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Press Freedom

As Attacks On Protesters and Journalists Increase, Coverage Of Communities And Police Need To Change

The weekend saw escalating police violence against protesters and reporters at nationwide demonstrations against the police killing of George Floyd and systemic racial injustices. There has been an unprecedented number of attacks against journalists at many of these protests as law-enforcement officers have specifically targeted those engaged in First-Amendment protected newsgathering and reporting. This mirrors the ways police are targeting those engaged in First-Amendment protected protest. President Trump has egged on the police crackdown in a series of recent tweets, including one that labels news outlets covering the protests as the “Enemy of the People.” Reporters and researchers at the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker are investigating more than 100 separate incidents in which officers attacked reporters, permanently blinding a photojournalist in one eye and causing other grave injuries.

Arbuthnot Out As Assange’s Judge, Says WikiLeaks Lawyer

Lady Emma Arbuthnot, the Westminster chief magistrate enmeshed in a conflict of interest, will no longer be presiding over the extradition proceedings of imprisoned WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, said WikiLeaks lawyer Jen Robinson, at an event in Sydney on Friday night . “Yes, there was some controversy about her sitting on the case,” Robinson said. “She won’t be sitting on the case going forward.”  Robinson told Australian journalist Quentin Dempster at the event that she was “not sure” who would take over from Arbuthnot. Robinson made her remarks in response to a question from the audience about Arbuthnot’s reported conflict of interest in the case. Robinson did not provide further details.

Julian Assange Arrested, Take Action Now

April 11, 2019 - Today, Wikileaks publisher, Julian Assange, was expelled from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he was granted asylum almost seven years ago, and arrested by British police. He is being held for extradition to the United States. Assange is a journalist who should not be prosecuted for publishing the truth. We urge people in the UK, US, Australia and around the world to protest the extradition and prosecution of Julian Assange at every step of legal proceedings. The prosecution of Julian Assange is an attack on Freedom of the Press in the 21st Century.

Julian Assange Facing Expulsion And Extradition

News broke yesterday that Julian Assange is facing imminent expulsion from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. The news was leaked by whistleblowers. The justification for the expulsion is that Wikileaks released the INA Papers, which implicate the Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno in corruption. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture released a press release saying:  “In my assessment, if Mr. Assange were to be expelled from the Embassy of Ecuador, he is likely to be arrested by British authorities and extradited to the United States,” said the UN expert.

Second Wave of Journalist Arrests in St. Louis

By Staff for Reporters WIthout Borders. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is alarmed to learn that at least six journalists have been arrested this week while covering protests in St. Louis, Missouri. RSF views the detention of reporters who are simply doing their job as a threat to press freedom and calls for all charges against them to be dropped. On the evening of October 3, 2017, while covering protests in St. Louis, Missouri, following the acquittal of a white former police officer who fatally shot a black man, at least six journalists were arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing. These detentions come just over two weeks after three journalists were arrested in St. Louis while covering similar demonstrations. One of them was citizen journalist and livestreamer Jon Ziegler, also known as “Rebelutionary Z”, who now faces two sets of charges from both this week’s and last month’s arrests.

Urgent End Of Year Fundraising Campaign

Online donations are back! Keep independent media alive. 

Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

Urgent End Of Year Fundraising Campaign

Online donations are back! 

Keep independent media alive. 

Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

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