Extremist party wants international observers at Czech elections

The far-right Workers' Party of Social Justice (DSSS) wants international observers to monitors the Czech general elections due in May, its election leader Tomas Vandas said after a DSSS regional meeting Saturday.

The DSSS is a party to which the members of the extremist Workers' Party (DS) have been moving since the recent court decision on the DS's dissolution.

Vandas said previously that he expected some 90 percent of the nearly 1000 DS members to join the DSSS.

The DSSS has the same address as the dissolved DS. Since December 2006 its official head has been Hana Pavlickova, mother of Vandas who is the leader of the dissolved Workers' Party.

Vandas said the DSSS plans to demand international observers at the elections in the next weeks after the party decides on its candidates.

"We logically believe that we cannot trust the current bodies in the Czech Republic and we will be therefore happy to have also international observers monitoring the elections," Vandas said.

He said he was concerned about possible discarding of ballots.
The Workers' Party won 1.07 percent of the vote in the EU polls. Though it did not get a seat in the European Parliament, this support made it eligible for a state subsidy of 760,000 crowns.

The Supreme Administrative Court dealt with the case based on the proposal of the government.

In its verdict issued on February 17 it concluded that the DS's programme, ideas and symbols contain the elements of xenophobia, chauvinism, homophobia and a racist subtext, and follow up national socialism, the ideology connected with Adolf Hitler.
The Workers' Party plans to file a complaint against the verdict with the Constitutional Court
praguemonitor

Rapist jailed for 35 years over murder of girl he met on Facebook

A convicted sex offender was sentenced today to at least 35 years in jail after admitting the kidnap, rape and murder of a teenager he met through Facebook.
Peter Chapman, 33, of no fixed address, received a mandatory life sentence with the minimum tariff at Teesside crown court for the killing of Ashleigh Hall. He changed his plea as he was due to face trial.

The body of the 17-year-old childcare student was found dumped in a field near Sedgefield, County Durham, in October. Miss Hall, from Darlington, was strangled and left near a known lovers' lane. Chapman also admitted failing to notify police of a change of address, as required by the sex offenders register.

When Chapman entered the dock, Ashleigh's mother Andrea Hall began to weep and was embraced by friends.

It emerged after his guilty pleas that Chapman had a long history of sex offending. In 1992, aged 15, he was the subject of a sex assault investigation. In 1996, he was jailed for seven years for attacking two teenage prostitutes.

In 2002 he was arrested for the rape and kidnap of a prostitute in Ellesmere Port, but the case was discontinued.
This is London

German anti-Nazi campaigners call for crisis meeting to fight far-right crime

Activists from the „Show your Face“ campaign on Monday demanded a national effort to curb rising far-right crime, saying government plans to cut funding will only serve to worsen neo-Nazi problems.

The German anti-Nazi campaign “Show your Face” on Monday demanded concerted action to curb the rising influence of neo-Nazi ideology, notably among young Germans.

“We need a national effort that goes beyond mere words of concern whenever another case of rightwing violence occurs,” said Uwe-Karsten Heye, the head of the campaign.

Heye pointed to rising far-right crime rates, which had more than doubled in the course of the past ten years.

In 2001, some 10.054 recorded crimes were committed by German neo-Nazis. According to Heye, such cases have since skyrocketed to reach 20,422 in 2008. In addition, some 149 people have been killed by neo-Nazis over the past 20 years.

Neo Nazi Ideology takes root
Heye added that rightwing organizations, such as the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD), are increasingly targeting the younger generation.
According to a recent opinion poll, 4.9 percent of all 15-year old boys and 2.6 percent of all girls of that age are already involved with a far-right group.
“The NPD is seen as a revolutionary protest party, which offers activities that are hugely attractive for young people,” Heye said.
Within the past seven years the neo-Nazi NPD has increased the number of seats it holds on German municipal councils from a few dozen to more than 300 now.
“But wherever neo-Nazis face resistance from the general public, their outreach is limited.” Heye said.

Funding in doubt

Joerg Wanke, campaign leader in the small town of Zossen, south of Berlin, said the aim of the intitiative was not only to prevent acts of far-right crime.

