Campaign for Freedom of Expression in Cuba

Currently, I'm reading Mea Cuba by Guillermo Cabrena Infante, a collection of essays about Fidel Castro's oppression of Cuban writers and poets. It's a challenging but worthwhile read.

Amnesty International is running a campaign for Freedom of Expression in Cuba, and has recently published the report Restrictions On Freedom of Expression in Cuba.

The Cuban state has a virtual monopoly on media, according to the Amnesty International report, and requires all journalists to join the Communist Party-controlled national journalists’ association.

Many journalists are intimidated by the Cuban authorities. One example is Yosvani Anzardo Hernández, director of the Candonga online newspaper, who was arbitrarily detained for 14 days in September 2009, before being released without charge.

During this time, police confiscated his computer and disconnected his telephone line. The Candonga online newspaper is now closed.

Filters restrict access to blogs that openly criticize the government and restrictions on fundamental freedoms, so you might not be reading this blog post if you are in Cuba.

The Cuban Constitution also curbs freedom of expression, stating: “[n]one of the freedoms which are recognized for citizens can be exercised contrary to what is established in the Constitution and law, or contrary to the existence and objectives of the socialist state, or contrary to the decision of the Cuban people to build socialism and communism.”

Cuba's penal code specifies a range of vague criminal charges that can also be used to oppress dissenting voices, such as "social dangerousness", "defamation of national institutions" and "clandestine printing".

The judiciary is neither independent, nor impartial, and government critics often receive summary and unfair trials.

Amnesty International are aware of at least fifty-three prisoners of conscience who remain in prison for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, association and assembly.

For example ,independent journalist Pablo Pacheco Avila was sentenced to 20 years in prison for writing articles for foreign and online newspapers, being interviewed by foreign radio stations, and publishing information online.

Kerrie Howard, Deputy Americas Director at Amnesty International, says: "The laws are so vague that almost any act of dissent can be deemed criminal in some way, making it very difficult for activists to speak out against the government.

"There is an urgent need for reform to make all human rights a reality for all Cubans."

Two independent blogs from Cuba that provide more information about the human rights situation there are Voices Behind Bars and Generation Y.

The latest news from Cuba can also be read at Amnesty International's Cuba page.

You can support human rights in Cuba by donating to or joining Amnesty International, as well as keeping an eye on the website for Cuba campaigns.

International Day of the Disappeared today

It's a bank holiday in the UK, and for once it is actually sunny, even if it is not that warm.

However, today is also the International Day of the Disappeared, a day highlighting people imprisoned in poor conditions and with their fate unknown by their friends and relatives.

One such case is that of Mohammed El Sharkawi, detained without trial in Egypt since his extradition from Pakistan in May 1995, despite court orders for his release.

He has been ill-treated at each of the prisons in which he has been held, and is now in a remote prison where conditions are very harsh.

Mohammed El Sharkawi's family and lawyer have not been able to visit him for the past year and he has spent months in solitary confinement.

He is one of many thousands of Egyptian prisoners held under emergency legislation, which has been in force since 1967.

You can send a card to Mohammed El Sharkawi, as well as writing to the Egyptian government demanding they release him.

Another person held without trial highlighted by Amnesty International is Gambian journalist Ebrima B. Manneh, who has been held since July 2006, despite a West African regional court having called for him to be released.

The Gambian government, which has been accused of politically motivated arrests and murdering journalists, has denied they are holding Manneh.

You can send messages of solidarity as well as a demand that the Gambian government releases Ebrima B. Manneh at the Amnesty International page.

If you want to make a difference and help people like Mohammed El Sharkawi and Ebrima B.Manneh, support Amnesty International and other human rights organisations.

Thoughts on squatting

My journey to work takes me past a squatted building.

Located at 195 Mare Street, Hackney Central, the building has clearly been well cared for by its current inhabitants.

A number of social events are advertised on a large board, and the pavement outside is kept reasonably tidy - well, it was until some yob smashed the lovely yellow bookcase they put there.

Now, sadly, the squatters are being evicted. A large banner on the top floor reads "You Cannot Evict Our Hearts" which always makes me smile .

A poster on UK Indymedia provides some more detail.

The squatters had a deal with the owner. They would use the front part of the house while the back was redeveloped.

However, the developers ran out of money, and the deal is off.

It's a shame that this will send the end of, among others, the welding workshop, the clown workshop (no experience needed) and the "yummy" garden.

No doubt some people passing down Mare Street would have welcomed the eviction. Getting rid of another crowd of work-dodging, dreadlock-sporting, dope-smoking hippies, they think as they refer to their Quotable Stereotype Handbook.

However, a recent article in the Independent suggests that the truth is more complicated than that.

Many squatters are people with jobs and middle class lifestyles, who have a good understanding of the law and squatting.

I have a lot of sympathy for squatters, of whatever background. There are a ridiculous number of empty properties, in fact there is one in my street. I also see many empty pubs and shops, which could be turned into homes.

If you compare the boarded-up and crumbling Lord Cecil pub on Lower Clapton Road and 195 Mare Street, I think you'll find the former is much more of an eyesore.

However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Property guardians are being signed up to live in empty homes and shops, meaning that someone else has a roof over their head and the property will not deteriorate.

The guardians must have references from their employers and undergo a criminal records check, however, so some people will still have no alternative but to squat.

If properties are abandoned for a certain period of time, like the one in my street appears to be, why not let the squatters be? If they are quiet and clean, what harm are they doing?

Perhaps we could even have designated squats dotted around cities in the UK, where people are not evicted on the understanding they maintain the place and respect others. These squats would be buildings that no-one claims ownership of or are too dilapidated for property guardians.

And, at the risk of sounding like Rick from The Young Ones, the kind of people who have a second house just to store belongings in, as reported in the Independent article, almost deserve to have squatters.

Dogs fouling the streets in Surrey village to be targeted by CCTV operators

Horrified reactions to the news that people who allow their animals to foul the street will be watched for by CCTV operators.

Surrey Police's action has been described as a "waste of time and money" by civil liberties groups and residents.

I'm not sure if Amiee Langdon would agree. The Greater Manchester two year old caught a rare infection, toxocariasis after wiping dog excrement in her eye in a playground.

Toxocariasis is spread by dog excrement. It results in optical lobe cellulosis, a potentially deadly infection that can spread to the brain and lead to blindness and even death if not treated within 72 hours.

At one point, doctors thought her eye would have to be removed, according to the Manchester Evening News.

Still think cracking down on dog excrement is a waste of time and money?

One village and its cameras:

The dog mess spotting is occuring in the village of Merstham.

Student Sarah Nicholls told the Daily Mail: "We have people being burgled and assaulted around here.

"They can't watch burglars and dog-walkers at the same time. And even if they see something happening, are they going to send a squad car out to deal with it?"

