la Habana, cuba
{02-05-2012}

Cuban women on a protest march say police harassed and detained them
Juan O. Tamayo

Cuban dissidents say police beat, groped and detained seven women who tried to stage a march in the central city of Santa Clara to demand the release of an opposition couple jailed since early January.

In an audio recording provided by the dissidents, women were heard screaming and repeatedly shouting “Don’t stick your hands on my breasts, murderer” — allegedly as police searched for the cellphones recording the scene.

“He put his hands inside my blouse, then they lifted my blouse in the middle of the street looking for my phone,” said Idania Yánes Contreras, who led the march and recorded a narration of the Wednesday confrontation on her phone.

“We were all punched and had our hair pulled” as police carried the women to waiting patrol cars, Yánes added. Police also seized a frying pan the women had been banging on to attract attention.

Six of the women were freed Thursday and the seventh was sent home late Wednesday, Yánes told El Nuevo Herald by telephone from her home in Santa Clara.

Yánes said the seven members of the Rosa Parks Feminist Movement for Civil Rights, all dressed in black as a sign of mourning “for the victims of the dictatorship,” launched the protest carrying a sign that said, “For Freedom, Against Impunity.”

The march was intended to protest the continued detention of independent journalist Yazmín Conlledo Riverón and her husband, Rafael Álvarez Esmoris, who were arrested Jan. 8 on what Yánes described as fraudulent charges.

The women had gone only about half a block, shouting “Freedom” and “Down with Repression,” Yánes said, when uniformed police and State Security agents in civilian clothes swooped down on them and began searching for the phones.

One security official told another, “that person has a cellular there,” according to a transcript provided by the dissidents. The actual recording, posted on the blog of Jorge Luis García Pérez, known as Antúnez, is sometimes difficult to understand.

Antúnez, whose wife Yris Tamara Pérez Aguilera was one of the seven women detained, writes the blog Ni Me Callo Ni Me Voy — I will not shut up or leave.

The other women were identified as Yaité Diosnelly Cruz Sosa, Yanisbel Valido, Xiomara Martín Jiménez, María del Carmen Martínez López and Damaris Moya Portieles.

The Rosa Parks movement is named after the Afro-American civil rights activist woman who sparked the bus boycott in Montgomery, Al.

Antúnez said police have subjected dissident women to sexual harassment in the past, and that his wife was once threatened with rape if she continued her activism against the government.

Dissident Miguel Rafael Cabrera Montoya, meanwhile, has started a hunger strike in a police station in the eastern town of Palma Soriano to protest his detention, his wife told Radio Martí. Yelena Garcés Nápoles said Cabrera is under investigation for a robbery in Havana last year. But he’s not been in Havana in two years, she told Radio Martí.

In Washington, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution condemning the Cuban government for the death of Wilman Villar, 31, a political prisoner who died earlier this month after a long hunger strike to protest a four-year-sentence.

The resolution also asks all governments to push Cuba to halt human rights abuses and calls on the  United Nations to suspend Cuba’s membership in its Human Rights Council.

MORE  NEWS FROM CUBA

caracas, Venezuela
{02-05-2012}

NGO: Chávez wants to force the Armed Force to take sides
el universal

Venezuelan activist Rocío San Miguel, and opposition leader Luis Manuel Esculpi, agreed on saying that President Hugo Chávez Frías seeks to provoke and instill fear when he admonished that the National Armed Force supports Chávez.

San Miguel is the spokesperson of NGO Control Ciudadano (Citizen's Control), a private organization focused on national security and defense issues, and Esculpi chaired the Venezuelan Parliament's Committee on Defense.

"Venezuelans and the international community should be alert to Chávez's remarks because his words clearly show the illegal behavior of the President who is forcing the National Armed Force to take sides. It is an unprecedented behavior in the democratic era of the continent."

In the opinion of the expert in military affairs, "his speech is disgusting and represents by no means the prevailing sentiment in the armed forces. Articles 328 and 330 (of the Constitution), which refer to the military behavior, have been violated."

