radiofree.asia

Category: attack

  • Armed Police Raid on Bail Fund for Cop City Opponents Is Attack on “Infrastructure of the Movement”


    This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Armed Police Raid on Bail Fund for Cop City Opponents Is Attack on “Infrastructure of the Movement”

    Seg3 guest franklin raid split

    We get an update on the armed police SWAT team raid and arrest of three organizers with the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, which has been raising money to bail out protesters opposed to the construction of a massive police training facility known as Cop City in the Weelaunee Forest, one of the city’s largest green spaces and the former site of a prison farm. Marlon Kautz, Adele Maclean and Savannah Patterson were charged with money laundering and fraud. The arrests come as 42 protesters face charges including domestic terrorism for opposing Cop City and just days before the Atlanta City Council is set to vote on the project. These new and unprecedented arrests are a clear attack on “the infrastructure of the movement,” says Kamau Franklin, founder of the organization Community Movement Builders and a vocal Cop City opponent. He joins us from Atlanta for the latest on the protests and the state repression campaign against them.


    This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Neo-Nazis attack Russia with US weapons


    This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Russian Drone Attack Damages High-Rise Apartment Building In Kyiv


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • 27 charred bodies discovered in Sagaing after Myanmar junta’s latest arson attack

    Villagers found 27 charred bodies inside burnt homes yesterday in northwestern Myanmar’s Sagaing region, where the ruling military junta has for months conducted an arson campaign targeting rural villages, burning hundreds of homes, and leaving thousands displaced. 

    The villagers told RFA that the bodies were found in the Mon Dai Pin and Inbin villages of Ye Oo township. While there was no fighting in their area, the villagers said, soldiers arrived during a military operation and spent a night in the village. 

    “Most of the villagers fled to safety, [but] some were unable to escape,” one villager said. RFA has not been able to confirm the incident and attempts to contact junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun went unanswered. 

    A military column from nearby Taze township raided Mon Dai Pin on May 9 and set fire to about 30 houses, villagers said. 

    In addition to the charred bodies, villagers said three monks from the village monastery were taken away by the military. Of the 27 bodies, 17 were found in Mon Dai Pin and the other 10 were found in Inbin. 

    Some of the bodies were found on the street, and villagers said some of them had gunshot wounds. The victims were identified as local residents in their 40s.

    The villagers said that since the fire has not fully died down, they could not search all the homes.

    RFA previously reported on the junta’s burning of 500 homes in Sagaing in only three days, with the military cutting off internet access in 27 of the region’s 37 townships in early March. The information blackout has left villagers in the dark about the campaign as the military moves from village to village in a crackdown on opponents of its Feb. 1, 2021 coup. 

    Soldiers had destroyed around 200 and 70 homes in Mingin’s Thanbauk and Zinkale villages, respectively, on April 25, some 220 homes in Khin Oo’s Thanboh village the following day, and an unconfirmed number of homes in Shwebo’s Malar and Makhauk villages on the evening of April 27, RFA’s investigation found.


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Myanmar Service.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Inside Irpin as Civilians Flee Russian Attack


    This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Louisiana reporter assaulted during investigation of mistaken release of convict

    WWL-TV reporter David Hammer and a colleague were assaulted by an individual while reporting on the mistaken release of a convicted pedophile in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, on March 3, 2022.

    In a report for the broadcast station, Hammer said that he and a photojournalist had gone to the home of Brian David Matherne for comment after he was released more than seven years early from his nearly 30-year sentence. The journalists did not know at the time that Matherne had been imprisoned again after some victims alerted the state Department of Corrections of the error.

    “Before we could approach the trailer, we were attacked by the owner of the property — Bruce Verdin — who was arrested by Tangipahoa Sheriff’s deputies,” Hammer said.

    WWL-TV reported that Verdin, who is Matherne’s brother-in-law, attacked the journalists with a wrench and attempted to hit the photojournalist with his truck. In footage of the incident, Verdin can be seen repeatedly striking out at the journalists and their camera.

    Hammer, who did not respond to requests for comment, identified himself and photojournalist T.J. Pipitone as the journalists attacked in a tweet.

