Asturian mission to verify human rights violations reports army barriers http://prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article3616Very angry and outraged by the aggressive attitude of representatives of security forces of the Colombian state were members of the sixth Asturian delegation of human rights verification that completed its work on Friday 12 February, after making trips by region of the departments Antioquia, Caqueta, Cauca, Cesar, Putumayo and Bolívar.
According to the statement in the preliminary report of the mission http://prensarural.org/spip/IMG/pdf/RUEDA_DE_PRENSA_EN_COLOMBIA_12-02-2010.pdf by Rafael Palacios, director general of the Asturian Agency for Development Cooperation of the Government of the Principality of Asturias, the members were subjected to harassment , tracking, and provocations by the Armed Forces personnel stationed in Piñuñanegro, Putumayo, on 2 February. "We condemn the attitude of intimidation, hostilily, threatening, aggressive, disrespectful and rudeness of the Colombian armed forces met by our international mission," said Rafael Palacios.
He said that in that part of the south, a military helicopter landed near the local school. Generals Cabrera and Columbus, commanding officers and several large troop carrying weapons of war, with armed civilians who accompanied them, went on the offensive, intimidating members of the delegation of the Principality of Asturias, photographed all of them without authorization. "Generals, with nervous and aggressive attitudes, expressed that civilians in location in the area are suspected of being guerrillas or guerrilla supporters and that some with delegation entered country illegally, although from the first time of our arrival we identified ourselves as members of an observation mission on Human Rights headed by a member of the government of the Principality of Asturias.
The obvious goal of the generals was to prevent the delegation observing the multiple violations of international humanitarian law committed in the area by the troops. Among other official obstacles to the missions work as we mentioned is that school officials (INPEC) refused permission for a visit to the inmates of the prison in Valledupar. A similar situation occurred in Palanquero Base, which prevented us access to facilities whose use by U.S. authorities had been authorized by the Executive.
The official international delegation verifications noted in the meeting with journalists in Bogota that numerous testimonies of peasants and Indians reveals the dramatic situation of human rights abuses in Colombia. Palacios said he will lead the final report to international bodies like the United Nations, European Union and human rights organizations. He reiterated that the state will ask the Spanish government and the EU for not approving the signing of FTA with a government so questioned as President Álvaro Uribe Vélez.
comment-Unfortunatly the EU Trade Commision signaled the go ahead with the FTA anyway highlighting its hypocrasy and exposing its fraudulent commitment to human rights.see...EU trade commissioner declares confidence in Colombia http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/8139-eu-trade-commissioner-declares-confidence-in-colombia.html
this also didnt carry much weight with EU it seems...
British and Colombian groups meet in Brussels to oppose FTA http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/7313-british-and-colombian-groups-meet-in-brussels-to-oppose-fta.html
Parliament sets out concerns over Colombia trade deal http://euobserver.com/9/29392 Colombian press live in terror: Top journalists http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/8121-colombian-press-live-in-terror-leading-journalists.html ANOTHER TRAILER-THE COCA-COLA CASE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUb-PAnflqo COCA COLA USES DEATH SQUADS IN COLOMBIA. Colombian Trade Unionists Win SOLIDAR Award for Struggle for Human Rights http://www.solidar.org/Page_Generale.asp?DocID=13955&thebloc=23686 Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world to be a trade unionist. In 2008, 49 trade unionists were murdered, a 25% increase from the year before. This escalation in violence directly contradicts the claims of the Uribe regime that the situation is improving. 40 trade unionists murdered in 2009: CUT http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/8053-40-trade-unionists-murdered-in-2009.html
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IPO Declares Solidarity With Those Arrested In Catatumbo http://prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article3618
The International Peace Observatory declares a profound indignation nationally as well as internationally with other organizations over the mass detentions Suffered by the peasant community of Catatumbo, North of Santander, on the 6th and 7th of February of 2010. Army agents detained 12 people from the regions of Teorama and Convention.
