FSRN

Stories in this edition of the weekly: Lawmakers go through the motions of appropriations showdown ritual Texas House passes most hardline immigration bill since Arizona’s SB 1070 Turkish officials carry out fresh purges; opposition contests referendum results Snake charmers in India lament loss of culture following outlawing of their practice Whistleblowers play a key role in Nigerian anti-corruption push…at their own risk FSRN signs off the air after 17 years of grassroots radio journalism For more information about individual stories, including transcripts, visit: https://fsrn.org/2017/04/fsrn-weekly-edition-april-28-2017/

Since 2000, Free Speech Radio News’ mission has been to provide factual reports on important international and domestic news stories often missing in the corporate press — and to amplify the voices of the ignored and unheard. Those voices have been broadcast on radio stations across the U.S. in tens of thousands of news stories spanning 17 years. Today FSRN itself is in the news because of the stories we can no longer tell. The very first story reporter Lena Nozizwe produced for FSRN was about a transgender college student. Today her last report for us is about the beginnings, and the end of FSRN. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/fsrn-signs-off-the-air-after-17-years-of-grassroots-radio-journalism/

In Nigeria, millions of dollars of stolen public funds have been recovered in recent months, as President Muhammadu Buhari wages a war against corruption. Whistleblowers are playing a major role, but exposing corruption can come at great cost in Nigeria, a country where graft is deeply entrenched and impunity has long been the norm. Whistleblowers, like journalists and anti-corruption activists face threats, including the risk of assassination. FSRN’s Sam Olukoya reports from Lagos. For more information on this story, including a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/whistleblowers-play-a-key-role-in-nigerian-anti-corruption-push-at-their-own-risk/

Since ancient times in India, snake charming has been a popular form of entertainment. It’s also been the only source of livelihood for hundreds of thousands of snake charmers. But several years ago the practice was declared illegal, leaving practitioners in dire economic straits. Bismillah Geelani, brings us the story of a community struggling for survival. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/snake-charmers-in-india-lament-loss-of-culture-following-outlawing-of-their-practice/

In Turkey, the government carried out a fresh series of raids this week, arresting another 1000 people and purging the police force of more than 9000 officers allegedly connected to the US-based cleric who President Recip Tayyip Erdogan blames for last summer’s attempted coup. The country remains under a state of emergency, extended after protesters took to the streets decrying what they say was fraud in the recent referendum. The plank of constitutional reforms that would grant President Erdogan much of the powers previously held by Parliament and the Judiciary officially passed with 51 percent of the vote, but opposition parties are contesting the results. Umar Farooq reports from Istanbul. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/turkish-officials-carry-out-fresh-purges-as-opposition-continues-to-contest-referendum-results/

In the wee hours Thursday morning, the state’s lower house passed a bill immigration policy observers say is the most radical state legislation since Arizona’s controversial SB 1070. It comes on the heels of a 9th Circuit Court ruling against the Trump administration’s attempts to deny federal funding to cities where local police do not take on federal immigration enforcement duties. The Texas bill, SB 4 passed the state Senate in February. Lawmakers from both chambers must reconcile final language before the bill heads to the desk of the governor who openly supports the measure. Shannon Young has more. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/texas-legislature-poised-to-pass-most-hardline-immigration-bill-since-arizonas-sb-1070/

In what’s become a ritual on Capitol Hill, the U.S. House and Senate faced off in a government shutdown showdown this week. FSRN’s Nell Abram has more. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/lawmakers-go-through-the-motions-of-budget-request-showdown-ritual/

Stories in this edition of the weekly: French voters prepare for first round of presidential elections amid surge in right-wing nationalism Turkey referendum results test country’s polarized political system Brazilian public workers push back against unelected government’s austerity plans Lakota immersion class works to recover lost language while strengthening culture Residents of Seattle’s South Park immigrant community build the kind of walls they can support For more information about individual stories, including transcripts, visit: https://fsrn.org/2017/04/fsrn-weekly-edition-april-21-2017/

Hear the phrase “green walls” and you might think perhaps the southern border wall proposed by the Trump administration is taking on a eco-friendly theme. But these green walls are going up in Seattle’s South Park, and are designed to clean the air and reduce air pollution. And many members of the immigrant community are putting up the walls themselves. Martha Baskin has our story. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/residents-of-seattles-south-park-immigrant-community-build-the-kind-of-walls-they-can-support/