    In response to a note asking if they were OK, Hammer wrote that they had suffered “just a couple bumps and bruises.”

    The station reported that the Tangipahoa Sheriff’s Office arrested Verdin on three counts of aggravated battery and a count of aggravated destruction of property. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker was not able to verify whether any of the journalists’ equipment was damaged in the assault.


    This content originally appeared on U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents and was authored by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Louisiana photojournalist assaulted during investigation of mistaken release of convict

    WWL-TV photojournalist T.J. Pipitone and a colleague were assaulted by an individual while reporting on the mistaken release of a convicted pedophile in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, on March 3, 2022.

    In a report for the broadcast station, reporter David Hammer said that he and the photojournalist had gone to the home of Brian David Matherne for comment after he was released more than seven years early from his nearly 30-year sentence. The journalists did not know at the time that Matherne had been imprisoned again after some victims alerted the state Department of Corrections of the error.

    “Before we could approach the trailer, we were attacked by the owner of the property — Bruce Verdin — who was arrested by Tangipahoa Sheriff’s deputies,” Hammer said.

    WWL-TV reported that Verdin, who is Matherne’s brother-in-law, attacked the journalists with a wrench and attempted to hit the photojournalist with his truck. In footage of the incident, Verdin can be seen repeatedly striking out at the journalists and their camera.

    Hammer, who did not respond to requests for comment, identified himself and photojournalist T.J. Pipitone as the journalists attacked in a tweet.

    In response to a note asking if they were OK, Hammer wrote that they had suffered “just a couple bumps and bruises.” Pipitone also did not respond to messages requesting comment.

    The station reported that the Tangipahoa Sheriff’s Office arrested Verdin on three counts of aggravated battery and a count of aggravated destruction of property. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker was not able to verify whether any of the journalists’ equipment was damaged in the assault.


    This content originally appeared on U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents and was authored by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Attack on Maternity Ward is a War Crime: David Miliband on Russia’s Bombing of Mariupol


    This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Attack on Maternity Ward is a War Crime: David Miliband on Russia’s Bombing of Mariupol

    Seg4 mariupol childrens hospital 2

    Russian forces reportedly killed at least three people when they bombed a children’s hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Wednesday, shelling a humanitarian corridor and breaking a ceasefire deal that was was meant to allow residents to flee. The actions constitute a violation of international humanitarian law and, therefore, a potential war crime, says David Miliband of the International Rescue Committee. The mayor of Mariupol says there have been over 1,200 civilian deaths since the start of the war. Russian forces have also cut off the city’s water supply and electricity. “This is a strangulation of the city,” says Miliband.


    This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Odesa Volunteers Build ‘Hedgehogs’ And Fill Sandbags To Resist Russian Attack

    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

  • Aerial Footage Of Ukrainian Town Reveals Devastation After Russian Attack


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • ‘Dad, Please Don’t Die!’: Harrowing Video Captures Deadly Russian Attack On Ukrainian Father And Son


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • RFE/RL Correspondent Captures Aftermath Of Attack On Borodyanka, Northwest Of Kyiv


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Armed men attack car, bodyguard of Colombian journalist Julián Martínez

    Bogotá, February 28, 2022 – Colombian authorities must thoroughly investigate an armed attack on the vehicle and bodyguard of investigative journalist Julián Martínez, determine if the reporter was targeted for his work, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

    At about 11 p.m. on February 22, two men with pistols approached the journalist’s vehicle, which was parked on the street in front of a Bogotá apartment where Martínez was conducting an interview, according to news reports and a CPJ messaging app interview with Martínez. Martínez said the gunmen tried to force open the locked vehicle and pointed their pistols at his bodyguard, who was in the driver’s seat. The bodyguard fired several pistol shots at the men, who were unhurt and escaped in a waiting taxi.

    Martínez, an award-winning reporter for the independent Bogotá-based La Nueva Prensa news website, frequently investigates allegations of government corruption and illegal spying. Due to numerous threats against him, the Colombian government’s National Protection Unit has provided Martínez with an armored vehicle, protective vest, and armed escorts since April 2021, he told CPJ.