“We also want to strengthen democracy and tolerance among the population at large to be able to undermine the foundation of rightwing extremist views,” he said.
Wanke and Heye both criticized plans by the conservative-liberal government in Berlin to cut funding for anti-Nazi projects, including the “Show your Face” campaign.
The government believes that more funds must be devoted to rising left-wing crime, and Muslim fundamentalism in Germany.
But Uwe-Karsten Heye disagrees. “Attempts to equate right-wing violence with Muslim fundamentalism and left-wing extremism, plays down the neo-Nazi threat to German security. The far right problem is still much bigger.”
DW-World

White supremacist admits producing ricin for terrorism (UK)

A white supremacist today admitted producing deadly ricin while preparing for acts of terrorism.
Ian Davison's home in Myrtle Grove, Burnopfield, County Durham, was raided by anti-terror officers who found the killer substance in a jam jar in his kitchen.
At Newcastle Crown Court he admitted producing a chemical weapon - ricin - and preparing for acts of terrorism.
He also admitted three charges of possessing a record containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing acts of terrorism.
The charge related to copies of three texts including The Anarchist's Handbook, which detailed instructions on making explosives.
Davison, who wore a pale blue, short-sleeved shirt and was flanked by four prison officers, also admitted possession of a prohibited weapon which related to a spray canister found during the raid on his home.
He will be sentenced after the trial of his son Nicky Davison, 19, who denies two charges of possessing material containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing acts of terrorism.

The case will be heard on April 12.

The father, a truck driver and ex-DJ, was remanded in custody and Judge John Milford warned him: "Doubtless you have been told only custody can follow."

Nicky Davison was granted bail until his trial.

The Independant

Sweden slammed over sexual violence inaction

Sweden and its Nordic neighbours have been slammed by human rights group Amnesty International for failing to combat sexual violence, a new report shows.

"In spite of all the progress towards equality between women and men in many fields in the Nordic societies, when it comes to rape the legal measures are still not adequate," the human rights group said in a report.

"Rape and other forms of sexual violence remain an alarming reality that affects the lives of many thousands of girls and women every year in all Nordic countries," it added.

The report, entitled "Case Closed," said that Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden all suffered from gaps in their legal systems, making it complicated to sufficiently prosecute and punish sex crimes.

Across the region, only a small percentage of rapes are ever reported, and even when they are reported, only a few make it to court, where the acquittal rate is very high, the report showed.

"There is therefore a common cause for concern about the lack of legal protection for victims of rape in the Nordic countries," it said.

In Finland the situation was especially egregious, with only between two and 10 percent of rapes ever reported, compared to 25 percent in Denmark.

In most respects, Finland figured at the bottom of the list when it came to protecting victims' rights, the report said.

"Compared to the other Nordic countries, it is clear that Finland has been slower to reform its legislation on violence against women and rape."

One concern, according to Amnesty, was that instead of following the European Court of Human Rights definition of rape as all non-consensual sexual acts, all four countries allowed the "use of violence or threats of violence define the 'seriousness' (and thus the criminal liability) of rape."

If there is little or no violence involved, Finnish law for instance defines the crime merely as "coercion into sexual intercourse," which is only prosecuted on explicit request from the victim and which is often punishable with mere fines or a few months in prison.

In one case documented in the Amnesty report, a man had forced a woman to have sex in a car park toilet by banging her head against the wall and twisting her arm behind her back.

The prosecutor argued the violence was of a "lesser degree", and the man was sentenced to seven months behind bars for coercion.

By comparison, Amnesty said, Finns who refuse the compulsory military draft face a minimum of six months in prison.

The human rights group also highlighted that in Finland and Denmark, having non-consensual sex with someone who has rendered themselves helpless, through alcohol for instance, is not considered rape.
This "sends out a message that raping a person who is unable to give her free agreement is a less serious crime than raping a person who is able to resist," Amnesty wrote, insisting this definition of rape rests on "discriminatory gender stereotypes."
The report called on all the Nordic nations to improve protection for victims of sexual crimes, insisting they needed to "ensure that all legal procedures in cases involving crimes of rape and other sexual violence are impartial and fair, and not affected by prejudices or stereotypical notions about female and male sexuality."

This is not the first time the human right group has slammed Sweden on its rape record. The Local reported in April 2009 that the country had been accused by the UN and Amnesty of allowing rapists to "enjoy impunity".

Futhermore an EU study published in the same month showed Sweden at the top of a "European rape league" with 46 incidents reported per 100,000 residents - twice the figure recorded in the UK and four times higher than its Nordic neighbours.
The Local

Three migrants die after jumping from high-rise flats 'to escape deportation'

Three immigrants facing deportation died after jumping from the 15th floor of a high-rise flat yesterday.

The horrific incident happened at a notorious tower block complex in a run-down district of Glasgow.
The bodies of the victims - two men and a woman - were found after a cupboard was thrown from a balcony to break protective netting.

Although the victims' identities have not been released, locals said they may have been Kosovans who faced being kicked out the country.

Detectives said there were no suspicious circumstances.
The bodies were discovered at the Red Road flats at Petershill Drive, Springburn, at about 8.30am.
Strathclyde Police blocked off the street and officers stood guard. The area around the flat was cordoned off and two white tents were erected by forensic officers.

