mintpressnews--2020-10-02--Yemen: Finding Ways to Fight Back Against Saudi Arabia’s War on Electricity

Amid the scorching desert heat , Yemen ’ s southern provinces suffer frequent blackouts .
An hour and a half of power followed by 12-hour outages are the norm , and can sometimes be fatal .
Now , barely a week goes by without the citizens of the Southern District holding demonstrations until authorities relent and temporarily restore power until the next blackout , and , inevitably , the next protest .
Hundreds of angry Yemenis began taking to the streets nearly one month ago in the war-torn country ’ s largest governorate of al-Mukalla , gathering to protest the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that regularly leave them without electricity .
They set tires on fire and clashed with UAE-backed militants , who use live ammunition to disperse them .
Shops closed as activists launched a campaign of civil disobedience against what they say is “ systematic corruption and failure to provide basic public services , in particular the daily power outages.
” “ The power cuts reach 8 hours in a day , sometimes reaching 24 hours.
” Salah Ben Hamel , a member of the local council in al-Mukalla said .
He accuses the UAE-backed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents .
“ We can not sleep because of the high heat ” he added .
Just like in al-Mukalla , power outages have left many major cities in the dark since 2015 , when the war began .
Western weapons supplied to Saudi Arabia and coalition allies have destroyed transmission lines , power stations , and other facilities , and a near-total blockade forbids Yemenis from rebuilding , leaving critical services like health , water , and sanitation woefully underserved .
According to identical data from both Yemen ’ s Ministry of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coalition has targeted more than 5,000 power stations and other pieces of critical energy infrastructure .
Most of them far from any fighting or military site .
Ninety percent of the total population now lives without electricity , especially those in remote and semi-urban areas .
On August 26 , 2016 , Amnesty International reported that U.S bombs dropped by Saudi warplanes destroyed two generating stations at Haradh and Midi in Hajjah province .
Eight bombs also hit the main power station in Amran , destroying two transformers .
On July 24 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compound housing employees of a power plant and their families , killing and injuring more than 300 .
On April 13 , 2016 , Saudi warplanes destroyed the main power station in Taiz province .
According to Yemen ’ s Public Electricity Corporation , the financial damage from these deliberate attacks on infrastructure amounts to over four billion U.S. dollars .
The effects of those attacks run much deeper though .
Socially , the collapse of the country ’ s electric grid has limited children ’ s ability to study in the evenings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their children out of school entirely to fetch water , as electric pumps are no longer operational .
Water pumping stations have been closed , forcing people , particularly women and children , to carry water needed for daily use on their heads for long distances .
Economically , the lack of electricity has led to the deterioration of Yemen ’ s already faltering local economy .
Small industrial facilities that survived the war have been shuttered due to the lack of electricity and manufacturing has all but halted .
Hygienically , public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power outages have become all too regular in often partially functioning health facilities .
The outages are also contributing to the spread of COVID-19 and other epidemics as electricity is required to pump clean water , forcing some to drink surface water contaminated with Cholera and other bacteria .
Throughout its war against Yemen , Saudi Arabia ’ s strategy has sought to break down and weaken the state to make a recovery impossible for at least the next twenty years .
Systematic destruction makes the country more dependent on “ helping hands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blockade , in particular , prevents the entry of fuel and has impacted electricity production as residents are forced to pay a monthly subscription fee of 1,200 YER to private sector producers , even when they are not consuming electricity .
When fuel shortages become particularly acute , that price increases to 350-400 YER per kilowatt , before the war it was just seven YER per kilowatt .
“ Electric stations , transmission lines , and towers have all been targeted by U.S bombs and cluster munitions , ” the Minister of Electricity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told MintPress as he stood in shock near a destroyed electricity tower in Baran .
“ Just as bad , ” he said , “ tons of improvised explosive devices , landmines , and countermines have been planted by the coalition forces and their mercenaries under the towers and lines.
” The sheer scale of the Saudi campaign , which often sees hundreds of separate airstrikes carried out every day , coupled with its indiscriminate nature , has not only left Yemen one of the most heavily contaminated countries in the world but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lines pass or where electric poles are located into fields full of mines and unexploded bombs .
“ We have 490 electric towers in the Sanaa-Marib line that passes through Nehm , most of which are now destroyed or affected by the raids , shelling , and unexploded ordnance.
” Abdul Qadir Mutahar , Director-General of Transportation at the Electricity Corporation said .
“ The dense amount of mines and unexploded ordnance that are now spread near electric transmission lines is huge .
It will take a long time before teams are able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process , ” the head of the UN-backed Yemeni Executive Mine Action Center ( YEMAC ) said .
Even if the infrastructure was in place to begin repairs to the grid , removing unexploded remnants , IEDs and landmines would require an end to the U.S.-backed war and economic blockade as special equipment and machines , such as armored excavators , would need to be brought in , a slim prospect in a country unable to secure even the basic staples of life .
Despite the danger , some electrical engineering teams have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engineers in cooperation with mine clearance teams began to assess the extent of damage in the Nihm area , a move aimed at rehabilitating the Sanaa-Safer line .
They hope the lines can be ready when the Marib power station is back up and running .
In March 2015 , the country ’ s largest power plant in Marib , responsible for powering most of the country , went offline and represented a turning point for the country ’ s electricity sector .
Local tribes supported by Ansar Allah ( Houthis ) have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lies adjacent to the capital of Sana ’ a .
Over sixty percent of the province has been captured by the Houthis in fierce fighting pitting the outgunned group against Saudi Arabia , the UAE , and fighters from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Penninsula and the so-called Islamic State .
The Houthi advance has attracted the attention of world powers , including the United States , the UK , and even the UN .
Negotiations over prisoner exchanges have been activated , but all the renewed attention is focused on stopping the Houthi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coalition in the north of the country , and not on ending the war .
Taqi al-Din Al-Mutaa , the undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity , said that “ Simply liberating Marib means restoring electricity to all Yemeni regions , means ending the suffering of people , ending employee suffering.
” He confirmed that the ministry plans to start the Marib power station as soon as possible .
There are real fears that Saudi Arabia could strike the Marib power station and regional oil facilities should the Houthis advance succeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told MintPress that any such attack would be met with retaliatory attacks on “ the most important electrical and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia ” “ There will be not only thick smoke rising in the sky of Marib , ” one military official promised , “ there will be smoke rising in the skies of the Arabian Peninsula.
” Yemenis look to the sun There are glimpses of light in the darkness , particularly in Yemen ’ s northern provinces .
In Sana ` a , rooftops are now dotted with solar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in as the most competitive source of electricity in the country , importing cheap solar photovoltaic systems .
Small electronic retailers now sell solar home systems , encouraged by surging demand and supported by the local Ansar Allah government , who recently announced that investment in alternative energy would be 100 % tax-exempt .
The World Bank has praised the boom in the usage of solar energy in Yemen and urged countries suffering from wars and crises to emulate the Yemeni experience .
Yemen is naturally endowed with huge solar potential .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and long semi-desert coastal plain across the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea .
Moreover , the country is characterized by hot and clear weather .
Temperatures are generally very high , particularly in the coastal and desert areas .
Geographically , Yemen is located in the world ’ s Sunbelt .
The important question for many Yemenis is whether Saudi Arabia will allow them to capitalize on this wealth .
Feature photo | A team of engineers and mine sweepers poses for a photo on the Sanaa-Safer line .
Ahmed Abdul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Yemeni journalist .
He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media .

Amid the scorching desert heat, Yemen’s southern provinces suffer frequent blackouts. An hour and a half of power followed by 12-hour outages are the norm, and can sometimes be fatal. Now, barely a week goes by without the citizens of the Southern District holding demonstrations until authorities relent and temporarily restore power until the next blackout, and, inevitably, the next protest.
Hundreds of angry Yemenis began taking to the streets nearly one month ago in the war-torn country’s largest governorate of al-Mukalla, gathering to protest the deterioration of public services and lengthy blackouts that regularly leave them without electricity. They set tires on fire and clashed with UAE-backed militants, who use live ammunition to disperse them. Shops closed as activists launched a campaign of civil disobedience against what they say is “systematic corruption and failure to provide basic public services, in particular the daily power outages.”
“The power cuts reach 8 hours in a day, sometimes reaching 24 hours.” Salah Ben Hamel, a member of the local council in al-Mukalla said. He accuses the UAE-backed authorities of ignoring the suffering of the residents. “We can not sleep because of the high heat” he added.
Just like in al-Mukalla, power outages have left many major cities in the dark since 2015, when the war began. Western weapons supplied to Saudi Arabia and coalition allies have destroyed transmission lines, power stations, and other facilities, and a near-total blockade forbids Yemenis from rebuilding, leaving critical services like health, water, and sanitation woefully underserved.
According to identical data from both Yemen’s Ministry of Electricity and non-governmental organizations, the Saudi-led Coalition has targeted more than 5,000 power stations and other pieces of critical energy infrastructure. Most of them far from any fighting or military site. Ninety percent of the total population now lives without electricity, especially those in remote and semi-urban areas.
