Free Republic

Under President Hugo Chávez, the rule of law in Venezuela has been deteriorating steadily -- some would say precipitously -- for a long time. Two recent events have made matters much worse. The Chávez-controlled Congress last week approved a ''media reform'' bill that imposes stiff censorship on one of the few remaining independent institutions in the country. More urgently, the assassination of prosecutor Danilo Anderson 10 days ago has set off a series of arrests and at least two police killings of ''suspects'' under circumstances that are far from clear. Political killing Mr. Anderson was said to be investigating some...

In my post right after the Anderson murder, I was asking for balance, for some degree of caution in what both the Government and the opposition said or did. I said the government had a higher responsibility and should be careful. After one week, things are not going well. The government seems to be taking advantage of Anderson’s death to initiate a new wave of persecution and repression in the name of security and using Anderson’s death as the excuse. When even the Vice President recognizes that the police mistreated the parents of Antonio Lopez Castillo. When Lopez Castillo is...

London 26.11.04 | Last week the top dog, oh silly me, prosecutor of Venezuela was 'bombed' out of this world, in what constituted the first evident political assassination under Chavez. The neofascist leader wasted no time and sent his thugs after the opposition. This week, two more political assassinations have taken place, this time round by operatives of the regime. The first victim is an Antonio Lopez, who according to Venezuela's Minister of Interior, was an extremely dubious character trained in Langley. His parents, former COPEI Senator Hayde Castillo (70 years of age) and Antonio Lopez (69 years old) are...

Muslim leader espouses jihad Calls Jews 'monkeys and swine' VANCOUVER (CP) - The leader of a Vancouver mosque attended regularly by a local man reported killed in Chechnya has preached the virtues of jihad and called Jews "the brothers of monkeys and swine." In a lecture posted on the mosque's website, Sheik Younus Kathrada tells an audience all real Muslims want to be martyred. "It is inconceivable that a true believer will not desire martyrdom," Kathrada says. "When we hear of our fellow Muslims in Palestine and what they're going through to try and defend that great land for us,...

Darfur killings 'are genocide' By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor (Filed: 10/09/2004) The atrocities in the Darfur region of western Sudan amount to "genocide", America declared yesterday. The announcement by Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, sharply raised the pressure on Khartoum to restore security and rein in the Janjaweed militia. Colin Powell talks to the Senate foreign relations committee Mr Powell told a meeting of the Senate foreign relations committee: "I concluded that genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear responsibility and that genocide may still be occurring." He...

Tirana police arrest Kosovo Albanians accused of terrorist acts    BC-EU-GEN--Albania-Kosovo-Arrests Tirana police arrest Kosovo Albanians accused of terrorist acts TIRANA, Albania (AP) _ Police have arrested three ethnic Albanians, two of whom were accused by the United Nations Mission in Kosovo of terrorist acts, including kidnappings and killings, during the 1999-2001 period, a press released said Tuesday. Florim Ejupi, 25, and Faik Shaqiri, 22, described as members of the underground Albanian National Army, were arrested on the basis of an international warrant. The extremist group wants to unite all predominantly ethnic Albanian-populated areas of the Balkans and has in...

LONDON: The BBC reporter shot nine times in an al-Qa'ida ambush in Saudi Arabia that claimed the life of his camerman remained in a coma last night. Frank Gardner, the BBC's security correspondent, underwent further surgery yesterday after having two bullets removed from his abdomen, one from his leg and another from his hand. A senior BBC executive said: "It was a touch and go for a while but doctors are confident he will pull through." Saudi police are investigating suggestions the gunmen were tipped off about the presence of the BBC team in a stronghold of al-Qa'ida supporters in...

PIN A MEDAL ON ‘EM “In San Diego, a couple of teachers have been suspended for showing the pictures of American Nick Berg being killed by his Muslim captors in Iraq. Oh, the outrage that our delicate high schoolers would be subjected to reality. Far from suspending these teachers, we should give them medals (maybe the ones John Kerry threw away). They have done their students a big favor. They have introduced these soon-to-be-adults to the notion that it is a dangerous world out there. “...It is a mean, nasty, dreadful world out there, but one which we have managed...

'Algerian farmers killed by Islamic group' May 01 2004 at 12:39PM Algiers - Islamic extremists killed four farmers as they worked in their fields in Algeria, national radio said on Saturday. The killings took place on Friday in the Medea region, around 80km south of the capital Algiers, the report said. The radio gave no further details. Earlier reports, published on Wednesday, said that three people were killed by Islamic militants on Tuesday in the western region of Tlemcen. Violence by Islamic extremists in Algeria is estimated to have killed about 150 000 people since 1992, but the rate of...

Police in raids on Hell's Angels over 'peace' killings Oliver Poole (Filed: 05/12/2003) Armed police raided dozens of Hell's Angels' clubhouses yesterday in the climax of a two-year undercover operation that authorities claim implicates the infamous motorcycle gang in drug dealing, firearms and murder. The operation, the largest co-ordinated action against the Angels for almost two decades, resulted in the confiscation of 127 firearms, 1,000 rounds of ammunition, military explosives, methamphetamine and four stolen vehicles. Fifty-five gang members and their associates were arrested and police said "several" are likely to face federal murder charges, primarily over an incident in April...

