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Home arrow newsitems arrow CoE Rapporteur on WhistleBlowers Waserman to EF: UK+USA must Find a High-Level Solution for Assange

CoE Rapporteur on WhistleBlowers Waserman to EF: UK+USA must Find a High-Level Solution for Assange

Written by ACM
Monday, 18 January 2021

 waserman_don_trump_assange_eurofora_patchwork_400


*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- CoE's Rapporteur on Whistle-Blowers, French Assembly's vice-President Sylvain Waserman, a Centrist MP from Strasbourg, speaking to "Eurofora", launched a Call for the UK and USA to "Find a High-Level Solution for Assange", the Jailed "Wikileaks" co-Founder, as US President Don Trump is reportedly due to Decide a Long List of "Pardons" to be given to several People Nowadays, (Comp. also : ..., etc).

USA (as well as Canada, Japan, Mexico, etc) has a Special Status inside CoE, the 47 Member States-strong, Strasbourg-Based PanEuropean Organisation for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, Since Reagan's era of 1986 when Russia joined the CoE, where the UK Remains Still a Full Member, (Despite "BREXIT" from the EU), while imPrisoned Assange is a World-wide Symbol for Free Expression and Freedom of Information, (Article 10 of the European Convention for Human Rights, and 1st Amendment of USA Constitution).

 + Waserman also Told "Eurofora" Today that "a Specific Legal Protection for Whistle-Blowers is Absolutely Urgent", particularly in the UK and, even more, in the USA, (where Obama has reportedy Eliminated the slightest External Access to Court on "Intelligence" Issues by any Whistle-Blower since 2014), while, on the Contrary, the EU has Recently Adopted a relevant "Directive", Currently in the process to be Transposed inside its 27 Member States, and CoE's Parliamentary Assembly has Quasi-Unanimously Voted on October 2019 a Resolution (Drafted by Waserman) in order to Enlarge and Strengthen such Protection throughout All its 47 Member States, as CoE's Highest Political Body, its Committe of (Foreign) Ministers, Agreed that Whistle-Blowers' protection is a Must for the Fight "Against Corruption" and for Free Speech/Freedom of Information in Modern Society.  

++ Earlier, VPresident Waserman had already Replied to anOther relevant "Eurofora" Question at a Press Conference in the CoE, by indicating that he had "Accepted a Key Amendment", meanwhile Adopted by CoE's Assembly, which had been Inspired by the Assange case and particularly "Wiki-Leaks", Stressing that, Already, Such "NGOs have the Right to Seek, Receive and Impart Information given to them, in the Same way as Journalists", while, in Addition, Even Wider "Legal Entities" must be "Allowed to <<Blow the Whistle>> ” on illegal practices or enjoy Protection as “whistle-blowing Facilitators”, in the Same way that Journalists are able to rely on the Protection of their Sources; “Reporting Auxiliaries” must be given Increased Protection, especially when put under Pressure to Reveal the Identity of Whistleblowers", (See, f.ex. : ..., + ..., etc).

- Julian Assange has Already Suffered Enough, But No More Swedish or UK Sentences keep him in Prison. His Brittish Judge has Notoriously Found that if he was Extradited to the US, he might commit Suicide. But she's reportedly concerned that, if he's given Bail in the UK, he might Flee to Mexico's Embassy in London, since President Obrador has just Promised him Asylum. So, as long as any Other Solution is Lacking, Pending USA's Appeal to a Higher Court, he is Still Closed in a very "Hard" Prison, reportedly Full of COVID Virus' Infections, and Even of Deadly Islamist Terrorists...

However, Recently, a Phone Conversation leaked to the Internet, and Noticed also by Snowden as a "Game Changer", Revealed that Assange had been Careful to Protect US Agents' Personal Data in Delicate Situations, Even by Warning personaly a contact at the State Department for a Break Away Former "Wikileaks" Member's Controversial Plans to Disclose UnEdited Documents which Might Expose them, in order to Give a Chance to Protect them Timely. >>> But, in case of Extradition to the US, If and when a Past Regime of Biden - Obama - Hillary might, eventualy, Return Back to Wash. DC, (as, probably, in a Few Days), then, Assange would Notoriously Risk to be Exterminated, as a Revenge for the "Wikileaks" Revelations of 2016, which had Contributed to the Latter's Losing that Election, something Suspected to  be Related also with the Strange Brutal Death of Conrad Seth, (particularly After the Publication of Dems' NDP Leadership E-mails Revealing the Hillary versus Bernie Sanders' scandal then, Followed on 2017 by the CIA Malware Security issue, the "Russia Spy Files" on surveillance contactors in Moscow, etc).

+ In Addition, a Brittish Judge has Just, notoriously, Found that if Assange was Extradited to a US Jail, he might, very probably, commit "Suicide". Indeed, Since a Long-Time Reclusion at the Tiny Ecuador's Embassy in London, (where a UN Committee of Legal Experts, at nearby Geneva, had found that his Basic Rights had been Already Violated), Before being Transfered by Force to a UK Prison for Years, Until Sweden Droped any LawSuit against him, and he Also Served a Sentence for having Droped Bail Previously in the UK.

>>> But, Assange is also a Well Known International Defender of Human Rights and Freedom of Information, particularly at the Internet, Currently Threatened  by particularly Oppressive Measures taken by US "Big-Tech" Oligo-Monopolistic Networks against Free-thinking People, which have Affected Even US President Don Trump personaly, (provoking even German Chancellor Angie Merkel's Reaction), and Risk to Undermine Democracy in the US, presenting Growing Dangers also in Europe, and in Many Other Countries accross the World, against which, Trump (as well as Mexico's President Obrador, etc) has Rightfully Vowed to Help Struggle Efficiently, Despite Establishment's UnPopular Obstruction. And CoE's Rapporteur on "Whistle-Blowers", vice-President of France's Assembly, Centrist MP Sylvain Waserman, in a relevant exchange with "Eurofora", has stressed that Assange is a Key part of Wikileaks' important "Mecanism at the Service of Journalism", and therefore, Should be Protected. + On 2019, it's also a quasi-homonymous, but unrelated, American Specialist Expert, Professor from Berkeley University on Journalism, Dr. Edward Wasserman, who Published, Both at Berkeley's own Media outlet, and in a "New York Times" Op., a landmak Article on "Julian Assange, and the Woeful State of Whistle Blowers" accross the World, who, "as the Medias' indispensable HelpMates", "Deserve a Constitutional Protection too", as he concluded. Thus, on 2021, an, at last, Free Julian Assange would Obviously Add a sincere and experienced Fighter in the Common Struggle for Freedom at the Internet !

For All these Reasons, "Eurofora" sincerely Believes that, (in Addition to Avoiding, for Joe Biden, any Probable Negative Pressure, Afterwards, by a Part of his Entourage, for an Issue which, Apparently, does Not Concern him Directly : Comp. Supra), Don Trump would Obviously Do the Right thing, if he included Assange in the List of People that he reportedly Plans to "Pardon" Now. He would be Appreciated Worldwide, and Remembered for Ever in History, while All Freedom-Loving People would be United by such a Strongly Symbolic Move, regardless of Other micro-Political Differences of the Past, Easing a "Healing" and Harmony of various Positive Forces able to Advance Forward Together, for the Present and the foreseable Future.

 

(../..)

 

 

("Draft-News")

 

 

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 politkovskaya_gongadze_adali_400

Hu Jia's prize brings SAKHAROV's wife to "EuroFora" on murders of Journalists Politkofskaya, Gongadze and Adali :

- Elena Bonner : "All Journalists' murders must be fully investigated", without Double Standards.                                                                                    

During a special Mega-Event to celebrate 20 Years of SAKHAROV Prize for "Freedom of Thought", attributed in 2008 by EU Parliament to jailed Chinese Cyber-Dissident Hu JIA, the move was reinforced by strongly criticizing the persisting impunity in three cases of Journalists' Murders, such as POLITKOVSKAYA in Russia, GONGADZE in Ukraine, and ADALI in Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus.

Any bureaucratic doubt about whether Cyber-dissidents like Hu JIA might have, or not, a right to be protected as all Journalists must be, particularly when they take risks to search, find and publish original and critical News on issues of general interest to the society, could not resist to the emotion provoked by the message of his Wife, Zeng JINYAN spectacularly transmitted at a big screen in EU Parliament's hemicycle :

- "The most important and most interesting thing he did was to ... say the Truth :.. to write about the phenomena he observed... He never stopped Publishing.. on websites, so that the Public could learn about the reality .. and understand it.  In my view, this has been his greatest contribution", stressed the young wife of the jailed man, eager to cite also the cases of other critical journalists who faced various kinds of "harassment".

 - "Welcoming all those who have suffered for defending Human Rights", EU Parliament's President, German MEP Hans Gert POETTERING, who had invited to Strasbourg all former Sakharov prize-winners from various Countries throughout the World, said that "China needs Europe, and Europe needs China : A great nation" with which "we want to have a good relationship", "association and ..friendship". "But we are never going to stop our fight for Human Rights, and No Government can expect this from us".

    - "It's impossible  to achieve goals of Peace, if Human Rights are left out. In fact, Peace and Human Rights are intrinsequaly linked", added POETTERING.

    It's in this spirit that MEPs adopted, on Thursday, a Resolution denouncing that "the criminal
investigation and trial following the murder of (a) Journalist ...raises serious concerns with regard to transparency and respect for the rule of law", when a "brutal killing has not yet been fully investigated and solved in a satisfactory way".

    The text refered to dissident Journalist "Anna POLITOVSKAYA", a critic of Tchechen conflict, killed some years ago in Moscow, where Russian Authorities have found, arrested and are currently judging two executants, while also searching to arrest also a 3rd one, allegedly escaped in Belgium. But they have not yet found the instigators.

     Similar texts were adopted recently also on dissident Ukranian Journalist Georgiy GONGADZE's murder, for which Ukranian Authorities have at least found, arrested and condemned 2 executants to 12 and 13 Years of jail, but not yet the instigators. For that purpose, they recently accepted an International Experts team to participate to the investigations.     

But, it's only for the Murder of dissident Turkish Cypriot Journalist ADALI, in the occupied territories of Cyprus, that Turkey has NOT yet found ANYONE responsible, and even claimed recently inside CoE that it would be "impossible" to do so !    

These astonishing differences exist despite the fact that ECHR condemned alike Ukraine and Turkey with 2 Judgements on the same year : 2005, for the murders of  Journalists GONGADZE and ADALI, strong critics of Corruption in Ukraine, and of Ankara's policies on mass-influx of Turkish Settlers in the Occupied Territories of Cyprus, respectively.    

Regarless of that, CoE's Committee of Ministers, who is entrusted with the duty to supervise execution of ECHR's judgements, has just asked Ukraine's Government to reply to further questions on Gongadze's murder before March 2009, while Turkey, curiously, got a longer postponement for answering questions on Adali's murder, until June...   

A comparison of these cases, raises serious questions about Double Standards :

------------------------

On TRANSPARENCY :
--------------------------
    On Gongadze's murder, CoE's body speaks even about the participation of
"an INTERNATIONAL group of Experts" in the Investigation, (f.ex. of "Tape Recordings"), accepted by Ukraine.
    On the contrary, on Adali's murder, CoE is obliged to repeatedly ask (for a 2nd
time) Turkey whether, at least, it informed the victims' Family, or not...
------------------------------
- On EFFICIENCY :
-----------------------
On Gongadze's murder, CoE formally "recalls that the Committee (of Ministers) ..URGED the Ukranian authorities.. to TAKE ALL NECESSARY INVESTIGATIVE STEPS TO ACHIEVE CONCRETE and VISIBLE RESULTS in the INVESTIGATION, aimed at the Identification of the INSTIGATORS and Organisers of the Murder", and "STRONGLY INVITED the Ukranian Authorities to provide information on the PROGRESS IN THE INVESTIGATION", before MARCH 2009.

But, on Adali's murder, on the contrary, CoE's body merely .. "took note" of the "arguments presented by" Cyprus, which denounce the absence of any proof of new "investigation" by Turkey. Following Turkey's own suggestion (!), it simply "noted" that there is "no limitation period" for "any new element" to "lead potentialy (sic !) to a Re-Opening of the Investigation". Without saying who might find any such "new" fact, since Turkey stoped searching... It also POSTPONED the issue until .. JUNE  !
-----------------------
 - On the PUNISHMENT OF THOSE RESPONSIBLE :
----------------------
 -  On Gongadze's murder case, Ukranian Authorities already arrested and condemned, at least 2 suspects, to 12 and 13 Years of jail. And on Politkovskaya's murder at least 2 suspects are judged, and a 3rd one "wanted".

On the contrary, on Adali's murder case, the Turkish authorities simply claim that "it had not been possible to obtain new .. information .. on the basis of which criminal charges could be brought against ANY person" !...

Moreover,  a LETTER sent by Turkey ...2 Years after CoE's 2006 call to re-investigate anew Adali's murder case, is totally EMPTY of Facts ! As Cypus' Delegation denounced earlier, Turkey's Letter ONLY CLAIMS that a "New Investigation" was made without any result, but does NOT even cite ANY FACT to prove it :

F.ex.,on the crucial issue of the "MOTIVATIONS" behind Adali's murder, noted by ECHR, Turkey MERELY CLAIMS that "all allegations  were investigated; without result", but OMITS ANY FACT TO PROVE IT !..(It doesn't even remind which were these "allegations").. .

