radiofree.asia

Category: Legal

  • Report Reveals Big Pharma’s Biggest Scam On Taxpayers

    Americans are getting ripped off when paying for their prescription drugs. Not only do we have the highest prices in the world, but when you add in the fact that your tax dollars already paid for the drugs, you get a clear picture of how badly you’re being ripped off. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: *This […]

    The post Report Reveals Big Pharma’s Biggest Scam On Taxpayers appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • GOP Now Wants To Ban Water Breaks For Outdoor FL Workers

    Dozens of outdoor workers die every year in the state of Florida due to the heat, but that fact didn’t stop lawmakers in the state from passing legislation that actually BANS mandatory water breaks for workers. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: *This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription software company, so please excuse any typos.

    The post GOP Now Wants To Ban Water Breaks For Outdoor FL Workers appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Delusional Alina Habba Says E Jean Carroll Will Get ZERO Dollars From Trump

    While appearing on a podcast this week, Alina Habba defied all logic by claiming that E. Jean Carroll will not only end up with ZERO dollars from Donald Trump, but she went even further by claiming that Carroll is going to be paying Trump’s legal fees. Nothing could be further from the truth, and Habba […]

    The post Delusional Alina Habba Says E Jean Carroll Will Get ZERO Dollars From Trump appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Judge Hands Predatory Teacher INSANE Sentence

    America’s Lawyer E92: The state of Florida has decided that working outdoors in the Florida heat doesn’t entitle workers to water breaks, and they recently passed legislation that bans mandatory breaks for workers. President Biden has launched a task force to tackle corporate price gouging, but it may not be enough to ease prices for […]

    The post Judge Hands Predatory Teacher INSANE Sentence appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Coup Memo Author And Trump Lawyer John Eastman Officially Gets Disbarred

    Former Trump lawyer John Eastman was officially disbarred this week, losing his law license in the state of California. This is a tremendous blow to both Eastman and Donald Trump, as the decisions from both the Court and state bar to remove Eastman can easily be used against Trump in some of his criminal trials. […]

    The post Coup Memo Author And Trump Lawyer John Eastman Officially Gets Disbarred appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Georgia ruling party reintroduces ‘foreign agents’ law to parliament

    Stockholm, April 4, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the ruling Georgian Dream party’s Tuesday reintroduction into the Georgian parliament of a proposed “foreign agents” law previously shelved after mass protests.

    “Georgian authorities’ revival of a bill that would smear media outlets as foreign-controlled is deeply concerning and utterly incompatible with their claim of aligning with European democratic standards and threatens press freedom ahead of the October parliamentary elections,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “The ruling Georgian Dream party should withdraw the law and renounce any form of ‘foreign agent’ legislation if Georgia wants to succeed in its bid to join the European Union.”

    The draft law, “On transparency of foreign influence,” would require nonprofits and media outlets receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to join a registry and provide detailed annual financial accounts, according to media reports and Georgia’s parliamentary website. Organizations that fail to register or to provide such data would be subject to fines of 25,000 lari (US$9,500).

    A statement published on the party’s Facebook page said the bill is largely identical to a bill with the same name dropped by parliament in March 2023 following widespread protests. The only change is that the term “agent of foreign influence” has been replaced by that of “organization pursuing the interests of a foreign power.”

    Georgian Dream, which controls a parliamentary majority, vowed in its statement to pass the law by the end of the current parliamentary session in June. The party’s majority is large enough to override Georgia’s president, who previously said she would veto it.

    The proposed law, which was previously criticized by CPJ, is similar to Russia’s foreign agent legislation, except that it does not currently require media outlets to label their publications as produced by a foreign agent.

    On Tuesday, Kyrgyzstan ratified a Russia-style foreign agents law requiring some nonprofit media organizations to register as “foreign representatives” and label their publications as produced or distributed by a foreign representative.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Trump Could Fire His Entire Legal Team In Bid To Delay Criminal Trials

    Donald Trump’s first criminal trial is starting in just under two weeks, and he is running out of options to delay it. But, there could be a chance for him to buy some more time, but only if he goes scorched earth on his own legal team. A former prosecutor has pointed out that his […]

    The post Trump Could Fire His Entire Legal Team In Bid To Delay Criminal Trials appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Award Winning Talk Show Host Dissects “Suspicious Activity” With Mike Papantonio

