WEBVTT 1 00:00:14.820 --> 00:00:21.820 From Pacifica, this is Democracy Now! 2 00:00:23.029 --> 00:00:30.029 Supporters in New Orleans cheer the release of Herman Wallace of the Angola Three, freed 3 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:40.820 after serving nearly 42 years in solitary confinement, longer than any other prisoner 4 00:00:40.820 --> 00:00:47.030 in the United States. Wallace was released Tuesday after a federal judge overturned his 5 00:00:47.030 --> 00:00:52.829 conviction and demanded his immediate release. Wallace was taken straight to a New Orleans 6 00:00:52.829 --> 00:00:59.399 hospital, where he’s battling liver cancer. Supporters say he is near death. We’ll speak 7 00:00:59.399 --> 00:01:05.700 to artist Jackie Sumell, who is at his bedside in the hospital, as well as his attorney George 8 00:01:05.700 --> 00:01:11.160 Kendall here in New York and Robert King, released years ago, a member of the Angola 9 00:01:11.160 --> 00:01:12.430 Three. 10 00:01:12.430 --> 00:01:17.990 Then we look at the case of Canadian filmmaker John Greyson and Dr. Tarek Loubani, who are 11 00:01:17.990 --> 00:01:21.470 on a hunger strike inside an Egyptian prison. 12 00:01:21.470 --> 00:01:28.470 On Friday, August 16th, it was a day of immense instability in Cairo, and hundreds of people 13 00:01:28.820 --> 00:01:33.000 were detained that day due to the unrest, and John and Tarek were unfortunately among 14 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:37.619 those people. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. And they went into 15 00:01:37.619 --> 00:01:43.950 a police station asking for directions back to their hotel and were detained at that time. 16 00:01:43.950 --> 00:01:49.560 We’ll speak with John Greyson’s sister Cecilia, as well as well-known author Naomi 17 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:54.090 Klein and Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous in Cairo. 18 00:01:54.090 --> 00:02:01.090 All that and more, coming up. 19 00:02:01.490 --> 00:02:07.060 Welcome to Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman. 20 00:02:07.060 --> 00:02:11.530 The partial shutdown of the federal government is in its second day with no signs of progress 21 00:02:11.530 --> 00:02:17.480 in the standoff between Democrats and Republicans. On Tuesday, House Republicans failed to win 22 00:02:17.480 --> 00:02:22.810 approval for a piecemeal effort to continue funding for national parks, veterans care 23 00:02:22.810 --> 00:02:28.019 and the District of Columbia. Democrats say they will only accept a bill funding the entire 24 00:02:28.019 --> 00:02:32.980 federal government, not select programs that Republicans want to spare from their push 25 00:02:32.980 --> 00:02:38.419 to repeal "Obamacare." Republicans brought about the shutdown after tying government 26 00:02:38.419 --> 00:02:45.190 funding to an "Obamacare" delay. The shutdown means furloughs for more than 800,000 government 27 00:02:45.190 --> 00:02:51.010 employees and forcing millions more to work without pay. Senate Majority Leader Harry 28 00:02:51.010 --> 00:02:54.250 Reid blamed Republicans for bringing the government to a halt. 29 00:02:54.250 --> 00:02:58.730 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: "All over America, federal employees are — they were 30 00:02:58.730 --> 00:03:05.730 given four hours this morning to clear off their emails, computers, close down their 31 00:03:06.320 --> 00:03:11.160 offices, all over America. They were asked to come to work at 8 o’clock this morning. 32 00:03:11.160 --> 00:03:17.570 By noon, they’re out of their offices. The government is closed because of the irrationality 33 00:03:17.570 --> 00:03:23.120 of what’s going on on the other side of the Capitol. That’s unfortunate, but that’s 34 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:23.419 the way it is." 35 00:03:23.419 --> 00:03:28.600 Both the White House and the Democratic-controlled Senate have rejected Republican calls to hold 36 00:03:28.600 --> 00:03:34.540 new talks, saying "Obamacare" is non-negotiable. House Speaker John Boehner blamed the shutdown 37 00:03:34.540 --> 00:03:35.750 on the Democrats’ stance. 38 00:03:35.750 --> 00:03:40.790 House Speaker John Boehner: "My goodness, they won’t even sit down and have a discussion 39 00:03:40.790 --> 00:03:47.229 about this. Our country has big problems. Today our government has big problems. The 40 00:03:47.229 --> 00:03:53.600 only way these problems are going to be resolved, if we sit down amicably and keep the American 41 00:03:53.600 --> 00:03:56.120 people in mind and come to an agreement." 42 00:03:56.120 --> 00:04:02.889 The shutdown is forcing the closure or reduction of a range of government services, including 43 00:04:02.889 --> 00:04:08.810 key programs for children in need. Head Start, the preschool program for low-income families, 44 00:04:08.810 --> 00:04:15.440 says it has lost grant money for 23 programs in 11 different states, impacting some 19,000 45 00:04:15.440 --> 00:04:20.979 children. This comes on top of the 57,000 children removed from Head Start this fall 46 00:04:20.979 --> 00:04:25.580 because of budget cuts under the sequester. In a statement, the head of the National Head 47 00:04:25.580 --> 00:04:32.090 Start Association, Yasmina Vinci, said: "This abdication of responsibility by Congress and 48 00:04:32.090 --> 00:04:37.690 leaders in Washington has further displaced the at-risk children already reeling from 49 00:04:37.690 --> 00:04:43.710 sequester. Government shutdown is one cut atop an already deep wound." If the shutdown 50 00:04:43.710 --> 00:04:48.000 continues for another week, the Department of Agriculture will stop funding a nutrition 51 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:54.100 program aiding nine million women and children. The Women, Infants and Children program helps 52 00:04:54.100 --> 00:04:58.920 pregnant women and new mothers with the purchase of healthy food. And for every week the shutdown 53 00:04:58.920 --> 00:05:05.010 continues, around 10 child cancer patients will be denied clinical trials due to cutbacks 54 00:05:05.010 --> 00:05:07.840 at the National Institutes of Health. 55 00:05:07.840 --> 00:05:12.930 The shutdown has also led to the closure of federal sites nationwide. National landmarks 56 00:05:12.930 --> 00:05:16.570 including the Statue of Liberty and Lincoln Memorial have been shuttered. On Tuesday, 57 00:05:16.570 --> 00:05:21.490 a group of elderly veterans defied the newly erected barricades to enter the National World 58 00:05:21.490 --> 00:05:26.490 War II Memorial on their own. In what critics called a publicity stunt by Republicans responsible 59 00:05:26.490 --> 00:05:31.210 for the shutdown, the veterans were accompanied by a group of House lawmakers. 60 00:05:31.210 --> 00:05:35.110 As the U.S. government shutdown began, a key facet of President Obama’s healthcare law 61 00:05:35.110 --> 00:05:40.540 went live nationwide. For the first time, Americans were able to begin purchasing health 62 00:05:40.540 --> 00:05:46.090 insurance from federal and state exchanges. Nearly three million people visited the federal 63 00:05:46.090 --> 00:05:51.840 website HealthCare.gov, while New York’s state site claimed it had more than 10 million 64 00:05:51.840 --> 00:05:57.530 hits. The heavy traffic fueled major glitches, with users facing long wait times and error 65 00:05:57.530 --> 00:06:03.530 messages preventing access. Appearing with uninsured Americans at the White House, President 66 00:06:03.530 --> 00:06:08.660 Obama said that despite initial road bumps, "Obamacare" is here to stay. 67 00:06:08.660 --> 00:06:13.450 President Obama: "For them, and millions like them, this is a historic day, for a good reason. 68 00:06:13.450 --> 00:06:19.120 It’s been a long time coming. But today Americans who have been forced to go without 69 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:24.520 insurance can now visit healthcare.gov and enroll in affordable new plans that offer 70 00:06:24.520 --> 00:06:27.030 quality coverage. That starts today." 71 00:06:27.030 --> 00:06:32.440 As both "Obamacare" enrollment and the government shutdown began, the Treasury Department officially 72 00:06:32.440 --> 00:06:37.340 notified Congress that the United States faces an October 17 deadline to extend the debt 73 00:06:37.340 --> 00:06:42.420 ceiling. The federal government will run out of money to pay off its debts unless lawmakers 74 00:06:42.420 --> 00:06:47.920 raise the nation’s borrowing limit. Republicans have also threatened to push for an "Obamacare" 75 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:52.960 repeal in the debt ceiling debate. In a bid to focus on the congressional impasse, President 76 00:06:52.960 --> 00:06:57.670 Obama has canceled stops in Malaysia and the Philippines as part of his upcoming trip to 77 00:06:57.670 --> 00:06:57.920 Asia. 78 00:06:57.850 --> 00:07:04.400 A dying prisoner has been released in Louisiana after serving nearly 42 years in solitary 79 00:07:04.400 --> 00:07:09.330 confinement, longer than any other prisoner in the United States. Herman Wallace and two 80 00:07:09.330 --> 00:07:16.240 others, known as the Angola Three, were placed in solitary in 1972 following the murder of 81 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:20.240 a prison guard. The Angola Three and their supporters say they were framed for their 82 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:25.020 political activism as members of one of the first prison chapters of the Black Panthers. 