In Ukraine, government snipers are reported to have killed anti-government protesters on Thursday last week. The pictures of an alleged sniper being detained and beaten by protesters remind us that we all have a personal responsibility for our actions, but also that suspects have the right of a fair trial, no matter which side they are on.

Yesterday, the United Nations released a report documenting crimes against humanity in North Korea. According to the report, ‘the main perpetrators are officials of the State Security Department, the Ministry of People’s Security, the Korean People’s Army, the Office of the Public Prosecutor, the judiciary and the Workers’ Party of Korea, who are acting under the effective control of the central organs of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the National Defence Commission and the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.’

Read about Kareem Khan and see the film ‘Wounds of Waziristan’ on Democracy Now!

Please see thedaywefightback.org

The report ‘No One Is Safe‘, published by Human Rights Watch today, documents the terrible state of the justice system in Iraq. Illegal arrests, rape, torture and forced confessions are some of the alleged crimes of the security forces.

In Germany, the Chaos Computer Club (CCC), the International League for Human Rights (Internationalen Liga für Menschenrechte e. V.) and others have today filed a lawsuit to the Federal Attorney General regarding mass surveillance. It is aimed, among others, against the Federal Government, the President of the Federal Intelligence Service, Military Counterintelligence and the Federal Office for Protection of the Constitution. Read the press release in German.

This year, it is ten years since the investigative reporter Gary Webb died. After he reported about links between CIA and cocaine smuggling, he was discredited by media (including the newspaper where he worked) and his reputation was ruined.

In many ways, this resembles attempts to undermine criticism against banana companies, which has been documented in the film Big Boys Gone Bananas! In the case of filmmaker Fredrik Gertten, it was obvious that the Dole Food Company launched the smear campaign. The film also highlights how media can be corrupted or intimidated.

Who launched the campaign against Gary Webb?