09/25/14 09/25/14 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from pacifica, this is democracy now! he was unarmed and he wasn't doing anything wrong. police officers did not know either one of those facts. >> in ohio, a special grand jury has filled to indict a white police officer who shot and killed an african american walmart shopper who had picked up a bb gun off the shelf. newly released surveillance footage shows major discrepancies between a 911

caller's account and what really happened. then, we will speak with kumi naidoo, executive director of greenpeace international, about the u.n. climate summit, the largest climate march in history, and war. revolution,eed is a a energy revolution from dirty fossil fuel driven economy to clean, renewable-driven economy. we can have a double win for the planet if we address climate change by taking our dependence on fossil fuels and depending on clean energy sources that will be there for centuries. >> global tv radio exclusive, we speak with egypt's formerly imprisoned hunger striker abdullah elshamy was held in prison for 10 months without charge. >> everyone who has been to the battle [indiscernible]

>> al jazeera reporter abdullah shamy is in new york to lobby for his fellow al jazeera reporters still in prison. as he walked across the street wednesday to the united nations were egyptian president abdel fattah al-sisi delivered his inaugural speech, sisi supporters through hot coffee on abdullah elshamy. all of that and more coming up. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. u.s. led airstrikes are continuing in syria for third day. the latest bombings reportedly hit well refineries controlled by the islamic state in series east with saudi arabia and the united arab emirates taking part. instructing the refineries, the u.s. says it is going after one of the islamic state's main sources of funding will stop airstrikes also hit the syrian town where tens of thousands have fled and isis assault over the past week.

according to the syrian observatory for human rights, an earlier strike in aleppo killed 70 fighters and eight civilians. the al-assad regime appears to have endorsed the us-led awnings with one minister telling reuters they're going in the right direction. speaking to the united nations general assembly, president obama called on leaders to support the u.s.-led bombing campaign against a "network of death." >> know god condones this terror . no grievance justifies these actions. there can be no reasoning, no negotiation with us brand of evil -- with this brand of evil. the only language understand by like this is the land which a force. who will work with a broad coalition to dismantle this network of death. in this effort we do not act alone. nor do we intend to send u.s. troops to occupy foreign lands.

iraqis we will support in syrians fighting to reclaim their communities. >> also addressing to the general assembly, british prime minister david cameron announced the british parliament will meet friday to vote on joining the u.s.-led military strikes in syria and iraq. cameron also called on iran to play a role in confronting thee. >> iran's leaders could help in defeating the threat from isil. they could help secure a more stable, inclusive iraq and a more stable and inclusive syria. if they're prepared to do this, then we should welcome their engagement. it is right that britain should move to a new phase of action. i am, therefore, recalling the british parliament on friday to secure approval for the united kingdom to take part in international airstrikes against isil in iraq. >> friday's parliamentary vote comes one year after british lawmakers rejected cameron's bid

for a different bombing campaign in syria, that one the failed u.s. effort to attack the regime of president basher al-assad. cameron was speaking after meeting with iranian president hassan rouhani, the first such meeting between iran and britain since the 1979 iranian revolution. the u.n. security council has approved a resolution mandating countries to prevent the flow of jihadist militant groups like the islamic state. the measure calls for the tracking of potential terrorists within borders and the sharing of data with other countries. after introducing the measure in a rare session, president obama called its adoption "historic." corks preventing these individuals from reaching syria and then flipping back across our borders, is a critical element of our strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy isil. the historic resolution we just stopped in shrines our commitment to meet this challenge. it is legally binding and establishes new obligations the

nations must meet. >> sierra leone has imposed the quarantine of more than a third of its population in an effort to contain the outbreak of ebola. a new order cuts off around 1.2 million people on top of the nearly one million others previously sealed off. the move came after house to house searches reportedly found hundreds of new cases, and over 260 dead bodies. official figures show the ebola outbreak in west africa has infected more than 6,000 people and killed around half that number, though the actual toll could be higher. corks and ohio grand jury has declined to indict our police officer who fatally shot john crawford, 22-year-old african-american, killed inside a walmart store last month after a caller phoned police to accuse him of brandishing a gun and pointing it at other customers. crawford had picked up and unloaded bb air rifle from a shelf. newly released surveillance contradicts that he was pointing at other customers. decided theand jury