    Author and Hall of Fame attorney Mike Papantonio joins The Frankie Boyer Radio Show to discuss his latest book, “Suspicious Activity.” “Suspicious Activity” is an epic drama of intrigue, suspense, thrills, and legal combat—torn out of today’s headlines. Perfect for readers who love the financial-action-legal thrillers of Joseph Finder, Stephen Frey and James Grippando! Click here to […]

    The post Award Winning Talk Show Host Dissects “Suspicious Activity” With Mike Papantonio appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Psychotic Online Group Coerces Children Into Self Mutilation

    An online group of thugs calling themselves 7-6-4 has been blackmailing children and teenagers into committing acts of self harm and then forcing them to post the videos online. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: *This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription software company, so please excuse any typos. Mike Papantonio: An online group of thugs calling […]

    The post Psychotic Online Group Coerces Children Into Self Mutilation appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • CPJ urges Netanyahu government not to shut down Al-Jazeera in Israel

    Washington, D.C., April 1, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists urgently calls on the Israeli government not to close the Jerusalem-based bureau of Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera and allow the media to report freely on news events in Israel and Gaza during the current conflict.

    On Monday, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed a law allowing the government to halt the broadcasting of Al-Jazeera in Israel. The law grants the communications minister the power, with approval from the prime minister and the security cabinet, to order the cessation of a foreign channel’s broadcasts in Israel if the prime minister is convinced that the content directly threatens the country’s security.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that he would act immediately to stop Al-Jazeera broadcasting from Israel. In the tweet, Netanyahu labeled Al-Jazeera a “terrorist channel” and accused it of harming Israel’s security, actively participating in the October 7 massacre, and incitement against Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers.

    These accusations were previously rejected by Al-Jazeera, which called them “an attempt to justify the killing and targeting of journalists.”

    “CPJ is deeply concerned by new legislation authorizing the Netanyahu government to shutter Al-Jazeera in Israel,” said Carlos Martínez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director, in New York. “The law grants the government the power to close any foreign media outlets operating in Israel, posing a significant threat to international media within the country. This contributes to a climate of self-censorship and hostility toward the press, a trend that has escalated since the Israel-Gaza war began.”

    Additionally, the law empowers the communications minister to order “content providers” to cease broadcasting, shutter their Israeli offices, confiscate their equipment, take their websites offline if the server is physically located in Israel, or otherwise block access to their websites.

    Later today, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre stated that if reports are true and Israel is attempting to shut down the news network Al-Jazeera within the country, it would be “concerning.”

    On November 12, Israel’s security cabinet approved an order shutting down the Lebanon-based broadcaster and Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen TV in Israel.

    Since the start of the October 7 war, Al-Jazeera journalists in Gaza have been killed, injured, threatened, and assaulted, and their family members were killed after receiving threats from IDF officers.

    CPJ’s email requesting comment from the prime minister’s government press office did not receive an immediate response.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • CPJ: Angola’s proposed national security law threatens press freedom, puts journalists at risk

    New York, April 1, 2024–Angola’s proposed national security law could hinder the public’s right to information and severely undermine press freedom, further exposing journalists to harassment, intimidation, and censorship by authorities, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Monday.

    The National Security Bill, which critics say threatens Angola’s democracy and could turn the country into a dictatorship, is currently under review by a specialist committee after passing a first vote in the country’s National Assembly on January 25. No date has been announced for the finalization of the review and resubmission of the bill for a final parliamentary vote before being sent for presidential signature.

    “If passed into law, Angola’s National Security Bill will expose journalists to further harassment and intimidation by authorities and legalize telecommunications shutdowns at the whim of security agencies,” said Muthoki Mumo, CPJ Africa program coordinator, from Nairobi. “The provisions citing constitutional limits to the exercise of power cannot disguise this law’s repressive intent. Parliamentarians should reject or revise any bill that doesn’t comply with international human rights standards.”

    According to a copy of the bill reviewed by CPJ, the proposed law will create a national security system headed by the president—and including the police, intelligence services, and the military—with the power to “[prohibit] broadcasting from public or private radio systems” or disrupt telecommunication services, under undefined “exceptional circumstances” and “within the limits of the constitution.”

    The proposed law would also give police the autonomy to surveil “premises, buildings and establishments” and “means of transport” as well as temporarily close public premises or prohibit the movement of people “whose activity is likely to disturb public order” for unspecified amounts of time. It does not make specific provisions for judicial oversight of these “preventative” national security measures, outline procedures for security personnel to seek warrants for surveillance activities, or define the activities that would be deemed disruptive to public order. 

