Tofik Dibi: #39;Spoeddebat over Wikileaks #39;
Uit het PowNews van 9 december 2010: De GroenLinkser wil niet dat Julian Assange wordt uitgeleverd aan de VS.
By: Het PowNews
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Tofik Dibi: 'Spoeddebat over Wikileaks' - Video
LONDON: WikiLeaks has accused Australia of the worst suppression order in "living memory" which bans Australian media from reporting on a multinational corruption case for reasons of national security.
Whistleblower Julian Assange on Wednesday published the details of the "unprecedented gag order" issued by the Australian government.
The super injunction passed by the Supreme Court of the state of Victoria prohibits media organizations from publishing material on a multi-million-dollar graft case involving high-ranking officials from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). WikiLeaks has said the gag order "effectively blacks out the largest high-level corruption case in Australia".
WikiLeaks released the "unprecedented Australian censorship order" with the super-injunction invoking "national security" grounds to prevent reporting about the case, by anyone, in order to "prevent damage to Australia's international relations".
The court-issued gag order follows the secret June 19, 2014 indictment of seven senior executives from subsidiaries of Australia's central bank, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). The case concerns allegations of multi-million dollar inducements made by agents of the RBA subsidiaries Securency and Note Printing Australia in order to secure contracts for the supply of Australian-style polymer bank notes to the governments of Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and other countries.
The suppression order lists 17 individuals, including "any current or former Prime Minister of Malaysia", "Truong Tan San, currently President of Vietnam", "Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, currently President of Indonesia since 2004", "Megawati Sukarnoputri, a former President of Indonesia (2001-2004) and current leader of the PDI-P political party" and 14 other senior officials and relatives from those countries, who specifically may not be named in connection with the corruption investigation.
The document also specifically bans the publication of the order itself as well as an affidavit affirmed last month by Australia's representative to Asean Gillian Bird, who has just been appointed as Australia's permanent representative to the United Nations.
WikiLeaks says "The gag order effectively blacks out the largest high-level corruption case in Australia and the region. The last known blanket suppression order of this nature was granted in 1995 and concerned the joint US-Australian intelligence spying operation against the Chinese Embassy in Canberra."
Assange said "With this order, the worst in living memory, the Australian government is not just gagging the Australian press, it is blindfolding the Australian public. This is not simply a question of the Australian government failing to give this international corruption case the public scrutiny it is due. foreign minister Julie Bishop must explain why she is threatening every Australian with imprisonment in an attempt to cover up an embarrassing corruption scandal involving the Australian government."
He added "The concept of national security is not meant to serve as a blanket phrase to cover up serious corruption allegations involving government officials, in Australia or elsewhere. It is in the public interest for the press to be able to report on this case, which concerns the subsidiaries of the Australian central bank. Who is brokering our deals, and how are we brokering them as a nation? Corruption investigations and secret gag orders for 'national security' reasons are strange bedfellows. It is ironic that it took Tony Abbott to bring the worst of Asian Values to Australia."
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WikiLeaks accuses Australia of worst suppression in 'living memory'
The ban applies to a massive corruption case involving officials in Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam
FIGHTING THE BAN. WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange calls the Australian gag order 'the worst in living memory.' File photo
JAKARTA, Indonesia True to form, WikiLeaks has released an "unprecedented Australian censorship order" regarding a massive corruption case involving officials in Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Wikileaks said the court order was issued on July 19, 2014 by the Australian Supreme Court in Melbourne, Victoria, following the indictment of 7 senior executives from subsidiaries of Australia's central bank, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).
The case concerns allegations of multi-million dollar briberies made by agents of RBA subsidiaries Securency and Note Printing Australia in the early 2000s to secure contracts for the supply of Australian-style polymer bank notes to the governments of Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and other countries.
The gag order was issued to "prevent damage to Australia's international relations that may be caused by the publication of material that may damage the reputations of specified individuals who are not the subject of charges in these proceedings."
These specified individuals include current or former heads of state and financial officials of Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. Specifically named in the court order Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
The wide-ranging ban also specifically bans the publication including sharing on social media of the order itself. The Age wrote that "anyone who tweets a link to the Wikileaks report, posts it on Facebook, or shares it in any way online could also face charges."
