> > WW News Service Digest #127 > > 1) Protests planned at Dem/Rep gabfests > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 2) Democratic Convention: Fighting for the right to protest > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 3) World meeting on women: More minuses than pluses since Beijing > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 4) Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party sweeps election > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the July 13, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >300,000 IN CUBA HEAR MUMIA'S SON: >IN U.S. PROTESTS PLANNED AT DEM/REP GABFESTS > >By Greg Butterfield > >The "summer of resistance" to save Black freedom fighter >Mumia Abu-Jamal is gathering strength on both sides of the >Florida Straits. > >Gary Graham/Shaka Sankofa's June 22 execution made the >death penalty a red-hot issue--one Republican presidential >candidate George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore are trying >like hell to avoid talking about. > >But activists in the United States don't plan on letting >them sweep the plight of 3,600 death-row inmates under the >rug. They plan big demonstrations at the Republican and >Democratic conventions to step up the pressure. > >The summer protests will demand a new trial for Abu-Jamal, >the revolutionary journalist on Pennsylvania's death row, >and an end to the racist death penalty. > >Meanwhile, Cuba's socialist government is pressing ahead >with its plan to bring Abu-Jamal's case to that country and >the world. > >On July 1 Mazi Jamal, Abu-Jamal's son, was the invited >guest speaker at a rally of more than 300,000 people >protesting the U.S. blockade and the Cuban Adjustment Act >in Manzanillo, Cuba. > >The protesters, many of them youths and students, >celebrated Eli n Gonz lez's homecoming. > >Jamal scoffed at the U.S. government's claim to be the >"land of freedom," noting the tremendous disparities in >death sentences and prison terms based on race. > >After thanking the Cuban people for their support, Jamal >added, "With that support I know my father will one day be >free, as your child Eli n is free." > >Earlier, on June 19, Cuba broadcast the first in a series >of national roundtable discussions on the U.S. death >penalty. > >Leading U.S. activists participated in the discussion, >including Pam Africa of International Concerned Family & >Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal, Monica Moorehead of Millions >for Mumia, and Abu-Jamal's attorney Leonard Weinglass. > >The transcript was rapidly published and distributed >across the island. It also went to Cuban diplomatic offices >worldwide. > >CONVENTION PROTEST CONTROVERSY > >In Philadelphia, site of the Republican National >Convention, and Los Angeles, site of the Democratic >National Convention, police and government officials are >trying to suppress the right to protest. > >The big-business politicians are scared. They worry that >the militant style of protests seen at the World Trade >Organization meeting in Seattle and the IMF/World Bank >meetings in Washington will spill over onto their carefully >choreographed shindigs. > >They are especially determined to squelch death-penalty >protests. It's the issue where Gore and Bush--both backers >of legal lynching--have the most to lose as they try to >court workers and people of color for Election Day. > >Philadelphia police have granted a few protest permits. >Millions for Mumia and other groups plan a major Free >Mumia/anti-death-penalty contingent in one of these, the >July 30 "Unity 2000" march. > >A coalition of groups, including the New York Free Mumia >Coalition, has called for a day of mass civil disobedience >at the convention's Aug. 1 opening. > >Los Angeles cops haven't given any permits. They want to >push protesters into a deserted, fenced-in lot far from the >Democratic Convention. > >The Los Angeles Coalition to Free Mumia and the >International Action Center have called for a national >demonstration for Abu-Jamal on Aug. 13. > >The groups are working with the American Civil Liberties >Union and others to secure a permit. But, Preston Wood of >the IAC told Workers World, the march will go forward with >or without a permit. > >As Abu-Jamal's supporters prepare for the showdown, they >can take heart from the words of Cuban President Fidel >Castro. In a written message to the rally where Mazi Jamal >spoke, Castro said, "Whoever may be the new president of >the United States should know that Cuba is and will be >there with its ideas, its example, and the unbendable >rebellion of its people." > >For more information on protests at the conventions, >readers can visit the Web site www.mumia2000.org or call >Millions for Mumia/IAC in New York at (212) 633-6646 or San >Francisco at (415) 821-5782. > > - END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message >to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > >Message-ID: <025001bfe7b5$8aaddc50$[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Democratic Convention: Fighting for the right to protest >Date: Thu, 6 Jul 2000 21:45:02 -0400 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="iso-8859-1" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the July 13, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION: FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT TO PROTEST > >By Workers World Los Angeles bureau > >With the countdown to the Democratic National Convention >continuing, the political struggle in Los Angeles is >heating up. At stake is the right of protesters to >demonstrate at the convention site. > >The Los Angeles Police Department and city officials have >refused to grant permits for demonstrations. They have gone >so far as to suggest banning protests anywhere in Los >Angeles while the Democrats are in town--tantamount to >declaring martial law or a police state. > >Momentum continues to build for an Aug. 13 national >protest to demand a new trial and no execution of Mumia >Abu-Jamal, as well as for other protests set for the week >of Aug. 13-17. > >LAPD Chief Bernard Parks, the mayor and the city >government are resorting to a campaign of violence baiting >in the media aimed at undermining organizing efforts. > >For months, police have refused to even discuss >applications filed by the International Action Center for >permits to gather at Pershing Square and march to the >Staples Center, site of the convention. The IAC applied for >the permits on behalf of the Los Angeles Coalition to Stop >the Execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the D2K Network and >Service Employees Local 660. > >The corporate media have tried to justify banning >demonstrations at the convention site by comparing >protesters to the rowdy crowds at the Staples Center who >attacked and burned police vehicles after a recent Los >Angeles Lakers victory. > >On June 30 the American Civil Liberties Union held a news >conference to outline a suit filed in federal court >demanding that the right of free speech be upheld in Los >Angeles during the convention. Representing the Mumia >Coalition, Service Employees Local 660 and the D2K Network, >the suit asks for a preliminary injunction against the LAPD >and the city of Los Angeles to guarantee that the rights of >the demonstrators to free speech and assembly are upheld. > >"The LAPD has announced plans to declare a huge swath of >downtown Los Angeles off-limits to free speech activity," >said ACLU attorney Daniel Tokaji. "But the Constitution may >not be put on ice simply because the Democratic Convention >is in town." > >Preston Wood, speaking for the Mumia Coalition, stated >that the LAPD is the main source of violence in Los >Angeles, not the protesters. > >Wood, along with other speakers, reaffirmed the >determination of all who are planning to protest during the >convention to bring their message directly to the delegates >outside the Staples Center. > >"We are obviously very concerned that we are not allowed >to get close enough to the Staples Center for the delegates >to hear our case," said Margaret Prescod, an organizer with >the D2K group, which is making plans for demonstrations. >"We have no intention of being stuck in the protest pit. >The protest pit is like a prison for us." > >The "protest pit" is a police-designated area across a >vast parking lot, barely in view of the Staples Center. > >The federal court is expected to rule on the suit in mid- >July. Meanwhile, the mobilizing is going on full-speed >ahead. > > - END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message >to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > >Message-ID: <025101bfe7b5$8abd1e90$[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] World meeting on women: More minuses than pluses since Beijing >Date: Thu, 6 Jul 2000 21:45:48 -0400 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="iso-8859-1" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the July 13, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >WORLD MEETING ON WOMEN: >MORE MINUSES THAN PLUSES SINCE BEIJING > >By Joyce Chediac >United Nations > >It was the best-kept secret of the month. > >Some 5,000 women from 1,200 organizations, along with >representatives from 188 governments, gathered in New York >June 5-9 to attend a landmark United Nations Special >Session of the General Assembly on the status of women. >This conference became a battlefield for women's rights. > >When the governmental discussion bogged down, grassroots >observer women's organizations staged protests, issued >statements and held a news conference to pressure their >governments to get on with the task of moving women >forward. Yet hardly a word of this appeared in the >corporate press around the world. > >While women battled with their governments, the New York >Times, the U.S. paper of record, was virtually silent. This >reporter, who attended two days of the events held at the >UN and around the city, found very few people here who even >knew the special session was taking place. > >The Times was not alone in determining that this meeting >concerning half the world's population was not >"newsworthy." WomenAction 2000, a global network of women's >information and media organizations, found that "mainstream >media coverage [was] minimal." > >The historic UN Special Session, called Beijing Plus Five, >was a follow-up to the 4th UN World Conference on Women >held in Beijing in 1995. This 1995 conference produced a >Platform for Action for establishing worldwide gender >equality. Governments met here this June to