For his part, ex deputy Esculpi feels that the Venezuelan president seeks to provoke military officials in declaring that the army supports him. His words are "provocative remarks against the Armed Force and military officers." "He means to encourage radical positions," he concluded.

caracas, Venezuela
{02-05-2012}

Venezuelan army is Chavist, President Chávez proclaims
EL UNIVERSAL

"The Armed Force is Chavist. The Armed Force has Chávez in its heart and Chávez has the Armed Force in his heart and soul," ejaculated President Hugo Chávez in a nationwide mandatory broadcast on all free-to-air TV and radio networks. The president delivered a speech to celebrate the 13th anniversary of his rise to power.

Chávez showed up in a rally in Caracas neighborhood of Catia and referred to upcoming presidential elections. In his view, it is impossible to remove all traces of Chavezism, Bolivarianism and patriotism from the National Armed Force.

To his mind, the weapons needed to defend the Bolivarian Revolution are in the right hands: the officers of the National Armed Forces, state-run news agency AVN reported.

Chávez also ordered Minister of Interior and Justice Tareck El Aissami to launch an inquest into an irregular situation occurred several days ago involving a series of photographs taken in the 23 de Enero neighborhood (west Caracas). The pictures, posted on the web, show a group of children holding assault rifles.

The president suspected that the publication of those images could be related to a smear campaign from opposition sectors. He suggested that some pro-government groups, such as La Piedrita, have been infiltrated by the CIA.
 

WASHINGTON, D.C.
{02-05-2012}

US fears Iran's links to Al Qaeda as officials believe country may have provided aid to terror group IN LATIN AMERICA
The Wall Street Journal

U.S. officials say they believe Iran recently gave new freedoms to as many as five top Al Qaeda operatives who have been under house arrest, including the option to leave the country, and may have provided some material aid to the terrorist group.

The men, who were detained in Iran in 2003, make up Al Qaeda's so-called management council, a group that includes members of the inner circle that advised Usama bin Laden and an explosives expert widely considered a candidate for a top post in the organization.

The assertions are likely to amplify tensions between Washington and Tehran. A U.S. Senate committee on Thursday moved to intensify sanctions to force Iran into negotiations on its nuclear program, while Tehran has largely defied pressure. This week, Iran prevented UN nuclear inspectors from gaining access to sites and scientists, according to diplomats.

Skeptics caution that intelligence on Iran's activities is limited and worry that some policy makers might use provocative reports to justify military action against Tehran. Iran has denied any connection with Al Qaeda.

U.S. officials believe there have been recent indications that officials in the Iranian government have provided Al Qaeda operatives in Iran limited assistance, including logistical help, money and cars, according to a person briefed on the developments.

Adding to the U.S. pressure on Iran, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told senators in an annual intelligence assessment that U.S. agencies believe the Iranian regime is now more willing to conduct an attack in the U.S.

"We have to be vigilant for more of that," Clapper told lawmakers Thursday.

The reports come at a time of growing concern about Iran's decision-making. President Barack Obama, in his recent State of the Union address, said, "America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal."
 

SHERZLIYA,, ISRAEL
{02-02-2012}

ISRAEL VICE PM: IRANIAN NUCLEAR SITES VULNERABLE
KARIN LAUB // ASSOCIATED PRESS

IRAN'S SUSPECTED NUCLEAR WEAPONS INSTALLATIONS ARE VULNERABLE TO POSSIBLE MILITARY STRIKES, Israel's vice premier warned Thursday, suggesting that underground bunkers don't offer sufficient protection.

The comments by Moshe Yaalon contradicted an assessment shared by foreign experts and Israeli defense officials that it would be difficult to strike sensitive Iranian nuclear targets, as they are being built underground.

The international community has grown increasingly worried that Israel could be preparing to strike Iran's nuclear program. Yaalon, who also serves as strategic affairs minister, gave no indication that Israel is close to a decision on an attack.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently said even the most sophisticated U.S. bunker-buster bombs aren't powerful enough to penetrate all of Iran's defenses.

Yaalon, a former military chief of staff, suggested Thursday that forces guarding the nuclear installations could be targeted. Referring to the debate over bunker-buster bombs, he said that "at the end of the day it's possible to strike all the installations."

