Death Sentence Dropped for Mumia Abu-Jamal, a Friend of Haiti! Demand His Freedom

Press Release. “Now that it is clear that Mumia should never have been on death row in the first place, justice will not be served by relegating him to prison for the rest of his life—yet another form of death sentence.” Desmond Tutu. From death row Mumia Abu-Jamal has called for the release of human-rights activist Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine and spoken up about the coups against President Aristide, the reasons for the high death toll from the earthquake, and many other issues concerning Haiti. Push for Mumia’s freedom. DC

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Congo Deserves a Leader Who Cares About the Congolese People

By Eric Kamba, SF Bay View. The U.N. force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is called MONUSCO and is headed by Roger Meece, a former U.S. ambassador to the DRC. In addition to fixing elections, killing, raping, and generally doing everything MINUSTAH does in Haiti, MONUSCO deals in weapons and valuable minerals.

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Carbon Credits in the ‘Valley of Death’

By Jeremy Kryt, In These Times. The U.N. is endorsing two biogas plants at African-palm plantations in Honduras’ fertile Aguan Valley and ignoring its own report that biofuel production is a leading cause of food shortages worldwide. As farmers try to resist the theft of their lands, the Honduran homicide rate rises. It is currently 82 per 100,000: the highest in the world.

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Forest-Dependent Communities Lobby for End of REDD+

By Kristin Palitza, IPS. DURBAN, South Africa – The UN program to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+) has been touted as a global scheme to conserve forests but is just a way to pour a lot of money into forests so international investors make big profits.

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Suez Port Employees Block 7-Ton US Tear Gas Shipment, Egyptian Elections Peaceful

By Staff, Ahram Online | Staff, TV New Zealand. Suez Port workers blocked the delivery of an initial 7-ton shipment of tear gas into Egypt. A three-stage shipment totaling 21 tons is on course for the port from the American port of Wilmington, with tear-gas canisters made by the American company Combined Systems.

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Undocumented, Unafraid: Alabama Immigrants Resist Harsh Law

By Eduardo Soriano-Castillo, Labor Notes | Staff, Southern Poverty Law Center. Young immigrants in Alabama were joined by allies from labor and civil rights groups for a series of actions to announce they are undocumented and unafraid. UPDATE: Federal District Court halts Alabama law’s discriminatory housing practice.

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Deaths of U.S. Immigration Detainees, ACLU Reports

By Staff, Granma | By Will Matthews, ACLU. In the last eight years, 126 undocumented immigrants have died while in detention centers operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities. Complete ACLU detention report included.

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In Brazil, Truth Without Consequence

By Staff, MercoPress. Brazil signed into law a Truth Commission to investigate the human rights crimes during two military interventions between 1946 and 1988, but this Commission falls under a 1979 Amnesty Bill that protects torturers and guerrillas from prosecution.

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Non-White, the Majority Population in the ‘Racial Democracy’ of Brazil

By Staff, MercoPress. The most recent Brazilian census finds that 52.3 percent of the population is non-white; half of the population earns less than the minimum wage and, on average, Brazilians who are white and Asian earn twice as much as those who are black or mixed-race.

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No Haitian Army Anytime Soon. How About a Militia?

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Instead of unveiling his new army on the anniversary of the Bataille de Vertieres, Martelly announced that would delay the mobilization of the Haitian army and establish a commission to study the idea. Pity… a militia system would be ideal for Haiti, if it could afford one.

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Favela Rocinha Occupation by Haiti-Trained Troops, Photo Essay

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery (text) | Marcelo Sayao (photos). The attack on Brazil’s Rocinha slum illustrates a peacetime merger of military with police to make war on their country’s poor. If your country has contributed troops to UN (de)stabilization missions, sit up and take notice.

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Government Distributes Land to Yukpa Indians | Nunca es tarde cuando la tierra llega

By Humberto Márquez, IPS. The Venezuelan government has expropriated 25 ranches to distribute 15,800 hectares (39,042 acres) to communities of Yukpa Indians in the northwest of the country who have been protesting to be returned the lands from which they had been driven. (English | Spanish)

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