Israels right-wing governments bear the greatest guilt for the last half-century of oppressing the Palestinians but the divided and ineffectual opposition has played its part, too, says Alon Ben-Meir.

By Alon Ben-Meir

On June 5, Israel reaches the grim milestone of 50 years of occupation of the West Bank. Many Israelis have become complacent and succumbed to the governments argument that the continuing occupation is necessary to safeguard Israels national security.

Others are lamenting the day, as they view the occupation not only as a gross violation of Palestinian human rights, but a real menace to Israels democratic nature and Jewish national character.

Whereas right-wing Israeli governments have maintained the occupation by any means available, including the use of force, the Israeli opposition parties from the left and center have failed miserably over many years to advance a unified political platform to end the occupation and resolve the conflict based on a two-state solution.

With every passing day, it is becoming increasingly difficult to establish a Palestinian state with a contiguous land mass, which is a result of legalizing illegal settlements and building new and expanding existing ones. This settlement activity has changed the demographic composition of Israeli Jews and Palestinians inside the West Bank.

Should this trend continue for another ten years, it is estimated that the number of Jews living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem will grow from the current 650,000 to one million, creating irreversible facts on the ground that will render the two-state solution inviolable.

Successive right-wing Israeli governments, especially the current one led by Benjamin Netanyahu, have never committed to a two-state solution. Instead, they have determined to manage the occupation by the use of force and intimidation while forcing the Palestinians to live in self-governing cantons and allowing them to manage their own internal affairs as long as they do not pose a security threat.

This dangerous development was largely made possible by two factors: first is the Israeli political system, which encourages the proliferation of parties with various political orientations. On average, there are 12-15 political parties that garner the minimum threshold of 3.25 percent of the votes to be elected. As a result, every Israeli government since the inception of the state is a coalition government consisting of several parties, which together enjoy the backing of a majority in the Knesset. The second is the fact that past and current opposition parties from the center and left have been unwilling to form a coalition government with a united platform to end the occupation.

One of the main reasons behind this discord between the parties is not as much their ideological difference but the blind personal ambition of party leaders including Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid, Isaac Herzog of the Zionist Union (along with Tzipi Livni), and others to become prime minister, as they view themselves as the most qualified to lead the country.

Thus, the political field was left open for Netanyahu and his cohorts to expand the settlements, forcefully claiming that the Jews have a historic and biblical right to the entire Land of Israel that God bequeathed to them, and that Israel has every right to build anywhere in Judea and Samaria. Although Netanyahu continues to assert that he supports a two-state solution, he never provided a convincing argument as to how he would square the creation of a Palestinian state with Israels claims to the same land and its continued building of settlements where the Palestinians are supposed to establish their own state.

To explain the rationale behind this contradiction, however, he argues that Israels concerns over security and the Palestinians long-term objective to destroy the state compels Israel to maintain its control over the entire territory by whatever intrusive security measures necessary. Moreover, several members of the Netanyahu government openly call for the annexation of much of the West Bank, as from their perspective there must never be a Palestinian state.

Pariah State

The dire consequences of continuing the occupation are extremely damaging to Israels character and national security. Other than the intense and growing opposition of the international community, Israels loss of its moral compass and continued resistance to the creation of a Palestinian state will be to its detriment. Israel is increasingly becoming a pariah state, deprived of peace with the Arab world and gradually losing its very reason to exist as a Jewish state that ironically Netanyahu and the extreme right insist on characterizing it as such.

Finally, the continuing occupation will inevitably intensify the conflict, which will become ever more ferocious as the Palestinians prospect of establishing a state of their own fades away.

Israels future as a democratic and Jewish state rests on the shoulders of the opposition parties. They must think of what will happen if the current or future right-of-center governments continue with the present policy and maintain the occupation for another 10 years or more.

They must remember that the fate of the country is in their hands. They must set their personal ambitions aside and put the future security and wellbeing of the state first. They must produce a unified political program to end the occupation and explain to the public the disastrous consequences Israel will face unless the occupation comes to an end.

As a single party with unity of purpose, they can successfully challenge the Netanyahu government in the next election. They should learn from 70 years of experience that no political party has been able to garner a majority of the electorate to form a government on its own, but together they can mobilize the public behind the noble cause of unshackling Israel from the self-degrading occupation.

If they fail, they too will be blamed for having betrayed the nation and sacrificed a millennium-old dream of a Jewish state a state recognized not only because of its unprecedented achievements, but for its high moral standing and the realization that its future as an independent, free, and secure state depends on allowing the Palestinians to enjoy the same rights.

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies. alon@alonben-meir.com Web: http://www.alonben-meir.com

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A Half-Century of Oppression - Consortium News

Government-sanctioned mass killings in Gambella in Ethiopia by South Sudanese forces, which decimated the Anuak Tribe in January last year, is a clear example of the second wave of atrocities of the maleficient rulers towards the forgotten people of the African Horn.

Armed with modern weapons, the South Sudanese Nuers settled as refugees and took pride in forcibly and permanently disarming any Anuak civilian who dared to rise up. This region has come to prominence with various calls for the international community to take action again the genocidal acts of the Ethiopian government against its own people.

It is expected that crimes against peoples can be dealt with by fair law enforcement, and administered by fair judicial systems. But in Ethiopia, the judiciary lacks independence in any politically related cases.

Ethiopian courts refuse to investigate incidents of alleged torture, information dissemination is hindered with false media reports, and international agencies are blocked from investigating and detailing government oppression of civilians.

Government officials and party loyalists obtain preferential access to jobs, land and finances. The corruption of this Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) government, over which the Tigrayan People's Liberation Frontis the main component, has not been curtailed over its years in power. Rather it has bulldozed through the human rights of the people who slave away for subsistence.

In 2003, protests by the Amhara, the Oromia and the Gambella peoples aimed to stop native lands from being taken over. With their arms raised to signify peaceful protest, they were violently repressed.

Whole tribes in large parts of Ethiopia have faced destruction at the hands of a government entrusted to protect them. The nations wealth has been looted amid a bleak future of greater poverty and economic starvation for already suffering peoples. How much longer can people be subjected to the personal greed of the EPRDF in collaboration with the Gulf state countries?

The pride and life of Ethiopia must be preserved. The international community must take notice of the atrocities in Ethiopia and label them for what they are: genocide.

Unfortunately, for its own cynical interests, the US government has supported the EPRDF regime. When then-president Barack Obama visited Ethiopia last year, he congratulated the government on its re-election while it jails civil rights activists.

Ethiopia needs a combined effort by international agencies to investigate these genocidal acts, and hold the ruling party accountable and responsible. Bona-fide democratic processes must return.

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World must oppose Ethiopian government-sanctioned mass killings - Green Left Weekly

Bill Donohue's Open Letter to Justin Trudeau: Please Apologize to Canadian Victims Now CNSNews.com Your interest in having Pope Francis apologize for the Catholic Church's mistreatment of indigenous peoples is commendable, but it would take on greater meaning if you were to offer a sincere apology for the Canadian government's oppression of Indians, ...

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Bill Donohue's Open Letter to Justin Trudeau: Please Apologize to Canadian Victims Now - CNSNews.com

The government continues to confuse its role as public servant with demigod status, evidence of a tyrannical style of leadership says Malcom J Strachan . . .

The era in which we exist today allows us to participate in a more informed society.

Regular citizens have become active in voicing their opinions about the issues plaguing the country.

During the current administrations tenure, we have certainly been plagued by more than our fair share of issues.

We are watching our beautiful piece of paradise become a wasteland - under siege from a crime wave, corruption, hopelessness, rising unemployment, a failing economy, decrease in home ownership and an education system that is failing our youth.

Bahamians are understandably irate at the decline of their overall quality of life.

With most of the world climbing out of the ruins of the 2008-09 Great Recession, the Bahamas is still trying to stagger its way back to economic stability.