On August 26, 2016, Amnesty International reported that U.S bombs dropped by Saudi warplanes destroyed two generating stations at Haradh and Midi in Hajjah province. Eight bombs also hit the main power station in Amran, destroying two transformers. On July 24, 2015, the Saudi Coalition bombed a compound housing employees of a power plant and their families, killing and injuring more than 300. On April 13, 2016, Saudi warplanes destroyed the main power station in Taiz province. According to Yemen’s Public Electricity Corporation, the financial damage from these deliberate attacks on infrastructure amounts to over four billion U.S. dollars.
Attacks on the grid run deep
The effects of those attacks run much deeper though. Socially, the collapse of the country’s electric grid has limited children’s ability to study in the evenings and has forced some families to pull their children out of school entirely to fetch water, as electric pumps are no longer operational. Water pumping stations have been closed, forcing people, particularly women and children, to carry water needed for daily use on their heads for long distances.
Economically, the lack of electricity has led to the deterioration of Yemen’s already faltering local economy. Small industrial facilities that survived the war have been shuttered due to the lack of electricity and manufacturing has all but halted.
Hygienically, public health services have worsened significantly as long-lasting power outages have become all too regular in often partially functioning health facilities. The outages are also contributing to the spread of COVID-19 and other epidemics as electricity is required to pump clean water, forcing some to drink surface water contaminated with Cholera and other bacteria.
Throughout its war against Yemen, Saudi Arabia’s strategy has sought to break down and weaken the state to make a recovery impossible for at least the next twenty years. Systematic destruction makes the country more dependent on “helping hands” after the war.
The Saudi blockade, in particular, prevents the entry of fuel and has impacted electricity production as residents are forced to pay a monthly subscription fee of 1,200 YER to private sector producers, even when they are not consuming electricity. When fuel shortages become particularly acute, that price increases to 350-400 YER per kilowatt, before the war it was just seven YER per kilowatt.
Sabotaging the Electric Grid
“Electric stations, transmission lines, and towers have all been targeted by U.S bombs and cluster munitions,” the Minister of Electricity and Energy, Ateq Hussein Abbar, told MintPress as he stood in shock near a destroyed electricity tower in Baran. “Just as bad,” he said, “tons of improvised explosive devices, landmines, and countermines have been planted by the coalition forces and their mercenaries under the towers and lines.”
The sheer scale of the Saudi campaign, which often sees hundreds of separate airstrikes carried out every day, coupled with its indiscriminate nature, has not only left Yemen one of the most heavily contaminated countries in the world but turned the large areas through which power lines pass or where electric poles are located into fields full of mines and unexploded bombs.
“We have 490 electric towers in the Sanaa-Marib line that passes through Nehm, most of which are now destroyed or affected by the raids, shelling, and unexploded ordnance.” Abdul Qadir Mutahar, Director-General of Transportation at the Electricity Corporation said.
“The dense amount of mines and unexploded ordnance that are now spread near electric transmission lines is huge. It will take a long time before teams are able to reach them to start the rebuilding process,” the head of the UN-backed Yemeni Executive Mine Action Center (YEMAC) said.
Even if the infrastructure was in place to begin repairs to the grid, removing unexploded remnants, IEDs and landmines would require an end to the U.S.-backed war and economic blockade as special equipment and machines, such as armored excavators, would need to be brought in, a slim prospect in a country unable to secure even the basic staples of life.
All eyes on Marib Power Station
Despite the danger, some electrical engineering teams have forged on. Two weeks ago, engineers in cooperation with mine clearance teams began to assess the extent of damage in the Nihm area, a move aimed at rehabilitating the Sanaa-Safer line. They hope the lines can be ready when the Marib power station is back up and running. In March 2015, the country’s largest power plant in Marib, responsible for powering most of the country, went offline and represented a turning point for the country’s electricity sector.
Local tribes supported by Ansar Allah (Houthis) have been advancing in oil-rich Marib, which lies adjacent to the capital of Sana’a. Over sixty percent of the province has been captured by the Houthis in fierce fighting pitting the outgunned group against Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and fighters from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Penninsula and the so-called Islamic State.
The Houthi advance has attracted the attention of world powers, including the United States, the UK, and even the UN. Negotiations over prisoner exchanges have been activated, but all the renewed attention is focused on stopping the Houthi advance in Marib, the last stronghold of the coalition in the north of the country, and not on ending the war.
Taqi al-Din Al-Mutaa, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity, said that “Simply liberating Marib means restoring electricity to all Yemeni regions, means ending the suffering of people, ending employee suffering.” He confirmed that the ministry plans to start the Marib power station as soon as possible.
There are real fears that Saudi Arabia could strike the Marib power station and regional oil facilities should the Houthis advance succeed. High-ranking officials in Sana’a told MintPress that any such attack would be met with retaliatory attacks on “the most important electrical and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia” “There will be not only thick smoke rising in the sky of Marib,” one military official promised, “there will be smoke rising in the skies of the Arabian Peninsula.”
Yemenis look to the sun
There are glimpses of light in the darkness, particularly in Yemen’s northern provinces. In Sana`a, rooftops are now dotted with solar panels. The private sector has stepped in as the most competitive source of electricity in the country, importing cheap solar photovoltaic systems.
Small electronic retailers now sell solar home systems, encouraged by surging demand and supported by the local Ansar Allah government, who recently announced that investment in alternative energy would be 100% tax-exempt.
The World Bank has praised the boom in the usage of solar energy in Yemen and urged countries suffering from wars and crises to emulate the Yemeni experience. Yemen is naturally endowed with huge solar potential. It has interior high mountains, upland desert, and long semi-desert coastal plain across the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. Moreover, the country is characterized by hot and clear weather. Temperatures are generally very high, particularly in the coastal and desert areas. Geographically, Yemen is located in the world’s Sunbelt.
The important question for many Yemenis is whether Saudi Arabia will allow them to capitalize on this wealth.
Feature photo | A team of engineers and mine sweepers poses for a photo on the Sanaa-Safer line. Ahmed Abdul Kareem | MintPress News
Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist. He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media.


mintpressnews--2020-10-02--Despite Trump’s Boast, Insulin in America Among the Most Expensive Liquids on Earth

One of Trump ’ s more questionable claims he made at the now infamous first presidential debate was that he was driving down medical costs for ordinary Americans .
Under his presidency , the 74-year-old New Yorker claimed , diabetes medicine insulin had gone from so expensive that it was “ destroying families ” to “ so cheap it ’ s like water.
” “ This is big stuff , ” he added .
Trump had indeed signed an executive order on insulin in July .
But the scope of the new legislation was extremely limited , targeting only a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefitting only two percent of the relevant outlets for insulin .
In reality , insulin prices have tripled in the last decade , rising to new exorbitant highs not seen anywhere else in the world .
A 10ml vial of insulin from Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly , for example , costs Americans $ 290 , ranking them alongside the likes of Chanel No .
5 and scorpion venom as among the most expensive liquids in the world .
Over 10 percent of the American population is diabetic , including over a quarter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States .
The condition is particularly prevalent among people of color .
Once insulin is injected into the body , a patient is on the medicine for life , as we lose the ability to naturally produce the protein hormone ourselves .
Thus , big pharmaceutical companies have the perfect captive market : millions of repeat customers whose lives literally depend on accessing their product .
And in a profit-driven healthcare market , they have taken advantage of their customers ’ desperation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not seen in virtually any other country , given the United States ’ unique approach to healthcare in the developed world ) .
Thus , American diabetics must find thousands of dollars monthly to pay for the liquid .
This is not an easy , or even possible , task for many Americans .
Research shows that one in four ration their insulin due to its cost , risking entering a diabetic coma and dying .
Reusing costly needles is also commonplace .
Turning 26 ( the age where you are no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans ) is a grizzly right of passage for young diabetics , and the milestone can literally be a death sentence .
Last year 27-year-old Josh Wilkerson died on the job at a Virginian dog kennel , his blood sugar level 17 times higher than normal .
He had stopped using his prescribed insulin at 26 , switching to an inferior generic .
So common and normalized is the practice of dangerous self medication that an ESPN feature on a champion MMA fighter casually noted — in the 17th paragraph — that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an amateur , so he injected himself with dog insulin as a substitute .
A similar phenomenon occurs whereby Americans forego costly antibiotics in favor of consuming those meant for fish instead , sold at a much cheaper price .
Amazon reviews for the product made clear in an oblique way that users are ingesting them themselves .
So goes the dysfunctional American healthcare system .
Americans spend two to three times more on healthcare than other comparable countries , with some of the worst outcomes in the developed world .
Tens of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of healthcare at all .
Medicare-for-All is a popular solution to the problem , with one 2018 poll finding 70 percent of the country is in favor of implementing it .
Yet it will simply not be on the political agenda in the next four years , regardless of which party wins in November .