83 00:07:25.020 --> 00:07:30.980 In a surprise development, Wallace was released from prison Tuesday after a federal judge 84 00:07:30.980 --> 00:07:37.110 overturned his conviction, saying he did not receive a fair trial. Wallace, who is near 85 00:07:37.110 --> 00:07:43.200 death from advanced liver cancer, was taken directly to a New Orleans hospital where supporters 86 00:07:43.200 --> 00:07:50.200 greeted his arrival. Click here to see our coverage of his case and these developments. 87 00:07:59.520 --> 00:08:03.800 A former Guatemalan commando has been found guilty of immigration fraud for concealing 88 00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:10.050 his role in a 1982 massacre. On Tuesday, a federal jury convicted Jorge Vinicio Sosa 89 00:08:10.050 --> 00:08:15.639 Orantes for lying about his involvement in the killings of 250 civilians in the Guatemalan 90 00:08:15.639 --> 00:08:22.110 hamlet of Dos Erres. As a lieutenant in Guatemala’s notorious Kaibiles special forces, Sosa is 91 00:08:22.110 --> 00:08:27.080 said to have overseen the extermination of Dos Erres villagers, reportedly ordering his 92 00:08:27.080 --> 00:08:32.149 unit to throw babies down a well. He faces 10 years in prison, the revocation of his 93 00:08:32.149 --> 00:08:36.250 U.S. citizenship and possibly deportation to Guatemala. . 94 00:08:36.250 --> 00:08:40.039 And those are some of the headlines this is Democracy Now, Democracynow.org, the War and 95 00:08:40.039 --> 00:08:45.690 Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman. 96 00:08:45.690 --> 00:08:52.200 NERMEEN SHAIKH: We begin today’s show with news in a case Democracy Now! has been following 97 00:08:52.200 --> 00:08:57.810 closely. Herman Wallace, a member of the so-called Angola Three, has been released from prison 98 00:08:57.810 --> 00:09:03.550 after being held for nearly 42 years in solitary confinement. He was taken directly to the 99 00:09:03.550 --> 00:09:07.800 hospital, where he now lays dying of advanced stage liver cancer. 100 00:09:07.800 --> 00:09:13.080 Wallace and two others were in prison for armed robbery, then accused in 1972 of murdering 101 00:09:13.080 --> 00:09:18.700 a prison guard at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola. The men say they were framed 102 00:09:18.700 --> 00:09:22.660 because of their political activism as members of one of the first prison chapters of the 103 00:09:22.660 --> 00:09:24.450 Black Panther Party. 104 00:09:24.450 --> 00:09:29.160 The dramatic series of events on Tuesday began when Federal Judge Brian A. Jackson of the 105 00:09:29.160 --> 00:09:35.060 Middle District Court of Louisiana ordered Wallace’s release and overturned his conviction. 106 00:09:35.060 --> 00:09:39.580 In the order, Judge Jackson called on the state to, quote, "immediately release Mr. 107 00:09:39.580 --> 00:09:44.940 Wallace from custody" due to an improperly chosen grand jury that excluded women jurors 108 00:09:44.940 --> 00:09:50.180 in violation of the 14th Amendment. The state appealed the ruling, but Judge Jackson quickly 109 00:09:50.180 --> 00:09:55.210 responded with another order that said failure to release Mr. Wallace from custody will, 110 00:09:55.210 --> 00:09:57.550 quote, "result in a judgment of contempt." 111 00:09:57.550 --> 00:10:02.150 AMY GOODMAN: As the legal battle played out, Herman Wallace’s lawyers sent an ambulance 112 00:10:02.150 --> 00:10:08.600 to wait outside the gates of the prison to pick him up. Then, at 7:30 p.m. Central time 113 00:10:08.600 --> 00:10:14.580 Tuesday night, Herman Wallace, who is 71 years old, was met by members of his legal team 114 00:10:14.580 --> 00:10:19.399 at the gates and left the prison in the ambulance that took him to New Orleans. He was taken 115 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:24.390 directly to a hospital, where supporters there greeted him. 116 00:10:24.390 --> 00:10:30.270 SUPPORTER: That’s him! [cheering] 117 00:10:30.270 --> 00:10:37.270 AMY GOODMAN: For more, we’re joined by one of the people who met Herman Wallace to deliver 118 00:10:40.710 --> 00:10:46.380 the news he would be released: fellow Angola Three member Robert King. Until Tuesday night, 119 00:10:46.380 --> 00:10:52.230 King was the only freed member of the Angola Three. He spent 29 years in solitary confinement 120 00:10:52.230 --> 00:10:57.620 for a murder he did not commit. He was released in 2001 after his conviction was overturned. 121 00:10:57.620 --> 00:11:02.830 The third member of the Angola Three, Albert Woodfox, remains in prison at the David Wade 122 00:11:02.830 --> 00:11:07.770 Correctional Center in Homer, Louisiana. In recent months, he says he’s been subjected 123 00:11:07.770 --> 00:11:13.360 to strip searches and anal cavity searches as often as six times a day. 124 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:17.470 Robert King joins us from Austin, just back from visiting Wallace. In fact, he was the 125 00:11:17.470 --> 00:11:22.160 one who delivered the news to Herman Wallace that his conviction had been overturned. 126 00:11:22.160 --> 00:11:26.300 Here in New York, we’re joined by Herman Wallace’s defense attorney, George Kendall. 127 00:11:26.300 --> 00:11:32.839 But first we go directly to the New Orleans hospital where Herman Wallace lies. We’re 128 00:11:32.839 --> 00:11:38.930 joined by Jackie Sumell, the artist behind Herman’s House. She joined us on Monday 129 00:11:38.930 --> 00:11:44.290 in studio in New Orleans when Democracy Now! was broadcasting from there, broadcasting 130 00:11:44.290 --> 00:11:49.390 about the case of Herman Wallace, then still in prison. Now she joins us by phone at the 131 00:11:49.390 --> 00:11:55.770 bedside of Herman Wallace from the LSU—Louisiana State University—Medical Center, where Herman 132 00:11:55.770 --> 00:11:57.050 Wallace is now. 133 00:11:57.050 --> 00:12:01.560 Jackie, can you talk about Herman’s condition at this point? 134 00:12:01.560 --> 00:12:08.560 JACKIE SUMELL: Yeah, good morning, Amy. Herman has taken a turn for the worse. At about 3:00 135 00:12:08.670 --> 00:12:15.020 in the morning, I got a phone call from one of the other supporters, who said, "You should 136 00:12:15.020 --> 00:12:21.839 come in." The doctors aren’t sure if his kidneys are also failing, as well as his liver. 137 00:12:21.839 --> 00:12:28.839 So I’ve been with him since 3:00. He’s not very—he’s able to speak a word, like 138 00:12:30.260 --> 00:12:36.399 if you move him around, he’ll yell or indicate that he’s uncomfortable, but he doesn’t 139 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:43.399 seem to be cognizant in any other way. Yeah, it’s a really intense time right now. And 140 00:12:47.290 --> 00:12:51.310 it’s myself and a few other long-term supporters and his sister that are bedside with him. 141 00:12:51.310 --> 00:12:58.310 AMY GOODMAN: Jackie, did he understand yesterday at the prison that he was being released? 142 00:12:58.860 --> 00:13:03.450 JACKIE SUMELL: You’d have to ask George and King whether or not he understood it at 143 00:13:03.450 --> 00:13:10.100 the prison. I know that he did understand it last night when we had about a hundred 144 00:13:10.100 --> 00:13:17.100 supporters cheering him on, welcoming him home with banners and signs, chanting "Power 145 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:24.520 to the people!" He was very cognizant then. You know, this turn for the worse happened, 146 00:13:24.520 --> 00:13:24.770 like I said, at about 2:30, 3:00 this morning. 147 00:13:24.520 --> 00:13:28.830 AMY GOODMAN: Let’s turn to Robert King, another member of the Angola Three. Robert 148 00:13:28.830 --> 00:13:34.600 King is free after 29 years. Albert Woodfox remains in prison. And, of course, as we said, 149 00:13:34.600 --> 00:13:41.010 Herman Wallace, in a complete surprise move of a federal judge, had his conviction overturned 150 00:13:41.010 --> 00:13:46.070 yesterday with a demand for his immediate release, which happened last night. Robert 151 00:13:46.070 --> 00:13:52.730 King, you were in prison with Herman Wallace visiting him to say your final goodbye as 152 00:13:52.730 --> 00:13:59.529 he lay dying of liver cancer. You delivered the news to him about the overturning of his 153 00:13:59.529 --> 00:14:03.110 conviction. How did Herman respond? 154 00:14:03.110 --> 00:14:10.110 ROBERT KING: Thank you, Amy. Straight to the point, yes, of course, when we brought the 155 00:14:12.269 --> 00:14:19.269 news to Herman that he was being released, we had to do it in part, in bits and pieces. 