Days after a court allowed him entry into Britain, controversial Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders said his arrival Friday marked “a victory for the freedom of speech.” “I hope, once again, that the UK government will never, never turn back somebody for political reasons because they don’t like what they are saying,” Wilders said at a news conference at the Houses of Parliament. Wilders, known for his much-criticized film about Islam, was denied entry into Britain in February when he flew there to screen the film, “Fitna,” at the House of Lords
Tag Archives: freedom
Current health bill unacceptable, Catholic bishops say
Senior Catholic bishops are threatening to oppose the health care bill under consideration in Congress if lawmakers don’t make significant reforms regarding federally funded abortions and other issues. “No one should be required to pay for or participate in abortion,” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a letter Thursday to members of Congress
Swiss city allows controversial right-wing poster
Switzerland’s largest city has permitted the use of controversial posters which call for a ban on the construction of minarets on mosques in the European country.
GOP lawmakers blast Cuba visit by Black Caucus members
A pair of Republican congressmen ripped Congressional Black Caucus members for ignoring Cuba’s “myriad gross human rights abuses” Thursday, saying this week’s caucus trip to the island nation ignored the plight of political prisoners under the Castro regime.
Turkish leader denies press crackdown
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is denying accusations that a record fine levied against the country’s largest media conglomerate, Dogan Holding, was politically motivated. “I believe it is not right to mistake the routine works of the state agencies with freedom of press,” Erdogan said, according to Turkey’s state news agency, Anatolian
Bill designating ‘Harvey Milk Day’ draws fire
Amid conservative opposition, a bill that would designate a day of “significance” in California for slain gay politician Harvey Milk is heading to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk.
Iraqi woman fears execution, can’t stop thinking of gallows
Samar Saed Abdullah’s entire body trembles as she speaks about her impending execution. She thinks of the gallows room, the noose around her neck and that moment when she will take her final breath. “My life is meaningless,” she said, choking on her tears
Commentary: Iran confronts rape, torture allegations
Troubling news of kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder is flooding out of Iran.
Paper’s organ harvesting article causes Israel-Sweden rift
Israeli troops are accused in a newspaper article of harvesting organs from dead Palestinians, and Israel wants Sweden’s government to condemn the Swedish paper that published it. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman compared the Swedish Foreign Ministry’s hands-off position to the country’s neutrality during World War II. “It’s a shame that the Swedish Foreign Ministry fails to intervene in a case of blood libels against Jews,” Lieberman told Sweden’s ambassador to Israel on Thursday evening
Air China raises Cathay stake
Air China, the country’s flag carrier, has agreed to pay HK$6.3bn (US$813m) to increase its stake in Cathay Pacific, only three years after first securing a holding in the Hong Kong airline. Chavez’s government is “moving forcefully to silence critics,” said the unclassified U.S. analysis prepared by the Open Source Center, a government intelligence center