The former opposition party and now governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) blazed the campaign trail with a laundry list of promises that was music to the ears of many Bahamians who desired change. The PLPs promises to essentially be the anti-Free National Movement government is what led to them becoming its replacement.

Retrospectively, despite the majority of the electorate buying into the PLPs vision for the Bahamas circa 2012, we have been taken for a ride.

Crime has gotten considerably worse. Murders under the PLP have far eclipsed the 490 that were plastered on billboards around the island during their previous campaign season - Saturdays fatal shooting in Freeport, which was the 40th murder in the first three months of 2017, took the total under the Christie administration to 609, according to The Tribunes records.

While there may be a direct correlation between the level of youth unemployment and the rise in crime, the government has been more concerned with throwing national parties, costing in excess of $60m through Carnival and other distractions.

This is a far cry from the party that proclaimed that they believed in Bahamians. The mortgage relief programme designed to reverse the effects of mortgage foreclosures and save the middle class, per the PLPs 2012 Charter for Governance, has failed miserably.

The PLP implemented Value-Added Tax (VAT) and promised that revenue from it would be used to reduce our national debt. Oddly enough, after accumulating $1.14bn in VAT since 2014, the national debt that was projected to be $5bn after the 2012-2013 fiscal year is now a whopping $7bn. The Prime Ministers most recent report on VAT has not satisfied most thinking Bahamians. However, Mr Christie would dare say that his report should silence those that lack confidence in his words. The countrys self-proclaimed economically savvy government have crashed this ship into four credit downgrades - highlighted by a weak economy, still overly-dependent on tourism and shuttered hotel projects. Despite these realities that Bahamians experience every day, the government still arrogantly suggests that it has done a good job.

It continues to confuse its role as public servant with demigod status; either patronising us with more undelivered promises or becoming hostile under questioning from the public.

The latest to suffer under this governments tyrannical style of leadership is political activist, Omar Archer. Archers unfiltered and controversial style of exposing the government has led him to becoming quite popular in the country of late. Prominent members of society, particularly the Prime Minister, have been in Archers crosshairs, as he has been leaking startling information and threatened to expose more officials from the PLP, as well as the Democratic National Alliance. We knew it was only a matter of time before this was all going to come to a screeching halt.

On Friday, Archer was arrested. A warrant was put out for his arrest for allegedly being in possession of an unlicenced firearm. The warrant was issued after a photograph of Archer was posted on Facebook holding a shotgun in 2013. To think that the photo, which had been online for four years, would only provoke police action at this time after Archers trashing of the government should concern Bahamians throughout this country. The firearm, as Archer had previously posted, was licenced, but that did not stop the authorities from seeking his capture.

While we would not seek to infer any political motives to the actions of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, it is concerning that Archers arrest has taken place at this time. After all, he, like all of us, should be free to speak our minds, to challenge authority and speak truth to power.

Article 23. (1) of our Constitution speaks to our right of freedom of speech:

Except with his consent, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of expression, and for the purposes of this Article the said freedom includes freedom to hold opinions, to receive and impart ideas and information without interference, and freedom from interference with his correspondence.

Those on the frontlines have not been the only people that the government has been trying to suppress. Facebook activism has become one of the mechanisms by which many groups of regular citizens voice their displeasure with the way the country is being run.

The PLP has had to double down on their public relations efforts and deploy operatives in the social sphere to disparage those who would dare to speak ill against the Emperor and his court. Much to the fury of the people, the government sought to quietly table the Interception of Communications Bill under the guise of a crime fighting measure. Most fair-minded Bahamians see this as a ploy by the government to allow them to legally spy on our phone calls and emails without our knowledge or permission.

We are living within a system that allows for the oppression and punishment of its citizenry for challenging the autocratic PLP-styled leadership, despite our constitutional rights.

We, as a people, need to remove the veil from our eyes. Perry Christie has been in political office for as long as half the country has been alive, and he still wants to add another five years to his resume. The PLP is proving to be relentless in its mission to retain power. Technology has allowed information to circulate around the country much faster than in previous election cycles, presenting an obvious difficulty for a government that is not transparent and accountable.

Therefore, the PLP has one weapon at its disposal - it must tarnish the image of anyone that dares to challenges it. That is why the work of civic groups and activist groups, such as We March, are so important. That is why you, the average citizen, are so important. You control this country - not the politicians. We must remind them of this fact, over and repeatedly, before its too late.

Comments and responses to insight@tribunemedia.net

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Insight: The Oppression Of Expression Under Emperor Christie - Bahamas Tribune

The Students for Justice in Palestine held a rally in July denouncing the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Courtesy of SJP

Anti-Semitic. Hateful. Divisive. Disgusting.

These were all words I heard as descriptions for the Associated Students of Madisonresolution targeting companies that profit off the oppression of black and brown bodies. Over and over again, Ive heard how this resolution would divide our campus, how it would bring about hatred and how it would particularly ruin job prospects for business students.

I could not help but notice the perpetual hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance exhibited by critiques of the resolution.

How each person whohad a qualm with the resolutionscritique of Israeli companieshad no words for the companies that profited off free labor from black menin our prisons. How no one who thought the bill was hateful addressed the hateful and brutal treatment of our Latinand indigenous brothers and sisters who face oppression at the hands of companies building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico borderto the Dakota Access Pipeline. How few people who described Israel as a beacon of light and a democracy addressed the very true and real dehumanization of Palestine people by the Israeli government. Time and time again, these narratives ignored the marginalized communities.

Students for Justice in Palestine speaker on postponed divestment proposal: Vote yesAfter a series of performances centered around social justice, Palestinian-American poet and writerRemi Kanazi discussed this weeks proposal to the Read

I, as an ally to my Palestinian brothers and sisters, should not be labeled as an anti-Semite for challenging the policies in place that demonize Palestinians each and every day. What about acknowledging and condemning police brutality, restrictions on mobility, building of illegal settlements and countless other human rights violations in Israel makes me an anti-Semite? Am I hateful for condemning the treatment of Palestinian children in the Israeli court system? It is alarming that any critique or voice opposition against cruel policies is faced with erasure and silencing.

As a blackwoman, empty messages of solidarity with the blackcommunity to justify arguments echoed across the room repeatedly. The hypocrisy of those who cheered and clapped when speakers hollowly chanted Black Lives Matter after ignoring the oppression of blackbodies in the resolution was blinding. Individuals lectured a black council member on how Israel invented the Black Lives Matter movement when the systematic oppression of Ethiopian black Jews through police brutality and forced sterilization of women is well-documented.

As a minority student on this campus, I have seen this divisiveness play a role in every situation that arises when marginalized students voice their concerns. When students marched on campus after the police-involved shootings ofMike Brown and Eric Garner, other students opposed it, saying Black Lives Matter was hateful and divisive to our campus and to white students.

ASM indefinitely postpones divestment resolution after hours of heated debateAfter six hours of heated debate, the University of Wisconsin Associated Students of Madison voted 13-12-1 to postpone aresolutiondemanding the Read

While I agree with the sentiment that hostility will not be the solution to these polarized problems, I am quite fed up with the hollow cries of dialogue and discussion. When our well-being and life is not valued on a basic level, no amount of dialogue or coffee discussions will fix the problem at hand.

When a speaker could not even utter the name Palestine and essentially erased the narrative and experiences of my Palestinian brothers and sisters, what form of dialogue will move that situation forward?

Black and browncommunities constantly have to play safe when addressing issues pertaining to their own well-being and survival. My Palestinian brothers and sisters cant critique the very government that treats them like second-class citizens without being labeled as an anti-Semite. My blackbrothers and sisters cant chant black lives matter without being labeled as radical or divisive. My indigenous brothers and sisters are often left out of the narrative entirely and met with the same labels of divisiveness.

Time and time again, our oppression is left on the back burner for being too divisive, too controversial and too much of a burden to handle at the current political time. We are constantly told now is not the time, this is not the appropriate place, this is not the appropriate strategy.

Naman Siad ([emailprotected]) is a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin law school. She also sits on ASM.

