CounterVortex weekly headlines
ECHR: Russia liable for rights violations in Crimea
Ruling in the case Ukraine v. Russia (re Crimea), the European Court of Human Rights unanimously found that Russia is guilty of a pattern of human rights violations since 2014 in Crimea, as codified under under the European Convention on Human Rights and international humanitarian law. These violations have included ill-treatment, intimidation, disappearances, forced Russian citizenship, and suppression of Ukrainian media and press.
https://countervortex.org/blog/echr-russia-liable-for-rights-violations-in-crimea/
Niger: jihadis score deadly blow against junta
Authorities in Niger declared three days of national mourning after an ambush on security forces near the village of Tassia resulted in the deaths of at least 20 soldiers and one civilian. Tassia lies in the western Tillabéri region bordering Mali and Burkina Faso, long a stronghold of jihadist insurgents. The incident highlights the growing challenges facing the ruling junta one year after it came to power in a coup, overthrowing the civilian government led by Mohamed Bazoum.
https://countervortex.org/blog/niger-jihadis-score-deadly-blow-against-junta/
Uranium at issue in Great Game for West Africa
The ruling junta in Niger revoked the operating license of French nuclear fuel producer Orano at one of the world’s largest uranium mines. Russian companies have indicated interest in picking up the lease for the giant Imouraren mine. However, exports are stalled by closure of the border with Benin, the vital sea corridor for landlocked Niger, as tensions mount between the two countries. The uranium dispute comes as French and US troops have been forced to withdraw from Niger, and Russian forces have moved in. The Pentagon's AFRICOM commander Gen. Michael Langley has acknowledged that the US is seeking to establish new bases in neighboring West African countries, including Benin.
https://countervortex.org/blog/uranium-at-issue-in-great-game-for-sahel/
ICC convicts Mali militant of war crimes
The International Criminal Court (ICC) convicted al-Qaeda-linked militant leader al-Hassan ag-Abdoul Aziz ag-Mohamed ag-Mahmoud of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in terrorizing the civilian population of the Malian city of Timbuktu. The charges against al-Hassan stem from his time as de facto leader of the Islamic Police, an unofficial enforcement body established by armed groups when they controlled the city between 2012 and 2013. The irregular force patrolled the city day and night, imposing harsh new rules that severely restricted daily life. The force imposed extreme punishments, including flogging and amputation, for such perceived violations of Islamic law as extramarital relations, alcohol consumption, and smoking. The Court found that al-Hassan played a "key role" in the Islamic Police throughout the period of of control of Timbuktu by Ansar Dine and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM),
https://countervortex.org/blog/icc-convicts-mali-militant-of-war-crimes/
Survivors of Libya prison massacre demand justice
A group representing families of the victims of Libya's Abu Salim prison massacre protested in Tripoli on the 28th anniversary of the killings, decrying the failure to achieve justice in the case. The association urged "that the secrets of the crime be revealed, justice be established, retribution be imposed, and that everyone who participated in this horrific massacre receive their deserved punishment." Thirteen years after the fall of Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi's regime, there has still been no legal judgment or even serious investigation in the case. It is believed that over 1,000 were killed by prison guards in the 1996 incident, sparked by an inmate protest over poor conditions.
https://countervortex.org/blog/survivors-of-libya-prison-massacre-demand-justice/
Yemen: demand Houthis release detained UN staff
Amnesty International called for Houthi authorities in Yemen to immediately release detained staff from the UN and civil society organizations. Amnesty's call comes one month after the arbitrary arrest or enforced disappearance of some 30 aid and human rights workers following raids on homes and offices. Amnesty charges that the Houthis continue to restrict the delivery and movement of humanitarian aid by imposing bureaucratic constraints and enforcing the "male guardian requirement" on Yemeni women humanitarian workers traveling around the country. A Houthi media campaign has accused human rights and humanitarian groups of "conspiring against the country's interest." The actions of Houthi authorities are seen as an attempt to distract from their governance failures, especially after a humanitarian aid pause by the World Food Program following concerns over aid manipulation.
https://countervortex.org/blog/yemen-demand-houthis-release-detained-un-staff/
Audio:
Podcast: Bill Weinberg’s neo-Yippie memoir
In Episode 233 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg recalls his days as a young neo-Yippie in the 1980s. A remnant faction of the 1960s counterculture group adopted a punk aesthetic for the Reagan era, launched the US branch of the Rock Against Racism movement, brought chaos to the streets at Republican and Democratic political conventions, defied the police in open cannabis "smoke-ins"—and won a landmark Supreme Court ruling for free speech. The Yippie clubhouse at 9 Bleecker Street, the hub for all these activities, has long since succumbed to the gentrification of the East Village, but it survived long enough to provide inspiration to a new generation of radical youth during Occupy Wall Street. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon.
https://countervortex.org/blog/podcast-bill-weinbergs-neo-yippie-memoir/
From Global Ganja Report:
Ecological cannabis in Massachusetts
Nestled in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts is the town of West Stockbridge, where Wiseacre Farm boasts that it is the smallest artisanal cannabis producer in the commonwealth. Grower Jon Piasecki has been on the land since 2001, putting to use his skills as a Cornell University pant science major. Working with genetics from around the world, his passion is adopting the pant to the unique conditions of New England—which are now changing as the planet heats up. Piasecki believes his sun-grown, organic and carbon-fixing methods (in contrast to the energy-intensive indoor factory model of the multi-state operators) can make cannabis cultivation part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
https://globalganjareport.com/node/1923/
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