
May 25. Gammage was a resident of Hawkins’ home town of Syracuse, New
York. He died at the hands of suburban Pittsburgh police in a routine
traffic stop while visiting his cousin, Ray Seals, who played football
for the Steelers. None of the officers were convicted of any crimes. The
Clinton Justice Department declined a civil rights action against them.
Hawkins said local District
Attorneys are too close to local police they work with on a daily basis
to have the distance and independence for impartial investigations. He
said the Justice for Policing Act’s funding for voluntary investigations
by state Attorneys General was too weak.
“We need mandatory federal
investigations in these cases in order to break through the shielding of
police misconduct by local prosecutors,” Hawkins said.
###This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Monday, June 15, 2020. Turkey continues to carry out terrorist bombings
on Iraq, Mustafa finds an apparent patsy, Julian Assange is back in the
news and much more.
BBC News (link has text and video) reports on last night's bombing, "An air strike by Turkish warplanes near a Kurdish village close to the border with Iraq has left 35 people dead, officials say. One report said that smugglers had been spotted by unmanned drones and were mistaken for Kurdish rebels." Reuters quotes Uludere Mayor Fehmi Yaman explaining that they have recovered 30 corpses, all smugglers, not PKK, and he declares, "This kind of incident is unacceptable. They were hit from the air." AFP adds, "Local security sources said the dead were among a group smuggling gas and sugar into Turkey from northern Iraq and may have been mistaken for Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels."
US prosecutors have failed to include one of WikiLeaks’ most shocking video revelations in the indictment against Julian Assange, a move that has brought accusations the US doesn’t want its “war crimes” exposed in public.
Assange, an Australian citizen, is remanded and in ill health in London’s Belmarsh prison while the US tries to extradite him to face 18 charges – 17 under its Espionage Act – for conspiracy to receive, obtain and disclose classified information.
The charges relate largely to the US conduct of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including Assange’s publication of the US rules of engagement in Iraq.
The prosecution case alleges Assange risked American lives by releasing hundreds of thousands of US intelligence documents.
Dean Yates was the head of REUTERS' Baghdad beureau when the July 12, 2007 attack took place killing REUTERS journalists Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh -- the attack carried out by the US government. Daley quotes Yates stating, "What he did was 100% an act of truth-telling, exposing to the world what the war in Iraq looks like and how the US military lied … The US knows how embarrassing Collateral Murder is, how shameful it is to the military – they know that there’s potential war crimes on that tape."
Iraq is the land of unemployment and now it's only more so.
The
protests that began September 30th had to do with corruption and the
lack of dependable public services -- electricity, potable water etc.
It also had to do with the lack of jobs.
Now 10,000 oil workers have been laid off which just makes things worse.
That's Iraq's new prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on his recent trip to Mosul talking about jobs and other issues.
A new International Organization for Migration (IOM) report
sheds light on the negative impact the coronavirus has had on the Iraqi
economy. The intergovernmental organization said that restrictions
aimed at curbing the spread of the pandemic will continue to hurt small
and medium-sized businesses in Iraq.
“The already dire situation is
likely to deteriorate and become even more challenging for job and
economic opportunity creation,” the IOM said in the report. “Livelihoods
have been widely disrupted across the country, driven primarily by
movement restrictions."
The IOM
is a “related organization” of the United Nations and works closely
with the international body on migration and displacement issues. Its Enterprise Development Fund
supports job creation and economic growth in Iraq. The country hosts
more than a million internally displaced persons and refugees. The fund
was responsible for the report.
Iraq went into a lockdown in March
when its number of confirmed coronavirus cases was still relatively low.
Only essential businesses like supermarkets and pharmacies remained
open. The country then eased restrictions in late April. Late last
month, Iraq returned to a full lockdown after a surge in cases.
The report based its findings on data collected in April from small and medium-sized enterprises
in the manufacturing, food, retail, service and other sectors. Small
and medium-sized enterprises are independent firms that do not rely on
subsidies and have a few hundred employees or less.
Iraq went into a lockdown in March . . . and that lockdown continues as this AP video report from last week makes clear.