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Anti-divestment ideas are latest in long trend of oppression - The Badger Herald

Since Novembers presidential election, I have had an uneasy feeling of dj vu. It took me a while to put my finger on exactly what I was remembering. Until I realized, its 1985. Now, just as then, we are living in a time when the presidents actions are leading to harm for marginalized people around the world.

My vantage point on 1985 is that I grew up in the 1980s in New York City in the midst of the AIDS epidemic. It was likely during the latter part of the decade that I acquired HIV.

I have lived with HIV for about 30 years, and yet this disclosure is a new one for me to offer in my professional life. I am a university president who has been out as a gay man across my career, but up until now, disclosure about my HIV status has been on a need-to-know basis.

Why am I making it public now? Because of the parallels between then and now. In 1985, the president not speaking one particular word caused us injury and death. In 2017, the president speaking many incendiary words is causing injury and death.

It is difficult to explain what 1985 was like for me, when todays prevailing narrative about the Reagan years and the 1980s is fond nostalgia. Fondly is not how I remember the 1980s. Sickness and death were everywhere around me.

I did not get tested when the HIV test became available in 1985, because no treatment was available and because I was scared. But I was sure I had acquired the virus that was revealing itself across my friendship and partner circles.

The government knew an epidemic was raging through marginalized communities, and public health strategies were available, but government policy reflected indifference and inaction. President Reagan did not say the word AIDS until 1985, after more than5,000 known AIDS deaths in the United States, and well after the scope of the coming pandemic was understood.

I was certain as were many gay men that few cared if we all died, because we heard those words often and from many. I believe the vitriol and volume of the hate speech of the 1980s has receded from most peoples memory. It has not receded from mine: I believed then that dying from AIDS was simply part of being gay.

Today, I wonder whether many immigrants and many people who might look like immigrants feel now how I felt in the 1980s. I cannot know the contemporary experience of many marginalized groups, but I can imagine that many people Muslims, women, people living with disabilities, people of color standing up against institutionalized racism, people at the intersection of these and many more identities feel as abandoned by the state as I felt then.

The parallels between then and now are why I am disclosing my HIV status publicly. My status and my story are what I have to offer. We saved our community from extinction in the face of government-sanctioned indifference, hatred and oppression. I not only survived the plague, but have achieved some level of success, as a university president, perhaps in part because of what I learned in surviving.

To be clear: We did not beat or cure AIDS in the 1980s. Many of us died across a protracted fight with society and the government. Our success was more for gay white men than it was for women, people of color and people living in poverty and prisons. And millions around the world continue to acquire, live with and die of AIDS in the shadow of indifference, hatred and oppression. But we secured a specific and significant success, and I am here to tell about it.

Others have documented how Gay Mens Health Crisis (GMHC) and ACT UP forced the government to respond to the public health crisis of HIV. My story is that I participated in that solution as a young person.

In 1985, I was 20. I expected to die within a few years. I felt powerless amidst sickness and death, anticipated symptoms and illness on any given morning, and yearned for an outlet for my sadness and anger. Fortunately there were wise elders to tell me what to do. I did not fully understand what I was doing when I volunteered or went to a protest. I was simply doing what those elders who led GMHC and ACT UP told us to do without appreciating the leadership, strategy and focus of our advocacy and political action.

The orchestrated posing of hundreds pretending to be dead in front of federal buildings, the relentless closing down of traffic and commerce, the messaging that straight people could not ignore I participated in these actions, gradually understanding them as a solution, and sometimes choosing them over less productive behaviors that a kid pursues if he believes hes living under a death sentence.

I find myself back in the 1980s as I listen to President Trump. But Im not a kid. I am instead the product of schooling by wise elders and by 30 years of HIV.

I do ask myself why I didnt disclose more publiclyuntil now. My list of answers is long and psychologically revealing: fear of repercussions (many real, some imagined), a desire not to be pitied or summed up by my status, a need to focus on others and to be useful, my own internalized heterosexism and homophobia, a need to remain private in a very public job.

Or, perhaps its that I was waiting to use this asset of mine when its most needed.

Students at my university a university thatis explicitly focused on social justice ask me what to do right now. Black and brown students ask how to stand up to hate and violence. Queer students ask what it means that the Department of Education is led by someone who has supported discrimination and conversion therapy. Students ask how to translate their passions into actions that will matter. I realize they think Im an elder who has answers, and I see theyre more ready than I was in the 1980s. I realize too I have some answers that Ive learned from the successes and failures of the 1980s lessons about leadership, strategy and focus of advocacy and political action. I know how to fight for my life and an oppressed community and how to win.

Recently, Larry Kramer, one of the founders of GMHC and ACT UP, offered observations similar to mine. He said, Its the early days of AIDS all over again. I didnt think this would ever happen. It makes you want to cry.

Ive cried too, Mr. Kramer. And Ive paid attention. My tears are dry, and Im ready. We have precedent and the credentials to secure social justice.

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It's 1985 all over again: To me, the Reagan years were a time of death and Trump's era feels eerily similar - Salon

Combat in the Civil War may have ended in 1865, but the passions the war evoked still flare.

Witness the story some days back about a Richmond group encouraging display of the Confederate battle flag on private property.

I dont claim to be an expert on the Civil War, but its the subject I have most read about for more than 60 years.

To many thousands of Virginians, the flag is a salute to the armies in gray. To thousands of others, it honors a kinsman who fought in that war.

But at issue here is the fact that to thousands of Virginians, that flag is deeply offensive because it symbolizes slavery.

When Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, he made cotton the basis of the Souths economy. Growing cotton is labor-intensive, and slave labor became an important part of the industry.

As the 1800s passed, the culture of the North became industrial and the culture of the South became agricultural. That created an economic and emotional gulf.

Meanwhile, slavery became more and more of a flint, creating sparks of opposition and defense. The sparks finally burst into flame with the election of Abraham Lincoln and the attack on Fort Sumter in Charleston. Over the years, there had been compromises to satisfy both the Souths economic desire for the institution of slavery and the Norths opposition to it. Why then, did war break out?

It was a matter of states rights, Southerners said. For some it was a revolt against an oppressive government as the American Revolution had been. Fact: the sole issue, the ultimate cause, the touchpoint that made the Civil War necessary, was slavery. It was beyond compromise and only combat could solve it.

Lincolns first objective in going to war was not to free the slaves but to save the union. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation because he saw that there needed to be a moral basis for the war. Anti-black prejudice was strong in both the North and South, so there were countless numbers of Union soldiers who served only to defend the concept of the Union.

And this was an era when long travel was rare, so your strongest allegiance might well be to your state rather than that concept of Union.

Many, many men who were not slave-holders only fought to defend their southern home turf. That motivation was potent in the South.

When Robert E. Lee resigned from the Army at the onset of the war, he said he would never again draw his sword save in defense of his native state.

Yes, during the war, the Confederate battle flag was flown over brave and dedicated men. But in the 1960s, its aura was trampled to the ground by people seeking only to rebuff the civil rights of African Americans.

Rally round the flag! was a famous command in the 1860s. In the 1960s, those who rallied were too often expressing their hatred.

So where are we? Here and now, to many, many Virginians, the Confederate flag symbolizes a cruel and hateful past.

In a setting like a battle reenactment, a museum or an exhibit, the battle flag has its historical place. Beyond that, it becomes a symbol of harsh oppression and its flaunting becomes a lingering slap in the face.

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Where I stand on the Confederate flag controversy - Virginian-Pilot

People protest outside the Dutch consulate in Istanbul after the Netherlands barred Turkish ministers from visiting. Video provided by AFP Newslook

A man gestures in front of a flag bearing a portrait of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as Turkish residents of the Netherlands gather for a protest outside Turkey's consulate in Rotterdam on March 11, 2017. Protests erupted in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam late on March 11 outside the Turkish consulate amid a row with Ankara after Dutch authorities banned the visits of Turkish ministers. About 1,000 people waving Turkish flags gathered on the street leading to the consulate, as tensions rocketed over rallies abroad to help Ankara gain backing for an April referendum vote.(Photo: Emmanuel Dunand, AFP/Getty Images)

Europe has been stripped of its maskand its real face is one of "fascism, racism and Islamophobia," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday.

