Monthly Archives: January 2015

The poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko

Yesterday, news were published about Russia’s involvement in the murder. Alexander Litvinenko was in 2006 poisoned by polonium-210, a rare and highly radioactive isotope. This type of poisoning is very hard to detect, or even impossible if long time passes. Polonium-210 will decay to lead-206, while it emits alpha radiation. The remaining lead cannot be distinguished from lead from other sources. Polonium seems to be the perfect poison for those who can get hold of it, which is probably very difficult, except for assassins working for a government.

There is more to this story than the murder itself. In the book Death of a Dissident about Alexander Litvinenko, it is claimed that a Russian government agency was behind Russian apartment bombings. If that is true, it would be one of the many false flag operations, which governments have carried out.

Journalism a threat to security?

Earlier this week, The Guardian revealed a GCHQ document, describing journalists and reporters as a potential threat to security, in particular investigative journalists. It is a shocking statement, which should cause a large reaction. However, sometimes media is surprisingly quiet. For example, as NewsVoice has pointed out, many Swedish newspapers published only very short reports about this revelation. Svenska Dagbladet was one of the newspapers that totally missed the point, that a UK government agency has compared journalists with terrorists and this particular agency has a cooperation with the Swedish equivalent, FRA. When you read such poor reporting in a country like Sweden, which has long tradition of free press, you understand that something is very wrong. At least Reporters Without Borders has something sensible to say on their international web page: JOURNALISM IS NOT A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY

Strange Swedish aid in Georgia

The Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reveals strange Swedish aid, which must probably be classified as abuse or even as illegal, in the Caucasian country Georgia. Read the article and watch the video in Swedish. The text can also be translated online, for example with with Microsoft/Bing Translator (however, be aware that the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency is abbreviated Sida, which is sometimes translated as ‘page’).

Alberto Nisman found dead

Read about the Argentinian prosecutor, for example on CNN or The Guardian. In this world with a wilderness of mirrors, as it is called in the intelligence business, it is difficult to know what to believe until the work of government and their agenceis becomes much more transparent.

Will they whip him to death?

In Saudi Arabia, blogger Raif Badawi has been sentenced to 1000 lashes, 10 years in prison and a hefty fine. The whipping has already started. If it will continue, he may be tortured to death. His lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair has also been sentenced. Both are considered to be prisoners of conscience. While we encourage you to join Amnesty’s campaign for Raif Badawi, we also encourage you to join us at Accoun in demanding that those responsible for torture must be held accountable.

However, many governments around the world are instead cooperating with Saudi Arabia. Even the Swedish government has, behind the back of their citizens and against Swedish law, wanted to help Saudi Arabia build a weapons factory (read more in Swedish).

Stand up for an Open Internet

As the ownership concentration of major media like newspapers and TV is growing, Internet is becoming more and more important for those who seek independent sources of information, which is very important for a working democracy and accountability. Please see OpenMedia’s campaigns against the threats against an Open Internet, such as FCC’s vote on net neutrality in February and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. The TPP is also proposed to include the controversial Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) instrument, which is not compatible with the fundamental principle of equality before the law.