Corruption is Everywhere > Big Pharma's Influence; Brazil's Lula Cleared; Peru's Fujimori Sore Loser; Zuma Ordered to Prison; EU's Vaccine Racism; Moon for Treason?

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Conflicts of interest alleged in ‘multi-layered web of influence’

as Big Pharma pays millions to informal Parliament groups

25 Jun, 2021 14:14

FILE PHOTO: ©REUTERS / Yves Herman

Health-related semi-formal working groups of the British Parliament are taking millions in donations from the pharmaceutical industry, which presents an obvious potential for conflicts of interest, a new study has said.

All-Party Parliamentary Groups, or APPGs, are the less-regulated cousins of select committees, where MPs and peers interested in a certain topic can work together. There are currently over 700 of them, focused on issues from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, and from a genetic condition called ‘22q11 Syndrome’ to zoos and aquariums.

Just like the formal parliamentary working groups, APPGs can raise awareness of certain problems, hold inquiries, and produce reports, but they have fewer formal rules as to how they should operate. For example, they are allowed to involve external organizations to co-author their publications, or take funding from external sponsors to cover their administrative expenses or organize events.

A new study published in the scientific journal PLOS One focuses on 146 health-related registered APPGs and the money some of them received from the drug industry. 

Between 2012 and 2018, pharmaceutical companies provided almost £2.2 million ($3 million), or roughly 30 percent of all funding received by 58 such groups, the study’s authors estimate.

The money in question was paid either by drug companies themselves or through industry-funded patient organizations, which authors of the study consider lobbyist vehicles for the corporations. They said the arrangement is part of a “multi-layered web of influence” that corporations have on policy making.  

The APPGs for Cancer and Health were the biggest recipients by value, with the former receiving virtually all its funding (99.61 percent) from industry sources. 22 groups received 100 percent of their external funding from them.

“We suggest that, in the context of health related APPGs, payments from the pharmaceutical industry represent institutional conflicts of interest as they create circumstances where the primary interest (policymaking in the interests of public health) is at risk of being unduly influenced by the secondary interest (the pharmaceutical industry’s goal of maximising profits),” the study said.

The researchers backed up their argument by pointing to the content of the output that the informal groups have made over the years. Seven publications by APPGs for Cancer and HIV that involved input from external organisations named 28 contributors from 13 different companies. Nineteen of them had provided payments to the APPG publishing the report, which “suggests that there is a link between providing payments to APPGs and being involved in their activities.”

Speaking to the Guardian, the authors of the study stressed that they were not alleging any impropriety on the part of the APPGs they looked into. But the groups “are a key part of policymaking and it is clear that corporate money is entering the APPG bloodstream,” Emily Rickard and Dr Piotr Ozieranski, from Bath University’s Department of Social and Policy Sciences, said.

They believe that Big Pharma’s influence on healthcare policies has to be analysed holistically, and that there need to be stricter transparency rules for APPGs to manage conflicts of interest. Parliament is currently examining the institution and whether it requires additional regulation.

Brazil’s top court tosses graft cases against ex-President Lula,

furthering new bid for presidency

25 Jun, 2021 08:19

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ©REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

The Supreme Court of Brazil has reset two cases against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, which had been brought by a judge that the court had earlier found biased, bringing him closer to a new run for president.

A magistrate of the Supreme Federal Court invalidated all evidence brought in the two cases by Sergio Moro as part of the large-scale corruption investigation known as ‘Lava Jato’ (Operation Car Wash). The court earlier found Moro biased against Lula, as he is commonly known in Brazil, and overturned a criminal conviction that he passed on the former president in 2017.

The conviction barred the socialist Lula from running against right-wing candidate Jair Bolsonaro in the 2018 presidential election, which resulted in the latter’s win. Moro then became justice minister under President Bolsonaro.