shooting was justified. the justice department now says it will launch a federal review to determine if crawford civil rights were violated. we will have more in the headlines. the federal government has reached a settlement with the navajo nation worth more than a half-billion dollars. the agreement is the largest for a single native american tribe over the government's mismanagement of their assets and land. new figures show mass shootings in the u.s. have more than doubled in the past 14 years. according to the fbi, 486 people have been killed in 160 separate incidents. twenty-four percent of active shooting incidents occurred in schools. in sweden, the right livelihood awards have been announced for five recipients, including nsa whistleblower edward snowden. the head of the right livelihood award foundation says snowden was honored for exposing illegality by his own government. talks we decided on five laureates this year and they all live up to the idea behind the award to offer real courageous,

practical solutions to global challenges. snowden is living up to this ideal in the same way that earlier laureates have when it comes to criticizing his own government as this government is breaking the law. >> snowden's prize will go toward his legal fund. the other recipients are alan asmaprinter -- rusbringer, jahangir,

>> this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. >> on wednesday, egyptian president abdel fattah al-sisi delivered his inaugural speech to the united nations general assembly meeting in new york. he applauded his nation for "revolting against corruption and despotism was goat and vowed that egypt under his rule would respect freedom of opinion and religion. >> from this podium, i first support the great people of egypt that made history twice over the past few years. first, when they revolted against corruption and despotism and claim the right to freedom, dignity, and social justice. then when they held onto their identity and enthused by

patriotism, they rose up against exclusion, refusing jessica to tyranny of the factions, who, in the name of legend, but there interests before the interests of the people. egypt, as to build in state that represents its rights and freedoms, honors its duties, and ensures coexistence of its citizens without exclusion. a state that represents an of forces the rule of law, guarantees freedom of opinion for all, and ensures freedom of belief and worship to its people. >> president abdel fattah al-sisi is set to meet with president obama and reportedly request more u.s. assistance, including military hardware, to . human rights watch is calling on obama to use the meeting to public criticize egypt's continued crackdown on human rights, including the widespread jailing of political opponents, mass death sentences, and the lack of accountability to the

killing of more than 1000 protesters by security forces in july and august of 2013. >> dozens of egyptians have begun a hunger strike to demand the release of imprisoned activists they say are being unjustly detained. egyptian press syndicate recently held a sit in hunger strike in its offices in cairo to demand the release of political prisoners. global exclusive, we're joined by one of egypt's formerly imprisoned hunger strikers, abdullah elshamy, al jazeera journalist who was recently released from prison in egypt after being held for 10 months without charge. during his imprisonment, abdullah elshamy went on a hunger strike for nearly five months, reportedly lost over one third of his body weight. he is in new york to lobby for his fellow al jazeera reporters still in prison. on wednesday, as abdullah walked across the street to the united nations or the egyptian president spoke, sisi supporters through hot coffee on him. abdullah elshamy is with us now in new york. welcome to democracy now!

what happened? tell us what happened just yesterday. >> i was actually trying to get to the united nations building because i was accredited to go inside to attend the sessions. i had two of my colleagues with me so we were just walking down the street. 40 seven st. there were protests, chinese people, you iranians another people, and suddenly, one of the sisi supporters, a lady, she identified me and started shouting to the others, guys, this is the guy from al jazeera. they started shouting against me. they looked so aggressive, i ked back to where is coming from. suddenly, i did not actually see the person, but i felt something

thrown on my legs and my back. when i saw it, it was boiling coffee. i was asked to disappointed that when we reported this to the police, they said, we can't do anything, because they were not there. >> when we were showing that clip of president sisi, you mention a lot of the same people around him at the human for their journey mubarak era. can you talk about that? >> they say this is a new country, new egypt, yet it is the very same guys who during the mubarak time were supporting all his tyranny and dictatorship . you can change to the system without changing the people responsible for the system. he claims there is freedom and press has a right to do whatever they want, can even criticized him. are still ingues

