The Speaker Editors

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In Sao Paulo, Brazil, a paramilitary police officer shot dead a street vendor when the vendor attempted to grab a can of pepper spray held by the officer. The officer was in the process of arresting another man on the sidewalk with three other officers when the incident occurred.

The vendor tried to grab the can from the officers hand, and in the process of grabbing the can, pepper spray was released from the can. The officer fired his pistol at the vendor, who ran approximately 20 feet before falling dead in a pool of blood.

The vendor, Carlos Augusto Muniz Braga, was lamented by his wife.

“Why does the government deploy police unprepared to deal with the people–and how will I now take care of my three children?” said Claudia Silva Lopez.

Also among the bereaved are three children, aged 4, 9 and 12 years.

Claudia Lopez was not allowed to view her husband’s body.

Carlos Lopez was not working at the time of the incident. Reportedly, he was just passing through on his way to pick up one of his children from school when he noticed the three officers arresting another vendor.

The officer has since been arrested, according to the mayor of the city.

Brazil is known for having a high incidence of death during arrest. In comparison with the United States, where 1 in 32,000 arrestees are killed by police, Brazil has a rate of 1 in 229.

The number is considered to be higher still, however, as many people go missing unaccounted for. In 2013, over 5000 people went missing in Rio de Janeiro.

By James Haleavy

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Citing “irrefutable evidence” obtained by the Russian Investigative Committee, Russian authorities have launched a criminal case against Ukraine for its use of prohibited means and methods of warfare.

“We have witness testimony provided by Ukrainian refugees and intend to file a motion that the witnesses be recognized as the injured parties in this case,” stated a representative from Trunov, Aviar and Partners law firm, Igor Trunov.

“I appealed to the Investigation Committee with the application and the answer came to me that the case is initiated,” said Trunov.

The Russian firm is alleging that Ukraine used prohibited means and methods of warfare in Donetsk and Luhansk. The law in question is Article 356 of the Russian Criminal Code, which deals with prohibition in warfare.

“The case was initiated by the crime under Part 1 of Article 356 of the Criminal Code upon application by unidentified servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, armed members of the National Guard of Ukraine and militants of the right sector and regards prohibited means and methods of war in the breakaway Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics,” said Trunov.

Russian authorities are basing the case on Ukraine’s alleged use of phosphorous bombs in its campaign against the pro-Russian separatist movement in eastern Ukraine.

“During an inquiry into the alleged use of prohibited means and weapons of war, the Main Investigative Department of the Russian Investigative Committee discovered irrefutable evidence of prohibited weapons being used against civilians,” said the official spokesman of the Investigative Committee, Vladimir Markin, last month when the report was completed.

The Investigative Committee found that, based on chemical analysis of soil samples taken from areas where eyewitnesses reported shelling from Ukraine, there was evidence of combustion byproducts of H-17 incendiary liquid commonly used in the production of landmines and air bombs.

“People in the affected areas will suffer horribly and will often die an awful death. If not, they experience severe psychological trauma,” said Markin.

Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have repeatedly accused Ukraine of using phosphorous bombs.

Additionally, Trunov is alleging that Ukraine used weapons against its civilian population and civil objects in violation of the Geneva Convention. Trunov based these claims on a commission formed by the Russia Red Cross to investigate for instances of war crimes in Ukraine.
Trunov stated that these crimes must be investigate by the International Criminal Court (ICC)

State Duma lawmaker Roman Khudyakov has asked the Investigative Committee to provide its evidence for the case.

Trunov said that in the near future he intends to ask the UN Security Council and to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court at The Hague to address the case.

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In Sweden, the far-right Swedish Democrats party, often called fascist and racist for its nationalist and anti-immigration policies–as well as for public scandals such as racist comments posted online and photos of swastika-wearing candidates–has become the third largest party in the nation. Thousands demonstrated against the outcome of the vote in Stockholm.

“We want to organize immediately,” said Jazz Munteanu, an organizer of the protests. “I would not want be home on the couch, sad over election results–that we have fascists and racists who have come into our parliament.”

More than 3,000 people congregated at the Stockholm’s main square in response to Munteanu’s call.

The Swedish Democrats party now occupies 49 seats of Sweden’s 349-seat parliament.

In 2010, the party made it to parliament with 5.7 percent of the vote, or 20 seats.

A leader of the Swedish Democrats party, Jimmy Ståhl, responded to the demonstration.

“We have had an election in a democratic spirit,” said Ståhl, “so I think it’s really strange that you cannot accept the rules of democracy.”

“As I see it, we have one of the best migration policies–to call us racists is just ridiculous.”

In the election, 13 percent of Swedes voted in favor of the Swedish Democrats, despite several pre-election scandals, including the stepping down of one candidate after a photo was publicized of her wearing a swastika armband, and another candidate received public criticism after posting racist and anti-immigrant comments on the internet.

The rising number of voters who supported the Swedish Democrats also did so despite news that the young leader of the party, Jimmie Akesson, gambled the equivalent of approximately US$70,000 online.

Immigration is becoming an increasingly hot issue in Sweden. Sweden currently grants automatic residence to all refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict. This year, approximately 80,000 people are expected to apply for asylum.

Analysts believe Sweden’s rising support for the Swedish Democrats stems from the party’s stance on immigration.

“Islamism is the Nazism and communism of our time. It has to be met with disgust and much stronger resistance than has so far been the case,” said Akesson in August on the issue of increasing Mulsim immigration.

