TiLTNews Network: Earth Watch

Thursday, May 15, 2014

South Carolina Passes Bill To Nullify Federal Hemp Ban

By: Michael Lotfi May 15, 2014

South Carolina State House

COLUMBIA, May 14, 2014– Yesterday, the South Carolina House gave final approval to a bill which authorizes the growing and production of industrial hemp within the state, effectively nullifying the unconstitutional federal ban.

Introduced by Sen. Kevin Bryant along with cosponsors Sen. Lee Bright and Sen. Tom Davis, S.0839 passed by a 72-28 vote in the House. It has previous passed by a vote of 42-0 in the senate and will now go to Gov. Nikki Haley’s desk for a signature.

The bill reads, in part:

“It is lawful for an individual to cultivate, produce, or otherwise grow industrial hemp in this State to be used for any lawful purpose, including, but not limited to, the manufacture of industrial hemp products, and scientific, agricultural, or other research related to other lawful applications for industrial hemp.”

Islamic judge orders pregnant girl to be hanged for being Christian

By: Michael Lotfi May 15, 2014

Tweet
KHARTOUM, Sudan, May 15, 2014– A Sudanese judge has sentenced a twenty-seven-year old, pregnant Christian woman to be hung for apostasy, which is the renunciation of one’s religion. Before Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag (her Christian name) is to be executed, the judge ordered she be given 100 lashes. Despite Western protest, the execution is scheduled to move forward.
“We gave you three days to recant but you insist on not returning to Islam,” Judge Abbas Mohammed Al-Khalifa told the woman on Thursday while addressing her by her father’s Muslim name, Adraf Al-Hadi Mohammed Abdullah.
“I sentence you to be hanged to death.”
Protesters demonstrated against the verdict. These protesters were met by another group that supported the verdict.
“It’s not only Sudan. In Saudi Arabia, in all the Muslim countries, it is not allowed at all for a Muslim to change his religion,” said Ahmed Bilal Osman, Sudan’s information minister, while speaking to AFP news on Wednesday.
Read more: http://benswann.com/islamic-judge-orders-pregnant-girl-to-be-hanged-for-being-christian/#ixzz31qGNQbmr
Follow us: @BenSwann_ on Twitter

Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Authorizing Hemp Cultivation

By: Michael Lotfi May 15, 2014

NASHVILLE, May 15, 2014– Yesterday, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam (R) signed a bill which some supporters consider the strongest pro-hemp legislation in the country. House Bill 2445 (HB2445), introduced by Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) and Senator Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains) mandates that the state authorize the growing and production of industrial hemp within Tennessee.

The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 28-0 and the House by a vote of 88-5. It reads, in part:

“The department shall issue licenses to persons who apply to the department for a license to grow industrial hemp.”

Mike Maharrey, national communications director for the Tenth Amendment Center, noted that one word strengthened the bill considerably. “By including the word ‘shall’ in this legislation, it has a great deal of impact,” he said. “This means that rather than keeping it open-ended like other states have done, hemp farming will be able to move forward in Tennessee whether the regulatory bureaucrats there want it to or not.”

‘Shall’ is a legal term which creates a specific requirement far stronger than a word like ‘will.’ The former is more closely interchangeable with the word “must,” while the latter allows leeway for the object of the term to delay. In this case, the bill states that the Tennessee department of agriculture will have a mandate to license farmers for growing hemp.

Three other states – Colorado, Oregon and Vermont – have already passed bills to authorize hemp farming, but only in Colorado has the process started. A similar bill was passed in South Carolina this week and awaits action by Gov. Nikki Haley.

Farmers in Colorado started harvesting the plant in 2013, and the state began issuing licenses on March 1, 2014. In Vermont and Oregon, hemp farming was authorized, but no licensing program was mandated, so implementation has been delayed due to regulatory foot-dragging.

With passage of HB2445, Tennessee will most likely become the 2nd state in the country to actively produce hemp. The legislation also ensures that not only will hemp licenses be issued, but the process for doing so will start quickly. It reads:

“The department shall initiate the promulgation of rules … concerning industrial hemp production within one hundred and twenty (120) days of this act becoming law.”

