Nils Funcke is a journalist and expert on freedom of expression. Earlier this week his debate article about the transparency principle was publised by Dagens Nyheter. Many more than he is worried about eroding transparency. One reason to worry is that confidentiality can provide a breeding ground for crime and abuse of power, especially when combined with impunity. Unfortunately Sweden is an example of this. In December 2001, Sweden sent two people to be tortured in Egypt. The secret was exposed by journalists in 2004, but as far as we know, not a single person in Egypt, Sweden or USA (who was also involved) has been convicted, despite that torture is a very serious crime.

Edward Snowden’s explanations of the ‘European bazaar’ should not come as a surprise to any of the European politicians and other officials involved in signals intelligence. They must have understood long ago that they have played their part in a game, where their own citizens have been betrayed, but they quietly accepted it. Not so surprising, many European politicians also lack the courage or moral to enable asylum to Snowden, despite the words from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay:

Without prejudging the validity of any asylum claim by Snowden, I appeal to all States to respect the internationally guaranteed right to seek asylum, in accordance with Article 14 of the Universal Declaration and Article 1 of the UN Convention relating to the status of Refugees, and to make any such determination in accordance with their international legal obligations

A number of articles have appeared, which describe how the USA is undermining the democratically elected Venezuelan government. Even USAID is reported to be a means to accomplish this. For example, read the online publication The Intercept.

Swedish Radio today reports that the Committee Against Torture has stopped several deportations of Chechens from Sweden, because there may be a risk that these refugees would suffer torture if forced to return. This in one of many reports about torture and other violations of human rights in the Russian Federation. For example, one study concluded that the torture phenomenon is today commonplace and deeply rooted in the State institutons.

In Ukraine, government snipers are reported to have killed anti-government protesters on Thursday last week. The pictures of an alleged sniper being detained and beaten by protesters remind us that we all have a personal responsibility for our actions, but also that suspects have the right of a fair trial, no matter which side they are on.

Yesterday, the United Nations released a report documenting crimes against humanity in North Korea. According to the report, ‘the main perpetrators are officials of the State Security Department, the Ministry of People’s Security, the Korean People’s Army, the Office of the Public Prosecutor, the judiciary and the Workers’ Party of Korea, who are acting under the effective control of the central organs of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the National Defence Commission and the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.’

Read about Kareem Khan and see the film ‘Wounds of Waziristan’ on Democracy Now!

Please see thedaywefightback.org

The report ‘No One Is Safe‘, published by Human Rights Watch today, documents the terrible state of the justice system in Iraq. Illegal arrests, rape, torture and forced confessions are some of the alleged crimes of the security forces.

In Germany, the Chaos Computer Club (CCC), the International League for Human Rights (Internationalen Liga für Menschenrechte e. V.) and others have today filed a lawsuit to the Federal Attorney General regarding mass surveillance. It is aimed, among others, against the Federal Government, the President of the Federal Intelligence Service, Military Counterintelligence and the Federal Office for Protection of the Constitution. Read the press release in German.