At an academic conference, Yaalon and Israel's chief of military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, presented details about Iran's weapons programs.
Yaalon said Iran is trying to develop missiles that could target the United States with a range of 6,250 miles (10,000 kilometers). The vice premier said this was discovered in the aftermath of a mysterious explosion several months ago at what he described as a missile research and development site in Iran. The cause of the blast remains unknown, and Yaalon did not elaborate.

Iran insists the blast was accidental, but speculation over sabotage remains strong. The remarks by Yaalon appeared to be the first public suggestion that the missile site was the scene of highly advanced projects and could boost suspicions that outside forces played a role in the explosion.

Israel has been a leading voice in the international calls to curb Iran's nuclear program. Iran denies it's trying to develop nuclear weapons, insisting it seeks nuclear power for nonmilitary uses.

Kochavi told the conference that Iran has already produced enough enriched uranium to eventually make four nuclear bombs. Such material would serve as the basis for further enrichment, up to weapons grade.

Israeli media quoted Kochavi as saying that once Iran moves into the so-called "breakout stage" and decides to produce weapons grade uranium, it would need about a year to make a rudimentary bomb and an additional year or two to craft a nuclear warhead.

"Iran keeps advancing its capabilities, keeps developing its very ambitious nuclear program, at the basis of which is to get nuclear power," Kochavi said.

An Iranian counterstrike at Israel is seen as likely if Tehran's nuclear installations are attacked.

Kochavi said Israel's enemies have about 200,000 rockets and missiles that could strike Israel. Most have a range of about 25 miles (40 kilometers), but several thousand have a range of several hundred miles (kilometers), he said.

Iranian proxies in the region, mainly Gaza's Islamic militant Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah, have fired thousands of rockets into Israel and have been building up their arsenals in recent years.
 

Tehran, iran
{02-05-2012}

Iran's leader: War would be detrimental to U.S.By the CNN Wire Staff
CNN

The supreme leader of Iran issued a blunt warning Friday that war would be detrimental to the United States -- and that Iran is ready to help anyone who confronts "cancerous" Israel.

"You see every now and then in this way they say that all options are on the table. That means even the option of war," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said during Friday prayers in Tehran. "This is how they make these threats against us.

"Well, these kinds of threats are detrimental to the U.S.," he said. "The war itself will be 10 times as detrimental to the U.S."

Khamenei's rhetoric is hardly new. But the timing of his comments could prove critical with nuclear talks around the corner.

Tensions between Iran and world powers have been ratcheted up in the aftermath of an alarming nuclear watchdog agency report in November that said Tehran was likely developing nuclear weapons.

The standoff grew more serious this week with renewed fears of an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran to take out its suspected nuclear weapons program.

Khamenei said Iran will support any nation or group that stands up against Israel.

"The Zionist regime is really the cancerous tumor of this region and it needs to be removed and will be removed," Khamenei said to a cheering crowd.
 

homs, syria
{02-05-2012}

Homs resident: 'A massacre happening'. More than 200 Syrians killed
associated press

How long can al-Assad remain in power? "The U.N. isn't doing anything about it. The Arab League isn't doing anything about it. ... While they're having their little discussion, people are sitting here and they're dying," said an activist identified as Danny.

He said the assault on Homs started after a few dozen members of the Syrian army defected and fled to a part of the city. "The civilians went down to welcome the (defectors) to thank them for their bravery," he said. "When the army found out, it started randomly bombarding with tank shells, mortar bombs. It's like they're killing animals."

Homs resident Abu Abdo Alhomsy described continuous bombing and snipers perched throughout the city. "There are so many people on the streets that are wounded and they need help, but we can't reach them to help them," he said. "They're ready to kills us all. They have no problem with doing that. Please, we call (on) the international community for help."

The Local Coordination Committees, a Syrian opposition group, reported 24 more deaths elsewhere in Syria Saturday, most of them killed while taking part in the funeral of a slain protester in Darya, outside Damascus.

U.N. Security Council members have gathered in New York and are thought likely to vote on the draft resolution later. But delays were reported as Russian concerns led to another closed-door huddle between the five permanent members of the Security Council before the full meeting began.

Russia, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council and a trade partner with Syria, has hinted it is not satisfied with the latest draft resolution and is seeking to introduce late amendments to the text. As head of another of the permanent members, the U.S. president's stern words may carry extra weight.