In other words, now that the bill has become law, the process in Tennessee will start no later than November, 2014.

The bill was lobbied for by the Tennessee Hemp Industries Association and the Tennessee Tenth Amendment Center.

Fracking hurts Californians, Governor Brown. Come see for yourself. - 350

Fracking Hurts Californians, Governor Brown. Come See For Yourself.

Fracking has real impacts on real people, Governor Brown. As Californians, we're calling on you to visit Kern County and see for yourself. Visit the people and communities who live with oil fracking every day -- and then tell us this practice has zero impact.

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Governor Jerry Brown thinks fracking has "zero impact," but we know a few towns in the Central Valley that beg to differ.

Kern County is California's most-fracked county. It also has the worst air quality in the nation, as well as highly elevated rates of cancer and respiratory illness.1 Kern County residents are fighting back and have invited Governor Brown to come see the impacts of fracking for himself. We're urging him to take them up on the invitation.

This is what fracking looks like up close and personal.

The oil industry has been in Kern County for decades, but fracking has opened up new opportunities for expansion. For residents of towns like Shafter and Wasco, fracking means more extraction and more impacts on their health. More wells are popping up every day -- often just spitting distance from schoolyards, homes, churches, and farms -- and bringing with them an explosion of oil field traffic, methane flares, pipelines, and wastewater pits filled with secret chemical cocktails.

Climate change makes all this much worse, of course: the Central Valley is buckling under the ongoing drought, agricultural jobs are drying up, dust-borne Valley Fever is on the rise, and respiratory illnesses like asthma are exacerbated as temperatures rise.

California is at a crossroads, and Governor Jerry Brown has a choice to make: go all-in on extreme energy, or finally say "enough is enough."

We're calling on him to end fracking in California, but we don't want him to just hear it from us. Take Kern County residents up on their invitation, Governor Brown. Go see what fracking looks like face to face with impacted residents in Shafter, CA.

Click here to read Kern County community members' letter to Governor Brown. Click here to learn more about the Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment, which joins residents on the ground in working for healthy communities in the Central Valley.

1. State of the Air 2014, American Lung Association.

Exclusive Video: BenSwann.com Confronting Lindsey Graham About Crony Attempt To Ban Online Gambling | Ben Swann Truth In Media

Oh No!! Not Zombies!!Report: Feds have a zombie plan | WOODTV.com

Report: Feds have a zombie plan | WOODTV.com

A file photo of the Grand Rapids Zombie Dash.

Pipeline Ruptures Spilling 10K Gallons Of Oil Onto Atwater Village Streets « CBS Los Angeles

Photo: Last night, tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil went running through the streets of Los Angeles after a pipeline burst.

The entire surrounding community is evacuated, and the oil was knee deep in places.

http://gawker.com/l-a-knee-deep-in-oil-after-pipe-ruptures-spilling-5-1576761699

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/05/15/pipeline-ruptures-spilling-10k-gallons-of-oil-onto-atwater-village-streets/

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

FATCA Update: A Semi-Stay of Execution for Americans Assets and the US Dollar

Jeff Berwick
Activist Post
The Illegitimate Revenue Agency (IRS) has just announced that the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) has been postponed from July 1, 2014 until January 1, 2016.
This is good news in many ways for both those with assets that they wish to internationalize as well as for the dollar and US banking system itself but in many ways the damage has already been done.
FATCA, signed into law in 2010, ensures that, if you don't tell the US government where your assets are and how much is there, your bank will no matter where that bank exists. FATCA has been acknowledged as the death of the dollar by many experts including our own FATCA expert, Jim Karger, who recently stated such at our recent TDV Wealth Management Crisis Conference in both Panama and Mexico. Many foreign banks simply won't comply. The cost and risk of complying outweighs the benefit of accepting American clients.
By requiring banks all over the world to become unpaid employees of the IRS and keep tabs on American citizens FATCA is perhaps the most egregious, overarching and draconian "law" put into effect by the US government crime organization to date.