andon for over eight months many other dozens of journalists are still in prison. >> you were arrested before they were, held for 10 months. he worked for al jazeera arabic, though you parliament over to english. when were you taken? the 14th of august when security forces started cracking down on the protests. >> 2013. has a master. i was covering what was happening, just like any other day. i had been covering that since the fifth of july. i actually worked in west africa, but was asked to move to egypt. >> and you are egyptian. >> yes. on that day, the security forces

made it hard for anyone to leave. i remember they claim there were some kind of warning for people to get out before they started clearing the place, which is not true. at 7:00 in the morning, i was in a makeshift hospital and saw dozens of bodies. at the end of that day when the whole place was raided and there was not any cut of resistance from the protesters, i had to leave. the hospital, it is like a 60 rebuilding. different from the makeshift hospitals. they stormed the building with guns and weapons and more mostly special forces. to leave anderyone surrender by putting her hands behind her head. theonly exit was toward seventh district where the protest was taking place. i had to cross to a police checkpoint. checkpoints.o

there was a police checkpoint and an army checkpoint. when i got close to the army checkpoint, i was asked to show my id to one of the army officers. that is when my detention journey started because i remember them saying, oh, he was telling his colleague, i think i just got a spy because when i saw my passport, because of my work as a journalist, i had many visas. theys mostly filled up, so thought, we have some of the here. that is when my detention started. >> did they ever formally file charges against you during that time that you are being held? about 1000, we were people who were detained that day. everyone was charged with the same thing, things like inciting possessing weapons illegally, assaulting police officers, mostly these kinds of crimes.

actually 15 charges. this was never brought up to a court because there's no kind of evidence. it was just -- >> talk about the hunger strike that you went on that you launched in prison. >> after five months of my detention, i felt this was going nowhere. trying to go through the justice system was kind of hopeless. wherewas just the usual every 45 days, they take us as a group of people, almost 300 at one time, to see a judge, who doesn't really listen to us or even our lawyers. even sometimes when the judge listens, he makes the same decision every time. i kind of lost hope in the hope judicial system. i believed it was a total farce. it lacks any basics of justice. i decided i was going to embark on his hunger strike until the world that i'm a journalist, i have been imprisoned for over five months and nothing -- why

am i in jail? this is what i wanted to say. if i've actually done anything, well, take it against me and put me in jail. but there is nothing. i decided i was starting this on the 21st of january. i knew it was going to be a long wait until i get my freedom back. of use myng to kind experiences of hunger strikers around the world in the last century to give me support. that is why a started a hunger strike. >> meanwhile, you are being shuttled i can force from one prison to another, held in solitary confinement for a while. talk about those experiences. forex i was held in four jails. prison, notwas a united delta. the

i stay there from the 20th of august, 2013, until december the same year. there was a nether prison -- another prison, which i stay there from december 16 until may 12. the last was a maximum-security prison, usually known as the scorpion, for 47 days. the last one was the most painful for me because i was in solitary confinement the entire time and was done allowed to get in contact with anybody and was cut off from the outside world. >> i want to turn to what you said outside the prison when you were released. this is just after you were freed. this is abdullah elshamy. >> i have won. and everybody who is a freedom worker or anyone doing his has won.

this experience has changed my life. determined than before to carry on with the struggle, not just the cousin of me, but for everyone to be able to do their jobs freely. willays of hunger strike be an expense, of course, i will never forget for the rest of my life. everyone who is ever done the battle of a hunger strike has always won. >> that was june 17 when abdullah elshamy, the al jazeera journalist was released after 10 months in prison. today you are here in new york, and so is the egyptian president , under whose regime you were held. government, and before you were held. he has met with former secretaries of state henry kissinger and madeleine albright, then he met with

former presidents clinton and other clinton, secretary of state, who may be running for president. your thoughts about this and what you are calling on president sisi to do and why you're here in the united states? >> i am here to lobby for my colleagues who have been imprisoned now for over 10 months. the thing that every official in the united states, starting from president obama or secretary of state john kerry or any other official who kind of leave that sisi is really going to keep up his promises, spreading democracy and preserving freedom of press, should kind of put more pressure on him. i believe this is the only way my colleagues will be out. pressure has worked in my own case. ofhas worked in other cases

prisoners that were able to get back their freedom. they should do more. john kerry one day before the sentence saying he was giving a firm promise from sisi to keep good records of human rights. and then serve seven to 10 years for my colleagues. tothe united states wanted do more, they can put more pressure on him. at the same time, i think what really trueot because he claimed with charlie rose on cbs that freedom of press was preserved and everyone had the right to say anything, colleagues have been imprisoned for over eight months now. other journalists are also in prison.

