Thursday, April 10, 2008

• Mukasey Answers Senators
• San Francisco Re-Routes Olympic Torch Relay Route
• Chile's Constitutional Court to Ban Emergency Contraception in Public Health System
• Questionable Deaths and Allegations of Torture in Pennsylvania's Prisons
• US Government Re-Targets The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador

Headlines Package April 10, 2008
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Mukasey Answers Senators

US Attorney General Michael Mukasey came before a Senate panel to answer questions on President Bush's budget request for the Department of Justice. But what lawmakers really want to hear are answers to questions on torture memos, terror watch lists and why the department is cutting local law enforcement programs. FSRN's Karen Miller has more.

San Francisco Re-Routes Olympic Torch Relay Route

International Olympic Committee President Jack Rogge admitted yesterday that the Beijing Olympic Games are in crisis. Rogge called on the Chinese Government to respect what he called "a moral engagement" to improve human rights that they had agreed to in bidding to host the games. Rogge's comments represent a clear victory for protesters who have staged demonstrations against the Chinese government's record on human rights in Athens, London and Paris. In San Francisco yesterday, the torch relay's only North American stop, demonstrators forced a changed in the route of the torch relay, condemning China's recent crackdown on protesters in Tibet and its support for Sudan's government despite the Darfur crisis. Joshua Emerson Smith reports.

Chile's Constitutional Court to Ban Emergency Contraception in Public Health System

Chile's Constitutional Court is set to hand down a much-awaited decision later this month on the free distribution of emergency contraceptives, birth control pills, and IUDs within the public health care system. The case has provoked outrage and a heated debate – and pro-choice demonstrators have marched to the court's offices. In a bid to prevent public upheaval while Chileans wait for details and the full written decision, Santiago's Constitutional Court issued a press release announcing that, in a 5-to-4 vote, it is banning the distribution of the emergency contraceptive pill in the public health care system. In the same release, the Court added that it would allow the heath system to continue to distribute birth control pills and IUDs. FSRN's Santiago correspondent Jorge Garretón reports from Santiago, Chile.

Questionable Deaths and Allegations of Torture in Pennsylvania's Prisons

After the Abu Ghraib torture scandal broke in 2004, US Army Specialist Charles Graner's indictment drew a connecting line between the abuse of detainees in Iraq and widespread abuse of prisoners right here in the US. Prior to heading to Abu Ghraib – where and he and other soldiers would go on to psychologically, physically and sexually degrade prisoners – Graner worked as a Pennsylvania Correctional Officer at SCI Greene, which has seen its own share of prisoner abuse scandals. FSRN's Andalusia Knoll reports from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on demands for an independent investigation into deaths and allegations of torture within Pennsylvania's correctional facilities.

US Government Re-Targets The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador

The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) was charged with being a terrorist organization in the 1980s. The accusations were found to be baseless, but CISPES has one again been contacted by the US government. Citing a 1938 act, the Department of Justice is requesting information from CISPES about their relationship with the leftist party in El Salvador, and their organizing work in the country. Elena Botkin-Levy has more.