There
is so much to protest in Iraq. There's Operation Claw-Eagle, for
example. That's the latest name the Turkish government has given to
their terrorism of Iraq. For years, going back to when Bully Boy Bush
occupied the White House, the government of Turkey has been bombing
northern Iraq. The Turkish government gave the US government a location
near the border to build a CIA outpost that allows them to monitor
northern Iraq. The US government does not trust the Kurds -- that's why
they screw them over repeatedly. The CIA deal was during the White
House occupation of Bully Boy Bush.
Barack
Obama and Donald Trump have both been president since. Neither has
bothered to object to the terrorism the Turkish government continues to
carry out. It is a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Despite the claims
that the strikes are 'precision' and only take out 'terrorists,' many
civilians and animals (livestock) have been killed in these strikes.
For example?
Dropping back to May 30th:
The government of Turkey continues to terrorize the Iraqi people.
For years now, they have been ignoring Iraq's sovereignty and bombing
the country of Iraq. These bombings have resulted in many dead. Seth J. Frantzman (JERUSALEM POST) reports:
Turkish airstrikes killed civilians on Saturday, days after another set
of airstrikes killed members of a far-left Iranian dissident group in
the mountains of the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.
The attacks appear to represent an increase in Ankara’s use of drones
and airstrikes against Kurdish groups. Ankara claims these groups,
linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) are “terrorists” but
presents no evidence that any of them are involved in “terror.”
The PKK is one of many Kurdish groups which supports and fights for a Kurdish homeland. Aaron Hess (International Socialist Review) described them in 2008,
"The PKK emerged in 1984 as a major force in response to Turkey's
oppression of its Kurdish population. Since the late 1970s, Turkey has
waged a relentless war of attrition that has killed tens of thousands
of Kurds and driven millions from their homes. The Kurds are the
world's largest stateless population -- whose main population
concentration straddles Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria -- and have been
the victims of imperialist wars and manipulation since the colonial
period. While Turkey has granted limited rights to the Kurds in recent
years in order to accommodate the European Union, which it seeks to
join, even these are now at risk." The Kurdistan Regional Government in
Iraq has been a concern to Turkey because they fear that if it ever
moves from semi-autonomous to fully independent -- such as if Iraq was
to break up into three regions -- then that would encourage the Kurdish
population in Turkey. For that reason, Turkey is overly interested in
all things Iraq. So much so that they signed an agreement with the US
government in 2007 to share intelligence which the Turkish military has
been using when launching bomb raids. However, this has not prevented
the loss of civilian life in northern Iraq. Aaron Hess noted, "The
Turkish establishment sees growing Kurdish power in Iraq as one step
down the road to a mass separatist movement of Kurds within Turkey
itself, fighting to unify a greater Kurdistan. In late October 2007,
Turkey's daily newspaper Hurriyet accused the prime minister of the
KRG, Massoud Barzani, of turning the 'Kurdish dream' into a 'Turkish
nightmare'."
Frantzman notes, "Iraq has complained to Ankara about the airstrikes but Ankara acts with
impunity and international organizations that usually monitor human
rights refuse to critique Turkey or visit the areas of the drone
strikes."
This morning, Zhelwan Z. Wali (RUDAW) notes the Turkish government is yet again claiming that they targeted terrorists, however . . . :
PKK-linked Firat News Agency claimed the strikes targeted a refugee camp and a hospital.
“ The Turkish state has launched a wave of air raids in southern
Kurdistan, northern Iraq tonight. The strikes targeted several positions
in the regions of Qandil, Maxmur (Makhmour) and Shengal (Sinjar),
including a refugee camp and hospital,” it said.
Makhmour camp hosts more than 12,000 Kurdish refugees who have fled persecution by the Turkish state, largely in the 1990s. The camp has a governing council and an armed force, the Makhmour Protection Units, established in 2014 when Islamic State (ISIS) militants attacked the area. The units are believed to have ties to the PKK.
Bedran Pirani, co-mayor of the Makhmour Camp Municipality, told Rudaw that strikes near the camp left several children unconscious, who were then rushed to hospital.
"The airstrikes lasted an hour from 12:10am to 01:10am. They were a large number of unmanned drones and jets hovering overhead," Pirani said.
