Published

Facebook Photo Leads to Indictment of 7 Jail Guards

Originally published on September 11, 2014, at NationofChange.org

Seven York County Jail corrections officers have been indicted on drug smuggling and conspiracy charges by a grand jury. The investigation began in February when an officer in central Maine found a Facebook photo taken by an inmate inside his jail cell. The inmate allegedly sold drugs and other illicit contraband supplied by his guards.

On February 26, York County Jail inmate Chase Bellefountaine added a profile picture of himself standing inside his cell. After seeing the photo posted on Facebook, a law enforcement officer in central Maine recognized the background and notified York County Jail officials that Bellefountaine had likely smuggled a cell phone into the facility. Guards searched his cell and belongings but could not locate the cell phone.

As the investigation continued, law enforcement officials received information that Bellefountaine had been selling drugs in jail. Officer Connor Bogan reportedly smuggled marijuana and suboxone into the jail for Bellefountaine to distribute. In one incident, a corrections officer allegedly smuggled drugs into the jail and delivered them to Bellefountaine’s girlfriend, Mercedes Cullicutt, who was visiting. Bellefountaine, Cullicutt, and former inmate Gregory Morin were indicted for possessing and trafficking drugs.

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Release Human Rights Activist Secretly Detained by Police

Originally published on September 10, 2014, at ForceChange.com

Target: Qaboos bin Said al Said, Sultan of Oman

Goal: Free human rights advocate who disappeared after being summoned to police station

A prominent blogger and human rights activist, Mohamed Al Fazari Abdelrahman, received orders to appear at the police station. On August 30, 2014, he arrived at the police station and was never seen again. Instead of admitting to detaining Mohamed Al Fazari Abdelrahman, law enforcement officials refuse to give any information to his family and lawyer. The government of Oman must release this human rights advocate immediately.

After receiving a summons from the General Directorate of Inquires and Criminal Investigations of the Omani Police, Mohamed Al Fazari Abdelrahman showed up at the police station, but he never left. As founder and editor of the e-magazine Mowatin (“Citizen”), he advocated for freedom of speech and expression. His work has made him a target of law enforcement officials.

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Release Abducted Human Rights Activists

Originally published on September 9, 2014, at ForceChange.com

Target: Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Goal: Free the human rights activists abducted by a militant group

While monitoring human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, three activists were abducted by a patrolling militant group. The militia has been arresting any villagers suspected of working for the government or the regular army. Because of their notebooks documenting human rights abuses, the activists have been mistaken for government workers and are still being held captive. The government of the DRC must ensure the immediate release of these human rights activists.

Members of Peasant Action for the Development and Promotion of Human Rights, Celestin Bambone, Kongwa Tulinabo, and Marie Amnazo, had been gathering data on human rights violations when they were abducted. On September 1, members of the National Liberation Forces kidnapped the activists and stole their notebooks. Mistaking them for government employees, the militia is holding them prisoner at their base and refuses to release these three human rights advocates.

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LA Times Reporter Caught Falsifying Articles with CIA

Originally published on September 8, 2014, at NationofChange.org

In violation of journalistic ethics and the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948, former Los Angeles Times reporter Ken Dilanian allowed CIA handlers to edit his articles prior to publication and reported false information to manipulate his audience. Responding to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, the CIA released hundreds of pages documenting the agency’s dubious relationship with national security reporters. Operating under a glaring lack of oversight, the CIA has been exploiting establishment journalists since its inception.

The newly released documents cover Dilanian’s correspondence with the CIA from March to July 2012. In his emails, Dilanian repeatedly broke ethical guidelines by submitting his articles to the CIA allowing them to alter facts in order to portray the agency in a more favorable light. Receiving false intelligence from the CIA, Dilanian reported a drone strike had successfully killed Al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi without causing any collateral damage. According to Amnesty International and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, at least 20 people were killed in the attack and several more wounded. Although some of the casualties had probably been Al Qaeda members, the other victims were rescue workers slaughtered in a follow-up drone strike.

While collaborating on an article with L.A. Times reporter David Cloud, Dilanian submitted a draft asking his CIA handlers to approve the version before it went to print. Dissatisfied with the earlier draft, the CIA later approved a softened version of the article that Dilanian and Cloud published on May 16. While collaborating with L.A. Times reporter Rebecca Keegan, Dilanian downplayed the CIA’s participation in leaking classified information to director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal for their factually inaccurate propaganda film, Zero Dark Thirty.

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Conduct Rigorous Inspections of BP Refineries

Originally published on September 8, 2014, at ForceChange.com

Target: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

Goal: Impose harsher penalties and in-depth inspections of BP facilities to prevent disasters

An exploding compressor ignited a fire at BP’s largest U.S. refinery recently, leaving one worker injured. The company’s Whiting Refinery in Indiana has been the center of controversy and numerous incidents of incompetence. Known for causing the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010, BP has a notorious history of taking shortcuts, neglecting safety regulations, and harming the environment. To prevent another disaster and any further loss of life, the U.S. government must impose harsher regulations against highly detrimental corporations with proven histories of inanity like BP.