The people detained are Diosmel Galvis Vergel Roiman Carrascal, Jose Benitez God, Edilson Marquez, Gabriel Quientero, police inspector, Aleida Angarita, former president of the Junta de Acción Comunal (Community organization) of St. Paul, Jesus Antonio Quintero Salazar, Jose Alberto Quintero Salazar, Salazar Olinto Pabon Diorgen Acosta, Hector Saul Carrascal Carrascal Neyde. They are all members of the community and workers in the region. They are accused of rebellion, terrorism, and intent to commit crimes against the state.
According to the community, the agents from the Attorney (District Attorney's Office), CTI, DIJIN, and National Army were Accompanied by informants, reinserted guerrillas, who accuse the community leaders of being auxiliaries of the insurgency. Unfortunately, in Colombia, what is known as False Positives(army or rightwing paramilitary groups who kill community leaders,peasents then call them leftwing guerrilas), is a common tactic used way to silence those who fight for justice as well as to create fear and uncertainty in forgotten and abandoned areas of the country.
As an organization of international accompaniment that accompanies the peasant communities of Catatumbo for the past 5 years, we declare our support and solidarity to those who have been detained and their families and the Peasant Association of Catatumbo (ASCAMCAT) that defends the Humanitarian Refugees Camp during the last 10 months. We denounce this event as well as the extra-judicial assassinations, Indiscriminate fumigations, the eradication plan(Plan Colombia)wich has not been planned with the community, the persistence of rightwing paramilitary groups in the region, lack of social investment by the government in the area (health, education, water, etc.) , and other problems.
The objective of IPO is to continue observing the condition of human rights in the area of Catatumbo and deliver a message of solidarity and to calm the community by accompanying the Verification Mission on February 12-15. We demand the the Colombian government clarify the legal situation rapidly and its accusations against the people who have been arrested and that their rights be respected during their arrest.
comment-also see.."Body count mentalities": Colombia's "False Positives" http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB266/index.htm
Colombian Governors Demand Halt to Coca Fumigations http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0717-02.htm
Where Does US Military 'Aid' to Colombia Go?http://upsidedownworld.org/main/news-briefs-archives-68/2247-where-does-us-military-aid-to-colombia-go
The Colombia Plan http://www.chomsky.info/articles/200006--.htm
The Colombia Plan is officially justified in terms of the “drug war,” a claim taken seriously by few competent analysts. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reports that “all branches of government” in Colombia are involved in “drug-related corruption.” In November 1998, U.S. Customs and DEA inspectors found 415 kg of cocaine and 6 kg of heroin in a Colombian Air Force plane that had landed in Florida, leading to the arrest of several Air Force officers and enlisted personnel.
Other observers have also reported the heavy involvement of the military in narcotrafficking, and the U.S. military has also been drawn in. The wife of Colonel James Hiett pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle heroin from Colombia to New York, and shortly after it was reported that Colonel Hiett, who is in charge of U.S. troops “that trained Colombian security forces in counternarcotics operations,” is “expected to plead guilty” to charges of complicity.
The paramilitaries openly proclaim their reliance on the drug business. However, the U.S. and Latin American press report, “the US-financed attack stays clear of the areas controlled by paramilitary forces,” though “the leader of the paramilitaries [Carlos Castano] acknowledged last week in a television interview that the drug trade provided 70 percent of the group’s funding.
” The targets of the Colombia Plan are guerrilla forces based on the peasantry and calling for internal social change, which would interfere with integration of Colombia into the global system on the terms that the U.S. demands; that is, dominated by elites linked to U.S. power interests that are accorded free access to Colombia’s valuable resources, including oil.
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Unlawful War on Iran is Treason; It Levies War Against the US, Our Military, and Our Constitution http://www.examiner.com/x-18425-LA-County-Nonpartisan-Examiner~y2010m2d10-Unlawful-war-on-Iran-is-treason-it-levies-war-against-the-US-our-military-and-our-Constitution
'Causing unlawful war upon the US is an attack upon our nation, consistent with US Constitution Article III Section 3: Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.
