LabourStart RAWA News rabble.ca Prog. BloggersAs of 9:37 a,m, Central Time, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008, 51% of Winnipeg Free Press readers favour a centre-left coalition government.
| No. 43% |  |
| Yes, and force an election. 4% | |
| Yes, and form a governing coalition. 51% | |
Total Votes: 3118
I don’t know how Farzad Kamangar has survived his imprisonment and torture at the hands of Iranian authorities. However he has managed it, it’s clear to me that he has more than earned the admiration and support of people of conscience everywhere. Will you get involved?
Kamangar, 33, is s school teacher and a member of the Kurdish branch of the teachers union in Kamyaran. Before the union was outlawed he was in charge of public relations.
He was sentenced to death by the Iranian Revolutionary Court on Feb. 25, 2008 after a trial which took place in secret and lasted only minutes. He was scheduled for hanging on November 26, but for reasons which have not been made public, he remains alive. He is, however, still under sentence of death.
Prior to his kangaroo court conviction, Kamangar was subjected to horrific torture. In a letter from prison, he describes the mistreatment that began with his arrest in July 2006. I’ll quote a few lines here, but you have to read his letter all the way through to appreciate fully his courage and the desperation of his situation.
Upon my arrival in Tehran I was arrested and taken to an unknown place, it was a very small, dark basement. The cells in this place were empty, there were no blankets or rugs or sheets.
They took me to a room and as they were interviewing me they asked me about my ethnicity. When I told them that I was of the Kurdish Ethnicity they lashed my entire body. They also lashed me because of the Kurdish music which I had saved on my mobile phone.
They would tie my hands, make me sit on a chair and put pressure on the sensitive areas of my body. They would also strip me naked and threaten me with rape by various objects such as wood.
My left leg was injured badly during this time. Also due to the beatings I received on my head as well as electric shock I would lose consciousness. I have lost control of my body and shake uncontrollably for no reason. They would chain my feet together and give me electric shocks on sensitive parts of my body which was extrmeley painful.
Later on I was transferred to Section 209 of the Evin Prison. From the moment I entered the Evin Prison they blindfolded me and took me to a small room where they beat me by punching and kicking me.
The next day I was taken to the city of Sanandaj. From the moment I entered the Sanandaj Prison I was insulted and beaten brutally. They tied me to a chair and left me there from 7 am until the next day, I was not even allowed to go to the washroom and I had no choice but to wet myself. After numerous beatings and torture sessions once again I was transferred to Section 209 of the Evin Prison. I was interrogated and tortured in one of the rooms on the first level of the prison . . .
That was just the first month. His letter describes months of solitary confinement, vicious beatings, hunger strikes, the arrest of his girl friend, the hassrassment of his family – a journey through hell that has left him physically crippled and psychologically damaged.
Whether or not his terrifying journey concludes at the end of a rope remains to be seen. Education International has mounted a campaign that is gaining momentum. If you haven’t yet done so, please join this campaign by sending a message to Iranian President Ahmadinejad demanding justice for Farzad Kamanger.
While EI hasn’t asked for this, there may be some benefit in citizens asking their own governments to intervene on Kamanger’s behalf. For Canadians, this means writing to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Why not give it a try? He may not be prime minister very much longer, and likely he has other things on his mind (such as his own political survival), but it is still worth the effort.
If you are stuck for words, here are some you can use, or improve upon.
Dear Prime Minister Harper,
I am writing to ask you to intervene on behalf of Farzad Kamangar, an Iranian teacher who has been imprisoned, tortured and sentenced to death by the Iranian Revolutionary Court for his beliefs. I ask you to support the campaigns of the Iranian Teachers’ Association and Education International to have his case re-examined through a fair trial that meets Iranian and international standards.
Mr. Kamangar was to have been executed on November 26, 2008. He remains alive, but Iranian authorities have not indicated what will happen next. He could be killed at any time. Therefore, your rapid intervention is essential.
While it is obvious that Mr. Karmangar is not a Canadian citizen, many Canadians are concerned about his fate. We would therefore appreciate it very much if you would use your considerable influence in supporting our campaign to save his life and restore his freedom.
Yours sincerely, etc.
You might also try writing your MP. Here is a list of MPs and their coordinates.
But don’t stop there. If you are a teacher, get your teachers’ union involved. If you are a student, involve your students’ union. You get the idea.
An injury to one is an injury to all. There are more than enough of these to go around. But here is one where we might make a difference if we act now.
Then mosey on over to http://www.progressivecoalition.ca/.
Canadians for a Progressive Coalition is conducting an online campaign to encourage Liberals, New Dems and Bloquistes to form a federal coalition government. This campaign is both necessary and timely; necessary, because most Canadians rejected the troglodytic Tory agenda in the October federal election and timely because there is a confidence vote coming up next week.
