Family of Meredith Kercher will be in court to hear outcome of appeal by US student and her former Italian boyfriend Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend will make a last attempt to persuade the court hearing their appeals that they had nothing to do with the murder of Knox’s ex-flatmate, the British student, Meredith Kercher tomorrow. Members of the victim’s family will fly into Perugia for the keenly awaited outcome, but were expected to arrive too late to hear the final pleas of Kercher’s convicted killers. Their presence, just feet away from the relatives of the two appellants, will add an extra layer of tension to a case already brimming with drama and expectation. The Kerchers’ legal representatives at the appeal have unequivocally aligned themselves with the prosecution’s case that Knox slashed the British student’s throat as she was held immobile by Knox’s then boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, and Rudy Guede, a smalltime drugs trafficker from the Ivory Coast. But the family’s lawyer, Francesco Maresca, told the Guardian: “Just as they respected the verdict at the trial, so they will respect the outcome of the appeal.” Knox attended mass on Saturday in the prison near Perugia where she has been held for almost four years since her arrest. The prison chaplain, Father Saulo Scarabattoli, said she had played the guitar during the service, as she did every weekend. “You can imagine how she is,” he said. “But Amanda evinces great strength and hope.” In June, two independent court-appointed experts dismissed as unreliable key forensic evidence against the University of Washington student and her former lover. Since then, a widespread expectation has built up in the US that their appeals will be upheld. In Italy, public opinion – once largely hostile to Knox, seen as an angel-faced killer – has become significantly more divided. One of the country’s most widely read magazines, Oggi, has campaigned to draw attention to the weaknesses in the prosecution case. And an MP for Silvio Berlusconi’s party, Rocco Girlanda, who visited her on Saturday, has become an important advocate of her cause. But what little evidence there is suggests most Italians believe Knox and Sollecito were involved in Kercher’s murder. In a viewers’ poll conducted by Sky Italia after the prosecution wound up its case, only 27% of respondents thought the couple were innocent. If that balance of sentiment is reflected among the six lay judges who will help to reach Monday’s decision, it could tell against Knox and her former boyfriend, even if the two professional judges are convinced of their innocence. The court president, Claudio Pratillo Hellman, has two votes to cast; the other full-time judge, Massimo Zanetti, one. But the lay judges also have a vote each, and can therefore decide the outcome. According to a local paper, Corriere dell’Umbria, clandestine bookmakers – betting is a state monopoly in Italy – were so uncertain of the outcome many were refusing to take bets. Those who did were offering identical odds of 2 to 1 on both a conviction and an acquittal. The shortest odds – evens – were on a reduction of the appellants’ sentences. Whether that would allow Knox and Sollecito to walk free would depend on how much was lopped off their sentences and the amount of remission they were granted. In any event, both the prosecution and defence can opt for a final appeal to the court of cassation in Rome, though it normally rules only on points of law. Knox, who arrived in Italy less than a month before the killing, was sentenced to 26 years at the trial two years ago. Sollecito, who had known Knox for just six days, was given a 25-year sentence. Their lawyers have argued Kercher was killed by Guede alone during a break-in. They have poured scorn on the prosecutors’ theory of a sex game that got out of hand and highlighted the fact that the prosecutors have failed to come up with a motive for the killing. Amanda Knox Meredith Kercher Italy Europe United States John Hooper guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Family of Meredith Kercher will be in court to hear outcome of appeal by US student and her former Italian boyfriend Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend will make a last attempt to persuade the court hearing their appeals that they had nothing to do with the murder of Knox’s ex-flatmate, the British student, Meredith Kercher tomorrow. Members of the victim’s family will fly into Perugia for the keenly awaited outcome, but were expected to arrive too late to hear the final pleas of Kercher’s convicted killers. Their presence, just feet away from the relatives of the two appellants, will add an extra layer of tension to a case already brimming with drama and expectation. The Kerchers’ legal representatives at the appeal have unequivocally aligned themselves with the prosecution’s case that Knox slashed the British student’s throat as she was held immobile by Knox’s then boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, and Rudy Guede, a smalltime drugs trafficker from the Ivory Coast. But the family’s lawyer, Francesco Maresca, told the Guardian: “Just as they respected the verdict at the trial, so they will respect the outcome of the appeal.” Knox attended mass on Saturday in the prison near Perugia where she has been held for almost four years since her arrest. The prison chaplain, Father Saulo Scarabattoli, said she had played the guitar during the service, as she did every weekend. “You can imagine how she is,” he said. “But Amanda evinces great strength and hope.” In June, two independent court-appointed experts dismissed as unreliable key forensic evidence