    Teixeira Cândido, secretary general of the Union of Angolan Journalists, told CPJ via messaging app that provisions giving security organs the power to disrupt telecommunications and shut down the internet “for no apparent reason” could make journalistic work “impossible.” 

    David Boio, owner of online news website Camunda News, which suspended operations indefinitely in 2023 due to police harassment, said that the proposed law would provide authorities the missing “legal frame” needed to “justify their actions against critics.”

    “The bill is as invasive as possible with authorities allowed to legally put journalists and anyone under surveillance, bug their home, their car without the intervention of a judge, everything at the discretion and mercy of the repressive apparatus itself,” Boio told CPJ via messaging app.  

    Florindo Chivucute, president of the human rights group Friends of Angola, told CPJ that the proposed national security law fits within a pattern of repressive legislation, including a Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) bill under consideration by the National Assembly. André Mussamo, president of the Angola chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) told CPJ MISA Angola and other media freedom NGOs could face “extinction” by government directive if the proposed NGO law was approved.

    Reached by telephone, National Assembly Secretary-General Pedro Neri declined to comment on the proposed security legislation and referred CPJ to António Paulo, president of the first parliamentary specialist committee that is reviewing the bill. Paulo declined to comment on either the national security or NGO bills, saying that he wanted to “avoid influencing the [review] process” but that he welcomed civil society contributions during the process. Adão de Almeida, Minister of the State and Civil House of the President, didn’t reply to CPJ phone calls or messages.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Sad James Comer Finally Admits That The Biden Impeachment Effort Is Dead

    Republican Congressman James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, has admitted to a reporter this week that the effort to impeach President Biden is essentially dead, and the House will likely NOT end up voting on anything impeachment related. But Comer is still misleading the public about the results of his investigation, and he […]

    The post Sad James Comer Finally Admits That The Biden Impeachment Effort Is Dead appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Government Attempts To Escape Liability For Destroying Communities With PFAS

    The federal government is trying to escape liability for contaminating entire neighborhoods with dangerous chemicals for decades. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: *This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription software company, so please excuse any typos.

    The post Government Attempts To Escape Liability For Destroying Communities With PFAS appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Liberian law enforcement officers arrest, beat journalist Kasselee Sumo

    Abuja, March 29, 2024—Liberian authorities should investigate the law enforcement officers who tear-gassed and beat to unconsciousness journalist Kesselee Sumo, and drop all legal proceedings against the talk show host, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.

    Two officers with the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) and a magistrate’s court sheriff assaulted and arrested Sumo, a talk show host and producer with the privately owned Radio Fuamah, in the centrally located Bong Mine Community on March 11, according to Sumo, the outlet’s founder, Rufus Tartee, and a statement by the local press group the Press Union of Liberia.

    A court issued a warrant for Sumo’s arrest on charges of criminal coercion under Section 14.27 of the penal code and interference with judicial matters, according to CPJ’s review of the warrant. CPJ was unable to immediately determine the potential penalties Sumo faces.

    Sumo and Tartee told CPJ that the charges are in connection to a March 7 broadcast of Sumo’s daily program “What’s happening in your community,” in which the journalist alleged that a magistrate, Linda Sulonteh, unjustly detained two community leaders.

    “Liberian authorities must ensure a comprehensive investigation into the violent attack on journalist Kesselee Sumo, hold those responsible to account, and drop any investigations into his work,” said CPJ Africa Program Head Angela Quintal, in New York. “There is no justification for beating a journalist over reporting about alleged human rights abuses, and the fact that these abuses were perpetrated by officers responsible for public safety is even more alarming.”

    Sumo went to the local magistrate court on March 8 after officials came to the outlet’s office and summoned him, according to Sumo and Tartee. Sumo told CPJ that at the court, a magistrate informed him that Sulonteh wanted the journalist to pay U.S. $100 to the government as compensation for the March 7 report. Sumo waited three hours for Solunteh and left after she did not arrive.

    Sulonteh declined to answer CPJ’s questions, saying that she is “not answerable to CPJ” and “We do not have journalists in Liberia. What we do have are [a] bunch of liars and unprofessionals”

    The officers denied Sumo’s request to speak to his lawyer when they arrested him on March 11 before punching him repeatedly, primarily on his back and head, especially his left eye, according to Sumo, Tartee, and a video of the attack reviewed by CPJ. The journalist also said one of the officers hit his hands several times with a pair of handcuffs, and another officer sprayed tear gas in his left eye before he lost consciousness.

    The officers took Sumo to the court, where a judge instructed that he be taken to hospital, Sumo told CPJ. He was hospitalized until March 12 and experienced severe pains in his chest and left eye.

