Daily Archives: February 29, 2020

2020-02-29: News Headlines

WSWS (2020-02-29). Slovenian journalist Blaž Zgaga: If Assange is extradited "the same can happen to any of us" wsws.org "If journalists cannot write about war crimes allegedly committed by Western armed forces, what is the legitimacy of these democratic countries?"

Fight Back (2020-02-29). Protest demands reversal of decision in Chicago police torture survivor case. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – In an attack on the human rights movement to stop police torture in Chicago, a Cook County judge ordered a torture survivor back to prison for life on February 14. In doing so, Judge Thomas Hennelly ignored irrefutable X-ray evidence of Gerald Reed's torture at the hands of the infamous Jon Burge "midnight crew," flouted the findings of the governor-appointed Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission — which affirmed Gerald's claim of torture — and overturned the ruling of the judge formerly assigned to the case, who vacated Reed's original conviction before retiring. | In response to Hennel…

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-02-28). Julian Assange, the Glass Cage and Heaven in a Rage: Day Four of Extradition Hearings. globalresearch.ca Thursday, February 27, Woolwich Crown Court. The first round of extradition hearings regarding Julian Assange's case concluded a day early, to recommence on May 18th. It ended on an insensible note very much in keeping with the …

Derek Royden (2020-02-28). Cruel and unusual: Julian Assange's extradition hearing begins. nationofchange.org It's a slippery slope and in a world of so-called 'fake news' could have negative consequences for journalists and whistle-blowers trying to speak truth to power far into the future.

Kevin Gosztola (2020-02-28). Judge Orders Assange Held in Glass Box During Extradition Trial. mintpressnews.com In the United Kingdom, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces extradition to the U.S., a magistrate court judge decided he must remain isolated in a glass box at the back of the courtroom.

Pepe Escobar (2020-02-28). Assange Extradition: Can a French Touch Pierce a Neo-Orwellian Farce? globalresearch.ca It's quite fitting that the — imperially pre-determined — judicial fate of Julian Assange is being played out in Britain, the home of George Orwell. | As chronicled by the painful, searing

Judge Andrew P. Napolitano (2020-02-28). Punishing the Free Speech of Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca "Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech." — First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution | In the oral argument of the famous U.S. Supreme Court cases known collectively as the Pentagon Papers Case, the late Justice William O. …

WSWS (2020-02-28). Judge rules Assange cannot sit with lawyers during extradition hearing. wsws.org The first week of the extradition hearing in USA v Julian Assange ended yesterday at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court with Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejecting a submission from Assange's lawyers that he be allowed to sit with them in court.

news.un (2020-02-28). Connecticut prison warning: Prolonged solitary confinement may 'amount to torture', UN expert warns. news.un.org The "excessive use" of solitary confinement by the prison service in the US state of Connecticut, prompted an independent UN human rights expert to voice alarm on Friday.

Susan Price (2020-02-28). Relentless campaign to smear Assange. greenleft.org.au

pip.hinman (2020-02-28). Protesters demand Julian Assange be set free. greenleft.org.au The Febr…

Staff (2020-02-27). Headlines for February 27, 2020. democracynow.org Fears of Coronavirus Pandemic Grow as U.S. Cites First "Community Spread" of Pathogen, Trump Blames "Caronavirus" Fears on Democrats and Fake News Reporting, Trump Taps VP Mike Pence, Who's Blamed for Indiana HIV Outbreak, to Lead Coronavirus Response, Gunman Kills 5 at Molson Coors Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Physicians Group Calls U.S. Migrant Family Separations "Torture", U.S. Drops Charge Against Scott Warren, Who Aided Migrants Crossing Desert, House Approves Emmett Till Act to Make Lynching a Federal Hate Crime, Feds Arrest Five Neo-Nazis for Threatening Journalists and Activists, ABC Suspends David Wr…

RT (2020-02-27). Whistleblower cops accuse DC police of downgrading crimes to look better on stats. rt.com Crime rates in Washington DC may be much worse than official reports indicate, as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) routinely miss-classifies felonies as misdemeanors, skewing results, two whistle-blowing cops allege. | In at least two cases, internal police The first reportedly happened in August last year. A woman asked a man outside a liquor store to buy her some water, and h…