taken to theure is utmost level, then that will definitely work because that is the only way the new government in egypt -- i mean, that is the language. >> and it is not just a journalists, but thousands of others. >> definitely. one of them is an american citizen who is been imprisoned for over one year now without any kind of charge and has been on hunger strike for eight months. i kind of think there should be more done for him. just two days ago, it was done even able to go to court. the ambassador was not allowed in. i think this is really shameful and disgraceful that the united states doesn't do more because of press freedom and freedom generally. >> mohamed soltan, twice six euros american citizen who was reportedly near death. froms, he is suffering

medical conditions. he was suffering from that even before his imprisonment. he doesn't get any kind of medical care. the last court session, the judge said he should not be taken to hospital without permission, which is making it harder for him. >> you were held before sisi was elected and a little bit afterwards, is that right? >> yes. >> when do you head back? but i assume you won't be going to egypt. you will not be returning to egypt? >> not anytime soon. the country is not welcoming for journalism, especially the kind of journalism that is up to telling the truth and doesn't really take any kind of political stance. i can't go back to egypt and my colleagues are still there. signs, or any kinds of

the release is imminent or conditions are improving. i'm hoping the appeal, which was filed for them a month ago, would work and, hopefully, we'll see them and see other prisoners in egypt walk free back to the families. >> we want to thank you, abdullah elshamy, for joining us, al jazeera journalist who was recently released from prison in egypt after being held for more than 10 months without charges. during his imprisonment, he went on a hunger strike for nearly five, losing one third of his body weight. remainjazeera colleagues in jail. in an egyptian jail after eight months. it is climateack, week with the largest climate launch in history, you and climate summit on tuesday. we will talk to kumi naidoo, executive director of greenpeace international. ♪ [music break]

>> this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. this week world leaders have wrapped up a one-day united nations summit on climate change with pledges to tackle global warming but no binding commitments. on the eve of the climate summit, greenpeace projected the message "listen to the people, not the polluters" on the side of the u.n. building. >> much of greenpeace's focus has been on the need to protect the arctic. during a meeting with you and secretary-general ban ki-moon, they handed over petition with 69 signatures calling for its

long-term protection. scientist say that region is warming more than twice as fast as the global average. greenpeace and other groups are calling for a ban on oil exploration of the area. for more we're joined by kumi naidoo, executive director of greenpeace international. about your meeting with humans of attorney general ban ki-moon and the significance of this week in new york. >> if forced are the lungs of the arctic is the refrigerator. when hurricane sandy happened, we started hearing american journalists talking about a polar vortex. people are finally understanding what happens in the arctic, like american say what happens in vegas, stays in vegas -- what happens in the arctic, does not stay in the arctic. asking to call for special

summit on the arctic. thankfully, he said he will consider and consult. we also presented him with a declaration saying the upper arctic should be declared a global century the same with the antarctic is, that when there's no oil drilling, no industrial fishing, and no commercial exportation. baron mind, therefore million indigenous peoples who live in the arctic. they lived in a delicate nature with balance -- balance with nature. from both the human rights and environment perspective, we believe protecting the arctic is now a critical part of. thank look the secretary-general completely supports us. the question is, how do we get powerful nations who feel that a claim on the arctic to back down. >> you have made that appeal to half a dozen nations that are in the arctic. what has generally been the track record or the response of these nations? first nation that

supports our call has said they .ill support the sanctuary sadly, the united states, canada, and russia are the ones who are wanting to explore for oil and gas. president obama is still considering giving shell a license to explore in the alaskan arctic. you might remember the story of the arctic from leicester that the oil is now coming out of the russian arctic. the important thing is, 6 million people already have joined actively this campaign and the strength of that support causes sector general to create time to speak with us last week. >> i want to play clip of you speaking on the phone in 2012 when you and five other greenpeace activists occupied

the russian oil rate to protest the arctic, a rate belonging to gazprom. you are being sprayed with water cannons as you spoke to us. >> we have been holding on for three hours. spray. the pointwant to make [indiscernible] they are spraying is heavily with water. on toreally hard to hang where we are taking refuge. >> kumi, who precisely is spring you with the water hoses? of gazprom.