I'm not sure why operators are unable to watch for burglars and dog foulers at the same time. It's not as if we have one operator watching for each type of crime.

Merstham has had a 20% rise in violent crime, but this isn't an argument not to watch dog foulers.

Consider the broken windows theory. People who live in a decent environment are more likely to care about their neighbourhood and more likely to obey the law. People who live in a dog-mess strewn dump won't care.

And as for CCTV, I understand the privacy concerns. I understand that Britain has a ridiculous number of CCTV cameras.

CCTV is not a perfect crime fighting tool. It is only useful in deterring people and identifying people after a crime.

However, it did catch cat dumper Mary Bale and Weeing Wendy Lewis.

Merstham Neighbourhood Specialist Officer PC Hannah Vincent told Surrey Today: "Dog fouling in Merstham is a real concern for residents and an issue that, together with our partners, we are committed to tackling.

"We will speak with anyone caught not clearing up after their dog, and will not hesitate to issue Fixed Penalty Notices to persistent offenders.

"CCTV will be able to help us with this task. However, I would ask members of the Merstham community to work with us. Together we can ensure the area is a safe and pleasant place to live."

I agree. It's the same as with speeding drivers. If you don't want to be prosecuted, clean up after your dog or cat.

Otherwise we might end up with more children suffering like Amiee Langdon.

Help support acid attack victims

London women's group Southall Black Sisters have made an appeal for help for two Indian women who were the victims of an acid attack.

Republished from Liberal Conspiracy:

Dear Friends,

I am writing to you in the hope that you will be able to donate generously to finance the medical costs and rehabilitation of Samar (31) and Juwariya (25) Atique whose young lives and hopes were brutally crushed in October 2009 by two men who threw a jug of acid on their faces as the women were returning home from a day’s work in a rickshaw.

Their crime – Juwariya had turned down a marriage proposal from one of the men!

They sustained severe burns and injuries to their faces, their eyes and their upper bodies. In acid attack cases, the victims should be hosed down gently with a continuous stream of water immediately to stop the acid continuing to burn into their flesh. But they did not get treatment for five hours after the incident because the woman doctor was threatened with a similar attack by these men and their families.

They may be blind for life. They will need to have reconstructive surgery on their noses and lips. Their eyelids were burnt away so they also suffer from itching and dryness in the eyes.

Their first operation did not take place till 5 months after the event. To date they have had 3 operations and they will need many, many more. They live in Delhi but they have to travel to a hospital in Chennai, nearly one and a half thousand miles away, where they are getting subsidised treatment. One of the sisters is suicidal, they are both suffering from depression but neither of them has had any counselling sessions as yet. Post-operative care and rehabilitation will take years.

They were independent working women, whose incomes contributed to the expenses of a joint family of 11 people. Samar worked for an IT company and Juwariya, ironically ran her own beauty parlour. One other sister and brother have had to give up their jobs in order to look after them leading to a loss of four incomes.

The reduced family income is less than the monthly cost of routine medical expenses like bandages, antibiotics and painkillers, let alone the cost of going to Chennai for surgery, let alone the costs of daily life. So far, they have managed with donations and loans from family and friends. Poverty has compounded the consequences of violence.

This case came to the attention of Southall Black Sisters earlier this year.

Although we do not usually have the capacity to run international campaigns, we felt that the horrific nature of this particular attack served as a salutary reminder of the extreme violence that women round the world continue to face should they make the smallest strike for freedom and assert their most basic rights, in this case, the right to choose their own partner/spouse.

The immediate target for fundraising is £21,000 for microsurgery to be carried out on Samar’s eyes. There is some hope that her sight may be saved although Juwariya’s is irretrievable. Of this sum £11,000 has already been raised.

However the very rough total estimated costs of all surgery, including longterm rehabilitation, are: £250,000. It is impossible to be precise partly because every decision for futher surgery depends on preceding operations. The following are some examples of costs:

Average monthly cost of care: £1350 (bandages, medicines, nursing, local hospital visits, nutritious food)
Each visit to the Chennai hospital: £12,000 (based on their previous trip)
Every return flight to Chennai costs: £985 (for 3 people)
Counselling: £30 per session

Thank you.

Rahila Gupta
(on behalf of Southall Black Sisters)

Please click here and follow the instructions to donate.

Higher benefits, lower unemployment

Liberal Conspiracy is a left of centre political blog full of thought-provoking articles. I don't agree with all of them, but Don Paskini's latest article, Increasing benefits helps people get jobs, is music to my ears.

Paskini starts by comparing the number of lone parents in work in 1996 (before lone parent benefits were increased) and 2009.

According to Poverty.org.uk, 45% of lone parents were in work in 1996. 57% of lone parents were in work in 2009, during a recession.

He comments:

"If the government pursues a strategy of class warfare, of demonising poor people and cutting their benefits, then people will concentrate on day to day survival, on trying to keep a roof over their heads and coping with ill health and all the other problems that are caused when you don’t have enough money to live on. In consequence, they will find it harder and harder to get a job or stay in work. And, in any case, there will be fewer jobs in their community as benefit cuts suck money out of the local economy.

In contrast, if the government provides everyone with a decent safety net and enough money to live on, then more and more people will be able to think about and plan for more than just getting through to the end of the week. They’ll get the confidence to apply for jobs, they’ll be in better health and even have a little bit of money to spend on studying and developing their skills. They’ll see their friends and neighbours getting jobs and help each other to be able to lift themselves out of poverty.

This isn’t some wild-eyed theory, this is what actually happens in the real world. And Clegg’s comments and those of his right-wing supporters just show, yet again, that they are the ones in denial."

The right love to paint jobseekers as lazy people who love the benefit lifestyle. Yes, because it is such great fun going to the local Jobcentre to sign on one a fortnight or more, for £65 a week as well as housing and council tax benefit. When their turn comes and they are the ones refreshing Gumtree every day and handing out CV's, they'll know.

People who can barely afford to eat will be too tired to look for work and too demoralised. As Paskini mentions, people often need to have money to further their skills and improve their CV.

I notice that many of the people attacking unemployment benefits don't do the same for the amount and universality of child benefit. That's because they and their friends are more likely to claim it.

If people don't want to work, then they shouldn't get benefit. But if they are trying to find work, the last thing they need is for their benefits to be cut. That could send them into despair.

Wendy Lewis escapes jail

Earlier this month, I wrote of my concern that Wendy Lewis, who urinated on a war memorial in Blackpool, would receive a light punishment.

My suspicions have been validated.

Weeing Wendy received a fifteen week suspended sentence for her foul act, as well as a three week suspended sentence for kicking a PC who arrested her last night.

She was also ordered to complete a drug rehabilitation programme and pay £200 in costs and £50 in compensation to the PC.

It is good that Wendy Lewis is being made to go for treatment, but the sentence is ridiculous.

No class to educate her about the First and Second World Wars, despite the judge's comments that: "You don't remember the First World War and the Second World War. There are people in this room who do."

No long period of community service, which should have included making Wendy Lewis clean up the war memorial.

Ian Coleman,president of the Blackpool Royal British Legion, told the Daily Mail:"War memorials up and down the country are being desecrated.

"It seems the perpetrators just get a slap on the wrist and possibly stronger laws have to be implemented to have a deterrent to stop these people defiling this sacred ground...I wouldn't want to see anybody put in prison. But that memorial is sacrosanct and we do need a deterrent.

China reduces number of crimes punishable by death

A draft revision of the criminal code in China reduces the penalty for thirteen offences from death to life imprisonment, according to the Guardian.

The affected crimes include tax dodging, credit note fraud, teaching criminal methods and smuggling endangered animals.

However, even if the revision is accepted, 55 crimes will still be punishable by death by lethal injection, including drug smuggling.

It is also proposed to increase the maximum life sentence from 20 to 25 years.

Catherine Baber, Amnesty International's deputy programme director for Asia, told the Guardian: "We welcome any genuine attempt to reduce the death penalty in China, but it is unclear whether this is legislative housekeeping that will have little effect on the overall number of executions.

"China could certainly make more meaningful reductions. We encourage them to make more effort to catch up with the global trend, which is to abolish the death penalty."

Swiss campaign to bring back the death penalty:

Meanwhile, in Switzerland campaigners have been given permission by the government to collect signatures for a referendum on the death penalty.

100,000 signatures are needed, according to the BBC.

However, the referendum could be blocked if reinstating the death penalty would contravene international agreements to which the Swiss are signatories.

Switzerland is a member of the Council of Europe, which has made abolition of the death penalty a prerequisite for membership.

My view:

I am opposed to the death penalty.

For one, it does not allow resolution of miscarriages of justice.

A person such as Stephen Downing released after many years in prison for a crime they did not commit has some chance to try to live a normal life. A person executed and then found innocent has no such chance.

Another concern is that more and more crimes could be punishable by the death penalty over time.

The Swiss campaigners want murder involving sexual abuse to be punishable by death.

Horrific as these crimes are, they are a fairly small percentage of the total number of crimes occurring in Switzerland each day. In China, by contrast, thousands of people are sentenced to death each year, often for minor crimes.

These campaigners would surely not want the death penalty to be used for smuggling antiquities or writing false VAT receipts for tax reimbursement, as it is in China.

China's draft proposal is welcome, a step forward for human rights in the country.. In the unlikely even of the death penalty being reinstated in Switzerland, it would be a step back for the Swiss.

No respect for human rights?

One story that's been given relatively little attention this month, unlike the earth-shattering news of the Camerons having another child, is a £560,000 cut to the human rights and democracy fund.

Concerns have been raised by Labour MPs that this may affect the Foreign and Commonwelath Office's Annual Report on Human Rights.

This report allows MPs and businesses to discover which countries it is ethical to trade with.

Foreign Secretary William Hague claims that the review will examine the way the FCO report ""can most effectively be produced in the current financial climate".

What price a report? Oliver Miles, chairman of the international business development company MEC International, doubts the report's value for money and warns us not to jump to conclusions about Hague's actions.

Others are more negative. In the comments section of Oliver Miles' article, "talktothehead" says that the report was detailed enough to ensure fuller scrutiny of policies, and assisted with pushing through ethical policies.

Louise Roland-Gosselin, director of Waging Peace, comments: "This report will assist case owners in deciding whether or not asylum seekers should be granted political asylum.

"With dwindling information from diplomats based in these countries, we are making decisions by the Home Office less likely to be fair.FCO reports that have come out of Sudan for instance, have assisted in non Arab Darfuris being granted asylum, since it has been deemed that it is too dangerous for them to be sent back to Sudan."

Sir Menzies Campbell, Liberal Democrat MP for North East Fife, said that any move to end the annual report risked "downgrading human rights" and would be met with "fierce resistance", according to the Guardian.

An FCO spokeswoman told the Guardian: "The foreign secretary is determined that the UK's foreign policy should reflect the values that we uphold at home and that our actions overseas be consistent with support for human rights.

"In the current financial climate ...we need to look carefully at how best to communicate and ensure transparency with parliament and the public on our human rights activity."

We all know times are tough. However, there is clearly a concern that people's human rights will be put at risk if the new report is watered down or less accessible, with British businesses possibly trading with regimes such as Omar Hassan Al-Bashir's Sudan or Meles Zenawi's Ethiopia.

Read the 2009 FCO Annual Report on Human Rights.

Poor disabled access on London's transport will affect 2012 Games

We all know London will host the Olympics in 2012, but many people don't consider the Paralympics, which disabled athletes compete in.

However, the 2012 Paralympics aren't going to go very well if athletes and spectators cannot get to the venues. Of course, there are many disabled spectators at the Olympics as well.

Tom Edwards from the BBC's Mind the Gap blog has made a short film with wheelchair user Sulaiman Khan and his carers.

Edwards follows Khan on a journey from Woodford to Stratford on the Central Line. Stratford, which will be used by many disabled athletes and spectators in 2012.

Khan has trouble getting off the train at step-free Stratford station, due to the long gap between the train and the platform, and has to take four lifts to exit the station.

When using the first lift, he is unable to reach the button, but when his carer tries to gets in this overloads the lift.

You can see the film at the Mind the Gap website (for some reason, there is no option to embed it).

As I wrote in October 2009:

It would have been nice if step-free access had been made a priority, and the replacement of bendy buses, which are actually more disabled-friendly than a packed double-decker, put back or cancelled instead.

Unless step free access is made a priority, as well as improved access from the platform to the street, disabled fans will stay at home (one effect of this will be to lower revenue for both Transport for London and London's economy) and disabled athletes will not be able to get venues or to travel around London).

Tfl's budget might be tight, but investment now will pay off later.

Network Rail also need to invest in step free access at mainline stations,as a reader informs Tom Edwards:

West Ham station serves C2C mainline and Jubilee line Underground but did you know that West Ham has to share a ramp for wheelchair users with Barking station on the C2C line?

What happens if the ramp is needed at both stations at the same time? How pathetic is that and do these ramps cost so much money that it is impossible to buy one for each station?

Website and maps for disabled public transport users in London:

Transport for All is an excellent organisation of disabled and older people lobbying for more accessible public transport.

This map shows every Underground, Overground and Docklands Light Railway station in London. Step-free stations have a little wheelchair symbol.

A map showing the distance between the platform and the train for each step-free Underground and Docklands Light Railway station has also been produced by Transport for London.

Monthly tube strikes over ticket office job cuts: First one 7th September

London Underground workers will be on strike from 5pm 6th September until 5pm 7th September, in a protest over plans to cut 800 ticket office staff.

There will be a one day strike every month, according to the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), until plans to reduce ticket office opening hours are withdrawn.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow commented: "These cuts would leave stations and platforms unstaffed and would remove the very people who are trained to deal with emergencies.

"Our members have voted for strike action to defend their jobs and the safety of the Tube network, and we hope that Tube users will stand with us to demand that existing safety standards are not ripped to shreds."

Howard Collins, LU's chief operating officer, told the BBC: "It is simply not possible to go on with a situation where some ticket offices sell fewer than 10 tickets an hour.

"We need to change, but we will do so without compromising safety, without compulsory redundancies."

Business leaders warn the strikes will cost the London economy £48 million a day and slow down the recovery, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Further strikes are planned at the same time on 3 October, 2 November and 28 November.

You can use Transport for London's journey planner to find an alternate means of travel.

My view on the Tube strikes:

I have a lot of sympathy with the striking Tube staff. The main reason why ticket offices are not used as much is the £5 minimum top-up imposed by Transport for London. This leads to long queues at the ticket machines, which causes congestion. Many of the machines break down as well.

If the £5 minimum top-up was removed for all stations facing a reduction in opening hours, no doubt we would see far more than 10 tickets an hour sold at these station

Ticket office staff are also able to provide a wide range of advice.

A few weeks ago, my Oyster card stopped working, and a ticket office staff member at Walthamstow Central was able to inform me why it stopped working, refund the money from the old card, and issue me with a new card, three things a ticket machine cannot do.

Ironically*, one of the few times I need to take the tube to work is on September 7th, so I'll need to get up at 5:50am and get two buses.

White City depot strike vote:

In related news, drivers at White City depot on the Central Line have voted to strike over a colleague sacked for what the RMT describe as a minor incident.

Dates for this strike have not yet been set.


*I trust my use of this word meets with Simon Heffer's approval.

Shut the gate!

In June 1972, five men were arrested while breaking into the offices of the Democratic National Committee, located in the Watergate complex, Washington D.C.

The arrests were the catalyst for the resignation of President Richard Nixon, and the events surrounding the break-in became known as the Watergate scandal.

Clearly, the scandal is named after the building where the break-in occurred.

This fact seems to be lost on generations of journalists, who add the suffix "-gate" to any scandal.

Squidgeygate, Teamstergate, Debategate, Smeargate, Officegate, Monklandsgate, Rinkagate...

The latest deployment of the "-gate" suffix is a sporting scandal, involving Harlequins winger Tom Williams.

The Rugby Union player faked an injury last year in order to ensure he was subsisted and a specialist kicker allowed onto the field during the closing minutes of a tied game.

Dr Wendy Chapman, of Maidstone Hospital in Kent, has admitted cutting the lip of Williams to make his injury appear more authentic.

Suspended from her job last September, she is currently appearing before the General Medical Council, hence why this scandal from 2009 is in the news, and the tired old suffix "-gate" is trotted out yet again.

It would be nice if journalists had some more originality, but it looks as if "Bloodgate" will be used in the headline of every reference to the scandal.

If you want to know more about the Watergate scandal and Nixon's America, I recommend reading Strange Days Indeed by the wonderful Francis Wheen.

Spending Challenge ideas to be taken on by Whitehall

The Treasury's Spending Challenge consultation, which allows the public to suggest ideas for tackling the deficit, is closing at the end of the month.

Ideas, many of them from public servants, are being used to help create plans to cut public spending, and at least two large government departments have been ordered to take some of the comments on board for serious study, according to the Independent.

The paper has published eighty of the ideas, which are worth a read. A number of them have not been suggested by politicians or the media, and there are some good ideas:

I work for the Pension Service, where the one thing that angers me more than anything else is the bottled water supplied throughout my department. Water costs less than 0.05p per litre out of the tap.

As a public-sector worker, working with teenage parents, I am regularly invited to conferences run by Capita. I don't attend as they charge me in the region of £300, and speakers are generally other public-sector workers who will share good practice from their area of the country. It should be shared for free.

My husband and I work in the public sector and are constantly frustrated by the fact that equipment and services have to come from a restricted list of suppliers. My husband needed to order a new cutting blade for a piece of printing equipment. From a recommended supplier it cost £120, plus £18 delivery. My husband did a Google search, and found the same thing for £25, plus £1.25 delivery. He was not allowed to order it, as the supplier was not on the list.

There are also a couple of silly ones in the list, such as the idea to force all Manchester United fans to live within ten miles of the Old Trafford ground.

Labour must review Spending Challenge proposals:

George Osbourne has attempted to shut down debate by claiming opponents of his plans do not think there is an issue with the economy, calling them "deficit deniers".

This isn't true, they just oppose the Coalition's proposals for savings.

Now is the time for Labour to look through these ideas and create a list of alternate cuts, ones that do not hit the poor so hard.

Holla back to end sexual harassment

Perverts who sexually harass women are being exposed on Holla Back Ldn, which allows posters to share information on perpetrators as well as raise awareness of this problem.

Set up two months ago, Holla Back Ldn has sister sites in several American cities and Toronto.

Rosie Swash, who has written an excellent report on Holla Back Ldn in the Guardian, comments: "As May says, while it might not be considered as serious as domestic violence or sexual assault, street harassment is on the same spectrum of violence against women.

"The fact that it is so often just accepted by people suggests women's bodies are still considered public property – an attitude the anti-street harassment movement aims to change."

Swash also highlights the London Anti-Street Harassment Campaign (LASH), which aims to educate people about street sexual harassment as well as working with local authorities, schools and the police.

Having read some of the comments on Holla Back Ldn and the LASH Add Your Name page, it is terrible how some women are being pressured into changing their appearance to attract less attention from yobbish idiots.

Also evident is how victims of street harassment are often very unhappy with the response of the police. It is a good thing that LASH are working with the Metropolitian Police to improve this.

Australian election results show hung parliament

The Australian federal election of 2010 has resulted in a hung parliament, the first since World War Two, according to TVNZ.

The Australian Labor Party has won 70 seats, while the Liberal/National Coalition has won has 72 seats. 76 are required for a majority.

Australia's ABC predicts 72 seats for Labor and 73 for the Liberal/National Coalition.

As with the British general election, talks will now begin between the parties to form a government.

And, just like with the British general election, Australia has its first Green MP, Adam Bandt.

Alison Rourke has written a good analysis of the election in the Guardian.

The Australian has a map of the results.

The filth and the fury: Harsher punishments needed for memorial desecrators

In the past couple of years, the foul act of urinating on a war memorial has gone from being an unheard-of occurrence to a regular act.

The latest person to unload her bladder and her dignity is 32-year-old Wendy Lewis, who urinated on a war memorial in Blackpool and then gave a man oral sex.

As if that wasn't unpleasant enough, Lewis arrived late for her trial, swore at a line of World War Two veterans outside the court protesting her behaviour, and absconded after fifteen minutes.

Past offenders have received light punishments, despite anger from the public and the media.

Earlier this month, Douglas Tullin was fined just £50, as well as having to pay a £15 victim surcharge and £20 towards prosecution costs, after urinating on the war memorial at Old Eldon Square, near Monument, Newcastle.

Last year, Sheffield Hallam University student Philip Laing was ordered to carry out 250 hours of community service and pay £185 costs after urinating on a war memorial.

I am surprised that none of these disgusting idiots were made to attend classes where they could be educated about the sacrifices made during the First and Second World Wars.

As well as a punitive fine, there should be a long period of community service which includes tidying graves under supervision, cleaning the streets and wiping walls. Perhaps this could also involve doing chores for World War Two veterans.

Why are people doing this in the first place? Being drunk is no excuse. Perhaps we need to consider what is happening to British society, especially the lack of respect some people have for others.

Clearly, current punishments are not enough if, as the Guardian says, Wendy Lewis' case is the fourth this year.

Lancashire Police have issued a warrant for Lewis. Major Jim Houldsworth, vice-chairman of the Fylde Ex-Service Liaison Committee, told the Blackpool Gazette: "This woman's behaviour has showed what she really is. She can't take her punishment so showed us the white flag.

"Those men sacrificed their lives for this woman's freedom, the level of disrespect is just revolting...I feel a custodial sentence would be appropriate."

The problem of memorial desecration has also occurred in the United States of America.

Barbara Ellen has another view on Wendy Lewis.

Azerbaijani bloggers' conviction upheld by supreme court

Yesterday, the Azerbaijani Supreme Court upheld the conviction of bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade.

The pair were arrested on hooliganism charges in July 2009. Hajizade was sentenced to two years in prison and Milli was sentenced to two and a half.

As well as allegations that the trial was unfair, there is a belief that the authorities wanted to punish Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade for their criticism of the government, including this spoof news conference:



During the trial, the court refused to call the alleged victims in the case, Vusal Mammadov and Babak Huseynov, and Public Prosecutor Gurban Mehbaliyev commented that the defence lawyers were trying to "politicize the case", according to News.Az.

Lawyers for the pair now plan to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

Hajizada's father, Hikmet Hajizada, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: "It is a political case...Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada are political prisoners."

Agnès Callamard, executive director of human rights organisation Article 19, says: "Milli and Hajizade are clearly in prison for exercising their right to freedom of expression...Yesterday's ruling demonstrates the lack of independence of the Azerbaijani judiciary".

Lawmaker Yasmin Qureshi MP turns lawbreaker

I really detest people who are stupid enough to use a mobile phone while driving.

Aside from their lack of control over the steering wheel if they aren't using an hands-free model, how much attention can they give to the road if they are trying to concentrate on a telephone conversation at the same time?

Leicestershire Police claim that if you are using your mobile phone while driving you are four times more likely to have a crash.

Fellow Walthamstow blogger freewheeler, author of the Crap Cycling and Walking in Waltham Forest blog, has the guts to publish the registration numbers of cars driven by people talking on mobile phones.

Now, one of Britain's lawmakers, Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi, has been convicted of using a mobile phone while driving as well as having no car insurance, according to the Manchester Evening News.

You would expect a higher standard of behaviour from a new MP, let alone a new MP who used to be a lawyer.

Quershi's solicitor said she would now have the "inconvenience" of having to use taxis and public transport.

Poor diddums. Having to get on the bus with the general public (and perhaps if the bus service was a bit better it wouldn't be such an inconvenience). And at least she can afford taxis, unlike many of her constituents.

Quershi had a previous offence of using her mobile phone while driving dating from May 25 2008 and two speeding offences, one in 2007 and another last year.

These earlier offences meant that a driving ban of six months has been applied, as well as fines of £950 for driving with no insurance and £300 for the mobile phone offence. She also had to pay £35 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

I'm a hardliner when it comes to unsafe drivers.

I'd like to see people banned from driving for eight years each time they are caught using a mobile phone, and for four years each time they are caught speeding.

They should also have to resit their theory and practical (at their own expense) before getting their licence back.

Driving a car is a privilege not a right.

I think Yasmin Qureshi got off with a very light punishment.

I would also urge the voters of Bolton South East to vote Yasmin Quershi out at the first opportunity.

The Labour Party should also reconsider whether they want her as the candidate for the next general election, otherwise the seat might turn blue or yellow.

North Korean government uses social media

The North Korean government has opened accounts on microblogging site Twitter and the video sharing site Youtube

According to Yonhap, the twitter account uriminzok translates as "our nation" in Korean.

Most of the tweets contain links to statements or interviews denouncing the United States and South Korea.

So far, the uriminzok Twitter account is followed by almost 8,000 people, but it is not following anyone itself.

The uriminzokkiri Youtube account contains over a hundred North Korean news broadcasts and propaganda videos. The account has 978 subscribers.

Yonhap also reports that North Korea is believed to have set up a unit dedicated to hacking foreign websites.

South Korea has set up a cyber defense command to deal with any hacks from North Korea.

The truth about North Korea:

If you want an alternative to the lies of the North Korean government and to the useful idiots of the UK Korean Friendship Association, read Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick.

A deserving winner of the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize, the book contains rare interviews with those who escaped from the vile regime.

You can find out more about the history of North Korea, some of which its inhabitants are unaware of, as well as the struggle to survive and lead a normal life in a country where courting often has to be done in the dark and people can be imprisoned for life for a political quip.

ISBN is 978-1-84708-141-4.

I'm one-third of the way through, and I strongly, strongly, recommend reading this book.

Coalition government bans car clamping on private land

The coalition government's policies have not always been popular with the public.

News that clamping on private land and towing cars from private land to pounds is to be banned in England and Wales, however, will be a small but significant boost.

The legislation will be part of the Freedom Bill, to be introduced in November.

Good news from the Government:

Like the proposal to end funding for fixed speed cameras, banning clamping on private land will please the motoring lobby.

Unlike ending funding for fixed speed cameras, however, I fully support the clamping and towing ban.

The lack of regulation for the industry meant that victims were being charged hundreds of pounds to recover their car.

The punishment is out of all proportion to the crime, which many people were not even aware they were committing due to poor signage.

Stories such as Hannah Bannock's, a nurse who was charged £350 for her car to be released, with another £50 charge for every hour she delayed payment, after she was clamped while visiting a patient, show how unfair the clamping and towing industry is.

In one case, according to the Fightback Forums, Hounslow residents were even clamped in their own private parking bays.

In Wembley, North West London, Haroon Zafaryab fought back against Citywatch Parking Enforcement, who were featured on Watchdog last year.

He refused to pay a £365 fine and sat in his car for 30 hours, incurring about 40 tickets amounting to £3,565 in fines. His car was eventually released after he paid £100, which he plans to challenge.

I believe this ban is the right thing to do and should be applauded.

Sadly, clamping and towing on private land will still be legal in Northern Ireland, as Slugger O'Toole points out.

Waltham Forest council announces filthy garden action

There are many good things about Walthamstow, the East London town where I live.

Excellent transport links, two museums, decent charity shops, the longest market in Europe and green spaces within a short journey.

However, in the year I have been here I have been disgusted by the amount of litter on Walthamstow's streets and in front gardens.

My road is spotted with discarded take away containers, carrier bags and beer cans. The shop on the corner leaves several bags of waste next to their bins as well as a selection of broken household goods.

This selection competes with another arrangement at the other end of the street, where objects are discarded on a random basis. Often, broken suitcases are piled up there.

The same is true for many of the front gardens, which have rubble piled up in them like barricades. One, on the corner of Lily and Ivy Road, is full of burned debris including a melted wheelie bin.

My housemate describes the filthy front gardens as "keeping down with the Joneses".

A filthy area encourages people to act in a filthy way, as they have no pride in their area.

Now, Waltham Forest Council claims it will take action against people with filthy front gardens, following a story in the Waltham Forest Guardian about a house in Manor Road, Leyton.

Next door neighbour Mohammed Zladdin told the newspaper: "The house has been empty for months and the front garden is full of mess. People throw nappies and all sorts into there.

“I have asked the council to clean it but nothing is being done. For months I have been reporting the rubbish. There are foxes and rats here at night, and the rubbish makes it worse. It needs to be cleaned up.

"Every time I have called the council they say they will do it or they will get back to me. They just give me excuses.

"No one has been down to have a look at it. I last contacted them three weeks ago."

Enforcement officers will patrol Waltham Forest in October, looking for untidy gardens and order landlords to clear them.

If they refuse to comply, they will be issued with a £100 fixed penalty notice. Further legal proceedings could lead to a £5000 fine, according to the Waltham Forest Guardian.

This action is welcome, but it is a shame we must wait until October for something to be done. I would also like to see the council use Empty Dwelling Management Orders, which allow councils to take over the management of homes vacant for more than six months.

One house in my road is empty, and it was burgled last year. It is obvious the house is empty and rubble is left in the front garden. Today, coming back from a trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum, I noticed one of the windows had been broke, the glass lying in the concreted-over front garden.

Tackling filthy front gardens should help to install a little bit more pride in Walthamstow residents, although we should also consider why people leave their gardens in a mess in the first place.

One reason is that many of the houses with gardens full of rubble are doing building work, and there is no space for a skip in the garden. What can be done to tackle this?

Austerity Britain, unless you're at the top

The Coalition Government requires anyone earning more than the Prime Minister working in central government to have their salary agreed by the Treasury, or, for some non-departmental public bodies, a Secretary of State.

It is a shame that a similar arrangement cannot be made for local government, which loves to pay those at the very top extravagant salaries.

Liverpool City Council will offer its new chief executive £197,500, according to the Daily Telegraph.

How can a council that has offered voluntary redundancy to staff on over £40,000 and cut third sector funding agreements justify paying one person so much public money?

Just like local government, those at the top of the further education sector are doing very nicely.

London Metropolitian University experienced a financial crisis after the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) found that university numbers were inflated.

The university has to repay £38 million in funding it was not entitled to, and Hefce imposed a spiteful £15 million cut in the university's grant, which would mainly affect students and teachers, not those responsible for inflating the figures.

550 job cuts were proposed, leading to several strikes, documented on the Save London Met Uni blog.

You would think that bonuses would be forgone, given the above.

Instead, 200 senior academics, managers and members of the university’s executive group have received performance related pay bonuses totalling one million pounds, according to a leaked internal email.

The A Thousand Cuts Blog, whose author has seen the leaked email, reminds us that a report into the crisis published in November 2009 says the executive group: "share collective and in some cases line management responsibility for the failings in relation to data quality."

Max Watson,chair of the London Met branch of Unison, told A Thousand Cuts: "London Met managers continue to live in cloud cuckoo land and award themselves bonuses worth £1m per year despite their well documented track record.

"They caused a financial crisis of £38 million, leading to 350 job cuts. They closed our last nursery at London Met, and they tried to sell off the family silver in a desperate bid to make savings. And now they want us to accept a 0.4 percent pay rise, which is in effect a cut...

"There is a myth being peddled at every level that ‘we’re all in this together’. At London Met, and elsewhere, we’re under no illusions: it’s bonuses for the senior staff, and cuts for the rest of us."

It's funny how many of those on the Right who claim there is no alternative to cutting frontline public services aren't demanding spending cuts at the very top.

Southampton librarians on strike tommorow and Monday over cuts

Librarians in Southampton will be on strike on Friday 13th August and Monday 16th August, according to the Dolphin's Blowhole blog.

No charges will be levied for hire or late fees for either day.

The strike is part of a long-running dispute over plans to replace seven librarians with volunteers and close Thornhill and Millbrook libraries.

Branch Secretary of UNISON Mike Tucker commented, "While recruiting a new senior manager on £120,000 a year, the Council is scrapping 7 front line library jobs to make the same amount of savings. Libraries need professional staff to provide a modern service to the people of Southampton."

UNISON members will picket Central, Shirley, Portswood, Woolston and Bitterne libraries from 8.30 a.m. on both days, according to UNISON active. Union members will also be visiting shopping centres with leaflets and a petition against the Council's plans.

Councillor John Hannides, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Heritage, commented: "Our proposals do not mean that our staff will lose their jobs. By taking the action we are we have managed to avoid this happening, unlike other local authorities...The alternative options would see a much diminished service in the future, which we will do all we can to avoid."

The cuts are part of a package of £8.1 million worth of savings by Southampton City Council.

An earlier one-day strike took place in late June and pickets were joined by local MP's John Denham and Alan Whitehead, as well as some Hampshire County Council librarians.

Thoughts on reforming our welfare system

Cameron's benefit fraud proposals:

Benefit fraud is wrong. Unless you're some parody of the far left, with a Che Guevara T-shirt and Fahrenheit 9/11 in your DVD player, I doubt you would defend trying to obtain money from the state by false pretences.

However, many conservative commentators use the tiny minority of welfare claimants to portray a welfare system abused on a regular basis by lazy people who don't work.

People post on forums about their neighbours who are unemployed and allegedly have a bigger TV or nicer car, often going into such detail it becomes hard to believe they have evidence for all these allegations (Some of these people are probably self-employed instead of unemployed, unless their are unemployed people who make sure their neighbours are aware of their employment status).

Benefit fraud needs to be kept in perspective. As Liberal Conspiracy's Dave Ostler mentions, only 1% of benefit is fraudulently claimed. And, out of a total of £5.2bn in misallocated benefits, only £1bn is related to fraud.

People who can work, are able to find work and refuse offers of work should be penalised. But with a lot of unwell people out there and high unemployment, that applies to very few people. Most of those sitting in the Jobcentre waiting to be called by an advisor want to work. After all, who wants to live on £63.45 a week?

Cameron, I believe, is trying to appeal to people who have never been unemployed and believe those on benefits to be feckless layabouts who drink beer all day and watch Sky Sports on widescreen televisions. Cracking down on benefit fraud is a good idea, but we are at a risk of reinforcing stereotypes.

I am also concerned at the idea that a private company will be looking through claimants' records. This commission-based examination could lead to genuine claimants being branded and benefit cheats.

Writing for the Guardian, Tony Levene highlights some concerns:

My journalistic experience with data mining and how it is used in credit applications or sending in debt collectors strongly suggests that their systems are far from reliable. If your name is Mary Davies or John Smith and you claim benefits, then watch out. The more usual your moniker, the more you risk being confused with someone else of the same name...

The system works on people staying in one definable place. Moving around a lot – and many claimants have to do this – automatically creates negative credit-rating marks. Sometimes people are deemed not to exist (and therefore likely cheats) because the Post Office changed their postcodes and the rating agency failed to update them.

Information can be correct but is often incomplete. Two years ago, I sent £2 to each of the three agencies to see what information they held on me. Each one was different – none was complete. The reference agencies already hold amazing power over our everyday lives, splitting the population into rating-haves and rating-havenots.

If you spend all your life without credit – that's still not a crime – then you won't have a rating. And no rating is not just zero, it's a huge minus. There is also a race element to this. Asian areas typically get poor ratings because their culture eschews credit. Even a £10-a-month mobile phone contract depends on a positive rating...

Access to your information is limited to that £2 search. You won't know what the information is used for, or any underlying assumptions on which it is based. Two pounds might not seem much to some; to those on benefits, it can mean a lot.

The Information Commissioner is concerned about privacy implications and has requested a meeting with the Welfare Minister. I hope he reads Tony Levene's article before he does so.

Other ways to reduce the welfare bill:

As well as reducing benefit fraud (without dogwhistle politics and rabid newspaper headlines) more needs to be done to encourage people off benefits.

If you want to get people off benefits, you need to provide as much help as possible, which will also make it much easier to find out who doesn't want to work.

At the moment, jobseekers are not encouraged to volunteer. They are able to volunteer for up to four days a week (the limit is not sixteen hours any more), but it is not suggested by jobcentre workers on a regular basis to people who have never considered volunteering.

Volunteering can change the life of a jobseeker. Instead of spending weekdays sitting at home applying for jobs and going to job interviews, jobseekers can gain useful skills, grow in confidence and network.

Conservative (small c) commentators are often inclined towards the unemployed picking up litter, removing the stones from horses' hooves or other unpleasant jobs. While there are jobs in these areas, this kind of volunteering will not look good on your CV and will not help in the same way that volunteering at a charity

The website do-it.org is a great place to look for volunteering roles, or contact charities directly.

The last government's Backing Young Britain mentoring program, administered by Nord Anglia, was a great help to many unemployed young people. Such a program, now cut by the Coalition, should be offered from Day 1 and compulsory from Stage 2 (after 3 months unemployed).

If jobseekers are encouraged into such programs from Day 1, rather than after three months or six months, people will not languish on the dole. And the longer you remain on the dole, the more demoralised you get.

I have no evidence for this, but I reckon that Backing Young Britain, if kept, would have paid for itself in terms of getting young people off the dole.

Another way to improve the chances of jobseekers finding work is to give people a printed list of useful jobsites and sites offering interview and CV advice as well as a list of possible interview questions.

Jobseekers should also be issued with a cardboard folder to keep their documents in on Day 1. They should be able to request a new cardboard folder every two months. If they want one at any other time, they should pay the full cost of the folder. This will help them to learn the value of being organised.

Making the dole fairer:

As well as not pushing people who can't work into work, we also need to stop punishing under-25's for not having been able to work for as many years. This is the same kind of age discrimination which allows the minimum wage to be lower for those under 21.

JSA should be the same for all people, regardless of their age. It should also be raised to reflect inflation. No doubt some people on the Right will blame the unemployed for inflation. They seem to blame them for everything else.

Two ways to cut the deficit that don't hurt the poor

Not every way to save money has to involve cutting frontline services.

The BBC reports that it costs the Metropolitan Police £310,000 a day to protect VIP's, paid for by central funding and London council tax.

Prince William's security arrangements while he trains in Anglesey will also be paid for out of central funding, at a cost of £1.4 million.

Given the dire financial situation, I would urge the Home Secretary to consider how the richest VIP's can be charged for the police protection they get.

I am not saying that the VIP's do not need police protection, nor that they should have to go private, but we need to prioritise public spending.

Another way to save money is highlighted by Tom Watson, Labour MP for West Bromwich, on the Liberal Conspiracy blog.

Many Coalition ministers, including William Hague (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) and Michael Gove (Department of Education) have not kept their promise to reduce the departmental car fleet.

Watson has estimated, based on information supplied through parliamentary questions, that getting rid of all ministerial cars could save at least £6.2 million per year.

In the comments, it is asked how foreign diplomats will feel when they are "[picked] up...in a mini cooper and ask[ed]...to pay the congestion charge."

Given that the recession is global, I would imagine foreign diplomats will be impressed. If, however, ministers are concerned that a poor impression will be made, perhaps a car or two could be spared for this purpose.

If the left wants to oppose the Coalition's cuts, it needs to propose alternative ways of saving money. The above is a start.

Address to post EDF payments to

If, like me, you get your electricity from EDF, you may have noticed that the address to post cheque payments to is unhelpfully no longer on the back of your bill.

Having contacted their customer service centre, I can reveal that the address is:

Payment Processing Centre,PO Box 61, Plymouth PL3 5YL.

While EDF aren't perfect, they are better than British Gas, who claimed I owed them over £2,000, harassed me for a month and then gave me a paltry £5 compensation when I proved I didn't owe this money.

Some more reasons why I dislike British Gas.

Restored EMD cinema could "put Walthamstow on the map"

A report commissioned by Waltham Forest Council supports the idea of re-opening the EMD cinema, with the building owned by a non-profit charitable trust.

This option, the report claims, could provide a venue where various
communities in Walthamstow freely mix, as well as attract people from
outside of the borough. This would revitalise the local economy.

Created by Locum Consulting, the report considers using the cinema as a multi-use venue: "from concerts to weddings, conferences to banquets" noting that cultural provision in the borough is currently poor.

Case studies, such as the Troxy in Limehouse, are given to support this idea.

The other option given is providing a cinema next to where the Universal Kingdom of God (UCKG) plan to have their church. UCKG would pay for the development and would get a return from the rent paid by the cinema operator.

The report also lists a number of potential sources of grant funding, which would not require council funding if the first option was taken up, and confirms that a Compulsory Purchase Order would allow the council to acquire the venue at its current market value,likely to be around £1.4 million.

McGuffin Film Society spokesman Bill Hodgson told the Waltham Forest Guardian: "We are delighted that many of our arguments for saving the cinema have been so comprehensively endorsed by this report.

"Our conversations with cinema operators and other interested parties suggest that a revived cinema is not only financially viable but could be the catalyst for Walthamstow's wider regeneration.

“That is clearly what local people want and the consultants seem convinced this would be the best way forward for the area."

Read the report here.

Find out more about the EMD cinema at the McGuffin website and here.

Iranian Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani at imminent risk of execution

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, is at risk of being executed within the next few days.

The Tehran high court is currently considering a request by Tabriz prosecutor Hossain Nobacht’s demand to execute Ms Ashtiani.

Mina Ahadi from the International Committe Against Stoning says: "Despite the many protests and international concern for Ms Ashtiani the Islamic regime continues their terror against people and especially women in Iran. Putting Ms Ashtiani’s future in the hands of Saeed Mortazavi is a very bad sign. They are preparing Ms Ashtiani’s execution."

Brazilian president Lula da Silva has offered Ashtiani asylum, which the Iranian government has rejected. The Iranian media has been banned from reporting on the case.

Iran claims Ashtiani is being sentenced to death for murdering her husband, but a court document refutes this.

Support Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani by:

1- Sending her a postcard of the city you live in or are visiting this summer telling her you are thinking of her and other prisoners on death row in Tabriz prison. You can address it to:
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani
Tabriz Prison
Tabriz, Iran

2- Write letters of protest to the Islamic regime of Iran demanding Ashtiani’s release and an end to stonings and executions. Protest letters can be addressed to the below:

Head of the Judiciary
Sadeqh Larijani
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran 1316814737, Iran
Email: infoATdadiran.ir or via website: http://www.dadiran.ir/tabid/75/Default.aspx
First starred box: your given name; second starred box: your family name; third: your email address

Head of the Judiciary in East Azerbaijan Province
Malek-Ashtar Sharifi
Office of the Head of the Judiciary in Tabriz
East Azerbaijan, Iran

Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street – Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, Iran
Email: via website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English)
http://www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=letter (Persian)

Secretary General, High Council for Human Rights
Mohammad Javad Larijani
Howzeh Riassat-e Ghoveh Ghazaiyeh
Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhuri
Tehran 1316814737, Iran
Fax: +98 21 3390 4986
Email: bia.judiATyahoo.com

3- Donate to the important work of the International Committee Against Stoning, International Committee Against Executions and Iran Solidarity by making your cheque payable to ‘Count Me In – Iran’ and sending it to BM Box 6754, London WC1N 3XX, UK. You can also pay via Paypal (http://countmein-iran.com/donate.html). Please earmark your donation.

More ways to help can be found at Iran Solidarity.

You can view Ashtiani's message to the world, read out by supporters during a press conference, below:



Ashtiani's lawyer also at risk:

Ashtiani's lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaei, is in a Turkish prison after having fled Iran to evade arrest. Mostafael's wife is in prison in Iran, and he may be deported back to that country despite having applied for refugee status.

A report published by the International Committee against Executions has found that over 100 people have been stoned to death with 25 known cases currently awaiting death by stoning in Iran. View the report as a Microsoft Word document.

Durham University fundraises for scholarships for Afghan women

Regardless of your views on the war in Afghanistan, any project to improve the lives of Afghan civilians has to be welcomed.

Durham University is raising money to offer scholarships to female Kabul University students who wish to study their postgraduate degrees at England's third oldest university.

Between five and ten women will benefit from the scholarships each year, with the first Afghan students arriving for the 2010-11 academic year.

The fund is still £200,000 off its minimum target, and any donations will be very much appreciated.

Contact tim.mcinnisATdurham.ac.uk (replace AT with @) to contribute. Durham University says: "No gift is too small to be incredibly meaningful."

New Victoria Line trains are causing severe disruption

Using the Victoria Line has become the transportation version of Russian Roulette, due to problems with the newly introduced 2009 stock trains, causing severe delays in rush hour.

Transport for London has blamed computer software failures and over-sensitive door sensors, the latter being triggered by passengers leaning against the doors during rush hour.

I take the 48 or 55 bus to work, so up until today have managed to avoid the Roulette Line.

However, I went to Covent Garden on my day off, and discovered at Finsbury Park that the line had been suspended in both directions due to a "customer incident at Oxford Circus", which turned out to be a faulty train.

This meant taking the 106 to Clapton and then a packed National Express East Anglia train from Clapton to Walthamstow Central.

I don't think Transport for London (Tfl) will refund me for the extra money spent, as an alternate route due to train problems doesn't strictly count as a delay, though it should.

It would be good to know Tfl's plans to rectify the problems. Until then, I advise people to avoid the Victoria Line and find alternate routes, often easier said than done.

London Reconnections has more information on the Victoria Line disruption.

Compass launches campaign against legal loan sharking

Irresponsible lenders who target desperate people with high interest rates are being targeted in a the End Legal Loan Sharks campaign by the pressure group Compass.

Door to door loan sharks, who lend to 3 million people according to Compass, often charge £83 in interest and collection charges for every £100 borrowed.

A further million and a half more are indebted to payday lenders which have short-term loans with annual percentage rates (APR's) that often begin at 600% and can escalate to 2500% or more.

Borrowing £500 from a lender charging 177% APR would mean you would pay back £825.

Compass is calling for lending rate caps to cover all consumer credit, which are in place in Germany, France, Poland and parts of the US.

A good alternative to a loan shark is a credit union, which usually charge around 26.8% APR. Borrowing £500 from a credit union would mean you would only pay back £567.

The campaign supports credit unions, which they want to see as part of a national network, and also wants to see a People's Bank created using the Post Office.

You can sign the petition and, if you have had problems with a loan shark, you can also share your story anonymously with Compass.

The Leicester Mercury has a story on the behaviour of a pair of loan sharks, showing how dangerous many of these people are.

Loan sharks affect everyone. Research for Leeds City Council conducted in 2004 reported that interest payments to door to door moneylenders alone were costing the local economy up to £9.5 million per year, having particular effect in deprived areas.