156 00:14:19.800 --> 00:14:26.800 We only learned on our way to the prison from George Kendall, the head attorney, that Herman’s 157 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:34.200 case had been overturned, and so we were a bit surprised, but we had some good news for 158 00:14:34.200 --> 00:14:39.540 him. And when I saw him, I saw, as Jackie indicated, he’s pretty—pretty bad; he’s 159 00:14:39.540 --> 00:14:46.540 in pretty bad shape. His body is failing him. 160 00:14:48.330 --> 00:14:53.330 But I was there, Amy, you know, not so much as to witness his death, but, as you said, 161 00:14:53.330 --> 00:15:00.330 to also try to encourage him to hold on and to try to get him to recognize that his supporters, 162 00:15:01.300 --> 00:15:06.300 lawyers and all included were on board and trying to get him released from prison. And 163 00:15:06.300 --> 00:15:11.160 when we heard about this, we told him. And I think we managed to penetrate—we managed 164 00:15:11.160 --> 00:15:18.160 to penetrate and get to him the point that he would probably be released or could be 165 00:15:18.459 --> 00:15:25.459 released. I remember the lawyer on the way out telling Herman to hold on. And his word, 166 00:15:26.620 --> 00:15:33.620 which were the best words of the day, he said, "I will hold on. I’ll hold on. I’m going 167 00:15:37.910 --> 00:15:39.839 to hold on." And it was pretty touching. 168 00:15:39.839 --> 00:15:44.890 And I do feel this, Amy, that he will hold on, in spite the fact that his body has failed 169 00:15:44.890 --> 00:15:51.890 and is failing him. I believe in—I still believe in miracles, and I believe we can 170 00:15:53.740 --> 00:15:58.769 perform miracles. People can perform miracles. And there are doctors among us who can perform 171 00:15:58.769 --> 00:16:04.529 miracles to deal with a situation such as this, and hopefully this is one of those times. 172 00:16:04.529 --> 00:16:06.360 Hopefully, it is not too late. 173 00:16:06.360 --> 00:16:13.360 But in any case, Herman, whatever happen or whatever transpires, Herman will know one 174 00:16:14.190 --> 00:16:18.320 thing. I think he recognizes this, and he understood this and understands that there 175 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:23.630 are many people, millions of people, who really love him and who support him, and they are 176 00:16:23.630 --> 00:16:30.220 by his side. And he feel that he has contributed in some way to the struggle, regardless of 177 00:16:30.220 --> 00:16:34.769 what happen. If Herman survive, he will continue to struggle. But if not, then his millions 178 00:16:34.769 --> 00:16:40.360 and legions of supporters around the world are on board to continue the struggle, but 179 00:16:40.360 --> 00:16:46.980 it’s—because this is not just a fight to have him released from prison, but to have 180 00:16:46.980 --> 00:16:50.779 his conviction overturned and to deal with so many other. And we have Albert Woodfox 181 00:16:50.779 --> 00:16:56.430 to consider, as well. He is still on board, and he is suffering just as much as Herman. 182 00:16:56.430 --> 00:17:03.430 He has now the—will now be the longest-serving prisoner in solitary confinement. So we have 183 00:17:04.209 --> 00:17:08.449 to deal with him. We have to continue with all the rest of the stuff that is going on 184 00:17:08.449 --> 00:17:14.260 regarding prison, the Mumias of our society. We have to think about them, as well. But 185 00:17:14.260 --> 00:17:14.620 Herman— 186 00:17:14.620 --> 00:17:16.339 AMY GOODMAN: Robert, he was with you— 187 00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:17.039 ROBERT KING: —will be OK. 188 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:22.289 AMY GOODMAN: Robert, he was with you yesterday, Albert Woodfox. I mean, this is an unusual, 189 00:17:22.289 --> 00:17:25.999 to say the least, gathering. You would never have been allowed to visit Herman Wallace. 190 00:17:25.999 --> 00:17:31.149 And, of course, Albert Woodfox wouldn’t, either, as he remains in prison. But it was 191 00:17:31.149 --> 00:17:38.149 the final goodbye. What was Albert Woodfox’s words for Herman Wallace in that prison cell, 192 00:17:41.669 --> 00:17:45.230 in the prison, where you were with him, in the hospital there? 193 00:17:45.230 --> 00:17:48.889 ROBERT KING: Well, Albert’s—yes, thank you. Albert’s last word was, "Herman, we 194 00:17:48.889 --> 00:17:53.639 love you, and you’re going to get out here today. We’re trying to get you out. The 195 00:17:53.639 --> 00:17:58.779 lawyers will have you out today." And it was his last word, and he kissed him on the forehead. 196 00:17:58.779 --> 00:18:05.049 But prior to that time, he had been encouraging him and that—you know, to hold on and that 197 00:18:05.049 --> 00:18:09.980 he will be free and that there are people working for him and that he won’t be—he 198 00:18:09.980 --> 00:18:11.679 won’t be forgotten in any way. 199 00:18:11.679 --> 00:18:13.239 AMY GOODMAN: Was he shackled? 200 00:18:13.239 --> 00:18:20.239 ROBERT KING: Albert Woodfox was very much shackled and handcuffed. He had the usual, 201 00:18:20.419 --> 00:18:27.419 traditional belt on, chain with the belt, the locks and so forth and so on. And it was 202 00:18:27.700 --> 00:18:33.889 difficult for him to eat his meal. He was having problems. We had to help him to eat, 203 00:18:33.889 --> 00:18:37.049 because he could not hold the tray in which the food—that held the food. 204 00:18:37.049 --> 00:18:42.119 AMY GOODMAN: George Kendall, you’re Herman Wallace’s attorney. How did this happen? 205 00:18:42.119 --> 00:18:46.049 GEORGE KENDALL: The courts—there are many tragedies in this case, and one of them is 206 00:18:46.049 --> 00:18:50.859 that the state judiciary in Louisiana knew for a long time that this trial was very unfair 207 00:18:50.859 --> 00:18:56.799 but just refused to grant a new trial—decades ago. When Judge Jackson finally took a look 208 00:18:56.799 --> 00:19:00.999 at this case, I think he concluded pretty quickly, "This is unfair, and I have to overturn 209 00:19:00.999 --> 00:19:07.480 it." And to his great credit, he did so. Herman wrote to the judge, after he learned that 210 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:14.480 he was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, and said, "I’ve fought for 40 years to receive 211 00:19:15.330 --> 00:19:21.669 a new trial. Please, don’t let me die before I hear from you." We filed a bail motion. 212 00:19:21.669 --> 00:19:24.739 A lot of federal judges don’t know this: They have the power to grant bail in these 213 00:19:24.739 --> 00:19:28.409 habeas proceedings. It’s rarely used. And Judge Jackson said, "I’m not going to grant 214 00:19:28.409 --> 00:19:34.279 bail now, but I will decide this case without delay." Of course, we would have liked him 215 00:19:34.279 --> 00:19:38.320 to decide this quicker, but when he decided the case, he made it very clear—two things: 216 00:19:38.320 --> 00:19:45.070 The first trial was unfair, violated the Constitution—Mr. Wallace was right—and that he needed to 217 00:19:45.070 --> 00:19:51.179 be released today. And, unfortunately, it took state officials hours to comply with 218 00:19:51.179 --> 00:19:56.070 that. In fact, Judge Jackson had to issue a second order at 6:00 p.m. last night. And 219 00:19:56.070 --> 00:20:01.419 it was only, I think, because the prison knew that Judge Jackson was not playing, and we 220 00:20:01.419 --> 00:20:02.600 had an ambulance at the gate. 221 00:20:02.600 --> 00:20:06.669 AMY GOODMAN: The warden had gone out to dinner and said he would not be returning to release 222 00:20:06.669 --> 00:20:06.919 Herman Wallace? 223 00:20:06.859 --> 00:20:12.049 GEORGE KENDALL: The warden said at 2:30 that he was not going to release him. And the judge 224 00:20:12.049 --> 00:20:17.149 then issued a second order at 6:00 p.m. that said, "I meant what I said. He is to be released 225 00:20:17.149 --> 00:20:17.840 immediately." 226 00:20:17.840 --> 00:20:21.889 NERMEEN SHAIKH: So, I want to—I want to read from U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson’s 227 00:20:21.889 --> 00:20:26.399 order that led to Herman Wallace’s release Tuesday. He wrote, quote, "The record in this 228 00:20:26.399 --> 00:20:31.499 case makes clear that Mr. Wallace’s grand jury was improperly chosen in violation of 229 00:20:31.499 --> 00:20:35.720 the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of 'the equal protection of the laws' ... and 230 00:20:35.720 --> 00:20:40.090 that the Louisiana courts, when presented with the opportunity to correct this error, 231 00:20:40.090 --> 00:20:45.190 failed to do so," Judge Jackson wrote. He added, quote, "Our Constitution requires this 232 00:20:45.190 --> 00:20:51.259 result even where, as here, it means overturning Mr. Wallace’s conviction nearly forty years 233 00:20:51.259 --> 00:20:56.019 after it was entered." So, George Kendall, can you talk about why it is that it was this 234 00:20:56.019 --> 00:21:01.200 particular aspect of the trial that he—that the judge chose to emphasize, the absence 235 00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:02.649 of women from the grand jury? 236 00:21:02.649 --> 00:21:06.940 GEORGE KENDALL: There were several very strong claims in this case, and I think Judge Jackson 237 00:21:06.940 --> 00:21:11.350 just—this was so straightforward and clear, that the law required him to grant habeas 238 00:21:11.350 --> 00:21:15.499 relief on this, he took this issue. And it also showed, if you read the opinion, that 239 00:21:15.499 --> 00:21:21.929 Herman had determinedly, on his own, tried to litigate this issue before the Louisiana 240 00:21:21.929 --> 00:21:26.659 state courts for decades—I mean, cited new cases when they came down, put the record 241 00:21:26.659 --> 00:21:31.179 facts in. And there were—there were two or three judges in the state process, as his 242 00:21:31.179 --> 00:21:35.179 appeals went through, that said, "You know, we need to grant relief in this case," but 243 00:21:35.179 --> 00:21:40.789 they never had the majority during this time. So, it was no secret that there were profound 244 00:21:40.789 --> 00:21:46.330 problems with his case, but it’s tragic that it took four decades for him to get a 245 00:21:46.330 --> 00:21:46.889 new trial. 