    Sumo and Tartee told CPJ they reported the matter to the police. The police told Sumo they would not investigate as the matter was before the court. Liberia National Police Spokesperson Moses Carter told CPJ he was not aware of the incident and requested Sumo contact him directly.

    LDEA spokesperson Michael Jipply told CPJ that the two LDEA officers had gone to support the court official in executing the arrest warrant, but Sumo resisted coming with them. “They tried to restrain and take him to the court,” Jipply said. “In the process of that altercation…he sustained whatever injuries that he may have reported.”

    “It is clear that he was assaulted physically, which I stated was because of his refusal to properly adhere to law enforcement instructions, which of course is provocative. So anything as such that happened, it was because of that, but again we do not train our officers to be brutal on civilians,” Jipply told CPJ. He added that they apologized for the altercation, and the LDEA assisted Sumo in getting medical treatment after the judge ordered him to be taken to the hospital.

    Jipply said CPJ brought Sumo’s arrest and attack to his attention, and he had instructed the officers involved to be sent to the LDEA headquarters as part of an investigation. Jipply told CPJ he would contact Sumo directly to learn more and “take actions where necessary.”

    The Press Union of Liberia’s acting president, Akoi M. Baysah, told CPJ that the union was writing a letter to the LDEA and the court requesting they hold the officers accountable.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Psycho Teen Creates “American Horror Story” Reality

    America’s Lawyer E91: Tyson Foods has been facing calls for boycotts after they announced that they want to hire 40,000 migrants to replace American workers at their factories. An online group is preying on children and blackmailing them into committing acts of self harm – we’ll tell you what’s happening. And a new study has […]

    The post Psycho Teen Creates “American Horror Story” Reality appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • 2024 Dark Money Takes Over Media Giants & Judge Smacks Down Big Pharma In Price Gouging Lawsuit

    Both corporate media and social media companies are hoping for big pay days during this year’s campaign cycle, and they’ve spent millions lobbying Washington lawmakers to make it easier to hide where the money is coming from. Plus, a federal judge has tossed a lawsuit by drug companies who claimed that the new Medicare drug […]

    The post 2024 Dark Money Takes Over Media Giants & Judge Smacks Down Big Pharma In Price Gouging Lawsuit appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Former Boeing Employee Found Dead Days After Testifying Against Corporate Giant

    A whistleblower against Boeing allegedly took his own life after testifying against the company recently, but his friends and family don’t believe this story at all. Something definitely smells rotten about this. Mike Papantonio is joined by Farron Cousins to talk about this. Transcript: *This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription software company, so please excuse any typos. […]

    The post Former Boeing Employee Found Dead Days After Testifying Against Corporate Giant appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Trump Boasts That He Won After Appeals Court Caves To His Demands

    As expected, Donald Trump manages to escape justice, yet again. The appeals court decided at the last minute on Monday to not only reduce his bond from $464 million to $175 million, but they also gave him an extra 10 days to pay it. There was no reason at all for the extension or the […]

    The post Trump Boasts That He Won After Appeals Court Caves To His Demands appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • After fifth detention extension, CPJ renews call for Russia to release US journalist Evan Gershkovich

    New York, March 26, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Russia to immediately release U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich following Tuesday’s court decision to extend his pretrial detention until June 30, 2024.

    “CPJ strongly condemns the three-month extension of Evan Gershkovich’s detention, just days before the one-year anniversary of his arrest on fabricated charges. Today’s ruling is yet another cynical affront to press freedom by the Russian authorities,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Russian authorities must immediately release Gershkovich, drop all charges against him, and stop prosecuting reporters for their work.”

    The Moscow court’s decision to approve the Federal Security Service’s (FSB) request marks the fifth extension of The Wall Street Journal reporter’s detention since his arrest on March 29, 2023, on espionage charges. Tuesday’s session was closed to the media.

    Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison, according to the Russian criminal code, and is the first American journalist to face such accusations by Russia since the end of the Cold War. Gershkovich, The Wall Street Journal, and the U.S. government have all denied the espionage allegations.

    “It’s a ruling that ensures Evan will sit in a Russian prison well past one year. It was also Evan’s 12th court appearance, baseless proceedings that falsely portray him as something other than what he is—a journalist who was doing his job,” The Wall Street Journal said in a statement.

    The U.S. ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, called the ruling “particularly painful,” as Friday will mark the journalist’s one-year detention.