.azprom, the oil company if we don't stop them, will probably be the first company to start trolling for oil in the arctic. we are really struggling to stay up here. >> that was a little hard to understand, but it was to him as say the least, actually difficult circumstances. in fact, you were telling me the story of someone else who heard you on democracy now! >> one of my most special moments, actually. it was two weeks after that i was in washington, d.c., and i was in a cab. drivern in the taxi kindly turn down the volume on the radio because he did not want to disturb me. and then i hear amy possibly's. i said, please, turn it up. he said, do you know amy goodman and this program?

i said, yes, yes, i was speaking to her recently. she said, you are speaking to her? when? i said, it was rather weird circumstances. he said, you're not that crazy dude from africa that was hanging off the rig in the arctic? payment foro take my trip. >> so you got a free cab ride. >> talk about the significance of you hanging off being hit with a water cannon. >> that action open up a struggle that is really hard to communicate. so many people live so far away from the arctic and they think this just another world. i think last year when we went back and when the russians took a different approach -- when we were there, the russian coast guard did not act on us.

>> you are the executive dr. international organization. >> i think it might have been that. when our colleagues went back last year and they spent almost three months in prison, charged with heresy and so on, -- piracy and so on, baby the unintended consequence of this important action which led to an explosion of solidarity. around the world, people know the arctic is a critical part of the solution to climate change. i am pleased to say the first sitting head of state has on the declaration. he signed it in the arctic just before he came to the united nations. >> finland. care, no, the president of bought. he will with us to the arctic and got out on the ice and signed it. a little polar bear appeared on a ridge while he was signing it.

after the summit, i'm going to write every head of state to actually ask them to support the declaration. i believe this is now winnable. but after the urgency voices we've heard at the climate summit, we now it is the weather they were just words or whether it is backed by real -- >> i want to ask about the climate summit. you spoke on a panel with judah major international companies -- international copies. pretending or saying they're going to act even faster than governments are on the issue of beginning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is there any concern about this whole sort of, let us do it voluntarily rather than through treaties or through government commitments? >> absolutely perfect question

position,eenpeace some have signed and we understand, we took the position not to sign precisely because we do not believe that voluntary action on its own is going to deliver the solutions to protect our forests. we believe there has to be strong governmental leadership, strong roles -- not only strong roles, but there needs to be implementation and compliance to the laws. there are some good laws that exist to protect forest, but our governments are not limiting it. however, when companies do take a step in the positive direction, we will accept it and we will encourage them to go further. but we do not have the faith that companies that have destroyed our forests, who make billions of dollars from destroying our fourth are going

to suddenly become overnight good citizens to the extent where they will act with this. that the situation calls for. >> what you take back to durban, south africa where you live? youuesday, the yuan, summit participated in. some described it as a self-congratulatory fest they were concerned with legion less relation because all the countries and corporations are saying, see, we're doing a great job. >> my one eye discussion of the climate summit outcome is we got much more than many of us thought he would get in terms of [indiscernible] but we got significantly less than what the world needs us to do. i have no doubt in my mind that the mobilization of people in new york and around the world in such large numbers was a wake-up call both to the u.s. political establishment, as well as to the

others, as well as to the corporate sector. i found ceos of companies within the u.n. saying, congratulations, you have now won the argument. no question about it, yet the moment am. the important message to individual citizens, we cannot rest on her own laurels. need not just hundreds of billions of need people to join. i think we have the basis to do so. >> we are and ask you to stay after the show and talk about what the road to the solution should be. i want to thank kumi naidoo executive threat of greenpeace international. speaking of our taxi audience, i want to give a shout out to sean randall who just tweeted, cabbing it to work, taxi driver tunes into democracy now!, i'm doubling his tip. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail your comments to outreach@democracynow.org or mail them to

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