246 00:21:46.889 --> 00:21:49.440 AMY GOODMAN: What does this mean for Albert Woodfox? 247 00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:55.609 GEORGE KENDALL: Albert has twice—three times had his case overturned. Last year Judge Brady, 248 00:21:55.609 --> 00:22:01.369 also in the Middle District of Louisiana, overturned his conviction for a second time. 249 00:22:01.369 --> 00:22:01.619 AMY GOODMAN: Were they tried together? 250 00:22:01.580 --> 00:22:06.960 GEORGE KENDALL: They were not tried together, tried separately. But Albert won on a discrimination, 251 00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:13.529 racial discrimination in the grand jury composition in his case. That case, his case, now is up 252 00:22:13.529 --> 00:22:16.749 on the state’s appeal to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Fifth Circuit wants 253 00:22:16.749 --> 00:22:19.769 to overturn Judge Brady’s grant of a new trial. 254 00:22:19.769 --> 00:22:26.169 AMY GOODMAN: What’s very interesting is that in this case the widow of the prison 255 00:22:26.169 --> 00:22:33.169 guard who was murdered in 1972, Teenie Verret—she was just 17 at the time that her husband, 256 00:22:33.739 --> 00:22:38.629 Brent Miller, was stabbed to death. This is what she had to say in the documentary In 257 00:22:38.629 --> 00:22:41.070 the Land of the Free. 258 00:22:41.070 --> 00:22:46.460 TEENIE VERRET: I’ve been living this for 36 years. There’s not a year that goes by 259 00:22:46.460 --> 00:22:52.269 that I don’t have to relive this. And it just keeps going and going. And then these 260 00:22:52.269 --> 00:22:59.269 men, I mean, if they did not do this—and I believe that they didn’t—they have been 261 00:22:59.679 --> 00:23:02.249 living a nightmare for 36 years. 262 00:23:02.249 --> 00:23:07.749 AMY GOODMAN: That was Teenie Verret, the widow of the prison guard who was murdered. So, 263 00:23:07.749 --> 00:23:14.749 let’s be clear, George Kendall, Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace went to jail for robbery. 264 00:23:14.979 --> 00:23:15.309 GEORGE KENDALL: Correct. 265 00:23:15.309 --> 00:23:19.210 AMY GOODMAN: It was in jail that they—in the prison, that they were accused of murder 266 00:23:19.210 --> 00:23:25.369 and for which they have served longer on death row—on solitary confinement, consecutively—you 267 00:23:25.369 --> 00:23:30.259 know, I said "death row," but for a lot of that time they were actually on the row— 268 00:23:30.259 --> 00:23:31.639 GEORGE KENDALL: That’s correct. 269 00:23:31.639 --> 00:23:35.139 AMY GOODMAN: —than any prisoner in U.S. history. 270 00:23:35.139 --> 00:23:38.999 GEORGE KENDALL: We have found that there’s no prisoners who have served—who have been 271 00:23:38.999 --> 00:23:42.919 locked up for four decades, in a cell, 23 hours a day, the way they have been. Some 272 00:23:42.919 --> 00:23:47.029 of those days, they did not get out at all; other days, they got out for 15 minutes at 273 00:23:47.029 --> 00:23:54.029 a time. We have a separate lawsuit that will go to trial in Baton Rouge in June that seeks 274 00:23:54.190 --> 00:24:00.009 an injunction and damages for all the time that they have wrongly been housed in solitary 275 00:24:00.009 --> 00:24:01.419 confinement in Louisiana. 276 00:24:01.419 --> 00:24:06.629 NERMEEN SHAIKH: And what about the litigation that challenges his—Mr. Herman Wallace’s 277 00:24:06.629 --> 00:24:10.820 unconstitutional confinement? That’s likely to continue. Could you say a little about 278 00:24:10.820 --> 00:24:11.070 that? 279 00:24:10.989 --> 00:24:15.590 GEORGE KENDALL: Yes. That is a lawsuit that Mr. King is involved in and Mr. Woodfox, all. 280 00:24:15.590 --> 00:24:21.169 That case will—it involves violations of the cruel and unusual punishment clause, because 281 00:24:21.169 --> 00:24:25.830 they’ve been held in cells for so long without any justification, and of the 14th Amendment. 282 00:24:25.830 --> 00:24:29.090 That case is set to go to trial in Baton Rouge in June of next year. 283 00:24:29.090 --> 00:24:30.289 AMY GOODMAN: I want to go—oh, go ahead. 284 00:24:30.289 --> 00:24:33.220 GEORGE KENDALL: And I also want to mention that Albert Woodfox—you said that he has 285 00:24:33.220 --> 00:24:38.599 just recently again been subjected to anal searches every time he leaves his cell, whether 286 00:24:38.599 --> 00:24:44.399 it’s just a walk down the tier to take a shower. Albert, 30 years ago, on his own, 287 00:24:44.399 --> 00:24:50.179 filed a lawsuit and won a lawsuit that prohibited the Department of Corrections from engaging 288 00:24:50.179 --> 00:24:55.869 in those kind of searches. And we called that to the attention of the Corrections Department 289 00:24:55.869 --> 00:24:58.669 when they started doing it again, and they said, "We’re going to continue to do it." 290 00:24:58.669 --> 00:25:03.849 We filed yesterday in federal court in Baton Rouge a lawsuit seeking an injunction barring 291 00:25:03.849 --> 00:25:08.970 the Department of Corrections from using that kind of search on Mr. Woodfox and others in 292 00:25:08.970 --> 00:25:10.259 that cell block. 293 00:25:10.259 --> 00:25:15.229 AMY GOODMAN: The judge who issued the order that he should not be strip-searched like 294 00:25:15.229 --> 00:25:17.320 this—anal cavity, oral cavity strip-searched—died. 295 00:25:17.320 --> 00:25:19.960 GEORGE KENDALL: That’s correct. 296 00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:22.379 AMY GOODMAN: Right afterwards, they resumed? 297 00:25:22.379 --> 00:25:23.859 GEORGE KENDALL: That’s correct. 298 00:25:23.859 --> 00:25:27.479 AMY GOODMAN: Doesn’t a judge’s word carry on beyond his life? 299 00:25:27.479 --> 00:25:31.659 GEORGE KENDALL: We think that the Department of Corrections is going to find out that it 300 00:25:31.659 --> 00:25:37.269 does. We are—we are optimistic that Judge Brady is going to tell the Department of Corrections, 301 00:25:37.269 --> 00:25:38.539 "You cannot do this. Stop." 302 00:25:38.539 --> 00:25:44.779 NERMEEN SHAIKH: I mean, on what basis were these three subjected to such extraordinary—extraordinarily 303 00:25:44.779 --> 00:25:50.149 punitive measures in prison? And on what basis was that justified for decades? 304 00:25:50.149 --> 00:25:57.149 GEORGE KENDALL: They were perceived in 1972 as black militants. At the time, the investigation 305 00:25:58.179 --> 00:26:05.179 into the tragedy of Brent Miller’s death was—went off the rails by racist Louisiana 306 00:26:06.580 --> 00:26:07.229 prison officials. 307 00:26:07.229 --> 00:26:11.119 AMY GOODMAN: And yet, as we’ve heard, his own widow did not believe these men did it. 308 00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:15.220 GEORGE KENDALL: That’s correct. There is a bloody fingerprint. Whoever committed that 309 00:26:15.220 --> 00:26:19.799 crime left a bloody fingerprint. It is not Herman Wallace’s. It is not Albert Woodfox. 310 00:26:19.799 --> 00:26:21.889 It’s not anyone who was charged with that crime. 311 00:26:21.889 --> 00:26:24.259 AMY GOODMAN: Robert King wasn’t even in the prison at the time. 312 00:26:24.259 --> 00:26:27.940 GEORGE KENDALL: He was not even in the prison at the time. These men, over the years, despite 313 00:26:27.940 --> 00:26:34.279 being locked up, have helped numerous other inmates on those tiers in many ways. I have 314 00:26:34.279 --> 00:26:39.029 another client at that institution who got there at the age of 17 and would never have 315 00:26:39.029 --> 00:26:42.909 survived. It was the bloodiest prison in America at that time. And he, to this day, said, "I 316 00:26:42.909 --> 00:26:49.909 would never have survived Angola in the ’70s, but for the wise counsel and love I received 317 00:26:49.929 --> 00:26:51.419 from Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox." 318 00:26:51.419 --> 00:26:56.259 AMY GOODMAN: Robert King, could you talk about that, the philosophy of the Black Panther 319 00:26:56.259 --> 00:27:03.259 chapter in the prison where you were, the preaching against the violence and the racism? 