MEXICO CITY- Federal officials plan to investigate 11 more killings in the border city of Juarez, where local prosecutors say nearly 100 women have been murdered in a similar manner. In a statement sent out early Friday, Attorney General Rafael Macedo de la Concha said his office would take over investigating the 11 cases because they may have involved federal offenses. He did not elaborate. Local prosecutors say the nearly 100 killings, which have taken place in the last decade, appear to involve a similar pattern of sexual abuse or mutilation. The cases have long fallen under the jurisdiction of...

402 people were killed in the U.S. yesterday, today, tomorrow, and everyday for the foreseeable future!! This is according to the National Center for Health Statistics. This only includes accidents, suicides, and homicides as of the year 2001. 97,707 people were killed accidentally 29,423 people committed suicide 19,727 people were murdered A total of 146,857 people for an average of 402 people per day!

Like most everything Israel does to defend itself, Jerusalem's campaign of targeted killings of terrorist leaders is under increasingly heavy fire. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan claims it violates international law, Jordanian King Abdullah warns it's going to send the Mideast into "a new cycle of violence." Even a few Bush administration officials are quietly tsk-tsking. But as a veteran of 38 years of Mideast reporting, I emphatically disagree. Terrorism is an abomination that hits the weakest - those who cannot defend themselves. And since no one else - least of all the Palestinian Authority - is doing anything to...

In response to the article The Day ran, I would like to clarify something that many articles referring to what is happening in the Middle East always wrongfully mention. (“Arafat Calls For Return To Peace Talks,” Sept. 14.) I am talking about this sentence: “More than 800 Israelis and some 2,500 Palestinians have been killed in violence.” Let's talk about the Palestinian figure of 2,500. What you fail to mention is that of those 2,500 killed were: • Those killed while firing on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers or killed while armed. • Suicide bombers who kill themselves. • Those...

Americans accused of turning blind eye to killings by Kurds By Kim Sengupta in Kirkuk 23 April 2003 A bitter conflict is unfolding in northern Iraq between two minority communities, with the Americans accused of turning a blind eye to killings and ethnic cleansing. The Kurds, the victims of oppression by Saddam Hussein and previous regimes in Baghdad, are being blamed for a violent campaign of intimidation against the Turkoman population. Organisations representing the Turkomans say they want British and European troops to protect them because the Americans are acquiescing in what is taking place. Kirkuk, a city with a...

Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle RESOURCES LATEST NEWS Video: • Tape said to be Saddam Hussein on April 9 4/18 • CenCom briefing in Qatar 4/18 Audio: • President Bush's radio address / Audio español / Text / Text español 4/19 Casualties: • U.S. troops killed during military action Photo galleries: • 4th Infantry secures base • Restoring order in Baghdad • Daily photos from AP -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOT TOPIC • AMERICA AT WAR: Complete coverage -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BACKGROUND Video: • CenCom briefing in Qatar 4/17 • CenCom briefing in Qatar 4/16 Graphics: • Map of Baghdad • Weapons of mass destruction Multimedia:...

'I shot Fortuyn for Dutch Muslims,' says accused Andrew Osborn Friday March 28, 2003The GuardianThe long-awaited trial of Pim Fortuyn's alleged killer got under way in the Netherlands yesterday with a stark admission from the main defendant that he had assassinated the anti-immigration politician as a favour to the country's Muslim minority and other vulnerable sections of society. Fortuyn, a flamboyant, openly gay politician who called Islam "backward" and favoured zero immigration, was shot dead last May, plunging the Netherlands into political crisis. Tipped to become the country's next prime minister, Fortuyn's death galvanised support for his fledgling political movement...

'Horrible day for Alexandria' 2 cops killed, 3 shot in shootout; gunman slain Suzan Manuel Mandy M. Goodnight Carita Jordan Posted on February 21, 2003 In one of the "worst days" in Alexandria history, two city police officers were killed, three more were wounded by gunfire and several others were injured Thursday in a three-hour shootout with a gunman. The gunman, wanted by probation and parole officers, also was slain in the incident on Wise Street. Killed in the shootout were veteran Alexandria Police Officers David Ezernack and Jay Carruth, The Town Talk has confirmed. Police didn't give the gunman's...

The State of Michigan in under two years has permitted 85,000 Michigan citizens and not a single misuse by citizens with the right to carry a concealed handgun. As a population group, Citzen Carry owners allways committ less crime than any other statistical group, including law enforcement officers. At the close of the 2002 legislative session, Michigan firearms owners were successful in passing an enhancement to their recently passed "Right to Carry". This reform legislation benefits carry permit holders in several ways. This bill, which has now been signed by Governor Engler (R), removes most restaurants that serve alcohol as...

Monday, December 23, 2002 Clue Could Help Solve Killings By Jeff Jones Journal Staff Writer     The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department says it has tracked down what might be another important clue in the unsolved 1999 East Mountains triple killings.     The possible weapon — an AK-47 assault rifle — was probably altered so that it had a much more distinctive look than a standard AK-47, said sheriff's Sgt. Gregg Marcantel. He heads the task force looking into the deaths of teenage friends Kevin Shirley, Luis Garcia and Matt Hunt.     Investigators have reconstructed a gun that they believe looks...