against the University of Washington student and her former lover. Since then, a widespread expectation has built up in the US that their appeals will be upheld. In Italy, public opinion – once largely hostile to Knox, seen as an angel-faced killer – has become significantly more divided. One of the country’s most widely read magazines, Oggi, has campaigned to draw attention to the weaknesses in the prosecution case. And an MP for Silvio Berlusconi’s party, Rocco Girlanda, who visited her on Saturday, has become an important advocate of her cause. But what little evidence there is suggests most Italians believe Knox and Sollecito were involved in Kercher’s murder. In a viewers’ poll conducted by Sky Italia after the prosecution wound up its case, only 27% of respondents thought the couple were innocent. If that balance of sentiment is reflected among the six lay judges who will help to reach Monday’s decision, it could tell against Knox and her former boyfriend, even if the two professional judges are convinced of their innocence. The court president, Claudio Pratillo Hellman, has two votes to cast; the other full-time judge, Massimo Zanetti, one. But the lay judges also have a vote each, and can therefore decide the outcome. According to a local paper, Corriere dell’Umbria, clandestine bookmakers – betting is a state monopoly in Italy – were so uncertain of the outcome many were refusing to take bets. Those who did were offering identical odds of 2 to 1 on both a conviction and an acquittal. The shortest odds – evens – were on a reduction of the appellants’ sentences. Whether that would allow Knox and Sollecito to walk free would depend on how much was lopped off their sentences and the amount of remission they were granted. In any event, both the prosecution and defence can opt for a final appeal to the court of cassation in Rome, though it normally rules only on points of law. Knox, who arrived in Italy less than a month before the killing, was sentenced to 26 years at the trial two years ago. Sollecito, who had known Knox for just six days, was given a 25-year sentence. Their lawyers have argued Kercher was killed by Guede alone during a break-in. They have poured scorn on the prosecutors’ theory of a sex game that got out of hand and highlighted the fact that the prosecutors have failed to come up with a motive for the killing. Amanda Knox Meredith Kercher Italy Europe United States John Hooper guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Family of Meredith Kercher will be in court to hear outcome of appeal by US student and her former Italian boyfriend Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend will make a last attempt to persuade the court hearing their appeals that they had nothing to do with the murder of Knox’s ex-flatmate, the British student, Meredith Kercher tomorrow. Members of the victim’s family will fly into Perugia for the keenly awaited outcome, but were expected to arrive too late to hear the final pleas of Kercher’s convicted killers. Their presence, just feet away from the relatives of the two appellants, will add an extra layer of tension to a case already brimming with drama and expectation. The Kerchers’ legal representatives at the appeal have unequivocally aligned themselves with the prosecution’s case that Knox slashed the British student’s throat as she was held immobile by Knox’s then boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, and Rudy Guede, a smalltime drugs trafficker from the Ivory Coast. But the family’s lawyer, Francesco Maresca, told the Guardian: “Just as they respected the verdict at the trial, so they will respect the outcome of the appeal.” Knox attended mass on Saturday in the prison near Perugia where she has been held for almost four years since her arrest. The prison chaplain, Father Saulo Scarabattoli, said she had played the guitar during the service, as she did every weekend. “You can imagine how she is,” he said. “But Amanda evinces great strength and hope.” In June, two independent court-appointed experts dismissed as unreliable key forensic evidence against the University of Washington student and her former lover. Since then, a widespread expectation has built up in the US that their appeals will be upheld. In Italy, public opinion – once largely hostile to Knox, seen as an angel-faced killer – has become significantly more divided. One of the country’s most widely read magazines, Oggi, has campaigned to draw attention to the weaknesses in the prosecution case. And an MP for Silvio Berlusconi’s party, Rocco Girlanda, who visited her on Saturday, has become an important advocate of her cause. But what little evidence there is suggests most Italians believe Knox and Sollecito were involved in Kercher’s murder. In a viewers’ poll conducted by Sky Italia after the prosecution wound up its case, only 27% of respondents thought the couple were innocent. If that balance of sentiment is reflected among the six lay judges who will help to reach Monday’s decision, it could tell against Knox and her former boyfriend, even if the two professional judges are convinced of their innocence. The court president, Claudio Pratillo Hellman, has two votes to cast; the other full-time judge, Massimo Zanetti, one. But the lay judges also have a vote each, and can therefore decide the outcome. According to a local paper, Corriere dell’Umbria, clandestine bookmakers – betting is a state monopoly in Italy – were so uncertain of the outcome many were refusing to take bets. Those who did were offering identical odds of 2 to 1 on both a conviction and an acquittal. The shortest odds – evens – were on a reduction of the appellants’ sentences. Whether that would allow Knox and Sollecito to walk free would depend on how much was lopped off their sentences and the amount of remission they were granted. In any event, both the prosecution and defence can opt for a final appeal to the court of cassation in Rome, though it normally rules only on points of law. Knox, who arrived in Italy less than a month before the killing, was sentenced to 26 years at the trial two years ago. Sollecito, who had known Knox for just six days, was given a 25-year sentence. Their lawyers have argued Kercher was killed by Guede alone during a break-in. They have poured scorn on the prosecutors’ theory of a sex game that got out of hand and highlighted the fact that the prosecutors have failed to come up with a motive for the killing. Amanda Knox Meredith Kercher Italy Europe United States John Hooper guardian.co.uk
