NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Julian Assange, Pussy Riot, Ecuador, and RT
Julian Assange, Pussy Riot, Ecuador, and RT
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000980.html
I suspect the headline on this posting has to be the oddest collection
of words I've ever strung together in such a locale. But there are
connections between them all worthy of note.
I have refrained in the past saying much publicly about Julian Assange
and Wikileaks. I've done this specifically because the "ecosystem"
surrounding Wikileaks and what could be called a "cult of personality"
around Assange is exceedingly complex.
Nor will I here, today, delve in the details of the foundational
involved controversies, and what they mean for the Internet and the
world at large.
But as we observe world condemnation rightly rise at the unjustified,
Soviet Unionesque guilty verdict against the women of the Pussy Riot
punk art group in Russia, perhaps some dot-connecting of a sort is in
order.
Russia's justice system (I use the term "justice" loosely) and "new
strongman, same as the old strongman" Vladimir Putin are widely seen
as having targeted Pussy Riot specifically for political purposes.
Obviously Putin must be pretty terrified of these young women, keeping
them locked and sometimes even chained within a glass cage throughout
their show trial.
But this sort of behavior is not limited to the confines of the Soviet
Uni ... I mean, Russia.
Many fans of cable, satellite, and Internet channel "RT" ("Russia
Today") don't realize that it is essentially the funded propaganda arm
of Putin and the Kremlin, with a tendency to slant stories in ways
that sometimes almost make FOX News look balanced -- and that's quite
a trick.
I had my own run-in with RT some time back, when they attempted (and
failed) to get me on air for an "ambush" interview under false
pretenses. Not even FOX News has ever sunk that low with me.
Since then, I have viewed RT with especial skepticism, so when it was
announced that Assange would have a regular program on RT (before he
took up apparently permanent residence at the Ecuadorian embassy in
London) it struck me as severely problematic.
RT equals Putin. Putin equals repression of speech and liberty.
Similarly, Assange's new close relationship with Ecuador, the country
with the worst (and rapidly degrading) record of press censorship and
suppression in the region, is also very troubling.
The "any port in a storm" philosophy notwithstanding, Assange's
relationships with RT and now Ecuador, along with other facts that
have become apparent about his relationships associated with Wikileaks
and Wikileaks' supporters, threaten to undermine whatever positive
work Wikileaks may have accomplished in the past.
Again, I won't here try to evaluate Wikileaks' various positives and
negatives, but a very bad sign is that the story now seems not to be
about Wikileaks itself, but rather about Julian Assange and his
various personal choices.
Regardless of whether or not you are a supporter of Wikileaks, this
would seem to be a situation worthy of considerable deep thought.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info
- Data Wisdom Explorers League: http://www.dwel.org
- Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://vortex.com/g+lauren / Twitter: http://vortex.com/t-lauren
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
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