320 00:27:03.299 --> 00:27:10.299 ROBERT KING: Yes. Well, it was the—the philosophy was and the idea was to bring some type of 321 00:27:13.099 --> 00:27:19.840 consciousness to the prisoner. There were 17—as George pointed out, there were—Angola 322 00:27:19.840 --> 00:27:26.279 was considered the bloodiest prison in the nation. And there were 17—it was a slave 323 00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:33.279 plantation. There were 17 hour of work every day, and especially during can season, sometimes 324 00:27:35.059 --> 00:27:41.809 longer. Men were working, going into the fields without boots or raincoat, without being fed 325 00:27:41.809 --> 00:27:42.059 adequately. 326 00:27:41.809 --> 00:27:48.809 Albert and Herman and other members of the Black Panther Party decided to bring this 327 00:27:50.799 --> 00:27:55.379 knowledge to prisoners that they still have a right, they were human beings. And this 328 00:27:55.379 --> 00:28:02.039 was the teaching of the Black Panther Party ideology, you know, that we were protected 329 00:28:02.039 --> 00:28:08.059 by due process, 14th Amendment and other constitutional grounds. And we adhered to that. Of course, 330 00:28:08.059 --> 00:28:14.019 the prison tried to discourage us and, you know, impose punitive measures for—upon 331 00:28:14.019 --> 00:28:21.019 us for doing this, but we continued to do so. And we were successful. Herman and Albert 332 00:28:21.690 --> 00:28:27.269 were very, very successful, along with other people who also organized with them. 333 00:28:27.269 --> 00:28:32.129 And as a result, they have paid dearly for it, because people, as George pointed out 334 00:28:32.129 --> 00:28:38.519 and other prisoners point out, that during that time it was a—it was a dire period 335 00:28:38.519 --> 00:28:42.879 in prison—and Herman and Albert. There were numerous rapes that were going on and that 336 00:28:42.879 --> 00:28:48.999 were being allowed by the prison officials. Inmate guards ran the prison. They were the 337 00:28:48.999 --> 00:28:55.969 backbone of security in prison. They sold younger prisoners to older inmates for sexual—you 338 00:28:55.969 --> 00:29:01.929 know, for sexual purposes and so forth. And this was something that, while the Black Panther 339 00:29:01.929 --> 00:29:06.279 Party members were not homophobic or anything like this, but to be in a situation where 340 00:29:06.279 --> 00:29:12.249 you were forced into this type of activity was something that we frowned on. And even 341 00:29:12.249 --> 00:29:16.309 if we had not been members of the Black Panther Party, we still would have frowned upon this, 342 00:29:16.309 --> 00:29:22.799 because it was a dehumanizing practices in a dehumanizing environment. And we felt the 343 00:29:22.799 --> 00:29:26.859 need and went out with—into prison, and I joined Herman and Albert, having the same 344 00:29:26.859 --> 00:29:31.849 ideology and being a member of the Black Panther Party and being a struggle—struggler, because 345 00:29:31.849 --> 00:29:37.889 I felt the need to struggle. I joined them. I willingly joined their efforts to kind of 346 00:29:37.889 --> 00:29:44.889 combat some of the stuff that was going on. And as a result, like I said, we were successful. 347 00:29:45.289 --> 00:29:50.649 And as a result, Herman and Albert has paid dearly for it: more than 40 years in solitary 348 00:29:50.649 --> 00:29:56.149 confinement, convicted for a crime that is, for the most part, questionable, in which 349 00:29:56.149 --> 00:30:03.149 all the evidence has been undermined, where actual, not just factual, innocence exists, 350 00:30:03.609 --> 00:30:10.609 but actual innocence also exists. The facts adduced does not—you know, does not suggest 351 00:30:11.349 --> 00:30:18.119 that the trial was fair, the conviction was fair. And then there are actual innocence. 352 00:30:18.119 --> 00:30:24.249 Like George pointed out, there was a bloody fingerprint that was perhaps left by the person 353 00:30:24.249 --> 00:30:29.440 who committed the crime, that didn’t match any of the people who were subsequently charged. 354 00:30:29.440 --> 00:30:35.570 But nevertheless, they were charged with this. And so, they have paid dearly. 355 00:30:35.570 --> 00:30:42.059 And I think the state recognized this. All—the state refused to recognize it openly, but 356 00:30:42.059 --> 00:30:46.639 I think, in time, they will recognize it. And I think, with the support that we have 357 00:30:46.639 --> 00:30:50.799 around the world, have garnered around the world, with, you know, the legions of supporters, 358 00:30:50.799 --> 00:30:55.789 I think they will continue to keep this out into the public, this case and cases like 359 00:30:55.789 --> 00:30:58.840 this in the public. And it won’t be forgotten. 360 00:30:58.840 --> 00:31:02.999 NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, let’s go to a clip of Herman Wallace in his own words, describing 361 00:31:02.999 --> 00:31:07.460 the impact of solitary confinement on his body. This is from the film Herman’s House. 362 00:31:07.460 --> 00:31:14.460 HERMAN WALLACE: Being in a cage for such an extended period of time, it has its downfalls. 363 00:31:21.809 --> 00:31:28.369 I mean, you may not feel it, you may not know it, you may think that you’re OK, and you 364 00:31:28.369 --> 00:31:32.989 just perfunctorily move about, you know. However, when you was removed from out of that type 365 00:31:32.989 --> 00:31:39.989 of situation and placed in an open environment where, you know, you’re even breathing that 366 00:31:40.190 --> 00:31:46.349 oxygen and it’s getting into your lungs and you’re feeling something growing within 367 00:31:46.349 --> 00:31:53.279 you, and—you begin to develop a different mode within your body. I even watched my body. 368 00:31:53.279 --> 00:31:58.950 I’ve looked in the mirror, and I’ve seen muscles and [bleep] begin to pop out there. 369 00:31:58.950 --> 00:32:04.019 I began to run even faster and [bleep]. And I’m saying, "Whoa, what the hell is going 370 00:32:04.019 --> 00:32:11.019 on here?" Much was preserved. But then I got locked up again after eight months. And being 371 00:32:11.419 --> 00:32:15.539 locked up like that, the whole body just got confused. 372 00:32:15.539 --> 00:32:22.539 NERMEEN SHAIKH: And I want to go to another clip from the end of the film, Herman’s 373 00:32:22.830 --> 00:32:27.129 House. It’s Herman Wallace describing a dream he had. Listen carefully. 374 00:32:27.129 --> 00:32:34.129 HERMAN WALLACE: I’ve had a dream where I got to the front gate, and there’s a whole 375 00:32:35.839 --> 00:32:42.839 lot of people out there. And you ain’t going to believe this, but I was dancing my way 376 00:32:45.169 --> 00:32:52.169 out. I was doing the jitterbug. I was doing all kind of crazy, stupid-ass [bleep], you 377 00:32:52.339 --> 00:32:55.759 know? And people was just laughing and clapping and [bleep], you know, until I walked out 378 00:32:55.759 --> 00:32:59.609 that gate. And I remember that dream, and I turn around, you know, and I look, and there 379 00:32:59.609 --> 00:33:06.609 are all the brothers in the window waving and throwing the fist sign, you know? It’s—it’s 380 00:33:06.979 --> 00:33:13.979 rough, man. It’s so real, you know. I can feel it even now, you know, talking about 381 00:33:20.259 --> 00:33:21.129 that. 382 00:33:21.129 --> 00:33:28.129 AMY GOODMAN: That is from the film Herman’s House. It’s the story of Jackie Sumell, 383 00:33:28.399 --> 00:33:35.399 who is now at Herman Wallace’s side as he lays dying in a New Orleans hospital, just 384 00:33:35.429 --> 00:33:42.379 brought back—released from prison after 42 years in solitary confinement. The film 385 00:33:42.379 --> 00:33:47.929 is about how Jackie Sumell, the artist, has worked with Herman to imagine a house he could 386 00:33:47.929 --> 00:33:54.649 be released to after being in a six-by-nine-foot cell for so many decades. We’re wrapping 387 00:33:54.649 --> 00:34:00.659 up now and moving on to another case of men in prison, this in Egypt. But, George Kendall, 388 00:34:00.659 --> 00:34:07.059 this, as we get word from the hospital about Herman’s condition, just released hours 389 00:34:07.059 --> 00:34:11.710 ago, is not the end of his case or Albert Woodfox’s. 390 00:34:11.710 --> 00:34:16.369 GEORGE KENDALL: Albert Woodfox’s case is before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. 391 00:34:16.369 --> 00:34:21.510 He also was awarded a new trial last year. We’re hoping that that court will sustain 392 00:34:21.510 --> 00:34:24.050 that order, so he will be entitled to a new trial. 393 00:34:24.050 --> 00:34:30.460 AMY GOODMAN: And, Jackie Sumell, your final words, as you heard Herman talking about his 394 00:34:30.460 --> 00:34:37.460 dream of being released? That dream, very bittersweet, has been realized, as he fights 395 00:34:38.169 --> 00:34:41.010 for his life right now outside the prison walls. 