The image comes from
BoingBoing, which cites a U.S. Department of State Press Statement addressing UNESCO's World Press Freedom Day, which the U.S. will host...
The theme for next year’s commemoration will be 21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers. The United States places technology and innovation at the forefront of its diplomatic and development efforts. New media has empowered citizens around the world to report on their circumstances, express opinions on world events, and exchange information in environments sometimes hostile to such exercises of individuals’ right to freedom of expression. At the same time, we are concerned about the determination of some governments to censor and silence individuals, and to restrict the free flow of information. We mark events such as World Press Freedom Day in the context of our enduring commitment to support and expand press freedom and the free flow of information in this digital age.
Also of interest is a lot of material in a lengthy Guardian column, which has essentially been live-blogging events in the case, including the following:
The US diplomatic cables reveal some startling facts: the US asked its diplomats to steal personal human material and information from UN officials and human rights groups, including DNA, fingerprints, iris scans, credit card numbers, internet passwords and ID photos, in violation of international treaties.
The law Mr Assange continues to violate is the Espionage Act of 1917. That law makes it a felony for an unauthorised person to possess or transmit "information relating to the national defence which information the possessor has reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation".
Speaking to the media scrum Jemima Khan said she did not know Julian Assange. She said she was offering support for him because of her backing for freedom on speech.
The Ku Klux Klan website directs users to a site called Christian Concepts. It takes Visa and MasterCard donations for users willing to state that they are "white and not of racially mixed descent. I am not married to a non-white. I do not date non-whites nor do I have non-white dependents. I believe in the ideals of western Christian civilisation and profess my belief in Jesus Christ as the son of God."
Julian Assange is currently leading Time's online readers poll [for Man of the Year].
The two Swedish women who accuse WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange of sexual misconduct were at first not seeking to bring charges against him. They just wanted to track him down and persuade him to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases, according to several people in contact with his entourage at the time.
More information
here.
Now that's "Newspeak". The hypocrisy is stunning.
ReplyDeleteThis "espionnage act" sounds like something that really needs a rethink.. I guess you could prosecute pretty much anyone with it.
ReplyDeleteIf POSSESSING information is a crime, what can you do to avoid being a crimial? I know how to use matches, that could threaten the USA!
Seriously though, who decides what information "could be used to the injury of the United States", and how?
@Seban678 Sadly, it WAS used to prosecute pretty much anyone.
ReplyDeleteIt was used to jail EE Cummings for 3 and a half months because he expressed that he didn't hate German people, for chrissakes.
That we could tolerate a society where *not* hating people for who they are is criminal, is more than a little freakish. That we never actually got around to repealing (or at least completely rewriting) the lunatic law that makes it possible... Madness.