determine the >current status of women, evaluate how well that Platform >for Action had been implemented, and establish further >plans for raising the status of women. > >MORE LIKE `BEIJING MINUS FIVE' > >A few days into the meeting, many of the grassroots >women's organizations that had come as observers--called >Non-Governmental Organizations, or NGOs, by the UN--began >to dub the meeting "Beijing Minus Five." Women's groups >were distressed to find that the Beijing Platform for >Action, the blueprint for moving forward, was under attack. > >They found themselves engaged in what many regarded as a >rearguard action--defending the wording of the original >document. What should have been an assessment of how >countries have progressed on gender advancement became a >rehashing of old conflicts over sexual and reproductive >rights. Leading the right-wing charge was the Vatican, >which opposed the terms "reproductive rights" and "sexual >health." There was also opposition to language on sexual >orientation. > >Latin American representatives said the Vatican was >offering their governments promises of debt relief if they >opposed "reproductive rights." > >While the U.S. government played a low-key role in public, >the June 8 edition of Earth Times reported that 24 >conservative members of the U.S. Congress wrote to >Permanent Representative of the United States at the UN >Mission Richard Holbrooke, expressing their "great alarm" >over Beijing Plus Five negotiations. > >Many NGOs made it known that they were not being heard by >their governments. Locked out of the commercial press, many >utilized a WomenAction 2000 media network to make their >positions known and communicate with their constituencies. >The network established two daily newspapers, television >and radio broadcasts, a Web site, and e-mail availability. > >Across from the United Nations, a woman stood with her >mouth taped shut by a sticker that read: "Beijing Minus >Five." > >Others appealed to women at large from whatever platforms >they could. For example, at a daylong "Focus on Women's >Health," Sonia Correra of the Brazilian Women's Health >Movement stopped her plenum talk to call the UN >negotiations "hell." Correra said "women [are] on the verge >of nervous breakdown" as a "never-ending debate over >abortion is blocking legislation." Correra then made an >appeal for the UN "to accept at least equal treatment under >the law" for lesbians. > >At a June 8 press conference organized by the >International Women's Health Coalition, Gait Sen, from >Development Alternatives with Women for a New Earth, said >an "overwhelming majority" of the delegations and the NGOs >were "fed up" with the stalling tactics adopted by some >countries. > >During the final session, women stood outside the UN >negotiating chambers wearing T-shirts that read, "No going >back." > >In the wee hours of the last day, governments reached >consensus on an outcome with "no givebacks," according to >women advocates. There were slight gains, as "honor >killings" and "forced marriages" and "marital rape" were >recognized by member states as issues to be dealt with. >These measures are not binding, but are recommendations to >member states. > >While recognizing these gains, the Linkage Caucus of NGOs >said that "there was not enough political will on the part >of some governments and the UN system to agree on a >stronger document with more concrete benchmarks, numerical >goals, time-bound targets, indicators and resources aimed >at implementing the Beijing Platform." > >There was no wording on sexual orientation. > >According to Amnesty International, the question of >women's rights as human rights was watered down. And many >from the developing world felt that not enough attention >was given to issues such as globalization, poverty and >debt. > >Many NGOs raised these issues, which Vilma Espin Guillois, >head of the Cuban delegation and president of the >Federation of Cuban Women, spoke about. "Privatization, >adjustment policies, financial crisis and the IMF formulas >have increased the feminization of poverty and >unemployment, the deprivation of work, and the use of women >as a cheap labor force," she said. > >HYPOCRITICAL U.S. ROLE > >So crucial are these issues that Hillary Rodham Clinton, >speaking on the first day, felt compelled to mention them. >"When it comes to women, globalization should not mean >marginalization," she said. Rodham Clinton did not mention >that U.S. banks are leading the International Monetary Fund >charge to impose austerity and cutbacks on women and men, >from Indonesia to Eastern Europe. > >Secretary of State Madeleine Albright cited the U.S. >Agency for International Development as "helping women," >even though it is widely felt that such U.S. agencies, with >their selective development and strings attached, are the >problem. > >Albright did not mention how U.S. aggression in the former >Yugoslavia and Iraq has increased women's suffering there. >She did not say that for the past 20 years the U.S. has >refused to ratify the UN Convention on the Elimination of >all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, signed by 165 >countries. > >Washington's real position on these issues was better >revealed by its backroom behavior. The U.S. delegate >expressed "reservations" on aspects of the final UN >document characterizing globalization and debt as >"significant obstacles to achieving gender parity." The >U.S. government was also not happy with the section calling >"foreign occupation" a human-rights violation. > >On the domestic front, Secretary of Health, Education and >Welfare Donna Shalala spoke in glowing terms of "offices of >women's health in every government agency." She had little >to say about actual accomplishments. > >She did not mention that, according to the New York-based >Human Rights Watch, the U.S. "shows alarming rates of >violence against women," fueled by "the indifference of >state officials and the failure to investigate and >prosecute cases of violence." > >Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control reports that >at least 1.8 million U.S. women are assaulted every year by >their husbands and boyfriends. A 1999 government report >admitted to a serious problem of sexual abuse of women in >state and federal prisons. > >Byllye Avery, founder of the National Black Women's Health >project, spoke at the same plenum. She gave a more accurate >description of women's health in the U.S. > >Avery described a growing economic and health disparity >where "infant mortality for Black children is now twice >that of white children, and Black women are four times more >likely to die in childbirth than white women at every >economic level." She called on the audience to "get into >the streets and activate the people where you are to stop >the erosion of health care, starting with abortions for the >poor." > >AFRICAN NGOS FRUSTRATED,DISAPPOINTED > >Flame, a newspaper speaking for the African NGO caucus, >reported that no ground had been won in the draft outcome >document on the critical gender concerns vital to African >women, such as globalization, debt cancellation, poverty >and resources, and planning for better HIV/AIDS strategy. >The HIV/AIDS epidemic, said Flame, has eroded the fragile >gains made by African women. > >"[We're] made to feel like intruders on the [UN] process," >said Zambian NGO delegate Gladys Mutukwa. > >South African representative Pregs Govender expressed >frustration that all the energy and focus at UN conferences >was directed on "the document," "brackets" and "language." >She emphasized, "The women's movement internationally must >reclaim itself." > >The Linkage Caucus of NGOs expressed the view of many in >its final statement: "It is women's movements that have >placed women's empowerment and rights on the world's agenda >over the past 25 years. . And it is women who will continue >to take the leadership in working for these goals. We will >not be turned back." > > > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message >to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > >Message-ID: <025201bfe7b5$8acde770$[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party sweeps election >Date: Thu, 6 Jul 2000 21:48:01 -0400 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="iso-8859-1" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the July 13, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >MONGOLIAN PEOPLE'S REVOLUTIONARY PARTY SWEEPS ELECTION > >By John Catalinotto > >The Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party swept back into >office in that landlocked Asian country's national election >July 2, winning 72 of 76 seats contested in parliament. It >had only held 26 seats in the outgoing parliament. > >The MPRP is the party that led Mongolia during the period >from 1921 to 1990, when it was closely allied economically >and politically with the Soviet Union. It held onto office >there until 1996. Though Mongolia's economy was based on >raising livestock--with more livestock than people--the >country had been run on socialist principles for seven >decades. > >The counter-revolution that overturned socialist >governments in Eastern Europe and the USSR also opened up >Mongolia to capitalist penetration. The MPRP went along >with the early pro-capitalist changes, but tried to install >them slowly. It lost the 1996 elections. > >A new "reform" government--meaning an outright pro- >imperialist puppet regime--let the International Monetary >Fund dictate Mongolia's development and cut all social >programs. > >The combination of "savage capitalism" and two years of >severe winters and drought killed 2 million head of >livestock and threw large sections of Mongolia's 2.4 >million people into abject poverty. Under the old pro- >socialist government, the herders could get aid. Under >capitalism, they faced starvation. An overwhelming majority >voted to reject the pro-capitalist reforms. > >Immediately after its sweep, the MPRP promised free >education for orphans and children of poor herder families. > >The MPRP's leader, Nambariin Enkhbayar, said, >`'Mongolians are realizing these magic words like >`privatization' don't bring a better quality of life >automatically.'' He indicated he would seek to renegotiate >the terms of IMF aid to Mongolia > >Enkhbayar gave notice the MPRP would roll back the >industrial privatization program that was a centerpiece of >the outgoing government. > > - END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message >to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