396 00:34:41.010 --> 00:34:45.640 JACKIE SUMELL: Yeah, I mean, my last words would be to actually remind people that this 397 00:34:45.640 --> 00:34:51.010 is a tremendous victory and a miracle that Herman Wallace will die a free man. You know, 398 00:34:51.010 --> 00:34:53.440 he’s had 42 years of maintaining his innocence in solitary confinement. And if his last few 399 00:34:53.440 --> 00:35:00.440 breaths are as a free man, we’ve won. We really won. 400 00:35:00.840 --> 00:35:06.230 AMY GOODMAN: Jackie Sumell, we want to thank you for being with us, at the bedside of Herman 401 00:35:06.230 --> 00:35:12.640 Wallace at LSU Hospital right now in New Orleans. Robert King, thanks for joining us. Folks 402 00:35:12.640 --> 00:35:16.000 can go to our website to see our extended interviews with you, Robert— 403 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:16.330 ROBERT KING: Thank you. 404 00:35:16.330 --> 00:35:20.470 AMY GOODMAN: —freed member of the Angola Three, spent 29 years in solitary confinement. 405 00:35:20.470 --> 00:35:25.100 Albert Woodfox remains in prison. And George Kendall, the attorney for Herman Wallace. 406 00:35:25.100 --> 00:35:29.310 This is Democracy Now! When we come back, we go to Egypt and Canada to hear about two 407 00:35:29.310 --> 00:35:36.310 men who are in prison in Egypt and the many others who are in prison there. Stay with 408 00:36:25.040 --> 00:36:32.040 us. 409 00:36:42.300 --> 00:36:49.300 NERMEEN SHAIKH: We turn now to Egypt, where a pair of Canadians have been jailed for over 410 00:37:20.250 --> 00:37:25.480 a month and a half without charge. John Greyson, an acclaimed Toronto filmmaker, and Tarek 411 00:37:25.480 --> 00:37:30.690 Loubani, a doctor, were arrested in Cairo on August 16th. The two were slated to visit 412 00:37:30.690 --> 00:37:35.820 Gaza, where Greyson was to film Loubani as he trained emergency room doctors. In a statement 413 00:37:35.820 --> 00:37:39.940 smuggled out of their prison cell, Greyson and Loubani say they were arrested after rushing 414 00:37:39.940 --> 00:37:44.960 to the scene of a mass shooting by state forces of supporters of ousted President Mohamed 415 00:37:44.960 --> 00:37:49.910 Morsi. Greyson says he began filming the shooting’s aftermath while Loubani treated some of the 416 00:37:49.910 --> 00:37:50.160 injured. 417 00:37:50.110 --> 00:37:55.730 AMY GOODMAN: They said, quote, "We were arrested, searched, caged, questioned, interrogated, 418 00:37:55.730 --> 00:38:01.400 videotaped with a 'Syrian terrorist,' slapped, beaten, ridiculed, hot-boxed, refused phone 419 00:38:01.400 --> 00:38:06.610 calls, stripped, shaved bald, accused of being foreign mercenaries." They’ve since been 420 00:38:06.610 --> 00:38:11.420 held in cockroach-infested jail cells with as many as 36 other people. Over the weekend, 421 00:38:11.420 --> 00:38:16.520 Egyptian authorities confirmed their imprisonment has been extended another 45 days, still without 422 00:38:16.520 --> 00:38:21.180 charge. Greyson and Loubani have been on a hunger strike for the past two weeks. Earlier 423 00:38:21.180 --> 00:38:24.660 this week, their Egyptian attorney criticized their detention. 424 00:38:24.660 --> 00:38:28.950 MARWA FAROUK: [translated] We presented all the documents that proved they were in Egypt 425 00:38:28.950 --> 00:38:33.110 only in transit and by coincidence, because they were going to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza 426 00:38:33.110 --> 00:38:37.430 so that Tarek could offer assistance to the emergency ward and for John to make a film. 427 00:38:37.430 --> 00:38:41.260 We provided all the documents that prove this and that they were present at the location 428 00:38:41.260 --> 00:38:45.940 by pure coincidence. Despite that, they’re imprisonment continues for a month and a half 429 00:38:45.940 --> 00:38:50.490 now. We carried out all the legal processes, we provided documents, and we presented a 430 00:38:50.490 --> 00:38:54.600 complaint to the public prosecutor and the public lawyer, and appealed the extension 431 00:38:54.600 --> 00:38:58.230 of imprisonment, but all these things have been rejected without any solution offered. 432 00:38:58.230 --> 00:39:03.240 NERMEEN SHAIKH: That was attorney Marwa Farouk. According to a report in the Toronto Star, 433 00:39:03.240 --> 00:39:08.600 Tarek Roubani and John Greyson could face murder charges. Justin Podur, a lead supporter 434 00:39:08.600 --> 00:39:11.950 of the men, said the men were arrested after witnessing a massacre. 435 00:39:11.950 --> 00:39:18.700 JUSTIN PODUR: They said they saw 50 people killed, before they lost count. Their attackers 436 00:39:18.700 --> 00:39:23.470 yelled that they were Canadian as they were beating them and kicking them. They were put 437 00:39:23.470 --> 00:39:30.470 in a hot box. They were shaved bald. And then eventually they ended up in this prison cell 438 00:39:30.490 --> 00:39:32.470 with 38 other prisoners. 439 00:39:32.470 --> 00:39:38.610 AMY GOODMAN: We’re joined now by three guests. Cecilia Greyson is the sister of Canadian 440 00:39:38.610 --> 00:39:42.700 filmmaker John Greyson, one of the detained men. She’s joining us from Halifax. Naomi 441 00:39:42.700 --> 00:39:47.810 Klein is also with us, the well-known Canadian journalist and author—her most recent book, 442 00:39:47.810 --> 00:39:52.880 The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. She recently signed an open letter calling 443 00:39:52.880 --> 00:39:59.310 for the men’s release. And we will be joined by Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Democracy Now! correspondent 444 00:39:59.310 --> 00:40:00.560 in Egypt. 445 00:40:00.560 --> 00:40:05.620 But first, Cecilia, can you talk about what you know about John and Tarek right now? 446 00:40:05.620 --> 00:40:12.620 CECILIA GREYSON: Well, we know they were visited last Thursday by consular staff, and they 447 00:40:13.050 --> 00:40:18.040 were reported to be in good health at that point. Today is day 47 of their detainment, 448 00:40:18.040 --> 00:40:22.190 and we’re hoping that consular staff and a doctor will be able to visit them today 449 00:40:22.190 --> 00:40:26.880 just to check out their health. As you mentioned, they have been on a hunger strike for over 450 00:40:26.880 --> 00:40:32.010 two weeks now, so we are concerned to get a report on the—you know, an update on their 451 00:40:32.010 --> 00:40:33.220 health and their condition. 452 00:40:33.220 --> 00:40:37.660 NERMEEN SHAIKH: Cecilia Greyson, have you or anyone in the family been in touch directly 453 00:40:37.660 --> 00:40:39.980 with your brother, with John Greyson? 454 00:40:39.980 --> 00:40:46.980 CECILIA GREYSON: No, there’s been no—we’ve had no phone contact or direct contact with 455 00:40:47.660 --> 00:40:52.990 John or Tarek during this entire time. You know, they are able to speak with our lawyers 456 00:40:52.990 --> 00:40:57.920 and consular staff when they visit, but we’ve only been able to send messages to them through 457 00:40:57.920 --> 00:41:02.200 our lawyers and consular staff. There’s no other way of communicating with them. So 458 00:41:02.200 --> 00:41:06.600 they’ve been essentially cut off from the outside world for 47 days. 459 00:41:06.600 --> 00:41:12.050 AMY GOODMAN: Can you tell us about John and Tarek? You know both of them. Of course, your 460 00:41:12.050 --> 00:41:13.640 brother is John Greyson. 461 00:41:13.640 --> 00:41:20.560 CECILIA GREYSON: Yeah, absolutely. John, you know, as you mentioned, is an award-winning 462 00:41:20.560 --> 00:41:27.270 filmmaker. He is a professor of film in Toronto and is known around the world for his work 463 00:41:27.270 --> 00:41:34.270 in film and in civil rights activism. Tarek is an emergency room physician. He is a professor—an 464 00:41:34.640 --> 00:41:41.640 assistant professor of medicine at a university in Canada in London, Ontario. And he is also—he’s 465 00:41:42.900 --> 00:41:46.510 a member of the Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care. He is very interested in working with 466 00:41:46.510 --> 00:41:51.190 individuals in conflict zones, which is why he was doing this work at al-Shifa Hospital 467 00:41:51.190 --> 00:41:56.900 in Gaza, where he trains doctors and nurses in emergency critical care procedures. 468 00:41:56.900 --> 00:42:03.130 AMY GOODMAN: Naomi Klein, you, like John and Tarek and Cecilia, are from Canada. What is 469 00:42:03.130 --> 00:42:07.750 your government, the Canadian government, the government of Stephen Harper, doing to 470 00:42:07.750 --> 00:42:09.220 free these men? 471 00:42:09.220 --> 00:42:16.220 NAOMI KLEIN: Well, all we know is what they’re saying publicly. And I think there’s—you 472 00:42:16.760 --> 00:42:22.690 know, there’s different levels of government. Cecilia can talk more about the dealings with 473 00:42:22.690 --> 00:42:27.900 the consular staff. I think they’ve done a huge amount to support John and Tarek in 474 00:42:27.900 --> 00:42:34.780 prison, to try to make their lives as comfortable as possible. You know, I think there are individuals 475 00:42:34.780 --> 00:42:37.760 in the Canadian government who really care passionately about this case and have been 476 00:42:37.760 --> 00:42:44.190 working very hard. But there has been concern, and it’s expressed very openly in the Canadian 477 00:42:44.190 --> 00:42:50.970 press and online, that at the highest levels, certainly at the level of the prime minister, 478 00:42:50.970 --> 00:42:56.540 there has not been enough pressure. As far as we know, our prime minister has yet to 479 00:42:56.540 --> 00:43:01.630 call his Egyptian counterpart personally and demand the men’s release. He waited until 480 00:43:01.630 --> 00:43:07.800 last Sunday to issue a statement calling for their release publicly, but that was, you 481 00:43:07.800 --> 00:43:13.120 know, a statement made to the Canadian media. Whether he has relayed that directly and explained 482 00:43:13.120 --> 00:43:17.700 that there are consequences, real consequences, to the Egyptian government, is another matter 483 00:43:17.700 --> 00:43:18.910 entirely. 