A Catholic school on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota has introduced its first Lakota language immersion program. A small kindergarten class is the start of a revolving door immersion concept that will see students remain in a culturally-rich environment through the 4th grade. Jim Kent visited the Red Cloud Indian School to talk with the Lakota language teacher and her young students about the importance of retaining a language to preserve a culture. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/lakota-immersion-class-works-to-recover-lost-language-while-strengthening-culture/

We now go to Brazil, which is dealing with its own collective crisis. In 2016, an impeachment, which many likened to a legislative coup, forced the leftist president Dilma Rousseff from office. Now the biggest political corruption scandal in memory continues to unravel, as the country tries to dig itself out of its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The current Michel Temer-led government seized the opportunity to push through austerity reforms, which have frozen public spending for the next 20 years. Now, congress is debating an overhaul of the country’s pension and social security systems. If approved, the reform would slash benefits and raise the retirement age for federal employees. Michael Fox has more from Brazil. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/brazilian-public-workers-push-back-against-unelected-governments-austerity-plans/

While France may well be on the path to placing another ultra-nationalist on the world slate of global leaders, pro-democracy groups in Turkey are challenging the outcome of a recent referendum on constitutional reforms. If enacted, the reforms would dramatically alter Turkey’s parliamentary system, and reduce checks and balances in the country located smack dab between the Syrian civil war and the EU refugee crisis. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claimed a razor thin win by a 2.8 percent margin. But despite widespread allegations of ballot fraud, the country’s electoral commission has refused to annul the results. FSRN’s Fariba Nawa is based in Istanbul, and explains how the changes would restructure the government and consolidate power in the office of the president. To hear an extended version of this discussion, and to find a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/turkey-referendum-results-test-countrys-polarized-political-system/

As voters in France gear up for the first round of presidential elections this weekend, a gunman opened fire on police in Paris Thursday. One officer died, two others were injured — and the gunman was shot and killed as he tried to flee the scene on the city’s storied Champs-Élysées. The incident that French President François Hollande said appeared to be an act of terrorism is adding fuel to the nationalist fire that’s thrust the country’s far right-wing party to the top of the polls just days ahead of the vote. The election in the country that’s both a NATO partner and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is the latest ballot box test for an international surge in right-wing nationalism, which has seen recent wins in the UK, Hungary and Poland. And as with the 2016 U.S. election that brought Donald Trump to power, analysts in France claim that Russia is interfering in the political process. Candidates once considered part of the extremist fringe are now riding a wave into the political mainstream, and possibly into France’s highest office. FSRN’s Khaled Sid Mohand reports from Paris. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/french-voters-prepare-for-first-round-of-presidential-elections-amid-surge-in-right-wing-nationalism/

The U.S.-led fight against ISIS spans multiple countries. In Iraq, the offensive in Mosul continues, and in Syria ground forces are closing in on the last of ISIS’s major urban strongholds — the city of Raqqa. If ISIS loses its territorial claims across Iraq and Syria, what comes after military action? To human rights activists the answer is a war-crimes tribunal. FSRN’s Patricia Nunan has more from New York. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/human-rights-activists-push-for-isis-to-face-un-war-crimes-tribunal/

Stories in this edition of the weekly: U.S. drops “mother of all bombs” – Trump says he gave “his” military “total authorization” Human rights activists push for ISIS to face UN war crimes tribunal 60,000 immigrants held at Colorado facility sue GEO Group for forced labor Rohingya refugees fear expulsion from India Myanmar’s transition to democracy provides opening for deeper social change Families in Mexico launch their own searches for missing loved ones For more information about individual stories, including transcripts, visit: https://fsrn.org/2017/04/fsrn-weekly-edition-april-14-2017/

In Mexico, families of the disappeared have been leading efforts to uncover mass graves. More than 300 bodies have been unearthed in recent weeks, and along with the bodies come hints at the answers thousands of families have been seeking since loved ones went missing in the decade of militarized drug war in the country. The graves also expose the tense relationship between the families of the victims and the authorities tasked with solving crimes. Clayton Conn reports from the Mexican capital. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/families-in-mexico-launch-their-own-searches-for-missing-loved-ones/

In Myanmar, violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority hasn’t let up despite profound political changes. A year ago, citizens the country also referred to as Burma – saw their first civilian president take office in a government led by pro-democracy icon Aung Sang Suu Kyi. This major step toward a representative government came after more than half a century of brutal military rule. While for decades, any talk of human rights was banned, the country is now seeing hundreds of civil society organizations mushroom – but human rights advocates say not everyone is benefiting from the new freedoms in the country. FSRN’s Lena Odgaard reports. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/myanmars-transition-to-democracy-provides-opening-for-deeper-social-change/