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Conditions for remaining residents deteriorating in city still held by Gaddafi loyalists, says doctor Residents trapped in fighting for the Libyan coastal city of Sirte have run out of basic medical supplies and are resorting to drinking contaminated water to survive as conditions deteriorate, a Libyan doctor who was in the city at the weekend said. Dr Siraj Assouri, who was travelling from Sirte to nearby Misrata, said: “The conditions have been getting worse and worse. There is no medicine for heart disease or blood pressure or baby milk or nappies. There is very little water that is drinkable. The water is contaminated with waste oil. Our forces are close to the centre but there are other areas still under the control of Gaddafi loyalists where they have been putting up a very strong fight. They still control 40% of the city.” His comments came as a ceasefire announced by the new government’s forces brought a lull in the fighting and allowed hundreds of residents of the city, whose population is normally around 100,000, to leave via queues at checkpoints. The two-day truce is expected to be followed by an all-out attack on the positions still held by pro-Gaddafi loyalists in an attempt to bring the country’s war to a final conclusion. Residents, many of them supporters of the country’s former leader, confirmed the bleak account of life inside Sirte. Some blamed continuing Nato air raids on Sirte for causing civilian casualties. “The revolutionaries camping at the frontline of Sirte have given residents two days to leave the city, which will allow for the evacuation of large numbers of civilians,” said the National Transitional Council leader, Mustafa Abdel Jalil. The truce was declared by Libya’s new transitional authority, which says it had ordered a halt in operations to allow civilians to flee before it launched a final assault. The depiction of conditions in Sirte follows a warning at the weekend by an International Red Cross team of a humanitarian crisis. The team was able to deliver body bags and war wounded kits but was not able to enter the main hospital itself on Saturday – despite negotiating a safe passage from both sides – because of fighting that flared up. According to the Red Cross, some 10,000 people have fled Sirte. “The hospital is facing a huge influx of patients, medical supplies are running out and there is a desperate need for oxygen. On top of that, the water reservoir has been damaged,” the ICRC said in a statement. The rapidly deteriorating situation follows several weeks of fighting, with anti-Gaddafi fighters now holding positions about three miles from the city centre, according to commander Mustafa al-Rubaie. Last week, the Libyan defence ministry announced that Sirte’s port, airport and military base were all under its control. Rubaie added that fighters had seized control of Sirte’s first residential district and a hotel where Gaddafi’s snipers were based. “There is heavy fighting going on in the streets of Sirte right now,” he said. “The enemy is besieged from the south, east and west but it’s still in possession of highly sophisticated weapons and a large amount of ammunition.” But Rubaie said Gaddafi forces were in control of strategic positions inside the city, including high-rise buildings where snipers are positioned, making the revolutionary forces’ advance slow and hard.”The plan is that the eastern and western forces will meet in the middle of Sirte,” Rubaie said. “When we reach this point, we will celebrate the liberation of Sirte.” Capture of the city – as well as another loyalist stronghold Bani Walid — has become an increasingly urgent priority for Libya’s new rulers who have vowed not to push ahead with plans for new interim cabinet and elections until the country is fully liberated. Concerns have been growing that slow progress against the last holdouts is contributing to increasing frustration among ordinary Libyans and the vacuum of power as different factions and individuals have jostled for influence. Libya Middle East Africa Peter Beaumont guardian.co.uk
