[governance] WikiLeaks: Stratfor leak shows US's covert plan to prosecute Assange
Riaz K Tayob
riaz.tayob at gmail.com
Fri Mar 2 17:40:26 EST 2012
Yes it would be very good if a General Comment could be worked on in
relevant HR committees, this is essential to getting some of the
challenges related to the medium (these would have to be a sufficient
level of generality). Perhaps it should anticipate changes as user needs
change. I suppose it will also involve some responsibilities on the part
of users too. But general contracting principles, like fair contracting
terms, may be a useful guide.
The trouble is imperial actions and/or pretensions do bread paranoid
politics in developing countries. And we need to be cognisant of the
fact that some of the vested interests strengthened by their influence
on government positions in the rich countries for developing countries
tend to "blowback" to the developed world.
Riaz
On 2012/03/02 10:48 PM, Salanieta T. Tamanikaiwaimaro wrote:
> Dear Riaz,
>
> Thank you for this and these are some thoughts. This is really
> interesting. If we look at the case of:-
>
> China [alleged imtimidation of Ai Wei Wei for threats against
> Odre Public/Public Order];
> US [alleged intention to prosecute Assange for threats to "national
> security"];
> Pakistan [RFPs for filtering for threats against Public Order];
> India [New Delhi - where Court said that ISPs have to block content
> for threats against Public Order/Moral];
> Europe [where ECJ held that the danger of blocking lawful content was
> a far greater risk in terms of filtering attempts]
>
> then we have a deeper appreciation of the need to see what are
> legitimate exceptions.
>
> Sala
>
> On Wed, Feb 29, 2012 at 8:31 PM, Riaz K Tayob <riaz.tayob at gmail.com
> <mailto:riaz.tayob at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>
> WikiLeaks: Stratfor leak shows US's covert plan to prosecute Assange
>
> Wednesday, February 29, 2012
> Julian Assange.
>
> WikiLeaks released the statement
> <http://wikileaks.org/Stratfor-Emails-US-Has-Issued.html> below on
> February 28.
>
> * * *
>
> Confidential emails obtained from the US private intelligence firm
> Stratfor show that the United States government has had a secret
> indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for more than
> 12 months.
>
> Fred Burton, Stratfor’s Vice-President for Counterterrorism and
> Corporate Security, is a former Deputy Chief of the Department of
> State’s (DoS) counterterrorism division for the Diplomatic
> Security Service (DSS).
>
> In early 2011, Burton revealed in internal Stratfor correspondence
> that a secret Grand Jury had already issued a sealed indictment
> for Assange: "Not for Pub — We have a sealed indictment on
> Assange. Pls protect." (375123) According to Burton: "Assange is
> going to make a nice bride in prison. Screw the terrorist. He’ll
> be eating cat food forever." (1056988) A few weeks earlier,
> following Julian Assange’s release from a London jail, where he
> had been remanded as a result of a Swedish prosecutor’s arrest
> warrant, Fred Burton told SkyNews: "extradition [to the US is]
> more and more likely". (373862).
>
> Emails from Fred Burton reveal that the US government employs the
> same counterterrorism strategy against Julian Assange and
> WikiLeaks as against Al Qaeda: "Take down the money. Go after his
> infrastructure. The tools we are using to nail and de-construct
> Wiki are the same tools used to dismantle and track aQ [Al Qaeda].
> Thank Cheney & 43 [former US President George W. Bush]. Big
> Brother owns his liberal terrorist arse." (1067796)
>
> Ten days after the CIA reportedly assassinated Osama bin Laden,
> Burton writes in an email sent to Stratfor’s "Secure" mailing list
> that he "can get access to the materials seized from the OBL
> [Osama bin Laden] safe house." (1660854)
>
> Burton states: "Ferreting out [Julian Assange’s] confederates is
> also key. Find out what other disgruntled rogues inside the tent
> or outside [sic]. Pile on. Move him from country to country to
> face various charges for the next 25 years. But, seize everything
> he and his family own, to include every person linked to Wiki."