    “Colombian authorities should thoroughly investigate the armed attack on the vehicle and bodyguard of journalist Julián Martínez, hold the perpetrators to account, and continue to guarantee his safety,” said Natalie Southwick, CPJ’s Latin America and the Caribbean program coordinator, in New York. “When dealing with an attack on a journalist like Martínez, who covers sensitive information and has received credible threats, it is essential for authorities investigating the incident to consider that he may have been targeted for his work.”

    Martínez is currently investigating alleged links between Colombian politicians and drug traffickers and told CPJ he believes the gunmen may have been trying to frighten or kill him. “Maybe they thought I was inside the vehicle,” Martínez said, adding that he reported the attack to a Bogotá unit of the Attorney General’s office. “They may have been trying to intimidate me or promote self-censorship.”

    Major Gen. Eliécer Camacho, the Bogotá police commander, said the motive for the crime is unclear. “We haven’t ruled out that it was a robbery attempt,” Camacho said in a February 23 video posted on Twitter. “For us, it is extremely important to determine the motive of these delinquents.”

    CPJ sent text messages to National Police spokesman Wilson Baquero, who did not immediately reply, and to Paola Tovar, spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s office, who said the case remains under investigation.

    In a February 23 article in La Nueva Prensa, editor Gonzalo Guillén said the incident was one of 19 cases in the past three years of attacks, aggression, or harassment against the news outlet and its journalists.

    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

  • Death Of A 6-Year-Old Girl After Russian Attack In Mariupol


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Traffic Jams And Lines For Cash As Kyiv Reacts To Russia’s Attack On Ukraine


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Questions With New Reports That US Forces Gunned Down Civilians After Kabul Blast

    Listen to a reading of this article:

    ❖

    A new BBC report shows eyewitnesses at the scene of the deadly Kabul airport explosion on Thursday saying that a significant number of the 170 Afghans killed in the attack actually died from gunfire by the US-led alliance in the chaos following the blast.

    “Many we spoke to, including eyewitnesses, said significant numbers of those killed were shot dead by US forces in the panic after the blast,” the BBC’s Secunder Kermani said on Twitter.

    Here are some transcript excerpts courtesy of Moon of Alabama’s write-up on this new report:

    The correspondent talks to the brother a London taxi driver who was in Kabul to fetch his family:

     

    A: “Somehow I saw American soldiers, Turkish soldiers and the fire was coming from the bridges, from the towers.”
    Q: “From the soldiers?”
    A: “Yeah, from the soldiers.”

     

    (Side note: Some of the towers around the airport were reportedly manned by members of the CIA’s Afghan death squads.)

     

    Another witness:

     

    Narrator: “Noor Mohamed had had been deployed alongside American forces.”

     

    A man holding up an identity card of a friend talks about his death in English.

     

    A: “The guy has served U.S. army for years. And the reason he lost his life – he wasn’t killed by Taliban, he wasn’t killed by ISIS, he was (unintelligible).”
    Q: “How can you be sure?”
    A: “Because of the bullet. The bullet went inside of his head. Right here.” (Points to the back of his head.) “He doesn’t have any (other) injury.”

    The Pentagon did not respond to the BBC‘s request for comments.

    There’s another video going around from a popular channel called Kabul Lovers which as of this writing has over 122,000 views. According to a translation posted by Sangar Paykhar of the podcast Afghan Eye, workers at an emergency hospital in Kabul are saying that most of the fatalities from the blast actually died by bullets fired from above, which would track with what the BBC witness said about gunfire coming from the towers where American and Turkish soldiers were.

    “Some people have said that victims were shot from behind by Daesh [ISIS],” a man who says he’s a military officer tells Kabul Lovers in the translated subtitles. “However, none of them were shot from behind. All bullet holes came from above. Bullets came from this angle [gesturing to indicate a downward trajectory], striking skulls, necks and chests. No bullet holes from this area below. Which means all these people were pressed against each other. There was no uncovered place for bullets to land, from the chest above. They were all shot by Americans from that area [again gesturing to show a downward trajectory].”

    “All victims were killed by American bullets except maybe 20 people out of 100,” the man said.

