February, 22 2021, 11:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Email:,info(at)fwwatch(dot)org,Seth Gladstone -,sgladstone@fwwatch.org
Vilsack's Confirmation to USDA Is a Warning Sign for Family Farmers and Food, Worker Safety
Statement of Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch
WASHINGTON
Tom Vilsack will be confirmed as Agriculture secretary by the U.S. Senate this afternoon. In anticipation, Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter has issued the following statement:
"We can confidently predict what Tom Vilsack's leadership of the Agriculture Department will look like, because he's led it before. And the prediction is grim. In his previous stint at USDA, Vilsack backed mass corporate consolidation of our food system at the expense of struggling family farmers. Similarly, he readily advanced industry-driven initiatives allowing companies to inspect their own poultry processing plants, dismantling federal oversight of food and worker safety.
"This administration needs to drastically shift course from the Trump era by supporting sustainable, independent farming, halting the toxic expansion of polluting factory farms, and ultimately prioritizing consumer health and worker safety. We have little hope that Tom Vilsack cares to undertake this effort, so we will be pressuring him doggedly to see the light."
Food & Water Watch mobilizes regular people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time. We work to protect people's health, communities, and democracy from the growing destructive power of the most powerful economic interests.
(202) 683-2500LATEST NEWS
'Finally a Glimmer of Hope': UK Court Rules Assange Can Appeal Extradition
"The High Court's decision is a rare piece of positive news for Julian Assange and all defenders of press freedom," one Amnesty expert said.
May 20, 2024
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may appeal an extradition order to the U.S., the U.K. High Court ruled on Monday.
The 52-year-old Assange faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse due to WikiLeaks' publication of classified U.S. documents nearly 15 years ago. He has spent the last five years fighting extradition in London's high-security Belmarsh Prison.
"The High Court's decision is a rare piece of positive news for Julian Assange and all defenders of press freedom," Amnesty International legal adviser Simon Crowther said in response to the decision. "The High Court has rightly concluded that—if extradited to the USA, Assange will be at risk of serious abuse, including prolonged solitary confinement, which would violate the prohibition on torture or other ill-treatment."
"If the Biden administration cares about press freedom, it must drop the Assange case immediately."
The charges against Assange stem from WikiLeaks publications that revealed U.S. and U.K. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. prosecutors argue that Assange persuaded and facilitated U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in stealing classified documents that contained proof of these crimes, while Assange's lawyers maintain that he acted as a journalist and should be protected as one.
"Under the legal theory the government relies on in the indictment, any journalist could be convicted of violating the Espionage Act for obtaining or receiving national defense information from a source, communicating with a source to encourage them to provide national defense information, or publishing national defense information—acts journalists engage in every day," the Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) warned in a statement.
In March, the U.K.'s High Court delayed Assange's extradition until the Biden administration could provide certain assurances, including that Assange would have protection under the First Amendment and that he would not face the death penalty. The court gave the administration three weeks to respond, and set a May 20 hearing date to determine if the assurances were sufficient or if Asange could appeal his extradition.
During Monday's hearing, Assange's lawyers argued that the administration's assurances were "blatantly inadequate," according toThe Associated Press.
While Assange's legal team accepted the assurance that the U.S. would not seek the death penalty as an "unambiguous executive promise," they did did not accept the U.S. response to whether or not Assange would be granted the same First Amendment rights as a U.S. citizen.
As The Guardian reported:
Edward Fitzgerald KC, representing Assange, said problems surrounding the assurances by the U.S. were "multifold" and they did not rule out the possibility of a U.S. court ruling that the WikiLeaks founder, as a foreigner, was not entitled to First Amendment rights.
The assurance was not that Assange could "rely" on First Amendment rights but "merely that he can seek to raise" them, Fitzgerald said.
In response to these arguments, High Court Judges Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson determined that Assange could appeal his extradition.
WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson said the ruling was "finally a glimmer of hope" for Assange.
The WikiLeaks founder's wife, Stella Assange, said the U.S. had put "lipstick on a pig—but the judges did not buy it," according to AP.
"As a family we are relieved but how long can this go on?" she asked. "This case is shameful and it is taking an enormous toll on Julian."
FPF deputy director of advocacy Caitlin Vogus said the group welcomed the decision and urged the court to deny the extradition request.
"But better yet, the Biden administration can and should end this case now," Vogus continued.
"If [U.S. President Joe] Biden continues to pursue the Assange prosecution, he risks creating a precedent that could be used against any reporter who exposes government secrets, even if they reveal official crimes," Vogus added. "If the Biden administration cares about press freedom, it must drop the Assange case immediately."
Amnesty's Crowther agreed: "The USA's ongoing attempt to prosecute Assange puts media freedom at risk worldwide. It ridicules the USA's obligations under international law, and their stated commitment to freedom of expression. In trying to imprison him, the U.S. is sending the unambiguous message that they have no respect for freedom of expression, and that they wish to send a warning to journalists and publishers everywhere: that they too could be targeted, for receiving and publishing classified material—even if doing so is in the public interest."
