(CNN) -- The scheduled trial of two Americans accused of espionage in Iran was delayed again Wednesday after the suspects were not brought from jail to the courthouse, a Swiss diplomat told CNN.
"I have been able to verify that the session has actually been postponed due to the absence of the two prisoners. They were not brought in from prison," said an official with the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, who according to protocol, asked not to be identified. Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Iran.
Iranian authorities had once again barred Swiss diplomats from monitoring trial proceedings of Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, who were charged with espionage after being arrested 22 months ago while hiking along an unmarked border between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan.
The last time Fattal and Bauer appeared in court, Swiss diplomats and the prisoners' defense attorney were not allowed into the courtroom. In an interview with CNN on Tuesday night, defense attorney Masoud Shafii said he had yet to be granted a private meeting with his clients.
Human rights organizations have launched direct appeals to Iranian officials calling for the Americans' release. "
The endless prosecution of the two hikers appears to be little more than a political jab at the United States," said Sarah Leah Whitson of the New York-based organization Human Rights Watch. "This case highlights the cruel and arbitrary nature of the Iranian justice system."
Fattal and Bauer's cell "contains two beds, a sink, a toilet, a shower and an empty space about the size of a large beach towel. With fluorescent lights continuously kept on, Josh and Shane never enjoy the luxury of darkness; in order to sleep at night they have to tie a shirt around their eyes.
An Iranian prosecutor said investigators found "compelling evidence" all three Americans were spies. Suspects convicted on espionage charges can face the death penalty in Iran. The American prisoners have maintained their innocence.
"They were strictly travelers who were near an unmarked border that no one would be able to know whether it was Iraq or Iran," defense lawyer Shafii said. The picturesque mountain border region where the Americans were detained is a popular picnic and camping destination for Iraqi Kurds. The border is also porous. Smugglers regularly cross the frontier on donkeys and horseback, bringing fuel to Iraq and alcohol into the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Amid concerns, feds remind districts all students — legal or not — are entitled to education
STAR/TRIBUNE
CHRISTINE ARMARIO , Associated Press
MIAMI - The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to districts around the country Friday, reminding them that all students — legal or not — are entitled to a public education.
The letter comes amid reports that schools may be checking the immigration status of students trying to enroll, and reminds districts they are federally prohibited from barring elementary or secondary students on the basis of citizenship status.
"Moreover, districts may not request information with the purpose or result of denying access to public schools on the basis of race, color or national origin," said the letter, which was signed by officials from the department's Office of Civil Rights and the Department of Justice.
"We put this letter out now because we know school districts are in the process of planning for the next school year, and wanted to make sure they had this in hand," said Department of Education spokesman Justin Hamilton. "We were concerned about the number of reports that we've received and heard about, and felt it was necessary to make it clear that this has been the law of the land since Ronald Reagan was president."
A 1982 Supreme Court case, Plyer v. Doe, held that states cannot deny students access to public education, whether they are in the U.S. legally or not. The court ruled that denying public education could impose a lifetime of hardship "on a discrete class of children not accountable for their disabling status."
The letter comes as the Office of Civil Rights investigates three complaints, and less than a week before the president is expected to deliver a speech on immigration during a visit to Texas.
The Office of Civil Rights is also currently evaluating a complaint filed last month by the Southern Poverty Law Center against schools in Durham County, N.C.
The organization claims discrimination against Latino students. In one instance, a girl attempting to enroll in a district high school was asked for her passport and visa and was told that if she didn't have one, she must be an illegal alien, said attorney Gerri Katzerman.
Ken Soo, a lawyer representing Durham Public Schools, said the district was looking into the complaint and would correct any problems found.
Katzerman said the issue has become increasingly common in the Deep South as demographics change and more Latino families move in.
"We hear from them a very similar experience, where they attempt to enroll and are asked about their immigration status, are asked for documents they don't have, and they basically disappear back into the population without having the opportunity to participate in public education," she said.
Civil rights officials are also investigating a complaint in Hazleton, Penn., where school officials considered requiring four proofs of residency for new students. The proposal has been changed, though some believe the requirements are still too onerous.
Legislation has been introduced in a number of states this year that would authorize districts to inquire about immigration status when students enroll in the district.
Republican Rep. Becky Nordgren, of Alabama, for example, sponsored a bill that would have required students and their parents to provide proof of citizenship to enroll. She said her district has seen a rise in the number of undocumented immigrants and that this has placed an undue cost on the local government.
"Quite frankly, I believe that these issues need to be addressed," she said.
Nordgren said that her bill stalled after she learned about the 1982 Supreme Court case.
The letter Friday said districts can require students to provide proof of residency within a district, such as phone or water bills, but that immigration status would not be relevant. Districts can also require a birth certificate to confirm a student's age, but cannot bar enrollment if the certificate is from another country. Nor can they deny enrollment if a student does not provide a social security number.
CHRISTINE ARMARIO , Associated Press
MIAMI - The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to districts around the country Friday, reminding them that all students — legal or not — are entitled to a public education.
The letter comes amid reports that schools may be checking the immigration status of students trying to enroll, and reminds districts they are federally prohibited from barring elementary or secondary students on the basis of citizenship status.
"Moreover, districts may not request information with the purpose or result of denying access to public schools on the basis of race, color or national origin," said the letter, which was signed by officials from the department's Office of Civil Rights and the Department of Justice.
"We put this letter out now because we know school districts are in the process of planning for the next school year, and wanted to make sure they had this in hand," said Department of Education spokesman Justin Hamilton. "We were concerned about the number of reports that we've received and heard about, and felt it was necessary to make it clear that this has been the law of the land since Ronald Reagan was president."
A 1982 Supreme Court case, Plyer v. Doe, held that states cannot deny students access to public education, whether they are in the U.S. legally or not. The court ruled that denying public education could impose a lifetime of hardship "on a discrete class of children not accountable for their disabling status."
The letter comes as the Office of Civil Rights investigates three complaints, and less than a week before the president is expected to deliver a speech on immigration during a visit to Texas.
The Office of Civil Rights is also currently evaluating a complaint filed last month by the Southern Poverty Law Center against schools in Durham County, N.C.
The organization claims discrimination against Latino students. In one instance, a girl attempting to enroll in a district high school was asked for her passport and visa and was told that if she didn't have one, she must be an illegal alien, said attorney Gerri Katzerman.
Ken Soo, a lawyer representing Durham Public Schools, said the district was looking into the complaint and would correct any problems found.
Katzerman said the issue has become increasingly common in the Deep South as demographics change and more Latino families move in.
"We hear from them a very similar experience, where they attempt to enroll and are asked about their immigration status, are asked for documents they don't have, and they basically disappear back into the population without having the opportunity to participate in public education," she said.
Civil rights officials are also investigating a complaint in Hazleton, Penn., where school officials considered requiring four proofs of residency for new students. The proposal has been changed, though some believe the requirements are still too onerous.
Legislation has been introduced in a number of states this year that would authorize districts to inquire about immigration status when students enroll in the district.
Republican Rep. Becky Nordgren, of Alabama, for example, sponsored a bill that would have required students and their parents to provide proof of citizenship to enroll. She said her district has seen a rise in the number of undocumented immigrants and that this has placed an undue cost on the local government.
"Quite frankly, I believe that these issues need to be addressed," she said.
Nordgren said that her bill stalled after she learned about the 1982 Supreme Court case.
The letter Friday said districts can require students to provide proof of residency within a district, such as phone or water bills, but that immigration status would not be relevant. Districts can also require a birth certificate to confirm a student's age, but cannot bar enrollment if the certificate is from another country. Nor can they deny enrollment if a student does not provide a social security number.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Gay marriage debate grips Capitol
Hundreds of Minnesotans from the two sides of the gay marriage issue jammed a Capitol hearing room Friday, and both passionately assured lawmakers that God and justice are on their side. They came to argue for and against a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman.
"I'm here to pray for the marriage amendment because family is the bedrock of society. If it falls apart, so will the society," said Janis Hackman, a retired teacher from Centerville, Minn., who came to watch.
"Why isn't my daughter's family worthy of support?" countered Bruce Ause, a Red Wing resident who has a lesbian daughter, before the proceedings started.
After hours of testimony, a panel of lawmakers debated -- and approved -- the amendment.
The near-perennial fight is newly charged this year as Republicans control the Legislature, giving backers little doubt that the amendment will be before the voters in 2012. It takes approval from a simple majority of lawmakers to get an amendment on the ballot. That certainty only heightened the intensity.
"This is without doubt an emotional issue," said Republican Sen. Scott Newman, R-Hutchinson. He began the three-hour hearing by warning the activist crowd that security officials were present and prepared to act. The crowd let their emotions spill but kept it peaceful.