Despite the idea being championed by Bernie Sanders and many on the Democratic left , Joe Biden promised that he would veto any Medicare-for-All bill , even one that was passed by both the House and the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gutting the Affordable Care Act , the number of uninsured Americans has begun to rise again .
Therefore , while Trump may claim that he has been revolutionizing the U.S. healthcare system , diabetics know better .
The disease is still needlessly destroying their lives .
And they continue to die in droves .
Feature photo | President Donald Trump gestures to people in the audience after an event on insulin costs and diabetes in the Rose Garden White House , May 26 , 2020 , in Washington .
Evan Vucci | AP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

One of Trump’s more questionable claims he made at the now infamous first presidential debate was that he was driving down medical costs for ordinary Americans. Under his presidency, the 74-year-old New Yorker claimed, diabetes medicine insulin had gone from so expensive that it was “destroying families” to “so cheap it’s like water.” “This is big stuff,” he added.
Trump had indeed signed an executive order on insulin in July. But the scope of the new legislation was extremely limited, targeting only a small group of health care providers and benefitting only two percent of the relevant outlets for insulin. In reality, insulin prices have tripled in the last decade, rising to new exorbitant highs not seen anywhere else in the world. A 10ml vial of insulin from Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly, for example, costs Americans $290, ranking them alongside the likes of Chanel No. 5 and scorpion venom as among the most expensive liquids in the world.
Over 10 percent of the American population is diabetic, including over a quarter of all senior citizens, and the disease is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. The condition is particularly prevalent among people of color. Once insulin is injected into the body, a patient is on the medicine for life, as we lose the ability to naturally produce the protein hormone ourselves. Thus, big pharmaceutical companies have the perfect captive market: millions of repeat customers whose lives literally depend on accessing their product. And in a profit-driven healthcare market, they have taken advantage of their customers’ desperation, hence the price (something which is not seen in virtually any other country, given the United States’ unique approach to healthcare in the developed world). Thus, American diabetics must find thousands of dollars monthly to pay for the liquid.
My 14 year old daughter has had T1 since she was 2. This is what it costs to keep her alive for one month pic.twitter.com/kBoiEdxpJS — TrailerParkTrophyWife (@Jerseyatheart1) September 30, 2020
This is not an easy, or even possible, task for many Americans. Research shows that one in four ration their insulin due to its cost, risking entering a diabetic coma and dying. Reusing costly needles is also commonplace. Turning 26 (the age where you are no longer eligible on your parents’ health plans) is a grizzly right of passage for young diabetics, and the milestone can literally be a death sentence. Last year 27-year-old Josh Wilkerson died on the job at a Virginian dog kennel, his blood sugar level 17 times higher than normal. He had stopped using his prescribed insulin at 26, switching to an inferior generic.
So common and normalized is the practice of dangerous self medication that an ESPN feature on a champion MMA fighter casually noted — in the 17th paragraph — that he could not afford insulin when fighting as an amateur, so he injected himself with dog insulin as a substitute. A similar phenomenon occurs whereby Americans forego costly antibiotics in favor of consuming those meant for fish instead, sold at a much cheaper price. Amazon reviews for the product made clear in an oblique way that users are ingesting them themselves. So goes the dysfunctional American healthcare system.
https://twitter.com/WrrrdNrrrdGrrrl/status/891643397009805312
Americans spend two to three times more on healthcare than other comparable countries, with some of the worst outcomes in the developed world. Tens of millions have no access to any form of healthcare at all. Medicare-for-All is a popular solution to the problem, with one 2018 poll finding 70 percent of the country is in favor of implementing it. Yet it will simply not be on the political agenda in the next four years, regardless of which party wins in November. Despite the idea being championed by Bernie Sanders and many on the Democratic left, Joe Biden promised that he would veto any Medicare-for-All bill, even one that was passed by both the House and the Senate. And with the Republicans opposing and gutting the Affordable Care Act, the number of uninsured Americans has begun to rise again.
Therefore, while Trump may claim that he has been revolutionizing the U.S. healthcare system, diabetics know better. The disease is still needlessly destroying their lives. And they continue to die in droves.
Feature photo | President Donald Trump gestures to people in the audience after an event on insulin costs and diabetes in the Rose Garden White House, May 26, 2020, in Washington. Evan Vucci | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-10-02--John Pilger: Eyewitness to the Agony of Julian Assange

John Pilger has watched Julian Assange ’ s extradition trial from the public gallery at London ’ s Old Bailey .
He spoke with Timothy Erik Ström of Arena magazine , Australia : Q : Having watched Julian Assange ’ s trial firsthand , can you describe the prevailing atmosphere in the court ?
The prevailing atmosphere has been shocking .
I say that without hesitation ; I have sat in many courts and seldom known such a corruption of due process ; this is due revenge .
Putting aside the ritual associated with ‘ British justice ’ , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stalinist show trial .
One difference is that in the show trials , the defendant stood in the court proper .
In the Assange trial , the defendant was caged behind thick glass , and had to crawl on his knees to a slit in the glass , overseen by his guard , to make contact with his lawyers .
His message , whispered barely audibly through face masks , WAS then passed by post-it the length of the court to where his barristers were arguing the case against his extradition to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Julian Assange , an Australian on trial for truth-telling journalism .
He was woken at five o ’ clock in his cell at Belmarsh prison in the bleak southern sprawl of London .
The first time I saw Julian in Belmarsh , having passed through half an hour of ‘ security ’ checks , including a dog ’ s snout in my rear , I found a painfully thin figure sitting alone wearing a yellow armband .
He had lost more than 10 kilos in a matter of months ; his arms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were : ‘ I think I am losing my mind ’ .
I tried to assure him he wasn ’ t .
His resilience and courage are formidable , but there is a limit .
That was more than a year ago .
In the past three weeks , in the pre-dawn , he was strip-searched , shackled , and prepared for transport to the Central Criminal Court , the Old Bailey , in a truck that his partner , Stella Moris , described as an upended coffin .
It had one small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to look out .
The truck and its guards were operated by Serco , one of many politically connected companies that run much of Boris Johnson ’ s Britain .
The journey to the Old Bailey took at least an hour and a half .
That ’ s a minimum of three hours being jolted through snail-like traffic every day .
He was led into his narrow cage at the back of the court , then look up , blinking , trying to make out faces in the public gallery through the reflection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courtly figure of his dad , John Shipton , and me , and our fists went up .
Through the glass , he reached out to touch fingers with Stella , who is a lawyer and seated in the body of the court .
We were here for the ultimate of what the philosopher Guy Debord called The Society of the Spectacle : a man fighting for his life .
Yet his crime is to have performed an epic public service : revealing that which we have a right to know : the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they commit in our name .
His creation of WikiLeaks and its failsafe protection of sources revolutionised journalism , restoring it to the vision of its idealists .
Edmund Burke ’ s notion of free journalism as a fourth estate is now a fifth estate that shines a light on those who diminish the very meaning of democracy with their criminal secrecy .
That ’ s why his punishment is so extreme .
The sheer bias in the courts I have sat in this year and last year , with Julian in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice .
When thuggish police dragged him from his asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy—look closely at the photo and you ’ ll see he is clutching a Gore Vidal book ; Assange has a political humour similar to Vidal ’ s—a judge gave him an outrageous 50-week sentence in a maximum-security prison for mere bail infringement .
For months , he was denied exercise and held in solitary confinement disguised as ‘ heath care ’ .
He once told me he strode the length of his cell , back and forth , back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the next cell , the occupant screamed through the night .
At first he was denied his reading glasses , left behind in the embassy brutality .
He was denied the legal documents with which to prepare his case , and access to the prison library and the use of a basic laptop .
Books sent to him by a friend , the journalist Charles Glass , himself a survivor of hostage-taking in Beirut , were returned .
He could not call his American lawyers .
He has been constantly medicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked him what they were giving him , he couldn ’ t say .
The governor of Belmarsh has been awarded the Order of the British Empire .
At the Old Bailey , one of the expert medical witnesses , Dr Kate Humphrey , a clinical neuropsychologist at Imperial College , London , described the damage : Julian ’ s intellect had gone from ‘ in the superior , or more likely very superior range ’ to ‘ significantly below ’ this optimal level , to the point where he was struggling to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low average range ’ .
This is what the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture , Professor Nils Melzer , calls ‘ psychological torture ’ , the result of a gang-like ‘ mobbing ’ by governments and their media shills .
Some of the expert medical evidence is so shocking I have no intention of repeating it here .
Suffice to say that Assange is diagnosed with autism and Asperger ’ s syndrome and , according to Professor Michael Kopelman , one of the world ’ s leading neuropsychiatrists , he suffers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to find a way to take his life if he is extradited to America .
James Lewis QC , America ’ s British prosecutor , spent the best part of his cross-examination of Professor Kopelman dismissing mental illness and its dangers as ‘ malingering ’ .
I have never heard in a modern setting such a primitive view of human frailty and vulnerability .