Makhmour camp hosts more than 12,000 Kurdish refugees who have fled persecution by the Turkish state, largely in the 1990s. The camp has a governing council and an armed force, the Makhmour Protection Units, established in 2014 when Islamic State (ISIS) militants attacked the area. The units are believed to have ties to the PKK.
Bedran Pirani, co-mayor of the Makhmour Camp Municipality, told Rudaw that strikes near the camp left several children unconscious, who were then rushed to hospital.
"The airstrikes lasted an hour from 12:10am to 01:10am. They were a large number of unmanned drones and jets hovering overhead," Pirani said.
The Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) condemned on
Monday the Turkish airstrikes against suspected positions of the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in several areas in northern
Iraq.
A JOC statement said that 18 Turkish warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes late on Sunday night on refugee camps in Sinjar, some 100 km west of Nineveh's provincial capital Mosul, and Makhmour, about 60 km southeast of Mosul.
The Turkish warplanes also flew over the areas of al-Kuwayr, Erbil and al-Shirqat, with 193 km deep inside the Iraqi territories, the statement said.
The JOC described the Turkish airstrikes as "provocative act and is inconsistent with the good-neighborliness in accordance with international conventions and is a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty."
Iraq called on Turkey to stop the violation of Iraqi territories and said that it is "fully prepared for cooperation between the two countries to control the security situations on the common borders," the statement added.
A JOC statement said that 18 Turkish warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes late on Sunday night on refugee camps in Sinjar, some 100 km west of Nineveh's provincial capital Mosul, and Makhmour, about 60 km southeast of Mosul.
The Turkish warplanes also flew over the areas of al-Kuwayr, Erbil and al-Shirqat, with 193 km deep inside the Iraqi territories, the statement said.
The JOC described the Turkish airstrikes as "provocative act and is inconsistent with the good-neighborliness in accordance with international conventions and is a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty."
Iraq called on Turkey to stop the violation of Iraqi territories and said that it is "fully prepared for cooperation between the two countries to control the security situations on the common borders," the statement added.
When will other government join the
Iraqi one in condemning the terrorism that Turkey continues to carry
out? When will Turkey be forced to respect Iraq's sovereignty?
When will trash outlets like BLOOMBERG stop referring to these acts of terrorism as "a show of military might"?
Turkey bombs PKK in northern Iraq as Kurds attempt pro-democracy protests
The attack began hours before public protests in Turkey led by the country’s main pro-Kurdish political party, which were due to start on Monday.
How
many have to be wounded or killed before the people of the world can
find the courage to condemn these terrorist attacks carried out by the
Turkish government?
BBC News (link has text and video) reports on last night's bombing, "An air strike by Turkish warplanes near a Kurdish village close to the border with Iraq has left 35 people dead, officials say. One report said that smugglers had been spotted by unmanned drones and were mistaken for Kurdish rebels." Reuters quotes Uludere Mayor Fehmi Yaman explaining that they have recovered 30 corpses, all smugglers, not PKK, and he declares, "This kind of incident is unacceptable. They were hit from the air." AFP adds, "Local security sources said the dead were among a group smuggling gas and sugar into Turkey from northern Iraq and may have been mistaken for Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels."
How long? How high must the death toll reach before the global community calls for these acts of terrorism to end?
May
7th, Mustafa became the new prime minister of Iraq. In the lead up to
this, he promised (in April) that his government would address the
murder of protesters. And now? AL-MONITOR notes the government is trumpeting one arrest -- their only arrest so far:
Defense Ministry Spokesman Yehia Rasool
confirmed to Al-Monitor that the suspect, identified only as Al Jurithi,
is suspected of killing a protester in Baghdad and threatening others.
He also confessed to rioting, burning property and striking security
forces, and he was arrested under the direction of new Prime Minister
Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Sweeping anti-government
demonstrations broke out in October 2019, aimed at dismantling the
political establishment and bringing attention to government corruption,
poor public services and high unemployment. Rights groups accused security forces of using violent tactics to suppress the unrest, including firing live ammunition at peaceful protesters.
In documenting the deaths of 490 protesters,
the United Nations wrote in a report last month that the “absence of
accountability for these acts continues to contribute to the pervasive
environment of impunity.” The UN also reported 33 activists were
assassinated and at least 99 people had been abducted.
