Author: Friends of Sleeper Cells
Senegal: Video of Chad Ex-Dictator’s Trial
(HRW) – Human Rights Watch today released a new video, “Hissène Habré: Scenes from an historic trial,” about the trial in Senegal of the former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré. At the end of the trial on February 11, 2016, the court announced that the verdict would be scheduled for May 30. Habré faces charges of crimes against humanity, torture, and war crimes before the Extraordinary African Chambers, which is part of the Senegalese court system.
Habré’s trial, which began on July 20, 2015, was the first in the world in which the courts of one country prosecuted the former ruler of another for alleged human rights crimes.Witness hearings ended in December, after 52 days of trial, and were followed by the parties’ summations in February. The new Human Rights Watch video highlights some of the key moments of the trial.
Brazilian Musicians Mount an Orchestra Against Brazil’s Interim Government
(GVO) – A few weeks ago, a famous Brazilian musician and critic wrote a poignant article pointing out how the events that have recently rocked Brazil lack a soundtrack, a musical dimension as in previous political upheavals in the 1960s and 1970s, when Brazilian popular music was at the center stage.
Well, perhaps no more: Brazilian musicians are occupying and organizing in social media classical concerts in buildings owned by the Ministry of Culture, which was recently extinguished by Brazil’s interim president Michel Temer.
A Japanese City Uses Frightening CGI to Teach Residents Tsunami Survival
The Japanese city of Kamakura has created a tsunami simulation to help its residents understand the danger they face and be able to plan an escape route that leads to safety.
Kamakura is small city on the Pacific Ocean located less than an hour by train from downtown Tokyo. The city crowds along the coast of a curved bay, just above sea level, and there is little to no protection from a tsunami should one occur.
The tourist town is often packed with visitors, and is threatened by at least two massive earthquakes that are due to happen at any time. There’s up to a 5% chance of a magnitude.8 earthquake in the Sagami Trough occurring over the next 30 years; there’s a 70% likelihood of a magnitude 7 earthquake occurring over the same period of time.
Erdogan’s Law: Kurdish Parliament Members Stripped of Immunity
“The bill targets 130 members of parliament. A vast majority of them are members of the HDP (People’s Democratic Party of Turkey),” Xulam tells Loud and Clear, adding that he believes Erdogan will use this bill to give himself sole control of the Turkish government.
“So what you’re saying is that President Erdogan, who has been acting as the head of state, in order to consolidate his power, had to first deal with the HDP, which is mostly Kurdish with progressive people in it,” suggested host Brian Becker, adding that if the HDP were to remain a presence in parliament, “it would dilute Erdogan’s personal power,” and that explains why Erdogan “scuttled the ceasefire with the Kurds, resumed war in Southeastern Turkey and now is attempting to strip immunity from members of parliament who are associated with the HDP, so that they can be arrested put in jail.”
US: Raped in Military – Then Punished
(HRW) – Thousands of United States service members who lost their military careers after reporting a sexual assault live with stigmatizing discharge papers that prevent them from getting jobs and benefits, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The report is the result of a 28-month investigation by Human Rights Watch, with the support of Protect Our Defenders, a human rights organization that supports and advocates for survivors of military sexual assault. Under pressure from the public and Congress, the US military has in recent years implemented some protection for service members who report sexual assault, but nothing has been done to redress the wrongs done to those who were unfairly discharged.
US-Italy to Send More Arms to Libya to ‘Bolster’ Failed State
On Monday, foreign ministers from Europe and the Middle East met in Vienna, under the joint chairmanship of the US and Italy, to discuss bolstering support for a UN-backed Libyan government, amid growing sectarian strife in the country where dozens of tribal factions continue to war over political legitimacy and oil resources.
The once-wealthy nation, resting on oil rich terrain and having a relatively small population of four million, has devolved into a failed state, a hellhole-haven for Daesh extremists, following the NATO-led ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Tupac on Inequality
“There’s no way these people should own planes and there’s people who don’t have houses or apartments.” Who said it?
Reading this today, you might think the words came from presidential candidate Bernie Sanders who has made rising inequality the major focus of his campaign. However, the words come from a recently unearthed video of deceased hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur being interviewed on MTV News in 1992.