My own view is that if Assange is freed , he is likely to recover a substantial part of his life .
He has a loving partner , devoted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a principled political prisoner .
He also has a wicked sense of humour .
But that is a long way off .
The moments of collusion between the judge— a Gothic-looking magistrate called Vanessa Baraitser , about whom little is known—and the prosecution acting for the Trump regime have been brazen .
Until the last few days , defence arguments have been routinely dismissed .
The lead prosecutor , James Lewis QC , ex SAS and currently Chief Justice of the Falklands , by and large gets what he wants , notably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ witnesses , while the defence ’ s examination is guillotined at half an hour .
I have no doubt , had there been a jury , his freedom would be assured .
The dissident artist Ai Weiwei came to join us one morning in the public gallery .
He noted that in China the judge ’ s decision would already have been made .
This caused some dark ironic amusement .
My companion in the gallery , the astute diarist and former British ambassador Craig Murray wrote : I fear that all over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ falling on those who for a lifetime have worked within institutions of liberal democracy that at least broadly and usually used to operate within the governance of their own professed principles .
It has been clear to me from Day 1 that I am watching a charade unfold .
It is not in the least a shock to me that Baraitser does not think anything beyond the written opening arguments has any effect .
I have again and again reported to you that , where rulings have to be made , she has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearing the arguments before her .
I strongly expect the final decision was made in this case even before opening arguments were received .
The plan of the US Government throughout has been to limit the information available to the public and limit the effective access to a wider public of what information is available .
Thus we have seen the extreme restrictions on both physical and video access .
A complicit mainstream media has ensured those of us who know what is happening are very few in the wider population .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They are Craig Murray ’ s personal blog , Joe Lauria ’ s live reporting on Consortium News , and the World Socialist Website .
American journalist Kevin Gosztola ’ s blog , Shadowproof , funded mostly by himself , has reported more of the trial than the major US press and TV , including CNN , combined .
In Australia , Assange ’ s homeland , the ‘ coverage ’ follows a familiar formula set overseas .
The London correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald , Latika Bourke , wrote this recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexual assault charges ’ in Sweden .
Bourke ’ s lazy falsehood is not uncommon .
If the Assange trial is the political trial of the century , as I believe it is , its outcome will not only seal the fate of a journalist for doing his job but intimidate the very principles of free journalism and free speech .
The absence of serious mainstream reporting of the proceedings is , at the very least , self-destructive .
Journalists should ask : who is next ?
How shaming it all is .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Assange ’ s work , claimed its profit and prizes as well as a lucrative Hollywood deal , then turned on him with venom .
Throughout the Old Bailey trial , two names have been cited by the prosecution , the Guardian ’ s David Leigh , now retired as ‘ investigations editor ’ and Luke Harding , the Russiaphobe and author of a fictional Guardian ‘ scoop ’ that claimed Trump adviser Paul Manafort and a group of Russians visited Assange in the Ecuadorean embassy .
This never happened , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harding and Leigh book on Assange—written behind their subject ’ s back—disclosed a secret password to a WikiLeaks file that Assange had entrusted to Leigh during the Guardian ’ s ‘ partnership ’ .
Why the defence has not called this pair is difficult to understand .
Assange is quoted in their book declaring during a dinner at a London restaurant that he didn ’ t care if informants named in the leaks were harmed .
Neither Harding nor Leigh was at the dinner .
John Goetz , an investigations reporter with Der @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testified that Assange said nothing of the kind .
Incredibly , Judge Baraitser stopped Goetz actually saying this in court .
However , the defence has succeeded in demonstrating the extent to which Assange sought to protect and redact names in the files released by WikiLeaks and that no credible evidence existed of individuals harmed by the leaks .
The great whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg said that Assange had personally redacted 15,000 files .
The renowned New Zealand investigative journalist Nicky Hager , who worked with Assange on the Afghanistan and Iraq war leaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precautions in redacting names of informants ’ .
Q : What are the implications of this trial ’ s verdict for journalism more broadly—is it an omen of things to come ?
The ‘ Assange effect ’ is already being felt across the world .
If they displease the regime in Washington , investigative journalists are liable to prosecution under the 1917 US Espionage Act ; the precedent is stark .
It doesn ’ t matter where you are .
For Washington , other people ’ s nationality and sovereignty rarely mattered ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has effectively surrendered its jurisdiction to Trump ’ s corrupt Department of Justice .
In Australia , a National Security Information Act promises Kafkaesque trials for transgressors .
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has been raided by police and journalists ’ computers taken away .
The government has given unprecedented powers to intelligence officials , making journalistic whistle-blowing almost impossible .
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Assange ‘ must face the music ’ .
The perfidious cruelty of his statement is reinforced by its banality .
‘ Evil ’ , wrote Hannah Arendt , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It defies thought for as soon as thought tries to engage itself with evil and examine the premises and principles from which it originates , it is frustrated because it finds nothing there .
That is the banality of evil ’ .
Q : Having followed the story of WikiLeaks closely for a decade , how has this eyewitness experience shifted your understanding of what ’ s at stake with Assange ’ s trial ?
I have long been a critic of journalism as an echo of unaccountable power and a champion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for me , the arrival of WikiLeaks was exciting ; I admired the way Assange regarded the public with respect , that he was prepared to share his work with the ‘ mainstream ’ but not join their collusive club .
This , and naked jealousy , made him enemies among the overpaid and undertalented , insecure in their pretensions of independence and impartiality .
I admired the moral dimension to WikiLeaks .
Assange was rarely asked about this , yet much of his remarkable energy comes from a powerful moral sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not operate behind walls of secrecy .
He is a democrat .
He explained this in one of our first interviews at my home in 2010 .
What is at stake for the rest of us has long been at stake : freedom to call authority to account , freedom to challenge , to call out hypocrisy , to dissent .
The difference today is that the world ’ s imperial power , the United States , has never been as unsure of its metastatic authority as it is today .
Like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ towards a world war if we allow it .
Little of this menace is reflected in the media .
WikiLeaks , on the other hand , has allowed us to glimpse a rampant imperial march through whole societies—think of the carnage in Iraq , Afghanistan , Libya , Syria , Yemen , to name a few , the dispossession of 37 million people and the deaths of 12 million men , women and children in the ‘ war on terror ’ —most of it behind a façade of deception .
Julian Assange is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s why he is being persecuted , why a court of law has become an instrument of oppression , why he ought to be our collective conscience : why we all should be the threat .
The judge ’ s decision will be known on the 4th of January .
Feature photo | John Pilger , a writer , journalist and supporter of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange speaks to people as he arrives at the Central Criminal Court , the Old Bailey , in London , Sept. 14 , 2020 .
Matt Dunham @ @ @ @ @ @ @ author and film director , has won many distinctions for his work , including Britain ’ s highest award for journalism twice , an American ‘ Emmy ’ and a British Academy Award .
His complete archive is held at the British Library .
He lives in London and Sydney .

John Pilger has watched Julian Assange’s extradition trial from the public gallery at London’s Old Bailey. He spoke with Timothy Erik Ström of Arena magazine, Australia:
Q: Having watched Julian Assange’s trial firsthand, can you describe the prevailing atmosphere in the court?
The prevailing atmosphere has been shocking. I say that without hesitation; I have sat in many courts and seldom known such a corruption of due process; this is due revenge. Putting aside the ritual associated with ‘British justice’, at times it has been evocative of a Stalinist show trial. One difference is that in the show trials, the defendant stood in the court proper. In the Assange trial, the defendant was caged behind thick glass, and had to crawl on his knees to a slit in the glass, overseen by his guard, to make contact with his lawyers. His message, whispered barely audibly through face masks, WAS then passed by post-it the length of the court to where his barristers were arguing the case against his extradition to an American hellhole.
Consider this daily routine of Julian Assange, an Australian on trial for truth-telling journalism. He was woken at five o’clock in his cell at Belmarsh prison in the bleak southern sprawl of London. The first time I saw Julian in Belmarsh, having passed through half an hour of ‘security’ checks, including a dog’s snout in my rear, I found a painfully thin figure sitting alone wearing a yellow armband. He had lost more than 10 kilos in a matter of months; his arms had no muscle. His first words were: ‘I think I am losing my mind’.
I tried to assure him he wasn’t. His resilience and courage are formidable, but there is a limit. That was more than a year ago. In the past three weeks, in the pre-dawn, he was strip-searched, shackled, and prepared for transport to the Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey, in a truck that his partner, Stella Moris, described as an upended coffin. It had one small window; he had to stand precariously to look out. The truck and its guards were operated by Serco, one of many politically connected companies that run much of Boris Johnson’s Britain.
The journey to the Old Bailey took at least an hour and a half. That’s a minimum of three hours being jolted through snail-like traffic every day. He was led into his narrow cage at the back of the court, then look up, blinking, trying to make out faces in the public gallery through the reflection of the glass. He saw the courtly figure of his dad, John Shipton, and me, and our fists went up. Through the glass, he reached out to touch fingers with Stella, who is a lawyer and seated in the body of the court.
