By Abul Kalam, on June 9th, 2008%
Parliament will vote on Wednesday whether to extend detention without trial from 28 days to the proposed 42. With Home Secretary Jacqui Smith offering ‘concessional’ amendments to the original billl, the Labour Whips working around the clock and Gordon Brown making groveling personal phone calls to potential rebels, the Labour back bench rebellion seems to have been quashed – although it is still too close to call.
Of course such a unprincipled threat to our civil liberty, a proposed law which is an offence to democracy should be rejected flatly by Parliament. I hope the rebels stick to their sense of justice and principles on this. As David Davis (Shadow Home Secretary) explained on Sunday’s Politics Show, the extension to 42 days will not help save lives, it will in fact do exactly the opposite, for the simple reason that our enemies want us to behave in an ever more repressive manner. If we do, they are winning, and it will encourage them to be more bold and daring in the future. Continue reading No case for 42 days
By Nahid, on June 9th, 2008%
In the face of mounting pressure to shut down Guantanamo Bay from both within and without US borders , its administration seems to be getting all the more desperate to ‘produce the goods’ and justify its existence.
This is the place notorious for holding prisoners in breach of Human Rights and the Geneva Convention, yet no one seems to know who’s in charge; top generals supposedly in charge of the facilities blame the Bush Adminstration for the use of torture, and vice versa.
So the Gitmo administration are getting hot under the collar to justify their use of taxpayers’ money; enter show trial of the century - that of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged brains behind the 9/11 terror attacks. Continue reading Show trial for alleged 9/11 planner
By Azad Ali, on June 4th, 2008%
How many of you knew about the exposure of Hasan Butt? It seems he has finally been exposed for the fraudster that he is and the lies that he has told. Nick Cohen - the ardent Islamophobe must feel mortified knowing that he has to eat his words like “he did not simply leave the al-Qaeda training camps on the Pakistan-Afghanistan borders and write a few articles when he came home, but transformed himself into a tireless opponent of extremism. He has encouraged about a dozen others to quit al-Qaeda.” and “Needless to add, he has been stabbed by his (and our) sworn enemies and lives with the knowledge that there are people out there who want him dead.”
You’re right Nick – Hasan did not leave the al-Qaeda camps – he’s never seen one. He tells the police that he has never met anyone from Al-Qaeda, nor has he ever been to any of their camps! But it gets worse for Nick as he tells us how Butt was stabbed and that his life was in danger. Well guess what Butt says to the police? “… I stabbed myself… you know, it was just part of the whole scam.” Are you joining the dots yet Nick? Continue reading BUTT – I lied!
By Abul Kalam, on June 2nd, 2008%
The environmentalist and campaigner George Monbiot’s failed attempt at a citizen’s arrest of former US Ambassador to the UN – John Bolton - at the Hay festival last week has earned him condemnation. Coner Foley of the Guardian described Monbiot’s actions a ’silly stunt’, while others have lambasted the man for trivialising what is a serious issue. Monbiot has accused Bolton of being responsible for a war of aggression against Iraq, and has deemed this war illegal.
For what it’s worth I salute George! These political leaders who took us into an illegal war, which has claimed the lives of thousands of people, has brought a country to its knees and has made this world a more inhospitable and dangerous place should be taken to court! Blair, Bush and their allies should not be allowed to appear in public without the requisite jeering and the threat of citizen’s arrests looming over their heads. Continue reading Good on you George!
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