Archiv: freedom of the press
„Pentagon Papers“ leaker Daniel Ellsberg, 91, is dying from cancer. Doctors have given him three to six months to live.
(03.03.2023)
To @POTUS and @TheJusticeDept: Stop the extradition of Assange. I am as indictable as he is on the exact same charges. I will plead „not guilty“ on grounds of your blatantly unconstitutional use of the Espionage Act. Let’s take this to the Supreme Court.
(06.12.2022)
To @POTUS and @TheJusticeDept: Stop the extradition of Assange. I am as indictable as he is on the exact same charges. I will plead „not guilty“ on grounds of your blatantly unconstitutional use of the Espionage Act. Let’s take this to the Supreme Court.
(06.12.2022)
Pentagon Papers‘ Daniel Ellsberg: „Stop the extradition of Assange. I am as indictable as he is on the exact same charges. I will plead „not guilty“ on grounds of your blatantly unconstitutional use of the Espionage Act. Let’s take this to the Supreme Court“ #FreeAssangeNOW
The people have spoken. Accounts who doxxed my location will have their suspension lifted now.
Biden faces growing pressure to drop charges against Julian Assange
The charges against Assange for obtaining and publishing classified information, without any active role in actually stealing it mark “the crossing of a legal rubicon”, said Jaffer at Columbia University. That’s an ominous legal threshold, he said, for Assange and all journalists.
“It’s the first time the US government has used the Espionage Act to go after a publisher and the implications are huge,” Jaffer said. Assange “has been indicted for activity that reporters are engaged in every day and that reporters have to engage in every day to inform the public. This would have dramatic implications for national security journalism.”
To @POTUS and @TheJusticeDept: Stop the extradition of Assange. I am as indictable as he is on the exact same charges. I will plead „not guilty“ on grounds of your blatantly unconstitutional use of the Espionage Act. Let’s take this to the Supreme Court.
(06.12.2022)
Congress Trying To Sneak Through Internet Link Tax To Funnel Cash To Private Equity Firms That Are Destroying Local Journalism
Congress has a bad habit. They have stopped passing substantive legislation through normal procedure, debate and votes. The legislative process as designed by our Founders is not happening. Instead, Congress is saving most of its actual policy-making legislation for large end-of-the-year bills that can combine hundreds of separate pieces of legislation. And if reports are accurate, we could be shaping up for the granddaddy of them all this December. This process must change, particularly for bills as highly controversial and constitutionally concerning as the misleadingly named Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA).
New: The Pentagon Papers‘ Daniel Ellsberg reveals he received a „backup“ of the „Chelsea Manning information“ prior to publication: „I am as indictable as Julian Assange.. I’d be happy to take that one to the Supreme Court“ [18:00]
The extradition of Julian Assange must be condemned by all who believe in press freedom
The extradition of Julian Assange must be condemned by all who believe in press freedom1
(June 17, 2022)
There is some historical irony in the fact that this extradition announcement falls during the anniversary of the Pentagon Papers trial, which began with the Times publication of stories based on the legendary leak on June 13, 1971, and continued through the seminal Supreme Court opinion rejecting prior restraint on June 30, 1971.
In the months and years following that debacle, whistleblower (and FPF co-founder) Daniel Ellsberg became the first journalistic source to be charged under the Espionage Act. What many do not know is that the Nixon administration attempted to prosecute Times reporter Neil Sheehan for receiving the Pentagon Papers as well — under a very similar legal theory the Justice Department is using against Assange.
Destined for Downing Street? Rishi Sunak could be named PM TODAY after Boris Johnson pulls out of Tory leadership contest and Penny Mordaunt well short of the 100 supporters she needs ahead of 2pm deadline
– Rishi Sunak, who launched his bid yesterday morning, has received public backing of more than 150 Tory MPs
– As of last night, 155 MPs said they are backing Mr Sunak, while 25 had spoken out in support of Ms Mordaunt
– A further 54 who were hoping Mr Johnson would return are yet to publicly reveal to whom they will now back
– Mr Johnson earlier said he had in fact reached the ‚very high hurdle of 102 nominations‘ as he bowed out
– Ms Mordaunt’s team, though, believe his decision to pull himself from the race will ‚propel her over the line‘
The extradition of Julian Assange must be condemned by all who believe in press freedom
(June 17, 2022)
By continuing to extradite Assange, the Biden DOJ is ignoring the dire warnings of virtually every major civil liberties and human rights organization in the country that the case will do irreparable damage to basic press freedom rights of U.S. reporters.
The prosecution, which includes 17 charges under the Espionage Act and one under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, covers events that took place more than a decade ago, but was brought only under the Trump administration — after the Obama Department of Justice reportedly considered charges but dismissed them for their dangerous First Amendment implications.
Journalists Speak Up For Assange
In 1898, French writer Émile Zola wrote the open letter J’accuse…! (I accuse) to warn about the wrongful sentencing to life in prison of a military officer named Alfred Dreyfus on espionage charges. Zola’s stance entered history books and still today stands for our duty to fight miscarriages of justice and to hold the powerful to account. This duty is as necessary as ever today, when Julian Assange is being victimized by governments and faces 17 charges[1] under the US Espionage Act, legislation that also dates back over a hundred years.
As journalists and journalists’ organizations that believe in human rights, freedom of information and of the public’s right to know, we demand the immediate release of Julian Assange.
We urge our governments, all national and international agencies and fellow journalists to call for an end to the legal campaign being waged against him for the crime of revealing war crimes.
We urge our fellow journalists to inform the public accurately about this abuse of fundamental rights.
We urge all journalists to speak up in defense of Julian Assange at this critical time.
Dangerous times call for fearless journalism.
„This case, which is a devastating attack on press freedom … is coming to the U.S.,“ Stella Assange tells @AymanM . „The U.S. government is in fact criminalizing journalistic activity through this prosecution.“
UK: Home Secretary agreeing to Assange extradition would threaten media freedom
If the Home Secretary certifies the US request to extradite Julian Assange it will violate the prohibition against torture and set an alarming precedent for publishers and journalists around the world, Amnesty International said today, following the Westminster Magistrates’ Court decision this morning to issue an order to extradite the WikiLeaks founder to the United States.
The case will now be sent to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, who will decide whether to certify the US request by 18 May.
Amnesty International: ‚If the Home Secretary certifies the US request to extradite Julian Assange it will violate the prohibition against torture and set an alarming precedent for publishers and journalists around the world‘ @amnesty #FreeAssangeNOW
Julian Assange exposed US crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. That’s why the US wants to punish him and send a message to all journalists: Expose the truth and you’ll be made to regret it. Priti Patel must stand-up for freedom of speech and refuse his extradition.
Russian propagandists to respond in same way as those who drop bombs on innocent people – Zelensky
„War crimes are impossible without propagandists covering them up. I want to tell them one thing: you will respond in the same way as those who order bombs to be dropped on civilians,“ he said in a video statement distributed on Thursday afternoon.
„We will find all the property of propagandists and persons associated with them. We will do everything to have it seized, wherever it is. You love the rich life. Love prosperous countries. You won’t have it anymore. And this is just the beginning,“ he said, adding that „you will be prosecuted for complicity in war crimes.“
Here’s what the climate is producing toward any American who is even slightly off-key or mildly questioning the unified script. If you think this is healthy, I think you ought to re-consider that.
In Landmark Bundestag Speech, Israel’s Knesset Speaker Warns of Breakdown of Democracy
Germany’s descent into Nazism provides an object lesson on the fragility of democracy and the need to preserve it, Knesset speaker Mickey Levy told German lawmakers on Thursday. Levy is the first Knesset speaker to address the German parliament.
Fox News‘ Peter Doocy says Biden ‚cleared the air‘ with him following the ‚SOB‘ insult
During an event on Monday evening, Doocy attempted to ask Biden a question about inflation, to which the president responded by calling him a „stupid son of a b—-.“
Appearing on „Hannity,“ Doocy said the president reached out to him „within about an hour of that exchange.“
„He said ‘It’s nothing personal, pal,'“ Doocy said. „And we went back and forth, and we were talking about just kind of moving forward, and I made sure to tell him that I’m always gonna try to ask something different than what everybody else is asking. And he said, ‘You got to.’ And that’s a quote from the president, so I’ll keep doing it.“
New Spycatcher affair at the BBC as Government scrambles for gagging order to stop story the broadcaster insists is ‚overwhelmingly in the public interest‘
The BBC declined to comment on the details of the story, but told the Telegraph that its reporting was in the public interest.
A BBC spokesman said: ‚The Attorney General has issued proceedings against the BBC with a view to obtaining an injunction to prevent publication of a proposed BBC news story.
Haaretz Among Winners of EU’s Top Journalism Prize for Pegasus Investigation
The „Pegasus Project“ investigation concluded that people across 50 countries had been targeted for potential surveillance, in what Amnesty and the media organizations said highlighted attempts to silence activists and a free press.
U.S. Lawmakers Call for Punitive Measures Against Israeli NSO Over Spyware Allegations
Finally, the four House Democrats call to „investigate and assess the possible targeting of American journalists, aid works, diplomats and others’ with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware, determine whether America’s national security was harmed, and take steps to protect all Americans, including federal employees, from the threat posed by the growing mercenary spyware industry.“
The government threat to YOUR free speech: Misguided Online Safety Bill will be ‚catastrophic‘ for ordinary people’s social media, says MP David Davis – with tech giants able to ban posts for being ‚harmful‘ that are perfectly legal
The Government’s new Online Safety Bill will be ‚catastrophic‘ for ordinary people’s freedom of speech, former minister David Davis warned today.
The Conservative MP said forcing social networks to take down content in Britain they deem unacceptable ’seems out of Orwell’s 1984′.
Mr Davis, 72, slammed the idea Silicon Valley firms could take down posts they think are ’not politically correct – even though it is legal‘.
Message on websites of Iranian, regional TVs claims ‘domain seizure by US govt.’
The notice, which appeared late Tuesday on the website of English-language television news network Press TV as well as a number of other Iranian and regional news channels, cited US sanctions laws for the seizure and was accompanied by the seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Department of Commerce.
„The domain presstv.com has been seized by the United States Government in accordance with a seizure warrant…as part of a law enforcement action by the Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement and Federal Bureau of Investigation,“ the message read.
U.S. Seizes Internet Domains Tied to Iran’s Government
The U.S. seized sites operated by government-run PressTV as well as social media channels affiliated with Iran-backed militias in Iraq. The seizures come as the Biden administration is in the midst of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program and follow the election of a new president who has rebuffed calls from Washington to curb its support for proxies fighting across the region.
OPINION: To end the violence, we must end the occupation
We reject the suggestion that it is only certain kinds of Jews of certain nationalities who abhor the violence of the occupation. Our members include rabbis, youth movement leaders, Jewish professionals and others who are deeply committed to Jewish communal life.
We come from every mainstream denomination and our conviction for justice is informed by our commitment to Judaism.
We care profoundly about our community and feel compelled to actualise the Jewish values by which we have been taught to live; values such as chesed (loving-kindness), tzedek (justice) and pikuach nefesh (the sanctity of each human life).
Police assaulted me at the Bristol protest even though I told them I was from the press. I was respectfully observing what was happening and posed no threat to any of the officers. I have muted the latter part of the video to spare you all the pain of hearing my shrill voice.
Police under fire for ‚assault‘ of journalist at Bristol protest
Police have come under fire for their treatment of a reporter at demonstrations in Bristol on Friday night, during violent clashes between officers and protesters.
Daily Mirror journalist Matthew Dresch shared video footage that appeared to show police pushing him and hitting him with a baton as he shouted that he was a member of the press.
The free-speech crisis is not a right-wing myth
Too many on what passes for the left today are keen to dismiss the free-speech crisis in universities as a ‘right-wing myth’. They brush off the countless examples of censorship as overhyped. And they ignore concerns about the moral policing of dissenting views.
In short, they effectively deny that a free-speech crisis exists. And they do so by attacking those who are sounding the alarm. As far as these deniers are concerned, the problem is not cancel culture; it is those dishonest myth-makers who are drawing attention to it.
Journalists Start Demanding Substack Censor its Writers: to Bar Critiques of Journalists
This new political battle does not break down along left v. right lines. This is an information war waged by corporate media to silence any competition or dissent.
Mexico’s President AMLO Opposes Social Media Regulation Bill
„The Senator has the right to propose bills. However, lawmakers still must debate them and consider whether they should be promoted or not,“ AMLO said, insisting that the press and freedom of expression cannot be regulated by any legal mechanism.
Censorship never was a left-wing tactic. Opposing censorship was never the hallmark of right-wing values. And censorship is never aimed at one ideology or the other, but at *dissent* from the ruling class wherever it comes from. Listen to Noam Chomsky:
Read how Chomsky, in 1981, object to the attempts to have a tenured professor in France fired for Holocaust revisionism, because Chomsky knew that that framework, once implanted, would be used against people like him, Edward Said, Howard Zinn, etc.:
Patriot Act 2, Censorship, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix
“We need to stop fascism so let’s give massive sweeping powers to an elite alliance of unelected authoritarians.”
“Well I’m a leftist and I haven’t been banned on social media.”
That’s because the left is politically impotent in our society. Unless this is just a hobby for you, at some point you should plan on the left becoming a threat to the oligarchs and warmongers. What do you think happens then?
Do you really think if the left actually becomes a threat to the status quo the Neera Tandens and Rachel Maddows aren’t going to suddenly discover a reason why you’re dangerous and need to be censored? The only way to be fine with censorship is to plan on never challenging power.
It’s sorta weird that Twitter does this mass banning of accounts, including, like, Red Scare, and the response from so many people is „Well they were all Nazis.“ Were they? What has Twitter revealed to you guys about the process that they are hiding from the rest of us?
It was a *Democratic-controlled* House sub-committee that just a few months ago issued a lengthy report concluding that FB, Amazon, Google & Apple are *monopolies*. That means competition is impossible. Now Dems are happy that it’s used for them:
I’ve been resisting the conclusion that this is Liberals‘ 9/11 because it at first seemed hyperbolic, even though they’re using the same weapons against their critics (if you question all the new powers they want, it means you love the Terrorists).
But this is Liberals‘ 9/11.
If you’re a liberal, there’s no need to reply by saying how happy you are that this is happening, or how justified you think it is. I’m already well-aware that huge numbers of liberals favor censorship of their adversaries and venerate the power of tech monopolies.
That the ACLU can’t issue a clear, definitive statement about Silicon Valley oligarchical monopolies radically expanding their control over political speech – see if you can figure out what this even means — speaks volumes not only about ACLU but how repressive this moment is:
Tucker Carlson: From Twitter to CNN, the left is coming for your speech
The assault on speech accelerates, and we at „Tucker Carlson Tonight“ are not immune. Friday morning, CNN announced that it is working to force the Fox News Channel off the air and run this company out of business. A number of prominent Democrats, including officeholders, support that effort. CNN staffers have already contacted the six major cable carriers in this country, the companies that carry our signal into your home, and pressured them to drop Fox News.
Tucker Carlson reveals that CNN is trying to force Fox News OFF the air by pressuring cable carriers to drop it because they say the network ‚is irresponsible and dangerous for failing to call MAGA mob an insurrection‘
– Fox News‘ Tucker Carlson revealed during his Friday night show that CNN had allegedly made attempts to take the network of the air
– An enraged Carlson taunted CNN by stating that Fox would be around for a ‚long, long time‘ with ‚enemies like this‘
– He targeted CNN host Brianna Keilar after she tweeted that Carlson is ‚a liar‘ and said he should have called out the ‚insurrection‘ from Trump supporters
– Carlson also responded to an article from CNN’s Oliver Darcy in which he questioned why cable carriers continue to distribute Fox
– Darcy branded Fox’s reporting ‚irresponsible and dangerous‘
– ‚A TV network demanding that media conglomerates ban its competitors,‘ Carlson ranted in his clapback
– In the segment, Carlson also launched into an extended skit casting CNN’s president Jeff Zucker as Mini-Me and correspondent Brian Stelter as Dr. Evil
‘Senate Being Locked Down’: Inside a Harrowing Day at the Capitol
Three New York Times journalists were at the Capitol when it was breached. Here’s how they experienced it.
The Guardian view on Julian Assange: do not extradite him
No one has been brought to book for the crimes exposed by WikiLeaks. Instead, the Trump administration has launched a full-scale assault on the international criminal court for daring to investigate these and other offences, and is pursuing the man who brought them to light. It has taken the unprecedented step of prosecuting him under the Espionage Act for publishing confidential information. (Mike Pompeo, secretary of state and former CIA director, has previously described Wikileaks as a “non-state hostile intelligence agency”). In doing so, it chose to attack one of the very bases of journalism: its ability to share vital information that the government would rather suppress.
Mother of Julian Assange’s children says if a British court sends her fiancé to face life in a US jail, this country’s no longer a safe haven for free speech
But that is what would happen if the UK decides to extradite Julian. It would rewrite the rules of what it is permissible to publish here. Overnight, it would chill free and open debate about abuses by our own government and by many foreign ones, too.
In effect, foreign countries could simply issue an extradition request saying that UK journalists, or Facebook users for that matter, have violated their censorship laws.
Reporters Without Borders and the National Union of Journalists have said that as long as Julian remains in prison facing extradition, the UK is not a safe place for journalists and publishers to work.
The press freedoms we cherish in Britain are meaningless if they can be criminalised and suppressed by regimes in Russia or Ankara or by prosecutors in Alexandria, Virginia.
If Westminster Magistrates‘ Court accepts the US arguments tomorrow, every other country can use them, too. It would place an impossible burden on you, me, everyone, not to violate foreign censorship laws.
The Kafkaesque Imprisonment of Julian Assange Exposes U.S. Myths About Freedom and Tyranny
Those who do not seek to meaningfully dissent or subvert power will usually deny — because they do not perceive — that such dissent and subversion are, in fact, rigorously prohibited. They will continue to believe blissfully that the society in which they live guarantees core civic freedoms — of speech, of press, of assembly, of due process — because they have rendered their own speech and activism, if it exists at all, so innocuous that nobody with the capacity to do so would bother to try to curtail it. The observation apocryphally attributed to socialist activist Rosa Luxemburg, imprisoned for her opposition to German involvement in World War I and then summarily executed by the state, expresses it best: “Those who do not move, do not notice their chains.”
Assange Extradition Ruling: What to Expect
AT A GLANCE
– A UK judge will rule on Julian Assange’s extradition on January 4, 2021.
– The United States government wants to extradite Assange for publishing evidence of war crimes and illegal spying in 2010. He faces a 175-year sentence.
– All major free speech & free press organizations including Amnesty and Reporters Without Borders, major media (including The New York Times, The Guardian, Washington Post and The Times UK) and journalist organizations including US, British, and Australian journalist unions have condemned the U.S. government’s theory of the case as an unprecedented threat to the First Amendment right to publish.
– The decision is expected to be appealed and would then be referred to a higher court.
More than 40 Human Rights and Media Organisations oppose the extradition of Julian Assange
@amnesty
@hrw
@ACLU
@RSF_inter
@pressfreedom
@IFJGlobal
@NUJofficial
@guardian
@nytimes
#Assange
Feindsender
Feindsender (‚Enemy radio station‘) was a term used in Nazi Germany to describe radio stations broadcast by enemies of the German Reich before and during World War II, such as the United Kingdom or the United States. It also referred to radio stations in Germany which broadcast anti-Nazi material. The term has not been in general use since the downfall of the Third Reich.
Anything that poses a threat to the ability of mainstream media corporations and their employees to monopolize discourse and control information — Patreon, Substack, Joe Rogan, WikiLeaks, social media, etc. — they will hate and wage war on to try to either demonize or control.
French parliament drops draft law curtailing right to film police
The French parliament has dropped a controversial bill that would have curbed the right to film police officers in action, the speaker of parliament and leader of President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling party announced on Monday.
France’s ‘global security’ bill
(23.11.2020) Perfectly in line with the trend of the times – and by consequence, we are sorry to have it observed, with very little inventiveness and innovation – these articles impose a general surveillance for the many and a privileged disclosure for the few, as they provide for ground mass surveillance, air mass surveillance and a ban on documenting police action.
France’s new national security bill could jeopardize freedom of expression
(26.11.2020)
That was the second protest gathering thousands of people that week, despite the country’s health crisis and lockdown due to the covid-19 pandemic. The demonstrations related to a new bill accused of obstructing civil liberties. As critics have argued, the “global security bill,” which received a first-reading adoption by the National Assembly on Nov. 24, jeopardizes the freedom of the press and could herald the introduction of a ubiquitous surveillance system.
„Nous sommes choqués par les blessures infligées à notre collègue Ameer al-Halbi et nous condamnons cette violence non provoquée“, a affirmé @philchet , directeur de l’information de l’AFP, demandant également une enquête de police #AFP
#AmeerAlHalbi, a Syrian photographer based in Paris, was horrendously beaten by the French police for taking photos of the clashes in the « city of lights ».
Clashes in Paris as tens of thousands protest France security bill
They say video that emerged this week of police beating a Black music producer during an arrest in Paris — which French President Emmanuel Macron denounced on Friday as „unacceptable“ — may never have been reported on if the law were passed, AFP notes.
The law would criminalize the publication or broadcasting of images of police if the intent is to „physically or mentally harm“ them.
Prizewinning photojournalist injured covering Paris protest
Christophe Deloire, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders, tweeted that the 24-year-old had been wounded at Place de la Bastille by „a police baton“ and condemned the violence.
French parliament gives initial approval to controversial security bill
After days of often tense debate, the bill received 388 yes votes, 104 nos and 66 abstentions
Rights groups, press freedom advocates protest against French security bill
Thousands protested in Paris and other French cities Saturday against a security bill that would outlaw the publication of images of on-duty police officers. The government says the law is aimed at protecting officers from retribution while critics say it would violate press freedom and the ability to document police abuses.
French interior minister under fire after mooting curbs on press at protests
Free press advocates are planning demonstrations in Paris and elsewhere in France on Saturday.
French bill banning images of police worries activists and journalists
Critics, however, say the ban would essentially censor journalists by outlawing an activity that could be essential to their work. Images documenting police brutality or misconduct could also fall under the rubric of the ban.
Australia police drop probe into Afghan ‘war crimes’ reporting
In a statement, the federal police said prosecutors “considered a range of public interest factors, including the role of public interest journalism in Australia’s democracy” before deciding not to prosecute.
ABC’s managing director David Anderson welcomed the police decision on Oakes, but added the “matter should never had gone this far”.
The Belmarsh Tribunal
Confirmed speakers:
Roger Waters, rock musician, co-founder of Pink Floyd
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former president of Brazil
Yanis Varoufakis, former finance minister of Greece, MeRA25
Rafael Correa, former president of Ecuador
M.I.A., musician and activist
Slavoj Žižek, philosopher
Pamela Anderson, actress and activist
Srećko Horvat, philosopher, co-founder of DiEM25
Alicia Castro, trade unionist and Argentine diplomat
John McDonnell, former Shadow Chancellor, Labour Party
Jennifer Robinson, human rights lawyer
Tariq Ali, public intellectual and member of Russell Tribunal
Angela Richter, artist and activist
First they came for Assange. Then for all journalists that dare expose them. Then for each and every one of us that dare resit them. Join us in opposition to Julian’s extradition! This Friday. At 15.00 CET
Lebanon parliament approves sweeping powers for the army
The state of emergency allows the army to curb free speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press, as well as to enter homes and arrest anyone deemed a security threat.
Once you realize that corporate power is America’s real government, it becomes clear that corporate media is state media. It’s just a tyrannical regime brainwashing its populace with propaganda, brutalizing protesters, and attacking anyone in the world who disobeys its dictates.
UK Newspaper denounces arrest of journalists in U.S.
So far more than 70 journalists in the United States have been arrested during Black Lives Matter demonstrations, while dozens of others have been injured by rubber bullets, pepper spray and tear gas, according to the Independent.
Attacking a journalist due to contempt for their ideology, politics or work is repulsive and should be regarded as a crime. As this case demonstrates, it’s the mentality of fascists:
“When people I like are beaten up, that’s fascism. When my own political adversaries are beaten up, that’s some cool shit that I get off on seeing. I’m an anti-fascist – love me.”
David Kelly/Assassination: Unanswered Questions
1. Operation Mason, the police code-name for the search for Dr Kelly, was officially started before his family had reported him missing. The official explanation is that operation start times are often made retrospective to cover any preceding period relevant to the operation; but if this were the reason in this case, then the start time would need to be weeks, not hours earlier. Who authorised the opening of documentation on the operation and at precisely what time?
2. Why were there no fingerprints on Dr Kelly’s knife, pill packets, water bottle, glasses, mobile or watch? He wore no gloves. Police knew this when they gave evidence to Hutton but the absence of prints wasn’t mentioned.
3. Lord Hutton said photographic evidence showed Dr Kelly’s body was found propped against a tree, yet the first paramedic to reach the scene said he was originally flat on his back. Who moved the body and why?
………..
R.I.P. the truth about Dr David Kelly: Lord Hutton was accused of whitewashing his inquiry into the death of a scientist – and the ’sexed-up‘ Iraqi dossier. Now, as he dies at 89, MILES GOSLETT recalls one of the great political scandals
Dr Kelly had been unmasked by officials a week previously as the assumed source of a highly damaging BBC report which suggested Blair’s government had ’sexed-up‘ the case for the Iraq war.
He always denied being the BBC’s prime source, yet its report added to mounting questions about the existence of the infamous weapons of mass destruction (WMD), used by the then Prime Minister to justify sending British troops into the conflict.
Brazil’s Proposed ‚Fake News‘ Law Says Internet Users Are Guilty Until Proven Innocent, Demands Constant Logging From ISPs
Brazilians will pretty much need a license to communicate with others — something achieved by turning platforms and app makers into bouncers at the internet nightclub.
US labels 4 Chinese news outlets as ‚foreign missions‘
Pompeo has also been outspoken about allies rejecting Chinese companies bids on infrastructure projects, saying in a recent speech to a European conference, “Every investment from a Chinese state-owned enterprise should be viewed with suspicion.”
Everyone seems to think the censorship movement won’t come for them. If you think for yourself, it eventually will.
If you’re convinced by the media voices that you follow that you’re a courageous #Resistance fighter engaged in an historically momentous battle against Literal Hitler, then you believe that anything done to your enemies – censorship, imprisonment, etc. – is moral and just:
It’s Only a Matter of Time Until a Journalist Is Jailed
Opponents of the lockdown were systematically silenced on establishment media, and silenced on social media by social censorship, as opposed to technological censorship: The lynch. The lynch isn’t an algorithm; it’s a common tool of social punishment the purpose of which is to shame, persecute, make miserable and blacken the names of those who express opinions that oppose what one’s homogenous newsfeed is willing to stand for.
Tucker: Black Lives Matter is now a political party
(09.06.2020)
And it may be the strongest political party in the United States.
Israel: Likud calls for jailing of journalist reporting on Netanyahu graft case
(11.06.2020)
Drucker’s investigative report broadcast Wednesday on the Hebrew-language Channel 13, included a recording of Shaul Elovich, a personal friend of Netanyahu and a majority shareholder in the Bezeq telecommunications company, appearing to discuss with with former Walla news CEO Ilan Yeshua how to frame news coverage of Netanyahu so as to present the leader in a positive light.
Bezeq fully owns the Hebrew-language Walla website.
MSNBC’s Ali Velshi on Covering Protests Amid Press Attacks: „We Exist to Hold Power to Account“
(03.06.2020)
„If you’re in a crowd and the crowd’s getting tear-gassed, that’s the nature of the business. So, it’s not that reporters never get injured incidentally in these things. But, as you saw, the flavor of this one was a little bit different. There was something indisciplined about the way the authorities were operating, and there was definitely something in the air that allowed the police to believe this kind of behavior was OK.
I believe that we exist to bear witness and to hold power to account, and that’s it. And if you’re not prepared to do that, then don’t be a reporter“
T.I., Killer Mike join Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in condemning violence in Atlanta protests
The mayor urged protesters to go home as the event was no longer peaceful – and the culprits possibly not from Atlanta.
Violent George Floyd protests at CNN Center unfold live on TV
CNN’s Nick Valencia reports live from inside the CNN Center in Atlanta where demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd have turned violent.
Minnesota governor apologizes for arrest of CNN team
CNN president Jeff Zucker spoke with the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz on Friday morning, following the arrest of CNN’s team in Minneapolis,
Walz said he „deeply apologizes“ for what happened and is working to have the CNN team released immediately.
A CNN crew has been arrested while covering Minneapolis protests
A CNN crew has been arrested while covering Minneapolis protests live on the air Friday morning.
Among those arrested was correspondent Omar Jimenez as he gave a report on CNN’s New Day shortly after 5 a.m. CT (6 a.m. ET).
Video: Let Us Free Ourselves From the Virus of War
International Conference on the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Italy and the End of World War II organised by the Italian Committee No War, No Nato and Global Research.
The great Italian journalist Giulietto Chiesa passed away a few hours after the realization of this Conference.
His last words (Panel 4 and Conclusion) focussed on Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Information, and Freedom for Julian Assange.
“It is essential to join all our forces together, which are significant, “not so small” but there is a fundamental flaw: that of being divided, unable to speak with a single voice. We need an means or an instrument to speak to the millions of citizens who want to know.”
This was Giulietto Chiesa’s Appeal, an act in solidarity pointing to the need to break down social divisions and establish a grassroots movement, nationally and internationally.
His last words were confirmed by the fact that, immediately after the streaming, the online conference was “obscured” because the following content had been identified by the so-called YouTube community as “inappropriate or offensive to some audiences.” That’s what is commonly referred to as Censorship.
Scroll down for list of participants and index
Journalist knocked down by police during today’s #protests in #Warsaw. The measures taken (including such a large number of #police officers) against protesters seem unjustified
This (Pile of poo) right here has really pissed me off because I know when it’s no longer a viral video or being reported on in the news—both of these cops are probably going to squeak by with a slap on the wrist. This is effing ridiculous. There’s NO EXCUSE for this. None. #LAPD
“The use of force is justified because the officer believed he was under attack from the suspect even though you might think the suspect wasn’t fighting back at that time, he wasn’t complying either. He didn’t go to the ground. He didn’t say ‘I give up.’” — officer’s attorney
Egypt has made journalism a crime with crackdown, says Amnesty International
Egyptian government using pandemic to tighten control of media and quash dissent, rights group reports
COVID-19 and Economic Duress: A Pretext to Enhance Police State Powers? Suspension of Constitutional Rights During COVID-19?
Crises are times when ruling authorities convince people to sacrifice personal freedoms for greater security — not realizing that both will be lost.
Ruling authorities take advantage of times like now by instituting draconian policies they’re unable to introduce during normal times without risking mass rebellion.
Update: China takes countermeasures against restrictive measures on Chinese media agencies in U.S.
China on Wednesday announced countermeasures against restrictive measures on Chinese media agencies in the United States, according to an official statement.
U.S. Puts Restrictions on Five Chinese State Media Outlets
(18.02.2020)
The U.S. designated five Chinese media companies as “foreign missions,” a decision that reflects the Trump administration’s view that the communist party of Xi Jinping is imposing increasingly draconian government-control over news services, senior State Department officials said.
Statement From Chelsea Manning’s Legal Team: Ms. Manning is Recovering in Hospital, Scheduled to Appear in Court Friday
Writing in a 2019 letter to Judge Trenga, Ms. Manning said: “I object to this grand jury … as an effort to frighten journalists and publishers, who serve a crucial public good. I have had these values since I was a child, and I’ve had years of confinement to reflect on them. For much of that time, I depended for survival on my values, my decisions, and my conscience. I will not abandon them now.”
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First They Came for Assange…
So, mainstream American publishers – of newspapers, online sites, and even cable news producers – really ought to brush up on their Evelyn Beatrice Hall; you know her oft-quoted, but rarely practiced profession: „I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.“
Ultimately, it matters not whether one likes Assange, shares his worldview, or even approves of his tactics. The name of the civil libertarian game must instead be a press-sovereignty solidarity that transcends the person of Mr. Assange. Love him or hate him; like WikiLeaks or loathe it; the most powerful American press organizations must close ranks with Assange.
According to the new wisdom, any foreign person who establishes a blog or Facebook account and writes about a candidate is guilty of election meddling. Let that sink in.
Julian Assange Will Face a Show Trial in the United States!- UN Torture Rapporteur Nils Melzer
We speak to the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer about the persecution of Julian Assange. He discusses the threat Assange’s persecution poses to press freedom, why mainstream media are starting to slowly support the Wikileaks founder, the allegations Julian Assange faced in Sweden, governments not cooperating with him despite his UN mandate and more!
Ahead of Julian Assange’s US Extradition Hearing, Doctors’ Letter Published in The Lancet
Ahead of Julian Assange’s upcoming extradition hearing on February 24, a letter by a group of doctors representing 117 physicians and psychologists from 18 nations calls for an end to the psychological torture and medical neglect of Julian Assange. Published in the pre-eminent medical journal The Lancet, the letter expresses concern over Julian Assange’s fitness for his legal proceedings while suffering the effects of ongoing psychological torture.
A copy of the letter has been sent to the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marise Payne. This follows the doctors’ earlier letter of December 16 2019, calling on Minister Payne to bring Julian Assange home to Australia for urgent medical care. A copy has also been sent to the UK Government, which the doctors accuse of violating Julian Assange’s human right to health. In a covering note to Marise Payne the doctors urged the Minister to “act decisively now” to remove Mr Assange from Belmarsh prison, before it is too late.
Assange’s Extradition Case: Critical Moment for the Anti-War Movement
The US government’s extradition and prosecution of Julian Assange is a critical moment for press freedom, but also for the anti-war movement
Max Blumenthal on the imperial NGOs that ignore Julian Assange – and the billionaires behind them
The Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal speaks about the witch hunt against WikiLeaks publisher and political prisoner Julian Assange, and how billionaire-funded „human rights“ and „press freedom“ non-profit organizations have refused to support him.
This talk was hosted by the Courage Foundation in New York City on February 15, 2020.
JULIAN ASSANGE MUST BE FREED, NOT BETRAYED
On Saturday, there will be a march from Australia House in London to Parliament Square, the centre of British democracy. People will carry pictures of the Australian publisher and journalist Julian Assange who, on 24 February, faces a court that will decide whether or not he is to be extradited to the United States and a living death.
Germany’s pro-Israel Left Has a New Target in the Crosshairs: Jews
That was my introduction to the political phenomenon known as Antideutsche – anti-Germans. It started in the late 1980s as an exotic offshoot of the Maoist left, whose members denied the very legitimacy of a German nation after Nazism, under the slogan, “Germany, never again.” But for the past two decades, Antideutsche has had one primary focus: an unrestrained attack on anyone who is critical, even a bit, of Israeli policy. According to their amazingly simplistic approach, anti-Semitism is the source of all evil, Israel is the answer to anti-Semitism, and thus constitutes absolute good. Hence, at demonstrations and in Facebook posts of this left-wing group, there have even been calls to drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza – that is, calls for genocide.
EFF Statement on Glenn Greenwald Charges
21.1.2020
In free societies, journalists play an important role in challenging and criticizing governmental officials and scrutinizing their actions and policies. It is a threat to democracy when authorities use cybercrime laws to punish their critics, as the Brazilian government has done here with Glenn Greenwald, and it discourages journalists from using technology to best serve the public.
The Empire’s War On Oppositional Journalism Continues To Escalate
Journalist Glenn Greenwald has been charged by the Bolsonaro government in Brazil with the same prosecutorial angle used by the US to target WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
The Intercept Condemns Brazilian Criminal Complaint Against Glenn Greenwald as an Attack on Free Press
On Tuesday, a federal prosecutor in Brazil announced a denunciation of American journalist and Intercept co-founder Glenn Greenwald related to his work on a series of stories published on The Intercept and The Intercept Brasil. The denunciation is a criminal complaint that would open the door to further judicial proceedings. It alleges that Greenwald “directly assisted, encouraged and guided” individuals who reportedly obtained access to online chats used by prosecutors and others involved in Operation Car Wash, a yearslong, sprawling anti-corruption investigation that roiled Brazilian politics.
The denunciation will now go before a judge who can approve or deny the request for charges.
For years, @ggreenwald has exposed abuses at the highest levels of government and his investigative journalism deserves our support. If we allow the powerful to silence such journalists, our democracy and freedom is in peril. #StandWithGreenwald
Brazil: Bolsonaro Leads 2019 Record for Attacks on the Press
The latest example of the Brazilian presidency’s style occurred on Friday when citizens criticized the Culture Minister Roberto Alvim, who had previously published a video with clear Nazi connotations.
Journalists Speak Up for Julian Assange
Julian Assange, founder and publisher of WikiLeaks, is currently detained in Belmarsh high-security prison in the United Kingdom and faces extradition to the United States and criminal prosecution under the Espionage Act. He risks up to 175 years imprisonment for his part in making public the leak of US military documents from Afghanistan and Iraq, and a trove of US State Department cables. The ‘War Diaries’ provided evidence that the US Government misled the public about activities in Afghanistan and Iraq and committed war crimes. WikiLeaks partnered with a wide range of media organizations worldwide that republished the War Diaries and embassy cables. The legal action underway against Mr Assange sets an extremely dangerous precedent for journalists, media organizations and the freedom of the press.
We, journalists and journalistic organizations around the globe, express our grave concern for Mr Assange’s wellbeing, for his continued detention and for the draconian espionage charges.
The Prosecution of Julian Assange Calls for Public Defense of Free Speech
The established media with their allegiance to the state has been failing to inform the public about the threat to civil liberties emanating from this country. The U.S. government has been waging a war against the First Amendment. Assange has become a political prisoner of this war. In the era of “hope and change,” he and his organization became a target of Obama’s crackdown on whistleblowers, which now has escalated into Trump administration’s assaults on the press freedom.
Bolivia: Coup-Born Government Takes TeleSUR Spanish Off The Air
Adducing a „grid reorganization“ process, Bolivia’s state-owned cable company Entel on Thursday took TeleSUR Spanish off the air, which represents a new case of press censorship carried out by the coup-born government headed by Jeanine Añez, who self-proclaimed as interim president on Nov. 11.
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The End of Israel’s Free Press
The indecent acts committed as a result of the relationship between government, money and the media in Cases 2000 (the Yedioth quid-pro-quo affair) and Case 4000 (the Bezeq-Walla affair) are extremely serious. Even if proving criminality is stymied by “legal difficulties,” a term Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit loves to use to describe any complex matter, we’re talking about a complete undermining of the last remaining shred of public confidence in politicians and media outlets.
Palestinian Authority Blocks 59 Palestinian Websites, Social Media Channels Critical of Abbas
The decision was made at the request of the Palestinian prosecution, but it is widely assumed that senior PA officials were behind the move. The prosecution, in its petition to the court, argued that the sites disseminate harmful content about the PA and its officials and are likely to be used to incite lawlessness.
The World’s Most Important Political Prisoner
We are now just one week away from the end of Julian Assange’s uniquely lengthy imprisonment for bail violation. He will receive parole from the rest of that sentence, but will continue to be imprisoned on remand awaiting his hearing on extradition to the USA – a process which could last several years.
At that point, all the excuses for Assange’s imprisonment which so-called leftists and liberals in the UK have hidden behind will evaporate. There are no charges and no active investigation in Sweden, where the “evidence” disintegrated at the first whiff of critical scrutiny. He is no longer imprisoned for “jumping bail”. The sole reason for his incarceration will be the publishing of the Afghan and Iraq war logs leaked by Chelsea Manning, with their evidence of wrongdoing and multiple war crimes.
UK worsens Julian Assange’s persecution as US seeks extradition
Kristinn Hrafnsson, editor-in-chief of Wikileaks, says that UK authorities are holding Julian Assange in worse conditions than accused terrorists and ‘making it impossible’ for him to fight US extradition.
The Pentagon Wants More Control Over the News. What Could Go Wrong?
It includes terrifying pronouncements by unnamed “intelligence officials,” unprovable, overblown, or outright fake statistical assertions about the threat (like the oft-cited claim that fake election news had more engagement than real news), open conflation of legitimate domestic dissent with foreign attack, and routine dismissal of experts downplaying the problem (here are two significant studies suggesting the “fake news” phenomenon is overstated).
Of course, the final, omnipresent ingredient in most major propaganda campaigns is the authoritarian solution. Here, it’s unelected, unsupervised algorithmic control over media. We’ve never had a true news regulator in this country, yet the public is being conditioned now to accept one, without thinking of the consequences.
Incitement, the Best Defense
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s frontal assault on Channel 12 television was in line with his permanent strategy: If you can’t silence them, incite against them. Plan A failed when the acting chairman of the Central Elections Committee rejected Likud’s request for an injunction that would bar Channel 12’s legal correspondent, Guy Peleg, from continuing to publish statements made by key prosecution witnesses in the cases against Netanyahu prior to the election. So Netanyahu turned to Plan B – libeling Channel 12 as anti-Semitic and urging the public to boycott the station.
This Election, It’s Good Guys vs. Bad Guys
After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s shocking attack on Channel 12 television, it s clearer than ever who the good guys and the bad guys are, and the current election revolves around this choice.
Netanyahu Ratchets Up Attack on Production Company, Journalist Reporting His Corruption Probes
PM claims Keshet Media Group, which produced the HBO series ‚Our Boys‘ that he blasted as anti-Semitic, is ‚committing a terror attack against democracy‘
It’s Now Clear: Netanyahu Won’t Rest Until a Journalist’s Blood Is Spilled
We know what should be the fate of perpetrators. The man who more than two decades ago marched in front of a coffin (which he didn’t see, of course, a meter behind him) in a protest against Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and who incited from a balcony in Zion Square, with posters of Rabin in SS uniform below him (which he didn’t see either), has gone back to his evil ways. Or, as the verse says in another context, as a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. He seeks chaos, violence and loss of restraint that will allow him to show off his “leadership” and take control of what’s happening.
Netanyahu urges boycott of ‘fake’ Channel 12, calls its ‘Our Boys’ anti-Semitic
Earlier the Central Elections Committee rejected a petition from Netanyahu’s Likud party to bar news outlets from publishing transcripts and documents from Netanyahu’s corruption investigations ahead of national elections next month.
Do not forget Julian #Assange. Or you will lose him. I saw him in Belmarsh prison and his health has deteriorated. Treated worse than a murderer, he is isolated, medicated and denied the tools to fight the bogus charges of a US extradition. I now fear for him. Do not forget him.
(07.08.2019)
Excellent rebuttal of CNN’s biased story on Assange’s time in the embassy from an Ecuadorian diplomat who worked at the embassy for 6 years of Assange’s stay (and knows what actually happened):
CNN did not learn the lesson from the Manafort hoax 40 Rebuttals to CNN’s Bias on Assange
Having worked as a diplomat at the Ecuadorian embassy in London for six out of the seven years that Julian Assange lived there as a political refugee, unlike others, I am privy to what actually happened there. I am alarmed by CNN’s June 15th 2019 story, alleging Assange turned the Ecuadorian embassy in London into a command post for election meddling.
The story contains several substantive shortcomings and too many factual errors. I warned CNN about them when I was approached during their „investigation,“ but none of my points were included in the article.
„Collective violence, such as torturing a publisher for journalism, requires more than persecuting authorities, mobbing states and media smear campaigns to survive… Atrocity does not take place without passive, complacent, compliant bystanders“
Kim Darroch: Johnson joins defence of press over cables publication
“It cannot conceivably be right that newspapers or any other media organisation publishing such material face prosecution,” he added.
“In my view there is no threat to national security implied in the release of this material. It is embarrassing, but it is not a threat to national security. It is the duty of media organisations to bring new and interesting facts into the public domain. That is what they are there for.”
Terror cops probe leak of Darroch emails about Trump: Scotland Yard is accused of ‚police state‘ tactics with threat to prosecute publishers who print more secrets
– Police are investigating alleged leaking of ambassador Sir Kim Darroch’s emails
– Scotland Yard say its counter-terrorism command is leading the investigation
– Met Police say ‚there has been damage caused to UK international relations‘
– They said there is clear public interest in bringing person responsible to justice
The explicit threats to basic democratic values and core liberties – including a free press – posed by the ascension to power of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil are now being fully realized in response to our reporting. I’ll be on @democracynow tomorrow at 8 am EST to discuss this.
Noam Chomsky on the US attempt to extradite Assange: „But why should the United States have the power to control what others are doing elsewhere in the world? I mean, it’s an outlandish situation. It goes on all the time. We never even notice it.“
Why the ABC is going to court over police raids
The police raid on the ABC was the first thing a group of visiting ASEAN journalists asked about when we met at Ultimo a few days ago.
The journalists — from Laos, Brunei, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia — wanted me to explain what had happened, and why.
How our selectively implemented foreign influence laws have undermined democracy
Jail for five years is one possibility, so too an official demand to turn over documents. Or you could be forced to publicly out yourself as an agent of foreign influence.
Such are the sweeping powers the Government gave itself last year to stop escalating influence operations from foreign countries
Editorial: UN special rapporteur indicates freedom of expression in Japan in danger; infringing on freedom of expression is inexcusable
(07.06.2019)
The report also expresses concern over the pressure the government is applying on the protests against the new base construction in Okinawa, and advised against infringing on the freedom to demonstrate in opposition of public policy, and suggested the government cooperate with the protests and related journalism.
The new report once again criticizes the Japanese government, stating that almost none of the previous report’s recommendations have been implemented.
Brazil: Bolsonaro’s Lawmaker Threatens Intercept Journalist
Greenwald’s tweet was in response to threats of deportation by Brazilian far-right politician, Carlos Jordy. Last Sunday, Greenwald and a team of investigative journalists published an exposé in The Intercept outlining major judicial irregularities in the alleged corruption case against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that lead to his imprisonment since April 2018.
Wanted for espionage – the hunt for Wikileaks
Panorama decided to take one day in the long and complicated saga of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and to dissect it. It’s April 11, 2019, the day when he was removed from the Ecuadorian embassy and arrested by the UK police. What happened that day? How did the UK government respond? Why don’t we know there were other people connected to Wikileaks who found themselves in trouble with the law that day? And what does April 11, 2019 tell us about the Assange saga?
How public humiliation works: On 11 April #JulianAssange was mocked for his beard throughout the world. During my visit, he explained to us that his shaving kit had been deliberately taken away three months earlier.
Sajid Javid signs request for Assange to be extradited to US
Assange is serving a 50-week prison sentence after being dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in April and jailed for a bail violation.
And an investigation has been reopened into an allegation of rape in Sweden, which Assange has always denied.
Mr Javid told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I am very pleased that the police were finally able to apprehend him and now he’s rightly behind bars because he broke UK law.
ABC raids a wake-up call to journalists who left Assange swinging
It is easy, and for some convenient, to forget how much in journalism was changed by the arrival of WikiLeaks.
It’s perhaps one reason that he is rejected by so many journalists.
‚If Julian goes down, the rest of you do‘ – #Assange’s father and Weiwei visit #Belmarsh
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei visits Julian Assange in prison as U.S. sends Britain a formal request to extradite him for leaking military secrets
Weiwei, who was detained without charge in China for 81 days in 2011 during a crackdown on political activists, is believed to have previously visited Assange in 2015 when he was holed up inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
The 47-year-old’s father John Shipton arrived at the prison today with Ai Weiwei this afternoon.
The Assange case is a poster child of state persecution. Every journalist, activist & all who care about democracy should know about the massive propaganda & legal corruption used to take Assange down. This is what tyranny looks like! #FreeAssange
Russian officials tried to frame Ivan Golunov. Instead they made him a hero
As the investigative journalist’s editor, I know how incredible his release was. Now there’s a chance the truth will be exposed
The first substantive US extradition hearing, previously planned for 12 June has now been moved to 14 June. The hearing will be in Belmarsh Magistrates’ Court.
Press Release: DoJ preparing to file additional indictment against Assange. The Trump´s DoJ is so desperate to build its case against Assange that it is using as star witness a sociopath, convicted conman and sex criminal, involved in an FBI entrapment operation against WikiLeaks
Australia May Well Be the World’s Most Secretive Democracy
One journalist is being investigated for reporting that several boats filled with asylum seekers recently tried to reach Australia from Sri Lanka. Another reporter had her home raided by the authorities this week after reporting on a government plan to expand surveillance powers.
Then on Wednesday, the Australian federal police showed up at the main public broadcaster with a warrant for notes, story pitches, emails, and even the diaries for entire teams of journalists and senior editors — all in connection with a 2017 article about Australian special forces being investigated over possible war crimes in Afghanistan.
Trump’s decision to charge Assange under the Espionage Act will have a serious chilling effect on our freedom of speech and freedom of the press. It also undermines our democracy by keeping crucial information from the American people that they deserve to know.
The threat to press freedom Down Under
The Australian Federal Police’s raid of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation overnight is a national embarrassment.
Warring Against Sources: The Australian National Security State, Journalism and the Public Interest
The story supposedly linked to the AFP warrant had been published by Smethurst on April 29, 2018. More than a year had elapsed, with little in the way of public murmurings. Australians have, for the most part, fallen under the anaesthetist’s spell regarding intrusive, unnecessary and dangerous national security laws. Another set of them would hardly matter.
But since the story, titled “Let Us Spy on Aussies” broke last year, the security wallahs have been attempting to root out the source, mobilising the AFP in the process. The account detailed information on discussions between the Home Affairs and Defence departments on the possibility of granting the Australian Signals Directorate powers to monitor the emails, bank records and text messages of Australian citizens. Letters between Secretary of Home Affairs Mike Pezzullo and Defence Secretary Greg Moriarty featured.
Such a shame the AU Press didn’t recognise the same issues in the persecution of #JulianAssange and get started on defending #FreedomOfThePress much earlier – instead of being part of the problem.
Bravo to the country’s media for taking on government over the new war on the media @australian @dailytelegraph @smh The Age, @GuardianAus @abcnews @SkyNewsAust all leading tonite with this story. I’ve never seen such united front. Old rivalries put aside. Journalism matters.
“I’ve never seen an assault on the media as savage as this… I’ve never seen a warrant this comprehensive & I’d say scary… The chilling message is not so much for the journalists, but it’s also for the public,” head of ABC Investigations @TheLyonsDen tells @PatsKarvelas #auspol
‚The AFP have just realised I’m live tweeting‘: ABC journalist lays bare police raid
John Lyons live tweeted as AFP and ABC lawyers combed through documents to determine which documents were eligible to be handed over under the search warrant. Picture: John Lyons
ABC News‘ Sydney headquarters raided by AFP over Afghan Files stories | ABC News
Australian Federal Police officers are raiding the ABC’s Sydney headquarters over a series of 2017 stories known as The Afghan Files. ABC Head of Investigations, John Lyons was in the room during the raid, and says the warrant gives the AFP powers to see, change and delete the data they find. Mr Lyons says he’s „never seen an assault on the media as savage“ as this. The stories, by ABC investigative journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, revealed allegations of unlawful killings and misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan and were based off hundreds of pages of secret Defence documents leaked to the ABC.
ABC raid: AFP leave Ultimo building with files after hours-long raid over Afghan Files stories
Australian Federal Police officers have left the ABC’s Sydney headquarters more than eight hours after a raid began over a series of 2017 stories known as the Afghan Files.
The stories, by ABC investigative journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, revealed allegations of unlawful killings and misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan and were based off hundreds of pages of secret Defence documents leaked to the ABC
Police raid on ABC offices sparks firestorm over press freedom and national security
It’s understood the ABC and the AFP have been in talks about the search warrant since September, when it was first brought to the attention of the public broadcaster.
Military lawyer on theft charge
28.2.2019 A prominent Sydney lawyer who served as legal adviser to Australia’s special forces in Afghanistan has been charged with theft over war crimes investigation files that were allegedly published in the media.
Australian Federal Police officers arrested retired major David William McBride, 55, at Sydney Airport as he sought to depart Australia to return to his new home in Europe in September last year.
Jeremy Hunt Works That Rogue State Status
When Jeremy Hunt decided to attack the United Nations on twitter yesterday, he didn’t expect them to respond. He got owned.
„It states Assange would not be extradited and could be questioned in Britain“. – Assange has offered cooperation and to be questioned in the UK since 2010.
Pamela Anderson: Assange Is a Scapegoat, Not a Criminal
So you say Julian is to blame for Hillary’s defeat? Well, then I’ve got news for you: When the truth was exposed about Hillary, most voters did not like what they saw. Did Julian disclose the evidence? Sure, that’s what investigative journalists do. But should he be persecuted and jailed for that? No, that’s what repressive dictatorships do. While Julian may have influenced the election, he certainly has not interfered with it. Hillary lost the election herself, simply because the Electoral College resulted in a majority for Trump. And if you believe the culprits were Russian hackers, well then sort it out with the Kremlin, but keep your hands off our freedom of the press!
For the record: I never said I considered #JulianAssange „a bad actor“ but that, initially, I had been affected by the same misguided smear campaign as everybody else, and only saw the real facts once I investigated in detail @isaacstanbecker @wapo
The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture says of Julian #Assange: “In 20 years of work with victims of war and political persecution I have never seen democratic states ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonise and abuse a single individual. with so little regard for the law.”
31. Mai 2019
JULIAN ASSANGE SUFFERING ‚PSYCHOLOGICAL TORTURE‘ BY BRITAIN, US, AUSTRALIA, SAYS UN
The UN Rapporteur on Torture has issued an unprecedented statement on the persecution of the journalist and publisher Julian Assange.
Full UN statement: https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/05/1039581
UN expert says „collective persecution“ of Julian Assange must end now
In official letters sent earlier this week, Melzer urged the four involved governments to refrain from further disseminating, instigating or tolerating statements or other activities prejudicial to Assange’s human rights and dignity and to take measures to provide him with appropriate redress and rehabilitation for past harm. He further appealed to the British Government not to extradite Assange to the United States or to any other State failing to provide reliable guarantees against his onward transfer to the United States. He also reminded the United Kingdom of its obligation to ensure Assange’s unimpeded access to legal counsel, documentation and adequate preparation commensurate with the complexity of the pending proceedings.
“In 20 years of work with victims of war, violence and political persecution I have never seen a group of democratic States ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonise and abuse a single individual for such a long time and with so little regard for human dignity and the rule of law,” Melzer said. “The collective persecution of Julian Assange must end here and now!”
U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture @NilsMelzer says there has been a lot of „fabrication and manipulation“ in Julian Assange’s legal cases. „We have to take a step back and look at all these proceedings … and come to our own conclusions about whether these are fair.“
I was in court today for Julian #Assange’s latest extradition hearing; but Julian himself was absent. He was in the Belmarsh prison hospital. His supporters at the court should now be joined by journalists across the world. My own union, the #NUJ, must be at the hearing in June.
Remember when the guardian claimed the US doesn’t want to extradite Julian #Assange and it was all just a crazy conspiracy theory?
WikiLeaks has grave concerns about the state of health of our publisher, Julian Assange, who has been moved to the health ward of Belmarsh prison. – See full statement:
Julian Assange ‚moved to HMP Belmarsh hospital wing after dramatic weight loss and deteriorating health‘
Julian Assange has been moved to the hospital wing of HMP Belmarsh after a “dramatic” loss of weight and deteriorating health, WikiLeaks has said.
The website said it had “grave concerns” about its founder’s well-being and claimed his condition had declined so much that he can hardly hold a conversation.
Our publisher Julian Assange has endured 9 years of punishment through process. He now faces the rest of his life in prison. Please donate.
Sanders, Warren, and Wyden Slam Assange Indictment, a Renegade Use of the Espionage Act to Criminalize Journalism
The Justice Department filed 17 charges against WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange on Thursday, deploying the controversial Espionage Act as a cudgel against First Amendment protections and press freedom. It’s the first time the U.S. government has used the Espionage Act to prosecute a publisher, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, along with Sen. Ron Wyden, who all have been outspoken on civil liberties issues, slammed the indictment.
Daniel Ellsberg: Espionage Charges Against Assange Are Most Significant Attack on Press in Decades
As the Justice Department charges WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act, we speak to Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. In 1971, he was charged with violating the Espionage Act for leaking a top-secret report on U.S. involvement in Vietnam to The New York Times and other publications. At the time, Ellsberg faced over 100 years in prison. He tells Democracy Now!, “There hasn’t actually been such a significant attack on the freedom of the press … since my case in 1971.”
Charging Assange under the Espionage Act will have a srs chilling effect on our most fundamental rights of freedom of speech & freedom of the press. Every American—certainly every journalist—must strongly condemn this anti-democratic act by the Trump Admin
The Trump admin’s new charges against Julian Assange are a fundamental threat to press freedom in the 21st century
The Espionage Act, originally intended for use against spies, has been wielded against as sources of journalists and whistleblowers in recent decades, but never a publisher.
WIKILEAKS RESPONDS TO ESPIONAGE ACT INDICTMENT AGAINST ASSANGE: UNPRECEDENTED ATTACK ON FREE PRESS
Assange Indicted Under Espionage Act, Raising First Amendment Issues
The case has nothing to do with Russia’s election interference in 2016, when Mr. Assange’s organization published Democratic emails stolen by Russia as part of its covert efforts to help elect President Trump. Instead, it focuses on Mr. Assange’s role in the leak of hundreds of thousands of State Department cables and military files by the former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.
Justice Department officials did not explain why they decided to charge Mr. Assange under the Espionage Act — a step also debated within the Obama administration but ultimately not taken.
Julian Assange. In his own words: The Media, Propaganda and You.
** Today, Chelsea was not only put back in jail, but Judge Anthony Trenga ordered her to be fined $500 every day she is in custody after 30 days and $1,000 every day she is in custody after 60 days. This is unprecedented.
Politicians celebrate “World Press Freedom Day” as Julian Assange languishes in prison
The “right honourable” Mr. Hunt was one of the British government officials responsible for the brutal seizure and incarceration of Assange April 11. Following the WikiLeaks publisher’s arrest, Hunt said in a statement, “What we’ve shown today is that no one is above the law. Julian Assange is no hero. He has hidden from the truth for years and years and it is right that his future should be decided in the British judicial system.”
(A Political Guide to WikiLeaks) #FreeAssange #WikiLeaks
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UN Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy conducts visit to Julian Assange and Doughty Street Chambers
The UN announced on 5 April that the UN Special Rapporteur had the agreement of Ecuador to visit Mr Assange in the embassy on 25 April to “help determine if there exists a prima facie case of violation of privacy that warrants further investigation.” The announcement made clear that the UN Special Rapporteur had received “assurances from the Government of Ecuador that it will facilitate his visit to the country’s embassy in London.”
On 10 April, WikiLeaks announced it had proof of the extent of surveillance and interference with the right to privacy inside the embassy, which included the recording of visits by his lawyers, including the copying of their notes, as well as recording visits of his doctors. This was reported widely around the world (see, for example, here, here, here and here).
The next day, on 11 April, Mr Assange was forcefully removed from the embassy by British police
When exposing a crime is treated as committing a crime, you are ruled by criminals. #FreeAssange #Artists4Assange
http://defend.wikileaks.org
“Anguish is what I feel” – Julian Assange’s father speaks of the ‘no touch torture’ suffered in the embassy, makes plea for his son to be able to return to Australia to recover his health. Good Morning Britain:
We confirm Julian Assange has access to his lawyers, is now speaking with them regularly and will have an in person visit in the coming days.
„The arrest of Assange is a step taken by those who want to go back to past times where opacity reigned, cutting our fundamental rights and punishing those who uncover the secrets that shame those who hold power.“
Julian Assange put through ‚hell‘ at embassy, says former diplomat
Speaking to Sky News, Fidel Narvaez disputed claims that Assange had assaulted guards, didn’t clean up after himself, didn’t take care of his pet cat and even smeared human excrement on the walls of the embassy.
He said: „Julian had a respectful relationship with staff, diplomats and administrative staff. I don’t recall a single incident when he disrespected someone until I left in July 2018.
Alan Dershowitz on Pentagon Papers in 1971 and WikiLeaks releases in 2010. „… there is no constitutional difference between WikiLeaks and the New York Times.“
“Give the man his truly earned freedom”. Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Prize winner, accepts the Daphne Galizia award in the European Parliament on behalf of imprisoned Julian Assange. The award is for Journalists, Whistleblowers and Defenders of the Right to Information.
WikiLeaks’ publisher Julian Assange has been awarded the 2019 GUE/NGL Award for Journalists, Whistleblowers & Defenders of the Right to Information. The award, sponsored by European parliamentarians, was established in honour of assassinated Maltese journalist, Daphne Galizia.
Freedom for Julian Assange – No extradition to the USA! Joint statement by @SevimDagdelen, Heike Hänsel and @anamirandapaz on the arrest of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in front of HMP Belmarsh prison in London: .. #FreeAssange #Unity4J #ProtectJulian
On Sky News, an inconvenient fact from Julian Assange’s lawyer collapses the official narrative
On 14 April, UK lawyer for Julian Assange, Jennifer Robinson, collapsed the official narrative on Sky News.
Speaking to Sophy Ridge, Robinson pointed out an inconvenient fact:
„All these people saying he was hiding from Swedish justice. If that were the case, why didn’t he walk out the embassy two years ago when this case was dropped?“
Chelsea and Julian are in Jail. History Trembles.
Tonight both Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange are in jail, both over offences related to the publication of materials specifying US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, and both charged with nothing else at all. No matter what bullshit political and MSM liars try to feed you, that is the simple truth. Manning and Assange are true heroes of our time, and are suffering for it.
A friendly lawyer here in Doughty St just kindly advised me not to refer to Judge Michael Snow as „narcissistic“ in case of charges for contempt of court. Sadly I didn’t have time to ask his advice on „bigoted right wing bastard“. #FreeJulian
So same judge who last year gave Tony Blair immunity against criminal charges and blocked the private criminal prosecution against him now has this to say about Assange. Hmmm #FreeAssange #JulianAssange #Assange
The 7 years of lies about Assange won’t stop now
For seven years, from the moment Julian Assange first sought refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, they have been telling us we were wrong, that we were paranoid conspiracy theorists. We were told there was no real threat of Assange’s extradition to the United States, that it was all in our fevered imaginations.
For seven years, we have had to listen to a chorus of journalists, politicians and “experts” telling us that Assange was nothing more than a fugitive from justice, and that the British and Swedish legal systems could be relied on to handle his case in full accordance with the law. Barely a “mainstream” voice was raised in his defence in all that time.
EFF Statement on Assange Indictment and Arrest
While the indictment of Julian Assange centers on an alleged attempt to break a password—an attempt that was not apparently successful—it is still, at root, an attack on the publication of leaked material and the most recent act in an almost decade-long effort to punish a whistleblower and the publisher of her leaked material. Several parts of the indictment describe very common journalistic behavior, like using cloud storage or knowingly receiving classified information or redacting identifying information about a source. Other parts make common free software tools like Linux and Jabber seem suspect. And while we are relieved that the government has not chosen to include publication-based charges today, the government can issue additional charges for at least another two months. It should not do so.
It really is depressing that it is the Right who are now the main defenders of freedom of speech. Those on the Left who do so are labelled as apologists or worse, by people who make personal attacks & smear rather than try to win the argument. #slipperyslope
THE ASSANGE ARREST IS A WARNING FROM HISTORY
The glimpse of Julian Assange being dragged from the Ecuadorean embassy in London is an emblem of the times. Might against right. Muscle against the law. Indecency against courage. Six policemen manhandled a sick journalist, his eyes wincing against his first natural light in almost seven years.
That this outrage happened in the heart of London, in the land of Magna Carta, ought to shame and anger all who fear for „democratic“ societies. Assange is a political refugee protected by international law, the recipient of asylum under a strict covenant to which Britain is a signatory. The United Nations made this clear in the legal ruling of its Working Party on Arbitrary Detention.