484 00:43:18.910 --> 00:43:23.270 The other thing is that, in Stephen Harper’s statements, he’s left himself this very 485 00:43:23.270 --> 00:43:28.830 unsettling loophole, where he keeps saying, "In the absence of charges, these men should 486 00:43:28.830 --> 00:43:34.420 be freed." The charges—any charges that may be laid against them—and we’ve seen 487 00:43:34.420 --> 00:43:41.420 this outrageous grab-bag list that is being flung at almost 200 people, as far as I understand, 488 00:43:42.290 --> 00:43:46.850 that includes everything from murder to attacking a police station, it’s—you know, it’s 489 00:43:46.850 --> 00:43:51.330 a fishing expedition, it’s absurd. We know what these men were doing: They were doing 490 00:43:51.330 --> 00:43:58.330 their jobs as humanitarians. Tarek was responding to calls for emergency medical aid. As an 491 00:43:58.420 --> 00:44:05.420 emergency doctor, that is his duty. And John, as a filmmaker—and I should say, he’s 492 00:44:05.640 --> 00:44:10.470 a dear friend of mine, I know him well, I’ve known him for many, many years—and he was 493 00:44:10.470 --> 00:44:15.380 doing what I hope I would have done in that situation, which is grab the camera and get 494 00:44:15.380 --> 00:44:20.260 out there, document history. You know, they weren’t in Cairo because of the demonstrations. 495 00:44:20.260 --> 00:44:25.470 They were, as you said, just passing through. But, you know, Amy, I think you know, as a 496 00:44:25.470 --> 00:44:29.300 journalist, that when history is unfolding, when people are dying in the streets, we have 497 00:44:29.300 --> 00:44:34.210 a duty to bear witness. And that’s what John was doing. And we haven’t heard our 498 00:44:34.210 --> 00:44:40.200 government say, "These men are innocent. They were doing their jobs. They must be released 499 00:44:40.200 --> 00:44:43.180 right now." And that’s what we’re waiting for. We’re waiting to hear that kind of 500 00:44:43.180 --> 00:44:48.370 clear, unequivocal statement from our prime minister and from our foreign minister. 501 00:44:48.370 --> 00:44:52.730 And we’re also waiting to hear that if they continue to be ignored and disregarded by 502 00:44:52.730 --> 00:44:57.120 the Egyptian government, which has happened—which has been what’s happened so far, that there 503 00:44:57.120 --> 00:45:03.310 will be real consequences. You know, we heard just for the first time yesterday from our 504 00:45:03.310 --> 00:45:08.320 foreign minister, John Baird, that there will be consequences. He didn’t outline what 505 00:45:08.320 --> 00:45:13.540 kind of consequences, and we’d like to hear those consequences outlined, because our foreign 506 00:45:13.540 --> 00:45:18.920 minister and our prime minister have more power than just issuing statements and making 507 00:45:18.920 --> 00:45:23.590 phone calls. There’s also a huge amount of trade back and forth between Canada and 508 00:45:23.590 --> 00:45:27.320 Egypt. There are a lot of Canadian companies, particularly resource companies, that are 509 00:45:27.320 --> 00:45:34.320 clamoring to get into Egypt right now to engage in mineral extraction. There was actually 510 00:45:34.580 --> 00:45:40.000 a little mini conference while—since John and Tarek have been in prison, with Canadian 511 00:45:40.000 --> 00:45:45.700 companies talking about what a great opportunity this moment is for them. Now, all of these 512 00:45:45.700 --> 00:45:50.980 companies would be getting support from the Canadian Export Development Corporation, which 513 00:45:50.980 --> 00:45:56.850 is the equivalent of our Import-Export Bank. So, the Harper government could be saying 514 00:45:56.850 --> 00:46:00.360 to the Egyptian government, "We will pull our support for foreign investment." That’s 515 00:46:00.360 --> 00:46:05.120 a real threat that matters, because Egypt’s economy is in real trouble now. And I think 516 00:46:05.120 --> 00:46:12.120 that if Egyptians saw that these human rights violations were costing them economic stability, 517 00:46:13.030 --> 00:46:17.870 that that would get their attention, and there would be consequences for this regime at home. 518 00:46:17.870 --> 00:46:21.740 That’s the kind of—that’s the kind of pressure we want to see. And if we don’t 519 00:46:21.740 --> 00:46:27.150 see it, I think what we’re going to start seeing is grassroots economic pressure, boycotts 520 00:46:27.150 --> 00:46:33.720 of major Egyptian corporations and the tourism sector, which is a very important part of 521 00:46:33.720 --> 00:46:39.180 the Egyptian economy. You know, if this can happen to two Canadians passing through Cairo, 522 00:46:39.180 --> 00:46:43.400 just performing their duty—they can end up in prison without charges now for 47 days—you 523 00:46:43.400 --> 00:46:48.640 know, I don’t know about you, but I’m not in any rush to travel to Egypt. And the 524 00:46:48.640 --> 00:46:51.560 Egyptian government needs to hear that message loud and clear, that there are our economic 525 00:46:51.560 --> 00:46:56.290 consequences, that people aren’t going to be visiting the Pyramids until John and Tarek 526 00:46:56.290 --> 00:46:56.600 are out of prison. 527 00:46:56.600 --> 00:46:59.750 AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to break, and when we come, we’ll continue with Cecilia Greyson, 528 00:46:59.750 --> 00:47:04.320 [sister] of John Greyson—she’s speaking to us from Halifax; Naomi Klein, author of 529 00:47:04.320 --> 00:47:07.790 The Shock Doctrine, a close friend of John Greyson’s—she’s speaking to us from 530 00:47:07.790 --> 00:47:12.000 her home in Canada; and we’re going to Cairo to speak with Sharif Abdel Kouddous, who is 531 00:47:12.000 --> 00:47:17.560 also following this case. Democracy Now! correspondent, writer for The Nation. This is Democracy Now! 532 00:47:17.560 --> 00:47:24.560 We’ll be back in a minute. 533 00:47:55.690 --> 00:48:02.690 [break] 534 00:48:14.450 --> 00:48:21.450 AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, 535 00:48:55.900 --> 00:48:59.450 with Nermeen Shaikh. We’re talking about a pair of Canadians who have been jailed for 536 00:48:59.450 --> 00:49:03.970 over a month and a half without charge—John Greyson an acclaimed Toronto filmmaker, and 537 00:49:03.970 --> 00:49:09.360 Tarek Loubani, a doctor—arrested in Cairo on August 16th, slated to visit Gaza, where 538 00:49:09.360 --> 00:49:16.360 Greyson was going to film Dr. Loubani as he trained emergency room doctors. 539 00:50:46.870 --> 00:50:53.870 Sharif Abdel Kouddous is standing by in Cairo, Egypt. Sharif, can you explain the case, why 540 00:50:54.160 --> 00:51:00.380 these two men, Tarek Loubani and John Greyson, have been arrested, held for more than a month 541 00:51:00.380 --> 00:51:02.270 and a half by Egypt? 542 00:51:02.270 --> 00:51:08.390 SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Well, it’s anyone’s guess why they’re still being held. I was 543 00:51:08.390 --> 00:51:15.310 there that day on August 16th, that came just two days after the very brutal dispersal of 544 00:51:15.310 --> 00:51:20.560 the two main sit-ins that formed the epicenter of support for Mohamed Morsi, the ousted president. 545 00:51:20.560 --> 00:51:24.590 That day, more than 600 people had been killed across the country, one of the bloodiest in 546 00:51:24.590 --> 00:51:28.640 Egypt’s modern history. Two days later, on that Friday, August 16th, the Muslim Brotherhood 547 00:51:28.640 --> 00:51:34.280 and other Morsi supporters had called for, what they said, a day of rage in protest of 548 00:51:34.280 --> 00:51:39.570 the crackdown, and it quickly descended into some of the fiercest clashes we’ve seen 549 00:51:39.570 --> 00:51:44.300 in Cairo, in Egypt, since the beginning of the revolution. Citizens were firing on each 550 00:51:44.300 --> 00:51:49.630 other with live ammunition. There was helicopters flying overhead. People were using firebombs 551 00:51:49.630 --> 00:51:55.170 and rocks. Morsi supporters at one point were trapped on a bridge and were forced to jump 552 00:51:55.170 --> 00:52:00.390 off the bridge to avoid bullets, and people landing on the floor and collapsing—a very, 553 00:52:00.390 --> 00:52:02.430 very violent and chaotic scene. 