John Pilger (2020-02-27). John Pilger: Llegó el momento para que Julian Assange sea liberado, no traicionado. thegrayzone.com La verdad es que Australia podía haber rescatado a Julian Assange, y todavía puede. Los líderes de su tierra natal…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-02-27). Julian Assange, Political Offences and Legal Restraints: Day Three of Extradition Hearings. dissidentvoice.org Wednesday, February 26, Woolwich Crown Court. Today, the focus shifted to the protagonist himself and the nature of the US-UK Extradition Treaty of 2003, a contentious document that shines all too favourably for US citizens. Julian Assange, whose deteriorating condition has been noted for months by psychologists, doctors and UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Nils …

Edward Burmila (2020-02-27). The Chicago Police Department's History of Torture. thenation.com The Chicago Police Department's History of Torture…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-02-26). Julian Assange Against the Imperium: Day Two of Extradition Hearings. dissidentvoice.org The second day of extradition hearings against Julian Assange and by virtue of that, WikiLeaks, saw Mark Summers QC deliver a formidable serve for the defence at Woolwich Crown Court. "It's difficult to conceive of a clearer example of an extradition request that boldly and blatantly misstates the facts as they are known to be …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-02-25). Julian Assange and the Imperium's Face: Day One of the Extradition Hearings. dissidentvoice.org If we are to believe it, Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, the man behind showing the ugliness of power, is the one responsible for having abused it. It is a running theme in the US case against this Australian publisher, who has been given the coating of common criminality hiding the obvious point: that the mission …

Kevin Gosztola (2020-02-25). As Assange's trial begins, his lawyers highlight risk of extradition with CIA spying operation's 'extreme measures'. thegrayzone.com Assange's lawyers pointed to CIA surveillance by a Sheldon Adelson-backed private contractor and the Trump administration's public contempt for the…

Staff (2020-02-25). Headlines for February 25, 2020. democracynow.org Harvey Weinstein Found Guilty of Rape, 2020 Democratic Candidates Gear Up for Debate as More Damning Comments by Bloomberg Surface, Bernie Sanders Defends Praise for Fidel Castro's Literacy Program, Protests in India Kill At Least 7 as Trump Continues Visit, Former Egyptian Dictator Hosni Mubarak Dies, U.K. Court Opens Deliberations on Julian Assange's Extradition Case, As Coronavirus Spreads Around the Globe, White House Requests Emergency Funding, China Sentences Bookseller Critical of Chinese Government to 10 Years in Prison, Clashes Between Haitian Police and Soldiers Leave One Dead as Anti-Gov't Protests Rag…

Nozomi Hayase (2020-02-25). Assange's Extradition Hearing Reveals Trump's War on Free Press Is Targeting WikiLeaks Publisher. dissidentvoice.org On Monday, WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange's one-week extradition hearing began at Woolwich Crown Court in South East London. The judge heard the opening arguments for the prosecution and defense. The prosecution began, accusing the journalist, who exposed the US government's war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, of espionage charges that would carry 175 years in …

Ashoka Mukpo (2020-02-24). From Being Tortured in Sri Lanka to the U.S. Supreme Court. aclu.org On a frigid day in early February, Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam | stands under an awning on a street corner in lower Manhattan along with one of | his attorneys, Celso Perez of the ACLU. Both are bundled in heavy winter | jackets. Perez is holding his phone up and squinting as he concentrates on the | tinny voice of a translator emanating from its speaker. | "I want them to be aware that you're traveling," Perez says | into the phone. | The voice on the other line translates what Perez said into | Tamil, the native language of Sri Lanka's largest ethnic minority. Thuraissigiam, | heavyset in his late 40s with a…

Aaron Maté (2020-02-24). Julian Assange extradition hearing sees US attack bravery, press freedom. thegrayzone.com As Julian Assange's US extradition hearing begins in London, Randy Credico on the targeting and demonization of the Wikileaks publisher….