"With this order, the worst in living memory, the Australian government is not just gagging the Australian press, it is blindfolding the Australian public," WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said in its press release.
"The concept of 'national security' is not meant to serve as a blanket phrase to cover up serious corruption allegations involving government officials, in Australia or elsewhere. It is in the public interest for the press to be able to report on this case, which concerns the subsidiaries of the Australian central bank."
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WikiLeaks releases Australian gag order on corruption case
NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden is too young to spend his life dodging extradition in remote foreign locales, Germany's justice minister said Tuesday in advising the fugitive to return to the United States and face the charges against him.
Snowden's grant of political asylum in Russia expires Thursday, and although Moscow authorities may approve the extension he requested this month, the 31-year-old "surely doesn't want to spend the rest of his life being hunted," Justice Minister Heiko Maas said in an interview with the DPA news agency [link in German].
Snowden, who is wanted on U.S. espionage and theft charges, has been living in obscurity in Russia since being granted a one-year term of temporary asylum on Aug. 1, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor absconded with millions of classified documents on his laptops when he fled his job in Hawaii last year.
The data analyst first turned up in Hong Kong, where he revealed what he considered excessive intrusion on private communications in the NSA's counter-terrorism surveillance. He then flew to Moscow with the intent to travel on to Latin America and claim political asylum, but was thwarted when the U.S. government canceled his passport during the flight from Hong Kong.
Snowden was holed up at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport for more than a month last summer before Russian President Vladimir Putin granted him asylum on condition he not use his Russian refuge to further expose U.S. intelligence secrets.
German opposition politicians have been campaigning for months to bring Snowden from Russia to Berlin to testify before a parliamentary committee investigating U.S. surveillance practices involving Germans' private communications.
The governing coalition headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel has rejected the notion of Snowden going to Berlin to testify, citing concern that Germany would be obliged to honor a U.S. extradition request. And granting political asylum to the fugitive wanted by Washington on felony charges could damage relations between the Western allies.
Snowden is regarded in many left-wing and libertarian circles as a hero for exposing the breadth of NSA intrusion on private communications around the world, including reports of wiretaps on the private phones of Merkel and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.
"It's a disgrace for the Western democracies for Germany but also for the U.S. that someone like Snowden needs to be taken in by a despotic ruler like Vladimir Putin, because he can't get refuge in Germany or in the U.S.," Greens Party lawmakerKonstantin von Notz told Deutsche Welle on Tuesday.
Snowden has expressed interest in appearing before the German NSA inquiry committee, of which Von Notz is a member. But he has refused to testify by remote video linkup, insisting that he needs to provide his evidence of excessive U.S. surveillance in person.
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Snowden should cut deal and return to U.S., German ...
MOSCOW - Fugitive US intelligence agent Edward Snowden marks on Thursday one year of political asylum in Russia, where he continues to live a life shrouded in mystery amid a dearth of public appearances.
Little has been heard on the movements of the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor since he first obtained provisional leave to remain in Russia after spending - according to the official version - a month in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.
What is known about the reclusive Snowden is the city in which he lives, that he is working and in which sector he has found a job.
The last picture of Snowden published in Russian media dates from December 2013. In it, the former agent sports a red t-shirt and beige cap, apparently on a boat in the middle of the Moskva river.
The popular website LifeNews also published an image of Snowden pushing a supermarket trolley while out shopping, which his lawyer, Anatoli Kucherena, confirmed to be genuine.
In April, Snowden made a shock appearance on an annual question and answer session with President Vladimir Putin, probing the Kremlin strongman on the surveillance of Russia's population.
"I would like to ask you: Does Russia intercept, store or analyse, in any way, the communications of millions of individuals?" he asked in a recorded message, appearing against a black background wearing a dark jacket and grey t-shirt.
Fear for his life
Accused by Washington of espionage and stealing state documents, Snowden travelled to Moscow via Hong Kong after revealing the true extent of global US electronic surveillance. He had intended to travel to South America.
The former NSA employee, who has had his passport withdrawn by US authorities, stayed in Russia after being granted asylum.
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Snowden a recluse one year on from Russia asylum
File photo of Edward Snowden
Little has been heard on the movements of the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor since he first obtained provisional leave to remain in Russia after spending -- according to the official version -- a month in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.