+ On ECHR's astonishment that the Turkish Occupation regime didn't produce any "BALLISTIC REPORT" on the Shots which murdered Adali, Turkey again repeats, 12 years later, that, still, even until now, "it  was not possible to obtain the BalisticReport"...

- As for the astonishing absence of key-WITNESSES' Testimonies, denounced by ECHR, Turkey agains repeats various pretexts avoiding to reveal anything, (Fex. that a person "left" the Occupied Territories  "on 2002", or that another witness was heard, but without revealing nothing of what he said, etc).

Turkey obviously "FAILS TO MEET THE CRITICISM made BY THE COURT" for lack of any efficient Investigation in Adali's case, concluded Cyprus' Government.
---------------------------------------------
Replying to our Question which COMPARED these 3 outstanding cases of "JOURNALISTS MURDERS", Adali, Gongadze and Politkovskaya, in order to avoid "Double Standards" by asking from Ukraine and Russia more than what is asked EU candidate Turkey, many European personalities were critical /

They criticised Ankara's recent claim at the CoE to stop investigating, because it would be "impossible to find anyone" responsible for the 5 bullet shots which killed Kutlu ADALI in front of his Family Home, contrary to the other two Journalists' murders, where Ukraine and Russia at least arrested the executants, searching now for the instigators :
----------------------------------

imag0103_400

    - "Where was that ? In Turkish Occupied Cyprus ? WITHOUT ANY DOUBT : Any murder of Journalist should be investigated in full ! All these Murders must be investigated !", replied the famous SAKHAROV's wife, Elena BONNER to our question on Adali's case, compared to Gongadze and Politofskaya.

    Elena Bonner spoke us EXCLUSIVELY shortly after being honored by the President
of EU Parliament on the occasion of 20 Years of her husband's SAKHAROV Prize.

    A strong personality, Sakharov's wife even had to struggle against an anonymous EU staffer who, astonishingly, tried to stop her speaking when h heard our question on "Turkey" (!) : - "Please, let me translate, she continues
speaking, don't stop us !", had to cry Sakharov's daughter, (a Journalist
herself), who was translating her mothers' reply, (obliged to speak louder to
make her voice heard despite the harassment).. (= + Audio Proof !)

    Earlier, Elena Bonner also fustigated "Double Standards" at another case, on
Western countries' attitude vis a vis Kosovo and the Kurds : -F.ex. "You have
recognized a few 400.000 Kosovars as an "independent" country, but you still
deny that to 30 millions of Kurds in Turkey !", she denounced.
-----------------------------
    - "This (ADALI's murder) is an issue which should be pursued by the Committee
for Human Rights. That's why we have one, and it's its duty to examine cases of
Journalists' murders as the one you referred to. You should bring the case in
front of that Committee", suggested in reply to our question on Adali, EU
Parliament's President, German MEP Hans Gert POETTERING.

    - "It's impossible  to achieve goals of PEACE, if HUMAN RIGHTS are left out :
in fact, Peace and Human Rights are intrinsequaly linked", added POETTERING.
--------------------------------------
    + "For us (European/International Federation of Journalists) it's clear :
Whenever a Journalist is Murdered, the Investigation should continue until
those Responsible are found !", replied earlier to another question on ADALI
EFJ/IFJ's Secretary General, Aidan WHITE.

    Speaking as a matter of General Principle, White asked us for "concrete data"
on the execution of ECHR's judgement on Adali case, in order to "look at it in
depth" and "make a formal statement", in comparison with the other Murdered
Journalist case, also pending at CoE's  Ministers for completing its execution,
on Ukranian Gongadze.
----------------------------------------------------
     From EU Rapporteur on Human Rights, vice-President of EU Parliament Liberties' Committee, MEP Giusto CATANIA, we were told that, since there is an ECHR judgement in both Adali and Gongadge's cases, "Turkey must naturally execute the judgement and make a full and efficient investigation, until those responsible for the Journalist's murder are found and punished".

    Even if "we (Catania's "EuroLeft" Group) support Turkey's EU perspectives, this does not mean that Ankara should not behave properly. On the contrary, it means that they have to meet tough conditions, particularly on Human Rights", was added on the occasion of Adali's murder case.

    Moreover, "since you raise the issue of Mr. Adali's muder as a part of a Series of Journalist's murders, including fex. Gongadze, Politkovskaya, ao., tthen we (EU) could also act together with CoE's Commissioner on Human Rights, Thomas HAMMARBERG, it was suggested.

    - "We (EU) must step up efforts against the problem of IMPUNITY : Real Peace cannot exist without Justice",  stressed also this week at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, French Minister on Human Rights, Mrs Rama YADE.
------------------------
                     

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