News Digest - January 24, 2013
War in Mali

Covering the 'war on terror': In conversation with Robert Fisk
 
rabble.ca 22/01/2013 - Fisk's beat, when it comes down to it, is the collateral damage of what he calls "the unnecessary" war on terror, waged in Washington, Ottawa, London, Paris, Moscow, etc. Mali, Fisk notes, is the latest manifestation of how a toxic brew of lingering internal ethnic and regional disputes and lucrative mining and oil resources in a developing country can get conflated by powerful elites in the west to fit a simple narrative of virtuous versus evil narrative- the later being a small group of maniacal Islamists. "We have this solution in the west that if we identify the bad guys, the good guys are going to win." The problem happens when our supposed allies turn nasty and are just as capable of performing awful acts, the journalist points out, be it the ethnic cleansing by the French assisted local army in Mali or the no negotiations with hostage takers approach, the Algerian army displayed in the massacre at the Amenas gas plant. "In the fighting against terror, everybody gets killed," says Fisk. 

Read more

Canada extends C-17 mission to Mali through Feb. 15

Gerald Caplan: Shadow of Rwanda is cast over France's involvement in Mali

Mali crisis sees Canada being drawn into another war: Walkom

The Current: Robert Fisk on Al-Qaeda in North Africa & the legacy of the Arab Spring

Canada opened up military channels on Mali early last year: documents

Nigeria presses for Canada to aid Mali

Conservative government open to extending Mali air force mission

NDP backing more help for Mali as Harper calls for 'broad national consensus'

RCMP members in Algeria to investigate if Canadians involved in deadly attack

Rule of law

UN launches probe into drone strikes

Al Jazeera 24/01/2013 - The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has launched an investigation into drone strikes and will review resultant civilian casualties to determine whether the attacks constitute a war crime. Ben Emmerson, a UN special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, formally launched the inquiry on Thursday, in response to requests from Russia, China and Pakistan. A statement released by the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights states that the inquiry will provide a "critical examination of the factual evidence concerning civilian casualties". It also states that the inquiry ultimately intends to make recommendations to the UN General Assembly to prompt countries to "investigate into the lawfulness and proportionality of such attacks".

Read more

CIA drone strikes will get pass in counterterrorism "playbook" officials say

Who says you can kill Americans, Mr. President?

List of children killed by drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen

Armed drones could target President: former U.S. intelligence chief

Yemeni official condemns US drones
War on terror
 
Are "We the People" the terrorists now?   

The Daily Take 23/01/2013 - Hebshi Shoshana is an American citizen and the mother of  7-year-old twins. She's also one of the latest casualties of the hysteria built into our national war on terror. On the tenth anniversary of 9/11, she flew on Frontier Airlines flight to Detroit. When the plane pulled up to the gate, all the passengers on board were ordered to stay in their seats, put their heads down, and their arms up in front of them. Federal agents carrying large, military style weapons then boarded the plan, and marched down the aisles. "I wondered if there was a fugitive on board," Shoshana said. What she didn't realize at the time was the she was the "fugitive."

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Videos - Love, hatred and propaganda: The war on terror
State secrets  

Exposing US war crimes or not, Judge denies Manning's whistleblower defense  

Common Dreams 18/01/2013 - In a significant - but not unexpected - blow to his defense, a military judge has ruled that Bradley Manning's attorney may not argue that Manning's motive in releasing documents and the damning video "Collateral Murder" to WikiLeaks was to call attention to US war crimes. Colonel Denise Lind ruled that general issues of motive were not relevant to the trial stage of the court martial. Manning's lawyer, David Coombs, has said he would argue that Manning did not knowingly damage US interests, but instead would make a case that Manning was a whistleblower and acted in good faith in releasing the information, including the video documenting the shooting and killing of 11 individuals-including a Reuters photographer and small children-by American troops.

Read more

Judge: Govt must prove Manning wanted to 'aid enemy'

Why are Bob Woodward's WH sources - or Woodward himself - not on trial next to Bradley Manning?

No classified FISA court rulings made public as a result of review

The portrait of a whistleblower: Torture cannot be tolerated
 
More news
Anti-terror laws   

Border controls  

Guantanamo  

Immigration and refugee rights   

National security  

Omar Khadr    

Privacy   

Repression of dissent      
Surveillance    

Terrorism   

Torture    

War on terror 
Miscellaneous

 

About us

 

The ICLMG is a national coalition of forty Canadian civil society organizations that was established in the aftermath of the September, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. You will find in this News Digest news articles, events, calls to action and much more regarding national security, anti-terrorism, civil liberties and other issues related to the mandate and concerns of ICLMG and its member organizations.


Take action 

The Secret Trial 5 - donate to make the documentary a reality  

Many Canadians view the so-called War on Terror as something distant, something far away. The reality is, it has struck much closer to home than most of us realize. There are men, women and families right here in Canada that have been caught in its web. Our film is about five such individuals, and five such families. Click below to watch an excerpt and share with your networks.

 

Event     

NCCAR presents:
An evening with Miko Peled: Can Israelis and Palestinians live together?  

 

Tuesday, February 26th
7:30pm
St. Paul University Auditorium, 233 Main Street, Ottawa

$10 ($15 at door)

 

An optimistic assessment of one of the world's most intractable problems. Miko Peled, Israeli/American Jew, former Israeli soldier, son of a famous Israeli general, discusses his frank views in a courageous new book. The book will be available for sale and signing by Mr Peled. This event is endorsed by the Independent Jewish Voices and the Group of 78.  

 

Journal    

New issue of Surveillance & Society now online  

 

This double issue of the international journal of surveillance studies is the final issue in the first decade of Surveillance & Society. Along with nine new articles, this issue also features an extended Debate section, under our new Debates Editor, Laura Huey, continuing to engage with the privacy challenge laid down by Colin Bennett in issue 8(4), and considering the question of Online Privacy.       

 

Event   

Carters: The Ottawa Region Charity & Not-for-Profit Law Seminar 

 

Thursday February 7, 2013

8:30am-3:30pm 

Travelodge Convention Centre, Ottawa West 

 

The seminar is designed to assist charities and not-for-profit organizations in understanding developing trends in the law in order to reduce unnecessary exposure to legal liability.     

 

Take action 

Tell your MP to stand against Bill C-30 and warrantless online spying 

 

OpenMedia.ca - The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police called on the government to revive the invasive Online Spying Bill C-30 - legislation that would grant them warrantless access into the private lives of each and every one of us. Call on your MP to stand against invasive warrantless Online Spying.