Erdogan has been angered by recent bans on rallies planned by Turkish ministers in Germany and the Netherlands. The ministers were scheduled to speak with Turkish expatsahead of a crucial April 16 referendum on constitutional changesin Turkey that would strengthen Erdogan's grip on power.

"The West has thrown off its mask in the past days," Erdogan said Sunday. "What we have seenis a clear manifestations of Islamophobia.I have said that I had thought Nazism was over, but that I was wrong. Nazism is alive in the West."

On Saturday, the Dutch government canceled Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu'sflight permit to the Netherlands, then refused to allowa convoy carrying Turkish Family MinisterFatma Betul Sayan Kaya toenter the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam, instead ushering her to the German border.

"Democracy, fundamental rights, human rights and freedoms... All forgotten in Rotterdam tonight. Merely tyranny and oppression." she tweeted.

Turkish PM considers speeding up trial of jailed American pastor

Trump team knew Michael Flynn might register as a foreign agent for Turkey work

Last week, Turkish ministers were barred from holding public rallies in two German cities.Erdogan accused Germany of "Nazi practices," an accusation that drew a sharp rebuke from GermanChancellor Angela Merkel.

Local French officials in Metz agreed to allow a rally there, saying it did not pose a threat to public safety. That drew a nod from Erdogan, who thankedFrance for not "getting involved in such games."

Dutch leaders say the Turkish rallies could increase tensions days before Dutch elections Wednesday that have drawn international attention. Populist Geert Wilders and his far-right Freedom Party, which has pledged to end Muslim immigration, close the nation's mosques and ban the Koran,haveshown polling strength.

Hundreds of thousands of Dutch citizens have Turkish roots and could have voting rights in both nations. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Sunday that he would attempt to repair relations with Erdogan and Turkey.Erdogan said Turkey would watch the election results and decide on its future relationship with the Netherlands.

"If you are sacrificing Turkish-Dutch relations for an election, you will pay the price," Erdogan warned. Hesaid countries that ban his ministersagainst Turkey would soon "learn what international diplomacy is."

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Turkey's president: 'Nazism is alive in the West' - USA TODAY

MISSOULA -- The second-largest segment of recent refugees to Missoula comes from one of the worlds fastest-emptying nations.

That those attempting to flee Eritrea have to dodge troops at the border with shoot to kill orders only underlines the desperate, despotic conditions in the northeast African nation on the Red Sea.

A one-party government jealously guards the independence it gained from Ethiopia in 1991, two experts from the Horn of Africas war-torn region told a crowd of 200 Wednesday evening at the University of Montanas University Center Theater.

Eritrea has a program of national service whereby the Eritrean population less than 50 years of age are obliged to serve in the military, said Solomon Gofie, a visiting adjunct at UM from Addis Ababa University.

Though intended to last just 18 months, national service can extend for decades, at the discretion of the government.

Theres no way they get out, Gofie said. After doing the (military) services, the government orders them to construct boats, to engage in projects like mining or manufacturing. It means the chance of a young Eritrean man or woman going freely after the service is almost nil. Authorities have to decide when one has to be set free. The family and the community dont have any say on that.

Often, way into their 50s, theyre still being paid $10 a month for their service in the military, said Kimberly Maynard, a UM Mansfield Fellow in International Affairs who spent 20 years in conflict zones in northeastern Africa and works part time for the United States Agency for International Development.

Since winter arrived in November, Missoula has become home to seven Eritrean families who found refuge first in Ethiopia or the Mediterranean island of Malta after sneaking out of their home country. Theyre outnumbered only by those from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who began arriving in August.

Gofie said hopes were high for a progressive future when Eritrea, the former northern province of Ethiopia, earned its independence in 1991. Its status as a nation was officially recognized by the United Nations in 1993.

But Isaias Afwerki, the enigmatic guerrilla leader who became the nations first president, remains in power. Eritrea, a small nation with between five and six million people, has lost half a million of those people prohibited outmigration, Maynard said.

The country has never held an election nor ratified a constitution. A United Nations commission has said the system of forced labor and other alleged human rights violations may constitute crimes against humanity.

One of the challenges is the ability to get information out of Eritrea, Maynard said. There is no foreign aid organization, no humanitarian organization, and the media is very, very controlled. Its only internal media, theres no foreign media. So its hard to get numbers.

What knowledge the outside world acquires of conditions in Eritrea comes mostly from those whove fled, she said. But even that avenue is unreliable as their access to in-country information is limited. Many fear reprisals against family and friends back in Eritrea who helped fund their escape.

War with Ethiopia in 1998-2000 resulted in nearly 100,000 deaths on both sides and devastated the Eritrean economy. Although there was a peace accord at the end, that didnt solve the hostilities between the two countries, Gofie said.

Eritrean officials accuse the United States of siding with Ethiopia, and while theres a chief of mission in the U.S. embassy in the capital of Asmara, a position Natalie E. Brown assumed last fall, an ambassador is not allowed.

Just two weeks ago, and last week also, the Ethiopian government is accusing Eritrea of sending armored people across the border, Gofie said.

All this, he added, makes outmigration one of very few options for the hopeless.

Maynard traced the common routes those fleeing Eritrea take, to Ethiopia and Sudan initially, and later on to Malta, Israel, Italy and other European nations. The journey involves dangerous and costly sea travel. In October 2013, a reported 366 Eritrean migrants drowned off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa. Most who survive end up in refugee camps, often separated from family and still facing uncertain futures.

A few navigate the vetting process and gain acceptance to the United States. Those whove landed in Missoula are by and large Christian Orthodox, and they're already sharing vestiges of a rich culture developed over thousands of years, which Maynard emphasized in her talk.

Its adding diversity and interest to our community, and most are heroes for having gone through what they went through, she said. But theyre also bringing so much, and the culture itself just offers so much.

By sharing such things as traditional foods, art and music in a sort of cross-pollination, the dignity of both cultures is realized, said Maynard.

I think thats when its a full welcome and theyre really now at home and living in Missoula.

Wednesday nights program, sponsored by UMs African-American Studies Program and Political Science Department, as well as Montana Model UN, was the third presented by Soft Landing Missoula in a series intended to foster understanding of the families arriving in Missoula through the auspices of international and United States refugee resettlement programs.

See more here:

Eritrean refugees in Missoula fled a nation of oppression and ... - Helena Independent Record

The second-largest segment of recent refugees to Missoula comes from one of the worlds fastest-emptying nations.

That those attempting to flee Eritrea have to dodge troops at the border with shoot to kill orders only underlines the desperate, despotic conditions in the northeast African nation on the Red Sea.

A one-party government jealously guards the independence it gained from Ethiopia in 1991, two experts from the Horn of Africas war-torn region told a crowd of 200 Wednesday evening at the University of Montanas University Center Theater.

Eritrea has a program of national service whereby the Eritrean population less than 50 years of age are obliged to serve in the military, said Solomon Gofie, a visiting adjunct at UM from Addis Ababa University.

Though intended to last just 18 months, national service can extend for decades, at the discretion of the government.

Theres no way they get out, Gofie said. After doing the (military) services, the government orders them to construct boats, to engage in projects like mining or manufacturing. It means the chance of a young Eritrean man or woman going freely after the service is almost nil. Authorities have to decide when one has to be set free. The family and the community dont have any say on that.

Often, way into their 50s, theyre still being paid $10 a month for their service in the military, said Kimberly Maynard, a UM Mansfield Fellow in International Affairs who spent 20 years in conflict zones in northeastern Africa and works part time for the United States Agency for International Development.

Since winter arrived in November, Missoula has become home to seven Eritrean families who found refuge first in Ethiopia or the Mediterranean island of Malta after sneaking out of their home country. Theyre outnumbered only by those from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who began arriving in August.