Anti-refugee sentiment coming from the top office of the world’s most powerful country seems to have emboldened nationalist tendencies elsewhere. Human rights groups in India are concerned about the government’s plan to deport Rohingya refugees. Thousands of Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar are living in exile in India but, Hindu nationalist groups have launched a campaign to drive them out of the country. Bismillah Geelani reports. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/rohingya-refugees-fear-expulsion-from-india/

Attorney General Jeff Sessions traveled to the US-Mexico border in Arizona this week, where he issued new guidelines for ramped up immigration enforcement. He ordered additional charges be brought against undocumented immigrants when possible and directed that repeat entrants be charged with felony crimes. The new guidelines also call for the prosecution of anyone involved in transporting or harboring undocumented immigrants. While the stated goal aims to target people smugglers, members of mixed status families fear that provision could be used against them for things as basic as living together or for traveling in the same car. Private prison operators are already cashing in on the Trump-era crackdown. The GEO Group announced Thursday it has secured a contract with the government to build a new 1000 bed, $110 million immigration prison in Conroe, Texas – just north of Houston. The contract comes as the GEO Group faces a class-action lawsuit in Colorado, where at least 60,000 immigrants accuse the for-profit detention company of forcing them to work for little or no pay under threat of solitary confinement. Hannah Leigh Myers reports. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/60000-immigrants-held-at-colorado-facility-sue-geo-group-for-forced-labor/

In eastern Afghanistan Thursday evening, U.S. forces deployed the most powerful conventional munition in the country’s arsenal – second only to a nuclear bomb — targeting a series of caves used by ISIS fighters the Achin district of Nangarhar province. Nell Abram has more. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/u-s-drops-mother-of-all-bombs-trump-says-he-gave-his-military-total-authorization/

California is leading moves to push back against ramped-up deportation efforts. Earlier this week, the state’s Senate passed a so-called ‘sanctuary state’ bill that would prevent local and state police On a local level, Los Angeles is taking up the long-stalled issue of legalizing street vending. According to one count, as many as 50,000 people sell food on the city’s streets. But in the era of the Trump administration, selling a bacon-wrapped hot dog could mean much more than a fine or getting your food cart confiscated. It could mean deportation for the many undocumented immigrants who can find no other work. FSRN’s Lena Nozizwe reports that is one of the reasons that the LA City Council has put legalizing street vending on the fast track. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/la-explores-legalizing-street-vending-amid-crackdown-on-immigrants/

Iraqi officials say they are still recovering remains from the site of a mid-March U.S. airstrike in Mosul; so far they’ve removed nearly 300 bodies from the scene. Residents are leaving the city by the busload; joining the more than 300,000 who have fled since the October start of a U.S.-backed offensive against ISIS/the Islamic State. As with Syrians fleeing civil war, Iraqis have faced severe difficulties when seeking refugee status in developed countries. A 60-year-old would-be refugee from Iraq is grabbing attention in Australia. Refugee advocates there say the case highlights what they call systemic failures in the country’s asylum system. Georgia Clark has this report. For more information on this story, as well as a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/04/refugee%E2%80%8B-%E2%80%8Bfacing%E2%80%8B-%E2%80%8Bdeportation%E2%80%8B-%E2%80%8Bin%E2%80%8B-%E2%80%8Baustralia%E2%80%8B-%E2%80%8Bhighlights-criticisms-of-systematic%E2%80%8B-%E2%80%8Bmiscarriage/

Georgia has become the latest state to take up legislation seemingly designed to have a chilling effect on First Amendment rights. Georgia’s State Senate passed SB1 earlier this month and the bill is now before the lower house of the state’s General Assembly. It goes further than many of the other so-called ‘anti-protest bills’ introduced in other states, by expanding the legal definition of domestic terrorism and creating a state-level Department of Homeland Security with surveillance and intelligence sharing capabilities. For more on SB1 and its implications, FSRN’s Shannon Young spoke with Azadeh Shahshahani, legal and advocacy director at Project South, a grassroots social justice organization based in Atlanta. To hear the complete discussion with Shahshahani, and to find a transcript, visit https://fsrn.org/2017/03/georgia-legislature-advances-bill-that-could-label-protesters-as-domestic-terrorists/

In Mali, gunmen believed to be affiliated with a regional Al Qaeda offshoot stormed a Radisson hotel in the capital Bamako early Friday, taking around 170 hostages. As we go to air, the hours-long siege has reportedly ended after Malian commandos backed by U.S. and French special forces retook the hotel. Early reports of the number dead range from 18 to 27.