WW4 Report

Colombia: another killing at San Josecito Peace Community

From the Colombia Support Network (CSN), July 14:

On July 13, 2007 at 12:15 PM two men who had the previous day identified themselves as members of the "Black Eagles" paramilitary organization, stopped a public transport vehicle, forced Peace Community member Dairo Torres out of the vehicle, and shot and killed him. Dairo was the coordinator of the Alto Bonito humanitarian zone, located about four hours walk from the San Josecito Peace Community, since 2004. He was a serious, responsible leader in the hamlets in the San Josecito area.

Chile: strikes paralyze copper mines

Chile's Codelco suspended copper production for an entire day at one of its four mining divisions July 10 and cut back operations at another plant following violent protests by striking workers, in the most serious flare-up yet in a two-week stand-off between management and subcontracted workers who are demanding improved pay and conditions.

El Salvador: "terrorism" charges against Suchitoto 13

Charges of "Acts of Terrorism" will stand against thirteen of fourteen defendants arrested at a July 2nd protest against water privatization in Suchitoto, El Salvador, a judge ruled July 6. Judge Ana Lucila Fuentes de Paz of the Special Tribunal of San Salvador denied bail for the accused, sending them to an estimated 90 days in jail while prosecutors gather evidence for trial.

Iran: transport union leader "kidnapped"

From the International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (IASWI), July 10:

Mansour Osanloo, the president of the board of directors of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, was kidnapped by plain clothes agents in the evening of Tuesday, July 10, 2007.

UK to ditch GWOT nomenclature?

From The Economist, July 5:

Don't mention the GWOT
A new vocabulary is needed to confront terrorism

The "global war on terror" is what America calls its response to the September 11th attacks. Never mind the cliché, or the fact that "terrorism" is a tactic and "terror" a state of mind; George Bush's crisp slogan helped to rally a traumatised American public. His principal ally over the years, Tony Blair, shared the sentiment, if not always the same words. Now, dealing with his first terrorist plot as prime minister, Gordon Brown is changing the choice of language.

Ecuador: indigenous march for land rights

Some 800 members of the Awá indigenous people, who inhabit northern Ecuador on the border with Colombia, arrived July 11 in Quito after marching cross-country to demand the government recognize their rights to "ancestral lands." Awá leader Byron Chuquisán said the Ecuadoran government had recognized their land rights in 1986, but their territories have since been invaded by illegal loggers who are exploiting timber without any controls.

Iran: execution by stoning for adultery

The Iranian government confirmed July 11 that a man was executed by stoning last week for adultery, and that 20 more men would be executed in the coming days on morality violations. The stoning of Jaffar Kiani, 47, was carried out near the city of Takestan, despite a stay of execution order by the chief of the judiciary, Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi. "The verdict was final, and so it was carried out for the man but not for the woman," the ISNA news agency quoted a judiciary spokesman as saying. He said the 20 more executions were for "rape, insulting religious sanctities and laws, and homosexuality." Local newspaper Etemad Melli said: "Villagers said the sentence was carried out by the local judge and authorities." Most executions in Iran are hangings, often in public at the alleged crime scenes. Police arrested some 1,000 in May during a morality crackdown. Fifteen more men are being tried and could receive death sentences. (NYT, July 11)

Afghanistan: dissident journalists arrested

From Reporters Without Borders (RSF), via the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), July 6:

Reporters Without Borders has condemned the arrests of two journalists by intelligence officers in the past six days. Both Mohammad Asif Nang, editor of the government magazine Peace Jirga, and Kamran Mir Hazar, editor of the Kabul Press website, had been critical of the government.

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