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CoE Rapporteur on WhistleBlowers, Waserman to EF: Assange's Freedom must be Protected !
CoE Rapporteur on WhistleBlowers, Waserman to EF: Assange's Freedom must be Protected !

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- World Famous, Controversial "Wiki-Leaks" co-Founder, Long-Time Persecuted and Recently Jailed in the UK Leader Julian Assange's Freedom Rights should be Protected, mainly Because his Activism is Part of the overall Process of Journalists' Work, stressed to "Eurofora" CoE's Rapporteur on WhistleBlowers, Sylvain Waserman, vice-President of the French National Assembly, whose Conclusions on "Improving the Protection of WhistleBlowers all over Europe" are scheduled to be Debated and Voted Tomorrow in Strasbourg, by the PanEuropean Parliamentary Assembly of the 47 Member States-strong Organisation for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, just Before a landmark Speech by French President Emmanuel Macron, on the occasion of the celebration of CoE's 70th Anniversary 1949-2019.
The Move comes while a relevant Controversy has Recently become very "Hot", particularly in the USA, which have notoriously Asked for Assange's Extradition, since Even Traditionnal, Former "Free Speech" outlets, such as "Washington Post" Newspaper and other "Liberal/Leftist" actors, are Now Publishing, on the Contrary, Ferocious Libbels Against "WikiLeaks" and Assange in particular, Accused to be "Not a Free Press Hero", "Neither a Journalist, Nor a WhistleBlower", but only "a Foreigner" (sic !), who may have allegedly comploted with the Russians in order to interfere in the 2016 American Presidential Election, against Dem. Party's former Candidate Hillary Clinton, as Controversial former Attorney Mueller's notorious Enquiry, (Often Denounced as a Partisan "Witchhand" by US President Don Tump and other "Deep State" Critics, even of an Anti-Establishment's Left), strived vainly to establish, with uncertain results.
CoE's Rapporteur had Never Taken explicitly any position on Assange's concrete Case until now, as he Reminded "Eurofora" Today, and his Report, Focused mainly on Proposals for Legislative Reforms to Protect "WhistleBlowers" in general, appears quite Balanced, and, at least in its Current Version as a "Draft" Bill, (as Recently Voted in a CoE Meeting in Paris), Even contains a sentence with vague but real Criticism of "Wikileaks" in general.
But, surprisingly, Today, he took an apparently Crystal-Clear stance for the ImPrisoned Activist's Freedom of Expresssion Rights, while he Recently Confirmed, Also, CoE's Support for the Number 1 World Famous "WhistleBlower", Edward Snowden, for whom, it's Also a Previous CoE's Rapporteur, Peter Omtzigt, a ChristianDemocrat/EPP from the Netherlands, who has Already Pleaded to give him "Asylum" : Something that former French President Hollande's Government had Declined to do, and, as even recently a French Minister also repeated, But New French President Macron has Not Yet explicitly confirmed or changed such a position, while Snowden has Just, notoriously, Revived his Asylum Demand to a Western European Country as France.
Waserman had organized, recently at the CoE in Strasbourg, a landmark Tele-Debate with Snowden, under the auspices of the competent COE Assembly's Committee, where "Eurofora" and other Journalists participated in a 2 Questions/Replies Topical exchange with the World Famous Whistleblower, (See: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/snowdenfriendshelpwhistleblowers.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/snowdenlaughonlongmuellerspyingtrump.html).
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzGI-bqc2NA&app=desktop
Concerning Assange, Recently a "Pink Floyd" Legend Rock Group member, Roger Waters, exceptionally performed their landmark Song "I Wish You Were Here !", right in front of the UK's JHA Ministry in London, where Thousands of People had Gathered, in order to Ask "Freedom for Assange", (Comp.: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/muellerand911.html, etc), that a UNO Panel of Top Human Rights Experts has notoriously Found to be a Victim of Manifold and Repeated Violations of his Basic Rights, for Too Long, already Since he was Tracked and Obliged to Seek Refuge in Ecuador's Embassy in London, until a Political Change of Leadership in that Latin-American Country provoked his Expulsion and Delivery to UK's Police arrest, which was Searching for him since a Forgotten, former Demand by Sweden's "Socialist" Authorities, Pretexting of a Controversial Private Affair, which had been, meanwhile, even Officialy Droped, but, suddenly revived...
+ It's also a quasi-homonymous, but unrelated, Specialist Expert, Professor from Berkeley University on Journalism, Dr. Edward Wasserman, who recently 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", should "Deserve a Constitutional Protection too", as he concludes.
But CoE's Rapporteur, French MEP Sylvain Waserman (from Macron's own Political Party), told "Eurofora" that he didn't even know yet exactly that, apparently Similar, position taken by USA's University Professor Edward Wasserman, with whom he seems, Now, to quite agree, at least in Substance.
Previously, it's also a former EU Parliament's Rapporteur on WhistleBlowers, a Small Centrist Party's Leader, former MEP Virginie Rogier, who Replying to "Eurofora"s relevant Questions at a Press Conference in Strasbourg, clearly Pleaded for Assange's need to Protection, as a matter of General Principle, (See : ..., etc).
But CoE, as PanEuropean Organisation for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, which Now Celebrates its 70th Anniversary (1949-2019) also by boasting that, contrary to UNO's Historic "Universal Declaration on Human Rights", its European Version added also some Legal and Political Mecanisms due to seek Practical Implementation of such Rules, in order to Protect Victims of Human Rights' Violatons, is reaally Put at a Timely "Test".
The UK, which is notoriously, still Struggling Nowadays with its "BREXIT" Popular Plans to Leave the EU, on the Contrary, stcks to its Membership in the CoE, being Proud for Winston Churchill a.o.'s Historic Role for its Creation, since back on 1949, and even "BREXIT" Party's Leader, Top MEP Nigel Farage, has told "Eurofora" in Brussels, that if he enters into the House of Commons, he would Like to participate in the UK's National Delegation at CoE's PanEuropean Parliamentary Assembly...
(../..)
(DraftNews)
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ECHR's President to "EuroFora" on Journalists Gongadze and Adali murders : Principles must apply to all States, without discrimination.
+ ECHR's Statistics on Freedom of Expression (See below).
European Court of Human Rights' President, Jean-Paul Costa, questioned by "EuroFora" on Journalists' murders, as in Gongadze and Adali's cases etc., strongly stressed all CoE Member States' obligation to make efficient Investigations to find and punish those responsible, and underlined that ECHR's case-law's principles must apply to all without any discrimination.
His call was clearly supported by various Top MEPs who denounced a risk of "Double Standards" if some Journalists' murders are investigated, while others don't.
To avoid such risks, CoE's Parliamentary Assembly adopted a Resolution, on the occasion of Ukranian Journalist Gongadze's murder, "stressing", as a matter of general Principle, "the importance it attaches to the safety of Journalists and political activists, especially those linked to opposition groups, in ALL member states of the CoE". All "crimes against journalists and political activists must be investigated ... as a matter of priority, without political interference".
Costa was replying to "EuroFora"s question on the fact that, after CoE's Committee of Ministers, also CoE's Assembly had just adopted a Resolution on Gongadze murder case, based on an ECHR's judgement of 2005, asking a full Investigation from Ukraine, who has found and condemned in 10 years of jail 2 executants, but not yet the instigators.
While nothing similar was yet done for dissident Turkish Cypriot Kutlu Adali's murder, with 5 bullets shot at his head out of his Family's home in the territories of Cyprus occupied by Ankara's army, despite another ECHR's judgement of the same year 2005, and despite Turkey's claim that nobody was found among those responsible for the murder, and that there was nothing more to do..
In order to be credible and efficient, CoE's mechanisms shouldn't find a way to at least ask for full investigations of all Journalists' murders anywhere they might be committed, without exceptions ?

- "On the larger question that you raised, I'd like to say, since we are in a period of stock-taking on ECHR's 50 Years, that the Court's case-law developed certain concepts ....such as the Positive obligations of States, part of which are also the procedural obligations", started to reply ECHR's President.
- "Whenever Journalists, Lawyers, Defenders of Human Rights, or even simple Citizens are murdered, the States are held responsible, not only if its their own security forces' agents who committed these murders, but also if they didn't make sufficiently substantial and efficient Investigations", he stressed.
- "I want to strongly underline that we (ECHR) have found in many cases numerous violations of Articles 2 and 3 against States, ....(about) murders or torture, ...because they didn't make enough Investigations in order to try to find and punish those responsible".
- "We (ECHR) do that vis-a-vis all 47 (CoE) Member States, without any discrimination".
"Naturally, the circumstances in each particular case may be differend, and we can't ommit to apply the rules of proof, or the rules of criminal procedure".
"But we try, by all means, to apply these principles of our case-law, to all States", he concluded.

Costa's call was strongly supported by several Top CoE MEPs, from various Political areas
- "To investigate the murder of one Journalist, and not of another, looks like Double Standards", denounced the President of EuroLeft Group in CoE's Assembly, Dutch MEP Tiny Cox.
- "What is the reason ? Politics or specificity of a case ? Of course, if Cyprus and Turkey are involved, it's always a Political case"..
- "Murders of Journalists should always be fully investigated, because killing Journalists is not only killing persons, but also killing Free Press". "We (CoE's Assembly) should do our outmost to help People who are working on Free Press and they are under threat or murdered".
Because for Free Politics, Free Press is a pre-requisitive : Parliamentarians cannot function without a Free Press. Not investigating, is not protecting ourselves".
So we should investigate all Journalists' murders : We are talking about Gongadze, about the Cypriot man (Adali), about the Journalist murdered in Moscow one week ago, etc", Cox concluded
- "CoE can' look at these cases differently. CoE can't wear Blinckers !".
- "If the one is investigated, so has to be also the other. Why there wasn't full investigation ? Why's that ?", wondered British Socialist MEP, Alan Meale.
- "A good idea" would be to "make a Motion for Resolution", and "join all Journalists' murders. Adali and Gongadze etc", said to "EuroFora" EU Parliament Political affairs Committee's President, Goran Lindbland, ChristianDemocrat MEP from Sweden.
(See also earlier News at "EuroFora" on similar issues).
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ECHR's Statistics on Freedom of Expression :
Almost Half of condemnations by ECHR for violations of Freedom of Expression in 2008, concern Turkey : 20 out of a total of 48 for all CoE's Member States.
Russia, Poland, France and Moldova were condemned only 3 times. Romania, Greece, Portugal, 2 times, and the other CoE Member States only 1 time, or none.
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During the last Decade : 1998 - 2008, Turkey was condemned for violating Freedom of Expression in ..169 cases, while Austria only in 24.
France and Moldova in 14 and 13, respectively, closely followed by Russia and Poland with 11 and 10, respectively. The rest of CoE Member States had less than ten condemnations.


















