Lincoln Tribune

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• US Renews Calls for Cuba to Release Alan Gross
• US Renews Calls for Cuba to Release Alan Gross
• 12th Tibetan sets himself on fire in anti-China protest
• 12th Tibetan sets himself on fire in anti-China protest
• International court seeks arrest warrant for Sudanese Defense Minister Hussein

US Renews Calls for Cuba to Release Alan Gross Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:51 PM PST The United States is renewing calls for Cuba to release imprisoned U.S. contractor Alan Gross, who on Saturday will have served two years behind bars on state security charges. White House spokesman Jay Carney called Friday for Havana to free the contractor immediately, saying it is "past time" for Gross to be allowed to return home to his family, where he belongs. State Department spokesman Mark Toner also made similar comments in a statement on Gross.   "I did want to note that tomorrow, Alan Gross will begin his third year of unjustified imprisonment in Cuba. He was arrested on December 3, 2009, and later given a 15-year prison sentence by Cuban authorities for simply facilitating connectivity between Havana's Jewish community and the rest of the world," said Toner. Toner described Gross as a 62-year-old husband, father and dedicated professional with a long history of providing assistance and support to underserved communities in more than 50 countries. Gross was arrested for bringing communications equipment into Cuba while working for a private firm contracted with the U.S. Agency for International Development. The company says he was working for USAID's Cuba democracy program, bringing Internet access to Cuba's Jewish community. Gross has said his actions were not intended to be a threat against the Cuban government. Gross's wife, Judy, said in an interview with VOA that she recently visited her husband in prison and found him depressed and angry. Judy Gross says the U.S. government could be doing more to gain her husband's release and she wants the United States and Cuba to "work something out." Besides Judy Gross, Alan Gross has received visitors such as former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. The latest visitor was Reverend Michael Kinnamon, the general secretary of the U.S. National Council of Churches. He discussed his meeting at a press conference Friday in Havana. "We met with Alan Gross for a considerable amount of time: 45 minutes or an hour.  We talked about his sense of certainly being unjustly accused," said Kinnamon. Kinnamon also said he was not there to pass judgment on the validity of the case. Several weeks ago, former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson visited Cuba, but failed to secure Gross's release. New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez said the Cubans, through their continued detention of Gross, have shown the world "the true nature of the regime," which he said is sustained through violence, tyranny and repression of even the most basic human and civil rights. Senator Menendez is calling on U.S. President Barack Obama to demand Gross's release and repeal regulatory changes that Menendez says have "provided an economic lifeline to the regime" through a historic easing of travel and remittances to the island. Menendez chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Western Hemisphere Subcommittee. The case has further strained relations between the United States and Cuba, which do not have formal diplomatic ties.  A decades-old U.S. embargo against Cuba remains in effect, and Obama said it will stay in place until Havana takes steps toward democratic reforms.

US Renews Calls for Cuba to Release Alan Gross Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:51 PM PST The United States is renewing calls for Cuba to release imprisoned U.S. contractor Alan Gross, who on Saturday will have served two years behind bars on state security charges. White House spokesman Jay Carney called Friday for Havana to free the contractor immediately, saying it is "past time" for Gross to be allowed to return home to his family, where he belongs. State Department spokesman Mark Toner also made similar comments in a statement on Gross.   "I did want to note that tomorrow, Alan Gross will begin his third year of unjustified imprisonment in Cuba. He was arrested on December 3, 2009, and later given a 15-year prison sentence by Cuban authorities for simply facilitating connectivity between Havana's Jewish community and the rest of the world," said Toner. Toner described Gross as a 62-year-old husband, father and dedicated professional with a long history of providing assistance and support to underserved communities in more than 50 countries. Gross was arrested for bringing communications equipment into Cuba while working for a private firm contracted with the U.S. Agency for International Development. The company says he was working for USAID's Cuba democracy program, bringing Internet access to Cuba's Jewish community. Gross has said his actions were not intended to be a threat against the Cuban government. Gross's wife, Judy, said in an interview with VOA that she recently visited her husband in prison and found him depressed and angry. Judy Gross says the U.S. government could be doing more to gain her husband's release and she wants the United States and Cuba to "work something out." Besides Judy Gross, Alan Gross has received visitors such as former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. The latest visitor was Reverend Michael Kinnamon, the general secretary of the U.S. National Council of Churches. He discussed his meeting at a press conference Friday in Havana. "We met with Alan Gross for a considerable amount of time: 45 minutes or an hour.  We talked about his sense of certainly being unjustly accused," said Kinnamon. Kinnamon also said he was not there to pass judgment on the validity of the case. Several weeks ago, former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson visited Cuba, but failed to secure Gross's release. New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez said the Cubans, through their continued detention of Gross, have shown the world "the true nature of the regime," which he said is sustained through violence, tyranny and repression of even the most basic human and civil rights. Senator Menendez is calling on U.S. President Barack Obama to demand Gross's release and repeal regulatory changes that Menendez says have "provided an economic lifeline to the regime" through a historic easing of travel and remittances to the island. Menendez chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Western Hemisphere Subcommittee. The case has further strained relations between the United States and Cuba, which do not have formal diplomatic ties.  A decades-old U.S. embargo against Cuba remains in effect, and Obama said it will stay in place until Havana takes steps toward democratic reforms.