Causing war against the US is so egregious, it’s the only crime the Founders defined in the Constitution. An unlawful war is the supreme act of betrayal against our military, and a violent overthrow of the US government as we know it by our Constitution. It replaces American limited government under law with unchecked fascism.'
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US Forces Kill 'Eight Bystanders' in Iraq http://presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118510§ionid=351020201
'US forces have shot eight Iraqi people, most of them 'innocent bystanders,' in a raid in a village southeast of Baghdad, Iraqi provincial officials say. Iraqi provincial council officials described the US raid as slaughter and demanded financial compensation for the relatives of the victims.'
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Surveillance Drones To Zap Protesters Into Submission http://www.propagandamatrix.com/articles/february2010/021210_zap_protesters.htm
Illustrating once again that the prison planet being built around us far outstrips anything Aldous Huxley or George Orwell ever imagined, a Wired News report details how police forces worldwide are preparing to unveil drone aircraft that can not only conduct surveillance of protesters, but also zap them into submission with non-lethal weapons.
As part of their ongoing mission to "protect and serve" the new world order, cops across the world are getting access to military drones which allow them to "carry out surveillance on everyone from protesters and antisocial motorists to fly-tippers," reports Wired News.
The report details how the future of policing will resemble something approaching a combination of They Live and The Running Man, with unmanned drones replacing police helicopters whizzing around everywhere torturing and knocking out anyone who misbehaves.'
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France Falls Under Internet Censorship http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1591582/france-falls-internet-censorship
'The French parliament has buckled under pressure and approved the Sarkozy government's authoritarian plans to censor the Internet.The government opposed all objections to its plans to filter Internet sites, which have been controversial throughout French society.
Today La Quadrature du Net, a French openness group, said that the action would give the government total control over its citizens' access to the Internet. It added that Nicholas Sarkozy was using excuses to clear a path for his rules, whch ultimately would come at the expense of liberty.'
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Britain’s Inquiry Into the Iraq War and the Israel Lobby Taboo http://america-hijacked.com/2010/02/12/britains-inquiry-into-the-iraq-war-and-the-israel-lobby-taboo/
'So, in short, Blair did reveal an Israel connection to the war, that the official gatekeepers of the US (and UK) media have sought to deny, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. It should be pointed out, however, that even Walt tends to downplay somewhat the actual extent of the Israel connection.
For while it was the neocons who from the late 1990s onward pushed the strategic plan to first attack Iraq before moving on to Iran and Israel’s other Middle East adversaries, their entire plan paralleled earlier schemes developed in Israel, especially by the Likudniks (e.g. Oded Yinon), to destabilize Israel’s enemies by war, starting with a war on Iraq.'
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Monsanto 'Faked' Data For Approvals Claims its Ex-Chief http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story?sId=83093&secid=120&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitterfeed
'The debate on genetically modified (GM) brinjal variety continues to generate heat. Former managing director of Monsanto India, Tiruvadi Jagadisan, is the latest to join the critics of Bt brinjal, perhaps the first industry insider to do so.
Jagadisan, who worked with Monsanto for nearly two decades, including eight years as the managing director of India operations, spoke against the new variety during the public consultation held in Bangalore on Saturday.On Monday, he elaborated by saying the company "used to fake scientific data" submitted to government regulatory agencies to get commercial approvals for its products in India.'
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Lib Dem frontbencher Tonge fired http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hIz8Hsy9-xlr1AVtXcp5PDAWRc6w
A Liberal Democrat frontbencher has been sacked after calling for an inquiry into allegations that Israeli soldiers supporting the relief effort in Haiti had been involved with organ-trafficking.
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Xstrata locks out coalminers http://www.greenleft.org.au/2010/826/42483
The locked-out workers promised to continue the struggle. One described the executive of Xstrata as “narcissist, industrial psychopaths” to the February 10 Southern Highland News.