We've heard story-after-story of banks all over the globe that are simply not taking on American clients. In many cases, they are telling their current American clients their accounts will soon be closed. The account holder's crime? Being American.
But there has been some temporary reprieve for those who will be affected by the law.
The recent IRS guidelines regarding FATCA give many of the companies and financial institutions implementing FATCA another 18 months to be in compliance. Of course, as with all government laws it will be selectively enforced. Any banks not appearing to be doing their best to comply will likely find themselves in contention with the IRS. At any rate, what this effectively means is that if Uncle Sam doesn't like you or wants your money he might come after you. Nothing new here...

A recent Thomson Reuters survey of 500 European and US tax professionals showed 74% believed there to be a lack of clarity in the IRS regulations for FATCA. This would impede compliance, they predicted.
The notice from the IRS states:
Calendar years 2014 and 2015 will be regarded as a transition period for purposes of IRS enforcement and administration of the due diligence, reporting, and withholding provisions…

With respect to this transition period, the IRS will take into account the extent to which a participating or deemed-compliant FFI, direct reporting NFFE, sponsoring entity, sponsored FFI, sponsored direct reporting NFFE, or withholding agent has made good faith efforts to comply with the requirements of the chapter 4 regulations and the temporary coordination regulations.

For example, the IRS will take into account whether a withholding agent has made reasonable efforts during the transition period to modify its account opening practices and procedures to document the chapter 4 status of payees, apply the standards of knowledge provided in chapter 4, and, in the absence of reliable documentation, apply the presumption rules of §1.1471-3(f).
CAUSING CHAOS WORLDWIDE FOR AMERICANS
FATCA has already affected many Americans with accounts abroad. They have seen their accounts closed at a moment's notice, have been unable to open accounts and perhaps even worse hardly anyone even knows how to deal with the FATCA regulations even if they did want to deal with it.
I have just returned from the Cayman Islands where lawyers and accountants are running scared.
They are slowly figuring out what FATCA means to their American clients, many of whom have a large amount of assets in the Cayman Islands that they do not want to repatriate to the US or be reported to the IRS. And, even if they wanted to adhere to all the rules under FATCA it is nearly impossible to understand and fraught with risk.
The lawyers in the Cayman Islands told me that company incorporation in the Cayman Islands is rock solid in terms of privacy and ease of setup (we will have more on that to subscribers soon) but the problem is banking in the Cayman Island. They told me that if an American is even involved, in any way, with a company that has a bank account in the Cayman Islands they will report all information on that account to the IRS.
I informed them of a few things.
First, any American with substantial assets should be running, not walking, to get a second passport to protect against all of the capital controls coming out against Americans. We have heard of some companies that have stopped working with Americans at all just because of the problems it causes them with their bank accounts.
Secondly, there are ways for Americans to have international structures and banking without falling under the FATCA legislation. We enlightened dozens of people recently at our Crisis Conference on how to do this. You can find out more by contacting TDV Wealth Management.
CONCLUSION
As you can see, the law will still go into effect...and January 1, 2016 is right around the corner. The IRS fines for FATCA non-compliance could result in fines or jailtime on individuals who fail to report. Already this coming July 1, 2014, foreign financial institutions risk being fined.
The next 18 months are merely a reprieve. Already foreigners are moving away from the dollar. The facade of the US government has fallen and the entire world recognizes that the US and the dollar is about to collapse because it cannot pay off its debts and printing money is the only way the game can continue on much longer. Countless movements are ongoing in Russia, China, the Middle East and more all moving away from the dollar and the US banking system... and this is exacerbated by FATCA.
If you were caught on your heels in the lead up to July 1, 2014, then don't be in the lead up to the next FATCA deadline. The folks at TDV Wealth Management are ready to help you today with any questions you might have.

Anarcho-Capitalist. Libertarian. Freedom fighter against mankind’s two biggest enemies, the State and the Central Banks. Jeff Berwick is the founder of The Dollar Vigilante, CEO of TDV Media & Services and host of the popular video podcast, Anarchast. Jeff is a prominent speaker at many of the world’s freedom, investment and gold conferences as well as regularly in the media including CNBC, CNN and Fox Business.