554 00:52:02.430 --> 00:52:07.300 And this is the scene that John and Tarek found themselves in, right in the thick of 555 00:52:07.300 --> 00:52:12.160 it, near Azbakeya police station. And as they said in their letter, you know, someone yelled 556 00:52:12.160 --> 00:52:16.880 out "Doctor!" for all these people injured, and Tarek went into—went into action and 557 00:52:16.880 --> 00:52:23.880 started treating people, and John began to film, to bear witness. And they got swept 558 00:52:24.250 --> 00:52:31.250 up with more than 600 other people that day who got arrested, as well. All those 600 other 559 00:52:32.460 --> 00:52:37.310 Egyptians, nearly all of them, are still in prison, like John and Tarek. They face the 560 00:52:37.310 --> 00:52:41.700 litany of charges, the same laundry list of charges, that include murder and arson and 561 00:52:41.700 --> 00:52:47.000 attacking a police station, that John and Tarek do. So, this is, you know, part of a 562 00:52:47.000 --> 00:52:53.030 severe crackdown that’s happening. What is surprising is that, as Westerners, as Canadians, 563 00:52:53.030 --> 00:52:59.030 that they haven’t been spared the abuses of the Egyptian government, which is usually 564 00:52:59.030 --> 00:53:03.140 saved for Egyptian citizens. And so, it’s anybody’s guess as to why they’re still 565 00:53:03.140 --> 00:53:03.960 being held. 566 00:53:03.960 --> 00:53:09.670 AMY GOODMAN: Now, Dr. Loubani was actually treating people there, and afterwards they 567 00:53:09.670 --> 00:53:14.510 actually went up to the military to ask directions back to their hotel, and it was there, at 568 00:53:14.510 --> 00:53:17.110 that checkpoint, that they arrested them? 569 00:53:17.110 --> 00:53:24.110 SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Yeah, he said in the letter that he helped treat some wounded people, 570 00:53:24.180 --> 00:53:28.170 and then they went to go—they got some ice cream, and they were looking for something 571 00:53:28.170 --> 00:53:33.500 to eat while things had calmed down a bit. And they walked up to a checkpoint. There 572 00:53:33.500 --> 00:53:38.120 was many checkpoints around that area, a lot of military and police. And that’s when 573 00:53:38.120 --> 00:53:42.310 they were arrested. And he said they were taken into the police station. They were beaten. 574 00:53:42.310 --> 00:53:47.600 Their heads were shaved. They had a picture taken next to them—next to a, quote-unquote, 575 00:53:47.600 --> 00:53:52.530 "Syrian terrorist" and thrown into a cell with 36 other people in a very small, cramped 576 00:53:52.530 --> 00:53:56.760 area. It’s important to remember, this is the treatment that many ordinary Egyptians 577 00:53:56.760 --> 00:54:03.250 receive from what is a very abusive security state, and they were caught up in it. And 578 00:54:03.250 --> 00:54:09.810 for reasons that are inexplicable, they continue to be held. This latest extension of their 579 00:54:09.810 --> 00:54:15.370 detention, pending investigation, is for 45 days. That’s the maximum that the prosecutors 580 00:54:15.370 --> 00:54:20.020 are allowed to extend detentions. You can either do it by 15-day periods, and they had 581 00:54:20.020 --> 00:54:24.720 been held in three successive 15-day periods up until a few days ago, whereupon the prosecutor 582 00:54:24.720 --> 00:54:29.970 gave the worst possible decision to extend it by 45 days, delaying any kind of hearing 583 00:54:29.970 --> 00:54:32.570 or possibility of their release until mid-November. 584 00:54:32.570 --> 00:54:38.100 NERMEEN SHAIKH: I want to go back to Cecilia Greyson, John Greyson’s sister. Cecilia, 585 00:54:38.100 --> 00:54:44.290 can you explain how the Canadian government has been talking to you and your family to 586 00:54:44.290 --> 00:54:46.810 assist in your brother’s release? 587 00:54:46.810 --> 00:54:53.360 CECILIA GREYSON: Yeah. Well, certainly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Canada has 588 00:54:53.360 --> 00:54:59.950 been very concerned about this case from the beginning. They—the staff maintain—consular 589 00:54:59.950 --> 00:55:05.500 staff in Cairo maintain constant contact with staff in Ottawa, who then maintain almost 590 00:55:05.500 --> 00:55:11.850 daily contact with members of both families, both Tarek and our family. And so, we—they 591 00:55:11.850 --> 00:55:15.619 have expressed great concern about this, and certainly the staff have worked tirelessly 592 00:55:15.619 --> 00:55:22.400 to facilitate visits with John and Tarek in Cairo, to assist our lawyers in whatever way 593 00:55:22.400 --> 00:55:27.320 they can in Cairo, and to keep the families informed. And, you know, certainly, Foreign 594 00:55:27.320 --> 00:55:31.619 Minister John Baird, as Naomi mentioned, has issued statements and met with the Egyptian 595 00:55:31.619 --> 00:55:36.530 foreign minister and expressed concern around this case. And Prime Minister Harper also 596 00:55:36.530 --> 00:55:42.150 expressed concern on Sunday night about this case. And certainly, you know, they—we have 597 00:55:42.150 --> 00:55:48.360 assurances that they have been working very diligently, but, you know, we still haven’t 598 00:55:48.360 --> 00:55:49.650 had results, unfortunately. 599 00:55:49.650 --> 00:55:53.320 And so, we’re certainly encouraging the Canadian government to keep up this pressure 600 00:55:53.320 --> 00:56:00.110 and to make this pressure as overt as possible, in terms of talking to their Egyptian counterparts, 601 00:56:00.110 --> 00:56:04.390 you know, in terms of Prime Minister Harper talking to the interim prime minister in Egypt, 602 00:56:04.390 --> 00:56:09.310 and just continuing to keep up this pressure, because this has continued for 47 days now, 603 00:56:09.310 --> 00:56:16.310 with an extension going into another 45 days or 44 days—43 days now. And so, you know, 604 00:56:17.580 --> 00:56:21.580 we’re at the point now of saying this has already gone on too long. John and Tarek have 605 00:56:21.580 --> 00:56:28.580 been mistreated at the time of their arrest, you know, saddled with many accusations that 606 00:56:28.690 --> 00:56:33.800 are absolutely ludicrous, held without charges. You know, for the first 30 days, they were 607 00:56:33.800 --> 00:56:39.200 in a cell with 38 other individuals. They’re now in a cell with six other individuals, 608 00:56:39.200 --> 00:56:44.260 but the entire time they’ve been sleeping on concrete. And we’ve had no access to 609 00:56:44.260 --> 00:56:48.820 phone calls at all during this entire time. So, it’s been very difficult circumstances 610 00:56:48.820 --> 00:56:53.090 for John and Tarek, and we’re certainly, you know, encouraging the Canadian government 611 00:56:53.090 --> 00:56:58.710 to be as diligent as possible in putting pressure on Egypt to release John and Tarek immediately. 612 00:56:58.710 --> 00:57:02.970 AMY GOODMAN: Naomi Klein, what is the interest of the Canadian government here? What is the 613 00:57:02.970 --> 00:57:07.150 relationship between the Morsi government and the Canadian government, and now the military 614 00:57:07.150 --> 00:57:08.730 government that’s in power? 615 00:57:08.730 --> 00:57:14.280 NAOMI KLEIN: Well, I mean, I think it’s no secret that the Canadian government is—you 616 00:57:14.280 --> 00:57:21.280 know, we often say it’s keeping the George W. Bush dream alive in lots of ways, you know, 617 00:57:21.940 --> 00:57:28.940 whether it’s climate change or just unquestioning support for Israel. Canada is—the Canadian 618 00:57:30.310 --> 00:57:35.380 government under Stephen Harper has become extraordinarily hostile to the United Nations. 619 00:57:35.380 --> 00:57:41.100 Our status on the world stage has really plummeted. So, part of what’s going on is, you know, 620 00:57:41.100 --> 00:57:47.170 Canadians are wondering whether we are experiencing some of the blowback from the way in which 621 00:57:47.170 --> 00:57:53.700 our government has behaved on the world stage, and, in particular, its unquestioning support 622 00:57:53.700 --> 00:57:59.470 for Israel, whether that has just led to the government losing status in the region, because 623 00:57:59.470 --> 00:58:02.310 we clearly don’t have the influence that we thought we had. 624 00:58:02.310 --> 00:58:06.240 And I think, you know, there’s a couple things that flow from that. 625 00:58:06.240 --> 00:58:07.480 AMY GOODMAN: We just have 20 seconds. 626 00:58:07.480 --> 00:58:10.830 NAOMI KLEIN: Well, I think the first thing we want is, if the Canadian government doesn’t 627 00:58:10.830 --> 00:58:15.750 have the power to do this on its own, we really hope that they will engage their allies, at 628 00:58:15.750 --> 00:58:20.440 the State Department or the foreign office in Gulf states, to push for their release. 629 00:58:20.440 --> 00:58:24.610 But, you know, our greater concern is, is that they’re just not pushing hard enough, 630 00:58:24.610 --> 00:58:29.780 because they really do want the stability that this government represents in the region. 631 00:58:29.780 --> 00:58:33.170 AMY GOODMAN: Naomi Klein, Cecilia Greyson, Sharif Abdel Kouddous, we want to thank you 632 00:58:33.170 --> 00:58:36.820 for being with us. Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine, now working on a book 633 00:58:36.820 --> 00:58:41.140 on climate change. Cecilia Greyson is the sister of John Greyson, speaking to us from 634 00:58:41.140 --> 00:58:46.820 Halifax. And Democracy Now! correspondent, Nation fellow, Sharif Abdel Kouddous was speaking 635 00:58:46.820 --> 00:58:51.760 to us from Cairo, Egypt. And congratulations to Jon Alpert and Matt O’Neill for winning 636 00:58:51.760 --> 00:58:55.050 an Emmy for their documentary, In Tahrir: 18 Days of Egypt’s Unfinished Revolution, 637 00:58:55.050 --> 00:58:55.450 featuring Sharif.