Ukraine Detains Socialist Writer, Bans World Socialist Web Site | Russia Formally Charges WSJ Journalist with Spying for the CIA

Ukraine Detains Socialist Writer, Bans World Socialist Web Site | Russia Formally Charges WSJ Journalist with Spying for the CIA

At least Ukraine doesn’t discriminate, when it comes to detaining writers.

It should be noted that similar jailings are taking place in Russia, with some hitting close to home. This past December, Russians arrested Boris Kagarlitsky, a longtime Moscow Times contributor who was the main writer on the “Russian Dissent” Substack sponsored by this site. Boris, a socialist himself but not connected in any way to the WSWS, was denounced as an “inoagent” (a foreign agent) and given a five year sentence, which Russian authorities called “excessively lenient.” The case is one of the more absurd in the history of speech offenses. Kagarlitsky was initially accused of making light of a 2022 explosion on the Krimsky Bridge linking Russia to Crimea, thanks to a video titled “Explosive Congratulations to the Cat Mostik,” sarcastically putting a cat in the frame for the blast. The Russian news agency TASS noted Kagarlitsky’s “negative attitude toward authorities,” and Boris remains in prison. We’re trying to get more information about his status.

Mostik isn’t just any cat! Mostik = Bridge. Mostik is the mascot of the Crimean Bridge. Petty criticism, maybe. Anyway, I’m not surprised that the West is ignoring anyone detained in Ukraine for speech issues while screeching about ‘freedom of the press’ and ‘human rights’ in Russia.

Related:

Мостик Кот – Mostik the Cat

A ‘Myriad’ of front organizations had “Media Unlocked” banned from TikTok

Original video.

China Daily’s ‘Media Unlocked’ TikTok account banned

Media Unlocked’s accounts on Facebook, YouTube, and X, which are not flagged as government media outfits, are still up, however. Felipe F. Salvosa II

Source

IN-DEPTH: AI bolsters China state media’s TikTok offensive to influence narrative on sea dispute

Seeking credibility, China Daily’s ‘Media Unlocked’ TikTok passes off opinion as news

CNN:

Erin Burnett OutFront May 23, 2024 1PM Transcript

“RIPLEY (voice-over): Chinese state media is using A.I.-enhanced videos on TikTok, altering the reporter’s voice and face. A disclosure on screen for just a few seconds, easy to miss.

[01:39:52]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Under China’s jurisdiction.

RIPLEY: The video is pushing Beijing’s narrative on the South China Sea.

Is this a threat to democracy?

FELIPE SALVOSA II, JOURNALISM PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS: Most definitely. I think China has found a more cost-effective way to get its message across.

RIPLEY: Turning today’s digital landscape into a battleground for truth, where seeing is no longer believing.

Every time I do a story about these deepfake videos, what strikes me is the quality keeps improving. Our researcher (INAUDIBLE) spent hours putting these through algorithms to determine with 99 percent accuracy whether these videos are real, whether they’re fake, whether the voice has been altered, the face has been altered. Who on social media has time for that and a lot of people don’t take the time which experts say is dangerous, particularly in democracies when people are watching these videos and then potentially using the information they hear to make decisions about how to vote.

Source
Read More »

U.S. Funds Ukraine Groups Censoring Critics, Smearing Pro-Peace Voices + More

American taxpayers are footing the bill for Ukrainian NGOs focused on smearing proponents of a diplomatic solution as “Russian disinformation” agents.

U.S. Funds Ukraine Groups Censoring Critics, Smearing Pro-Peace Voices

Related:

U.S. Helps Pro-Ukraine Media Run a Fog Machine of War + Supporting Front Orgs

Pro-Russian “disinformation” network

Ukraine’s ‘Press Freedom’ Score Increases Despite Martial Law, Banned Media

Read More »

Update to Notes on Ukrainian Government Exposed Surveilling News Outlet

“Denys Bihus leads TOM 14, a group of professional investigative journalists in Ukraine.” – Source

Bihus isn’t currently listed in NED’s grants, because NED has scrubbed their site of their funding to Ukraine. In 2019, TOM 14 received $30,000 from NED.

“TOM 14, GO is an entity in Kyiv, registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) of U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).” – OPENGOVUS.

Read More »

Chile’s Foreign Ministry confirms the death of Chilean journalist Gonzalo Lira, who was imprisoned in Ukraine

Gonzalo Lira had been in prison since May 5, 2023, after being detained by the Ukrainian security service after being accused of allegedly supporting and justifying the Russian military operation.

The Chilean-American journalist Gonzalo Lira died in Ukraine after having been in prison for various crimes reported by the Ukrainian security service. Lira was covering the war between Ukraine and Russia.

The information was first reported by Russian media, but later confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our country.

According to Sputnik, the journalist had pneumonia in both lungs, pneumothorax and a very severe case of edema. Likewise, although the illnesses worsened in mid-October, the prison authorities ignored it until December 22.

For its part, RT also reported the death of the professional, providing the same diagnosis.

This information was expressed by the same journalist through different publications that he made once free.

When consulted by CNN Chile, the Foreign Ministry explained that the consulate in Warsaw, Poland, reported the death, so they were gathering more details in Kiev.

On May 5, 2023, Lira was detained by the Ukrainian security service after being accused of allegedly supporting and justifying the Russian military operation, spreading false news about the conflict, filming videos where he tried to capture the faces of Ukrainian military personnel and insulting them.

Lira, originally from the United States and with Chilean citizenship, previously criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) , the Biden Administration and Zelensky himself in his videos.

The journalist’s father, also called Gonzalo Lira, referred to his son’s death in the same medium through a letter published by American journalist Tucker Carlson on social networks.

“I cannot accept the way my son died. He was tortured, extorted, held incommunicado for 8 months and 11 days and the US embassy did nothing to help my son. The responsibility for this tragedy lies with the dictator Zelensky with the concurrence of a senile American president, Joe Biden,” said Carlson.

Foreign Ministry confirms the death of Chilean journalist Gonzalo Lira, who was imprisoned in Ukraine (Translation by Google)

RT says that the State Department confirmed his death. Zerohedge reported. Breitbert reported. The Grayzone reported. NakedCapitalism reported. The article, that I posted, was from WSAU AM in Wisconsin (they removed it). Nothing in mainstream corporate media, of course!

Report: American Journalist Gonzalo Lira Has Died While Imprisoned In Ukraine

WASHINGTON DC (WSAU) – 55-year-old American journalist Gonzalo Lira has reportedly died in a Ukrainian prison after nearly eight months of imprisonment.

Report: American Journalist Gonzalo Lira Has Died While Imprisoned In Ukraine