Headlines for Friday, October 22, 2010

Officials fear cholera outbreak will spread to Haitian capital
In Haiti, more than 140 people have died in the past two days from an outbreak of cholera. Officials fear the waterborne and highly fatal disease could spread to Haiti’s capital city.  Ansel Herz reports from Port-au-Prince.

Rumors of acute diarrhea and fatalities began to filtering out of the town of St. Marc earlier this week. On Wednesday the death toll was near 20.  By last night 138 people had died. The true number of casualties is feared to be higher. The one hospital in St. Marc is extremely overcrowded, with patients traveling from far away to find medical help, lying on the floors and vomiting into buckets. A spokesperson for Doctors Without Borders tells FSRN their teams have moved from the hospital to construct their own treatment center in St. Marc. If the cholera reaches Port-au-Prince, the number of victims could skyrocket. 1.3 million people still live in makeshift, dirty camps nine months after the January earthquake. Dr. James Wilson of the Haiti Epidemic Advisory System says a woman in Latifo, a small town just 25 kilometers from the capital, is a suspected victim of the disease. He is urging health personnel to focus on such outlying towns if “they want to save Port-au-Prince.”  Ansel Herz, FSRN, Port-au-Prince.

French Senate raises retirement age
The French Senate has voted to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62, in a move that’s likely to spur further mass protest. For the past week, tens-of-thousands of students and workers angry about the proposed change have engaged in violent clashes with riot police, shutting down roads and public transit, and blocking fuel depots.

Cuba to release 5 more political prisoners
Catholic officials in Cuba say the government has agreed to release 5 more political prisoners. Earlier this year, the government said it would free 52 dissidents jailed since 2003. The Church has been negotiating with the government on behalf of the prisoners. A condition of their release is that they leave Cuba for Spain.

Uruguay seeks to overturn law protecting perpetrators of military crimes during 1973-85 dictatorship
For 25 years, the perpetrators of military crimes committed during the Uruguayan dictatorship have enjoyed amnesty under a law passed soon after the junta fell. But now, the country’s congress is moving to overthrow the law, which has prevented victims of the dictatorship from receiving justice.  FSRN’s Marcos Federman has more.

The Uruguayan Lower Chamber voted in favor of annulling the Amnesty Law, which sidestepped trials for crimes committed by the military dictatorship between 1973 and 1985. President José Mujica is a former member of the resistance and was incarcerated for several years by the military. His governing coalition is leading the effort to throw out the Amnesty Law. The law was approved in 1986 by the first democratic government after the Military Junta. Two public referendums, one in 1989 and another last year, failed to garner enough votes to overturn it. The law now moves to the Senate. The ruling party has a slight majority, but passage is still uncertain.  Members of the government are still trying to garner enough votes.  Marcos Federman, FSRN.

Military makes Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell expulsions more difficult
After a Circuit Court ruling yesterday, the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy may be back in effect, but the way the rule is enforced is different. According to a Pentagon memo issued yesterday, gays and lesbians can now only be discharged from the armed services via a direct order from the Secretary of the Army, Navy or Air Force made in conjunction with two Pentagon officials. This will make it more difficult for the military to kick out personnel revealed to be gay or lesbian.

Oscar Grant supporters plan Port of Oakland shutdown
And finally, activists and community members plan to shut down the Port of Oakland tomorrow in a protest calling for the maximum sentence for former BART officer Johannes Mehserle. Mehserle shot and killed an unarmed and prone Oscar Grant in the back during a scuffle at a public transit station in 2009. The incident was caught on tape. A court convicted Mehserle of involuntary manslaughter, much to the consternation of many in Oakland and around the country. John Burris is the attorney for Oscar Grant’s family.

“In terms of the judge himself, he needs to always understand that this case was more than just a simple police shooting case. This case has touched a nerve in our communities. It illustrates and has demonstrated to some extent what has happened in the past. And this case has become symbolic of it. And so the wide range of support from different members of the community is extraordinarily important.”

Mehserle’s sentencing is scheduled for November 5th. The planned protest roughly coincides with the National Day of Action Against Police Brutality, which is being observed today by social justice organizations. Events are scheduled in dozens of cities across the country.