Another miner said: “At the Ulan mine last year they sacked blokes and then re-hired some the next day and got contractors in to replace the rest of them. “How can we trust them after seeing what they have done in their other mines around Australia?”
comment-also see...human rigths issues around Xstrata Plc/Colombias Prodeco mines...New Donkin Mine Owner Linked to Human Rights Abuses in Colombia http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=3220
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More Pain for Devastated Haiti: Under the Pretense of Disaster Relief, U.S. Running a Military Occupation http://hcvanalysis.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/more-pain-for-devastated-haiti-under-pretense-of-disaster-relief-us-running-a-military-occupation/
Official denials aside, the United States has embarked on a new military occupation of Haiti thinly cloaked as disaster relief. While both the Pentagon and the United Nations claimed more troops were needed to provide “security and stability” to bring in aid, according to nearly all independent observers in the field, violence was never an issue.
Instead, there appears to be cruder motives for the military response. With Haiti’s government “all but invisible” and its repressive security forces collapsed, popular organizations were starting to fill the void. But the Western powers rushing in envision sweatshops and tourism as the foundation of a rebuilt Haiti. This is opposed by the popular organizations, which draw their strength from Haiti’s overwhelmingly poor majority. Thus, if a neoliberal plan is going to be imposed on a devastated Haiti it will be done at gunpoint.
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200 U.S. Troops On The Ground In Pakistan http://current.com/items/92127466_200-u-s-troops-on-the-ground-in-pakistan.htm
The U.S. military has 200 troops on the ground in Pakistan. Previously US special envoy to Pakistan Richard Holbrooke had denied their presence. The troop levels are one of a number of details that have emerged about the once-secret U.S. war in Pakistan since three American troops were killed this past week by an improvised bomb.
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Assad: Israel Leading Middle East to War http://current.com/items/92127871_assad-israel-leading-middle-east-to-war.htm
Syrian President Bashar Assad said that Israel is not serious about its intentions to make peace with his country as evidenced by "its conduct which is leading the region to war."
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FLASHBACK-10 Years with President Hugo Chavez: Diego Arria and MarkWeisbrot Debating the Progress of the Bolivarian Revolution at America http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6760231116609302070#
Video Presented by Venezuelan Students Abroad Washington, DC (Estudiantes Venezolanos en el Exterior Washington, DC)
COMMENT-ALSO SEE...Good Things Happening in Venezuela by Michael Parenti http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Parenti/GoodThings_Venezuela.html
Chavez acomplishments http://chavezacomplishments.blogspot.com/
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Israel upholds legality of Jews-only housing complex in Jaffa http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1149356.html
The Tel Aviv District Court rejected a petition this week against a decision to lease land in Jaffa's Ajami neighborhood for the exclusive use of members of the religious Zionist community.
The petitioners said the decision was discriminatory, because it would exclude anyone other than members of the religious Zionist community from purchasing an apartment in the complex, which is situated in a neighborhood where a majority of the residents are Arab. This is especially unfair given the shortage of available housing in the neighborhood, they argued.
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Report: Top five insurers made $12 billion in profits last year, dropped 2.7 million people http://www.politico.com/livepulse/0210/Report_Top_five_insurers_made_12_billion_in_profits_last_year_dropped_27_million_people.html?showall
As a group, WellPoint, Aetna, UnitedHealth Group, Humana and Cigna saw their profits jump 56 percent in 2009 up $4.4 billion over the previous year, according to the report. Four out of five companies saw profits increase while insuring fewer people.
Cigna increased earnings by 346 percent while UnitedHealth shed 1.7 million beneficiaries. Aetna, which increased its membership and percentage of premiums spent on medical care, was the only company to see less income in 2009 than 2008.
comment-Under the Bush/Cheney cabal the oil and war profit companies set the record for earnings. Now it is the Democrats' turn.
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