Obama said the Syrian government was guilty of murdering hundreds of Syrian people, including women and children.

"Every government has the responsibility to protect its citizens, and any government that brutalizes and massacres its people does not deserve to govern," he said. "Assad must halt his campaign of killing and crimes against his own people now. He must step aside and allow a democratic transition to proceed immediately."

Worse, Obama said, the violence in Homs came as the Syrian people were celebrating the birth of the Prophet Mohammed and marking 30 years since Al-Assad's father oversaw a massacre in the city of Hama.

Earlier, Tunisia said it would expel the Syrian ambassador from Tunis in response to the killings in Homs, while British Foreign Secretary William Hague and his French counterpart Alain Juppe condemned the violence.

 A Syrian girl gestures during a protest in the flashpoint city of Homs on Friday. "Far from stopping their policy of repression, Syrian authorities have taken a step further into savagery. The massacre of Homs is a crime against humanity; its perpetrators will be held accountable," Juppe said in a statement, as he urged the U.N. Security Council to act.

"The international community must recognize and support the right of the Syrian people to freedom, security, and choice of its political future," he said. "Those that would impede the adoption of such a resolution would take a heavy responsibility before history." Hague said he was horrified by the reports from Homs and condemned "unequivocally the use of tanks, mortars and artillery in civilian areas."

Criticizing what he described as Al-Assad's "cold-blooded cynicism in the face of mounting international pressure," he urged the U.N. Security Council to pass the resolution. "The time is long past for the international community, particularly those that have so far sheltered the Assad regime, to intensify the pressure to end over 10 months of violence," he said in a statement.

Tunisia will expel the Syrian ambassador from Tunis and withdraw diplomatic recognition of the government in Damascus in response to the events in Homs, the official spokesman for President Moncef Marzouki said Saturday in a statement carried by the Tunisian state-run news agency.

For its part, Syrian state-run TV denied reports that the army shelled neighborhoods in Homs. "This is a media campaign that uses fabrication, falsehood and escalation ... in order to affect a decision at the Security Council and cover crimes and attacks committed by armed terrorist groups," it said. Despite the latest violence, efforts to pass a U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria could drag on.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Russian TV that a "scandal" could arise on the U.N. Security Council if the draft resolution goes for a vote on Saturday, Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

Washington, d.c.
{02-05-2012}

US Lawmakers: Iran's Latin America Ties Pose Threat to US
associated press

The chairwoman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, said some people might question whether the Iranian-Latin American connection is a threat, but she said there is cause for concern.

"Iran’s [President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad recently returned from his ‘Tour of Tyrants’ trip to visit Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador.  Media reports have indicated an increased presence of Iran’s Quds Force in these countries and offices of Iran’s intelligence services surfacing throughout the region," said Ros-Lehtinen. "The fact that the military arm of a state-sponsor of terrorism has its operatives within multiple countries in our hemisphere is certainly cause for alarm and merits congressional focus."

Obama administration officials say the United States is keeping a close watch on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's ties to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. During Ahmadinejad's recent visit to Venezuela, he and Chavez praised each other and joked about concerns in the West about Iran's relations with Latin America.

The United States and Europe have been tightening sanctions on Iran in recent months because they say Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Democratic Representative Gary Ackerman of New York said that given Iran's actions, Tehran can expect increased international isolation.

"Ahmadinejad can rack up all the frequent flyer miles he wants, and he can figure out how to convince the people that tyranny would be better and that the waste of war is superior to the fruits of peace. He will continue to find welcome only in the most marginal and radical of states," said Ackerman.

Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based public policy group Inter-American Dialogue, agreed. He said that unlike in 2009, it is important to note that Ahmadinejad did not visit Brazil during his recent Latin American tour.

"Iran is trying to expand its support in the region, and Ahmadinejad did visit four countries on his recent visit to reinforce the few ties he still has in the world. But his efforts have not been successful. And the four countries he visited, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador are less and less relevant to regional politics," said Shifter.

Also on Thursday, the Senate Banking Committee approved tough new sanctions on Iran, which now will have to go to the full Senate floor.