"Same-sex marriage redefines marriage, and same-sex marriage redefines parenthood," said Jennifer Roback Morse, who works at an outreach arm of the National Organization for Marriage.
"I'm at a loss for words how to appeal to your humanity," Rosemount resident Jeff Wilfahrt told lawmakers. His gay son, Andrew, was a soldier killed in Afghanistan two months ago. "Minnesota's better than that."
Opponents may have time on their side. Over the last decade, amid deep contentious debate, the nation's mood has changed on gay marriage. Where once the majority of backers were against it, now there is a clear split.
"I'm a self-identified Republican, and I'm straight," Madeline Koch told the committee when she testified against the amendment. The 24-year-old who works at a Fortune 500 company said her generation believes gay marriage is a "human right."
She was one of only a handful of the 24 who testified to win a roar of approval from the large crowds watching the hearing. "Public opinion is moving quickly toward full equality," she said.
Her testimony had little bearing on the outcome; the committee passed the measure, 8-4, on partisan lines.
Supporters, nearly all of them members of the clergy, argued that same-sex marriage violates tenets of the Torah, the Bible and the Qur'an and that it will irreparably harm families and children. Such marriages run counter to "the intent of Almighty God," said the Rev. Tom Parrish, pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. "I've sat at the bedside of many [dying] gay men. I deeply love them, but I deeply disagree with them."
The Rev. Bob Battle, pastor of Berean Church in the shadow of the Capitol, also said gay marriage runs counter to the Adam and Eve creation story in Genesis. A longtime politically conservative civil rights leader, he added that, "I don't think this has anything to do with civil rights."
A House committee is scheduled to hear the bill Monday at 12:30. Chief Senate sponsor Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, said he expects the measure will get a vote by the full Senate, possibly as soon as next week. "We should give this to the public to decide," Limmer said. "This is the time for Minnesota to have this public dialogue."
"I'm here to pray for the marriage amendment because family is the bedrock of society. If it falls apart, so will the society," said Janis Hackman, a retired teacher from Centerville, Minn., who came to watch.
"Why isn't my daughter's family worthy of support?" countered Bruce Ause, a Red Wing resident who has a lesbian daughter, before the proceedings started.
After hours of testimony, a panel of lawmakers debated -- and approved -- the amendment.
The near-perennial fight is newly charged this year as Republicans control the Legislature, giving backers little doubt that the amendment will be before the voters in 2012. It takes approval from a simple majority of lawmakers to get an amendment on the ballot. That certainty only heightened the intensity.
"This is without doubt an emotional issue," said Republican Sen. Scott Newman, R-Hutchinson. He began the three-hour hearing by warning the activist crowd that security officials were present and prepared to act. The crowd let their emotions spill but kept it peaceful.
"Same-sex marriage redefines marriage, and same-sex marriage redefines parenthood," said Jennifer Roback Morse, who works at an outreach arm of the National Organization for Marriage.
"I'm at a loss for words how to appeal to your humanity," Rosemount resident Jeff Wilfahrt told lawmakers. His gay son, Andrew, was a soldier killed in Afghanistan two months ago. "Minnesota's better than that."
Opponents may have time on their side. Over the last decade, amid deep contentious debate, the nation's mood has changed on gay marriage. Where once the majority of backers were against it, now there is a clear split.
"I'm a self-identified Republican, and I'm straight," Madeline Koch told the committee when she testified against the amendment. The 24-year-old who works at a Fortune 500 company said her generation believes gay marriage is a "human right."
She was one of only a handful of the 24 who testified to win a roar of approval from the large crowds watching the hearing. "Public opinion is moving quickly toward full equality," she said.
Her testimony had little bearing on the outcome; the committee passed the measure, 8-4, on partisan lines.
Supporters, nearly all of them members of the clergy, argued that same-sex marriage violates tenets of the Torah, the Bible and the Qur'an and that it will irreparably harm families and children. Such marriages run counter to "the intent of Almighty God," said the Rev. Tom Parrish, pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. "I've sat at the bedside of many [dying] gay men. I deeply love them, but I deeply disagree with them."
The Rev. Bob Battle, pastor of Berean Church in the shadow of the Capitol, also said gay marriage runs counter to the Adam and Eve creation story in Genesis. A longtime politically conservative civil rights leader, he added that, "I don't think this has anything to do with civil rights."
