The Free

Sweden says extraditing innocent Kurds to Turkey impossible – could become an Accessory to Genocide in Afrin.

from thefreeonline on 14th Jan 2023 partly by Banned in the West

Türkiye is demanding too much, despite multiple concessions, Stockholm says

Sweden’s Supreme Court blocked the extradition of former newspaper editor Bulent Kenes last month

Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, has complained during a security conference on Sunday that Türkiye has piled impossible demands on the country as prerequisites for joining NATO.

Türkiye “has confirmed that we have done what we said we would do, but it also says that it wants things that we can’t, that we don’t want to, give it,” he lamented. Still, he predicted Ankara would “make a decision, we just don’t know when” – with the outcome dependent both on internal Turkish politics and “Sweden’s capacity to show its seriousness.”

One of just two members yet to approve Sweden’s accession to NATO, Türkiye officially rescinded its objections in an agreement announced in June, stating at the time that it had “got what it wanted,” including “full cooperation… in the fight against” terrorism, from both Sweden and fellow applicant Finland.

Sweden’s objections have centered on false claims of its support for the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), a group banned in Türkiye, accused as a “terrorist” organization for resisting attempted genocide. Erdogan has accused anyone he doesn’t like, thousands, of being a ´”PKK terrorist”.

However, just days after Sweden’s Supreme Court blocked the extradition of former newspaper editor Bulent Kenes last month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu scolded Stockholm for what he described as the lack of a “concrete development regarding the extradition of terrorism-related criminals and the freezing of their assets.”

The diplomat specifically referred to the Kenes case.

In denying Kenes’ extradition, the court argued that some of the journalist’s alleged crimes were not punishable by law in Sweden and suggested he would be subjected to political persecution if sent home.

Kenes received political asylum in Sweden in 2016 following the failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ankara has accused him of having foreknowledge of the coup attempt and being a member of a terrorist organization.

Swedes have urged their government to stand firm on judicial independence even if it means delaying joining NATO. A poll conducted earlier this month found 79% of respondents wanted Stockholm to “stand up for Swedish laws” in the face of Turkish demands, while just 10% suggested that the country should prioritize joining the bloc as soon as possible.

Sweden’s troubles could delay the accession of its fellow applicant as well, as Finland doesn’t want to move forward in ditching its longstanding neutrality without its neighbor.

“Finland is not in such a rush to join NATO that we can’t wait until Sweden gets the green light,” Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told reporters on Sunday.

Sweden complains NATO member is asking for the impossible

*********************

Note by thefreeonline 14th Jan 2023

Extraditing Kurdish refugees to Turkey could make Sweden an Accessory to Genocide

Finland has stated it will follow suit if/when Sweden agrees to extradite Kurds fleeing Turkish persecution.

In that case both could be accused of supporting the jailing of thousands of Turkish Kurds on flimsy racist political charges. Not only that, the rest of the world would see them as insane warmongers for pandering to the suicidal US drive to place nuclear missiles and bombers along 100’s of kms of Russia’s Finnish border, some just minutes flying time from Moscow.

A replay in reverse of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Even worse, Sweden could then be accused forever as an Accessory to Genocide .

For example Erdogan’s 2019 ongoing invasion of Afrin “specifically targets the Kurdish population amid ongoing massacres, pillage, rape and dispossession campaigns, exiling 75% of the population, and settling his jihadi mercenary gangs in the ethnically cleansed canton”.

This sounds very like the definition of genocide to me.

And the invasion includes a ‘Turkification program’, Turkifying the language, police, laws, education, money etc. and outlawing Kurdish customs, language and heritage after the ethnic cleansing.

The above example of one of the continuing Turkish crimes against Kurds is arguably WORSE than the Russian invasion Rus of Ukraine, which is the pretext in the first place for joining NATO and the expansion to the Russian frontier.

However, in contrast to the warlike hysteria over Putin’s invasion of Ukraine to protect ethnic Russians NOT ONE WESTERN STATE has yet made any sanctions for the continuing ‘Rape of Afrin’, due to the US desire to placate Turkish NATO imperialism, on the contrary.

Support filmmaker on trial for a “seditious ” LIKE – Accuser backs down in Case of jailed Russian Anti-War Activist Vsevolod Korolev

from thefreeonline on 14 January 2023. at The Russian Reader by Politzek-Info (Telegram), Translated by Hecksinductionhour

News and views from (the) other Russia

An unexpected twist in the Vsevolod Korolev case

On January 12, Peterburg’s Vyborg District Court held a hearing on the merits of the criminal case against Petersburg documentary filmmaker Vsevolod Korolev.

