Not only was 2022 yet another year with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in prison, but it also was another year in which Committee to Protect Journalists (@pressfreedom) refused to include Assange in their annual jailed journalists index The United Kingdom, which has kept Assange in Belmarsh prison for over 3.5 years at the behest of the US government, should be light red on this map - just like Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Philippines, Turkmenistan, etc. But CPJ’s leadership can’t bring their organization to do that

Bah humbug from @SouthwestAir to far too many passengers flying their airline.

This is Midway airport in Chicago, where families with crying children had to deal with the fact that they were lied to by this airline. Because their flights were never going to leave Chicago. I was booked on an 8:10 PM flight to Denver to visit family for Christmas. The plane was there at the gate, but @SouthwestAir had no pilot. They must’ve known, yet they waited til 15 min before boarding time to cancel the flight.

US Senate investigation confirmed that dozens of women at the Irwin County Detention Center were medically abused by a single ICE doctor, who was hired even though the Justice Department and state of Georgia had sued him thedissenter.org/senate-investi… Here is Karina Cisneros Preciado at the Senate permanent subcommittee hearing on ICE's medical mistreatment of women. She courageously shared her incarceration story, including when OB-GYN contracted by ICE subjected her to treatment without her consent.

Rallies in Denver, Minneapolis, Seattle, Tulsa, San Francisco Bay Area, & Washington DC, to support Stella Assange & supporters who formed human chain around UK Parliament to free Assange.

All part of global day of action that has been underway. I'm speaking at the DC rally. LIVE: Hands Off Assange rally in DC at 12pm ET

thedissenter.org/livestream-han…

Why might @HillTVLive allow @briebriejoy to cover Israeli apartheid but not @kthalps?

Brie says The Hill told her their decision to fire her had to do with her "style," not the substance of her commentary.

Seems like identity may be playing a large role here. (1/4) Katie Halper said this in her monologue: "I’m not a Jewish colleague of Tlaib, but I am a Jew and I am outraged."

Jewish Americans who use their identity to challenge Israeli apartheid are far more of a threat than someone like Briahna.

Briahna is not Jewish. (2/4)

I was able to save a copy of the first version of Washington Post's report on Russia granting citizenship to Edward Snowden. It was updated after several hours of criticism.

It's worth noting what national security state framing WaPo tried to initially get away with. 🧵 The headline went from describing someone who "disclosed US surveillance" to someone who "exposed US surveillance," which reflects Snowden's whistleblowing.

"Former security consultant" became former NSA contractor.

Let's be clear. Snowden sought citizenship in Russia because his government will not let him return to his home country without putting him on trial exposing mass surveillance that systematically violated the privacy rights of millions and even spurred modest reform. Snowden has not renounced his US citizenship. He has not denounced his US citizenship. He is not more Russian than American today. He is a truth-teller caught in the gears of so-called Great Power Competition. It is as it was for dissidents decades ago during the Cold War.

My city has 400,000 lead water pipes that are poisoning several thousand Chicagoans, particularly in Black and Brown neighborhoods. And worse the city of Chicago's response is to say, well, we've told people to "flush their water five minutes every day." theguardian.com/us-news/2022/s… The Guardian exposes that the city of Chicago has had 5 years of data from water tests that shows contamination. But officials never bothered to analyze the results and release this information to its residents.

Without journalists, families being poisoned still wouldn't know.

Celebrating @shadowproofcom's 7th birthday.

Seven years is a long time for a small independent media organization. But we continue to make a pretty good impact with our work.
shadowproof.com/2022/08/02/sha… One way readers can support Shadowproof, and get something in return, is to become a paid subscriber of our Dissenter Newsletter. We just added tiers with premium subscription to @UnauthorizedDis podcast.

Here's a promo offer for Shadowproof's birthday: thedissenter.outpost.pub/public/promo-s…

This is not a drill. Tonight I’m a music fan in Milwaukee for @RogerWaters concert.

Had to stop by the #FreeAssange table and meet the good people from the Milwaukee area, who are here to get the word out about this case to attendees. The show intro where Roger told anyone who doesn’t like his politics to fuck off to the bar - and we all cheered. Then he launched into an incredible reworking of “Comfortably Numb.”

Aren’t we all a little too comfortably numb?

In response to a Democratic Party-backed voter intimidation campaign and anti-democratic effort to keep qualified Green Party candidates off the ballot in North Carolina, @MatthewPHoh's campaign and North Carolina Green Party filed a federal lawsuit: matthewhohforsenate.org/wp-content/upl… NC State Board of Elections recognized that the Hoh campaign turned in 2,000 more valid signatures than required to get on the ballot in November. Yet Democrats refused to certify the Green Party. They claim "irregularities" but won't provide any evidence to the NC Green Party.