Shaking local homes and injuring a worker, the compressor’s explosion set Whiting Refinery on fire and took hours to extinguish the flames. The injured worker was taken to a hospital to receive treatment. Since the fire took place at night, only a few workers were exposed to the flames. Had the explosion occurred during the dayshift, hundreds of workers could have been injured or killed.

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Colombian Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping and Murder of DEA Agent

Originally published on September 6, 2014, at NationofChange.org

An extradited Colombian national pleaded guilty this week to aiding and abetting the murder of an internationally protected person and conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person. On June 20, 2013, DEA Special Agent James Terry Watson stepped into a cab in Bogota, Colombia. In an attempted robbery gone wrong, Watson was stabbed four times and bled to death. Six other men have been extradited and charged with their involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Watson.

After watching the NBA Finals at a restaurant with friends, Watson left by himself and entered a cab. Video footage revealed a second car pulling up behind Watson’s cab at an intersection as two men exited the second vehicle. They immediately entered the back of Watson’s taxi. A few moments later, Watson escaped from the cab and fled down the street before collapsing.

Julio Estiven Gracia Ramirez admitted to using fake taxis to lure wealthy people into their cars, kidnap them, and force them to withdraw money from an ATM. He confessed to targeting Watson with the intent to rob him, but insisted he never knew Watson was a federal agent.

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Stop the Needless Slaughter of Pilot Whales

Originally published on September 6, 2014, at ForceChange.com

Target: Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Prime Minister of Denmark

Goal: Ban horrific whaling practices taking place across the Faroe Islands

For hundreds of years, the residents of the Faroe Islands have hunted whales for both sport and a source of food. As a protectorate of Denmark, the Faroe Islands no longer depend on whaling in order to survive yet they continue to slaughter hundreds of pilot whales and dolphins every year. The Danish government must uphold its promise to the European Union and stop supporting the reprehensible act of whaling.

On August 30, the Royal Danish Navy arrested 14 animal rights activists attempting to prevent the death of pilot whales off the coast of the Faroe Islands. As a member of the European Union, Denmark is blatantly violating its commitment to oppose whaling by supporting the whalers. Instead of banning whaling, Denmark enforces a new law keeping unauthorized people at least a mile away from the annual whale hunt known as the “grind.”

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FBI Investigates Handcuffed Suspect Shot in the Chest

Originally published on September 5, 2014, at NationofChange.org

After months of silence, the FBI is launching an investigation into the alleged suicide of Victor White III. Shot in the chest with his hands cuffed behind his back, White reportedly produced a hidden gun in the back of a patrol car and killed himself. Contradicting the claims of his arresting officers, a recent autopsy report proves the police lied about his death while leaving further questions unanswered.

According to a Louisiana State Police press release, deputies with the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a fight on the evening of March 2. After confronting White and searching him, the deputies allegedly found drugs in his pockets. They placed White into custody, cuffed his hands behind his back, and put him in the backseat of a patrol car. Upon arriving at the Sheriff’s Office, White reportedly became uncooperative, pulled out a gun, and shot himself in the back. But witness reports and the coroner’s office contradict the police’s allegations.

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Ban Brutal Sport of Cockfighting

Originally published on September 5, 2014, at ForceChange.com

Target: Alejandro Garcia Padilla, Governor of Puerto Rico

Goal: Outlaw the brutal sport of cockfighting in Puerto Rico

Although cockfighting is illegal in all 50 States, this cruel animal sport is still legal in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. Subjected to horrific abuse, gamecocks risk mutilation and death every time they are forced to enter the ring. Demand the Puerto Rican government ban this excessive continuance of animal cruelty.

Because of its inhumane brutality, cockfighting has been outlawed in all 50 states. It is even illegal to watch a cockfighting event in over 40 states. As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico has refused to ban cockfighting because of blind traditionalism. Instead of acknowledging the pervasive animal cruelty, Puerto Ricans place bets on which roosters will live and which ones will die.

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Demand Justice for Brutally Assaulted Journalist

Originally published on September 3, 2014, at ForceChange.com

Target: Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan

Goal: Investigate the ruthless attack against a journalist reporting on human rights abuses

Known for raising international awareness about human rights violations in Azerbaijan, investigative journalist Ilgar Nasibov was severely beaten by unknown assailants. After receiving multiple death threats in the past two years for his work, Nasibov had been visiting his wife’s office when the attackers broke in and brutally assaulted him. The government of Azerbaijan must provide justice to Nasibov and his family by investigating this horrific attack and prosecuting those responsible for the assault.

On August 21, several unidentified assailants entered the Resource Center for Development of NGOs and Democracy and ruthlessly attacked Nasibov. After beating him unconscious, they ransacked the office and fled. Nasibov was left seriously injured with broken ribs, cheekbones, nose, and a concussion. Nasibov had initially been taken to a local hospital for immediate treatment. Fearing further attacks against her husband, Nasibov’s wife chose to move her husband back home for security purposes.

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