Angola and Zambia Move Toward War
LUSAKA – A year ago, Zambia and Angola were whispering about war. Now theyre shouting, as Angola accuses its neighbor of helping to arm Jonas Savimbis UNITA rebel movement. In Lusaka, Zambias overcrowded capital, headlines about a possible invasion hit the streets every other day. One such story, which said Angolas military power is three times that of Zambias, led to the arrest of staff members at The Post and subsequent espionage charges.
HOLLYWOOD – Dashiell Hammett. Lillian Hellman. Clifford Odets. Those literary legends were just a few of the left-leaning citizens whose names Elia Kazan, then under scrutiny for his own political affiliations, recited before the vicious House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) sniffing out radicals in 1952. A brilliant stage and screen director (A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, East of Eden), Kazan claimed he was proving his patriotism 47 years ago. He has remained unrepentant about those McCarthy Era betrayals ever since.
PHILADELPHIA – On October 28, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied the appeal of Mumia Abu-Jamal, along with his motion for a new trial. Although the decision is being appealed in federal court, Gov. Tom Ridge could sign a second death warrant at any moment. After that, Abu-Jamal may have as little as 30 days to get a judge to issue a stay of execution.
A respected journalist and anti-racism activist, Abu-Jamal was accused of killing a police officer on weak, tainted evidence. During the original trial, jurors were barred on racial grounds, key evidence was suppressed, and police officers were permitted to testify that Mumia had confessed – after "forgetting" to mention it for two months.
US Hypocrisy Takes Center Stage
LONDON – For the first time, Amnesty International (AI) is targeting the US for a year-long campaign, accusing it of double standards and creating a climate "in which human rights violations thrive." Its detailed October report attacks the US for "a persistent and widespread pattern of human rights violations."
Federal and state authorities, police, immigration, and prison officers are criticized in a study that paints a picture of gratuitous violence, sexual abuse, and cruelty. Shocked that the US was singled out, the State Department issued an angry repudiation.
Monsanto Plays the Hunger Card
LONDON – A new war is breaking out in Europe. On one side is Monsanto – the planet’s second largest agro-chemical company – which recently launched a major media blitz to overcome opposition to genetically engineered foods. On the other is the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FOA), non-government groups like the Panos Institute, and a growing chorus of European leaders. The stakes are control of world food supply.
Austria, Luxembourg, and Italy recently have attempted bans on the planting of genetically-modified seeds. European consumers are picketing grocery stores. One major UK supermarket chain has even refused to sell genetically-modified products. Britain’s Prince Charles accuses the multinationals of "playing God."
EU Freezes Human Rights Funding
BRUSSELS – Unless the European Union reconsiders a June decision, the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this December could be a major disappointment. Fearing legal liability after a European Court of Justice decision that questions its budget management, the EU’s administrative commission has frozen financial support for a wide range of human rights efforts around the world.
The action threatens the survival of hundreds of programs, including support of Nigerian advocates for democracy, medical and legal assistance to victims of torture in Turkey, prevention of violence against women, rehabilitation of street children in Latin America, and independent human rights monitoring in Kosovo.
Copyright Toward Freedom 2019