FATCA Update: A Semi-Stay of Execution for Americans Assets and the US Dollar
Activist
Wed, 14 May 2014 20:07:00 GMT

Toxic Chemicals Used in Fracking Shale Deposits

Catherine J. Frompovich
Activist Post
Some cartoons or something thought to be ‘comedic’ or contradicts “logic” routinely have been referred to as “Frick and Frack” cartoons. This website shows numerous illustrations of what this writer would call “illogical logic.”
Nothing is more illogical, perhaps, than fracking—the newest craze in energy production that finds fossil fuel providers fracking everywhere, including backyards.

Cows graze on farmland near Wyalusing, Pa., as fracking takes place in the background.
The process extracts natural gas from shale. / AP file photo

Fracking in the backyard / Photo Source

Well water that’s been fracked. / Photo Source

How about drinking water volatility? See this YouTube video for a spectacular example: Kitchen faucet water flaming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LBjSXWQRV8
To learn more about fracking, maybe readers will want to watch a 36 minute video “Fracking, An Inconvenient Truth.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uokmsSi7LTY .
However, what’s most important to know about fracking is what’s used to frack shale deposits to extract gas deposits. The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce issued a report on April 18, 2011 titled, “Chemicals Used in Hydraulic Fracking” [1] wherein 750 chemicals were listed. Fourteen commonly are used, and probably are carcinogenic. They included:

Acrylamide
Acetaldehyde
Benzene
Benzyl Chloride
Diesel
Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
Ethylene Oxide
Formaldehyde
Lead [metal/mineral]
Naphthalene
Nitrilotriacetic Acid
Propylene Oxide
Sulfuric Acid
Thiourea [genotoxic carcinogen] [5, pg.4]
According to that CEC report,
Some of the components used in the hydraulic fracturing products were common and generally harmless, such as salt and citric acid. Some were unexpected, such as instant coffee and walnut hulls. And some were extremely toxic, such as benzene and lead. Appendix A lists each of the 750 chemicals and other components used in hydraulic fracturing products between 2005 and 2009.

The most widely used chemical in hydraulic fracturing during this time period, as measured by the number of compounds containing the chemical, was methanol. Methanol, which was used in 342 hydraulic fracturing products, is a hazardous air pollutant and is on the list for potential regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Some of the other most widely used chemicals were isopropyl alcohol (used in 274 products), 2-butoxyethanol (used in 126 products), and ethylene glycol (used in 119 products). [1, pg.1] [CJF emphasis added. So why allow methanol in fracking?]
Ironically, that same CEC report went on to state:
Between 2005 and 2009, the oil and gas service companies used hydraulic fracturing products containing 29 chemicals that are (1) known or possible human carcinogens, (2) regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act for their risks to human health, or (3) listed as hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. These 29 chemicals were components of more than 650 different products used in hydraulic fracturing. [1, pg.1] [CJF emphasis added. Why are there no controls on fracking chemicals?]
Now, here’s the CEC’s candor about fracking and yet no one is doing anything to stop the insanity of what’s going on regarding ‘frack’ the public:
Some of these chemicals, if not disposed of safely or allowed to leach into the drinking water supply, could damage the environment or pose a risk to human health. During hydraulic fracturing, fluids containing chemicals are injected deep underground, where their migration is not entirely predictable. Well failures, such as the use of insufficient well casing, could lead to their release at shallower depths, closer to drinking water supplies.4 Although some fracturing fluids are removed from the well at the end of the fracturing process, a substantial amount remains underground.5 [1, pg.3] [CJF emphasis added]
Congress IS to blame, as you can read from this in that report. Lobbyists’ money talks, I’d say!
While most underground injections of chemicals are subject to the protections of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), Congress in 2005 modified the law to exclude “the underground injection of fluids or propping agents (other than diesel fuels) pursuant to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities” from the Act’s protections.6 Unless oil and gas service companies use diesel in the hydraulic fracturing process, the permanent underground injection of chemicals used for hydraulic fracturing is not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). [1, pg.3] [CJF emphasis added]
Apparently, irresponsible Congress gave the fossil fuel suppliers and drillers a similar “get out of jail free card” in 2005 – similar to what Congress gave vaccine manufacturers about their toxic vaccines in 1986. This type of congressional action seems to have lobbyists’ fingerprints all over modifications to the laws to excluded underground injection fluids or propping agents. No wonder those fracking drills are popping up all over, just like three hundred or more vaccines are in the new development pipelines, especially when industries have congressionally-approved “get out of jail free cards” handed to them.
When will the gullible U.S. public, plus the monopolized media, get their heads out of the sand?
But dear readers, here’s the real slap-in-the-face to consumers’ health by every health agency and oversight department at federal, state and local levels:
Under OSHA regulations, manufacturers may withhold the identity of chemical components that constitute “trade secrets.”15 [1, pg.5] [CJF emphasis added]
What most U.S. citizens probably do not know is that under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the chemical industry in the U.S. can stamp “trade secret” on a new chemical and about two-thirds of the chemicals introduced since then have had that label that allows their contents to remain “unknown and secret.” Furthermore, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), “Industry has placed ‘confidential business information’ (CBI) claims on the identity of 13,596 new chemicals produced since 1976…” [2]
Furthermore,
“The chemical industry has turned TSCA – a law once thought to protect people and the environment – into its own witness protection program, where it has safely stashed the very existence of thousands of chemicals behind the doors at EPA,” said Richard Wiles, Senior VP for Policy and Communications at EWG. “Mafia informants don’t enjoy the level of protection these secret chemicals receive under the federal toxics law,” added Wiles. [2]
Probably the most insidious and unknown releases from fracking are radioactive emitters such as Radon-222 [3] and Polonium-210[4], which are released from the shale as drilling heads penetrate the strata for thousands of feet disturbing heretofore solid walls of shale.
The other probability that accompanies fracking is inducing man-made earthquakes. The U.S. Geological Survey website “Man-Made Earthquakes Update” can acquaint readers with that possibility.