A series of leaks of communications between the ex-judge and others involved in the prosecution of Lula, which were published by journalist Glenn Greenwald, indicated that the conviction was the result of a plot to bar him from returning to power. At one moment, Deltan Dallagnol, the lead prosecutor in the operation, called Lula’s arrest “a gift from the CIA,” which some people interpreted as evidence that the Donald Trump administration was involved in the plot.

In March, the Brazilian Supreme Court agreed that political bias was present in the case and ruled to overturn Lula’s conviction. It also accused Moro of seven counts of felony judicial bias during his handling of Lava Jato.

This week’s ruling by Supreme Court Magistrate Gilmar Mendes expands that decision to the two cases that Moro launched against Lula while serving as a judge in the city of Curitiba and orders the nullification of “all the decision-making actions” by him. The decision comes days after a federal court acquitted Lula on corruption charges in yet another case.

The news means that it is becoming less likely that Lula will be convicted of a crime and be barred from running in next year’s presidential election in Brazil in a repeat of the 2018 scenario. While he didn’t officially announce his candidacy, Lula is expected by many to run against Bolsonaro, whose policies he has harshly criticized. A poll last month indicated that Lula would win by a comfortable margin, should he and the incumbent president go to a run-off.

Lula, who was in office from 2003-2010, has denied all corruption allegations against him. He still faces three trials, one in Brasilia and two in Sao Paulo.

Peru’s Fujimori demands ‘international audit’ of ballot after

leaked tapes point to attempt to bribe her way into presidency

29 Jun, 2021 12:14

As Keiko Fujimori’s chances of flipping an election loss fade, she demanded a foreign ‘audit’ of the results she has challenged. Last week, she was implicated in an alleged attempt to bribe a jury reviewing her fraud complaints.

The right-wing candidate is struggling to legally overturn the outcome of the June 6 presidential election. The final count put her behind leftist contender Pedro Castillo by just over 44,000 votes, but she sought to annul some 220,000 ballots based on claims of irregularities.

On Monday, she sent a letter to acting president Francisco Sagasti, urging him to ask “international organizations” to conduct an audit of the vote, stating that it was the only way for Peruvians to “know the truth.” She said that, without an external checkup, the legitimacy of the next president would forever be in question and that it was Sagasti’s “historic mission” to deliver one.

Fujimori didn’t say which international organizations she believes should lend legitimacy to the election. The Organization of American States (OAS) called it free and fair, as did many governments, with the US State Department even describing it as a “model of democracy.”

The petition seems to demonstrate Fujimori’s expectation that the National Jury of Elections (JNE), a special four-person judicial body that reviews election complaints, would not take her side. On Monday, the JNE rejected 10 claims by her Popular Force party, bringing the confirmation of Castillo’s win closer. More hearings are expected this week.

The JNE resumed work after replacing one of its members last week. Judge Luis Arce stepped down on Wednesday, saying he refused to carry out the duty after being suspended for alleged pro-Fujimori bias and conflict of interest. His replacement was sworn in on Saturday.

Earlier, Arce’s name came up in leaked tapes allegedly exposing a plot to bribe three members of the JNE so that they would rule in Fujimori’s favor. The plot was attributed to Vladimiro Montesinos, the former powerful intelligence chief under ex-president Alberto Fujimori, the father of the embattled candidate.

In the tapes that were released on Tuesday, Montesinos seemed to instruct a contact in the military about who he should contact to influence the JNE. In another one, a politician claimed that Arce asked for $3 million for each judge willing to vote in support of Fujimori’s claims. The authenticity of the tapes and the possible crimes they indicate are now being investigated by the Peruvian Prosecutor General’s office at the JNE’s request.

The bribery plot scandal was particularly explosive due to the fact that Montesinos is currently serving a 25-year prison term for crimes he committed while in office. He is in custody at a naval base. It was reminiscent of a 2000 outcry over a video, in which he was shown bribing an opposition congressman to support the party of his boss. It was one of the final blows before the downfall of Alberto Fujimori. He is likewise serving a sentence over corruption and abuse of human rights during his presidency.

Keiko Fujimori herself is facing corruption allegations and spent about 13 months behind bars in pre-trial detention between 2018 and 2020, before being released on parole.

Her refusal to concede to Castillo has further fuelled Peru’s political division. Supporters of the two candidates regularly hold mass protests in their support, but so far have managed to avoid major violence. Fujimori has the backing of urban elites and the conservatives, while Castillo, a teacher and union organizer, has won the hearts of poor rural residents.

Castillo was decried by Fujimori as a communist who would ruin Peru’s fragile economy with expropriation of property and other similar policies. His actions after scoring the majority vote, however, somewhat alleviated such fears. He appointed several moderate economic advisers and last week announced he would ask Julio Velarde, a respected chair of the Central Reserve Bank of Peru, to retain his position under his presidency.

The support for Fujimori, meanwhile, seems to have dwindled, as evidenced by an editorial printed at the weekend by the influential conservative newspaper El Comercio, which harshly criticized her attempts to stall the certification of election results.

Of course, we can't assume that a newspaper has no political bias, but....

Former South African president sentenced to 15 months in prison

for failing to appear at corruption inquiry

29 Jun, 2021 11:47

Former South African President Jacob Zuma stands in the dock after recess of his corruption trial at the Pietermaritzburg High Court in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, on May 26, 2021. © AFP / PHILL MAGAKOE

South Africa’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the country’s former president, Jacob Zuma, should serve 15 months in prison for contempt of court after he refused to cooperate with and appear at a corruption inquiry.

Zuma refused to appear at the corruption inquiry earlier this year, despite the presiding judge demanding he give evidence. The former president’s legal team argued he did not have to testify, citing a series of technicalities.

“Mr. Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is sentenced to undergo 15 months’ imprisonment,” the judge stated, issuing the court’s order, and gave him five days to surrender to police.

The corruption inquiry judiciary had previously filed an application with the Constitutional Court, requesting that Zuma be sentenced to two years behind bars for contempt of court after he refused to attend or provide affidavits.

The former leader repeatedly denied any wrongdoing throughout his nine-year term, which began in 2009 and ended with his ousting in 2018. The charges center on claims that he allowed several prominent businessmen to exploit state resources and wield undue influence over government policy.

A spokesperson for Zuma told South African media that he would be issuing a statement later today, but did not provide any further information about his response. The former president has in the past claimed he was being “vilified” and unfairly accused of being “the king of corrupt people.”

Just incredible!

Indians cry ‘discrimination’ as AstraZeneca’s local vaccine left off

EU’s green list, but identical European-made one included

29 Jun, 2021 09:28

Men ride on a motorbike past a supply truck of India's Serum Institute, the world's largest maker of

 vaccines, which is working on a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Pune, India

(FILE PHOTO) © REUTERS/Euan Rocha

People in India have slammed a decision by the European Union not to include the Indian-made Covishield vaccine – a locally produced copy of the AstraZeneca shot – in its vaccine passport program, labeling it an “insult.”

On Monday, Adar Poonawalla, the head of the Serum Institute of India (SII) said the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had elected against including Covishield in the list of vaccines sanctioned within the EU scheme. 

The program, which, from July 1, opens European borders to people who have been inoculated with approved EU vaccines, includes AstraZeneca’s vaccines produced in the EU and the UK but not the identical version made by the SII, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. The list also includes the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson shots. 

Poonawalla said on Twitter that he was aware that many Indians were now facing issues traveling to the EU, having been administered the Covishield jab, and promised to resolve the matter as soon as possible. 

The online reaction to the EU decision has been damning, with many accusing Brussels of double standards and “vaccine racism.” 

Some called it “discrimination,” and questioned why the EU would differentiate an Indian firm renowned for its vaccine-making capacity from European manufacturers, when the shot was “made with proper technology transfer from the mother company.” 

Another described the EU’s move as “shocking,” noting: “Needless formality that SII has to specially apply, considering the two are literally the same,” Meanwhile, one Twitter user said it was clearly a “a policy decision” by Brussels, and one that was “quite frankly, very insulting.” 

 

Others were keen to point out that the Covishield vaccine, approved by the World Health Organization, and used around the world, had also been exported to the UK. “This is for Covishield, which is approved and used in the UK and some countries in the EU, until they stopped it,” one person noted, referencing that five million Indian-made AstraZeneca vaccines had been exported to Britain earlier in the pandemic, albeit without Covishield branding.  

The EU had attempted to make up for the shortfall in European AstraZeneca production by procuring direct from the SII, although it is not clear whether any Indian-made AstraZeneca was administered within the EU. 

The SII has now filed for authorization for its copy of the AstraZeneca vaccine to be used in Europe and therefore included in the EU’s program. The Economic Times reported that India’s foreign ministry had raised the issue with the EMA.

An AstraZeneca spokesperson said they were working to ensure the “inclusion of Covishield as a recognized vaccine for immunization passports” in the EU.

South Korea police investigating treason charges against president

By Elizabeth Shim

A North Korean defector whose office was raided by local authorities in 2020 is accusing President Moon Jae-in of collaborating with the enemy, according to South Korean press reports Monday. File Pool photo by Stefani Reynolds/UPI | License Photo

June 28 (UPI) -- Police in South Korea are investigating charges against President Moon Jae-in after a North Korean defector and the former head of the Korea Medical Association accused Moon of treason.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's criminal investigation division said it is conducting a probe after Park Sang-hak of Fighters for a Free North Korea and Choi Dae-jip, a physician, filed the charges with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, News 1 reported Monday.

The complaint against Moon was filed May 13, according to local newspaper Herald Business. The two men accuse the South Korean leader of "joining an enemy state" and harming South Korean national interest. The president also is being charged with abuse of authority and "crimes that benefit the enemy," the report said.

Choi, who clashed with Moon at the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic in 2020 over Moon's decision to not ban travelers from China, has resigned from his leadership position at KMA. On Monday, Choi addressed South Korea's anti-leafleting law, according to reports.

"After Vice Chairwoman of the Korean Workers' Party Kim Yo Jong made a commotion about the launch of 500,000 leaflets to North Korea, the commissioner of the National Police Agency ordered an investigation and raided Park's office," Choi said, according to News 1.

Choi also said "the president cannot give specific investigation orders to police and prosecutors" -- implying Moon interfered with Park's case.

South Korea's criminal code forbids actions that could be classified as treason, including "joining forces with an enemy state." Government actions taken against Park are the equivalent of treason, according to the activist and Choi.

"Although the dissemination of North Korean leaflets is an effective way to provide stimulating information about the outside world to North Koreans and induce changes in the North Korean system, it has been met with obstruction," Park and Choi said in their complaint.

South Korea's leaflet ban is the "act of joining with the enemy, North Korea," they said.

South Korea has defended the leaflet ban, citing resident safety near the demilitarized zone.

Really?

European Politics > EU-Russia Relations; Hungary's LGBTQ Stand; Poland's Lean to the Right; Belarus Snuggles up to The Bear

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Merkel and Macron to propose revival of EU-Russia relations

& meeting with Putin – reports

23 Jun, 2021 19:18

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel meet in Berlin, June 18, 2021.

©  REUTERS/Axel Schmidt/Pool

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, backed by French President Emmanuel Macron, reportedly wants the EU to consider “selective engagement” with Russia on issues of common interest and inviting President Vladimir Putin to a summit.

French and German diplomats “wrongfooted” other EU member states at a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday by proposing to invite Putin to a summit with the bloc’s leaders, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing “people with knowledge of the discussions.”

According to FT, Merkel wants to revive EU relations with Russia along the template provided by last week’s Geneva summit between Putin and US President Joe Biden. Though she meets and speaks with Putin on a regular basis herself, the German chancellor reportedly wants a format that allows the EU to address Russia “with one voice.”