At today’s hearing, the complainant and prosecution witness Mikhail Baranov was cross-examined. It was Baranov who had requested that law enforcement agencies file criminal charges against Korolev.

Vsevolod Korolev was initiated on July 11, 2022// Всеволода Королёва было возбуждено 11 июля 2022

Baranov unexpectedly changed his initial testimony, telling the court that he considered the posts by the accused “an expression of free speech,” and that he himself had “liked” Korolev’s posts to give them more publicity.

Keenan Anderson‘Tased to Death’ by Los Angeles Police – Was a teacher and cousin of Black Lives Matter founder

Keenan Anderson, 31, was a high school teacher and father- ‘‘He needed help and was killed” says Patrisse Cullors. Police were seen repeatedly using a stun gun on him after a traffic accident

from thefreeonline on 14th Jan 2023 at Stigmatis by Sam Levin in Los Angeles |

A cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors was killed by Los Angeles police after he got in a traffic accident and officers who showed up repeatedly Tased and restrained him in the middle of the street, according to body-camera footage and his family’s account.

Footage from the 3 January encounter released on Wednesday showed that Keenan Anderson, a 31-year-old high school teacher and father, was begging for help as multiple officers held him down, and at one point said, “They’re trying to George Floyd me.”

Photo: Courtesy of Patrisse Cullors

One officer had his elbow on Anderson’s neck while he was lying down before another Tased him for roughly 30 seconds straight before pausing and Tasing him again for five more seconds.

“My cousin was asking for help, and he didn’t receive it. He was killed,” Cullors told the Guardian after watching the LAPD footage. “Nobody deserves to die in fear, panicking and scared for their life.

My cousin was scared for his life. He spent the last 10 years witnessing a movement challenging the killing of Black people. He knew what was at stake and he was trying to protect himself. Nobody was willing to protect him.”

An officer who first arrived to the car collision at around 3.30pm at Venice and Lincoln boulevards found Anderson in the middle of the road, saying, “Please help me.” The officer told him to go on the sidewalk, and issued commands, saying, “Get up against the wall.” Anderson held his hands up, responding, “I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.”

Anderson complied with the officer’s commands and sat down on the sidewalk. After a few minutes, he appeared to be concerned with the officer’s behavior, saying, “I want people to see me,” and “You’re putting a thing on me.”

Germany, France demand NATO nations’ former African colonies join anti-Russian front

AFRICOM Military’s Exercise: The Art of Creating New Pretexts for Propagating U.S. Interests

Anti-bellum

Every nation on and off the coast of the African continent has been a possession of a NATO member state except for Liberia – officially. RR

Deutsche Welle
January 13, 2023

German, French ministers want African solidarity with Europe
The top envoys said they wanted African countries to be part of a more unified front against Russia

The German and French foreign ministers wrapped up a two-day visit to Ethiopia on Friday, calling for cooperation between Europe and African countries to respond to world crises, including the war in Ukraine.

Speaking at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said they wanted Africa to show solidarity with Europe against Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“In these times, when our peaceful order in Europe has been attacked by the Russian war of aggression, we, as Europeans, need the support of our friends and partners worldwide,” Baerbock…

View original post 57 more words

Mage -Japan’s Island destroyed illegally for another US air base – Beyond the Reach of the Law

Mage ( Mageshima)– Japan’s Island Beyond the Reach of the Law by Gavan McCormack

Mage is one such. Mage (literally: Horsehair) island sits well north of the line that separates Kagoshima from Okinawa prefecture.

It is not Okinawa but is worthy of attention because it shows the same general trends as does Okinawa – of “remote island” blues (especially depopulation), dependence on whims of the central government, and the insidious workings of a military base mentality (even though not one soldier has yet set foot on it).

Flora of Kagoshima islands, as Mage was before speculation.

Recent events in Mage make for a remarkable story, suggestive of bureaucratic irresponsibility, corruption, and environmental abuse on a grand scale.

While a great deal of attention focuses on the chain of islands dividing the East China Sea from the Pacific Ocean between Japan’s Kyushu and Taiwan, it tends to focus heavily on those that are part of Okinawa prefecture and to neglect those in the northern part of he chain that are close to Kyushu and administratively part of Kagoshima rather than Okinawa prefecture.

Furthermore, as in the islands of the Okinawa group, Mage and its adjacent Kagoshima Prefecture islands bear witness now to the gradual awakening of levels of civic responsibility and engagement till recently unimaginable.

Compared to Okinawa’s Henoko and Takae, the Mage struggle is at an early stage and remains little known nationally and scarcely at all internationally, but it shares much of the same character.

Giant Asian Mantis in Kagoshima Prefecture

Mage Island, now a couple of hours by a fast boat (ca. 115 kms) south of the city of Kagoshima, is located about 12 kilometres west of Tanegashima, the island in the East China Sea where in the 16th century Francis Xavier is said to have first landed in Japan, and about 40 kilometres north of the World Heritage island of Yakushima.

With a circumference of 16 kms and an area of just over 8 square kms, washed by the “warm current” (kuroshio) and enjoying sufficient rainfall to feed no less than 16 rivers, its tiny space is (or perhaps was) home to an astonishing biodiversity on both sea and land, from nesting turtles and giant hermit crabs to several species of killifish (medaka), and over 400 of birds including the ruddy kingfisher and the skylark, and known in particular for its own sub-species of deer, the “Mage deer.”

Mage was only sporadically populated by groups of fishermen till modern times. The researcher who probably knows the island best, having visited it with his students each year between 1987 and 2000, after which access was closed, describes it as a “Treasure island” of life.¹
Mage Island (in red), In the Satsunan Islands just south of Kagoshima.

The vicissitudes that the island has undergone in the post-1945 era make it a window into the failures of regional development policies.

From 1951 settlement (or land-clearing, kaitaku) was officially encouraged, both as an outlet for rising population and as a source for food production, and Mage came to support 528 people (113 families), with a primary and junior secondary school, who made a living out of cultivation of rice and sugar cane, fishing, and collecting herbs and sea grasses.

Especially in season, the adjacent seas “boiled” with the eggs of teeming schools of flying fish.

²In the 1960s, however, the state reversed its policy, cutting back especially on rice production and reversing its earlier encouragement to agriculture.

In the 1970s, investors, strictly speaking speculators, gradually bought up the land and the residents abandoned the island, the local school closing in 1980, and successive blueprints for profitable development were imagined, adopted, and in due course abandoned:

as a tourist development site (“Mage Island Marine Leisure Land”), a Self-Defense Force radar base (1983), an oil storage site (1984), a nuclear waste storage site (ca. 1999), or as a landing site for the Japanese “Hope” space shuttle (late 1990s to ca. 2008).

Ownership (over 99 per cent) became concentrated in the Mage Island Development Company and the island was classified as unpopulated, although a small group of company staff continued to be based there.

Gagnep. First confirmed iNat observation on June 09, 2020 in Kagoshima, JP

Since about 2007, however, it has been closed off to researchers, journalists, the public, and even, astonishingly, to officials of Kagoshima prefecture or Nishinoomote City in which it is located who want to investigate apparent infractions of laws and regulations.

The company took the view that prefectural and city authorities were simply being antagonistic to a project designed to benefit the nation and the local region alike.³

For the time being, it remains a law unto itself. Not only is Mage in one sense a “treasure island,” it is also a “mystery island.”

In the early 21st century, it seemed that the speculative investment might be about to pay off. After the scrapping of successive blueprints based on agriculture and fisheries, tourism, heavy industry, and the nuclear and space industries, the military path seemed to offer the best prospect.

Clown triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum, Kagoshima Prefecture

The Department of Defense was identified as the best potential customer to buy (or lease) the land. With that prospect in mind, Taston Airport (which in 1995 took over from Mage Island Development Company) began clearing the pristine landscape and during the first decade of the 21st century constructed two runways, 4,200 metres south-north and 2,400 metres east-west.

from thefreeonline on January 12,2023 via The Asia-Pacific Journal by Gavan McCormack, and Sputnik Spanish and Wikipedia

Japan today undertook the construction of a military base on Mage, (Mageshima) an eight-square-kilometre island with population removed, located in the Kagoshima prefecture, south of the Japanese archipelago, the Kyodo agency reported, citing the Defense Ministry.

The works in Mage will last four years and in the first phase tracks and ammunition depots for the Self-Defense Forces will be built, according to an environmental assessment report.

The project will allow American combat aircraft to train in this area. Currently, they are conducting takeoff and landing exercises on the island of Iwoto, some 1,400 kilometers from the Iwakuni base where they are based. Mage is much closer, 400 kilometers south of this airfield.

Ryukyu or Amami rabbit, is a dark-furred rabbit which is only found in Kagoshima Prefecture

Cabinet spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said the new base will be “indispensable” for US aircraft carriers to consistently operate in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Given the more severe and complicated security environment of the post-war era, the government will build this facility and start operating it soon,” he said.

According to Kyodo, the Ministry of Defense has offered 2.2 billion yen ($17 million) in compensation to local fishermen who will not be able to fish in Mage for four years of works and in the following year, which will be an evaluation.

****************

Mage – Japan’s Island Beyond the Reach of the Law　　馬毛−−法律の及ぶ範囲外の島 Gavan McCormack

February 20, 2012. slightly updated. Volume 10 | Issue 8 | Number 3 Article ID 3694

from thefreeonline at The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus by Gavan McCormack and Wikipedia

Mage ( Mageshima)– Japan’s Island Beyond the Reach of the Law by Gavan McCormack

Mage is one such. Mage (literally: Horsehair) island sits well north of the line that separates Kagoshima from Okinawa prefecture.

Flora of Kagoshima islands, as Mage was before speculation.

Recent events in Mage make for a remarkable story, suggestive of bureaucratic irresponsibility, corruption, and environmental abuse on a grand scale.

Compared to Okinawa’s Henoko and Takae, the Mage struggle is at an early stage and remains little known nationally and scarcely at all internationally, but it shares much of the same character.

Giant Asian Mantis in Kagoshima Prefecture

With a circumference of 16 kms and an area of just over 8 square kms, washed by the “warm current” (kuroshio) and enjoying sufficient rainfall to feed no less than 16 rivers, its tiny space is (or perhaps was) home to an astonishing biodiversity on both sea and land, from nesting turtles and giant hermit crabs to several species of killifish (medaka), and over 400 of birds including the ruddy kingfisher and the skylark, and known in particular for its own sub-species of deer, the “Mage deer.”

The vicissitudes that the island has undergone in the post-1945 era make it a window into the failures of regional development policies.

Especially in season, the adjacent seas “boiled” with the eggs of teeming schools of flying fish.

²In the 1960s, however, the state reversed its policy, cutting back especially on rice production and reversing its earlier encouragement to agriculture.

as a tourist development site (“Mage Island Marine Leisure Land”), a Self-Defense Force radar base (1983), an oil storage site (1984), a nuclear waste storage site (ca. 1999), or as a landing site for the Japanese “Hope” space shuttle (late 1990s to ca. 2008).

Gagnep. First confirmed iNat observation on June 09, 2020 in Kagoshima, JP

The company took the view that prefectural and city authorities were simply being antagonistic to a project designed to benefit the nation and the local region alike.³

For the time being, it remains a law unto itself. Not only is Mage in one sense a “treasure island,” it is also a “mystery island.”

Clown triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum, Kagoshima Prefecture

Insect Loss Stunting Fruit and Vegetable Production, Leading to More Than 400,000 Early Deaths a Year

from thefeeonline on 13th Jan 2023 at Yale School of the Environment

The global decline of bees and other pollinators is stunting yields of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Scientists estimate that the loss of these nutritious foods is leading to 427,000 early deaths a year.

“This study shows that doing too little to help pollinators does not just harm nature, but human health as well,” Matthew Smith, a researcher at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and lead author of the study, said in a statement.

Pollen and Heat: A Looming Challenge for Global Agricultur

Rising temperatures, widespread use of pesticides, and habitat loss are fueling a downturn in the population of insects, with has dropped by nearly half in some parts of the world. Insects pollinate around three-fourths of crops, scientists said, and their decline has hurt the growth of key foods.

For the study, researchers gathered data from hundreds of experimental farms in Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America, finding that in 2020, growers produced 3 to 5 percent less fruits, vegetables, and nuts than they would have in a world with thriving insect populations. In lower-income countries, the impact was severe, with the loss of pollinators stunting agricultural incomes by an estimated 10 to 30 percent.

WATER After Comeback, Southern Iraq’s Marshes Are Now Drying Up By Wil Crisp

Researchers also modeled how the drop production is impacting public health, finding that declining consumption of fruits and vegetables is limiting the intake of needed nutrients and giving rise to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers. Globally, the loss of pollinators is leading to an additional 427,000 deaths yearly. The effect is most pronounced in middle-income countries, such as China and Russia. The findings were published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

“Globally, we consume too much of the wind-pollinated crops — wheat, rice, corn, barley — which are rich in carbs but relatively low in nutrients, leading to an epidemic of obesity and diabetes around the world,” University of Sussex researcher David Goulson, who was not affiliated with the study, told The Guardian. “We do not eat enough fruit and veg, most of which requires insects for pollination.”

Goulson added, “The most concerning aspect of this study is that, since insect populations are continuing to decline, this lost crop yield is going to get worse into the future, while the human population is going to continue growing to at least 10 billion.”