14 November 201116 December 2022 4WardEverUK

US soldier jailed for Afghan murders

originally by: The Irish Times
published: 11th November 2011

A US army sergeant was convicted by court-martial yesterday of murdering unarmed civilians and cutting fingers from their corpses as ringleader of a rogue platoon in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province. The guilty verdict on all counts, returned after five hours of deliberations, carried an automatic life prison sentence, but the five-member jury panel then decided that Staff Sgt Calvin Gibbs (26) would be eligible for parole in eight-and-a-half years.

Pentagon officials have said the misconduct exposed by the case, which evolved from an inquiry of drug abuse within Gibbs’ Stryker Brigade infantry unit, damaged the image of the United States around the globe.

Photographs entered as evidence in the case showed Gibbs and other soldiers casually posing with bloodied Afghan corpses, drawing comparisons with the inflammatory Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq in 2004.

30 October 201116 December 2022 4WardEverUK

Protest against UK deaths in police custody

all credits: PressTV
published: 29th October 2011

Once again, this year, like every year hundreds gathered for the annual march against deaths in police custody in Britain. Most of those here are family members who say they have lost loved ones at the hands of the police. Like the family of Sean Riggs who died on 21 August 2008. A 40-year old musician, he was arrested in the street by four officers and taken to a nearby police station. He was placed in a metal cage in the yard. 20 minutes later he was dead.

UFFC Demo 2011 Gallery by 4WardEver UK >

See the list – Deaths in Custody 1969-2011 >

Government Response to UFFC Demands – Dec 2011 >

8 October 201116 December 2022 4WardEverUK

Mark Duggan’s brother Shaun Hall calls for justice over ‘assassination’

originally by: Haringey Independent
published: 5th October 2011

The brother of Mark Duggan – the Tottenham man shot dead by police in August – has made an emotional appeal for “justice”.

Launching the Tottenham Defence Campaign today with three other families who have lost relatives in police incidents, Shaun Hall described the death of his brother in Ferry Lane on August 4 as “an assassination”.

He said: “What had my brother done so wrong? He had no criminal record and was not wanted by the police for anything as far as we know, so why did it happen?

“We’re told the police officer was scared – what was he scared of? Was he adequately trained? Why didn’t the local Tottenham police intervene?