What is known about the reclusive Snowden is the city in which he lives, that he is working and in which sector he has found a job.
The last picture of Snowden published in Russian media dates from December 2013. In it, the former agent sports a red t-shirt and beige cap, apparently on a boat in the middle of the Moskva river.
The popular website LifeNews also published an image of Snowden pushing a supermarket trolley while out shopping, which his lawyer, Anatoli Kucherena, confirmed to be genuine.
In April, Snowden made a shock appearance on an annual question and answer session with President Vladimir Putin, probing the Kremlin strongman on the surveillance of Russia's population.
"I would like to ask you: Does Russia intercept, store or analyse, in any way, the communications of millions of individuals?" he asked in a recorded message, appearing against a black background wearing a dark jacket and grey t-shirt.
- Fear for his life - Accused by Washington of espionage and stealing state documents, Snowden travelled to Moscow via Hong Kong after revealing the true extent of global US electronic surveillance. He had intended to travel to South America.
The former NSA employee, who has had his passport withdrawn by US authorities, stayed in Russia after being granted asylum.
Snowden's lawyer Kucherena said on Tuesday that the fugitive still feared for his life.
Continue reading here:
Edward Snowden a Recluse One Year on from Russia Asylum
In an interview with the dpa news agency, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said that Edward Snowden's best bet at life after the National Security Agency (NSA) revelations was to go back to the US and face trial: "He is only in his early thirties and would definitely not want to spend the rest of his life being chased around the world or applying for one asylum after another."
Maas said that Snowden's lawyers were talking to American officials and looking into the possibility of Snowden returning to the US. "If both sides agree, it would serve Snowden's purpose," he said.
A 'disgrace'
However, various German opposition politicians have criticized Maas's statements. Konstantin von Notz, a Greens parliamentarian and member of the German NSA inquiry committee, said that the German government was "behaving very cynically."
Von Notz finds Germany's stance unaccceptable
"It's a disgrace for the western democracies - for Germany but also for the US - that someone like Snowden needs to be taken in by a despotic ruler like Vladimir Putin, because he can't get refuge in Germany or in the US," explained Von Notz.
For months now, the German opposition has been proposing that Snowden be questioned by Germany's NSA inquiry committee in order to shed light on the scale of US intelligence spying in Germany. Von Notz said that Maas should arrange for Snowden to face the committee but "unfortunately he isn't doing that."
No asylum in Germany
Snowden previously expressed his interest in coming to Germany, but the US has sent a formal "arrest request" to the German government, which has complicated matters. It is unclear whether the German authorities would arrest him or deport him to the US once he landed in Berlin.
"We have asked the US government some questions regarding this, but we haven't got any answers," said Maas. "We are being cautious and want to know exactly how Snowden would be treated if he appears for a trial in the USA."
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Opposition slams minister's Snowden comments
A Human Rights Watch and American Civil Liberties Union report suggests NSA snooping prevents sources talking to journalists and compromises the relationships between defense attorneys and their clients.
Widespread surveillance in the US by the National Security Agency (NSA) has damaged the fabric of democracy by limiting the ability of journalists and lawyers to communicate confidentially with their sources and their clients, according to a report from two rights advocacy groups.
NSAs spying on the electronic communications of Americans is preventing news-gatherers and attorneys to do their jobs properly because they cant keep information private from the government, a report issued Monday by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) suggests.
The report is based on interviews with 46 journalists and 42 lawyers working in the areas of national security and intelligence. Five current or former senior government officials were also interviewed.
Those lawyers and journalists say the NSAs surveillance on Americans, revealed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, has resulted in substantial erosion of their ability to do their constitutionally-protected jobs.
If the US fails to address these concerns promptly and effectively, it could do serious, long-term damage to the fabric of democracy in the country, writes report author Alex Sinha, a fellow at HRW and ACLU.
Sources are worried that being connected to journalists through some sort of electronic record will be seen as suspicious and that they will be punished as a result, Sinha wrote. As a result sources are less willing to talk to the press about anything, including unclassified matters that could be of significant public concern.
McClatchy Newspapers reporter Jonathan Landay who covers national security and intelligence issues, told HRW that some sources have grown reluctant to talk to him about anything, even something like, Please explain the rationale for this foreign policy. Thats not even dealing with classified material; thats just educating readers.