The widespread protests prompted the
resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi in late November 2019.
Some five months later, Kadhimi was sworn in as his successor, bringing
an end to the political deadlock.
Security
forces are responsible for the killings and for injuring protesters and
for disappearing protesters. It appears the government has either
found a patsy or the lone killer that was not connected to the security
forces. All the empty talk talk talk from Mustafa. One arrest. That's
all he can muster.
A spike in violations of the right to free expression during widespread
protests at the end of the former government’s term in office and during
the Covid-19 pandemic underscores the need for Iraq’s
new government to reform its laws, Human Rights Watch said in a report
released today. Iraqi authorities, including in the Kurdistan Region,
have routinely used vaguely worded laws to bring criminal charges
against people who express opinions they dislike.
The 42-page report, “‘We Might Call You in at Any Time’: Free Speech Under Threat in Iraq,” examines a range of defamation and incitement legal provisions that authorities have used against critics, including journalists, activists, and other dissenting voices. The Iraqi and Kurdistan Region parliaments should replace criminal defamation articles in the Penal Code with civil defamation penalties and amend laws that limit free speech to comply with international law. Given Mustafa Al-Kadhimi’s new role as prime minister and his stated willingness since taking office to address some of Iraq’s most serious human rights challenges, the government has a unique opportunity to tackle over a decade of free speech restrictions.
The 42-page report, “‘We Might Call You in at Any Time’: Free Speech Under Threat in Iraq,” examines a range of defamation and incitement legal provisions that authorities have used against critics, including journalists, activists, and other dissenting voices. The Iraqi and Kurdistan Region parliaments should replace criminal defamation articles in the Penal Code with civil defamation penalties and amend laws that limit free speech to comply with international law. Given Mustafa Al-Kadhimi’s new role as prime minister and his stated willingness since taking office to address some of Iraq’s most serious human rights challenges, the government has a unique opportunity to tackle over a decade of free speech restrictions.
“The Covid-19 pandemic highlights the vital and sometimes lifesaving
role of a robust and inquisitive press and social media,” said Belkis Wille,
senior crisis and conflict researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Iraqi
leaders should commit to fostering respect for international law as a
way to better inform and protect their people.”
Human Rights Watch examined 33 cases involving the prosecution of 21
activists and 14 journalists who suffered attacks, 13 cases involving
support of protest activities over social media, and 7 involving
coverage of government corruption in mainstream or social media. None of
the cases from Baghdad-controlled areas occurred since the current
prime minister and government took office.
Iraq’s Penal Code, which dates back to 1969, includes numerous defamation “crimes” such as “insult[ing] the Arab community” or any government official, regardless of whether the statement is true. Although few people serve prison time for defamation, the criminal process itself acts as a punishment. Reporting on abuses by the security forces or about corruption is especially risky.
Haitham Sulaiman, 48, a protest movement organizer, in an April 6, 2020 Facebook post called on the Muthana governor to investigate allegations of health department corruption linked to the purchase of Covid-19 masks. He was arrested on April 10, beaten, and forced to sign a document stating that the United States had bankrolled the protest movement.
In 2014, the Communications and Media Commission, “an independent institution” linked to the parliament, issued “mandatory” guidelines to regulate media “during the war on terror,” which were updated and renamed the “Media Broadcasting Rules” in 2019 and are still in place today. Human Rights Watch was unable to determine any legal basis for the guidelines or the agency’s actions.
Following the start of widespread protests in October 2019, the authorities ordered the closure of 8 television and 4 radio stations for 3 months for allegedly violating media licensing rules, based on the guidelines, and issued warnings to 5 other broadcasters over their coverage. Unidentified armed men raided and damaged the offices of at least three news outlets in October. In early April 2020, the commission suspended Reuters’ license and fined it 25 million IQD (US$21,000) for an April 2 article alleging that the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country was much higher than official statistics indicated. The authorities lifted the suspension on April 19.