Gofie said hopes were high for a progressive future when Eritrea, the former northern province of Ethiopia, earned its independence in 1991. Its status as a nation was officially recognized by the United Nations in 1993.

But Isaias Afwerki, the enigmatic guerrilla leader who became the nations first president, remains in power. Eritrea, a small nation with between five and six million people, has lost half a million of those people prohibited outmigration, Maynard said.

The country has never held an election nor ratified a constitution. A United Nations commission has said the system of forced labor and other alleged human rights violations may constitute crimes against humanity.

One of the challenges is the ability to get information out of Eritrea, Maynard said. There is no foreign aid organization, no humanitarian organization, and the media is very, very controlled. Its only internal media, theres no foreign media. So its hard to get numbers.

What knowledge the outside world acquires of conditions in Eritrea comes mostly from those whove fled, she said. But even that avenue is unreliable as their access to in-country information is limited. Many fear reprisals against family and friends back in Eritrea who helped fund their escape.

War with Ethiopia in 1998-2000 resulted in nearly 100,000 deaths on both sides and devastated the Eritrean economy. Although there was a peace accord at the end, that didnt solve the hostilities between the two countries, Gofie said.

Eritrean officials accuse the United States of siding with Ethiopia, and while theres a chief of mission in the U.S. embassy in the capital of Asmara, a position Natalie E. Brown assumed last fall, an ambassador is not allowed.

Just two weeks ago, and last week also, the Ethiopian government is accusing Eritrea of sending armored people across the border, Gofie said.

All this, he added, makes outmigration one of very few options for the hopeless.

Maynard traced the common routes those fleeing Eritrea take, to Ethiopia and Sudan initially, and later on to Malta, Israel, Italy and other European nations. The journey involves dangerous and costly sea travel. In October 2013, a reported 366 Eritrean migrants drowned off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa. Most who survive end up in refugee camps, often separated from family and still facing uncertain futures.

A few navigate the vetting process and gain acceptance to the United States. Those whove landed in Missoula are by and large Christian Orthodox, and they're already sharing vestiges of a rich culture developed over thousands of years, which Maynard emphasized in her talk.

Its adding diversity and interest to our community, and most are heroes for having gone through what they went through, she said. But theyre also bringing so much, and the culture itself just offers so much.

By sharing such things as traditional foods, art and music in a sort of cross-pollination, the dignity of both cultures is realized, said Maynard.

I think thats when its a full welcome and theyre really now at home and living in Missoula.

Wednesday nights program, sponsored by UMs African-American Studies Program and Political Science Department, as well as Montana Model UN, was the third presented by Soft Landing Missoula in a series intended to foster understanding of the families arriving in Missoula through the auspices of international and United States refugee resettlement programs.

Read the original post:

Eritrean refugees in Missoula fled a nation of oppression and military conscription - The Missoulian

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In an announcement this week, the UN said that Cuba, along with Ecuador and Senegal, will have their records reviewed by theUN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED). The three nations have signed and ratified theInternational Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which requires the UN to check their records. An enforced disappearance is a government abduction of an individual in which their relatives are not provided information as to where they have been apprehended or why. Those disappeared are rarely seen again.

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Thefinal reports on all three nations will be published on March 17.

The last time the UN commission reviewed Cuba was in 2012. That report, written by a multidisciplinary working group made up of many government and/or State ministries and institutions, the National Assembly, NGOs and other relevant organizations, heaped effusive praise on the community autocracy.

The rights to life, liberty and security of person have always been mainstays of the Cuban Revolution, its authorities and society at large, even though Cuba has had to face over 50 years of aggression, terrorism and a harsh economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the Government of the United States of America, the 2012 report reads. There have been no cases of enforced disappearance in Cuba since the revolutionary triumph of 1959.

The report goes on to claim that the concept of holding a detainee or prisoner incommunicado is alien to criminal and procedural practice in Cuba.

All three assertions that Cuba respects the sanctity of life of its prisoners, that no disappearances have occurred in Cuba since 1959, and that Cuba has never held prisoners incommunicado are demonstrably false. There is little reason to believe the 2017 update to this report will contain more believable challenges to the Communist regime, though all such reviews present an opportunity to condemn the authoritarian regime for its crimes.

The case ofHamell Santiago Maz Hernndez, who died in late February, contradicts the claim that Cuba values the life of its people. Maz Hernndez diedafter spending eight months in the notorious Combinado del Este maximum security prison, used to house political dissidents. The government claims cardiac arrest as the cause of death but his dissident organization, the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), reject this assertion and have vowed an investigation.There is no evidence Maz Hernndez received medical care while in the prison. He was facing the charge of desacato, or disrespect a catch-all crime used against anti-communist protesters.

Another former inmate of Combinado del Este, Danilo Maldonado Machado, can testify to being held incommunicado. The artist, known by his pseudonym El Sexto, was transferred to Combinado del Este without his family being alerted. His fiance, he later said, only knew of his transfer because she arrived in time to see the van driving him away, and he was able to shout the name of the new facility to her. Maldonado, who was serving time without being charged following public celebrations of Fidel Castros death, later said he was beaten severely enough to trigger asthma attacks and not provided medical care.

A record also exists of forced disappearances since 1959, contra the UN report. According to Cuba Archives record of human rights crimes under the Castro brothers, at least 23 confirmed disappearances occurred between 1959 and 2014. One hundred other unconfirmed records exist. These numbers are low because, for most of its time in power, the Communist Revolution opted for openly executing its enemies via firing squad. Cuba Archive counts over three thousand firing squad executions and another 1,116 extrajudicial killings.

At the time of Fidel Castros death, the state had executed 5,775, including non-firing squad killings. Another 20,000 Cubans were believed to have died in the straits between Cuba and Florida, drowning in escape attempts from the island. Sixteen Cubans died while on hunger strike in prison; 209 died of health problems upon being denied medical care in prison.

Read more here:

UN Has Another Opportunity to Condemn Cuba's Oppression with Disappearances Review - Breitbart News

Written by: Kate Westrick

Ive often heard people complain of oppression at the hands of government. Many times, citizens stand by as if they were mere hapless victims subject to whatever their elected officials deem appropriate. This attitude has been on the rise, especially in regard to the 2016 presidential election. There was an air of righteous abstinence; the idea that governmental participation was inherently dirty and deceptive colored many potential voters worldviews as they stayed home from the polls. Unfortunately, no matter how upright this standpoint may appear, it is attitudes like these that lead to the downfall of liberty and prosperity.

Our government was not created to operate outside of the will and participation of the people. This is precisely what the Founders of our nation abhorred about their mother country. To abstain from the political process, to simply wash your hands of it,, is in many ways no more than freedoms death sentence.

All too often, people resort to armchair complaints and Facebook soapboxes to vent their political frustration overlooking their very opportunity to impact real, visible change in their local, state and national government.

Over the past couple months, I was able to work on a local mayoral campaign. The work I did was far from glamorous. It mostly consisted of phone banking, door knocking and planting various signs throughout the greater Chattanooga area. Although it was not entertaining or riveting, it was important work that needed to be done. Furthermore, instead of simply suffering at the hands of government, I made the active choice to become the hands of government. This very idea of every citizen taking on a role and responsibility in government is exactly the reason the United States of America has fostered so much success. Granted, not everyone needs to get involved in a campaign or volunteer for their county commissioner; but citizens should strive for participation albeit, in most cases, small. There are thousands of opportunities in hundreds of organizations and districts throughout the nation. Instead of complaining or abstaining, take action and participate in the nation you are blessed to call home.

Bio

Kate Westrick studies political science, history, and any public policy she can get her hands on. She serves as a political correspondent for the Bryan College Triangle, participates in intercollegiate debate, and occasionally serves on the campus worship team. She can usually be found in the library drinking La Croix and talking about politics, the Myers-Briggs personality test, or her future tiny house.

