Janessa Schilmoeller

Janessa Schilmoeller is a Mint Press correspondent and staff writer based in Southern Africa. Janessa has worked with intercultural education programs for several years and focuses on topics of international relations, social change and human rights. She has previously lived in Jordan and has traveled to various countries in the Middle East. Janessa is currently reporting from Southern Africa where she coordinates study abroad programs focused on nation building, liberation theology and decolonizing the mind while reporting on social and political issues in the region. Follow her on Twitter at @jschilmo

European Courts Allow Extradition of Terror Suspects, US prisons not “inhuman and degrading”

(MintPress)-The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that Britain can extradite five terror suspects to the United States without violating European human rights code. After nearly a decade in UK prisons, Abu Hamza, a radical preacher, and Babar Ahmad, an alleged terrorist fund-raiser, will now prepare to be extradited to the US along […]

Janessa Schilmoeller
By Janessa Schilmoeller
Radical cleric Sheik Abu Hamza al-Masri, whose funds were frozen by the U.S. Treasury for his alleged membership of the Islamic Army of Aden, the group that claimed responsibility for the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, addresses a fundamentalist Islamic conference in London condemning what he says is oppression of Muslims in the West Friday, July 12, 2002. (AP Photo/Alistair Fuller)

(MintPress)-The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that Britain can extradite five terror suspects to the United States without violating European human rights code. After nearly a decade in UK prisons, Abu Hamza, a radical preacher, and Babar Ahmad, an alleged terrorist fund-raiser, will now prepare to be extradited to the US along

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Occupy Springs Forward with Renewed Protests and Trainings

(MintPress)-The much anticipated American Spring seems to have arrived this weekend, with fresh protests erupting across the country including some less publicized activities in Chicago and Minnesota, affirming Occupy protesters’ predictions that the coming of spring would bring a renewed energy to the movement’s efforts to achieve social and economic justice in the United States. […]

Janessa Schilmoeller
By Janessa Schilmoeller
Police carry an Occupy protester in handcuffs Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

(MintPress)-The much anticipated American Spring seems to have arrived this weekend, with fresh protests erupting across the country including some less publicized activities in Chicago and Minnesota, affirming Occupy protesters’ predictions that the coming of spring would bring a renewed energy to the movement’s efforts to achieve social and

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US Stands with World Human Rights Abusers To Finance Syrian Opposition

(MintPress)-As the Gulf states are gearing up to funnel millions of dollars to Syrian rebels in their fight against the brutal Assad regime, several under-funded anti-government protests continue to erupt along the shores of the Arabian Peninsula, calling attention to the hypocrisy of the widespread support for anti-government protests in some countries while calls for […]

Janessa Schilmoeller
By Janessa Schilmoeller
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, right, speaks with US President Barack Obama, during arrival ceremonies at the Royal Terminal of King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, June 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

(MintPress)-As the Gulf states are gearing up to funnel millions of dollars to Syrian rebels in their fight against the brutal Assad regime, several under-funded anti-government protests continue to erupt along the shores of the Arabian Peninsula, calling attention to the hypocrisy of the widespread support for anti-government protests in some

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Corporations Begin Dropping Support for ALEC After Unscrupulous Practices Are Exposed

(MintPress)-The Coca-Cola Company announced its decision to withdraw its membership from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) on Monday, just hours after ColorofChange launched an online campaign demanding that companies stop funding the organization behind controversial legislation including the Stand Your Ground and voter ID laws. “The Coca-Cola Company has elected to discontinue its membership with the […]

Janessa Schilmoeller
By Janessa Schilmoeller
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Leavitt addresses members of the American Legislative Exchange Council Thursday, July 29, 2004, in Seattle. Behind Leavitt is a sign for the morning's sponsor, ExxonMobil. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

(MintPress)-The Coca-Cola Company announced its decision to withdraw its membership from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) on Monday, just hours after ColorofChange launched an online campaign demanding that companies stop funding the organization behind controversial legislation including the Stand Your Ground and voter ID

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US Covert Attacks In Yemen Could Surpass Drone Strikes In Pakistan In 2012

(MintPress)—As U.S. relations with Pakistan continue to weaken amid controversy over secret military operations and mounting civilian casualties from Obama’s drone war, a separate covert operation is flying under the radar in Yemen. A special report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) found that since the War on Terror began in 2001, as many as […]

Janessa Schilmoeller
By Janessa Schilmoeller
In this June 13, 2010, file photo a U.S. Predator unmanned drone armed with a missile stands on the tarmac of Kandahar military airport in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini, Pool, File)

(MintPress)—As U.S. relations with Pakistan continue to weaken amid controversy over secret military operations and mounting civilian casualties from Obama’s drone war, a separate covert operation is flying under the radar in Yemen. A special report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) found that since the War on Terror began in 2001,

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Planned Parenthood Bombing Highlights Fuming Anti-Choice Political Rhetoric

(MintPress)-A small, homemade explosive device detonated on the windowsill of the Planned Parenthood clinic in Grand Chute, Wisconsin Sunday night, causing minimal damage and shutting the center down for one day. No one was hurt or injured in the explosion, and the clinic reopened for business on Tuesday. Teri Huyck, CEO of the Planned Parenthood of […]

Janessa Schilmoeller
By Janessa Schilmoeller
Aly Bancroft, center, of Atlanta, joins hundreds of people around the Georgia Capitol protesting against two pieces of legislation they say are unfair to women, Monday, March 12, 2012, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

(MintPress)-A small, homemade explosive device detonated on the windowsill of the Planned Parenthood clinic in Grand Chute, Wisconsin Sunday night, causing minimal damage and shutting the center down for one day. No one was hurt or injured in the explosion, and the clinic reopened for business on Tuesday. Teri Huyck, CEO of the Planned

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Polish Politicians Speak Out About Secret CIA Prison

(MintPress)-The former head of Poland’s intelligence agency has been charged with aiding the Central Intelligence Agency in establishing a secret prison for terror suspects, a leading Polish newspaper reported last week, placing renewed pressure on Polish leaders and the international community to publicly acknowledge that the CIA ran secret interrogation prisons for suspected members of […]

Janessa Schilmoeller
By Janessa Schilmoeller

(MintPress)-The former head of Poland’s intelligence agency has been charged with aiding the Central Intelligence Agency in establishing a secret prison for terror suspects, a leading Polish newspaper reported last week, placing renewed pressure on Polish leaders and the international community to publicly acknowledge that the CIA ran secret

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