Kurdistan regional authorities are using the region’s penal code, Press Law, and Law to Prevent the Misuse of Telecommunications Equipment to curb free speech. A 40-year-old man was arrested after he live-streamed a demonstration on the morning of January 26, 2019 and charged with Penal Code and Telecommunications Law violations. A judge dismissed the charges and authorities released him after 29 days in custody.
Interviewees who had been criminally charged felt that the prosecutions were to intimidate critics. Eleven said they did not hear from the prosecution for extended periods, leaving them unsure of whether the cases were still active. One said “When the Asayish [Kurdish security forces] released me after I paid a fee on March 10, 2019, they told me, ‘We might call you in at any time.’”
Eleven said security forces had ill-treated them at the time of arrest or in detention. All 14 journalists and 4 activists interviewed said they regularly received threats, usually from anonymous sources by phone or social media, and sometimes from security forces or government officials. Amanj Bakir, a journalist, said that threats he received over two articles about the Kurdistan region in March have taken a toll on him.
On April 29, Human Rights Watch wrote to the Iraqi government and Kurdistan Regional Government soliciting information regarding the cases documented in the report. While the authorities in Baghdad did not respond by the time of publication, the Kurdistan Regional Government responded on May 20 in a “preliminary” manner, stating that the KRG “is committed to the preservation of journalists’ rights” and would follow up with more information.
International human rights law allows for restrictions on freedom of expression to protect the reputations of others, but such restrictions must be necessary and narrowly drawn. Human Rights Watch believes that criminal penalties are always a disproportionate punishment for alleged reputational harm.
Iraqi federal and Kurdistan regional authorities should direct security forces to end intimidation, harassment, arrest, and assault of journalists and others for exercising their right to free expression and investigate credible allegations of threats or attacks by government employees or others against critics.
“Given the mistrust between civil society and the media on the one hand and authorities on the other, Iraq’s new government and Kurdish authorities should reform laws to bring them in line with international standards,” Wille said. “Getting rid of vague provisions on insults and incitement would show that the authorities are committed to protecting free speech.”
Iraq’s Penal Code, which dates back to 1969, includes numerous defamation “crimes” such as “insult[ing] the Arab community” or any government official, regardless of whether the statement is true. Although few people serve prison time for defamation, the criminal process itself acts as a punishment. Reporting on abuses by the security forces or about corruption is especially risky.
Haitham Sulaiman, 48, a protest movement organizer, in an April 6, 2020 Facebook post called on the Muthana governor to investigate allegations of health department corruption linked to the purchase of Covid-19 masks. He was arrested on April 10, beaten, and forced to sign a document stating that the United States had bankrolled the protest movement.
In 2014, the Communications and Media Commission, “an independent institution” linked to the parliament, issued “mandatory” guidelines to regulate media “during the war on terror,” which were updated and renamed the “Media Broadcasting Rules” in 2019 and are still in place today. Human Rights Watch was unable to determine any legal basis for the guidelines or the agency’s actions.
Following the start of widespread protests in October 2019, the authorities ordered the closure of 8 television and 4 radio stations for 3 months for allegedly violating media licensing rules, based on the guidelines, and issued warnings to 5 other broadcasters over their coverage. Unidentified armed men raided and damaged the offices of at least three news outlets in October. In early April 2020, the commission suspended Reuters’ license and fined it 25 million IQD (US$21,000) for an April 2 article alleging that the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country was much higher than official statistics indicated. The authorities lifted the suspension on April 19.
Kurdistan regional authorities are using the region’s penal code, Press Law, and Law to Prevent the Misuse of Telecommunications Equipment to curb free speech. A 40-year-old man was arrested after he live-streamed a demonstration on the morning of January 26, 2019 and charged with Penal Code and Telecommunications Law violations. A judge dismissed the charges and authorities released him after 29 days in custody.
Interviewees who had been criminally charged felt that the prosecutions were to intimidate critics. Eleven said they did not hear from the prosecution for extended periods, leaving them unsure of whether the cases were still active. One said “When the Asayish [Kurdish security forces] released me after I paid a fee on March 10, 2019, they told me, ‘We might call you in at any time.’”
Eleven said security forces had ill-treated them at the time of arrest or in detention. All 14 journalists and 4 activists interviewed said they regularly received threats, usually from anonymous sources by phone or social media, and sometimes from security forces or government officials. Amanj Bakir, a journalist, said that threats he received over two articles about the Kurdistan region in March have taken a toll on him.
