Barry Jonas prosecuting men for their efforts in 2008 and 2009
Chicago, IL – Federal charges were unsealed against two Chicago men, Aug. 6, for allegedly violating U.S. sanctions against Zimbabwe. The charges claim that Ben Israel and Greg Turner assisted Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe and others in an effort to lift the unjust economic sanctions. The government claims that Israel and Tuner were promised payment for their lobbying and consulting work in 2008 and 2009.
Minneapolis, MN – More than 40 members and supporters of the Welfare Rights Committee (WRC) gathered here, Aug. 10, to celebrate past victories and look ahead to future battles.
Minneapolis, MN – About 200 Somalis, mainly women, converged on the Federal Building here, May 16, for the sentencing hearing of two Somali humanitarian workers. Amina Ali and Hawo Hassan were convicted of ‘material support for terrorism’ in October, 2011. Judge Michael J. Davis handed down a 20-year sentence for Amina Ali and a 10-year sentence for Hawo Hassan.
Minneapolis, MN – More than 50 people gathered here May 3 for a celebration to mark International Workers Day. The event was organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization. In a festively decorated hall, the celebration began with a dinner and slide show that highlighted the struggles of the past year.
“There is no crime in supporting the Palestinian struggle for self-determination”
Minneapolis, MN – A standing room only crowd of more than 125 people turned out here, Feb. 23, to hear Hatem Abudayyeh, a prominent Chicago-based Palestinian activist who talked about the growing struggle for the liberation of Palestine and the repression against Palestine solidarity activists here in the U.S.
Minneapolis, MN – Members of the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression assembled here, Feb. 5, to prepare a mailing of over 900 post cards to its Twin Cities members, as part of outreach for a major speaking event featuring Palestinian activist Hatem Abudayyeh. Phone banks and mass leafleting events are planned for coming days.
Chicago, IL – The massive 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed into law by President Obama Jan. 2, contains sanctions that effectivly ban Iran’s popular station, Press TV, from U.S. airwaves or cable networks. Press TV is still available on the internet.
Brooklyn, NY – Three men from Somalia, Ali Yasin Ahmed, Madhi Hashi and Mohamed Yusuf, appeared in Federal District Court here, Dec. 21, on charges of violating U.S. “material support for terrorism” and gun laws. What makes this case different from the dozens of U.S. cases involving Somali men and women in Minnesota, California and other states is that there is no indication the men are U.S. residents or citizens, or that they have ever traveled to the U.S.
Hezbollah, the largest anti-imperialist political party in Lebanon, condemned the Oct. 19 Beirut bombing that took the life of Brigadier General Wissam Al-Hasan and others. In a statement, Hezbollah declared, “This hideous crime is a vicious attempt to target stability and national unity,” and urged the “security and judicial apparatuses to use all efforts to control the crime, uncover its committers, and bring them to justice.”
Minneapolis, MN – Holding signs and banners, around 50 people joined an anti-war protest here, Oct. 11, in front of the office of Senator Klobuchar. The protest, organized by the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee, coincided with the week of the 11th anniversary of the war on Afghanistan.
Minneapolis, MN – More than 40 people rallied outside the Federal Building here, August 2, in solidarity with the political activists who have been subpoenaed to a Seattle-based grand jury which is investigating anarchists. The protest coincided with the date that northwest political activists were called to the grand jury.
Minneapolis, MN – Twin Cities activists came together for a fundraising party here, July 27, to help pay the transportation costs for the vans that are heading to the massive march on the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. The event, organized by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), brought in more than $600.
Minneapolis, MN – “All 1500 people marching for immigrant rights here, May 1, heard about the case of Carlos Montes,” stated Jess Sundin of the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression.
St. Paul, MN – Members the Welfare Rights Committee and the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout gathered at the State Capitol Building, April 16, demanding that legislators tax the rich and stop cutting programs that serve poor and working people. “We are here – the day before Tax Day – to demand that the politicians in this capitol stop balancing the budget on the backs of working and poor Minnesotans. We say it is time for politicians to tax the rich,” said Kristin Rafferty of the Welfare Rights Committee.
Chicago, IL – “We flooded the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s office with phone calls demanding that they stop investigating anti-war and international solidarity activists,” says Tom Burke of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, describing a Feb. 16 national call-in day.
Brooklyn Center, MN – Protesters gathered outside the new headquarters of the FBI here, Feb. 17, to protest the agency’s targeting of anti-war and international solidarity activists. The protest coincided with the FBI’s announced move-in day to their new fortress-like building.
_Holy Land Foundation prosecutor now working on case _
Chicago, IL – The Northern Illinois Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas stated that the “investigation is continuing” into the case of the anti-war and international solidarity activists who have been hit with FBI raids and grand jury repression. Barry Jonas played a leading role in prosecuting the leaders of the Holy Land Foundation while he was trial attorney for the Department of Justice Counter-terrorism Section.
Minneapolis, MN – Billed as a report back from the first national conference of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR), more than 50 people gathered for here Dec. 15 for an exciting event that featured veteran Chicano activist Carlos Montes, a moving message from Noor Elashi and an important speech by anti-war leader Jess Sundin.
Minneapolis, MN – About 800 people blocked a major bridge here, Nov. 17 in a march demanding jobs. Police declared the protest to be an unlawful assembly and arrested 11 people who sat down in an act of civil disobedience. The 10th Avenue Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River, was closed for about an hour.