All three opposition parties have vowed to vote against Flaherty’s “fiscal update” and this could precipitate an election or a request from the GG to form a coaliton government.
Given that the best we could expect in a new election would be a House that looks pretty much like the one we have now, a coalition government makes a lot of sense. It would give us a government that is more politically representative of Canadians. We would get a government that understands that we face more than a “technical recession.” It could create an environment that makes possible the pressing business of electoral reform.
So, go to Canadians for a Progressive Coalition and see what they have to say. There is a petition to sign and more than enough opportunities for political organizing if the last election didn’t sap your enthusiasm for such jolly fun.
According to Education International
Teachers, trade unionists and human rights defenders around the world are mobilising in defence of Farzad Kamangar, an Iranian Kurdish teacher and trade unionist who is at risk of execution.
Education International received information from reliable sources that on 26 November Kamangar was taken from his cell 121 in ward 209 of Tehran’s Evin prison in preparation for execution by hanging. However, the latest information is that he is still alive and was able to meet with his lawyer Wednesday. His situation remains precarious nonetheless.
If you haven’t yet done so, please send a message to Iranian President Ahmadinejad demanding justice for Farzad Kamanger.
Education International has been informed that Farzad Kamangar, the Iranian Kurdish teacher and social worker sentenced to death on “absolutely zero evidence” according to his lawyer, could be hanged on Wednesday 26 November 2008.
According to several reliable sources, he has been taken from his cell 121 in ward 209 of Tehran’s Evin prison in preparation for execution. Jail security officers are said to have told him he is about to be executed and they make fun of him, calling him a martyr.
The Revolutionary Court issued the death sentence against Kamangar on 25 February 2008. His lawyer has said: “Nothing in Kamangar’s judicial files and records demonstrates any links to the charges brought against him.” Kamangar was cleared of all charges during the investigation process. The last time Kamangar was seen, he was at the health clinic of Evin prison and his physical condition was poor. Witnesses testify that he has been beaten again. Kamangar has not been allowed to see his lawyer or family members for the past two months.
EI has been appealing the Iranian authorities to commute Kamangar’s death sentence and ensure his case is reviewed fairly. During the campaign, over 1,700 on-line messages were sent to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in support of Kamangar.
Now, EI is once again appealing to Iranian judicial authorities to halt the execution. EI is also asking members of the international community urgently to intervene.
Please go here to send an online message to the Iranian president to appeal for a review of the case of Farzad Kamangar. Every signature helps! Please do so today.
If Education International’s web site is too busy, you can write directly to Iranian President Ahmadinejad at atdr-ahmadinejad@president.ir or info@leader.ir or info@dadgostary-tehran.ir (or all three!)
Dear President Ahmadinejad,
I am writing to you on behalf of Education International (EI) to deplore the confirmation of the death sentence of teacher trade unionist, Farzad Kamangar. I support the campaigns of the Iranian Teachers’ Association and of EI to have his case re-examined through a fair trial that meets Iranian and international standards. I also urge the authorities to immediately commute Farzad Kamangar’s death sentence.
According to Mr Kamangar’s lawyer, there is no evidence to justify that he has “endangered national security” or is “Mohareb” (at enmity with God). I also deplore that Iranian trade union colleagues and human rights activists who show solidarity with Farzad are being subjected to pervasive intimidation by the Iranian authorities.
The harassment, detention and condemnation of trade unionists because of their legitimate human and trade union activities are not only serious violations of trade union rights, but also create an atmosphere of fear prejudicial to trade union development in Iran.
In addition, I deplore that Mr Kamangar has been tortured while in detention and was denied medical treatment. I urge the Iranian authorities to investigate into the reports of torture and to ensure that, in future, no detainee is tortured or ill-treated.
I look forward to hearing about your positive intervention in this regard.
Yours sincerely.
Go on. Write. What are you waiting for?
Marchers in Saskatchewan in July 2008, in the "Walk for Missing Sisters" to raise awareness about missing aboriginal women, children and men. Photo: Native Women's Association of Canada
It is tragically ironic on this day, declared by the United Nations to be “for the elimination of violence against women,” to read that the UN has called on Canada to properly investigate the disappearances and murders of over 500 aboriginal women that have occured since 1980.
According to a Canadian Press article, in today’s Winnipeg Free Press
The United Nations is calling on the Harper government to investigate why hundreds of deaths and disappearances of aboriginal women remain unsolved.
It’s asking Ottawa to report back in a year on the status of more than 500 cases that “have neither been fully investigated nor attracted priority attention, with the perpetrators remaining unpunished.”