We were here for the ultimate of what the philosopher Guy Debord called The Society of the Spectacle: a man fighting for his life. Yet his crime is to have performed an epic public service: revealing that which we have a right to know: the lies of our governments and the crimes they commit in our name. His creation of WikiLeaks and its failsafe protection of sources revolutionised journalism, restoring it to the vision of its idealists. Edmund Burke’s notion of free journalism as a fourth estate is now a fifth estate that shines a light on those who diminish the very meaning of democracy with their criminal secrecy. That’s why his punishment is so extreme.
The sheer bias in the courts I have sat in this year and last year, with Julian in the dock, blight any notion of British justice. When thuggish police dragged him from his asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy—look closely at the photo and you’ll see he is clutching a Gore Vidal book; Assange has a political humour similar to Vidal’s—a judge gave him an outrageous 50-week sentence in a maximum-security prison for mere bail infringement.
For months, he was denied exercise and held in solitary confinement disguised as ‘heath care’. He once told me he strode the length of his cell, back and forth, back and forth, for his own half-marathon. In the next cell, the occupant screamed through the night. At first he was denied his reading glasses, left behind in the embassy brutality. He was denied the legal documents with which to prepare his case, and access to the prison library and the use of a basic laptop. Books sent to him by a friend, the journalist Charles Glass, himself a survivor of hostage-taking in Beirut, were returned. He could not call his American lawyers. He has been constantly medicated by the prison authorities. When I asked him what they were giving him, he couldn’t say. The governor of Belmarsh has been awarded the Order of the British Empire.
At the Old Bailey, one of the expert medical witnesses, Dr Kate Humphrey, a clinical neuropsychologist at Imperial College, London, described the damage: Julian’s intellect had gone from ‘in the superior, or more likely very superior range’ to ‘significantly below’ this optimal level, to the point where he was struggling to absorb information and ‘perform in the low average range’.
This is what the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Professor Nils Melzer, calls ‘psychological torture’, the result of a gang-like ‘mobbing’ by governments and their media shills. Some of the expert medical evidence is so shocking I have no intention of repeating it here. Suffice to say that Assange is diagnosed with autism and Asperger’s syndrome and, according to Professor Michael Kopelman, one of the world’s leading neuropsychiatrists, he suffers from ‘suicidal preoccupations’ and is likely to find a way to take his life if he is extradited to America.
James Lewis QC, America’s British prosecutor, spent the best part of his cross-examination of Professor Kopelman dismissing mental illness and its dangers as ‘malingering’. I have never heard in a modern setting such a primitive view of human frailty and vulnerability.
My own view is that if Assange is freed, he is likely to recover a substantial part of his life. He has a loving partner, devoted friends and allies and the innate strength of a principled political prisoner. He also has a wicked sense of humour.
But that is a long way off. The moments of collusion between the judge— a Gothic-looking magistrate called Vanessa Baraitser, about whom little is known—and the prosecution acting for the Trump regime have been brazen. Until the last few days, defence arguments have been routinely dismissed. The lead prosecutor, James Lewis QC, ex SAS and currently Chief Justice of the Falklands, by and large gets what he wants, notably up to four hours to denigrate expert witnesses, while the defence’s examination is guillotined at half an hour. I have no doubt, had there been a jury, his freedom would be assured.
The dissident artist Ai Weiwei came to join us one morning in the public gallery. He noted that in China the judge’s decision would already have been made. This caused some dark ironic amusement. My companion in the gallery, the astute diarist and former British ambassador Craig Murray wrote:
I fear that all over London a very hard rain is now falling on those who for a lifetime have worked within institutions of liberal democracy that at least broadly and usually used to operate within the governance of their own professed principles. It has been clear to me from Day 1 that I am watching a charade unfold. It is not in the least a shock to me that Baraitser does not think anything beyond the written opening arguments has any effect. I have again and again reported to you that, where rulings have to be made, she has brought them into court pre-written, before hearing the arguments before her. I strongly expect the final decision was made in this case even before opening arguments were received. The plan of the US Government throughout has been to limit the information available to the public and limit the effective access to a wider public of what information is available. Thus we have seen the extreme restrictions on both physical and video access. A complicit mainstream media has ensured those of us who know what is happening are very few in the wider population.
There are few records of the proceedings. They are Craig Murray’s personal blog, Joe Lauria’s live reporting on Consortium News, and the World Socialist Website. American journalist Kevin Gosztola’s blog, Shadowproof, funded mostly by himself, has reported more of the trial than the major US press and TV, including CNN, combined.
In Australia, Assange’s homeland, the ‘coverage’ follows a familiar formula set overseas. The London correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald, Latika Bourke, wrote this recently:
The court heard Assange became depressed during the seven years he spent in the Ecuadorian embassy where he sought political asylum to escape extradition to Sweden to answer rape and sexual assault charges.
There were no ‘rape and sexual assault charges’ in Sweden. Bourke’s lazy falsehood is not uncommon. If the Assange trial is the political trial of the century, as I believe it is, its outcome will not only seal the fate of a journalist for doing his job but intimidate the very principles of free journalism and free speech. The absence of serious mainstream reporting of the proceedings is, at the very least, self-destructive. Journalists should ask: who is next?
How shaming it all is. A decade ago, the Guardian exploited Assange’s work, claimed its profit and prizes as well as a lucrative Hollywood deal, then turned on him with venom. Throughout the Old Bailey trial, two names have been cited by the prosecution, the Guardian’s David Leigh, now retired as ‘investigations editor’ and Luke Harding, the Russiaphobe and author of a fictional Guardian ‘scoop’ that claimed Trump adviser Paul Manafort and a group of Russians visited Assange in the Ecuadorean embassy. This never happened, and the Guardian has yet to apologise. The Harding and Leigh book on Assange—written behind their subject’s back—disclosed a secret password to a WikiLeaks file that Assange had entrusted to Leigh during the Guardian’s ‘partnership’. Why the defence has not called this pair is difficult to understand.
Assange is quoted in their book declaring during a dinner at a London restaurant that he didn’t care if informants named in the leaks were harmed. Neither Harding nor Leigh was at the dinner. John Goetz, an investigations reporter with Der Spiegel, was at the dinner and testified that Assange said nothing of the kind. Incredibly, Judge Baraitser stopped Goetz actually saying this in court.
However, the defence has succeeded in demonstrating the extent to which Assange sought to protect and redact names in the files released by WikiLeaks and that no credible evidence existed of individuals harmed by the leaks. The great whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg said that Assange had personally redacted 15,000 files. The renowned New Zealand investigative journalist Nicky Hager, who worked with Assange on the Afghanistan and Iraq war leaks, described how Assange took ‘extraordinary precautions in redacting names of informants’.
Q: What are the implications of this trial’s verdict for journalism more broadly—is it an omen of things to come?
The ‘Assange effect’ is already being felt across the world. If they displease the regime in Washington, investigative journalists are liable to prosecution under the 1917 US Espionage Act; the precedent is stark. It doesn’t matter where you are. For Washington, other people’s nationality and sovereignty rarely mattered; now it does not exist. Britain has effectively surrendered its jurisdiction to Trump’s corrupt Department of Justice. In Australia, a National Security Information Act promises Kafkaesque trials for transgressors. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has been raided by police and journalists’ computers taken away. The government has given unprecedented powers to intelligence officials, making journalistic whistle-blowing almost impossible. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Assange ‘must face the music’. The perfidious cruelty of his statement is reinforced by its banality.
‘Evil’, wrote Hannah Arendt, ‘comes from a failure to think. It defies thought for as soon as thought tries to engage itself with evil and examine the premises and principles from which it originates, it is frustrated because it finds nothing there. That is the banality of evil’.
Q: Having followed the story of WikiLeaks closely for a decade, how has this eyewitness experience shifted your understanding of what’s at stake with Assange’s trial?
I have long been a critic of journalism as an echo of unaccountable power and a champion of those who are beacons. So, for me, the arrival of WikiLeaks was exciting; I admired the way Assange regarded the public with respect, that he was prepared to share his work with the ‘mainstream’ but not join their collusive club. This, and naked jealousy, made him enemies among the overpaid and undertalented, insecure in their pretensions of independence and impartiality.
I admired the moral dimension to WikiLeaks. Assange was rarely asked about this, yet much of his remarkable energy comes from a powerful moral sense that governments and other vested interests should not operate behind walls of secrecy. He is a democrat. He explained this in one of our first interviews at my home in 2010.
What is at stake for the rest of us has long been at stake: freedom to call authority to account, freedom to challenge, to call out hypocrisy, to dissent. The difference today is that the world’s imperial power, the United States, has never been as unsure of its metastatic authority as it is today. Like a flailing rogue, it is spinning us towards a world war if we allow it. Little of this menace is reflected in the media.
