Ukraine: FEMEN activists go to exile under threat of prosecution

The founders of the feminist and radical direct action organization FEMEN, Alexandra Shevchenko, Yana Zhdanova and Anna Gutsol, announced that they had to leave their country, Ukraine, after they were threatened with political trial. 

A police raid "found" in the offices of FEMEN in Kiev "objects resembling a gun and a grenade". The organization denounces they were placed by police themselves.

The pro-Russian regime of Viktor Yanukovic is known for using political trials and other more violent means against dissidents, much as it happens in Russia.

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

USA: amnesty calls begin as soon as Manning is sentenced to 35 years

Whistleblower Bradley Manning was sentenced today by an opaque military court to 35 years of prison.

As soon as the sentence was known, the Bradley Manning Support Campaign began a signature collection to ask the President for a pardon. Meanwhile Amnesty International asked Obama to commute the sentence to time served. They say:

Instead of fighting tooth and nail to lock him up for several decades, the US government should turn its attention to investigating and delivering justice for the serious human rights abuses committed by its officials in the name of countering terror.

Basque Country: ideological repression reaches the fiestas of Bilbao and Laudio

The Spanish proconsul in the Western Basque Country, a petty bald guy known as Carlos Urquijo, denounced the recently appointed txupinera (woman in charge of shooting some noisy fireworks known as txupinak) of the Fiestas of Bilbao, Jone Artola (pictured). Why? Because she is the sister of a political prisoner and active for decades in the konpartsa (festive organization) Txori Barrote, related to the prisoner solidarity human rights organization Etxerat (back home), of which she has been speaker often. 

That would half-normal, considering the fascist imperialist nature of the Kingdom of Spain. But what is more worrisome is that a tribunal accepted yesterday the demand, temporarily suspending Artola at just one week from the beginning of the Fiestas. 

A few days ago another tribunal also suspended the appointment of Pablo Gorostiaga, 71, as pregonero (in charge of reading the festive proclamation or inaugural discourse) of the fiestas of Laudio. Gorostiaga was for many years the elected mayor of this town but was sentenced to nine years of prison in a political persecution trial. 

Pablo Gorostiaga in a political meeting

The legal pretext for both instances of political repression is the so-called Law of Acknowledgement and Reparation to the Victims of Terrorism, which is designed, it seems, to impede free speech and increase political repression against Basque patriots. 

It is hard to see how these kind of fascist measures can help at all to bring peace and conciliation. Rather the opposite: it seems that Madrid is determined to re-ignite the endless war, probably because they need some sort of distraction for all the socio-economic problems they are unable to solve, never mind deep institutional corruption. 

Source: Naiz Info[es] (link 1, link 2, link 3, link4).

Turkey: student loans to be denied to those who join protests

The fascist Turkish state is again showing its true colors: people who take part in protests will become legally ineligible for student loans.

The new norm, to be applied from 2014 on, has been approved by the Institution of Loans for Superior Education and University Residences on the grounds that such activities are "a violation of the right to education".

The banned activities include painting graffiti, chanting slogans, occupying buildings or taking part in any boycott, be it individually or collectively, inside or outside the university precinct.

The banned activities are described as "acts of anarchism and terrorism".

Hitler himself could not have thought something more twisted. 

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Bahrain: blogger and journalist aide arrested

From the Bahrain Center for Human Rights:

Bahrain: Arrest of blogger and media fixer Mohamed Hassan

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses grave concern in regards to the recent arrest of blogger and media fixer Mohamed Hassan (27) during a dawn raid on his home.  His whereabouts and charges are still unknown and he has not made any communication with family and lawyer until the time of writing this report.

At around 3am on 31 July 2013, masked men in civilian clothes belonging to the Ministry of Interior raided the house of blogger Mohammed Hassan and arrested him after presenting an arrest warrant but without giving any justification for the arrest or the charges pressed against him. They also confiscated his electronic devices.