The UN committee on the elimination of discrimination against women wants Canada to “urgently carry out thorough investigations” to trace how and why the justice system failed.
A federally funded $5-million study by the Native Women’s Association of Canada concludes that 510 aboriginal girls and women have vanished or been murdered since 1980. It calls for an emergency strategy.
This report from the UN is more evidence that the failure to investigate these disappearances is part of a larger, systemic failure to address violence against women, generally. According to the article
The UN committee also wants Ottawa to set minimum standards for welfare to better protect the most vulnerable citizens across Canada. And it raises alarms about lack of shelters for battered women, and Conservative government cuts that wiped out the Court Challenges Program — funding that helped advance minority rights.
Worldwide, according to a UN factsheet,
The most common form of violence experienced by women globally is physical violence inflicted by an intimate partner. On average, at least one in three women is beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused by an intimate partner in the course of her lifetime.
This two-page factsheet is a grim litany of the most abominable crimes against woman that contains disturbingly little on what is being done to end them.
Violence against women is so pervasive that it is easy to feel overwhelmed by it all and seek solace in the knowledge that we are not directly involved in harming women. However, as Albert Einstein reportedly observed:
The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.
So, if you are not already involved, start doing something about it by learning about the aboriginal girls and women who have vanished or been murdered since 1980. You can begin at Missing Native Women.ca. You can help hold Harper accountable by signing a petition, here. And you can get a swack of info at Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action.
And then there’s that matter of the war, where we are helping the Americans save the women and girls of Afghanistan, by dropping bombs on them . . .
Are you a girl who doesn’t have enough to eat? Don’t be ashamed. You’re not alone. There are lots like you and there’s a whole bunch who want to help you. Wanna be a kid who cares? “Be part of the solution” by collecting cans for the local food bank.
That, in a nutshell, is the antipoverty message dispensed to girls, grades 6 to 8, in a book just published by the Manitoba Government entitled “4girls only!”
Maybe I should give you the exact citation:
Not everyone has healthy food available
Many Manitobans don’t have enough healthy, nutritious food available in their homes. They don’t have basics like, milk, bread, cheese, fruit and vegetables, never mind treats like ice cream or candy. Some families rely on food banks to make sure everyone has enough to eat. If you don’t have enough food in your home, there is nothing to be ashamed of — you are not alone. There are many organizations and groups helping hungry families in Manitoba.
Be a Kid Who Cares
Check out Winnipeg Harvest (www.winnipegharvest.ca) for information about the causes of hunger and some solutions. Be part of the solution – collect canned food at your school, birthday party or other event. Ask everyone to bring a tin for the bin. Then, donate the food to a food bank in your area! You can also help out by volunteering your time. There are lots of other ways to get involved by volunteering at soup kitchens, homeless shelters and recreation centres. Try it out!
It’s a graphically lively publication, crammed with what appears to be enlightened advice on health, nutrition, sexuality, relationships, careers and so forth, with links to a bazillion web sites for more info. Still, I doubt very much that it will be used by girls whose families shop at the local food bank – if they ever had computers, they were pawned to pay the rent.
It bears repeating:
Many Manitobans don’t have enough healthy, nutritious food available in their homes.
I wondered how that line got past the arbiters of political taste in the Premier’s office. A little farther on, I found the answer:
Some families rely on food banks to make sure everyone has enough to eat.
Problem solved. Food banks cure hunger pangs. If you wanna be a “kid who cares,” get out and stock those food bank shelves.
According to Statistics Canada data cited by the Government of Manitoba, the incidence of poverty has gone down somewhat — the total number of Manitobans living in poverty fell to 11.4 per cent in 2006 from 14.9 per cent in 1999. That still leaves us in second place, behind BC, in the Child Poverty Steeplechase, according to Campaign 2000.
No, they didn’t refer to that race to the bottom as a steeplechase, or even as a race to the bottom! But don’t let their lack of poetic licentiousness stop you from reading their report, entitled “It Takes a Nation to Raise a Generation: Time for a National Poverty Reduction Strategy.” Poverty is crappy everywhere, but I happen to live in Manitoba, and so I couldn’t help noticing that 14.1 per cent of our kids are officially poor.
Source: It Takes a Nation to Raise a Generation: Time for a National Poverty Reduction Strategy.
Writing in Hunger Count 2007, Winnipeg Harvest’s Karen Flett writes:
Unemployment in Manitoba is at a 30-year low. That means Manitobans are working. In fact, they are working harder than ever. We are all contributing to a growing economy, and even the poorest among us are working more. Yet, one in every three low-income children has a parent working full-time all year, and it is still not enough to pull them out of poverty. A sizzling economy and plentiful jobs aren’t enough to pull poverty rates down to those enjoyed in many countries with less robust economies.