Seismicity of the coterminous United States and surrounding regions, 2009–2012.
Black dots denote earthquakes with a magnitude ≥ 3.0 are shown; larger dots denote events with a magnitude ≥ 4.0. Background colors indicate earthquake hazard levels from the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Map (NSHM). Learn more about the NSHM here.
And the last, if not most important issue, regarding fracking is this: Since fracking is so prevalent anyone who has a well as their domestic water supply should have it tested by a reputable water testing laboratory for all the regular tests, i.e, bacteria and pesticides, plus radioactive elements and, now, a panel of fracking chemicals. That ought to be done at least once a year, but every 6 months would be safer, in my opinion—similar to going to the dentist to make certain you don’t have any health problems that start with the teeth—so you can assess “how well your well really is.”
Here are some Internet sites that can help readers understand the necessity of proper well water testing. Please know that this writer has no interest in any of them and is not paid to recommend any. I do this because of my concern for the quality of both your water and overall health.
Baseline Testing / The most important thing to do before fracking begins
http://www.dontfractureillinois.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Before-Fracking-Flier.pdf
State of Maine’s Water Tests Available / A listing of numerous water tests and prices for them as an idea of what’s out there to use as a guide
http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/public-health-systems/health-and-environmental-testing/guide.htm
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Environmental Fact Sheet / Water Quality Testing for Private Wells
http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/dwgb/documents/dwgb-2-1.pdf
This site discusses water testing for fluoride and Nitrates-Nitrites.
https://engineering.purdue.edu/SafeWater/drinkinfo/testwater.html
Northeast Laboratory Services / Water Testing Kits
http://nelabservices.com/water-testing-kits/
Here’s to clean water!
Notes:
[1] http://democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Hydraulic-Fracturing-Chemicals-2011-4-18.pdf
[2] News Release – Off the Books: Industry’s Secret Chemicals published Jan. 4, 2010 by EWG http://www.ewg.org/node/28385/print
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radon
[4] http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Factsheets/English/polonium210.html
[5] http://www.who.int/ipcs/publications/cicad/en/cicad49.pdf
Catherine J Frompovich (website) is a retired natural nutritionist who earned advanced degrees in Nutrition and Holistic Health Sciences, Certification in Orthomolecular Theory and Practice plus Paralegal Studies. Her work has been published in national and airline magazines since the early 1980s. Catherine authored numerous books on health issues along with co-authoring papers and monographs with physicians, nurses, and holistic healthcare professionals. She has been a consumer healthcare researcher 35 years and counting.
Catherine’s latest book, published October 4, 2013, is Vaccination Voodoo, What YOU Don’t Know About Vaccines, available on Amazon.com.
Her 2012 book A Cancer Answer, Holistic BREAST Cancer Management, A Guide to Effective & Non-Toxic Treatments, is available on Amazon.com and as a Kindle eBook.
Two of Catherine’s more recent books on Amazon.com are Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, A Probe Into What’s Probably Making Us Sick (2009) and Lord, How Can I Make It Through Grieving My Loss, An Inspirational Guide Through the Grieving Process (2008).