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Conditions for remaining residents deteriorating in city still held by Gaddafi loyalists, says doctor Residents trapped in fighting for the Libyan coastal city of Sirte have run out of basic medical supplies and are resorting to drinking contaminated water to survive as conditions deteriorate, a Libyan doctor who was in the city at the weekend said. Dr Siraj Assouri, who was travelling from Sirte to nearby Misrata, said: “The conditions have been getting worse and worse. There is no medicine for heart disease or blood pressure or baby milk or nappies. There is very little water that is drinkable. The water is contaminated with waste oil. Our forces are close to the centre but there are other areas still under the control of Gaddafi loyalists where they have been putting up a very strong fight. They still control 40% of the city.” His comments came as a ceasefire announced by the new government’s forces brought a lull in the fighting and allowed hundreds of residents of the city, whose population is normally around 100,000, to leave via queues at checkpoints. The two-day truce is expected to be followed by an all-out attack on the positions still held by pro-Gaddafi loyalists in an attempt to bring the country’s war to a final conclusion. Residents, many of them supporters of the country’s former leader, confirmed the bleak account of life inside Sirte. Some blamed continuing Nato air raids on Sirte for causing civilian casualties. “The revolutionaries camping at the frontline of Sirte have given residents two days to leave the city, which will allow for the evacuation of large numbers of civilians,” said the National Transitional Council leader, Mustafa Abdel Jalil. The truce was declared by Libya’s new transitional authority, which says it had ordered a halt in operations to allow civilians to flee before it launched a final assault. The depiction of conditions in Sirte follows a warning at the weekend by an International Red Cross team of a humanitarian crisis. The team was able to deliver body bags and war wounded kits but was not able to enter the main hospital itself on Saturday – despite negotiating a safe passage from both sides – because of fighting that flared up. According to the Red Cross, some 10,000 people have fled Sirte. “The hospital is facing a huge influx of patients, medical supplies are running out and there is a desperate need for oxygen. On top of that, the water reservoir has been damaged,” the ICRC said in a statement. The rapidly deteriorating situation follows several weeks of fighting, with anti-Gaddafi fighters now holding positions about three miles from the city centre, according to commander Mustafa al-Rubaie. Last week, the Libyan defence ministry announced that Sirte’s port, airport and military base were all under its control. Rubaie added that fighters had seized control of Sirte’s first residential district and a hotel where Gaddafi’s snipers were based. “There is heavy fighting going on in the streets of Sirte right now,” he said. “The enemy is besieged from the south, east and west but it’s still in possession of highly sophisticated weapons and a large amount of ammunition.” But Rubaie said Gaddafi forces were in control of strategic positions inside the city, including high-rise buildings where snipers are positioned, making the revolutionary forces’ advance slow and hard.”The plan is that the eastern and western forces will meet in the middle of Sirte,” Rubaie said. “When we reach this point, we will celebrate the liberation of Sirte.” Capture of the city – as well as another loyalist stronghold Bani Walid — has become an increasingly urgent priority for Libya’s new rulers who have vowed not to push ahead with plans for new interim cabinet and elections until the country is fully liberated. Concerns have been growing that slow progress against the last holdouts is contributing to increasing frustration among ordinary Libyans and the vacuum of power as different factions and individuals have jostled for influence. Libya Middle East Africa Peter Beaumont guardian.co.uk
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Conditions for remaining residents deteriorating in city still held by Gaddafi loyalists, says doctor Residents trapped in fighting for the Libyan coastal city of Sirte have run out of basic medical supplies and are resorting to drinking contaminated water to survive as conditions deteriorate, a Libyan doctor who was in the city at the weekend said. Dr Siraj Assouri, who was travelling from Sirte to nearby Misrata, said: “The conditions have been getting worse and worse. There is no medicine for heart disease or blood pressure or baby milk or nappies. There is very little water that is drinkable. The water is contaminated with waste oil. Our forces are close to the centre but there are other areas still under the control of Gaddafi loyalists where they have been putting up a very strong fight. They still control 40% of the city.” His comments came as a ceasefire announced by the new government’s forces brought a lull in the fighting and allowed hundreds of residents of the city, whose population is normally around 100,000, to leave via queues at checkpoints. The two-day truce is expected to be followed by an all-out attack on the positions still held by pro-Gaddafi loyalists in an attempt to bring the country’s war to a final conclusion. Residents, many of them supporters of the country’s former leader, confirmed the bleak account of life inside Sirte. Some blamed continuing Nato air raids on Sirte for causing civilian casualties. “The revolutionaries camping at the frontline of Sirte have given residents two days to leave the city, which will allow for the evacuation of large numbers of civilians,” said the National Transitional Council leader, Mustafa Abdel Jalil. The truce was declared by Libya’s new transitional authority, which says it had ordered a halt in operations to allow civilians to flee before it launched a final assault. The depiction of conditions in Sirte follows a warning at the weekend by an International Red Cross team of a humanitarian crisis. The team was able to deliver body bags and war wounded kits but was not able to enter the main hospital itself on Saturday – despite negotiating a safe passage from both sides – because of fighting that flared up. According to the Red Cross, some 10,000 people have fled Sirte. “The hospital is