Marty Logan

MONTREAL – Canadian leaders, not the country’s refugee system, should decide the fate of soldiers who have deserted the U.S. military to apply for asylum in their northern neighbor, according to a support group. One of those soldiers, Jeremy Hinzman, will go before Canada’s refugee board Monday for a hearing on whether he qualifies for … Continue reading “US Soldiers Seek Asylum in Canada”

MONTREAL – The withdrawal from Iraq of aid agency Doctors Without Borders will further isolate the nation at a time when it should be reestablishing links with the international community, says a doctor with vast experience in the war-torn country. The organization, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), said Thursday it was leaving the … Continue reading “Aid Agency Exit Leaves Iraq Further Isolated”

Eleven prisoners captured by the Bush administration in its “war on terrorism” have disappeared, opening a “gateway” to torture and other abuses prohibited by global law, says a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW). U.S. officials have confirmed they have six of the detainees in custody, according to the document, “Disappeared: The CIA’s Long-Term … Continue reading “Report: 11 ‘Disappeared’ in U.S. War on Terror”

Lawyers of detainees allegedly abused at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison say two recently released U.S. reports strengthen their cases that employees working for private firms that supplied translators and interrogators for the military took part in the shocking abuses. The reports, one by the U.S. Army that probed the actions of the military units directly … Continue reading “Victims’ Lawyers Laud Abu Ghraib Reports”

MONTREAL – Sarah Bardwell did not get the names of the four FBI agents and two police officers who questioned her and her roommates late on the afternoon of July 22 on the front porch of their house in Denver. "We asked them for their names and they said they wouldn’t give us their names … Continue reading “FBI Launches ‘Preemptive’ Investigations”

MONTREAL – Recent terrorism alerts in New York City have not slowed plans there to protest the Republican National Convention (RNC), which is set to officially nominate George W. Bush on Sept. 2 to run for president in November’s U.S. elections. This week alone, the myriad groups and coalitions organizing marches, days of action, conferences … Continue reading “Protesters Plan to Give RNC the Bronx Cheer”

MONTREAL – When U.S. Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge stood in Washington last Sunday to warn that some of the country’s largest banks were being targeted by al-Qaeda terrorists, the mass media splashed the news on front pages and television screens – despite recent well-known intelligence failures in the "war on terrorism." And then it … Continue reading “Won’t Get Fooled Again?”

MONTREAL – The failure of the UK/U.S.-led coalition to implant democracy in Iraq has prompted deep soul-searching in the British civil service and opened the door for progressive organizations to influence its policy, says one long-time activist. Whereas three years ago groups proposing alternatives to peace and security issues "couldn’t get inside the door at … Continue reading “UK Activist Sees Opening in Iraq Failure”

MONTREAL – Another government has seized the opportunity presented by Washington’s “war on terrorism” to justify violating the human rights of its citizens, says a report released Wednesday by Amnesty International (AI). China has detained tens of thousands of people in the northwest Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacks … Continue reading “China Uses ‘War on Terror’ to Justify Rights Violations”

MONTREAL – One week from now, seven days before voters take part in one of the closest elections in recent Canadian history, a window will open onto a crime that appalled and captivated people throughout this country and worldwide. But until the inquiry starts June 21 into the case of Maher Arar – a Canadian … Continue reading “Torture and Terror Influence Canadian Election”