Toxic Chemicals Used in Fracking Shale Deposits
Activist
Wed, 14 May 2014 22:54:00 GMT

New Worldwide Campaign to Stop Torture

image source
Joe Wright
Activist Post
While most people might be under the impression that we are far removed from the barbaric practices of the Dark Ages, a new worldwide campaign from Amnesty International exposes that we actually appear to have entered a new period of darkness that is descending upon our innate human rights.
Despite the fact that most Americans disagree with the indefinite detention and torture provisions contained within the National Defense Authorization Act, and citizens worldwide overwhelmingly believe that torture should be prohibited, the global War on Terror in the wake of 9/11 has most certainly unleashed a new wave of depraved torture techniques under the thin guise of terms such as "enhanced interrogation." But that is only part of the story. Because of the widespread use of CIA rendition "black sites" overseas much of the very worst forms of torture are hidden in countries where it has previously been acceptable or routinely overlooked. Now that even First World Western nations are openly discussing the value of torture for intelligence gathering, and torture continues to be legitimized by the U.S. legal system, the worldwide commitment by governments to eradicate torture is waning. Consequently, the use of torture is exploding.
The Convention Against Torture was adopted by the UN in 1984. Regardless, as Amnesty International's Secretary General Salil Shetty states:
Governments around the world are two-faced on torture - prohibiting it in law, but facilitating it in practice...

Torture is not just alive and well – it is flourishing in many parts of the world. As more governments seek to justify torture in the name of national security, the steady progress made in this field over the last thirty years is being eroded.

Amnesty International is seeking to address this erosion of human rights through a new global campaign simply called: Stop Torture. Their video and press release are posted below. For people of good conscience, it is a depressing and revolting subject, but we need to act now to thwart further abuse. We can do this by telling governments around the world that torture is never acceptable under any circumstances, nor are justifications for torture-light going to be tolerated.
People inside the system also need to begin refusing to cooperate with such directives, understanding that history has never been kind to previous regimes and their enforcers who have felt justified opening the floodgates of torture under calls for stronger national security.
Lastly, we can never forget that what is permitted in times of war has a way of trickling down into the everyday lives of the people supposedly being protected from the threat of terrorism. One only has to look at the growth of the police state and the increasingly brutal police tactics and treatment of average citizens to see that this cancer is already spreading.
From Amnesty International:
Since 1984, 155 states have ratified the UN Convention Against Torture, 142 of which are researched by Amnesty International. In 2014, Amnesty International observed at least 79 of these still torturing – more than half the states party to the Convention that the organisation reports on. A further 40 UN states haven’t adopted the Convention, although the global legal ban on torture binds them too.
Over the last five years, Amnesty International has reported on torture and other forms of ill-treatment in at least 141 countries from every region of the world – virtually every country on which it works. The secretive nature of torture means the true number of countries that torture is likely to be higher still.
In some of these countries torture is routine and systematic. In others, Amnesty International has only documented isolated and exceptional cases. The organization finds even one case of torture or other ill-treatment totally unacceptable.
The Stop Torture campaign launches with a new media briefing, Torture in 2014: 30 Years of Broken Promises, which provides an overview of the use of torture in the world today.
The briefing details a variety of torture techniques – from stress positions and sleep deprivation to electrocution of the genitals – used against criminal suspects, security suspects, dissenting voices, political rivals and others.
As part of the campaign Amnesty International commissioned a Globescan survey to gauge worldwide attitudes to torture. Alarmingly, the survey found nearly half (44%) of respondents – from 21 countries across every continent - fear they would be at risk of torture if taken into custody in their country.
The vast majority (82%) believe there should be clear laws against torture. However, more than a third (36%) still thought torture could be justified in certain circumstances.
“The results from this new global survey are startling, with nearly half of the people we surveyed feeling fearful and personally vulnerable to torture. The vast majority of people believe that there should be clear rules against torture, although more than a third still think that torture could be justified in certain circumstances. Overall, we can see broad global support amongst the public for action to prevent torture,” said Caroline Holme, Director at GlobeScan.
Measures such as the criminalisation of torture in national legislation, opening detention centres to independent monitors, and video recording interrogations have all led to a decrease in the use of torture in those countries taking their commitments under the Convention Against Torture seriously.
Amnesty International is calling on governments to implement protective mechanisms to prevent and punish torture – such as proper medical examinations, prompt access to lawyers, independent checks on places of detention, independent and effective investigations of torture allegations, the prosecution of suspects and proper redress for victims.
The organization’s global work against torture continues, but will focus in particular on five countries where torture is rife and Amnesty International believes it can achieve significant impact. Substantive reports with specific recommendations for each will form the spine of the campaign.