Major Jason Wright, an Army Judge Advocate General representing Guantanamo detainees, raised a troubling concern: We are fearful that our communications with witnesses abroad are monitored, and that attempts to build their case might put people in harms way, he said in an interview for the survey.
To fix the problems stated in the report, HRW and the ACLU recommended major reforms in US surveillance practices, reducing state secrecy in general and limitations on official contact with journalists, increased protection for whistleblowers and strengthened minimization procedures.
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NSA spying hurting journalism, law in US
LibreOffice looks to make more headway against MS Office LibreOffice
After a headline lull, LibreOffice on Wednesday renewed its drive to replace Microsoft Office with the newest version of its open source suite of applications.
The latest update comes as the organization behind LibreOffice says that its products are now being used by some 80 million users around the world. In contrast, only 10 million users had downloaded the software by Sept. 2011.
LibreOffice came about as part of a grass roots response to tech industry consolidation. In 2010, Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, which was then responsible for an open-source software suite called OpenOffice. However, developers who became unhappy with Oracle's stewardship of the project, subsequently forked the code to create a new office suite called LibreOffice. The OpenOffice project has since been taken up by the Apache Foundation while LibreOffice wound up under the auspices of The Document Foundation.
Executives from The Document Foundation expressed confidence about getting 200 million active users worldwide before the end of the decade. Italo Vignoli, one of the founders of The Document Foundation, also expressed hope that a decision governing the use of open source software by the UK government will prove to be a harbinger of more rapid adoption.
Earlier this week, the United Kingdom finally put in practice a directive that all official office suites must support an open format for documents called ODF. Government officials say the move to standardize around open formats will reduce costs associated with the Office suite and break what they describe as the 'oligopoly' of IT suppliers. (Or at least one supplier in particular. Wink, wink.)
The thrust of the UK announcement will be to let users choose open-source office suites, should they wish. Vignoli is hoping that will help the organization build on earlier successes winning over other European governments. For instance, the French government has already deployed LibreOffice on about a half million computers while Spain's Valencia region has installed the program on 120,000 desktops.
"Our compatibility with legacy Microsoft Office documents and actually Microsoft Office docs is now extremely good," Vignoli said. He added that developers have cleaned up the code base from the first four releases of the product and that only 130 of the 10,000 documents used in compatability testing of the latest incarnation of the product with MS Office broke.
The question is whether that will be enough to reel in MS Office users of long standing. Even though the competition with Microsoft Office reaches back several years, Office continues to have a strong hold with businesses as the competition has moved to the cloud. Part of the challenge is the message -- on in this case, making that message resonate.
"The Open Source community has always had a problem with marketing," Vignoli said. "I think it was a fundamental mistake because if you talk to developers, they'll tell you that if the product is good, then you don't need marketing. But that's the most absurd thing you can say. You need marketing for every product. Even if you don't use marketing, you need a strategy on how to bring the product to market....you must make the user aware that you're product is there."
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LibreOffice makes its case as open source alternative to MS Office
By Aap
Published: 22:41 EST, 29 July 2014 | Updated: 22:41 EST, 29 July 2014
Twitter and Google+ users may face legal action for sharing a Wikileaks publication of a court suppression order relating to an international political corruption case.
The anti-secrecy website published full details of the legal suppression order issued by the Victorian Supreme Court on June 19.
The Wikileaks posting was soon shared by social media subscribers, putting them at risk of being in contempt of the court order, Fairfax news reports.
Wikileaks leader Julian Assange says the Australian public have a right to know the contesnt of the Victorian Supreme Court suppression order his anti-secrecy website has published in full in relation to an international political corruption case. But social media users who have shared the posting on Twitter and Google+ face potential legal action against them for being in contempt of the court order
Exiled Wikileaks leader Julian Assange has come out in defence of the Wikileaks publication, describing the suppression order as one of the worst of its kind 'in living memory'.
Wikileaks published the full text of the June 19 Victorian Supreme Court order, the contents of which which Australian media organisations are legally prevented from publishing.
The court order was reportedly made to prevent damage to Australian international relations.
But Wikileaks claimed the gag order effectively blacked out the largest high-level corruption case in Australia and the region.
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Wikileaks publishes court suppression order on ...