This is not the first time blogger Mohammed Hassan is targeted by the authorities in Bahrain.

Mohammed Hassan, also known as @Safybh, was known for expressing his views on twitter and on his blog http://safybh.wordpress.com/ in support of the struggle for freedom and democracy in Bahrain. He stopped tweeting and blogging since April 2013.

Hassan was arrested before on 21 April 2012 while he was escorting reporters to protesting villages to show them the violations of the authorities against peaceful protesters. He was hit with a gun barrel in his leg and reportedly severely beaten before getting arrested. He was denied access to a lawyer, and released the next day. He was then arrested again on 22 April 2012 at a checkpoint in Sanabis with journalist Colin Freeman from The Sunday Telegraph. They were taken to the Exhibition Center police station. Hassan was interrogated about his connection to the journalist and they were later released without any charges.  

In June 2012 Mohammed Hassan was summoned for interrogation, and was accused with three charges: writing for websites and newspapers without a license, illegal gathering and tweeting. He wrote later on his twitter: "They asked me about all tweets, even the ones where I say goodnight, I was also questioned about the articles I write and the journalists I know, especially when I was arrested and beaten last April. I was accused of calling for “unlicensed" marches when I invited people to [participate in] Nabeel Rajab’s “Thank you” march, [the] problem is: it was actually licensed. After asking a lawyer I realized that I was correct about not needing a license for blogging or writing an op-ed for a website."

... continue reading at BCHR.

Political repression of Basque youths continues unabated

Two more young Basques have seen confirmed their ideological punishment of six years in prison for the "crime" of illegal association, i.e. for being members of a political organization arbitrarily banned by the Spanish imperialist authorities.

This very same Spanish Supreme Court just the day before dramatically reduced a sentence against Spanish corrupt ringleader Jaume Matas (ex-President of Balears, PP) from six years to a mere nine months (so he won't go to prison).

The sentence reduction, by means of declaring the politician innocent of most charges, was issued by a tribunal which is controlled by the ultra-catholic greedy power-mongering cult Opus Dei and on whose likely deep corruption as institution there are already appearing detailed articles and even a Facebook group. 

Back to incorruptible Basque revolutionaries, it is expected that, in the next weeks, other trials for political activity will be reactivated in the Spanish Supreme Court. 

A campaign of civil disobedience, the popular wall already organized in similar cases in order to highlight the dramatic ideological repression that Spain continues exerting against the youth of this oppressed country, is being readied for these cases. 

However what is desirable and democratic is that repression ends at once and that Castile-Spain pulls back its occupation forces behind the 1199 international border.

Note: all links direct to Spanish language articles.

Turkey: new police crackdown

From Contra Info:

Turkey: Police crackdown and mass detentions in İstanbul

In the early hours of July 16th, 2013 police raided 100 different places in İstanbul.

At around 5.30am, police stormed many houses simultaneously. According to initial reports, 12 members of Öğrenci Kolektifleri (Students’ Collective) and Liseli Genç Umut (Highschool Young Hope) were detained. 26 persons in the district of Sancaktepe were detained, including readers of magazines such as Özgür Gelecek (Free Future) and Devrimci Demokrasi (Revolutionary Democracy), and members of AKA-DER (Anatolian Cultural and Research Foundation) and HKP (People’s Liberation Party). It’s being reported that managers’ and members’ houses of the TGB (Turkey Youth Union) were also searched. Lawyers informed that the State took the decision of house searches and arrest of 60 people for a 72-hour period (including members of Halkevleri, Öğrenci Kolektifleri, Özgür Gelecek, Devrimci Demokrasi, Aka-Der, HKP and TGB). 56 people are accused for encouraging people to revolt and damaging public property. The case file was classified as confidential, so people still in custody (30 so far) are not allowed to speak with their lawyers for 24 hours. Cops also decided to take saliva samples of detainees.

sources: a, b

Basque Country: political arrests in Navarre

Three Five arrested, see updates below.