WikiLeaks, on the other hand, has allowed us to glimpse a rampant imperial march through whole societies—think of the carnage in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Yemen, to name a few, the dispossession of 37 million people and the deaths of 12 million men, women and children in the ‘war on terror’—most of it behind a façade of deception.
Julian Assange is a threat to these recurring horrors—that’s why he is being persecuted, why a court of law has become an instrument of oppression, why he ought to be our collective conscience: why we all should be the threat.
The judge’s decision will be known on the 4th of January.
Feature photo | John Pilger, a writer, journalist and supporter of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange speaks to people as he arrives at the Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey, in London, Sept. 14, 2020. Matt Dunham | AP
John Pilger, journalist, author and film director, has won many distinctions for his work, including Britain’s highest award for journalism twice, an American ‘Emmy’ and a British Academy Award. His complete archive is held at the British Library. He lives in London and Sydney.
www.johnpilger.com


mintpressnews--2020-10-02--Civil Rights Groups Are Finally Waking Up to the ADL’s Right Wing Agenda

As people in the U.S. and around the world try to make sense of the mud wrestling match – also known as the first presidential debate of 2020 – one racist organization is getting great exposure .
I am not referring here to any of the “ usual suspects ” that Trump would not condemn , like Proud Boys and others .
I am referring to a more sophisticated , more influential and far more dangerous organization .
It is an organization that for decades has managed to conceal its racist activities .
It is an organization that to this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights organization dedicated to fighting racism and particularly anti-semitism .
This organization acts to justify , not to say legitimize , systemic racism , and acts of violence .
The organization I am referring to here is none other than the Anti-Defamation League , or ADL .
Close to two hundred organizations that include faith groups and civil rights groups , among others , have signed on to an important initiative calling to end all collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League ( ADL ) .
However , as commentators analyzed the finer points of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have quoted the ADL which came out against President Trump ’ s unwillingness to come out against racist white supremacist groups .
In a move that is strategically brilliant but hypocritical , the ADL came out stating that the Proud Boys are “ a hate group.
” The Drop the ADL initiative , also known as Communities Say No to the Anti-Defamation League , states on its website that , “ The Anti-Defamation League ( ADL ) has branded itself as a civil rights organization in ways that conceal and legitimize its right-wing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say : Apparently , this important information about the ADL has not yet reached many of the civil rights organizations or the mainstream media , which continues to give it credibility as an organization fighting racism .
In a statement published in December of 2017 , the ADL came out enthusiastically for Donald Trump .
The statement congratulates the president for a statement he made in which he declared that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel and will move its embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem .
Marvin D. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jonathan A. Greenblatt , ADL CEO , issued a statement , saying that , “ For decades , ADL has called on the United States – and the entire international community – to recognize Jerusalem as Israel ’ s capital.
” They went on to say , “ We welcome President Trump ’ s announcement that the United States – almost 70 years after the founding of the State of Israel – will begin the process to relocate its embassy.
” The city was occupied by the Zionist forces in two stages , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The western part of the city was taken in 1948 and the eastern part of the city was taken in 1967 .
After its occupation , west Jerusalem underwent a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing and not a single Palestinian family or individual was allowed to remain .
The homes and property of Palestinians – both private and public – were stolen and confiscated by Israel .
East Jerusalem was taken in the assault of 1967 and since then it had been subjected to a massive brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ population , but the State of Israel is constantly destroying neigborhoods , communities , demolishing homes and generally strangling the Palestinians of Jerusalem in an attempt to create a Jewish only city .
The Anti-Defamation League , which identifies itself as , “ the world ’ s leading anti-hate organization , ” and a global leader in exposing extremism , delivering anti-bias education , and fighting hate online , ” sees no issue with the United States legitimizing Israeli brutality in Jerusalem and ignoring the legitimate rights of Palestinians to Jerusalem .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comprehensive list of resources proving that this organization is , in fact , a racist organization that supports violence .
These resources show how the ADL acts on all fronts to support Israeli violence and to silence groups and individuals that speak up for Palestinian rights .
Three examples of these resources that are well worth the time to read , are the following : A report published by Jewish Voice for Peace , titled “ The Deadly Exchange.
” This report is extensive and shows how “ The ADL regularly brings top-ranking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chiefs , as well as homeland security , border patrol and ICE executives , to Israel for training with Israeli police , army and security officials.
” The report also allows the reader to follow along with the itinerary of the ADL ’ s National Counter Terrorism Seminar ( NCTS ) .
A second resource is an exhaustive report by Palestine Legal .
This report , titled , “ The Palestine Exception to Free Speech , A Movement Under Attack in the U.S. , ” describes in great detail how pro-Israel organizations including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of groups and individuals who speak up for the cause of justice and freedom in Palestine .
These organizations engage in vicious smears of activists , labeling them as supporters of terrorism and anti-semitic .
The role of the ADL in these smear campaigns is significant .
The third is a report published in the Boston Review , titled , “ The Anti-Defamation League Is Not What It Seems.
” It states that “ The ADL ’ s persistent power in U.S. politics has been strangely unaffected by its history , probably because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It goes on to report that , “ ADL ’ s calls to action have successfully mobilized public opinion against black leadership for decades , from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ( SNCC ) and Ocean Hill-Brownsville parents in the New York City teacher strikes of 1968 to the Movement for Black Lives and Marc Lamont Hill.
” “ The stakes are high for the ADL , because its moral authority is a moneymaker.
” According to the Boston Review report , the ADL reported a combined total of $ 67 million in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Defamation of Muslims and Arabs As I note in my book , “ Injustice The Story of the Holy Land Foundation , Five , ” the ADL has an Islamophobic agenda .
They were instrumental in the smear campaign against the Holy Land Foundation , which was at one point the largest Muslim relief organization in the United States .
Its campaign brought about the wrongful convictions and lengthy prison sentences of five innocent American Muslims of Palestinian descent .
The Drop the ADL campaign brings forward what is a largely unpublicized history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s true mission is increasingly being exposed as a result of its role in condemning the Movement for Black Lives , its false accusations against Palestinian rights organizing , and its attack against Congressional Representative Ilhan Omar and Marc Lamont Hill .
As people across the world are shocked by the clarity of Donald Trump ’ s love of all things racist , we would do well to expose and isolate the ADL .
Feature photo | Jonathan Greenblatt , CEO and National Director of the Anti-Defamation League , speaks on Capitol @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 .
Carolyn Kaster | AP Miko Peled is an author and human rights activist born in Jerusalem .
He is the author of “ The General ’ s Son .
Journey of an Israeli in Palestine , ” and “ Injustice , the Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five .
”

As people in the U.S. and around the world try to make sense of the mud wrestling match – also known as the first presidential debate of 2020 – one racist organization is getting great exposure. I am not referring here to any of the “usual suspects” that Trump would not condemn, like Proud Boys and others. I am referring to a more sophisticated, more influential and far more dangerous organization. It is an organization that for decades has managed to conceal its racist activities. It is an organization that to this day presents itself as a legitimate civil rights organization dedicated to fighting racism and particularly anti-semitism. This organization acts to justify, not to say legitimize, systemic racism, and acts of violence. The organization I am referring to here is none other than the Anti-Defamation League, or ADL.
Drop the ADL
Close to two hundred organizations that include faith groups and civil rights groups, among others, have signed on to an important initiative calling to end all collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). However, as commentators analyzed the finer points of the first 2020 presidential debate, many have quoted the ADL which came out against President Trump’s unwillingness to come out against racist white supremacist groups. In a move that is strategically brilliant but hypocritical, the ADL came out stating that the Proud Boys are “a hate group.”
The Drop the ADL initiative, also known as Communities Say No to the Anti-Defamation League, states on its website that, “The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has branded itself as a civil rights organization in ways that conceal and legitimize its right-wing activities.”
The website goes on to say:
Many progressive individuals and organizations partner with the ADL not knowing its ongoing legacy of supporting racist policing, surveillance, colonialism, and the silencing of social justice activism.”
Apparently, this important information about the ADL has not yet reached many of the civil rights organizations or the mainstream media, which continues to give it credibility as an organization fighting racism.
The ADL supports Trump
In a statement published in December of 2017, the ADL came out enthusiastically for Donald Trump. The statement congratulates the president for a statement he made in which he declared that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel and will move its embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem.
Marvin D. Nathan, ADL National Chair, and Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO, issued a statement, saying that, “For decades, ADL has called on the United States – and the entire international community – to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.” They went on to say, “We welcome President Trump’s announcement that the United States – almost 70 years after the founding of the State of Israel – will begin the process to relocate its embassy.”
The city was occupied by the Zionist forces in two stages, both included violent assaults by Zionist forces. The western part of the city was taken in 1948 and the eastern part of the city was taken in 1967. After its occupation, west Jerusalem underwent a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing and not a single Palestinian family or individual was allowed to remain. The homes and property of Palestinians – both private and public – were stolen and confiscated by Israel.