    “As we cross the one-year mark, the Russian government has yet to present any evidence to substantiate its accusations, no justification for Evan’s continued detention, and no explanation as to why Evan doing his job as a journalist constituted a crime,” Tracy said.

    On April 11, 2023, the U.S. State Department designated Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained,” which unlocked a broad government effort to free him. 

    Russia was the world’s fourth worst jailer of journalists with at least 22, including Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, a U.S.-Russian journalist, behind bars when CPJ conducted its most recent annual prison census on December 1, 2023.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • CPJ welcomes UK High Court’s delay on Assange extradition, calls on US to drop charges

    Washington, D.C., March 26, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the British High Court’s Tuesday ruling, which could allow Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to contest his extradition to the United States.

    According to the court’s decision, the U.S. government has three weeks to give assurances that Assange will be able to rely on First Amendment rights of the U.S. Constitution and to confirm whether he would be subjected to the death penalty. If the U.S. fails to provide proper assurances, Assange will be granted permission to appeal his extradition. 

    The next hearing is scheduled for May 20. The U.S. assurances must be filed by April 16, according to the court documents.

    “We are glad that the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States will be delayed,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg, in New York. “His prosecution in the U.S. under the Espionage Act would have disastrous implications for press freedom. It is time that the U.S. Justice Department put an end to all these court proceedings and dropped its dogged pursuit of the WikiLeaks founder.”

    In 2019, U.S. prosecutors indicted Assange on 17 criminal charges under the Espionage Act and a separate charge under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) in connection to WikiLeaks’ publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents. Assange’s lawyers have said that Assange faces up to 175 years in prison although U.S. prosecutors have said the sentence would be much shorter.

    In 2021, the U.K. High Court ruled that Assange should be extradited, and that decision was approved by the government in June 2022.

    Assange’s legal team separately submitted an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in December 2022 and launched a case against Britain at the ECHR, seeking to stave off his extradition to the U.S. should he exhaust his appeals in U.K. courts.

    The Wall Street Journal reported on March 20 that the Justice Department is considering whether to allow a plea deal for Assange, in which the Wikileaks founder would plead guilty to a reduced charge of mishandling classified information. However, the article noted, the discussions remain in flux.

    Assange has been held in the U.K.’s Belmarsh prison since Ecuadoran officials revoked his asylum status in their London embassy, allowing British police in to arrest him on April 11, 2019.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Google Attempts To Escape Massive User Data Lawsuit

    Google is trying to get out of a massive lawsuit from consumers who allege that the company is illegally spying on them through their Google Home devices. But the company suffered a serious setback recently when a judge refused to force the plaintiffs into arbitration. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: *This transcript was generated by a […]

    The post Google Attempts To Escape Massive User Data Lawsuit appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • CPJ among 145 groups condemning ‘chilling effect’ of Hong Kong security law

    New York, March 22, 2024—As a new national security law goes into effect in Hong Kong on Saturday, CPJ was among 145 groups across the globe that denounced the legislation, which could deepen a crackdown on human rights and further suppress media freedom in the city.

    Enacted under Article 23 of Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the law punishes offenses ranging from theft of state secrets to sedition. The statement said this could make journalism “even riskier” and intensify censorship in the Asian financial hub.

    Once a beacon of press freedom in Asia, Hong Kong has seen a dramatic decline with journalists arrested, jailed, and threatened since Beijing implemented a national security law in the city in 2020. Among those jailed includes Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily.

    The new security law, passed by Hong Kong’s legislature on Tuesday, expands on the 2020 Beijing-imposed legislation.

    Read the joint statement here:

    Joint Statement to Oppose Article 23Download


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Boeing Whistleblower Found Dead By “Suicide”

    America’s Lawyer E90: A whistleblower against Boeing was found dead in his vehicle after testifying against the company last week, and the death was immediately ruled a suicide. But those who knew him said this man would never take his own life – we’ll explain what’s happening. Republican Congressman Ken Buck is leaving Congress early […]

    The post Boeing Whistleblower Found Dead By “Suicide” appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Judge Cannon Delivers INSANE Ruling Let Jury See Classified Docs Or Let Trump Walk Free

    Judge Aileen Cannon delivered an absolutely insane ruling on Monday evening as part of her jury instructions to both federal prosecutors and Trump’s legal team. The ruling says that members of the jury have to be given access to the highly sensitive classified documents that were uncovered at Mar-a-Lago – and if Jack Smith doesn’t […]