Artzai Santesteban has been arrested tonight in Antsoain by Spanish police forces under unclear accusations of taking part in "an incident" during these San Fermin fiestas. It is speculated that it may be the placing of the gigantic Basque flag but no details have surfaced yet. 

He seems to be a scapegoat because he has been previously persecuted once and again: he was arrested in Italy under the political accusation of being member of Segi (Basque Left-Nationalist youth movement) and then deported to Spain, where he was in prison for more than a year. 

He was also accused of burning several cash machines, without evidence, the case being archived.

Last year he also became scapegoat of an inconsequential fight which took place within the riau-riau between Basque and Spanish nationalist individuals. Only Basque Nationalists were arrested. 

Just months ago he was declared not guilty for an attack against a police van. As in the other occasions, there was absolutely no evidence, excepted declarations obtained under torture. 

He still awaits trial for being member of Segi.

Source: Ateak Ireki[es].


Update: not one but three people have been arrested, according to Naiz Info[es].

Besides the already mentioned Artzai Santesteban, Endika Garai and Jon Karmelo Lizarazu are the other two victims of this instance of political repression.

It seems that the accusations are not related to the hanging of a Basque flag before the City Hall but to the clashes that, triggered by police violence, took place in Txapitela St. when a march attempted to access the City Hall Square with another large ikurriña:

Video by Ateak Ireki

In those incidents Navarrese MP Txelui Moreno was injured by police batons on the head. Allegedly a municipal policeman was also injured by a bottle, although this is not apparent in the video. 


Update: two more have been arrested so far: Ekaitz Esteban Baruke and Eneko Pérez → Ateak Ireki[es].


Update (Jul 18): the five have been released but another person, Monika Mendiberri was arrested tonight in the Old Quarter of Iruñea-Pamplona accused of "destruction" (arson?, vandalism?) → Ateak Ireki[es].

The victims of political persecution denounced the ruling party UPN to have done that in order to hide their own misery. One denounced beatings while under arrest. → Ateak Ireki[es] (incl. press conference video).

Greece: Kostas Sakkas allowed freedom on bail

It is still illegal and immoral. The bourgeois court ordered that in order for the Anarchist prisoner in hunger strike to be freed € 30,000 must be paid as bail. 

He's also banned from traveling abroad, leaving the prefecture of Attica, residing in the home he has declared as such residence, presenting himself at police station every Monday and prohibition of communicating with other people accused of membership in the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire case. 

Fundraising is being organized.

Heraklion city hall was occupied by Anarchists yesterday in solidarity with Sakkas:

Sources: Contra Info, From the Greek Streets (also here).
 

France: political trial against anti-Zionist for calling to boycott Israel

How ironical that anti-discrimination laws are used against those who are fighting against Apartheid and Genocide!

Seven activists faced trial in Alençon, Normandie, after they took part in a propaganda action in a supermarket, calling for boycott to Zionist products. They risk a fine of up to €1000 for "discrimination". Three others suffered a similar ideological persecution in Perpinyá (Northern Catalonia). Hundreds concentrated in their support in both cities.

France seems to be one of the states on Earth where campaigning against Zionism is most actively persecuted:

Dozens of activists have faced criminal charges or investigation and the French police regularly demand the names and addresses of activists that take part in actions organized in support of BDS against Israel. Several activists have already been issued with heavy fines.

The Zionist regime and its necessary associate the Zionist International, so influential within the Western Empire (but also in other powers like Russia or India), is trying to intimidate by means of political persecution the the campaign of disobedience against their imposition of Hebraized neo-Nazi values. They do not seem to understand that repression only strengthens the determination and support for those who are so obviously right. 

Source: Electronic Intifada.

Greece: 6000 march in Athens in solidarity with anarchist prisoner in hunger strike

At least 6000 people marched in Athens today in solidarity with Kostas Sakkas, a political prisoner who has been in jail for more than two years without trial (the legal maximum is 18 months).

Source: From the Greek Streets (incl. more photos).

Turkey: many arrested in Ankara and Adana

Out of 35 arrested in Ankara, 19 were brought to the special political courts, 19 were sent to preventive prison (Sincan F Type Prison), 5 released on parole and one released without charges for lack of evidence.

Police filmed relatives and friends of the victims of repression, who were not allowed to meet their beloved.

Three other people were also arrested in Adana. 

Source: Occupied Taksim.

Turkey: repression continues

As mentioned yesterday, the Islamist authorities of Turkey have launched a campaign of political repression, arresting many dozens, while hundreds were arrested in the general strike of Monday. 

But the campaign of political repression is not only directed against protesters: the four TV channels which gave some half-decent coverage to which is maybe the most important episode in the history of Turkey in this century, were heavily fined, in a clear totalitarian attack against freedom of speech. 

But the most "dangerous" foe that Erdogan faces is the Internet. And he knows it. His government is therefore preparing a new law that aims to restrict access to social networks. People have also been arrested in Izmir on the grounds of "provocative tweets". 

Recently Erdogan claimed, in his usual fascist style, that "a tweet can be more dangerous than a car bomb". 

AKP speaker Ali Sahin claimed that there is "a conspiracy that attempts to depose the government using the social networks" and, shamelessly parroting his boss, that "a calumnious tweet can be more dangerous than a car bomb. The explosion of an armed vehicle may have a limited impact but a tweet loaded with lies can cause an ambient of conflict".

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Occupied Taksim emphasizes how, while government repression has killed four people and injured, often very seriously, to at least 8000 people, the only thing the government seems concerned about is that cars have been burned or that publicity billboards have been broken. 

That is the "democratic" nature of Erdogan: he is extremely ugly and brutally arrogant but he does not seem to notice.

Turkey: political raids against communists: 85 arrested

The Turkish Islamist government has initiated a campaign of political arrests, targeting the communists. At least 85 have been arrested as result.

Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler said on Tuesday that 62 people had been detained in Istanbul, Turkey's biggest city, while 23 others had been arrested in the capital Ankara as a result of raids in several cities.

“The operations are against members of the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party, who also attended the Gezi Park protests, as part of an investigation being conducted by prosecutors for more than a year,” Guler added.

...

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has stated that it documented “a huge wave of arbitrary detentions and police attacks” during the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul over the weekend.

In a related development, while Erdogan tries with all the might of the state to demolish the popular demonstrations, he is in parallel agitating his own party's supporters to go to so-called "Rallies of Popular Will" to be held in diverse cities. 

This way Erdogan's AKP neofascist party seems to become the only force allowed to demonstrate in all the Turkish Republic. 

They call it democracy...

Source: Al Jazeera.

Bahrain: tortured prisoner sent to isolation instead of hospital

It would seem that the current "fashion" of extra-judiciary killings has become now to make people die in prison.

From BCHR:

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BHRC) is gravely concerned for the health and wellbeing of Ali Abdullah Al-Singace, who is still subjected to torture, denied access to adequate medical care, and has been in solitary confinement for the last ten days.

Ali Al-Singace is a 20 year-old Bahraini who was initially sentenced to death by a military court during the imposed State of National Emergency in 2011; his conviction for allegedly running over a policeman on 16 MAR 2011 was later reduced to a life sentence. Ali was not given a fair trial, and his conviction remained in place despite the fact that the lawyers had presented evidence that Ali had a broken leg during the time of his alleged crime. For more background information on the case, please refer to: http://bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/3983.

Since the day of his arrest on the 23rd of March 2011 until now, Ali has been subjected to different kinds of physical, sexual and sociological torture. He was stripped of his clothes and brutally beaten with sharp weapons, metal rods and wooden sticks on different parts of his body, causing him to suffer from sever back and heart pains. He was also threatened with rape and death, and has lost some of his teeth after he was beaten in the face. 

... full article at BHCR.