2020-02-29: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Slovenian journalist Blaž Zgaga: If Assange is extradited "the same can happen to any of us"
wsws.org | 2020-02-29
"If journalists cannot write about war crimes allegedly committed by Western armed forces, what is the legitimacy of these democratic countries?"
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/29/zgag-f29.html

Protest demands reversal of decision in Chicago police torture survivor case
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-29
Chicago, IL – In an attack on the human rights movement to stop police torture in Chicago, a Cook County judge ordered a torture survivor back to prison for life on February 14. In doing so, Judge Thomas Hennelly ignored irrefutable X-ray evidence of Gerald Reed's torture at the hands of the infamous Jon Burge "midnight crew," flouted the findings of the governor-appointed Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission

Julian Assange, the Glass Cage and Heaven in a Rage: Day Four of Extradition Hearings
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
Thursday, February 27, Woolwich Crown Court. The first round of extradition hearings regarding Julian Assange's case concluded a day early, to recommence on May 18th. It ended on an insensible note very much in keeping with the …
globalresearch.ca/julian-assange-day-four-extradition-hearings/5704984

Punishing the Free Speech of Julian Assange
Judge Andrew P. Napolitano | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
"Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech."

Julian Assange, the Glass Cage and Heaven in a Rage: Day Four of Extradition Hearings
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-28
Thursday, February 27, Woolwich Crown Court. The first round of extradition hearings regarding Julian Assange's case concluded a day early, to recommence on May 18th. It ended on an insensible note very much in keeping with the woolly-headed reasoning of Judge Vanessa Baraitser, who is of the view that a WikiLeaks publisher in a cage …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/julian-assange-the-glass-cage-and-heaven-in-a-rage-day-four-of-extradition-hearings/

Judge rules Assange cannot sit with lawyers during extradition hearing
wsws.org | 2020-02-28
The first week of the extradition hearing in USA v Julian Assange ended yesterday at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court with Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejecting a submission from Assange's lawyers that he be allowed to sit with them in court.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/28/assa-f28.html

Assange Extradition: Can a French Touch Pierce a Neo-Orwellian Farce?
Pepe Escobar | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
It's quite fitting that the

Judge Orders Assange Held in Glass Box During Extradition Trial
Kevin Gosztola | mintpressnews.com | 2020-02-28
In the United Kingdom, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces extradition to the U.S., a magistrate court judge decided he must remain isolated in a glass box at the back of the courtroom.
mintpressnews.com/judge-orders-julian-assange-glass-box-extradition-trial/265315/

Cruel and unusual: Julian Assange's extradition hearing begins
Derek Royden | nationofchange.org | 2020-02-28
It's a slippery slope and in a world of so-called 'fake news' could have negative consequences for journalists and whistle-blowers trying to speak truth to power far into the future.
nationofchange.org/2020/02/28/cruel-and-unusual-julian-assanges-extradition-hearing-begins/

Connecticut prison warning: Prolonged solitary confinement may 'amount to torture', UN expert warns
news.un.org | 2020-02-28
The "excessive use" of solitary confinement by the prison service in the US state of Connecticut, prompted an independent UN human rights expert to voice alarm on Friday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1058311

Protesters demand Julian Assange be set free
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-28
freedom of speech Jim McIlroyIssue 1255 Australia whistleblower war crimesFebruary 28, 2020A protest organised by People for Assange called for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be set free. | The Febr…
greenleft.org.au/content/protesters-demand-julian-assange-be-set-free

Relentless campaign to smear Assange
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-28
democracy Daniel SafiIssue 1255 Australia Wikileaks Julian AssangeFebruary 28, 2020Where would we be today without the relentless campaign against Julian Assange by mainstream media and unscrupulous journalis…
greenleft.org.au/content/relentless-campaign-smear-assange