12th Tibetan sets himself on fire in anti-China protest Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:08 PM PST DHARAMSHALA, INDIA (BNO NEWS) -- A former Tibetan monk set himself on fire on Thursday in protest against Chinese rule in Tibet, a rights group reported on Friday. He is the twelfth Tibetan to have self-immolated this year. According to the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), former monk Tenzin Phuntsog set himself on fire on Thursday in the town of Chamdo in the eastern Tibet Autonomous Region of China. He is believed to have survived the incident and has been hospitalized. Few other details about the incident were available, but Phuntsog is the latest in a series of Tibetans who have self-immolated this year. Since March, ten current and former monks and two nuns have set themselves on fire in China, most of them in Ngaba Town in Sichuan province. The first incident happened on March 16 when 21-year-old Phuntsog from Kirti Monastery set himself on fire in Ngaba. It happened on the third anniversary of protests in Ngaba during which at least 13 people were shot dead by Chinese security forces. Phuntsog later died. At least six of those who set themselves on fire were killed, but the conditions of the others remain unknown. Chinese media, which is strictly controlled by the government, has not reported on the controversial incidents. In October, Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay expressed his concern about the incidents. "The incidents are a clear indication of the genuine grievances of the Tibetans and their sense of deep resentment and despair over the prevailing conditions in Tibet," he said. "It is therefore of the utmost urgency that every possible effort be made to address the underlying root causes of Tibetan grievances and resentment." The Dalai Lama has resided in the Indian city of Dharamsala, which is now the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, since 1960 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule of Tibet. Dharamsala is also referred to as 'Little Lhasa', referring to the capital of Tibet. (Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)

12th Tibetan sets himself on fire in anti-China protest Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:08 PM PST DHARAMSHALA, INDIA (BNO NEWS) -- A former Tibetan monk set himself on fire on Thursday in protest against Chinese rule in Tibet, a rights group reported on Friday. He is the twelfth Tibetan to have self-immolated this year. According to the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), former monk Tenzin Phuntsog set himself on fire on Thursday in the town of Chamdo in the eastern Tibet Autonomous Region of China. He is believed to have survived the incident and has been hospitalized. Few other details about the incident were available, but Phuntsog is the latest in a series of Tibetans who have self-immolated this year. Since March, ten current and former monks and two nuns have set themselves on fire in China, most of them in Ngaba Town in Sichuan province. The first incident happened on March 16 when 21-year-old Phuntsog from Kirti Monastery set himself on fire in Ngaba. It happened on the third anniversary of protests in Ngaba during which at least 13 people were shot dead by Chinese security forces. Phuntsog later died. At least six of those who set themselves on fire were killed, but the conditions of the others remain unknown. Chinese media, which is strictly controlled by the government, has not reported on the controversial incidents. In October, Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay expressed his concern about the incidents. "The incidents are a clear indication of the genuine grievances of the Tibetans and their sense of deep resentment and despair over the prevailing conditions in Tibet," he said. "It is therefore of the utmost urgency that every possible effort be made to address the underlying root causes of Tibetan grievances and resentment." The Dalai Lama has resided in the Indian city of Dharamsala, which is now the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, since 1960 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule of Tibet. Dharamsala is also referred to as 'Little Lhasa', referring to the capital of Tibet. (Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)

International court seeks arrest warrant for Sudanese Defense Minister Hussein Posted: 02 Dec 2011 05:42 PM PST THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS (BNO NEWS) -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday requested an arrest warrant to be issued against current Sudanese Defense Minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein for crimes against humanity. ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is seeking the warrant against Hussein for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur between August 2003 and March 2004. In a statement, the ICC said Hussein is one of those who bears the greatest criminal responsibility for the same crimes and incidents presented in previous warrants of arrest for Ahmed Harun and Ali Kushayb issued by the Court on April 27, 2007. The attacks followed a common pattern in which Sudanese forces surrounded villages, the Air Force dropped bombs indiscriminately and foot soldiers, including Militia/Janjaweed, killed, raped and looted an entire village, forcing the displacement of 4 million inhabitants. Currently, the ICC noted, 2.5 million remain in camps for Internally Displaced Persons. At the time, Hussein was Minister for the Interior for the Government of Sudan and Special Representative of the President in Darfur, with all of the powers and responsibilities of the President. He delegated some of his responsibilities to Harun, the Minister of State for the Interior, whom he appointed to head the 'Darfur Security Desk.' "The evidence shows that this was a state policy supervised by Mr. Hussein to ensure the coordination of attacks against civilians," said Moreno-Ocampo. "Moreover, the evidence shows that directly and through Mr. Harun, Mr. Hussein played a central role in coordinating the crimes, including in recruiting, mobilizing, funding, arming, training and the deployment of the Militia/Janjaweed as part of the Government of the Sudan forces, with the knowledge that these forces would commit the crimes." The attacks happened in the towns and villages of Kodoom, Bindisi, Mukjar and Arawala in the Wadi Salih and Mukjar Localities of West Darfur. Moreno-Ocampo considered that Hussein should be arrested in order to prevent him from continuing with the commission of crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court. (Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)

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