Oh Consumerism!

Yes I have a cheap microfibre cloth to wipe down me mac so perhaps I am just being Scroogy decrying it comes in the form of a stuffed toy animal, but… Oh for chuff’s sake, enough crap already!

Jean Charles de Menezes Gets Permanent Memorial

I see Harpy also posts this, some good news-

Today, on International Human Rights Day, the family of Jean Charles de Menezes can announce that permission has been granted for the official installation of a permanent memorial to Jean outside Stockwell tube station.

After hundreds of signatures were collected in support of a petition backing the mosaic and following discussions between the family and London Underground, agreement was reached to place it on the wall outside of the station.

The mosaic will serve as a permanent reminder of the Menezes family’s fight for justice and will replace the shrine that has been maintained for four and half years outside Stockwell tube station.

The mosaic was created by artist Mary Edwards with help from Jean’s cousin Vivian Figueiredo and Chrys Vardaxi.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Vivian Figueiredo said:

“All of our family are so happy this memorial has been approved and we thank London Underground for their support. The pain of never achieving justice for Jean’s killing continues to haunt us everyday. But knowing his memory will be kept alive in the local community through this memorial is a tribute we could not have dreamed of. We thank all the members of the public who have supported us from the bottom of our hearts”

Jean’s family will be joined by special guests to unveil the beautiful locally-designed mosaic at 9:00am on January 7th 2010 to mark what would have been his 31st birthday. Further information on this event will be issued in early January.

PLEASE COME AN JOIN US ON 7 JANUARY AT 9am AT STOCKWELL STATION FOR THE UNVEILING OF THE MOSAIC

The True Face Of Change

While some satirical situationist happening goes on in Norway that affirms War Is Peace I present to you (ht2 Otto) the true face of change-

Bolivian President Evo Morales’ 10 commandments to save the planet, life and humanity:

1-Acabar con el sistema capitalista
1-Stopping the capitalist system

2-Renunciar a las guerras
2-Renouncing wars

3-Un mundo sin imperialismo ni colonialismo
3-A world without imperialism or colonialism

4-Derecho al agua
4-Right to water

5-Desarrollo de energías limpias
5-Development of clean energies

6-Respeto a la madre tierra
6-Respect for Mother Earth

7-Servicios básicos como derechos humanos
7-Basic services as human rights

8-Combatir las desigualdades
8-Fighting inequalities

9-Promover la diversidad de culturas y economías
9-Promoting diversity of cultures and economies

10-Vivir bien, no vivir mejor a costa del otro
10-Living well, not living better at the expense of others

Amnesty Int. On Post-Election Iran

Human rights violations in Iran are now as bad as at any time in the past 20 years, Amnesty International said today (10 December) in a new report six months on from June’s presidential election.

Amnesty’s report describes patterns of abuse before, during and, particularly, after the June election, when the authorities deployed the Basij militia and Revolutionary Guards to suppress mass protests at the disputed outcome. It includes testimonies from individuals who were detained during the protests, some of whom have since been forced to flee the country.

One man, Ebrahim Mehtari, a 26-year-old computing student, told Amnesty how on 20 August he was detained and put in a tiny 1.3m x 2m cell. He was subjected to interrogation sessions while blindfolded and accused of ‘working with Facebook networks’ and protesting against the election result. Interrogators tortured him into making a false confession: ‘They frequently beat me on the face; I was burned with cigarettes under my eyes, on the neck, head. I was beaten all over the body including arms and legs. They threatened to execute me and they humiliated me.’

After five days Mehtari signed a ‘confession’ and was taken and left in the street, still bleeding and semi-conscious. An independent forensic medical examination substantiated his torture claims, finding numerous bruises, abrasions and burns on his body. However, once it became known that these were from torture by state officials, all documents disappeared, apart from a copy of the medical report retained by Mehtari. The authorities then refused to investigate his allegations, warning his family there would be severe consequences if they talked about the case.

Meanwhile, another former detainee has described being held with 75 other detainees for over eight weeks in a container at the notorious Kahrizak detention centre. During interrogation he was told his son had been detained and would be raped if he didn’t ‘confess’. He was then beaten unconscious with a baton.

Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said:

‘The Iranian leadership must ensure that the many allegations of torture, including rape, unlawful killings and other abuses are fully and independently investigated.

‘Members of militias and officials who have committed violations must also be promptly held to account and on no account should any one be executed.

‘The Supreme Leader should order the government to invite in UN Special Rapporteurs on torture and on summary and arbitrary executions to help ensure that investigations are both rigorous and independent.

‘Anyone who is arrested or detained must be protected from torture or other ill-treatment, prisoners of conscience must be released and those convicted after unfair trials – including the ‘show trials’ which made a mockery of justice – must have their cases reviewed, or be released. All death sentences should be commuted, and others not yet tried must receive fair trials.’

Over 90 students have been detained in the last three weeks, and others banned from study, in a clear attempt to forestall demonstrations and to warn students not to continue their demands for human rights and academic freedom.

Meanwhile Amnesty is demanding proper investigations into all election-related violence. Investigations held by the Iranian government to date generally appear to have been intended more to conceal than to expose the truth, said Amnesty. The Iranian authorities have established two bodies to investigate the post-election crisis, including the treatment of detainees – a parliamentary committee and a three-person judicial committee. Yet the mandate and powers of both bodies is unclear and the parliamentary committee’s findings have not been made public.

Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions have requested entry into Iran and are waiting to hear back from authorities.

Official figures say 36 people were killed in post-election violence; the opposition puts the figure at over 70. At least 4,000 people were arrested after the elections and some 200 remain in jail, some arrested after the initial unrest died down.