Category: Features, Opinion

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At the hands of the government - Triangle

March 10, 2017 at 3:16 pm |

With the election of our new president, I hope that this country returns to some degree of normalcy. We still have freedoms worth fighting for and, if need be, dying for. I hope that Americans can realize and appreciate this fact.

I believe that one of our most important freedoms is the right to bear arms. Without this freedom, our government could do anything that it can conceive to us. There are so many countries in the world where people are under enormous oppression by their governments. We would only join their pitiful plight, were it not for our right to bear arms. The first two battles of the American Revolutionary War with the British were over gun rights. The battle of the Alamo was partly due to gun confiscation. Even Jesus, at one point, told his disciples to sell their cloak and buy a sword. I sincerely believe that in telling them this, he was trying to emphasize a point, that point being, that you have a right to protect and defend yourself.

The police can only protect the public at large and the police usually arrive after a crime has been committed. This particular freedom to bear arms is currently being attacked by the UN. I pray that Americans understand that if there is the formation of a one-world government in our future, its inception would begin primarily because we have lost our right to bear arms. We must not lose this freedom to bear arms! Sinowa Cruz, Kalispell

In a divided country, our national parks continue to serve as common ground. Unfortunately, that ground is unsteady under the impacts of a $12 billion infrastructure repair backlog. With the recent confirmation of Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, hope remains that repairing our national parks will become a national priority.

During his recent address to Congress and the American public, President Trump called on Congress to pass an infrastructure bill. There is no better place to start rebuilding our infrastructure than fixing our parks. In Secretary Zinkes confirmation hearing, he stated that addressing the National Park Service backlog was one of his three top priorities. And Sen. Steve Daines, who recently became chairman of the subcommittee on national parks, has echoed the need to address the backlog.

The infrastructure repair backlog affects nearly every national park site. In contrast to the record-setting visitation that Glacier welcomed in 2016, the park faces a repair backlog nearing $180 million. This includes over $120 million in paved road projects and $11 million in trail repair needs.

National Parks Conservation Association calls on President Trump, Interior Secretary Zinke, Sens. Daines and Tester and all of our members of Congress to put their words into action. It is time for national parks to become a national priority again. Sarah Lundstrum, Whitefish

I would like to add to Brenda Andersons letter of thanks in the March 7 edition. Ms. Anderson was thanking the person or persons involved in helping find and rescue the dogs and mini-horses from the Creston area. Thanks should also go the Kalispell Police Departments animal warden, who acted on a tip from a passer-by noticing multiple dogs in a car in Kalispell. That investigation led to a joint effort with Flathead County sheriffs animal control officers. Those officers had to wear breathing apparatuses while they removed the distressed dogs from the horrific house prior to delivering them to the Flathead County Animal Shelter.

The amazing, hard-working care staff at the shelter, along with the countys veterinarian, has been caring for these dogs since their arrival, getting the healthiest few adopted out to loving homes, supported by the fundraising efforts of Flathead Shelter Friends Inc. These heroes deserve recognition as well. But the real heroes are the supportive citizens of Flathead County (and other parts of Montana) who have generously sent donations to be used for the care and rehabilitation of those animals as they make their way back to recovery.

Sometimes we may forget that along with the beautiful scenery that we are graced with in this valley, we are also graced with some of the most beautiful people found anywhere on this planet.

Thank you to all of the area heroes who time and again come together to overcome adversity. Cliff Bennett, Lakeside

I read with great interest Dr. Jason Cohens recent letter to the editor: Discussion Points of the Future of the Affordable Care Act. One of the most damaging forces in the universe is the illusion that expensive things can be had if we just want them bad enough. People often buy college educations, automobiles, and homes that the rational person can see are outside the realm of financial possibility, but the excitement of owning the shiny new thing often short circuits the brain just long enough for a family to destroy its financial future for a generation. That is exactly what we are witnessing with the ironically named Affordable Care Act.

Like the ski boat salesman encouraging an excited family to buy with funds they dont have, Dr. Cohen is selling us a health care policy we cant afford. I concede many of the things the Affordable Care Act intended to accomplish are admirable (unlimited lifetime coverages for everyone, no exclusions for pre-existing conditions, low or no cost to the poor, increased medical coverage in sparsely populated areas, required coverage of health screenings, free birth control, substance abuse counseling); unfortunately, they are not economically possible from a centrally planned bureaucracy.

Good people like Dr. Cohen are claiming the law is a resounding success. They state that millions of people who once were denied health insurance because of pre-existing conditions or expensive premiums now have access to it. What the Affordable Care Acts supporters dont admit is that millions of other Americans are rapidly finding health insurance so unaffordable they and/or their employers are dropping coverages due to its unaffordability. Because of the problem of adverse selection, insurance programs dont survive when unhealthy, expensive people sign up by the millions at the same time millions of healthy, inexpensive people stop paying their premiums.

While it is true the American health care system is in need of a complete overhaul, the Affordable Care Act is not the answer. Due to the immutable economic laws of adverse selection and supply and demand, the Affordable Care Act, is failing financially. When the program does fail, I hope we learn from our mistakes and consider using free market solutions such as those provided by health-care sharing ministries and cash-only surgical clinics that have reduced prices and increased quality and access wherever free markets have been allowed to operate. The private insurance/government partnership model is incapable of delivering on its promises, and it is now time to let the Affordable Care Act die with dignity before it financially cripples us. Joseph D. Coco Jr., Whitefish

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Letters, published on Match 10, 2017 - Daily Inter Lake

To hold a pen is to be at war - Voltaire.

A crisis is unfolding in Zambia where press freedom is under attack. This is according to Dr Fred Mmembe, the founder of The Post newspaper. Mmembe is a multi-award winning journalist who is recognised by various institutions, including the International Press Institute (IPI) for being fearless and outspoken.

As editor-in-chief of Zambia's leading independent daily, Mmembe frequently faces harassment from authorities. The Posts investigations into government corruption and abuses of power have been a thorn in the flesh of the governing party the Patriotic Front (PF). It has resulted in more than 50 lawsuits being filed against him and he has faced more than 100 years in jail over the course of his career. Mmembe says the administration of President Lungu doesn't know that power has limits.

There is an attempt to completely destroy The Post so that it is impossible to reconstruct it. It is a process which started many years ago. There were some restraints in the previous regimes, but this regime has no restraint whatsoever.

It seems Mmembes concerns about Lungus abuse of power are well founded. In September 2015 the Zambian president threatened him while addressing a crowd in Solwezi, in the North Western part of Zambia.

According to the Lusaka Voice, Lungu made the following chilling statement:

I want to tell Fred Mmembe that I have thrown away the lid. The battle lines have been drawn, but the truth is that Fred cannot fight me because I am Head of State. If he wants to fight me, let him fight me. But lets be fair; he has the power of the newspaper, I dont have. But the truth is that Mmembe cannot fight me because I am Head of StateAlefwayafye ukwakufwila (he is looking for death) I will not close your newspaper shamwari (my friend) but I will take you on.

The Lungu administration has also been accused of rigging the 2016 elections. Zambias main opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, of the United Party for National Development (UPND), accused the countrys electoral commission of colluding with the Patriotic Front to rig the outcome of the vote after it delayed in announcing the results.

Shadrack Chiluba* was a senior investigative journalist for The Post. He says media houses are under siege in Zambia. Journalists work in an environment of fear where they are harassed, arrested and their lives threatened.

If you write a news story criticising the manner in which Edgar Lungus PF is managing the situation just know that you will receive threats, youre going to be harassed if they know you, and they are willing to go to any lengths possible to silence any opposing view away from theirs.

In 2014 Transparency International reported that corruption was wreaking havoc with the economy, and the payment of bribes had reached levels of 78% in a country where approximately 60% of the population is illiterate and poor.

Mmembe believes the Zambian government is using state institutions to bully independent media houses like The Post for being outspoken against the government.

