Spokesman Books

Bertrand Russell died on 2 February 1970, in his 98th year. Two days earlier he had composed a message to the International Conference of Parliamentarians, who were about to meet in Cairo whilst Israeli air raids reached deep into Egyptian territory. Russell’s message was read to the assembled parliamentarians on the day after his sudden death. He had remarked that: ‘The tragedy of the people of Palestine is that their country was “given” by a foreign Power to another people for the creation of a new State. The result was that many hundreds of thousands of innocent people were made permanently homeless. With every new conflict their numbers have increased. How much longer is the world willing to endure this spectacle of wanton cruelty? It is abundantly clear that the refugees have every right to the homeland from which they were driven, and the denial of this right is at the heart of the continuing conflict. No people anywhere in the world would accept being expelled en masse from...

Paco writes from Jeju Island, South Korea: Basically things are going super well! Our presence at the IUCN WCC grows every day. Today many villagers and activists were both inside and out, dancing, talking, handing out information, inviting to tours, singing, etc. Everyone knows about Gangjeong, what has happened to us, and what is happening. Today I didn't meet a single person who hadn't heard of it, and 95% of the people I met were totally in support us, loved our resolution, our actions, and our talks. We barely gave out any of our newsletters today because almost everyone already read it! Inside the WCC there were several great Gangjeong related talks and a press conference as well as a short Gangjeong traditional folk performance and short talk by Mayor Kang in the 3,000 seat Tamna Hall. It wasn't full of course, but there was a good crowd. We also got our revenge about blocking our booth and just set one up ourselves inside the main hall. Much better position th...

A shameful press trial as well for Turkey as for Europe! Doğan Özgüden , Info-Türk Chief Editor, issued the following declaration on September 9, 2012, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the beginning of his journalistic career in Turkey : I began journalism in the Republic of Turkey at the age of 16 years in Izmir on September 9, 1952 It was the first years of the Democrat Party's power having promised a real democratization in the country. However, at that date, 184 personalities of whom many writers or artists of the country were already behind iron bars on charge of belonging to a communist organization. It was followed by the arrest of many journalists or writers whatsoever be their political opinion. A group of Turkish Army's officers overthrew the DP on May 27, 1960, by a military coup with the promise to establish a democratic regime. However they refused to release Kurdish intellectuals already in prison. Moreover, they did not delay to deport many dist...

Public meeting Mass Political Show Trials in Turkey 6.30-8.30pm Tuesday 18 September 2012 Garden Court Chambers, 57-60 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LJ (nearest tube: Holborn) Chaired by Prof Bill Bowring , Birkbeck College, President of the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH) and International Secretary of the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers Speakers include: Margaret Owen OBE , barrister, member of the Bar Human Rights Committee Ali Has , solicitor Tony Simpson , Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation; editor of The Spokesman Barry White , NUJ representative of the European Federation of Journalists Obsessively sensitive about its image, Turkey seeks to present a modern, liberal and democratic face to the outside world, but the reality for people involved in public life inside the country is far different. Repression is the regime’s inevitable knee-jerk response to those seeking to exercise their civil rights to ...

To all who are planning or will be attending a Remembrance Sunday event on November 11th Letter from Robert A. Hinde, former pilot, Coastal Command, RAF 1941-45 Dear friend, As Remembrance Sunday approaches, I feel more strongly than ever that the world is not as it should be. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Earth’s bounties are squandered and used to fill the pockets of the powerful. The so-called 'war to end wars' was followed by another world war and by many localised ones, often characterised by unspeakable cruelty. In World War II my brother died, slowly and painfully of wounds, exposure and dehydration in a ship’s lifeboat. My boyhood friend, an RAF navigator, is buried in Germany. Our War Memorials list those who 'gave their lives': it would be more honest to say they were killed. If wars continue, thousands more people will be killed or wounded. Families will be destroyed. Remembering is not enough. The best way to honour the dead is...