"As the fight continues in the U.K. courts, we call on the USA to finally put an end to this shameful saga, by dropping all the charges against Assange," Crowther continued. "This would bring the process in the U.K. to an immediate halt, and Julian Assange will be freed. Assange has already spent five years in prison in the U.K., much of which has been arbitrary."
Assange, whose has suffered from health problems, has been confined in one form or another since 2010. For nearly seven years before 2019, he sheltered in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Iranian President, Foreign Minister Among Officials Found Dead After Helicopter Crash
As temporary successors were named following the presumed accident, international condolences poured in from around the world.
May 20, 2024
Iran's state media confirmed on Monday that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were among the officials found dead after a helicopter crash in a foggy, mountainous region near the nation's northwest border with Azerbaijan.
The crash killed everyone on board, including East Azerbaijan province Gov. Malek Rahmati; Ayatollah Al-Hashemi, a representative of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; and Mehdi Mousavi, the head of Raisi's protection team, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. They "were returning from an event on the border with Azerbaijan to inaugurate a dam project on Sunday."
The supreme leader declared five days of national mourning and praised the conservative late president, saying that "the entire tenure of Ebrahim Raisi, whether during his short presidency or before that, was spent in tireless service to the people, the country, and Islam."
Khamenei also announced that Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will take over as president until elections are held within 50 days. IRNAreported that Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, a nuclear negotiator, will serve as acting foreign minister.
The crash comes just weeks after Iran and Israel exchanged attacks during an ongoing U.S.-backed Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip—both of which have elevated concerns about a broader war.
As The Associated Pressreported Monday:
Aircraft in Iran face a shortage of parts, often flying without safety checks against the backdrop of Western sanctions. Because of that, former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sought to blame the United States for the crash in an interview Monday.
"One of the main culprits of yesterday's tragedy is the United States, which... embargoed the sale of aircraft and aviation parts to Iran and does not allow the people of Iran to enjoy good aviation facilities," Zarif said. "These will be recorded in the list of U.S. crimes against the Iranian people."
Asked about the ex-minister's remarks on Democracy Now! Monday, Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said that "this is obviously a line that many in the government will take in Iran and point to the sanctions."
"But I think there's also another message that comes with this, which is that they're really pointing to this being an accident and this is an effort for them to put to rest any speculation that perhaps there was some foul play, whether it was internal players or external players," he added. "At this moment, for instance, they will be adamant about denying that Israel had anything to do with this, despite the fact that under normal circumstances, they would be rather quick to blame the Israelis."
Citing unnamed government officials, the Israeli Channel 13 reported Sunday that "the message Israel is sending to the countries of the world is that Tel Aviv has nothing to do with the incident."
In a statement to Reuters, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said that "we are closely following reports of a possible hard landing of a helicopter in Iran carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister."
The agency pointed out that the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters aboard Air Force One that U.S. President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation but "she did not elaborate."
International condolences mounted on Monday. IRNAhighlighted messages from Afghan, Chinese, Iraqi, Egyptian, Emirati, Jordanian, Lebanese, Malaysian, Palestinian, Pakistani, Philippine, Qatari, Saudi, Syrian, Tajik, Uzbek, and Yemeni officials. There were also comments from leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European Union as well as Azerbaijan, France, Kuwait, Poland, Turkey, and Russia.
Turkey's Anadolu Agencynoted that "the Iranian Red Crescent Society announced early Monday that they had found the location of the wreckage... after it was detected by a Turkish Akinci unmanned aerial vehicle."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'Nobody Is Above the Law': ICC Prosecutor Seeks Arrest Warrants for Israel, Hamas Leaders
Karim Khan, chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, accuses Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of numerous crimes including "starvation as a method of war" and "deliberately targeting civilians."
May 20, 2024
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Monday announced he has "formally applied" for arrest warrants for the top political and military leaders of Hamas as well as the Israeli government on "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity" charges related to the October 7 attack by Palestinian militants and the brutal assault on the people of Gaza that Israel unleashed in response.
In a world exclusive carried by CNN, the ICC's chief prosecutor Karim Khan told correspondent Christiana Amanpour that arrest warrants are being sought for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for their role "in the crimes of causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war, including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, [and] deliberately targeting civilians in conflict."
"Nobody is above the law," said Khan.
Khan and his team also announced the charges formally in a statement as well as a video address.
Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC:
Based on the evidence collected and examined by my Office, I have reasonable grounds to believe that Benjamin NETANYAHU, the Prime Minister of Israel, and Yoav GALLANT, the Minister of Defence of Israel, bear criminal… pic.twitter.com/0FpcRtv8ED
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) May 20, 2024
"Israel, like all States, has a right to take action to defend its population," said Khan in his statement. "That right, however, does not absolve Israel or any State of its obligation to comply with international humanitarian law. Notwithstanding any military goals they may have, the means Israel chose to achieve them in Gaza—namely, intentionally causing death, starvation, great suffering, and serious injury to body or health of the civilian population—are criminal."
In Khan's application, the official "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity" alleged—based on "evidence collected and examined" by his office—include:
- Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare as a war crime contrary to article 8(2)(b)(xxv) of the Statute;
- Wilfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health contrary to article 8(2)(a)(iii), or cruel treatment as a war crime contrary to article 8(2)(c)(i);
- Wilful killing contrary to article 8(2)(a)(i), or Murder as a war crime contrary to article 8(2)(c)(i);
- Intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population as a war crime contrary to articles 8(2)(b)(i), or 8(2)(e)(i);
- Extermination and/or murder contrary to articles 7(1)(b) and 7(1)(a), including in the context of deaths caused by starvation, as a crime against humanity;
- Persecution as a crime against humanity contrary to article 7(1)(h);
- Other inhumane acts as crimes against humanity contrary to article 7(1)(k).
"There's no spinning this one: Israel's President and Minister of Defense are formally accused at the ICC of 'exterminating' Palestinians in the course of a starvation campaign," said Alonso Gurmendi, a lecturer on international relations at Kings College, London, in response to the announcement.
Beatrice Fihn, former head of the Nobel Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolition Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and an expert on international law, called the development "absolutely massive."
"The Prime Minister of Israel is a war criminal," Fihn said on social media, "and the impact of this will be very significant for all western countries that sell weapons to Israel."
In addition to the Israeli officials, Khan also announced arrest warrant applications for three Palestinian leaders: Yahya Sinwar, head of the Islamic Resistance Movement ("Hamas") in the Gaza Strip), Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (also known Deif), Commander-in-Chief of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military arm), and Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas' Political Bureau based in Doha, Qatar.
Also based on "evidence collected," Khan's specific charges against the Hamas officials include:
- Extermination as a crime against humanity, contrary to article 7(1)(b) of the Rome Statute;
- Murder as a crime against humanity, contrary to article 7(1)(a), and as a war crime, contrary to article 8(2)(c)(i);
- Taking hostages as a war crime, contrary to article 8(2)(c)(iii);
- Rape and other acts of sexual violence as crimes against humanity, contrary to article 7(1)(g), and also as war crimes pursuant to article 8(2)(e)(vi) in the context of captivity;
- Torture as a crime against humanity, contrary to article 7(1)(f), and also as a war crime, contrary to article 8(2)(c)(i), in the context of captivity;
- Other inhumane acts as a crime against humanity, contrary to article 7(l)(k), in the context of captivity;
- Cruel treatment as a war crime contrary to article 8(2)(c)(i), in the context of captivity; and
- Outrages upon personal dignity as a war crime, contrary to article 8(2)(c)(ii), in the context of captivity.
Khan alleged in his statement that Sinwar, Deif, and Haniyeh are each "criminally responsible for the killing of hundreds of Israeli civilians in attacks perpetrated by Hamas (in particular its military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades) and other armed groups on 7 October 2023 and the taking of at least 245 hostages."
Watch Amanpour's interview with Khan:
World exclusive: In major breaking news, International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor @KarimKhanQC tells me @IntlCrimCourt is seeking arrest warrants for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others on charges of war crimes and crimes against… pic.twitter.com/WOeWeGmy0o
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) May 20, 2024
Khan emphasized that the charges against both Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the case were based on documented evidence and that the charges simply follow on the mandates set by international law and legal standards that must be administered equally, regardless of the identity of the alleged perpetrator.
"Let us today be clear on one core issue: if we do not demonstrate our willingness to apply the law equally, if it is seen as being applied selectively, we will be creating the conditions for its collapse," Khan said. "In doing so, we will be loosening the remaining bonds that hold us together, the stabilizing connections between all communities and individuals, the safety net to which all victims look in times of suffering. This is the true risk we face in this moment."
"Now, more than ever," he continued, "we must collectively demonstrate that international humanitarian law, the foundational baseline for human conduct during conflict, applies to all individuals and applies equally across the situations addressed by my Office and the Court. This is how we will prove, tangibly, that the lives of all human beings have equal value."
The application for the warrants by Khan does not mean they have been issued, a determination that will be made by the panel of ICC judges who oversee such decisions for the court.
Heidi Matthews, assistant professor at Harvard Law School with a focus on the law of war, said Monday "will go down in the history of international law" because of what Khan and his team have done.
Citing the Rome Statute, Matthews explained that the Pre-Trial Chamber at the ICC "must now consider the prosecutor's evidence to assess whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have committed the alleged crimes."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular