Stray Bullets - Activists Rally Against Shell And Chevron, And New UK Torture Guidelines

UK Torture Guidelines May Breach Human Rights:
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has said that new guidance for UK intelligence services [1] on how to deal with suspects facing torture may breach human rights law. In a letter to David Cameron, John Wadham, the Commission’s legal director, has warned that there are “serious concerns” about the guidance [2]. The letter also serves as a warning that the government could face legal action to amend the new guidance [3]. While the new guidance prohibits security forces from taking action that they “know or believe” will lead to torture, there is no prohibition against taking action that may lead to a lower risk of cruel or inhuman treatment. Wadham said, “The government has recognised that it needs to break with the past and begin a new era; one in which intelligence gathering is not contaminated by torture.”
 

Greenpeace Occupies Drilling Ship With Survival Pod:
Greenpeace activists have occupied a deepwater drilling ship [4] owned by US oil company Chevron. The ship was set to drill for oil in the North Sea, near the Shetlands. The group said that its activists had food and resources to occupy the ship for over a month, after the activists attached a “survival pod” to the vessel’s anchor [5]. Two days later (September 25), Greenpeace was forced to end its protest after Chevron won a court order against the group. Since being forced to take down the survival pod, Greenpeace has been preventing Chevron’s drill ship from sailing by putting swimmers in the water. One of the activists on board the Esperanza, the Greenpeace ship that launched the occupation, was Leila Deen [6], who previously gained notoriety for throwing green custard over Peter Mandelson. Deen said, “An oil spill here would be a disaster and just as difficult to plug as the BP well in the Gulf of Mexico, but the government has so far refused to stop issuing permits for ships like this to drill.” 

Egyptian Policemen Tried For Murder:
Two policemen are being tried for illgal arrest and brutality [7] in Alexandria, after they allegedly beat a man to death in early June, which led to demonstrations throughout the country [8]. Awad Suleiman and Mahmoud Salah are charged with the illegal arrest and harsh treatment of Khaled Said [9], although not with his murder as his family pushed for. Witnesses report that the officers kicked and punched Said, smashed his head against a marble table, and then dragged him to a police car. The government maintains that Said died from suffocation after swallowing a packet of drugs, a claim derided after photos emerged showing Said’s corpse covered with bruises, his teeth broken and his jaw smashed. Heba Maorayef, a spokesperson for Human Rights Watch, said, “Khaled Said’s death has caused a public outrage in Egypt, which means that if the evidence is sufficient then it’s very important a strong conviction is made. There is a culture of impunity for police in torture cases… that has to change.”

 

Activists Protest Shell Drilling Platform:
Nine activists from the Rossport Solidarity Camp in Ireland have occupied a drilling platform owned by Shell [10]. On Monday (September 20), the activists swam out to the platform and strung themselves up in a hammock underneath the platform. On Wednesday (September 22), 13 activists waded out to occupy a different platform [11]. Shell is attempting to build a pipeline to connect one of its refineries to the Corrib Gas Field. Roisin Ni Fhaolain, a member of the Rossport Solidarity Camp, said, “We’ve stopped the work… to protect this beautiful Special Area of Conservation. It is shocking that work is continuing while people are up inside that platform, that is totally illegal and against all health and safety regulations.”
 

Words: Richard Lemmer
Photo: Flickr user Greenpeace UK [12]