In Winnipeg you see child poverty everywhere you go; it could be in a local playground, schools, streets or community recreation centres. It seems to be endless, and it is a sorrowful situation when children are standing in line with their families at local food banks.
This tragedy is not confined to Winnipeg. According to Flett, more rural communities are requesting food, isolated communities are especially vulnerable and with the high cost of gas, some food banks are unable to deliver food and the folks who need it can’t make it into town.
According to Flett, in 2007, Manitoba foodbanks 43,563 individuals. (3.7% of provincial population). Of these, 47 percent were children.
Getting back to “4girls only!” – I’m happy that Manitoba Status of Women is trying to help girls with the challenges of growing up. I only hope the rest of their advice is more truthful than the lies they are telling them about how to cure hunger in Manitoba.
Workers at the DESA leather factory who had been fired for engaging in unionization activities staged a demonstration Saturday on İstiklal Street in the Beyoğlu district of İstanbul, delaying traffic in the area. Photo: Todays Zaman, Nov. 17, 2008
Earlier this year, reports Labourstart, hundreds of workers at the Turkish leather manufacturer DESA — which produces for Prada, Louis Vuitton, Mulberry and Nicole Farhi — joined a union.
The reaction of the company was fierce: 44 union members were sacked, and 50 more compelled to quit the union. Nevertheless, the workers have stood firm, holding daily protests outside the factory. Local police have been called in to arrest them, and bribes offered to union leaders to call off the demonstrations. Families have been threatened. One union leader has been threatened by the company and her eleven year old daughter narrowly escaped a kidnap attempt.
Workers at DESA need a union urgently. They complain of poverty wages, long hours and terrible health and safety conditions. You can safely bet your last dollar that they cannot afford to dress like the affluent folk who buy their products or the model who adorns their employer’s web site, pictured below.
Labourstart has asked that we send a message to DESA’s customers — the luxury fashion brands — telling them that we support the DESA workers in their struggle.
Sitting in Canada, where we think we have enough of our own problems, one might wonder why this particular struggle is important or noteworthy. It may be a bit old-fashioned, but I think every time working people organize a union to advance their interests their struggle is important.
In Canada, we have forgotten how the struggles of labour paved the way for old age pensions, labour standards, unemployment insurance and universal health care. In very real ways, the advances and setbacks of labour in Canada have presaged social progress or devolution, as the case may be.
Every success labour achieves, wherever it occurs, makes it easier for working people in this country to defend and advance their interests. Every sweatshop that is transformed into a reasonable employer makes it that much harder for sweatshop operators everywhere.
The fight of the DESA workers is particularly noteworthy. Here they are, working for crappy wages to put luxury leather clothing on the backsides of the rich and the pampered of the earth. As soon as they try to improve their situation, the company and the state conspire (on behalf of the aforementioned rich and pampered) to stop the union drive through firings, intimidation and violence.
It’s an old story for students of labour history in this country. It is a common story, world wide. So, please, do your bit to make sweatshops unfashionable: click on this link and express some solidarity.
More Information
“Labour Behind the Label” has published a detailed account of the DESA workers fight. Their site provides a wealth of information on garment workers’ efforts worldwide to defend their rights.
Photo: John D. McHugh/AFP/Getty Images. Soldiers from the 1st Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry handcuff and search a suspected Taliban prisoner. Ottawa revealed that it stopped the transfer of Afghan detainees in November. Caption: National Post, Oct. 3, 2008
Like a mangy cat with diarrhea, the federal government is trying, so far unsucessfully, to cover up its role in the torture of prisoners taken by Canadian troops in Afghanistan. According to the Canadian Press:
The federal government wants the courts to block public hearings into the transfer of Afghan detainees.
At issue is whether Canadian soldiers were ordered to transfer prisoners to Afghan security, despite knowing the detainees would likely be tortured.
The government had promised full co-operation, but is now asking the Federal Court to outlaw the hearings.
Government lawyers say the independent Military Police Complaints Commission can only investigate individual cases of tortured prisoners.
They want a court order barring the agency from probing allegations that transferred prisoners were tortured and that Canadian officials knew it would happen.
Commission chairman Peter Tinsley ordered the public hearings last spring, saying it was the only way to ensure a full investigation of the allegations.
“It’s troubling and disappointing, but not at all surprising, that the government is again trying to obstruct the holding of a public hearing,” said Alex Neve, secretary-general of Amnesty International Canada told the Globe and Mail. “They are always looking for ways to avoid transparency and accountability.”
There have been several instances of Canadian soldiers refusing to turn over prisoners to Afghan security for fear they would be tortured.
But the federal government has refused to say how many prisoners it has turned over and whether it can account for all of them.
Paul S. Graham 