East Jerusalem was taken in the assault of 1967 and since then it had been subjected to a massive brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing. East Jerusalem still has a large Palestinian population, but the State of Israel is constantly destroying neigborhoods, communities, demolishing homes and generally strangling the Palestinians of Jerusalem in an attempt to create a Jewish only city.
The Anti-Defamation League, which identifies itself as, “the world’s leading anti-hate organization,” and a global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education, and fighting hate online,” sees no issue with the United States legitimizing Israeli brutality in Jerusalem and ignoring the legitimate rights of Palestinians to Jerusalem.
Reliable Resources
The Drop The ADL campaign website provides a comprehensive list of resources proving that this organization is, in fact, a racist organization that supports violence. These resources show how the ADL acts on all fronts to support Israeli violence and to silence groups and individuals that speak up for Palestinian rights. Three examples of these resources that are well worth the time to read, are the following: A report published by Jewish Voice for Peace, titled “The Deadly Exchange.”
This report is extensive and shows how “The ADL regularly brings top-ranking U.S. law enforcement officers, including police chiefs, as well as homeland security, border patrol and ICE executives, to Israel for training with Israeli police, army and security officials.” The report also allows the reader to follow along with the itinerary of the ADL’s National Counter Terrorism Seminar (NCTS).
A second resource is an exhaustive report by Palestine Legal. This report, titled, “The Palestine Exception to Free Speech, A Movement Under Attack in the U.S.,” describes in great detail how pro-Israel organizations including the ADL work to undermine the legitimacy of groups and individuals who speak up for the cause of justice and freedom in Palestine. These organizations engage in vicious smears of activists, labeling them as supporters of terrorism and anti-semitic. The role of the ADL in these smear campaigns is significant.
The third is a report published in the Boston Review, titled, “The Anti-Defamation League Is Not What It Seems.” It states that “The ADL’s persistent power in U.S. politics has been strangely unaffected by its history, probably because that history is so little known.” It goes on to report that, “ADL’s calls to action have successfully mobilized public opinion against black leadership for decades, from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Ocean Hill-Brownsville parents in the New York City teacher strikes of 1968 to the Movement for Black Lives and Marc Lamont Hill.”
“The stakes are high for the ADL, because its moral authority is a moneymaker.” According to the Boston Review report, the ADL reported a combined total of $67 million in contributions in 2016.
Dedicated to the Defamation of Muslims and Arabs
As I note in my book, “Injustice The Story of the Holy Land Foundation, Five,” the ADL has an Islamophobic agenda. They were instrumental in the smear campaign against the Holy Land Foundation, which was at one point the largest Muslim relief organization in the United States.
Its campaign brought about the wrongful convictions and lengthy prison sentences of five innocent American Muslims of Palestinian descent.
The Drop the ADL campaign brings forward what is a largely unpublicized history of the ADL. Thankfully the ADL’s true mission is increasingly being exposed as a result of its role in condemning the Movement for Black Lives, its false accusations against Palestinian rights organizing, and its attack against Congressional Representative Ilhan Omar and Marc Lamont Hill.
As people across the world are shocked by the clarity of Donald Trump’s love of all things racist, we would do well to expose and isolate the ADL.
Feature photo | Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington., May 2, 2017. Carolyn Kaster | AP
Miko Peled is an author and human rights activist born in Jerusalem. He is the author of “The General’s Son. Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,” and “Injustice, the Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.”


mintpressnews--2020-10-02--UN Venezuela Report Omits US Human Rights Violations

On September 23 , María Eugenia Russián , president of Fundalatin , Venezuela ’ s oldest human rights organization , testified to the UN Human Rights Council ( UNHRC ) and decried an attempt by a UNHRC fact-finding mission to erase people who were “ lynched , burned alive , decapitated and murdered by extremist sectors of the Venezuelan opposition.
” This fact-finding mission had published a report a week earlier that generated sensationalist headlines of “ crimes against humanity ” and painted a bleak picture of the situation in Venezuela .
However , the 400+ page report has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , leading to charges that it politicizes human rights – a position backed by the Venezuelan government .
But it ’ s not just Venezuela that has taken issue with the report : Argentina ’ s ambassador to the Organization of American States denounced it as “ biased ” and noted that “ human rights are not an instrument for taking political positions.
” Moreover , even the formation of the fact-finding mission is suspect .
Since 2017 , Venezuela has been working with a different UN institution , the Office of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , to strengthen its capacity to guarantee human rights .
This cooperation has led to technical agreements and to visits by the OHCHR to Venezuela .
Yet despite – or perhaps because – of this cooperation , the Lima Group , an ad hoc group of nations dedicated to regime change in Venezuela , maneuvered in the UN Human Rights Council to establish a parallel mission outside of the purview of the OHCHR .
In the September 2019 debate prior to the founding of this mission , Russián said that it “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Office of the High Commissioner and the Venezuelan state , hindering and duplicating its efforts.
” She also made a prescient comment : “ [ the mission ] will generate major headlines but will not contribute to resolving the situation.
” Several Venezuelan human rights organizations , including the Venezuelan Association of Jurists ( AVJ ) , denounced the formation of the mission and the subsequent report as an attack on multilateralism .
The AVJ notes that according to UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251 , “ the promotion and protection of human rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cooperation and genuine dialogue and aimed at strengthening the capacity of Member States.
” Neither of these principles were adhered to in the report , which means that the fact-finding mission violated the United Nation ’ s own guidelines .
This contrasts severely with the latest update on Venezuela from the OHCHR , which notes that technical cooperation between Venezuela and the UN has led to progress in investigating 93 alleged cases of extrajudicial killings or excessive use of force , as well as the pardoning of 110 prisoners .
The first thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the authors are all from countries that support Guaidó .
One of them , Francisco Cox , has close ties to the Chilean Foreign Minister ( Chile is one of the Latin American countries leading the charge against Venezuela ) .
In an interview with journalist Anya Parampil , Chilean analyst Esteban Silva noted that Cox “ is part of an operation against the government of Venezuela.
” Venezuelan human rights organization Sures considers that the report “ lacks academic rigor ” as the mission did not step foot in Venezuela “ and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sources it consulted , including the victims , government officials and official records.
” Lending credence to the claim of a lack of rigor is the fact that more than 50 % of the report ’ s sources were links to social and digital media , while just 5 % were NGOs .
Misión Verdad , an independent group of Venezuelan investigative journalists and analysts , wrote an exposé of the sources used in the report and found that one of these NGOs , COFAVIC ( Committee of Relatives of Victims of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and has ties to Human Rights Watch , which supports regime change and the brutal US sanctions .
None of the NGOs the fact-finding mission contacted even mentioned the case of Orlando Figuera , a young Black man burned alive by anti-government protestors , which has arguably been the most infamous violation of human rights in Venezuela in recent years .
If the report were interested in balance , it would have cited or contacted Venezuelan human rights groups that document right-wing violence at protests and the devastating effects of U.S. sanctions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ article : Fundalatin , AJV , Sures , Género con Clase ( Gender with Class ) , and the Committee of Victims of the Guarimba and Ongoing Coup ( guarimba is the term used for violent opposition protests in 2013 , 2014 and 2017 ) .
None of them ever heard from the “ independent ” mission .
While victims like Figuera are ignored , another detailed critique by Misión Verdad documents the repeated “ whitewashing ” of political actors linked to violence by presenting them as victims .
As analyst Joe Emersberger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of opposition figure Leopoldo López ignores the leading role he has played in destabilizing Venezuela since 2002 .
López ’ s regime change strategy in 2014 , ‘ La Salida ’ , sparked opposition violence that resulted in the decapitation of Elvis Durán ; he was riding a motorcycle down a street booby trapped by protestors with barbed wire .
López ’ s name appears 61 times in the report ; Durán ’ s does not appear at all .
As tragic as it is that a UN mission would engage in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perpetrated by government opponents , these are not even the most glaring omissions in the report .
There are two ongoing mass violations of the human rights of all Venezuelans : the violent destabilization of the country by foreign and domestic actors , and the brutal U.S. sanctions .
For Gisela Jiménez of Género con Clase , an organization that focuses on the rights of women and sexual diversity , currently the biggest challenge to the rights of Venezuelans is “ the threat to the right to live in peace.
” Russián of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights to March 2015 , when then-President Obama characterized Venezuela as an “ unusual and extraordinary threat ” to the United States .
Since then , she notes , ” the Venezuelan people have been subjected to violations of their right to health and even the right to life , due to the embargo and the obstruction of imports of medicine , food and supplies.
” The report in the context of a hybrid war Beyond the bias and politicization of the report , what perhaps damns it most is how it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact of coups and sanctions enable regime change operatives such as Elliott Abrams , U.S. special representative for Iran and Venezuela , to cite the report as evidence of crimes against humanity while , in the same breath , threatening to cut off Venezuela ’ s diesel supplies , which has drawn widespread condemnation from NGOs across the political spectrum for the devastating effect it would have on the Venezuelan people .
