A former Guantanamo prisoner now held by Venezuela’s intelligence agency has gone on hunger strike, his lawyer said Saturday.
That's easier to do in Venezuela these days...
Jihad Diyab, who was relocated from Guantanamo to Uruguay nearly two years ago, was detained after traveling to Caracas in July in an apparent attempt to see family, his California-based lawyer Jon Eisenberg told AFP.
A Syrian bad boy stuck in Venezuela has a California lawyer?
In an email, Eisenberg said he was concerned about Diyab, a 45-year-old Syrian national, after failing to establish contact with him.
"We still have not had any communication with the Venezuelan authorities," Eisenberg said. "I feared from the beginning that (the hunger strike) could take place, so I’m not surprised."
From the 2015 photo, he looks like he could lose a stone or so...
Held in Guantanamo for 12 years without charge, Diyab was released from the US military prison in southern Cuba to Uruguay in 2014 along with five fellow former detainees.
So what's he doing in Venezuela?
On August 6, Diyab’s lawyer had asked the Venezuelan government for permission to speak with his client by telephone to organize his defense.
A US-based human rights activist confirmed Diyab’s hunger strike.
Three independent sources, who asked to remain anonymous so they could speak freely about the case, said the Syrian man began his protest after "learning that the foreign ministries of Venezuela and Uruguay negotiated his deportation to Uruguay," Andres Conteris said by telephone.
Diyab is also refusing to take liquids, according to Conteris, of the group Witness Against Torture. He hopes to be sent to Turkey or another third country to reunite with his family.
His family, handlers, superiors, arms men and teammates being "refugees" there...
The Venezuelan authorities have not yet commented on the case.
Conteris traveled to Venezuela earlier this month to set up a meeting, but returned to the United States without success.
Eisenberg represents Diyab in a lawsuit filed against the US authorities for force-feeding prisoners on hunger strike in Guantanamo.
Don't worry, I don't think the Venezuelans are big on that so you'll be spared...
Diyab was captured in 2002 near the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/28/2016 00:00 ||
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Held in Guantanamo for 12 years without charge...
Except for his aid and comfort to war criminals in the commission of crimes against humanity.
Diyab was captured in 2002 near the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Odd place to find an "innocent" Syrian. I'm sure he knew it was a war zone.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
08/28/2016 0:13 Comments ||
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Never understood the hunger strike thing. Why would anyone give a poot?
[DAWN] Police have ordered some low-end hotels in the Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou not to allow guests from five Moslem-majority countries to stay, though China’s foreign ministry said it had never heard of the policy.
Three hotels with rooms costing about $23 a night said they had received police notices as early as March, telling them to turn away people from Pakistain, Syria, Iraq, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... and Afghanistan.
"I’m not clear about the reason. We just can’t take them," one hotel worker said by telephone.
’Pakistain among countries on the list’
The notice appears only to apply to cheaper hotels at the bottom of the price scale.
All of the five countries have been beset by terrorist attacks in the past few years, or in the case of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan have been in states of war.
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post said on Friday the rule appeared to be a security measure coinciding with a development forum being held in Guangzhou this week, and also ahead of next week’s G20 summit in Hangzhou, though the two cities are more than 1,000km apart.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2016 00:00 ||
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They're going nuts with the G20 preparations. Tons of cops on the street, even in cities hundreds of miles away. Extra searches. Foreigners are usually prohibited from the cheapest Chinese hotels, though it is not a law. They'll just lie and say they were full.
[DAWN] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... has nominated 20 members of parliament -- 16 of them from his own Pakistain Moslem League-N -- as special envoys who will lobby for the Kashmire cause in important world capitals.
The special envoys have been nominated to "highlight Indian brutalities in India-Occupied Kashmire and to lobby for the Kashmire cause," said an announcement issued by Prime Minister Office here on Saturday.
Interestingly, out of the 17 MPs nominated from the ruling party and coalition, seven belong to southern Punjab, indicating that the underprivileged region has been given preference during the selection process.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2016 00:00 ||
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If, as the article notes, Pakistan's southern Punjab is an "underprivileged region", it has got to be one of the world's absolute Hell-holes.
[DAWN] Police in India-held Kashmire have jugged Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! a top separatist leader, his aide said Saturday, as the region's chief minister met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defended a 50-day lockdown on the region.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chief holy man and head of All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, a political coalition opposed to the Indian rule of Kashmire, was arrested near Srinagar on Friday, his aide, Tariq Buch told AFP.
"He was first detained by police while trying to leave home to lead a peaceful demonstration. We came to know later he was taken away to Cheshma Shahi (a high security zone in Srinagar)," Buch said.
It came as the number of civilians killed since protests erupted in Kashmire last month after the shooting of a popular separatist leader hit 68 Saturday, while a police constable was also rubbed out.
