police state

Kenya: anti-police protests met with repression

Police in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on June 12 lobbed tear-gas and clashed with hundreds of demonstrators angered by the death in police custody of a 31-year old teacher, Albert Ojwang, after he was accused of having "insulted a senior person on X" (a high-ranking police officer). Police initially claimed Ojwang had committed suicide but have been forced to apologize after an autopsy contradicted their account.

California sues Trump admin over National Guard deployment

California filed suit against the Trump administration June 9, asserting that its activation and deployment of the state National Guard to quell protests in Los Angeles is unconstitutional. The suit asks the US District Court for the Northern District of California to halt President Donald Trump's "unlawful militarization" of Los Angeles.

Trump proclamation instates new travel ban

President Donald Trump issued a proclamation June 4 implementing a nearly full travel ban on nationals from a dozen countries, severely restricting potential entry into the United States. The proclamation is based on an executive order issued on Trump's first day in office that laid the foundation for the administration to enact extensive immigration controls. Trump claimed the action serves national security interests:

Russian activists arrested for letter-writing

Russian media outlets reported May 25 that police in Yekaterinburg stormed an event hosted by the pro-democratic opposition party Yabloko (Apple), aimed at supporting political prisoners. The authorities reportedly detained 10 attendees, who have been subsequently released, with legal action against them by the prosecutor's office now pending.

Russia: anarchist war saboteurs on trial

A Russian military court in Yekaterinburg on May 20 sentenced 27-year-old anarchist Alexey Rozhkov to 16 years in prison for what prosecutors classified as a "terrorist act"—throwing Molotov cocktails at a military recruitment office in March 2022, causing minor damage. The incident, which occurred shortly after the start Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was one of the earliest in a brief string of such actions across Russia in protest against the war.

MAGA-fascism and the Gulf State tyrannies

Amid the hype about how Trump "snubbed" Netanyahu on his Middle East trip come reports that his White House is pushing a plan to relocate some 1 million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya—which is in the midst of a massive human rights crisis. Even while on the ground in Qatar, Trump plugged his relocation scheme for the Gazans, who now face complete ethnic cleansing from the devastated Strip. In Episode 279 of the CounterVortex podcastBill Weinberg debunks the notion of a Trump tilt away from Israel, and asks why some "progressives" are joining with paleocons to view massive arms deals with the repressive and arch-reactionary monarchies of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar as a good thing

Demand release of detained Chad opposition leader

Human Rights Watch (HRW) announced on May 16 that former Chadian prime minister and opposition leader Succès Masra was arrested at his residence in the capital N'Djamena, urging authorities to immediately release Masra unless they can substantiate the charges against him. HRW's Central Africa director Lewis Mudge stated: "The Chadian government should be seeking ways to dialogue with the political opposition, rather than shutting them down through the use of intimidation and violence."

Cameroon: peace activist sentenced to life term

Amnesty International on May 14 condemned the life sentence handed down by a military court in Cameroon against activist Abdu Karim Ali, calling it an "affront to justice" and demanding his immediate and unconditional release. According to Amnesty, Ali was arrested without a warrant in 2022 and arbitrarily detained after he produced a video exposing torture carried out by the leader of a pro-government militia in Cameroon's conflicted Southwest Region. Last month, a military court in Yaoundé, the national capital, sentenced him to life imprisonment for "hostility against the homeland" and "secession."

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