The report was similarly used by Senators Marco Rubio and Ben Cardin , who referenced it in a letter to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deep concern ” over EU talks with the Maduro government and urged the EU to not monitor Venezuela ’ s parliamentary elections .
This blatant attempt at interfering in and attempting to delegitimize Venezuela ’ s elections went uncovered by mainstream media , which focused all of their attention on the UNHCR report .
Furthermore , the timing of the report was also suspect , coming just a week before the 2020 UN General Assembly .
Its purpose in this regard is clear : to add fuel to the fire in Venezuela and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with their own human rights issues .
The timely release allowed Colombian president Duque and Chilean president Piñera to cite it and Venezuela in their general assembly speeches .
In Colombia , 64 massacres have taken place this year alone , while the Piñera government in Chile was almost brought down by his government ’ s excessive use of force against peaceful protestors .
Yet it was Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaidó who made the headlines , invoking the report while calling on the international community to exercise its “ responsibility to protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sidelines of the General Assembly .
The responsibility to protect is a doctrine used as the justification for military aggressions against Libya and Syria , among others .
The fact-finding mission has produced a document that is currently being employed in the furtherance of sanctions , electoral interference and threats of war .
To put it another way , the UNHCR report on the human rights of Venezuelans will likely lead to even more suffering for Venezuelans .
In the words of Fundalatin President Russián , the threat to the human rights of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behavior by powerful states , who in the name of human rights , seek a foreign military intervention in Venezuela.
” Feature photo | Elliot Abrams , special representative for Iran and Venezuela at the State Department , attends a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing , Sept. 24 , 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington .
Erin Schaff | The New York Times via AP

On September 23, María Eugenia Russián, president of Fundalatin, Venezuela’s oldest human rights organization, testified to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and decried an attempt by a UNHRC fact-finding mission to erase people who were “lynched, burned alive, decapitated and murdered by extremist sectors of the Venezuelan opposition.” This fact-finding mission had published a report a week earlier that generated sensationalist headlines of “crimes against humanity” and painted a bleak picture of the situation in Venezuela.
However, the 400+ page report has been found to contain serious flaws and omissions, leading to charges that it politicizes human rights – a position backed by the Venezuelan government. But it’s not just Venezuela that has taken issue with the report: Argentina’s ambassador to the Organization of American States denounced it as “biased” and noted that “human rights are not an instrument for taking political positions.”
A parallel mission and attack on multilateralism
Moreover, even the formation of the fact-finding mission is suspect. Since 2017, Venezuela has been working with a different UN institution, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), to strengthen its capacity to guarantee human rights. This cooperation has led to technical agreements and to visits by the OHCHR to Venezuela.
Yet despite – or perhaps because – of this cooperation, the Lima Group, an ad hoc group of nations dedicated to regime change in Venezuela, maneuvered in the UN Human Rights Council to establish a parallel mission outside of the purview of the OHCHR. In the September 2019 debate prior to the founding of this mission, Russián said that it “seeks to thwart the advances between the Office of the High Commissioner and the Venezuelan state, hindering and duplicating its efforts.” She also made a prescient comment: “[the mission] will generate major headlines but will not contribute to resolving the situation.”
Several Venezuelan human rights organizations, including the Venezuelan Association of Jurists (AVJ), denounced the formation of the mission and the subsequent report as an attack on multilateralism. The AVJ notes that according to UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251, “the promotion and protection of human rights should be based on the principles of cooperation and genuine dialogue and aimed at strengthening the capacity of Member States.”
Neither of these principles were adhered to in the report, which means that the fact-finding mission violated the United Nation’s own guidelines. This contrasts severely with the latest update on Venezuela from the OHCHR, which notes that technical cooperation between Venezuela and the UN has led to progress in investigating 93 alleged cases of extrajudicial killings or excessive use of force, as well as the pardoning of 110 prisoners.
Flawed methodology, biased sources and egregious omissions
The first thing to note about the report is that the authors are all from countries that support Guaidó. One of them, Francisco Cox, has close ties to the Chilean Foreign Minister (Chile is one of the Latin American countries leading the charge against Venezuela). In an interview with journalist Anya Parampil, Chilean analyst Esteban Silva noted that Cox “is part of an operation against the government of Venezuela.”
Venezuelan human rights organization Sures considers that the report “lacks academic rigor” as the mission did not step foot in Venezuela “and as such never had direct access to the sources it consulted, including the victims, government officials and official records.” Lending credence to the claim of a lack of rigor is the fact that more than 50% of the report’s sources were links to social and digital media, while just 5% were NGOs.
Misión Verdad, an independent group of Venezuelan investigative journalists and analysts, wrote an exposé of the sources used in the report and found that one of these NGOs, COFAVIC (Committee of Relatives of Victims of the Caracazo), receives USAID funds and has ties to Human Rights Watch, which supports regime change and the brutal US sanctions. None of the NGOs the fact-finding mission contacted even mentioned the case of Orlando Figuera, a young Black man burned alive by anti-government protestors, which has arguably been the most infamous violation of human rights in Venezuela in recent years.
If the report were interested in balance, it would have cited or contacted Venezuelan human rights groups that document right-wing violence at protests and the devastating effects of U.S. sanctions. Five such organizations were contacted for this article: Fundalatin, AJV, Sures, Género con Clase (Gender with Class), and the Committee of Victims of the Guarimba and Ongoing Coup (guarimba is the term used for violent opposition protests in 2013, 2014 and 2017). None of them ever heard from the “independent” mission.
While victims like Figuera are ignored, another detailed critique by Misión Verdad documents the repeated “whitewashing” of political actors linked to violence by presenting them as victims. As analyst Joe Emersberger notes, the report’s treatment of opposition figure Leopoldo López ignores the leading role he has played in destabilizing Venezuela since 2002. López’s regime change strategy in 2014, ‘La Salida’, sparked opposition violence that resulted in the decapitation of Elvis Durán; he was riding a motorcycle down a street booby trapped by protestors with barbed wire. López’s name appears 61 times in the report; Durán’s does not appear at all.
As tragic as it is that a UN mission would engage in the erasure of victims of human rights violations perpetrated by government opponents, these are not even the most glaring omissions in the report. There are two ongoing mass violations of the human rights of all Venezuelans: the violent destabilization of the country by foreign and domestic actors, and the brutal U.S. sanctions. For Gisela Jiménez of Género con Clase, an organization that focuses on the rights of women and sexual diversity, currently the biggest challenge to the rights of Venezuelans is “the threat to the right to live in peace.” Russián of Fundalatin dates the biggest violation of human rights to March 2015, when then-President Obama characterized Venezuela as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the United States. Since then, she notes, ”the Venezuelan people have been subjected to violations of their right to health and even the right to life, due to the embargo and the obstruction of imports of medicine, food and supplies.”
The report in the context of a hybrid war
Beyond the bias and politicization of the report, what perhaps damns it most is how it is being used. The omissions on the impact of coups and sanctions enable regime change operatives such as Elliott Abrams, U.S. special representative for Iran and Venezuela, to cite the report as evidence of crimes against humanity while, in the same breath, threatening to cut off Venezuela’s diesel supplies, which has drawn widespread condemnation from NGOs across the political spectrum for the devastating effect it would have on the Venezuelan people.
The report was similarly used by Senators Marco Rubio and Ben Cardin, who referenced it in a letter to the European Union in which they expressed “deep concern” over EU talks with the Maduro government and urged the EU to not monitor Venezuela’s parliamentary elections. This blatant attempt at interfering in and attempting to delegitimize Venezuela’s elections went uncovered by mainstream media, which focused all of their attention on the UNHCR report.
Furthermore, the timing of the report was also suspect, coming just a week before the 2020 UN General Assembly. Its purpose in this regard is clear: to add fuel to the fire in Venezuela and to shift the spotlight from U.S. allies with their own human rights issues. The timely release allowed Colombian president Duque and Chilean president Piñera to cite it and Venezuela in their general assembly speeches. In Colombia, 64 massacres have taken place this year alone, while the Piñera government in Chile was almost brought down by his government’s excessive use of force against peaceful protestors. Yet it was Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaidó who made the headlines, invoking the report while calling on the international community to exercise its “responsibility to protect” in a YouTube webinar on the sidelines of the General Assembly. The responsibility to protect is a doctrine used as the justification for military aggressions against Libya and Syria, among others.
The fact-finding mission has produced a document that is currently being employed in the furtherance of sanctions, electoral interference and threats of war. To put it another way, the UNHCR report on the human rights of Venezuelans will likely lead to even more suffering for Venezuelans. In the words of Fundalatin President Russián, the threat to the human rights of Venezuelans “becomes graver because of the behavior by powerful states, who in the name of human rights, seek a foreign military intervention in Venezuela.”
Feature photo | Elliot Abrams, special representative for Iran and Venezuela at the State Department, attends a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing, Sept. 24, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington. Erin Schaff | The New York Times via AP