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Anarchopedia:Current events
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Revision as of 00:45, 1 February 2011 by Anarchangel (Talk | contribs) (....Today that year, noonoos)
| Today that year |
- In response to the Egyptian street protests following the North African protest self-immolations, President Hosni Mubarak has sworn in a new cabinet. New vice president Omar Suleiman is Egypt’s former intelligence chief, with close ties to Washington. He played a key role in the U.S. extraordinary rendition program.[1]
- The 14th Amendment may be reinterpreted if a current bill passes. The Arizona House bill HR 140[2][3] is the second such in a week; the first, introduced in Indiana.[4][5]
- An unprecedented inquiry this week submitted evidence pertaining to the death of President Salvador Allende, and hundreds more unresolved deaths during the 1973 U.S.-backed military coup that brought Augusto Pinochet to power.[5]
- The FBI says it has executed 40+ search warrants as part of a probe into cyberattacks waged in support of the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks. Five people have also been arrested in the United Kingdom in a related probe.[5]
- The Obama administration has publicly confirmed it is continuing the Bush-era policy of opposing the return of Haiti’s ousted former president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Overthrown in a 2004 U.S.-backed coup, Aristide has renewed his pleas to return to Haiti following the recent re-emergence of exiled dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier. In a statement issued through Twitter, U.S. Department of State spokesperson P.J. Crowley said, "We do not doubt President Aristide’s desire to help the people of Haiti. But today, Haiti needs to focus on its future, not its past." The Haitian government has refused to issue Aristide a new passport, reportedly under U.S.-led pressure. - Democracy Now!
- Just after his return this week, Jean-Claude Duvalier was indicted on corruption charges stemming from his embezzlement of millions in state funds before a popular uprising forced him to flee Haiti in 1986. Alleged victims of human rights abuses under his regime have also filed criminal complaints. Duvalier says he returned to assist Haiti’s rebuilding effort, but critics say he’s making a last-ditch attempt to recoup some $6 million frozen in a Swiss bank account. A Swiss law passed in response to Duvalier’s longtime effort to obtain the money goes into effect on February 1. Before the new rules kick in, Duvalier would be able to receive the money if he could prove he is not under criminal investigation in his home country. His return is seen as a gamble that he would have been able to enter Haiti and then depart without being charged, which he would then cite as proof to the Swiss he’s not under legal scrutiny. - Democracy Now!
- One of the crowd 'celebrating' Duvalier's return told a reporter from The Telegraph that he had been paid $10 Haitian dollars to cheer. Duvalier "declared himself 'impressed by the welcome I have received, especially from the crowd of young people who don't know me.'"- The Telegraph
- (In January 2011), "a group of U.S.-based human rights groups and legal organizations filed an emergency petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to halt the roundups, detention and deportations of Haitian nationals by the U.S. government." - Democracy Now! On the 20th of January, the U.S. government resumed deportations to Haiti. Haitian refugees face a completely different standard than Cuban refugees for entry into the US, according to Human Rights Watch. Other human rights groups criticized deporting people into a triad of disasters: a cholera outbreak, violence surrounding the election and earthquake devastation.