The Zambian Revenue Authority (ZRA) placed The Post under liquidation for 53 million kwatcha, (approximately R6 million) for unpaid taxes. But the paper disputed the amount and appealed to the Revenue Appeals Tribunal to reverse the liquidation. The tribunal, which is a specialised court on tax issues, ordered the ZRA to reopen The Post, and to return all the equipment of the paper, including printing machines, and vehicles which had been confiscated. Its a decision that the ZRA has consistently ignored.

Other media houses have also not been spared. Muvi TV, Komboni Radio and Itezhi Itezhi Radio were shut down by the government in August 2016. The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) suspended their broadcasting licenses for unprofessional conduct, claiming they posed a risk to national peace and stability. But they were reopened a few months later. This move has been interpreted as a form of intimidation to force media houses into adopting the party line.

Shadrack says in spite of the conditions in that country, he and other journalists have a duty to keep writing to ensure that the majority of people in Zambia, most of whom are poor, are able to have an independent platform through which critical issues, can be publicised.

The people are looking for hope and I believe that as a journalist we must give people an ear. They need to be listened to, thats what it means to be a voice to the voiceless. If we all lose hope we will crumble.

Another writer Tasilla Lungu* says she has been victimised for carrying out her duties as a journalist. Like her colleagues in that country she too has experienced pressure from those in authority to tone down her reporting.

Im on the right side of history. There is a lot of oppression of independence and I know it is not right and it is not something we should tolerate as a nation. Its not a trend we should accept as journalists. If we dont do anything now it will continue. If it means reporting the truth, I will report the truth and thats what comforts me, Lungu says.

But thats not the end of the story for The Post. Since its closure it has re-emerged with a new name, The Mast, and with a small team of journalists who write and print from a secret location. It is carrying on with the tradition of The Post by positioning itself as a publication that gives a platform to the poor and working class in that country.

Certainly as South Africans, our voices should shout loud and clear. The situation in Zambia is unacceptable. During the darkest days of apartheid, Zambians played a critical role in providing a home base for South Africans fleeing oppression. The Zambian government of that time risked major repercussions from the diabolical South African regime. It hosted the leadership of the ANC, and the SACP as well as other liberation movements. It provided accommodation, military training and other crucial support. The people of Zambia opened their homes and hearts to South Africans in peril.

It is because of this history that the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) cannot ignore the situation facing media workers in that country. As a trade union we will not be silent when basic democratic principles are being violated, and workers are suffering.

Furthermore, as journalists and media workers in this country we have a duty to express solidarity with our comrades in Zambia and on the rest of the continent. If we were unfortunate enough to find ourselves in the same position, who would speak for us? Who would rise to our defence? We have no choice. We must speak out on behalf of the Zambian people. If we truly believe in democratic values, we must be uncompromising in our condemnation of such heinous acts.

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. - Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

Phakamile Hlubi is a journalist and spokesperson for Numsa.

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[OPINION] Zambian media and the fight against oppression - Eyewitness News

Over the past week, there has been a slew of media coverage of the protest and surrounding events that occurred on Thursday, March 2nd in response to Charles Murray [CM] arriving on campus to give a lecture. There are many narratives circulating within campus networks as well as more broadly in the national media. I would like to add a perspective that so far has gone unaddressed by the majority of the coverage. I hope to allow people to think about protest and these specific events on campus by introducing the idea of rhetorical violence and emphasizing the importance of empathy in responding to (rhetorical) violence.

Developing empathy as a practiced skill can help us move forward toward community healing.

In her most recent email, President Patton said that colleges and universities should uphold the right to free speech, even unpopular speech. This is upsetting given the ongoing reality of systemic oppression, consisting of racist immigration policy targeting people from predominantly Muslim countries, attacks on the Affordable Care Act that has increased access to health care, increasingly militarized police forces and government sponsored destruction of native lands for private profit.

These are facts of many peoples daily lives, both on and off campus and are openly supported in the public arena. In contrast to the idea put forth by President Patton that these ideas do not have platforms, these are spread in our daily news and are widely present in our government, especially under our new president. Creating a platform at Middlebury for similar kinds of racism and oppressive ideologies impedes students abilities to be academically successful and generally whole people within our community because it welcomes in rhetorical violence and emotional distress.

We as a community can act differently and find ways to make Middlebury a place of healing for the traumas that have been inflicted by institutional racism, but instead chose, and continue to choose, to deny these legacies of violence. This happens in many ways, one of which is the administrative recognition that student emotions are broader than anger and frustration. There is confusion, hurt, betrayal and a whole host of other emotions that are triggered by the kind of violent rhetoric that Charles Murray published. If we are going to heal, we need to find spaces where these emotions can be validated and accounted for, not just in a cordoned off protest area while dehumanizing rhetoric is spouted from a stage.

In his recent post about the events that took place last Thursday, CM acknowledges that he has been discredited as a white supremacist, racist, sexist, eugenicist and white nationalist at Middlebury and by many prominent scholars. He does nothing to address the fact that these are not labels that are used arbitrarily. They are used to designate someone who perpetuates the ongoing trauma of racism, sexism and eugenics that shape all of our lives in different ways. None of us are free of the histories of violence that have shaped racism and sexism. Some are forced to bear that trauma in daily life in the small slights and large exclusions that people from marginalized backgrounds experience. Others of us are able to bear that trauma in a different way: the privilege to tell others that their pain is not real.

When we think about community healing and a path forward, it is important that we take into account the ways that some members of our community, namely minority students, are told that their experiences are not real. To do so would look like an affirmative statement by the administration, acknowledging the pain that rhetorical violence such as Murrays can trigger, and providing avenues for healing that do not first require members of our community to be retraumatized by having their existence on campus put into question. Additionally, we need to do some work as students to think about the ways in which we have denied each other empathy, particularly for our peers who experience various forms of marginalization. Instead of denial, we can build tools of empathy by learning about our histories of violence and by practicing connecting with, listening to or simply validating the experiences of our peers when they are different from our own experiences.

For all of the reasons above, I stand in support of the protestors from Thursday night as they expressed the communal pain that bringing a speaker like Charles Murray to campus creates. It is not rhetorically resilient for students of color to be forced to experience another example of white supremacy and racism on campus. I stand with students of color on our campus who participated in the protest and also those who did not. I have seen so many students from marginalized backgrounds exhibiting rhetorical resilience in their daily lives, while at the same time seeing that privileged students so often lack the empathy to honestly and openly engage with those they perceive to be different from them.

Examining how we move forward can be a learning opportunity for those of us who do not experience oppression at Middlebury. Empathy is a skill, not an inherent quality, and I would ask that students with various kinds of privilege take some time to think about what empathy truly looks like, and what they might be able to learn about themselves and about other students on campus when they practice empathy.

Jeremy Stratton-Smith 17 writes about the importance of empathy in the aftermath of last weeks protest.

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Toward Community Healing - Middlebury Campus (subscription)

Foreign Policy (blog)

Dalai Lama Interview Fuels New Fire in China-Tibet Spat Foreign Policy (blog) ... from China for decades amid harsh crackdowns from Beijing, but has since walked back his stance to autonomy under Chinese rule. Nearly 150 Tibetans have self-immolated to protest heavy-handed Chinese government oppression in the past eight years, ... Watch John Oliver Interview Dalai Lama Over Reincarnation ControversyRollingStone.com all 103 news articles »

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Dalai Lama Interview Fuels New Fire in China-Tibet Spat - Foreign Policy (blog)

As a Jewish student, I have to raise an objection to the equation of anti-Semitism with anti-Zionism and attempts to quiet criticism of Israel.

A resolution by Undergraduate Student Government (USG) has recently been put forth to brand anti-Israel and anti-Zionist as speech anti-Semitic, serving as a blatant means of silencing a portion of the population speaking out on issues relating to Palestinian rights. While its expected that the anti-Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) language will be removed, it is troubling this effort to silence free speech received any legitimacy at all.