In Mexico the government argues that torture is the exception rather than the norm, but in reality abuse by police and security forces is widespread and goes unpunished. Miriam López Vargas, a 31 year-old mother of four, was abducted from her hometown of Ensenada by two soldiers in plainclothes, and taken to a military barracks. She was held there for a week, raped three times, asphyxiated and electrocuted to force her to confess that she was involved in drug-related offences. Three years have passed, but none of her torturers have been brought to justice.

Justice is out of reach for most torture survivors in the Philippines. A secret detention facility was recently discovered where police officers abused detainees ‘for fun'. Police officers reportedly spun a ‘wheel of torture’ to decide how to torture prisoners. Media coverage led to an internal investigation and some officers being dismissed, but Amnesty International is calling for a thorough and impartial investigation which will lead to the prosecution in court of the officers involved. Most acts of police torture remain unreported and torture survivors continue to suffer in silence.

In Morocco and Western Sahara, authorities rarely investigate reports of torture. Spanish authorities extradited Ali Aarrass to Morocco despite fears he would be tortured. He was picked up by intelligence officers and taken to a secret detention centre, where he says they electrocuted his testicles, beat the soles of his feet and hanged him by his wrists for hours on end. He says the officers forced him to confess to assisting a terrorist group. Ali Aarass was convicted and sentenced to 12 years behind bars on the basis of that “confession”. His allegation of torture has never been investigated.

In Nigeria, police and military personnel use torture as a matter of routine. When Moses Akatugba was arrested by soldiers he was 16 years old. He said they beat him and shot him in the hand. According to Moses he was then transfered to the police, who hanged him by his limbs for hours at a police station. Moses says he was tortured into signing a “confession” that he was involved in a robbery. The allegation that he confessed as a result of torture was never fully investigated. In November 2013, after eight years waiting for a verdict, Moses was sentenced to death.

In Uzbekistan, torture is pervasive but few torturers are ever brought to justice. The country is closed to Amnesty International. Dilorom Abdukadirova spent five years in exile after security forces opened fire on a protest she was attending. On returning to Uzbekistan, she was detained, barred from seeing her family, and charged with attempting to overthrow the government. During her trial, she looked emaciated with bruising on her face. Her family are convinced she had been tortured.
“Thirty years ago Amnesty led the campaign for a worldwide commitment to combat torture resulting in the UN’s Convention Against Torture. Much progress has been made since, but it is disheartening that today we still need a worldwide campaign to ensure that those promises are fulfilled,” said Salil Shetty.
Please visit http://www.amnesty.org/en/stoptorture to learn more.
Twitter: #StopTorture
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New Worldwide Campaign to Stop Torture
Activist
Wed, 14 May 2014 22:54:00 GMT

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