June 2018 – Page 5 – Bridge Agents

Protests in Georgia call for justice in teen murders

June 4, 2018 Bridge Agents

(EAN) – Protesters gathered in central Tbilisi the evening of May 31 after a high-profile murder case resulted in an acquittal and suspicions of official impunity. One man’s battle for justice for his murdered son has turned into a major challenge for the Georgian government, with top officials facing mass calls for their resignations. Thousands gathered in central Tbilisi late in the evening of May 31 and blocked traffic on the main artery Rustaveli Avenue after a high-profile trial ended without a conviction. The protesters decried a Georgian justice system…

Who are China’s political prisoners? A human rights assessment, 29 years after Tiananmen

June 3, 2018 Bridge Agents

“Police attention: No distributing any unhealthy thoughts or objects.” A trilingual (Tibetan – Chinese – English) sign above the entrance to a small café in Nyalam Town, Tibet, 1993. By John Hill. CC BY-SA 3.0. Written by Pong Lai The 29th anniversary of the bloody suppression of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations is approaching. On June 4, 1989, Chinese army forces repeatedly opened fire on a student-led movement demanding freedom of expression and political reform away from corruption and single-party rule. At the time, the Chinese Red Cross estimated that 2,700…

US Policy Forcibly Separating Children from Parents Is Inhumane

June 3, 2018 Bridge Agents

(HRW) – Since early May, the Trump administration has separated over 658 children from their would-be-immigrant parents at the US border under its unjust and cruel new “zero tolerance” policy. This policy sends parents into detention and prosecutes them for the crime of entering the country illegally, while their children – including infants and toddlers – are taken into government custody separately and alone. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly said separations would be a “tough deterrent” for hopeful immigrants coming to the United States. That’s a truly shocking…

The Government has Long Treated Nevada as a Dumping Ground, and it’s Not Just Yucca Mountain

June 2, 2018 Bridge Agents

Nevada, United States (Conversation) – Nevadans can be forgiven for thinking they are in an endless loop of “The Walking Dead” TV series. Their least favorite zombie federal project refuses to die. In 2010, Congress had abandoned plans to turn Yucca Mountain, about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, into the nation’s only federal dump for nuclear waste so radioactive it requires permanent isolation. And the House recently voted by a wide margin to resume these efforts. Nevada’s U.S. Senators Dean Heller, a Republican, and Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat,…

Officials Excluded Hundreds of Homeless San Diegans From Latest Homeless Census

June 1, 2018 Bridge Agents

San Diego, CA (VOSD) – San Diego’s latest homeless census left out hundreds of people living in RVs, and enrolled in programs at the San Diego Rescue Mission. Those people are typically included in the annual point-in-time count, which the region uses to monitor its progress combating homelessness and the resources the issue requires. They were excluded this year, officials with the countywide group responsible for the effort confirmed. pixabay.com Yet earlier this month, when local leaders including County Supervisor Ron Roberts and City Councilman Chris Ward announced the results, they…