A House committee is scheduled to hear the bill Monday at 12:30. Chief Senate sponsor Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, said he expects the measure will get a vote by the full Senate, possibly as soon as next week. "We should give this to the public to decide," Limmer said. "This is the time for Minnesota to have this public dialogue."
Monday, May 2, 2011
U.S. Navy SEALS Kill Osama Bin Laden
DELL NEWS
WASHINGTON (AP) - Osama bin Laden, the glowering mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed thousands of Americans, was slain in his luxury hideout in Pakistan early Monday in a firefight with U.S. forces, ending a manhunt that spanned a frustrating decade.
"Justice has been done," President Barack Obama said in a dramatic announcement at the White House.
A jubilant crowd of thousands gathered outside the White House as word spread of bin Laden's death. Hundreds more sang and waved American flags at Ground Zero in New York - where the twin towers that once stood as symbols of American economic power were brought down by bin Laden's hijackers 10 years ago.
Another hijacked plane slammed into the Pentagon on that cloudless day, and a fourth was commandeered by passengers who forced it to the ground - at cost of their own lives - before it could reach its intended target in Washington.
The United States attacked Afghanistan within months, pursuing al-Qaida, and an invasion of Iraq followed as part of the Bush administration's global war on terror.
U.S. officials said the CIA tracked bin Laden to his location, then elite troops from Navy SEAL Team Six, a top military counter-terrorism unit, flew to the hideout in four helicopters. Bin Laden was shot in the head in an ensuing firefight, these officials said, adding that he and his guards had resisted his attackers. U.S. personnel identified him by facial recognition, the official said, declining to say whether DNA analysis had also been used.
The U.S. team took custody of bin Laden's remains. A U.S. official later said bin Laden had been buried at sea and the remains were handled in accordance with Islamic practice, which calls for speedy burial.
The official, who spoke Monday on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security matters, said it would have been difficult to find a country willing to accept the remains. The official did not say where the body was buried.
Obama said no Americans were harmed in the operation. Three adult males were also killed in the raid, including one of bin Laden's sons, whom officials did not name. One of bin Laden's sons, Hamza, is a senior member of al-Qaida. U.S. officials also said one woman was killed when she was used as a shield by a male combatant, and two other women were injured.
The operation occurred in pre-dawn darkness on Monday in Pakistan - Sunday afternoon in Washington. Obama went on television late Sunday night to make the announcement.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Osama bin Laden, the glowering mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed thousands of Americans, was slain in his luxury hideout in Pakistan early Monday in a firefight with U.S. forces, ending a manhunt that spanned a frustrating decade.
"Justice has been done," President Barack Obama said in a dramatic announcement at the White House.
A jubilant crowd of thousands gathered outside the White House as word spread of bin Laden's death. Hundreds more sang and waved American flags at Ground Zero in New York - where the twin towers that once stood as symbols of American economic power were brought down by bin Laden's hijackers 10 years ago.
Another hijacked plane slammed into the Pentagon on that cloudless day, and a fourth was commandeered by passengers who forced it to the ground - at cost of their own lives - before it could reach its intended target in Washington.
The United States attacked Afghanistan within months, pursuing al-Qaida, and an invasion of Iraq followed as part of the Bush administration's global war on terror.
U.S. officials said the CIA tracked bin Laden to his location, then elite troops from Navy SEAL Team Six, a top military counter-terrorism unit, flew to the hideout in four helicopters. Bin Laden was shot in the head in an ensuing firefight, these officials said, adding that he and his guards had resisted his attackers. U.S. personnel identified him by facial recognition, the official said, declining to say whether DNA analysis had also been used.
The U.S. team took custody of bin Laden's remains. A U.S. official later said bin Laden had been buried at sea and the remains were handled in accordance with Islamic practice, which calls for speedy burial.
The official, who spoke Monday on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security matters, said it would have been difficult to find a country willing to accept the remains. The official did not say where the body was buried.
Obama said no Americans were harmed in the operation. Three adult males were also killed in the raid, including one of bin Laden's sons, whom officials did not name. One of bin Laden's sons, Hamza, is a senior member of al-Qaida. U.S. officials also said one woman was killed when she was used as a shield by a male combatant, and two other women were injured.
The operation occurred in pre-dawn darkness on Monday in Pakistan - Sunday afternoon in Washington. Obama went on television late Sunday night to make the announcement.
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