Held-Kashmire Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti justified the continuation of the sweeping curfew that has seen schools, shops and most banks shut, after meeting the prime minister in New Delhi on Saturday.
"The basic purpose of the curfew was to save the lives of youngsters... If we don't impose a curfew what do we do?" Mufti told news hounds.
She also said the government was willing to hold talks with anyone who wanted a peaceful resolution to the Kashmire problem through dialogue, but pointed the finger at Pakistain.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2016 00:00 ||
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[RUDAW.NET] About one quarter of the city of Qayyara was destroyed in the battle to liberate the city, a local official told Rudaw on Friday.
"25% of Qayyara was destroyed during the festivities," with Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS), Salih al-Jabouri, head of Qayyara’s local government, told Rudaw, adding, "Peshmerga forces supported Iraqi army divisions in the operation to retake Qayyara."
Iraqi security forces entered the centre of Qayyara city on Tuesday and announced its complete liberation on Thursday.
"There was coordination between Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army in liberating Qayyara. This coordination has existed since 2003, until now. The Peshmerga forces are on the frontlines in Qayyara and play a big role in supporting the Iraqi army," said al-Jabouri.
He added that there remain some villages left to be liberated in the area surrounding Qayyara, and he expects that will happen in the next few days.
"The Iraqi security forces took control of the center of Qayyara on Thursday and liberated about 24 villages. ISIS has asked the residents to leave the villages surrounding Qayyara in the fear that they will be retaken in the next few days," al-Jabouri said.
He pointed out that the liberation of Qayyara will make the liberation of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... a lot easier.
"The Qayyara sub-district is one of the biggest in Nineveh province, and ISIS considered it a stronghold. But now, after losing Qayyara, ISIS has collapsed and is in a tragic situation. Now, moving forward towards Mosul has become quite easy."
Before the liberation of Qayyara, ISIS set fire to oil wells and marshes in the area, putting the health of residents at risk.
"For two months, ISIS has been burning the oil wells and marshes in Qayyara, and still the smoke is there. This affected the citizens, especially the sick people, elderly people, and children. But this will not affect the military operation in the area," al-Jabouri explained.
The Iraqi forces, with the support of the global coalition, retook Qayyara from ISIS on Thursday. They retook Qayara airbase, located 75 kilometers south of Mosul, last month.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2016 00:00 ||
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Erbil – Head of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Nechirvan Barzani announced that the region is ready to solve all its problems with Baghdad through dialogue, indicating that a military a meeting will be held between the two sides seeking a better coordination and cooperation.
Discovered that they still need each other, eh?
The presidency of the provincial government in a statement, said, “President of the Kurdistan Regional Government Nechirvan Barzani received the Republican Senator from Texas John Comey. The duo discussed about the situation of displaced people and the war against terrorism and the process of liberalization of Mosul.”
“Kurdistan region is ready to receive the displaced people, but the possibilities are limited. America and the international community should help Kurdistan,” the statement added quoting Barzani. Her further expressed his gratitude towards the coalition countries, especially United States, for their support to Kurdistan since the attacks began.
“Kurdistan is ready to resolve all its problems with Baghdad through dialogue. A military level meeting will be held between the two sides in order to coordinate and cooperate better,” Barzani further said, the statement added.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/28/2016 00:00 ||
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Republican Senator from Texas John Comey
Cornyn? What's he up to there?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/28/2016 9:34 Comments ||
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Congressional junket, most likely. Though there is the possibility that he was invited to meet by the Kurds. A remote possibility was a request from Foggy Bottom or the regime to talk with the KRG.
Iraq's government would consider selling crude through Iran should talks with the autonomous Kurdish region on an oil revenue-sharing agreement fail, a senior oil ministry official in Baghdad told Reuters.
Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) plans to hold talks with the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), possibly next week, about Iraqi oil exported through Turkey, Deputy Oil Minister Fayadh al-Nema said in an interview on Friday evening.
"If the negotiations come to a close" without an agreement "we will start to find a way in order to sell our oil because we need money, either to Iran or other countries", he said by telephone.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/28/2016 00:00 ||
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[Inquirer] Maoist New People's Army guerrillas in Mindanao separately freed on Friday three of their seven captives, and pledged to release four more remaining captives.
Policeman Richard Yu walked to his freedom in a remote village after 52 days as a prisoner. He was seized in July for his alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade, but was later cleared by the militants.
"I was never worried when they took me because I knew I was not involved in illegal drugs," said a teary-eyed Yu, whose release comes as negotiators wrapped up peace talks in Oslo.
Yu said while the rebels did not harm him, he was in handcuffs most of the time, even when sleeping.
Also freed on Friday were Arnold Ongachen, the chief of police of Gov. Generoso, Davao Oriental; and policeman Michael Grande.
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines said the other captives were also set to be freed on Saturday.
[RUDAW.NET] Turkish bombardments and military intervention in Jarablus over the last few days have created many reactions from the military councils of Jarablus and Manbij and the Syrian Kurdish People’s Defense Units (YPG).
"The Turkish bombardments are threatening the fate of the region and this will turn the area to new conflict amid threats from the factions affiliated with the Turkish occupation," the Jarablus Military Council said in a statement on Friday.
It added: "We, the military council of Jarablus and its surrounding, emphasize that such acts won’t discourage us from our goal to protect our people against any enemy. We emphasize that our main target is ISIS (Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... ) and the fight against terrorism. But we won’t relent from defending ourselves and the people. The Turkish army and factions affiliated with The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... are responsible for consequences that follow such hostile actions which try to obstruct efforts to fight terrorism and we ask for a stop to targeting our forces that are fighting ISIS."
Turkey began a military campaign last week to clean up Jarablus, across its border in Syria, of ISIS.
The Jarablus council warned Turkish troops against any provocative actions and called on the international community to intervene to stop Turkey’s intervention
"We warn Turkish troops against such provocative and irresponsible actions," it said. "We can defend ourselves and we ask the international community and global coalition forces to intervene to stop such actions, which will have negative consequences on the situation in northern Aleppo and the war on terror."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2016 00:00 ||
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The commander of the Iranian Basij forces, Major General Mohammad Reza Nagdi, has been accused of fabricating claims that his country’s intelligence officers have arrested two British diplomats and another Frenchman, on charges of “spying on Iranian military centers for the benefit of ISIS,” according to Iranian Fars news agency.
I think this is a daily accusation. Perhaps twice a day. I think he and the KCNA guys share text to make it easier...
But a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has denied the claims. Adding that the visit to “the areas have been officially authorized and coordinated by the ministry.”
He said: “These people’s car has been stopped by the concerned in the province authorities, but after verification of their documents, they continued their way.”
But later Nagdi insisted in comments quoted by “Tasnim” news agency that “the arrests took place in Kurdistan, west Iran, after they have been caught taking pictures of sensitive military centers to the benefit of ISIS”.
Meanwhile, Fars news agency quoted Russian media outlets as claiming that the recent visit by the French and British diplomats to Kermanshah province in Western Iran was aimed at gathering intelligence on the country’s airbase in Hamadan from which the anti-terrorism flights of the Russian fighter jets in Syria have been carried out for the last few days.
It added that Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed last Tuesday that it had deployed Tu-22M3 bombers and Su-34 strike fighters in Iran and these have already carried out airstrikes against terrorists in Syria.
That makes a certain bit of sense, but why send diplomats when one could have a satellite or U-2 do the imaging?
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/28/2016 00:00 ||
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Wouldn't you just love to have a job as a British or a French Diplomat driving in a hot dated old car along a dusty road to Kermanshah to look at old Sukhoi 34 and TU-Vodka bombers out on a dusty runway in a set-up tour with you as the goat and then being arrested by the same people who issued you the permit and the packed Lunch?
And back at the Embassy the Ambassador of your respective country would be patting his lips with a Linen napkin and eating figs and spitting out the seeds. Wait until you have overnight accommodation with the Basji and they give you a "formal"rectal exam before releasing you and seeing that you are flown out of the country while another "diplomat" is flown in. More where that came from...
Two US fighter pilots have told of a high-stakes encounter over northern Syria, when they stealthily shadowed a pair of Syrian regime jets and were prepared to shoot them down.
The US-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq last week scrambled fighters to intercept Syrian jets targeting Kurdish forces working with US advisers near the northeastern city of Hasaka.
On August 19, a pair of US F-22s raced toward two Syrian Su-24 fighters that had flown into the region. The Americans’ mission was to determine if the Syrian planes were going to target coalition ground forces and -- if necessary -- shoot them down.
“I followed him around for all three of his loops,” one of the US pilots, an Air Force major, told USA Today in a story Friday. “He didn’t appear to have any idea I was there.”
The pilots said they got to within 2,000 feet (600 meters) of the Syrian jets. F-22s are stealth fighters and pilots are trained to avoid being seen. The pilot of the second US jet, a captain, said he tried to hail the Syrians on a common radio frequency but got no response.
In the coalition flight control center in Qatar, Major General Jay Silveria told USA Today he was ready to tell the pilots to fire on the Syrian planes if they threatened coalition forces.
“I wouldn’t have hesitated,” Silveria said. “All I needed at that point to shoot them down was a report from the ground that they were being attacked ... We were in a perfect position to execute that with some pretty advanced weaponry.”
In the end, the Syrian jets left and appeared not to have been armed.
Officials told USA Today it was not clear the Syrian jets even knew they had been trailed.
So let's tell them via the newspapers...
