Events
Omar Khadr and the Betrayal of International LawWednesday 12 March 2014, 6.30pm - 8.30pm. Venue: Garden Court Chambers, 57 - 60 Lincoln's Inn Fields London WC2A 3LJ. Canadian citizen Omar Khadr, 27, was 15 years old when he was captured by the US military in Afghanistan in 2002. He was taken to Bagram, where he was tortured, and then on to Guantánamo Bay, where he is the only person since WWII to be convicted as an adult of war crimes committed as a minor under a secret plea bargain. For full details and information on how to book see: The London Guantánamo CampaignArticles & resources
CAMPACC has produced 5 new briefings, available to download (pdf format):
Somali communities targeted by UK 'counter-terror' measures: the need for solidarity
Baluchistan under state terror: The UK ban on the Baluchistan Liberation Army
Euskal Herria: The struggle for independence in the Basque Country and the impact of ‘terrorist’bans
The UK ban on the PKK: Persecuting the Kurds
The Tamils of Sri Lanka - oppressed at home and persecuted in the UK
CAMPACC statement: UK anti-terror regime: creating hatred of Muslims as a suspect community
NUJ Ethix Council Guidelines on reporting terrorism
Opposing the UK 'Terrorist' List: Persistence as Resistance CAMPACC paper, February 2009 (pdf file)
Read papers and reports from a series of seminars on "Terrorist lists", proscription, designation and human rights.
"Our tragedy and pain is part of the series of pains that is felt by people in cases like ours when laws are destroyed and flames ignited by politicians whose only desire is the achievement of their tyrannical subjugation and the spreading and domination of their lowly thoughts engulfs any notion of human rights."
Anti-terrorism laws: unjust powers
Do anti-terror laws make us safer? Whom do they protect?
- define terrorism more broadly, thus blurring any distinction between anti-government protest and organized violence against civilians;
- label numerous organisations as ‘terrorist', as a basis for placing entire communities under suspicion of associating with ‘terrorism';
- use ‘intelligence' obtained by torturing detainees abroad;
- and detain and prosecute people for suspected activities which could just as well be handled under other laws. Read more
What's new
Today at 2pm the International Verification Comission has announced in a press conference that "ETA has started the process to put its arms beyond use". This is a historic announcement that helps the process for the resolution of the conflict move forward. It shows an absolute commitment to bring to an end the armed confrontation in the Basque Country. The Basque Country is moving forward to achieve a just and lasting peace scenario and all relevant stakeholders should be involved. The courage and commitment shown by the Abertzale Left all along this process must be addressed.
With the theme "The role of people's lawyers facing the increase of people's protest andstate terror", the International Association of People's Lawyers held its 5th Congress, inRio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 11 to 15 of February, 2014. There participated lawyers fromTurkey, the Netherlands, Australia, United Kingdom, Iran, Mexico, Chile and Bolivia,and 32 lawyers and law students from 8 states of Brazil, as well as supporters, activists and members of organizations of people’s struggle.
So many facts, figures and activities are being kept secret by Western governments that they are undermining democracy, Edward Snowden has told students in Oxford. The fugitive from US justice recorded a video message for Oxford University students attending an award ceremony for Chelsea Manning, the US soldier sentenced to 35 years’ imprisonment for releasing secrets to WikiLeaks. - The Independent, 20 February 2014
The interference of Britain's security services is shocking, but it's also vital that we shed light on the murky reality of schedule 7 - The Guardian, Helena Kennedy - Wednesday 19 February 2014
Top-secret documents leaked by Edward Snowden have revealed new details about how the United States and Britain targeted the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks after it published leaked documents about the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. According to a new article by The Intercept, Britain’s top spy agency, the Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ, secretly monitored visitors to a WikiLeaks website by collecting their IP addresses in real time, as well as the search terms used to reach the site. - Democracy Now, 18 February 2014
Governments worldwide need to know that mass surveillance, like that conducted by the NSA, is always a violation of our inalienable human rights. On February 11th, we'll fight back against mass surveillance. We'll fight back against the invasion of our privacy. We'll fight back against the erosion of accountability. We'll demand our governments protect the internet and protect our rights.
Brazil is undergoing a wave of protests. All the anger accumulated for decades was liberated in the "June days". The people in the streets has given examples of dignity while governments and their apparatus of repression sink in immorality, demagoguery and blatant delivery of the rights of the people to the international financial oligarchy.
A special event with award-winning poet Pat Winslow -- Talha Ahsan's poetry tutor at HMP Long Lartin & poetry mentor and Mark Marquesee.