Ecuador accuses the UK of violating international law in Assange case

The government of Ecuador, in whose embassy is refuged Julian Assange, accuses the United Kingdom of violating international law and the human rights of the journalist by not granting him a safe-conduct. 

Assange has been besieged by UK forces in the Embassy of Ecuador since almost a year ago. 

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Greece: major clashes with police forces in Patras

As police intervened against the traditional areas of leisure and debate for the radical youth of Patras, violent large-scale clashes erupted in the Greek city, as police attempted to prevent Anarchists from retaking Olga Plaza to the drug dealing mafias. 

Two days later another major confrontation happened as police forces protected a Nazi landing "party" in the Peloponnese port city, the third largest town of Greece. While a hundred, mostly elderly, Nazis danced under massive police protection, many more citizens marched to protest institutional support for fascism. Later clashes between the ultra-violent police unit DIAS and the radical citizens resulted in some 45 people arrested and beaten under arrest.

Source and more details: Contra Info.

Update on anarchist arrests in Catalonia and Spain

Some more info is showing up on the arrests of several anarchists in Catalonia and other Iberian localities. The arrested are accused of being the administrators of a Facebook group known as Kolektivo Bandera Negra (Black Flag Kollektivity), which was used for counter-information and anarchist propaganda. 

The relationship between the arrested and the Ateneu Llibertari of Sabadell was at best accidental (one of their members may have gone a few times to this social center), what was no problem for police to raid the Ateneu mercilessly and take all the documentation in it, including hard disks and such. 

There were also police raids in Málaga (Andalusia), Zaragoza (Aragon) and Avinyó (Catalonia). So far there is no known evidence of any "terrorist" link, in spite of wild bourgeois media speculations.

In a single day, with this and other operatives (against Basque Independentists, striking teachers in Aragon and even a Venezuelan PSUV activist arrested after a conference in Valencia), 21 people were arrested for crimes of political opinion in the Kingdom of Spain. 

Source[es]: A Las Barricadas (via Borroka Garaia Da!)


Update: the Grupo Bandera Negra (Black Flag Group) of Madrid denies any link with the arrested but shows its solidarity with them and especially with the Ateneu Llibertari of Sabadell → Juventudes Libertarias de Madrid[es].

Basque Country: political-judiciary persecution against four picket members

Four youths of Bilbao are being asked 14 years of prison each for merely taking part in an informative picket in one of the general strikes of last year. The evidence: police says... police lies... and nothing else. 

However under the Spanish Penal Code the word of a policeman is "evidence", while civilian witnesses are not or at the very least weight a lot less. I know on my own flesh: I was years ago sentenced to a fine (which I rejected to pay, choosing to go to prison instead) with dozens of witnesses supporting my version (most of which were simply dismissed by the judge) and just a policeman supporting, quite incoherently, the accusation. 

Mine is not any isolated case: it is the daily bread over here and has been so for the last decades. 

These four young activists, Irantzu Yaldebere, Jon Telletxea, Urtzi Martínez and Aitor Fernández, are being persecuted for their overall socio-political activism in their neighborhoods. 

As the solidarity manifesto says:

It is obvious that what is being punished are not disorders or aggressions but the struggle for and compromise with a different socio-political model. As the struggle of ample popular sectors grows, so does repression. 

In similar circumstances are also activists from Iruñea-Pamplona and Gernika. 

Source: Borroka Garaia Da![es/eu]

See also: solidarity platform at Facebook and Twitter.

Inquisition attacks another Basque counter-information website, arrests one

The Spanish Inquisition (Audiencia Nacional, political tribunal created by the fascist regime) has opened procedures to shut down Burlataherria, a website of information on the town of Burlata, near Iruñea-Pamplona. 

The fascist tribunal has arrested one of the collaborators of that website on spurious accusations of "apology of terrorism" for the informative coverage that the site gave to the welcome acts to political prisoners of the Navarrese town since 2009. The same person was previously accused for the same reasons and acquitted.

A protest has been called for today evening. 

Source: Burlataherria[es].