    The post Judge Cannon Delivers INSANE Ruling Let Jury See Classified Docs Or Let Trump Walk Free appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • EPA Pressured To Approve Dangerous Pesticide & Suspicious Activity Links Shady Banks To Terrorism

    Scientists at the EPA have been pressured for years to approve a dangerous pesticide that poses massive health risks to humans, animals, and the environment. Also, as Deke’s lawsuit to uncover the deceit and bring white collar criminals to justice progresses, the sudden appearance of IEDs and EFPs on US highways cause death and destruction. […]

    The post EPA Pressured To Approve Dangerous Pesticide & Suspicious Activity Links Shady Banks To Terrorism appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • CPJ calls on Senegal’s presidential candidates for press freedom reforms as 5 journalists freed

    Dakar, March 19, 2024—Presidential candidates in Senegal’s elections on Sunday should commit to decriminalizing journalism and dropping all legal proceedings against journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.

    Senegalese are due to vote on March 24, with 19 candidates vying to lead the country, after a last-minute delay to the poll in February triggered protests. The current president, Macky Sall, has already served two terms and is not running. 

    In recent years, CPJ has tracked a decline in press freedom in Senegal, characterized by repeated arrests and prosecutions of journalists, attacks by security forces on reporters covering protests, internet shutdowns, and other censorship tactics. CPJ’s 2023 prison census placed Senegal among the top five jailers of journalists in Africa.

    On March 12, Senegalese authorities released five journalists jailed since last year, including Ndèye Maty Niang, also known as Maty Sarr Niang, and four journalists from the Allô Senegal media outlet who continue to face prosecution, according to Niang and Famara Faty, a lawyer for the Allô Senegal journalists, who both spoke to CPJ. 

    “The release from detention of at least five Senegalese journalists jailed since 2023 is welcome news, but they should have never been arrested and their cases underscore the imperative for legal reforms to prevent such criminalization of the press in the future,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa program. “All candidates seeking to become Senegal’s next president should commit to taking swift actions to ensure practicing journalism is never again treated as a crime and to drop all ongoing prosecutions against journalists in the country, including the four recently released staff of Allô Senegal.” 

    Niang, a reporter with the privately owned news website Kéwoulo, had been jailed since May 2023 and was granted provisional release on March 12, meaning her prosecution would have continued.

    Niang’s lawyer, Moussa Sarr, told CPJ that the journalist’s case was now nullified under the amnesty law, which was passed by the Senegalese parliament on March 6 and enforced days after her release.

    The amnesty law canceled legal proceedings over alleged crimes “relating to demonstrations or having political motivations” committed in the context of the political crisis in the country from March 2021 to February 2024, according to CPJ’s review of the law.

    Journalists continue to face prosecution

    Jailed since November 2023, the four Allô Sénégal journalists—news presenter Ndèye Astou Bâ, columnist Papa El Hadji Omar Yally, camera operator Daouda Sow, and manager Maniane Sène Lô—were released under judicial supervision and must appear at a Dakar court every month, according to Faty, adding that their cases were not covered by the amnesty law.

    Allô Sénégal reporter Mamadou Lamine Dièye and technician Moussa Diop were also arrested in November, following a complaint by Senegal’s minister of tourism and leisure, Mame Mbaye Kan Niang, about a broadcast that discussed allegations that Niang committed adultery, but they were released under judicial supervision at that time.

    The Allô Sénégal journalists face various charges, including “usurping the function of a journalist,” which stems from the combined application of Senegal’s press and penal code and is punishable by up to two years in prison. Ndèye Maty Niang was also charged with “usurping the function of a journalist,” among other offenses.

    In May 2023, another journalist, Serigne Saliou Gueye, editor of the Yoor-Yoor newspaper, was similarly arrested and accused of usurping the function of a journalist and contempt of court. He was freed on provisional release after nearly a month and was required to report to the prosecutor’s office each month and barred from leaving Senegal without permission.

    At least four more journalists—Pape Sané, Pape Alé Niang, Pape Ndiaye, and Babacar Touré—were arrested in connection with their work in 2023. They faced accusations under the penal code, including false news and conduct likely to undermine public security, and were released under strict conditions. CPJ could not immediately confirm whether their cases had been nullified under the amnesty law, though their lawyer Sarr said they should “in principle” be included. 


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • CPJ calls on Senegal’s presidential candidates for press freedom reforms as 5 journalists freed

    Dakar, March 19, 2024—Presidential candidates in Senegal’s elections on Sunday should commit to decriminalizing journalism and dropping all legal proceedings against journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.