The state of Israel is well known for its oppression of the Palestinian people by various means. These include, but are by no means limited to: depriving their communities in the West Bank of natural resources, such as water and land, destroying the homes of innocent people, establishing illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the unlawful detainment of children.

This is what organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine are fighting against. No other organization on campus is explicitly dedicated to Palestinian rights.

To equate criticism of oppression with the acts of hatred that have occurred at Kent State, such as the painting of a swastika on the Rock on Front Campus, is blatantly ignorant of the nature of the BDS movement, as well as the Jewish community as a whole. Over half of Jews under the age of 30 are critical of the politics of Israel, and organizations like the Jewish Voice for Peace are dedicated to raising awareness about the plight faced by Palestinians living in Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

Attempts within our government and our university to silence criticism of Israel by branding it anti-Semitic must be put to a stop.Per the U.S. Department of State, Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

This can occur on and off campus and has but the rhetoric used by the BDS movement and Students for Justice in Palestine does not fit this definition. This is about human rights, not anti-Semitism.

If a government is built for one people and allows for the subjugation of another, it is impossible for an equal society to exist. There are millions of Palestinians that are ultimately under Israeli rule, all without voting rights or representation. Millions of homes are destroyed, cities walled off, and the right to movement restricted by checkpoints and segregated roads.

I am a Jew, and I cannot remain silent on issues of oppression, especially when theyre done by other Jews in my name. I urge Jewish students in particular to not run from discussions of Israel that make them uncomfortable.

While we may be uncomfortable, families are being torn apart and being forced to live in miserable conditions in the name of a Jewish state.

Im Willemina Davidson, and I say, Not in my name.

Willemina Davidson is a guest columnist, contact her at wdavids3@kent.edu.

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Letter to the Editor: Not in my name - Kentwired

Viewers from 38 countries, across six continents watched the culmination of the first Peoples Tribunal on Myanmar: a swift indictment against the leaders of Myanmars government for the crime of genocide against the Rohingya, and atrocity crimes against the Kachin minorities. On the indictment, Dr. Helen Jarvis, formerly of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal related that the panel of judges zeroed in on three areas of discussion: 1. Identity Framing, 2. The escalation in fighting against the Kachin, and 3. Genocide against the Rohingya.

Testimony Concludes on Second Day

The second day of hearings convened in London at the Queen Mary Law School International State Crime Initiative (ISCI), saw the conclusion of testimony, statements of support from the Dalai Lama and Amartya Sen, and comments by the special panel of judges. Speaking on the drastic reduction of the Rohingya population, Dr. Helen Jarvis noted that the Rohingya population halved as the result of Myanmars persecution over the past forty years.

The negative role of Suu Kyi was discussed by Burmese scholar and Tribunal expert witness, Dr. Maung Zarni who corrected the notion that Suu Kyi has been silent about crimes against the Rohingya and Kachin. According to Zarni, Suu Kyi is a guilty party in genocide against Rohingya. Kai Htang Lashi, representing the Kachin National Organisation (KNO-UK), stated that her organization has reached out to Suu Kyi multiple times but never received a response. Tun Khin, head of the Burmese Rohingya Campaign UK (BROUK), noted that Rohingya support for Suu Kyi was previously widespread, several prominent Muslims worked in Suu Kyis NLD party and for her election campaign but their situation has only deteriorated since she won the election.

Breakthrough in the Tribunal

A breakthrough in the course of the Tribunal was not only the contact between Kachin and Rohingya leaders but their working together. Described as a historic moment according to panelists, a point highlighted by Tribunal judge, Daniel Feirstein, and termed a new beginning by Malik Mujahid, Chair of the Burma Task Force. The Tribunal is a call to solidarity between the oppressed peoples who must take care to work together Feirstein said.

The Tribunal stated that it had reached out repeatedly to the Myanmar government to join the hearings, Myanmars government instead opted to be unrepresented for the entirety of the hearings. Myanmar is still encouraged to engage with the Tribunal, present its case and respond to the serious evidence and testimony behind the indictments, said Dr. Helen Jarvis. Efforts to reach the Myanmar government for comment have so far been unsuccessful.

Tribunal Fillsthe Void and Inaction of International Bodies

Secretary General of the Tribunal, Dr. Gianni Tognoni, emphasized the Tribunals role in filling the void and inaction of international bodies such as the UN, ICC and others in addressing and making visible atrocities committed by states against vulnerable and oppressed people. Dr. Tognoni, added that whilst the evidence is compelling it needs further documentation and systematization which will likely be explored at upcoming hearings. Tribunal judge Denis Halliday raised the issue of complicity of world powers, particularly western nations and the UN Security Council in abetting Myanmars crimes against the Rohingya and Kachin, and the necessity of exploring this further.

Kai Htang Lashi, representing the Kachin National Organisation-UK (KNO-UK) pushed for an independent inquiry that highlighted the suffering of all Burmas people. In her statement, Lashi, stated that the Burma I love is a diverse nation, no one community is more important than another.

Possible Solutions to the Oppression of Both Communities

During the lively Q&A, several possible solutions to addressing the oppression of both communities was broached: Feierstein, positively affirmed that Universal Jurisdiction can be applied against Myanmars government citing its use against Argentinas Pinochet regime. Malik Mujahid, noted that the Tribunal would contribute to influencing governments and human rights regimes, as it has in the past. The importance of ASEAN, and particularly Malaysia, was noted for efforts to integrate Myanmar into a broader regional cooperation; Denis Halliday was particularly keen on empowering ASEAN in this regard.

The indictment from the Tribunal should be a call to the Myanmar government to work toward ending these ongoing crimes, but also should put thecomplicitglobal powers andinstitutions on notice: the people are watching!

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Peoples' Tribunal Indicts Myanmar Leaders for Genocide Against Rohingya, Atrocities Against Kachin - The Chicago Monitor

The independent counsel team has concluded that the governments blacklisting of artists critical of the government was an antidemocratic oppression carried out for the sake of factional interests. The probe team announced the final results of its probe into the Choi Soon-sil scandal on Monday. The team said that former Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon and former Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun led the creation of the blacklist. The team said that the blacklist had hurt not only artists but also people in general by violating the freedom of creation and undermining cultural diversity by excluding certain artists from getting state subsidies just because they had different views. The team said that the blacklist was drafted out of the belief that criticism of the government is a challenge to the free democracy system, and constitutes a serious crime against the basic values of the Constitution. The team also said the blacklisting of artists also crippled the career civil service system, forcing Culture Ministry officials to become lackeys in the crime. Meanwhile, key figures in drafting the blacklist, including the former presidential chief of staff, have blasted the probe results and have refused to accept them.

Link:

Probe: Artist Blacklist Antidemocratic Oppression - KBS WORLD Radio - KBS WORLD Radio News

PR dla Zagranicy

Victoria Bieniek 06.03.2017 08:03

Some 4,000 people gathered in Warsaw on Sunday in a march for women's rights ahead of International Women's Day on Wednesday.

The 18th such annual march, which drew crowds of 3,700, according to police figures, and 4,000 according to City Hall, was entitled Against authoritarian abuse.

Meanwhile, several dozen pro-life protesters gathered outside Warsaw City Hall in opposition to the march, carrying posters with images of aborted foetuses.

Organisers of the main march said that the protest was not anti-government as such, but against cumulative oppression, be it institutional, systemic, economic, physical, sexual....

However, many of the banners held up by marchers carried messages about reproductive rights, following the Polish government's recent decision to consider a bill which would make the morning-after pill and hormonal contraceptives available only on prescription.

Marchers also criticised the abortion compromise, the colloquial name given to Poland's restrictive abortion laws.

Another 40 Polish cities also hosted women's protests over the weekend.

International Women's Day marks the anniversary of a workers' strike in New York in 1910, when 15,000 female textile factory employees stopped work, demanding better work conditions and voting rights.

The factory owner locked strikers in the building and 129 of them died in a fire. (vb/pk)

Source: PAP

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Thousands in women's rights march in Polish capital - National - thenews.pl