On April 29, Human Rights Watch wrote to the Iraqi government and Kurdistan Regional Government soliciting information regarding the cases documented in the report. While the authorities in Baghdad did not respond by the time of publication, the Kurdistan Regional Government responded on May 20 in a “preliminary” manner, stating that the KRG “is committed to the preservation of journalists’ rights” and would follow up with more information.
International human rights law allows for restrictions on freedom of expression to protect the reputations of others, but such restrictions must be necessary and narrowly drawn. Human Rights Watch believes that criminal penalties are always a disproportionate punishment for alleged reputational harm.
Iraqi federal and Kurdistan regional authorities should direct security forces to end intimidation, harassment, arrest, and assault of journalists and others for exercising their right to free expression and investigate credible allegations of threats or attacks by government employees or others against critics.
“Given the mistrust between civil society and the media on the one hand and authorities on the other, Iraq’s new government and Kurdish authorities should reform laws to bring them in line with international standards,” Wille said. “Getting rid of vague provisions on insults and incitement would show that the authorities are committed to protecting free speech.”
Let's wind down by noting the latest on journalist and political prisoner Julian Assange. Paul Daley (GUARDIAN) reports:
US prosecutors have failed to include one of WikiLeaks’ most shocking video revelations in the indictment against Julian Assange, a move that has brought accusations the US doesn’t want its “war crimes” exposed in public.
Assange, an Australian citizen, is remanded and in ill health in London’s Belmarsh prison while the US tries to extradite him to face 18 charges – 17 under its Espionage Act – for conspiracy to receive, obtain and disclose classified information.
The charges relate largely to the US conduct of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including Assange’s publication of the US rules of engagement in Iraq.
The prosecution case alleges Assange risked American lives by releasing hundreds of thousands of US intelligence documents.
Dean Yates was the head of REUTERS' Baghdad beureau when the July 12, 2007 attack took place killing REUTERS journalists Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh -- the attack carried out by the US government. Daley quotes Yates stating, "What he did was 100% an act of truth-telling, exposing to the world what the war in Iraq looks like and how the US military lied … The US knows how embarrassing Collateral Murder is, how shameful it is to the military – they know that there’s potential war crimes on that tape."
Julian
Assange remains persecuted by the US government. His crime is that of
journalism. THE GUARDIAN's been hostile to Julian for some time but
possibly their current press indicates that they grasp what is at stake
with the US efforts to criminalize journalism?
In another article, Daley focuses on Dean Yates:
Yates, shaking his head, says: “The US assertions that Namir and Saeed
were killed during a firefight was all lies. But I didn’t know that at
the time, so I updated my story to take in the US military’s statement.”
[. . .]
Reuters staff had by now spoken to 14 witnesses in al-Amin. All of
them said they were unaware of any firefight that might have prompted
the helicopter strike.
Yates recalls: “The words that kept forming on my lips were ‘cold-blooded murder’.”
The Iraqi staff at Reuters, meanwhile, were concerned that the bureau was too soft on the US military. “But I could only write what we could establish and the US military was insisting Saeed and Namir were killed during a clash,” Yates says.
The meeting that put him on a path of destructive, paralysing – eventually suicidal – guilt and blame “that basically f**ked me up for the next 10 years”, leaving him in a state of “moral injury”, happened at US military headquarters in the Green Zone on 25 July.
Yates recalls: “The words that kept forming on my lips were ‘cold-blooded murder’.”
The Iraqi staff at Reuters, meanwhile, were concerned that the bureau was too soft on the US military. “But I could only write what we could establish and the US military was insisting Saeed and Namir were killed during a clash,” Yates says.
The meeting that put him on a path of destructive, paralysing – eventually suicidal – guilt and blame “that basically f**ked me up for the next 10 years”, leaving him in a state of “moral injury”, happened at US military headquarters in the Green Zone on 25 July.
Sunday, Kat's "Kat's Korner: Hamilton Leithauser and Ronnie Spector and that album we never actually got to hear" and Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Joe The Racist" went up.
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