A shoot-down would have marked a serious escalation in Syria’s bloody conflict.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/28/2016 00:00 ||
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On August 9, political prisoner Mohammad Abdollahi and five others were hanged in the West Azarbaijan capital of Urmia — the latest in a series of executions taking place on Ward 10 of Rajaei Shahr Prison in Karaj near Tehran. On August 2, it was reported that at least 10 alleged Salafists had been executed at the prison.
On August 3, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry implicitly confirmed the news through a statement that listed the prisoners’ crimes and terrorist acts, though it stopped short of naming the people executed. According to the statements, the prisoners were members of the militant Salafist group Tawhid and Jihad.
Some of those who faced execution at Ward 10 had been in the middle of their appeals process. According the Islamic Republic’s own laws, carrying out a sentence before an appeals court verdict is reached is illegal.
Executions have been taking place in other Iranian cities too. Three people were executed in Gilan’s provincial capital Rasht, one for murder and two for carrying 15 kilos of drugs. Four people were executed in Taybad in the northwestern province of Razavi Khorasan and in Salmas and Khoy in West Azarbaijan, three in Saghez in Iranian Kurdistan and two in Qazvin.
Although alarming, the high numbers of executions are not without precedent. Iran routinely comes second to China in rankings for the total number of people executed, though not when it comes to per capita figures. For example, from December 20, 2010 to January 19, 2011, more than 97 people were executed in Iran.
Mohsen, an inmate at Ward 4, said that at Rajaei Shahr, the smell of death is everywhere. “After we heard the footsteps of soldiers marching up it took them about half an hour to come back,” he said. “I was watching through the peephole. They had taped over their mouths so they could not shout ‘God is great!’ Sometimes when they take the inmates from solitary confinement to hang, the prisoners start shouting that. Guards did not want other prisoners to hear them.”
For the remaining prisoners at Rajaei Shahr, the next day was difficult to endure. The soldiers had terrified them. They had entered the ward fully equipped with helmets, batons, Tasers and masks, making a lot of noise. For the inmates, the silence in the adjoining wards was as deep as the sound of soldiers’ boots was loud. “They were not there only for executions,” Mohsen said. “They wanted to intimidate us too. It was a show of force to make us believe that they could crush us any moment that they wished.”
I asked Mohsen about how ordinary prisoners had reacted to the executions. “My cellmates and I talked about it,” he told me. “They say that ISIS is losing the war in Iraq and Syria and the Islamic Republic is afraid that Iran might turn into a safe corridor for ISIS members. So they are sending a forceful message to ISIS with these executions.”
But, he added, “everybody here is silent and sad — especially Baha’i prisoners who are more sensitive to executions.”
Posted by: Pappy ||
08/28/2016 00:00 ||
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Anyone concerned by a perceived warming of relations between the U.S. and Iran can rest somewhat assured as of this week: The two countries' interactions, particularly on the high seas, most definitely remain hostile.
Recent days have witnessed repeated incidents in which boats belonging to the navy of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps harassed and – according to the U.S. Navy – acted outright dangerously in close proximity to American ships in the Persian Gulf.
It remains unclear specifically what Iran hoped to achieve with the encounters. But regardless of what prompted the provocations, the outcome the Iranians sought was all but certain.
"They knew they were going to provoke a response, they just went as far as they could," says Anthony Cordesman, with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "The clear message is, 'We're here. We are a significant threat. We can demonstrate to everyone in the Gulf that we are capable of doing this and willing to do it.'"
Iran could be airing continued grievances or sending a larger message to its adversaries on any one of a series of issues. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, for example, believes the U.S. has not followed through on commitments to the deal it struck with Tehran over its nuclear program. The U.S. continues a military build-up of sorts through massive arms deals with its traditional partners in the Middle East, which also happen to be Iran's sworn enemies.
Tehran also might feel empowered by its strengthened relationship with Moscow, as shown through Russia's temporarily deploying warplanes to an airbase in Iran for operations in Syria.
The U.N. General Assembly begins in New York a few weeks, where Iran will likely continue its traditional arguments for greater influence in world affairs. And, more generally, Iran is expected to continue its years-long campaign to prove it can, and should, serve as the principal power in its neighborhood.
Whatever the reason behind this latest activity, it arguably achieved its goal.
"You do not necessarily need to turn this into a publicity issue because you don't have to. Is there any place that didn't get the news?" Cordesman says.
Posted by: Pappy ||
08/28/2016 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
A former Guantanamo prisoner now held by Venezuela’s intelligence agency has gone on hunger strike, his lawyer said Saturday.
[Inquirer] Maoist New People's Army guerrillas in Mindanao separately freed on Friday three of their seven captives, and pledged to release four more remaining captives.
Two US fighter pilots have told of a high-stakes encounter over northern Syria, when they stealthily shadowed a pair of Syrian regime jets and were prepared to shoot them down.