Akesson has been vocal about his criticisms of what he has called “mass immigration.” He has stated that the labour market and school system are particularly affected by immigration.

The party is nationalist, but has stated that it maintains a zero tolerance policy towards racism.

Elsewhere in Europe, nationalist parties are also gaining popularity, such as France’s National Front, which moved into the political mainstream recently.

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[Brief] In Moscow, a group of teenage students organized and carried out a demonstration that included Ukrainian colors and peace symbols.

The children were reportedly responding to comments made earlier by the school’s head mistress, who had responded to an American Eagle t-shirt worn to school by one 7th grade student by saying that the shirt was American propaganda.

The students organized a demonstration in which they came to school wearing Ukraine’s blue and yellow and painted their arms and faces with peace symbols.

The student demonstration was posted to Facebook by a mother of one of the students, Maria Kniazena, who wrote of the action, “I can certainly tell you that I am proud of the children in the class. They have their own opinions, and are not afraid to voice them.”

(Click image for full size)

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[BRIEF] Following reports by US and Russian media outlets that a Russian reconnaissance satellite may have exploded over the skies of Colorado and Wyoming September 2, Russia’s defense ministry Tuesday denied that the satellite or part thereof had re-entered the atmosphere in US airspace.

The reports cited the American Meteor Society and said that at least 30 eyewitnesses in the two states observed a fireball in the sky that was suspected to be the satellite.

Eyewitnesses in Wyoming and Colorado reported observing a blast in the air Sept. 2, which was thought to have been Russia’s Kosmos-2495 imaging reconnaissance satellite. The eyewitnesses observed a fireball at around 10:30 p.m. local time.

Tuesday, a spokesperson for Russia’s defense ministry, Igor Konashenkov, denied the claims, stating that “the Russian satellite group functions normally and is being constantly monitored by Russian Aerospace Defense Forces.”

Konashenkov also said that “most likely, the true motive” behind the reports was an attempt by US intelligence agencies to spot the location of the Russian satellite again after they had lost track of it.

Russia also claimed to have a video that a video showed the satellite re-entering the atmosphere over Kazakhstan.

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Soldiers’ Mothers, an influential Russian non-profit group composed of the family members of Russian soldiers and purposed to act as a watch dog over the use and abuse of Russian soldiers, was labelled “foreign agent” by the government in August after criticizing the government for sending Russian troops into Ukraine to fight an undeclared war, and the group is now applying to be removed from the list.

“In making this appeal, we do not contest Justice Ministry’s actions. We merely ask to be excluded from the register in light of the fact that we do not fall under the category of ‘foreign agent,'” said a spokesperson for the group, Alexander Peredruk.

The group was put on the list after its leaders made certain comments on the conflict in Ukraine in August. The chairman of Soldiers’ Mothers and a member of the Kremlin’s human rights council, Ella Polyakova, made statements on an independent television channel regarding 100 injured Russian soldiers who had been transported to a hospital in St Petersburg. She noted that the government had given no information about from where the injured soldiers had been transported, and hinted that it was Eastern Ukraine, citing information collected by Soldiers’ Mothers on the matter.

Read more: Head of Russian Soldiers’ Mothers Group Denounces Putin for Sending Soldiers to “the Bloody Battlefields” in Undeclared War 

Polyakova referred to the information of other Soldiers’ Mothers and said that Russian soldiers in Dagestan had been paid the equivalent of $7000 to fight in Ukraine.

Soldiers’ Mothers had been on Russia’s watch list since March, when its leaders made statements that were viewed as constituting “political activity” by the Russian Justice Ministry. The group received grants from organizations based overseas, according to Russian news agency Kommersant.

Read more: Russian Soldiers Families to Russian Government: “Give Us Back Our Children” Killed in Undeclared War [with video] 

According to a 2012 Russian law, any NGO that receives foreign funding and conducts political activity must register as a “foreign agent.”

Soldiers’ Mothers appealed the inclusion on the registry, saying that they had stopped receiving foreign funding in May, and had since June been relying exclusively on the Russian government.

“This does not mean we agree with decision [of the Justice Ministry] to include us on the list, of course,” said Peredruk. “That matter will still be challenged in court.”

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Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Andrii Lasenko made warnings Monday that Russia likely intends to target Moldova next, noting that “little green men,” similar to those which invaded and barricaded Crimea in late February before Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine, had been recently reported by the former Moldovan Minister of the Interior, Gennady Cosovan.

“Russia is attempting to destabilize not only Ukraine, but other countries as well,” said Lasenko. The so-called “little green men” now present are those that recruit young people, initiate disinformation, know how to act in emergency situations and use small arms.

Cosovan had made statements Sept. 5 about the appearance of the Russian agents.

“The presence of ‘little green men’ has been found by intelligence and security service investigations conducted in southern Moldova,” said Cosovan. “They were training there, but, due to leaks, they managed to escape.”

The little green men had recruited 500 people in southern Moldova, who attended training in Rostov, Moscow and other locations. As part of their training, the youth shot 500-1000 cartridges per day, reportedly.

“Moreover, there is information that Chisinau is recruiting and training young people,” stated Cosovan.

Cosovan warned of the gravity of the situation. “It is no secret that the Transnistrian army is larger and better equipped–equipped with modern weapons–than the Moldovan [national] army.

“Therefore, in the event of an armed conflict, the Moldovan military will not have adequate strength.”

By Day Blakely Donaldson