Elizabeth Neilson, 42, who lives in the opposite block, said: 'I opened my blinds and saw them lying there this morning at about 8.30am. I saw two concierge staff standing there and three bodies lying on the ground. It is horrible.
'I phoned the concierge and he said he couldn't say much but that three people had thrown themselves off the veranda.'

Elaine Sandford, 40, said she believed the deceased were from Kosovo and faced being deported.

She said: 'I think they had a letter through the door that said they were coming back for them.'
The victims' neighbour said they had lived there for two months but she did not know them.
A UK Border Agency spokesman said the agency was aware of the deaths but refused to comment any further.
The Red Road flats complex features eight high-rises which were once the highest flats in Europe.
In recent years, they have been used to house asylum seekers from Kosovo, Africa, Asia, the former Soviet Union, Iran and Iraq.
Daily Mail

International Women's Day puts spotlight on domestic violence

As the world marks Women’s Day, a poll of over 24,000 adults in 23 countries found that one-in-four people still believe a woman's place is at home. Millions of women across the globe still face discrimination and domestic violence.

Women head governments, run companies and comprise about half the world's workforce, but a global poll shows that one in four people, most of them young, believe a woman's place is in the home.

The survey of over 24,000 adults in 23 countries, conducted by Reuters/Ipsos and released on the eve of International Women's Day, showed that people from India (54 percent), Turkey (52 percent), Japan (48 percent), China, Russia, Hungary (34 percent each) and South Korea (33 percent) were most likely to agree that women should not work. And, perhaps surprisingly, people aged between 18 and 34 years are most likely to hold that view, not those from the older, and more traditional, generation.

However, the majority, or 74 percent, of those polled believe a woman's place is certainly not at home.

"Over the past century, women, collectively, have made great gains not only in terms of societal participation - from politics to the workplace to sports and the media and to intellectual pursuit - but there are still barriers to many," said John Wright, senior vice president of market research company Ipsos.

"This poll has a fundamental expression embraced by a full majority that women, individually or otherwise, should have the ability to choose to do what and where they believe they can make their greatest contribution" he said.

In countries where most people believed women should stay at home, or where the majority held the opposite view, there was little difference between the sexes, the survey showed. For example, in India, the country where more than half of those polled said women should stay home, an almost equal number of men and women held this view.
France24

Government attempts to keep torture case secret (UK)

The government will attempt today to have a case about torture heard entirely behind closed doors in a move that some lawyers say would extend secrecy to a new area of hearings, overriding ancient principles of English law.
This morning a case will come before three appeal judges in London in which seven men are seeking damages against the government for mistreatment during what they say was their "extraordinary rendition" and torture facilitated by the British security services.
The men include former Guantánamo Bay detainees Binyam Mohamed and Moazzam Begg. But the government is seeking to have the case held in secret, less than two weeks after the court of appeal ruled that seven paragraphs of secret evidence in the case of Mohamed should be made public.
Lawyers for the men say that if successful, the government's application would extend closed proceedings into findings of fact in the civil courts for the first time.
"This would set a very serious precedent," said Louise Christian, a partner at Christian Khan who represents Martin Mubanga, one of the claimants, who was also detained at Guantánamo Bay. "If you allow evidence in ordinary civil cases to be kept secret, there is no doubt it will be endlessly used by the government. As the Binyam Mohamed case illustrated, this is really about the government avoiding embarrassment for the reality of their collaboration with the US and all that happened, rather than any real national security issues."

The claimants have never been charged with an offence and are pursuing a claim for a range of civil wrongs including torture, false imprisonment and misfeasance in public office.

Last month the court of appeal heavily criticised the security services in a ruling in Mohamed's case. Publicising their judgment after an attempt by government lawyers to have damaging remarks about the security services edited out, three of England's most senior judges said British agents "appear to have a dubious record when it comes to human rights and coercive techniques".

The government responded furiously to the comments, and to the court's decision to release the seven paragraphs, which it said had damaged intelligence-sharing with the US.
But today lawyers for the men bringing the civil claim will argue that the attempt to hold an entire damages case in secret goes far beyond any previous rulings. The government applied to have the case heard behind closed doors last July, when lawyers for government bodies including MI6 the Secret Intelligence Service, the Foreign Office and the attorney-general, argued that more than 250,000 documents would have to be provided, more than half of which were marked "secret", and disclosure would take up to 10 years.