    The Pentagon, which is refusing to answer BBC reporters’ questions about these latest claims, had reported that there was fire from “ISIS gunmen” following detonations by two suicide bombers. Yet as of this writing there don’t appear to be any reports of any bodies of ISIS gunmen having been recovered since the attack.

    “The attack on the Abbey Gate was followed by a number of ISIS gunmen who opened fire on civilian and military forces,” CENTCOM’s General Kenneth McKenzie told the press after the incident.

    It seems unlikely that ISIS could lead such a gunfire attack on such a heavily defended area and then get away without any of their members getting killed by return fire, which means if there are no bodies of ISIS fighters then the “ISIS gunmen” the Pentagon reported probably never existed. It was probably just military personnel from the US and/or its allies spraying people with bullets in panic and confusion, after which someone made up a convenient story.

    Which is just ghastly to think about. We may or may not know more in the coming days as the notoriously secretive US military narrative manages the situation, but the idea that this deadly incident could have been a lot less deadly if people with powerful firearms in their hands had been better trained and thought more clearly is painful.

    As violent as western police can get, it’s hard to imagine even them freaking out after an explosion and opening fire into a crowd of people. The armed goon squads we unleash upon people in war zones are on a whole other level than the ones we have to deal with at home, and the fewer of them we have deployed around the world the better.

    ___________________________

    My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, following me on , , Soundcloud or YouTube, or throwing some money into my tip jar on Ko-fi,  or . If you want to read more you can buy my books. The best way to make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list for at  or on Substack, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. Everyone, racist platforms excluded,  to republish, use or translate any part of this work (or anything else I’ve written) in any way they like free of charge. For more info on who I am, where I stand, and what I’m trying to do with this platform, . 

    Bitcoin donations:1Ac7PCQXoQoLA9Sh8fhAgiU3PHA2EX5Zm2

    This post was originally published on Caitlin Johnstone.

  • Almost 200 international organizations denounce attacks against peaceful resistance to Escobal mine in Guatemala

    On 21 January, 2021 Ellen Moore in Earthworks reports that more than 190 organizations have denounced an armed attack against Guatemalan land defender Julio David González Arango, a leader in the peaceful resistance to Pan American Silver’s Escobal mine. Julio was shot and wounded on January 16 at his home. Since the attack, two other members of the peaceful resistance have received threatening messages saying they’ll be next. The letter calls on the Guatemalan Attorney General to immediately launch a thorough investigation into the attack and hold the material and intellectual authors of this crime responsible. Julio has led opposition to the Escobal mine for nearly a decade, facing numerous criminalization and defamation campaigns against him by supporters of the mine. Saturday’s terrifying attack is part of a long history of violence against opponents of the Escobal mine since the project was first imposed in 2011. A Constitutional Court order suspended the mine in 2017 pending consultation with the Xinka people. But the threats and defamation campaigns against community leaders never stopped. In early December, a complaint was filed with Guatemalan authorities denouncing threats against Julio. Community leaders report that following the filing of the complaint, threats against them actually increased, including threats directed at Xinka representatives who are participating in the consultation process. 

    This is a dangerous time for land-defenders impacted by the Escobal mine, which Xinka leaders say is made worse by Pan American Silver’s ongoing community outreach. For more than two years, the Xinka have called on the company to respect the court ordered suspension and halt all mining activities, including community programs, which they say stoke tensions and undermine their ability to freely participate in the consultation process.

    While the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) recently agreed to accept all 59 Xinka representatives in the consultation process, marking the first significant advancement in almost two years, serious obstacles remain. A recent report details a slew of attacks against judicial independence in Guatemala, including allegations of corruption within the Supreme Court. This is significant for the Escobal mine consultation given that the Supreme Court is the main arbiter in the process, responsible for ensuring that the Constitutional Court order is upheld and Xinka rights are respected. Without an independent and impartial Supreme Court, Xinka communities are left in an increasingly precarious and dangerous situation. 

    For More Information: 
    More than 190 international organizations denounce latest attacks against members of the Peaceful Resistance to Escobal mine in Guatemala

    This post was originally published on Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders.