This is a "WikiLeaks News Update", a daily news update of stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks and also freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.
07:40 PM Alleged WikiLeaks whistleblower Rudolf Elmer is reported to have been released from custody on the 25th of July, after spending 187 days in detention without charges. According to an article that appeared originally in der Sonntag, his release was initally confirmed by Corinne Bouvard, spokeswoman for the chief prosecutor of the canton of Zurich.
Rudolf Elmer’s current location is unknown and it’s still unclear whether or not he will charged.
07:15 PM Information from Sweden versus Assange :
A judgment on Julian’s extradition appeal is likely to be delivered in October, as the legal year begins in October 3rd.
Julian Assange has been under house arrest without charges since January.
02:35 PM OpenLeaks founder Daniel Domscheit-Berg was expelled from the Computer Chaos Club (CCC), after his presentation of the leaking platform was deemed inconsistent and exploitative and harmful to the reputation of the association by spokesman Andy Müller-Maguhn.
Swiss online portal Persoenlich.com reports that Rudolf Elmer has been released from custody, quoting Swiss weekly Der Sonntag and Corinne Bouvard, the spokesperson of Zürich prosecutor's office, as sources. He is said to have left Winterthur prison on the 25th of July and to be on vacation in Greece. Bouvard refused to comment on whether the investigation was continuing.
Elmer had been held on remand without charge since the 19th of January, which grossly exceeds the average detention period of 56 days. He was arrested upon return from a London press conference, where he handed two CDs to Wikileaks' Julian Assange, claiming they contain evidence of tax evasion. In mid July, Elmer changed his story, stating these CDs were in fact empty. His detention was extended nonetheless.
Yesterday, German daily newspaper Süddeutsche published an article on an essay by Rudolf Elmer, which it had recently obtained. It was written over the past months, and Elmer was prevented from passing it on to others by the prosecutor. Elmer's lawyer refused to comment on whether Elmer was still in jail when the essay reached the newspaper.
In the essay, Elmer criticizes a new agreement between Germany and Switzerland on tax evaders, stating that it would only punish the middle and lower classes. The agreement, which is currently being ratified, is in effect an amnesty for Germans with Swiss bank accounts not declared to the German tax authorities.
Syria:
Current news of any violations, legal progress, setbacks or other news in human rights as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Syria: Assad continues to ignore the UN security council, the Arab League, the governments of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and almost everyone else, killing at least 90 civilians this week, for a total of almost 2000 since the protests began in March.
United States: A US federal appeals court ruled on August 8 that former Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld had no immunity against being sued personally by US citizens Donald Vance and Nathan Ertel who allege torture at the hands of US troops. Last week, a US district judge in Washington ruled separately that a former American military contractor who also claims he was tortured in Iraq could sue Mr Rumsfeld. A lawyer for Mr Rumsfeld said the decision "puts American soldiers at risk". Further appeals by the US justice department to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals or to the US Supreme Court are possible.
On July 12, Human Rights Watch produced an extensive report entitled Getting Away with Torture: The Bush Administration and Mistreatment of Detainees.
Carol Rosenberg covers the rehearsals for Guantanamo trials.
This is a "WikiLeaks News Update", a daily news update of stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks and also freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.
- New Cable(s) were released today.
10:10 PM Join the upcoming global dinner party in support of Bradley Manning, on the weekend of September 9th and 10th. Learn how you can host a dinner party by visiting bradleymanning.org.
09:45 PM Julian Assange spoke to newspaper Star about the riots that took place in the UK this week.
"Great Britain has turned itself into an Orwellian 1984 during the last decade, yet all those cameras and anti-terror laws could not prevent this recent chaos", he said.
"The naive public often is ready to sacrifice its privacy, and laws safeguarding basic freedom and rights in exchange for safety, guaranteed by the state. Now it is clear that governments cannot keep their promises."
According to Julian, the British government is currently paying the price "for creating a society that denies young people both responsibility, trust and proper challenges. It is time to rethink rather than restrict things even more. The real problems, which led up to the riots, can only be solved by the whole community, not the government or police."
09:17 PM Murder as foreign policy: assassination of Syrian General could have been an inside job.
This is a "WikiLeaks News Update", a daily news update of stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks and also freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.
- New Cable(s) were released today.
09:30 PM In The Patriot Act and the End of the Rule of Law, Charles Lugosi of Lugosi Law Firm PLC explains how ‘the Patriot Act and criminal sanctions placed on whistleblowers violates the Constitution and fundamentally challenges the legitimacy of the rule of law and American democracy’.
"Outdated assumptions of media power and wealth no longer apply today. Profit and the desire to influence may still motivate organized institutional media controlled by magnates like Rupert Murdoch, but unorganized individuals, through websites and social networking, can expose injustice and raise the conscious awareness of the public to worthy causes and crusades. To attain this end, access to information is critical, yet it is often not legally available. This is why Private Bradley Manning chose to break the law by giving WikiLeaks information that the government refused to release in the name of national security.", he writes.
Lugosi also cites editor of the Advocate, Christopher Harvey:
"We are of the view that Assange, love him, loathe him or remain indifferent to him, deserves the protections guaranteed by the rule of law. Anything less undermines the very foundation of the Western society."
This is a "WikiLeaks News Update", a daily news update of stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks and also freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.
- New Cable(s) were released today.
04:30 PM Kim Ives, editor of Haiti Liberté interviewed on Democracy Now! on WikiLeaks Haiti: The Aristide Files, documenting U.S. cooperation with France, Canada, the UN and the Vatican to vilify and keep Haiti’s ousted President Aristide exiled in South Africa.
03:35 PM Cables show the UN and the United States oversaw the integration of ex-army paramilitaries into the country’s police force in 2004 and 2005, who had for years prior violently targeted Haiti’s working class and democratically elected governments.
Jeb Sprague writes in an article published in the newspaper Haiti Liberté : "For a year and a half following the ouster of Haiti’s elected government on Feb. 29, 2004, UN, OAS, and U.S. officials, in conjunction with post-coup Haitian authorities, vetted the country’s police force – officer by officer – integrating paramilitaries with the goal of both strengthening the force and providing an alternative “career path” for paramilitaries."
(…)
"Just as Washington recycled part of the military force that carried out the 1991 coup, it (along with the UN and the IGOH) recycled part of the paramilitary force that carried out violence leading up to the 2004 coup."
***영어 원본은 여기에: http://wlcentral.org/node/2129 있습니다!
해고는 살인이다: 대량 해고와 경찰의 폭력적인 노동권 탄압에 맞서는 단결된 싸움
희망버스에서 날아올린, ‘비정규직 없는 세상’을 향한 희망을 담은 풍등들.
1차 희망버스에는 총 742명이 참여했다. 2차 희망버스에는 1만 명 이상이 모였고, 희망버스의 참가자 수는 올 7월 31일 열렸던 3차에서 1만 5천 명에 달했다.
천천히, 그리고 조심스럽게 야당 정치인들도 희망버스에 동참하기 시작했다. 지상 35미터에서의 투쟁에 연대를 표하기 위해 부당 해고의 피해자들이 연 수많은 집회들이 전국적으로 쉬지 않고 이어졌다. 동참자들의 수는 누구도 예상하지 못했던 정도로 불어났다. 주류 언론들과 몇몇 정치인들은 이제 200일을 넘긴 85호 크레인 위에서의 시위를 계속하는 김진숙 씨와 연대하는 각종 집회 참여자들을 일컫는 ‘폭력적인 제 3자’라는 말을 주조해내기까지 했다.
그러나 그 ‘폭력적인 제 3자’는 사실 전혀 ‘제 3자’가 아니다 – 지상 35미터에서부터의 투쟁은 단지 한진의 노동권 탄압만을 폭로하기 위한 것이 아니며, 6월에 있었던, 조건부로 정리해고를 수락하겠다는 한진 노조의 결정에만 맞서는 싸움인 것도 아니기 때문이다.
해고는 살인이다: 싸움의 시작 –
쌍용자동차 정리해고자들의 투쟁과 공권력이라는 이름의 유혈 진압
1.줄거리: 정리해고에 맞선 77일간의 싸움
2009년 5월, 한국에서 가장 큰 자동차공업회사 중 하나이자 100개 이상의 해외 지부를 둔 쌍용자동차가 2,405명의 직원들을 대상으로 하는 정리해고 신청서를 제출했다. 노조는 ‘경영난’이라는 이름으로 자행된 정리해고에 맞선 총파업을 선언하였다.
사측은 직장 폐쇄와 해고자들을 상대로 희망 퇴직을 신청할 것을 종용하는 협박 편지를 보내는 것으로 맞섰다. 이에 서너 명의 노동자들이 뇌출혈과 심근 경색으로 세상을 떠났다.
노동자들은 쌍용자동차 평택 공장에서 점거농성을 시작했고, 이 농성은 한국 노동사에서 잊혀질 수 없는 77일간의 유혈 투쟁이 되었다.
7월 15일, 사측은 기자들의 현장 촬영을 막기 시작했다.
7월 16일, MBC는 사측과 경찰이 점거 중인 노동자들을 ‘몰아내는’ 데 쓰기 위해 공모한 전략을 폭로했다. 제시된 문건에는 사측과 경찰이 수면 가스 사용, 헬리콥터를 동원한 수면 박탈 등을 논의한 내용이 드러나 있었다.
그후 사측은 음식과 물의 공장 내 반입을 중단하기 시작했고, 이를 20일 열린 기자회견에서 공식적으로 밝혔다. 사측은 또한 당뇨병으로 발이 썩어들어가는 한 노동자와 최루액으로 화상을 입어 다친 노동자들을 치료하기 위해 공장으로 들어가려던 의사들까지 막았다.
8월 5일 새벽 4시, 노동자들의 투쟁은 무장 경찰들과 경찰복을 대여한 사측의 용역회사 직원들이 ‘불법점거 진압’이라는 이름으로 무제한의 폭력을 행사하는, 목숨을 건 사투로 변하기 시작했다.
2. 경찰의 진압: '전쟁'
전경들이 평택 공장 지붕에 도착하고 있다.
Dismissal Is Murder: The united battle for labour rights as mass dismissals and violent police crackdown storm in South Korea
Candles in balloons with the hope for a 'World With No Layoffs' in the festival-demonstration 'The Hope Riders'
A total of 742 people participated in the first Hope Riders. Then the second Hope Riders had above 10,000 people gathering, which ended up being 15,000 people in the third Hope Riders on 31st of July, this year.
Slowly and reluctantly, opposition party politicians started to ride the bus together. Tireless protests have been planned across the country by other victims of unfair mass dismissals to show solidarity with the battle 115ft above the ground. The scale and range of participants grew to a huge movement which no one had previously anticipated. Some mainstream media and politicians coined the term ‘The Violent Third Party’ to collectively refer to the protesters showing solidarity to Kim Jinsuk, who now has stayed over 200 days on top of the 85th crane of Hanjin’s Youngdo shipyard in Busan.
In fact, the ‘Violent Third Party’ was not the third party player at all; the battle 115ft above the ground doesn’t merely expose the persecution of labor rights nor is it solely a fight against the decision of the Hanjin labor union leaders in June, who signed an agreement to accept the mass dismissal with provisions.
Dismissal Is Murder: the Beginning -
The protest of Ssangyong Motors laid-off workers and the bloodshed in the name of public authority
1. Outline : 77 days of fighting against mass dismissal
This is a "WikiLeaks News Update", a daily news update of stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks and also freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.
- New Cable(s) were released today.
06:15 PM ‘Government secrecy, the media and the impact of WikiLeaks’ was the theme of a dicussion by a panel of legal experts at the American Bar Association’s Annual Meeting.
To prosecute WikiLeaks under the Espionage act ‘would be to cross a constitutional Rubicon’, said Professor Steve Vladeck during the event, as there is ‘not much of a legal distinction’ between WikiLeaks and the New York Times, that has published material obtained from WikiLeaks.
05:50 PM "Wikileaks and the First Amendment": balance between freedom of the press and national security to be discussed by University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey P. Stone, Judge Richard A. Posner, journalist Judith Miller, and author Gabriel Schoenfeld, at the Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago, November 12.
05:30 PM David House, friend of Bradley Manning and founder of the Bradley Manning Support Network was interviewed on The Alyona Show, on the 4th of August:
"The U.S. Government is scared right now of computer scientists and they will stop at nothing to make policy so they can crack down these computer scientists, and others, as they travel abroad.", he stated.
After three days and nights, on Monday night the main riots in London have spread from the suburbs into the areas of Birmingham, Bristol, Nottingham and even Liverpool. In South London a man has been found dead from gunshot wounds in his car. The police have released no more details and have yet to find suspects. At the same time crowds of around a hundred rioters have gathered in the evening to vandalise the streets, loot stores and burn anything from buildings to police cars.
In Birmingham there have been 133 arrests overnight after repeated looting and a police station being set on fire, 28 people were injured.
In Liverpool there has been reports of shops and bars being attacked with people inside them, windows have been smashed and severe looting has taken place. Police have been attacked by gangs carrying flammable missiles. Here is a map of all confirmed incidents of violence.
Of the many London suburbs under attack, Croydon (South London) has had the worst as the community woke up to buildings on fire and closed roads. Helicopter images of the fires are truly astounding.
Probably the worst registered fire was in a Sony Warehouse in North London. Sony has confirmed that there were no victims. On Monday night the London fire brigade received 15 times more calls than average.
This is a "WikiLeaks News Update", a daily news update of stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks and also freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.
- New Cable(s) were released today.
11:10 PM Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki’s turn to centralized authority and strong-arm security tactics is said to be ‘in the interests of the U.S.’ in a cable written by Ryan Crocker, recently appointed Ambassador to Afghanistan.
09:30 PM WikiLeaks cables identifies four men said to be involved in financing, hiding and moving funds for the Assad Regime.
09:10 PM "Bulgarian and American officials discussed two years ago the construction of a new, mid-sized oil refinery to compete with Neftochim, controlled by Russia's giant Lukoil, diplomatic cables, revealed by WikiLeaks, show." via Novinite
08:50 PM Spanish war photojournalist Gervasio Sánchez praised Bradley Manning and pronounced himself on the subject of WikiLeaks during a public appearance: ‘WikiLeaks has shown journalists haven’t done their job’, he said.
This is a "WikiLeaks News Update", a daily news update of stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks and also freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.
- New Cable(s) were released today.
09:35 PM Bank of America ‘implodes’ after being sued by the American International Group (AIG) for $10 billion over an alleged "massive fraud" on mortgage debt.
WikiLeaks on the abrupt fall of BoA’s shares (via twitter):
"Did you know that VISA card used to be "Bank of AmeriCard"? That's the same Bank of America that looked at a $2M/month smear campaign
The same Bank of America, that admits to blocking, along with VISA any suspected donation to WikiLeaks from its customers and other banks.
The same Bank of America that formed an emergency team of people to clean up before a future WikiLeaks exposure of it.
The same Bank of America that has just now crashed 15% quotes.wsj.com/BAC
Correction: Crashed 17.5%
Bank of America has now lost 50% of its value in the last year.
Bank of America trading closes -20.32%"
06:00 PM Alan Moore, author of V For Vendetta, releases statement in support of Bradley Manning:
Massive riots have turned North London into an “absolute war zone”, with a bus, three patrol cars and numerous buildings set on fire.
North London has erupted in violence tonight following the shooting dead of a 29-year old father of four by police on Thursday. Earlier tonight, a peaceful protest was held to demand answers about the circumstances of the lethal shooting. As night fell, the protests turned to violence.
A bus, three patrol cars and numerous buildings were set on fire, with looting going on too. Police were seen to be in heated clashes and running street battles with rioters who threw stones and firebombs at the officers. According to one witness cited by the BBC, the scene looked like “an absolute war zone.”
Another witness reports that “the whole of the police station is surrounded by… about 100 police officers in riot gear and they threw a wheelie bin into it and then started throwing bricks, street signs, anything they could get their hands on, straight at them.” Police have brought in horses, dogs and even a helicopter.
Over 800 arrested during running street battles, as student protesters defy official protest ban to demonstrate for equal access to education.
For two months now, young Chileans have been taking to the streets to protest against neoliberal reforms in education spearheaded by the country’s right-wing government. Yesterday, the protracted youth uprising culminated in the public defiance by thousands of high school and university students of an official protest ban. Riot police responded with tear gas, water canons, baton charges and mass arrests.
In just two days, the Spanish police have spoken out against the government and in support of the indignados — while at the same time beating them up. (Photo: Iker Etxarte)
Either the police have lost it, or the government has lost the police. Or both. Whatever way it may be, the predicted summer lull in Spain’s 3-month youth uprising has failed to materialize. So far, the holiday month of august has proven to be sizzling hot in the Spanish capital.
For the past three days, the streets of Madrid have been in the hands of the protesters — while a small army of riot police desperately cling on to Puerta del Sol and Parliament. Instead of subsiding in the wake of Tuesday’s eviction of the info booth at Puerta del Sol, the protests have rapidly and spontaneously intensified (pictures here!).
This is a "WikiLeaks News Update", a daily news update of stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks and also freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.
- New Cable(s) were released today.
06:30 PM War veteran Ben Griffin will be joining peace campaigners tomorrow for a vigil in solidarity with Michael Lyons, outside Colchester Military Prison.
Michael Lyons, a Royal Navy medic, took a moral position against war in Afghanistan, having refused to undergo rifle training after reading material released by WikiLeaks. As a result he was sentenced to seven months' detention.
05:40 PM A fake list of Indian black money holder names purporting to have been published by WikiLeaks has been circulating on facebook and twitter.
WikiLeaks tweeted about this fake list:
WARNING: WikiLeaks and Indian black money: The following is a FAKE image and never appeared on WikiLeaks i.imgur.com/bO3dF.png
10:55 AM Kevin Gosztola analyses recently released White House strategy to 'counter violent extremism in the United States' and whether this strategy will make calls for the murder of Julian Assange less permissible.
Late last year, Malaysian Opposition Leader Dr Anwar Ibrahim was being labelled "WikiLeaks' first Malaysian victim" after the Sydney Morning Herald released a US cable suggesting he had knowingly "walked into" a sex trap. But the purported evidence quickly dissolved into hearsay when Singapore's intelligences services could not substantiate their allegations of "technical intelligence". A cable released later showed US officials pressuring the Malaysian government to drop the sex charges against Dr Anwar because they had no credibility, either at home or abroad.
Current Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak accuses Anwar Ibrahim of leading a “small group” of malcontents with the purpose of toppling his government. That "group" is a coalition of non-governmental organisations, The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, more popularly known as "Bersih" (which means "clean" in Malay). Its stated aim is to clean up the electoral system and ensure fair elections in Malaysia.
“It’s not so much about electoral reform," insists the Malaysian PM. "They want to show us as though we’re like the Arab Spring governments in the Middle East.”
The parallels are worth examining, even though Bersih campaigners insist their sole focus is clean elections, not regime overthrow.
This is a "WikiLeaks News Update", a daily news update of stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks and also freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.
04:40 PM A top-secret document obtained by The Guardian reveals information was extracted through illegal torture of prisoners overseas by the MI5 and MI6 with authorization from Tony Blair's government.
The allegations echo evidence of torture by Iraqi forces that had been exposed by WikiLeaks last year. (via thinq_)
12:40 AM A ‘Conversation with Mark Stephens’, Julian Assange’s former lawyer, is to take place in Glasgow, on the 1st September. Topics will include the law surrounding freedom of information and the European arrest warrant, and possibly ‘the increasing prevalence of denial of service attacks’. For more details: An Interview with Mark Stephens at Strathclyde university
06:00 AM Legislation that could keep Guantanamo open indefinitely will be voted on by the U.S. Senate in early September. This legislation has already been passed by the House of Representatives.
To prevent this from happening, please call your two Senators and and urge them to take a stand against Guantanamo!
To do this you can either
* call the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your Senators
This is a "WikiLeaks News Update", a daily news update of stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks and also freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.
- New Cable(s) were released today.
11:10 PM Guantanamo reporter Carol Rosenberg is providing information, via twitter, on Hurricane Emily as it approaches the Guantanamo base. She has written so far:
This just in from #Guantanamo: Navy base expecting rains and winds from Tropical Storm Emily but tracks don't portend damage...
#Guantanamo residents told to check emergsency supplies ahead of Tropical Storm Emily. Kung Fu Panda 2 still a go at base drive-in tomorrow.
04:00 PM The United Nations discussed shutting down Cambodia’s war crimes tribunal without hearing a politically sensitive case involving two former high-level Khmer Rouge cadres, a cable reveals.
02:30 PM Today Hosni Mubarak was on trial, facing charges of corruption and ordering the killing of protesters during the uprising that ousted him.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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