facing a huge influx of patients, medical supplies are running out and there is a desperate need for oxygen. On top of that, the water reservoir has been damaged,” the ICRC said in a statement. The rapidly deteriorating situation follows several weeks of fighting, with anti-Gaddafi fighters now holding positions about three miles from the city centre, according to commander Mustafa al-Rubaie. Last week, the Libyan defence ministry announced that Sirte’s port, airport and military base were all under its control. Rubaie added that fighters had seized control of Sirte’s first residential district and a hotel where Gaddafi’s snipers were based. “There is heavy fighting going on in the streets of Sirte right now,” he said. “The enemy is besieged from the south, east and west but it’s still in possession of highly sophisticated weapons and a large amount of ammunition.” But Rubaie said Gaddafi forces were in control of strategic positions inside the city, including high-rise buildings where snipers are positioned, making the revolutionary forces’ advance slow and hard.”The plan is that the eastern and western forces will meet in the middle of Sirte,” Rubaie said. “When we reach this point, we will celebrate the liberation of Sirte.” Capture of the city – as well as another loyalist stronghold Bani Walid — has become an increasingly urgent priority for Libya’s new rulers who have vowed not to push ahead with plans for new interim cabinet and elections until the country is fully liberated. Concerns have been growing that slow progress against the last holdouts is contributing to increasing frustration among ordinary Libyans and the vacuum of power as different factions and individuals have jostled for influence. Libya Middle East Africa Peter Beaumont guardian.co.uk
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More than 700 protesters demonstrating against corporate greed, inequality and other issues, were arrested Saturday after they swarmed the Brooklyn Bridge and shut down a lane of traffic. (Oct. 1)
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More than 700 protesters demonstrating against corporate greed, inequality and other issues, were arrested Saturday after they swarmed the Brooklyn Bridge and shut down a lane of traffic. (Oct. 1)
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More than 700 protesters demonstrating against corporate greed, inequality and other issues, were arrested Saturday after they swarmed the Brooklyn Bridge and shut down a lane of traffic. (Oct. 1)
Continue reading …Dr. Nada Dhaif, and Dr. Fatima Hajji discuss the sentences and give their shocked reactions to them. These doctors, and eighteen more, were sentenced simply for providing aid to injured protesters, the rest of the charges fictitious. It should also be noted that while the U.S. State Department is “deeply disturbed” by these sentences, Bahrain is home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, and thus a key ally in the region. The U.S. has provided the tiny island nation of Bahrain nearly $100 million in aid since Barack Obama became president. Iran’s PressTV is only too happy to provide (accurate) figures on the contradiction: The Pentagon has cut deals with Bahrain in arms trade, sending dozens of American tanks, armored personnel carriers, helicopter gunships, thousands of .38 caliber pistols and millions of rounds of ammunition, from .50 caliber rounds used in sniper rifles and machine guns to bullets for handguns, some of which were undoubtedly used against protesters. In addition to all these gifts of weaponry, ammunition, and fighting vehicles, the Pentagon in coordination with the State Department oversaw Bahrain’s purchase of more than $386 million in defense items and services from 2007 to 2009, the last three years on record. From the CNN report: (CNN) — A group of 20 doctors who were detained during this year’s protests in Bahrain have been convicted of attempting to overthrow the government and hit with lengthy prison sentences, authorities and a human rights group said Thursday. Thirteen of the physicians were sentenced to 15 years in prison, two for 10 years and five for five years, said military prosecutor, Col. Yussef Rashid Flaifel. The U.S. State Department, “deeply disturbed” by the sentences, said the Bahraini government should provide fair trials, access to attorneys and judicial transparency. Deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said the United States was “concerned about trials of civilians, including medical personnel, in military courts and the fairness of those proceedings.” Charges against the doctors included possession of unlicensed weapons, inciting the overthrow of the government, provoking sectarian hatred and forceful occupation of a public building, officials said. Prosecutors have alleged that, at the height of the protests earlier this year, the accused medical personnel refused to help patients at Salmaniya Medical Complex, the main hospital in the capital city, Manama. Amnesty International called the charges “ludicrous” in their press release . “These are simply ludicrous charges against civilian professionals who were working to save lives amid very trying circumstances,” said Philip Luther, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. “It appears that the real reason for targeting these health workers was the fact that they denounced the government crackdown on protesters in interviews to international media.” “We’ve repeatedly said that Bahraini authorities should never have used military courts to prosecute ordinary civilians, including doctors, teachers and human rights activists.
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