The state of press freedom in the world darkens. UK Home Secretary Priti Patel served the US government and approved the extradition of jailed journalist and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for a US trial. UK agreed to extradition request against Assange that criminalizes standard newsgathering activities not only because they share the US government’s disgust for Assange but also because UK officials value the US-UK partnership more than human rights thedissenter.org/uk-government-…

Pay attention to claims that come out about Russia allegedly using sarin gas in Mariupol. Look at sources. Ukraine forces will insist red line was crossed before any investigation by neutral body. They'll demand greater escalation from US/NATO, regardless of global consequences The key will be what the Pentagon is willing to officially confirm and what unnamed or anonymous officials within US agencies, like the Defense Intelligence Agency, say to reporters — re: allegations of chemical attack in Mariupol.

What Scott Ritter tweeted contained no call for abuse or harassment of any individuals. He didn't wish or hope that anyone experienced physical harm. He did express a dissenting view, and this shows how Twitter Rules can be twisted to silence US foreign policy critics. Twitter's guideline against "denying mass casualty events took place" is part of the Twitter Rule against abuse and harassment. That is what led to the suspension.

Here is what the rule says. And then you can see what Ritter tweeted (h/t @anyaparampil).

Madeleine Albright was a key player in starving a half million Iraqis to death in the 1990s. She infamously told Lesley Stahl on “60 Minutes” the “price” of US policy was “worth it.” She was involved in the NATO bombing campaign of Yugoslavia that killed thousands. (1/x) Madeleine Albright also pushed for the withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces before genocide in Rwanda nytimes.com/2014/06/04/wor… (2/x)

RT America laying off all staff is product of our Red Scare moment. While catalyzed by Russia invading Ukraine, fear has bubbled beneath the surface since 2016 election.

It won't stop with RT America. All voices who question US foreign policy toward Russia are now suspect. Journalists and commentators who don't work for corporate news outlets can form independent opinions. They may pepper coverage and analysis with references to respected foreign policy experts. But anything close to the party line will be held up as stuff of "Kremlin narratives."

Not a ceasefire, but second round of ceasefire talks between Ukraine and Russia yields agreement to setup "humanitarian corridors" so women, children, non-residents, and various vulnerable groups can flee the conflict.

Both sides will hold 3rd round of talks. #RussiaUkraineWar Zelenskyy again urges Putin to meet at a negotiating table for talks. China, Turkey, India, Pakistan, US, and EU countries should all support direct talks between the two presidents. This, before flooding Ukraine with more arms packages, should be top priority. #CeasefireNOW

"Afghan resistance fighters"—They were anti-Soviet mujahedeen, who the CIA supplied with stinger missiles.

Osama bin Laden was involved in the effort to arm, fund, and train militants. Many mujahedeen later formed the Taliban. #RussiaUkraineWar (Source: NBC News) The Afghanistan model of sending Stingers to so-called rebel groups didn't prevent conflict between groups. "It was not uncommon for one rebel group to turn its guns on another."

More history from George Washington University's National Security Archive:
nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB5…

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, echoing prior statement from the US State Department, opposed ceasefire talks, when asked about efforts between Ukraine and Russian delegations to find a location for negotiations. Rather than focusing on securing a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is spending her time encouraging Britons to go fight Russia in Ukraine.

No word on whether Britons may go fight Saudi Arabia in Yemen, if they so choose.

UPDATE: At about 6pm ET on 25 February, I shared thread on reports that Zelenskyy and Putin might meet in Minsk to negotiate ceasefire. However, US State Department signaled their opposition.

I'll cover what happened since and how ceasefire talks became unlikely (for now).

https://twitter.com/kgosztola/status/1497344862718464011

According to @AFP, Zelenskyy at one point addressed Putin: "Fighting is going on all over Ukraine. Let's sit down at the negotiating table to stop the deaths of people."

Zelenskyy opposed talks in Minsk and instead reportedly suggested Warsaw for negotiations.

Marcy Wheeler would like you to wrongly believe that journalist and political prisoner Julian Assange, not US/NATO, fostered geopolitical conditions that led to Russia's attack on Ukraine. It's a pretty vile accusation to spread as Assange's health deteriorates in Belmarsh.

https://twitter.com/emptywheel/status/1497500281659179016

How sick do you have to be to see a message of support for Ukrainians from a jailed journalist's partner and think, you know, I should further a decade-plus campaign of public mobbing instead of allowing this expression of solidarity to stand?