Observers of the first-round presidential elections in Colombia shared with Toward Freedom irregularities they encountered in Buenaventura, a predominantly Afro-descendant city on the Pacific coast. This comes as it appears a left-wing candidate who faces death threats is surging in a recent poll against his social-media-savvy competitor, reports TF Editor Julie Varughese.
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz is a writer, historian and activist, possibly best known for her 2014 classic book, “An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States.” She argues that the context behind the Second Amendment is that the newly-independent United States needed “well-regulated militias” of white men to “kill Indians and take their land,” or to form slave patrols that would hunt down Black people fleeing their captivity. It was out of these slave patrols that the first police departments were formed. Hip hop artist Lowkey conducts this interview.
Former militant-turned-politician Gustavo Petro had sharp words for his opponent, who is thought to have won first-round presidential election votes among the Colombian youth because of his presence on the social media platform, TikTok. TF editor Julie Varughese reports from Colombia.
Onlookers say Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez's popularity might explain a surge in death threats against the Colombian candidates for president and vice president, respectively. The ticket is striking: Petro is a former guerilla-turned-elected-official while Márquez is an award-winning Afro-descendant activist. The pair have inspired people in the country, which has been torn apart by decades of paramilitary violence, partly due to being tied politically, militarily and economically to the United States, reports TF editor Julie Varughese.
The Russian “special military operation” in Ukraine has reached its 90th day and the Western press continues to be inundated with unverified claims of war crimes Russian forces allegedly have committed. However, reported Ukrainian military shelling that has killed more than 14,000 people since 2014 in the breakaway region of Donbass has received little media attention. TF contributor Fergie Chambers reports on the latest he found in the city of Donetsk, where attacks on civilians continue.
On May 16, Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member countries held a summit in Moscow, marking the alliance's 30th anniversary. The CSTO could play a significant role if the situation in Central Asia deteriorates. Could the CSTO get involved in Ukraine, too? Nikola Mikovic reports.
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