If successful, the application could open the way for a range of civil claims to be held in private using a system of "special advocates" – specially vetted lawyers appointed by the court – who would not be able to discuss the case with clients
"This would have serious implications for other actions against the state, such as civil actions against the police or immigration services where they are accused of breaches of human rights or unlawful detention, actions against police usually about assault and imprisonment," said Christian. Experts are describing the attempt as a challenge to open justice – a central principle of English law strengthened by the European convention on human rights, and to the adversarial nature of English trials, which dates back to at least the 13th century.

The claimants will argue that such changes would have to be approved by parliament, with strong safeguards in place. Lawyers also say the case would have drastic implications for the rest of the UK's legal system, creating "severe practical difficulties," because they would be unable to advise clients or reach settlements out of court. Concerns have also been raised that English common law – which depends on precedents from previous cases being followed by lawyers and judges – will be unable to develop if hearings and judgments are kept secret.
Last November the high court judge Mr Justice Silber said the government could have the case heard in secret, stating that the court had the power to order a closed hearing because of the scale and complexity of the case, and the "high proportion of very sensitive material".
The government will defend that decision today, and denies that the attempt to have the case heard in secret was part of a cover-up. "The government is not seeking to cover up information or relevant material in these cases. Quite the opposite," a Foreign Office spokesperson said. "We applied for a closed procedure so that the court will be able to fully consider the large volume of relevant material already identified that cannot be disclosed openly without a real risk of causing substantial harm or real damage to the public interest."

But today lawyers for the men bringing the claim will argue that Silber's judgment was "founded on a misunderstanding"."Allegations of collusion in torture and extraordinary rendition are some of the most serious that could possibly come before a court and the government," Christian said. "The court is very aware of the tactics in trying to avoid proper disclosure in these sorts of claims."

Th Guardian

Far-right party Jobbik makes gains in Hungary

With just over a month before general elections in Hungary, popular interest in taking part in the vote is on the rise. The far-right Jobbik party seems to be profiting the most, according to the latest Median poll, although the conservative opposition party, Fidesz, remains favorite to form the next government after eight years of Socialist rule.

Fresh results of a Median poll commissioned by the HVG weekly show that, some 40 days before the April ballot, the intention to vote has climbed seven points to 58 percent.
Four years ago, the figure stood at 52 percent at this point in time although participation in the actual elections rose to 67.8 percent.
Around 8 million of Hungary's 10 million inhabitants are eligible to cast their vote. The increase in interest was strongest (plus 10 points) among citizens under the age of 30, according to the Median survey, which was based on a 2,400-strong sample.
Experts say this could explain Jobbik's two-point increase. Overall, the radical right-wingers came third in the poll, with nine percent pledging their support. Fidesz' popularity and that of the ruling Socialist MSZP were almost stable at 44 and 14 percent respectively.
Among the under 40-year olds, Jobbik is now the second strongest party, ahead of the Socialists. In addition to the three parties practically assured of clearing the five per cent hurdle, two smaller groupings are struggling to make the cut.
The centre-right MDF has been in parliament since 1990, the greenish LMP was only founded before last summer's European elections. Their hopes rest with the large number of still undecided voters.
The Median survey was carried out in two installments in February
waz.euobserver

German minister says headscarf ban could backfire

Following calls in several European countries to ban Islamic head-to-toe veils, Germany's interior minister said he was "cautious" about the idea of outlawing headscarves in the face of a possible backlash.

"The more that we try to repress symbols of other religions in public life, the more the danger grows that there will be successful attacks on Christian symbols in public, everyday life," Thomas de Maiziere told Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere urged caution

The minister, who is a member of Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Party (CDU), said that he would have no problem with a female worker in his ministry wearing a headscarf as an expression of religious belief.
But if the headscarf was being used to express an aggressive stance "that sets itself against what a federal interior ministry represents," Maiziere said it should be forbidden.

According to the CDU politician, the decisions should be based on whether the behavior and appearance of an employee was "appropriate."
He added that the same principles on what is correct should be applied as they would be to the wearing of flip-flops or Hawaiian shirts.
In Germany, most states have passed laws that ban teachers from wearing headscarves in schools.

Prohibition across Europe
Maiziere's comments came as several European countries were considering imposing bans on the head-to-toe Islamic veil.

A French ban on the wearing of full-body coverings in public is already being sought by Prime Minister Francois Fillon, who wrote to the country's highest administrative court asking it to "study the legal solutions enabling us to reach a ban."
In the Netherlands, the anti-immigration Freedom Party (PW) and its controversial leader, Geer Wilders, have called for such veils to be banned in many public buildings. Even though the PW scored gains in local elections last week, there are doubts about whether a proposed ban in city council buildings would be legal.
Denmark has rejected an outright ban but schools, businesses and other organizations have been allowed to put their own restrictions in place.
dw-world