> (1056763)
>
> Along with the FBI, the Diplomatic Security Service and the
> Department of Defense (DoD) form a multi-agency US Government
> outfit seeking to criminally indict and prosecute WikiLeaks and
> Julian Assange. According to the Department of State, the DSS
> handles the investigation of all leads that involve the DoS and
> assists the DoD in forensic analysis of hard drives seized by the
> US government in its ongoing criminal investigation.
>
> Burton also says he "would pursue [c]onspiracy and [p]olitical
> [t]errorism charges and declassify the death of a source someone
> which [he] could link to Wiki" (1074383). Burton’s strategy is to:
> "[b]ankrupt the arsehole first," Burton states, "ruin his life.
> Give him 7-12 yrs for conspiracy." (1057220)
>
> WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said: "For over a year now, the
> US Attorny General Eric Holder has been conducting a "secret"
> Grand Jury investigation into WikiLeaks. This neo-McCarthyist
> witch hunt against WikiLeaks may be Mr Holder’s defining legacy.
> Any student of American history knows that secret justice is no
> justice at all. Justice must be seen to be done. Legitimate
> authority arises out of the informed consent of the governed, not
> Eric Holder’s press secretary.
>
> "Secret Grand Juries with secret indictments are apparently Eric
> Holder’s preferred method of dealing with publishers who hold his
> administration to account. Eric Holder has betrayed the legacy of
> Madison and Jefferson. He should drop the case or resign. Should
> he continue, however, the Obama administration may not — Democrats
> and Republicans alike believe in the right to tell the truth."
>
> As early as June 2010, after the release of the Collateral Murder
> video but prior to the Afghan War Diaries release, the emails talk
> of a sealed indictment. In an email conversation between Shane
> Harris, a National Security journalist, and Burton, Harris is
> surprised that Assange was reporteded to be attending a Las Vegas
> Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) conference. Burton
> remarks: "As a foreign national, we could revoke [Julian
> Assange’s] travel status and deport. Could also be taken into
> custody as a material witness. We COULD have a sealed indictment
> and lock him up. Depends upon how far along the military case is"
> (391504). Julian Assange cancelled his appearance at the IRE
> conference due to security concerns.
>
> In another email to Stephen Feldhaus, Stratfor legal counsel,
> about Ronald Kessler, a "pro-FBI journalist", Burton remarks: “I
> look forward to Manning and Assange facing a bajillion-thousand
> counts [of espionage]." (1035283)
>
> In July 2010 alleged WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning was moved
> from Camp Arifjan, Kuwait to the Quantico Brig in the Military
> District of Washington at the request of Maj. Gen. Terry Wolff,
> then Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division/US Division –
> Center in Iraq.
>
> Wolff requested Manning’s move, the Pentagon reported, "due to a
> potentially lengthy pre-trial confinement because of the
> complexity of the charges and an ongoing investigation.” Three
> days before Manning arrived at Quantico Brig, Burton wrote to
> George Friedman, Stratfor CEO and founder:
>
> “We probably asked the ASIS [Australian Secret Intelligence
> Service] to monitor Wiki coms and email, after the soldier from
> Potomac was nabbed. So, it’s reasonable to assume we probably
> already know who has done it. The delay could be figuring out how
> to declassify and use the Aussie intel on Wiki... The owner
> [Julian Assange] is a peacenik. He needs his head dunked in a full
> toilet bowl at Gitmo.” (402168)
>
> The GI Files: http://wikileaks.org/the-gifiles.html
>
> Please donate: http://shop.wikileaks.org/donate
>
>
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>
> --
> Salanieta Tamanikaiwaimaro aka Sala
>
> Tweeter: @SalanietaT
> Skype:Salanieta.Tamanikaiwaimaro
> Cell: +679 998 2851
>
>
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