    Senegalese are due to vote on March 24, with 19 candidates vying to lead the country, after a last-minute delay to the poll in February triggered protests. The current president, Macky Sall, has already served two terms and is not running. 

    In recent years, CPJ has tracked a decline in press freedom in Senegal, characterized by repeated arrests and prosecutions of journalists, attacks by security forces on reporters covering protests, internet shutdowns, and other censorship tactics. CPJ’s 2023 prison census placed Senegal among the top five jailers of journalists in Africa.

    On March 12, Senegalese authorities released five journalists jailed since last year, including Ndèye Maty Niang, also known as Maty Sarr Niang, and four journalists from the Allô Senegal media outlet who continue to face prosecution, according to Niang and Famara Faty, a lawyer for the Allô Senegal journalists, who both spoke to CPJ. 

    “The release from detention of at least five Senegalese journalists jailed since 2023 is welcome news, but they should have never been arrested and their cases underscore the imperative for legal reforms to prevent such criminalization of the press in the future,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa program. “All candidates seeking to become Senegal’s next president should commit to taking swift actions to ensure practicing journalism is never again treated as a crime and to drop all ongoing prosecutions against journalists in the country, including the four recently released staff of Allô Senegal.” 

    Niang, a reporter with the privately owned news website Kéwoulo, had been jailed since May 2023 and was granted provisional release on March 12, meaning her prosecution would have continued.

    Niang’s lawyer, Moussa Sarr, told CPJ that the journalist’s case was now nullified under the amnesty law, which was passed by the Senegalese parliament on March 6 and enforced days after her release.

    The amnesty law canceled legal proceedings over alleged crimes “relating to demonstrations or having political motivations” committed in the context of the political crisis in the country from March 2021 to February 2024, according to CPJ’s review of the law.

    Journalists continue to face prosecution

    Jailed since November 2023, the four Allô Sénégal journalists—news presenter Ndèye Astou Bâ, columnist Papa El Hadji Omar Yally, camera operator Daouda Sow, and manager Maniane Sène Lô—were released under judicial supervision and must appear at a Dakar court every month, according to Faty, adding that their cases were not covered by the amnesty law.

    Allô Sénégal reporter Mamadou Lamine Dièye and technician Moussa Diop were also arrested in November, following a complaint by Senegal’s minister of tourism and leisure, Mame Mbaye Kan Niang, about a broadcast that discussed allegations that Niang committed adultery, but they were released under judicial supervision at that time.

    The Allô Sénégal journalists face various charges, including “usurping the function of a journalist,” which stems from the combined application of Senegal’s press and penal code and is punishable by up to two years in prison. Ndèye Maty Niang was also charged with “usurping the function of a journalist,” among other offenses.

    In May 2023, another journalist, Serigne Saliou Gueye, editor of the Yoor-Yoor newspaper, was similarly arrested and accused of usurping the function of a journalist and contempt of court. He was freed on provisional release after nearly a month and was required to report to the prosecutor’s office each month and barred from leaving Senegal without permission.

    At least four more journalists—Pape Sané, Pape Alé Niang, Pape Ndiaye, and Babacar Touré—were arrested in connection with their work in 2023. They faced accusations under the penal code, including false news and conduct likely to undermine public security, and were released under strict conditions. CPJ could not immediately confirm whether their cases had been nullified under the amnesty law, though their lawyer Sarr said they should “in principle” be included. 


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • CPJ welcomes release of DRC journalist Stanis Bujakera, calls for release of Blaise Mabala

    Kinshasa, March 19, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s release of journalist Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, but is alarmed by his six-month prison sentence and fine of 1 million Congolese francs (US$400) and the ongoing detention of journalist Blaise Mabala, who has been in custody since December.

    After more than six months in jail, Bujakera was released from prison on Tuesday, Ndikulu Yana and Charles Mushizi, two of Bujakera’s lawyers, told CPJ via messaging app. The lawyers said they planned to appeal the conviction and sentencing.

    “While it is good news that journalist Stanis Bujakera is no longer behind bars, his conviction and sentencing is alarming because it seeks to justify his months in detention and sends a frightening message to the broader media community. His case has been a heavy blow to press freedom in the DRC,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa program. “DRC authorities should take urgent steps to improve press freedom conditions, including releasing and dropping the case against Blaise Mabala, who has been jailed since December 2023, and reforming the country’s laws to ensure journalism is not criminalized.”