Julian Assange, Political Offences and Legal Restraints: Day Three of Extradition Hearings
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-27
Wednesday, February 26, Woolwich Crown Court. Today, the focus shifted to the protagonist himself and the nature of the US-UK Extradition Treaty of 2003, a contentious document that shines all too favourably for US citizens. Julian Assange, whose deteriorating condition has been noted for months by psychologists, doctors and UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Nils …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/julian-assange-political-offences-and-legal-restraints-day-three-of-extradition-hearings/

John Pilger: Llegó el momento para que Julian Assange sea liberado, no traicionado
John Pilger | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-27
La verdad es que Australia podía haber rescatado a Julian Assange, y todavía puede. Los líderes de su tierra natal…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/26/john-pilger-julian-assange-liberado-traicionado/

Whistleblower cops accuse DC police of downgrading crimes to look better on stats
rt.com | 2020-02-27
Crime rates in Washington DC may be much worse than official reports indicate, as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) routinely miss-classifies felonies as misdemeanors, skewing results, two whistle-blowing cops allege. | In at least two cases, internal police documents seem to back the accusations voiced by Sergeant Charlotte Djossou and Officer Tabitha Knight. | The first reportedly happened in August last year. A woman asked a man outside a liquor store to buy her some water, and h…
rt.com/usa/481842-dc-police-downgrading-crime-statistics/

The Chicago Police Department's History of Torture
Edward Burmila | thenation.com | 2020-02-27
The Chicago Police Department's History of Torture…
thenation.com/article/culture/lawrence-ralph-torture-letters-review/

Julian Assange Against the Imperium: Day Two of Extradition Hearings
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-26
The second day of extradition hearings against Julian Assange and by virtue of that, WikiLeaks, saw Mark Summers QC deliver a formidable serve for the defence at Woolwich Crown Court. "It's difficult to conceive of a clearer example of an extradition request that boldly and blatantly misstates the facts as they are known to be …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/julian-assange-against-the-imperium-day-two-of-extradition-hearings/

Assange's Extradition Hearing Reveals Trump's War on Free Press Is Targeting WikiLeaks Publisher
Nozomi Hayase | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-25
On Monday, WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange's one-week extradition hearing began at Woolwich Crown Court in South East London. The judge heard the opening arguments for the prosecution and defense. The prosecution began, accusing the journalist, who exposed the US government's war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, of espionage charges that would carry 175 years in …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/assanges-extradition-hearing-reveals-trumps-war-on-free-press-is-targeting-wikileaks-publisher/

Julian Assange and the Imperium's Face: Day One of the Extradition Hearings
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-25
If we are to believe it, Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, the man behind showing the ugliness of power, is the one responsible for having abused it. It is a running theme in the US case against this Australian publisher, who has been given the coating of common criminality hiding the obvious point: that the mission …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/julian-assange-and-the-imperiums-face-day-one-of-the-extradition-hearings/

As Assange's trial begins, his lawyers highlight risk of extradition with CIA spying operation's 'extreme measures'
Kevin Gosztola | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-25
Assange's lawyers pointed to CIA surveillance by a Sheldon Adelson-backed private contractor and the Trump administration's public contempt for the…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/24/assanges-trial-risk-extradition-cia-spying/

From Being Tortured in Sri Lanka to the U.S. Supreme Court
Ashoka Mukpo | aclu.org | 2020-02-24
On a frigid day in early February, Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam | stands under an awning on a street corner in lower Manhattan along with one of | his attorneys, Celso Perez of the ACLU. Both are bundled in heavy winter | jackets. Perez is holding his phone up and squinting as he concentrates on the | tinny voice of a translator emanating from its speaker. | "I want them to be aware that you're traveling," Perez says | into the phone. | The voice on the other line translates what Perez said into | Tamil, the native language of Sri Lanka's largest ethnic minority. Thuraissigiam, | heavyset in his late 40s with a…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/from-being-tortured-in-sri-lanka-to-the-u-s-supreme-court

Julian Assange extradition hearing sees US attack bravery, press freedom
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-24
As Julian Assange's US extradition hearing begins in London, Randy Credico on the targeting and demonization of the Wikileaks publisher….
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/24/julian-assange-extradition-hearing-sees-us-attack-bravery-press-freedom/