    Bujakera is a Congolese citizen and a permanent U.S. resident. He worked as a correspondent for privately owned Jeune Afrique and Reuters news agency, and was also deputy director of publication for the DRC-based news website Actualite.cd.

    DRC police arrested Bujakera in Kinshasa, the DRC’s capital, on September 8, 2023, and authorities charged him with spreading falsehoods, forgery, use of forged documents, and distributing false documents under the combined application of the DRC’s penal code and a new digital code and press law. The charges relate to an August 31 report about the military intelligence’s possible involvement in the murder of an opposition politician by Jeune Afrique, which the outlet said Bujakera did not write.

    During a hearing on March 8, the report of a technical expert commissioned by the court suggested that Bujakera was not the principal source of a document cited in Jeune Afrique’s article that the DRC intelligence service has said was false. During the same hearing, the public prosecutor requested that Bujakera be sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined 1 million Congolese francs ($361). But the judge on Monday sentenced him to six months in prison, which he had already served, and that fine, which Yana told CPJ had been paid before his release.

    In the hours before Bujakera’s release, the prosecutor submitted and then withdrew an appeal of the sentencing, Yana said. In a separate case, Malaba, coordinator of the privately owned radio Même moral FM and correspondent for the privately owned news site okapinews.net, who was arrested on December 29, is being held in pre-trial detention in Makala central prison in Kinshasa. He is accused of defamation and contempt against Rita Bola, governor of Maï Ndombe province, over an October broadcast in which listeners called in and criticized the politician.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • CPJ, others call on Slovakia to withdraw repressive media bill

    The Committee to Protect Journalists and seven other international press freedom organizations have called on Slovakian authorities to immediately withdraw a draft law which would effectively end the public broadcaster’s independence.

    The Slovak Television and Radio bill would dissolve the state-owned Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS) and replace it with a new, politically controlled body.

    The eight organizations called on the European Union to urgently address this grave threat to press freedom, which contradicts its recently voted Media Freedom Act, warning that the bill could become law before elections to the European Parliament in June.

    Read the full statement below.

    Slovakia-RTVS-StatementDownload


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Police agree to pay Las Vegas paper’s legal fees in public records lawsuits

    The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department agreed on Feb. 29, 2024, to pay the Las Vegas Review-Journal a total of $620,000 to cover the paper’s legal fees, settling two lawsuits against the department for violations of the state’s public records law.

    The settlement stemmed from two incidents in which the department repeatedly denied the newspaper’s requests for documents or provided heavily redacted files, the Review-Journal reported. The first request sought the case file of a 2018 police investigation into a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper who had allegedly asked a confidential informant to harm or kill his wife. The second sought information about a deadly fire at the city’s Alpine Motel Apartments in 2019.

    The newspaper filed lawsuits challenging both of the public records denials in February 2020. Immediately after the Review-Journal filed its suit concerning the fire, the department released some records, including a small portion of the body-camera footage, 911 calls and radio traffic records, according to court filings reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.

    After years of litigation, both lawsuits were appealed to the state Supreme Court, which determined in two separate rulings in March and August of 2023 that the police department had violated the Nevada Public Records Act when failing to comply with the Review-Journal’s requests. The court ordered that the records be released with limited redactions and awarded the newspaper attorneys’ fees and costs under the NPRA’s fee-shifting mandate.

    During a public meeting at police headquarters on Feb. 29, 2024, the Metropolitan Police Committee on Fiscal Affairs — which oversees the department’s finances — approved payments of $325,000 and $295,000, the Review-Journal reported. 

    An attorney for the Review-Journal told the newspaper that such reimbursements for legal fees are vital after taking the government to court, but lamented the impact they have on the public.

    “It is a shame that governmental entities so often spend public money to fight against transparency when in the end it is taxpayers who are forced to foot the bill,” Review-Journal Chief Legal Officer Ben Lipman said.

    Since January 2023, the Review-Journal has been awarded just under $1 million in attorneys fees following successful public records lawsuits. In addition to the recent settlements, the newspaper received $337,000 in connection with a lawsuit over denied requests for child autopsy reports as part of the Review-Journal’s investigation into how child protective services handled cases in which children died.

    Review-Journal Executive Editor Glenn Cook told the outlet after the March 2023 ruling that he hopes it will lead to increased police transparency and compliance with the state public records law.

    “The Nevada Supreme Court has very clearly upheld the public’s right to know again and again,” Cook said. “If Metro would stop withholding public records, it would improve public trust, save taxpayer money and spare the courts a lot of wasted time and resources.”


    This content originally appeared on U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database and was authored by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.