The proposal put forth by the ambassadors would say the EU is interested to engage with Russia on areas of common interest, such as the Arctic, climate and the environment, health, space exploration, fighting terrorism, and foreign policy issues such as Syria and Iran, among other things. 

The EU suspended summit meetings with Russia in 2014, when Brussels accused Moscow of “annexing” Crimea. The peninsula voted to rejoin Russia after the US-backed nationalists in Kiev overthrew the Ukrainian government and brushed aside a compromise brokered by France and Germany. 

Merkel and Putin spoke on the phone on Tuesday, the 80th anniversary of the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and its allies. On the same day, the German weekly Die Zeit also published an op-ed in which Putin said Russia was “in favor of restoring a comprehensive partnership with the rest of Europe.”

According to FT, the Franco-German proposal is “likely” to alarm Poland and the Baltic States, which are hostile to Moscow.

It's also likely to alarm NATO which is making kazillions of dollars selling weapons to those states as they accuse Russia of having aggressive desires towards them.

It was also put forward shortly after the incident in the Black Sea, in which a Russian patrol ship and fighter jet fired warning shots at a British warship that violated their territorial waters near Crimea. 

UPDATE - June 24th:

EU leaders early Friday adopted a hardline stance toward Russia — but only after Poland and the Baltic countries took their own hardline stance toward Germany and France and torpedoed a proposal by the bloc’s biggest powers to seek a summit with President Vladimir Putin.

The 27 heads of state and government adopted their tough conclusions on Russia at around 2 a.m. following a protracted and, at times, heated debate. The final result was remarkably humbling, if not utterly humiliating, for German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, who normally exert the greatest sway in discussions around the European Council table.

Rather than endorsing the language proposed by Germany and France that would have floated the idea of “meetings at leaders level,” akin to the one held by U.S. President Joe Biden with Putin in Geneva last week, the Council approved a statement focused on setting expectations and demands for the Kremlin, which would be a prerequisite for new diplomatic engagement. The Council also threatened new economic sanctions should Moscow persist in “malign, illegal and disruptive activity.”

I wonder how much influence NATO has over Poland and the Baltic states? Certainly, their attitude is one of immaturity and is most unhelpful.

Leaders of 17 EU states sign letter against LGBT+ discrimination

as row with Hungary over controversial law escalates

24 Jun, 2021 12:07

The leaders of 17 EU states vowed to continue fighting against LGBT+ discrimination in a joint letter, a day after the EU Commission promised legal proceedings against Hungary.

The letter, published by Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel on Twitter, says that “respect and tolerance are at the core of the European project,” and pledges to “continue fighting against discrimination towards the LGBTI community.” Among the signatories are French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the prime ministers of Italy and Spain, as well as leaders of the Scandinavian and Baltic states, among others.

There are 27 member states in the EU, which leaves 9 members who did not sign the letter, not including Hungary, of course.

The letter features 16 names, but Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz also added his signature after the letter was released, bringing the number of signatories to 17.

The letter is addressed to the top brass of the EU and comes ahead of International LGBT+ Pride Day on June 28. It doesn’t name Hungary explicitly, but it comes a day after the European Commission promised legal procedures against Hungary, with the commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, calling Hungary’s new anti-LGBT+ legislation “a shame.”

The document was released as EU leaders gather in Brussels for a summit to discuss “global challenges and geopolitical issues.” Upon his arrival at the event, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban defended the controversial law, passed by the country’s parliament last week, which bans school materials from including LGBT+ content for children.

“The law has been approved. It is not about homosexuality, it is about education being a matter for parents,” Orban told the media.

The legislation is part of a larger bill cracking down on sexual crimes against minors, and has triggered strong criticism from Brussels as a threat to fundamental European values. Critics say the bill discriminates against and stigmatizes the LGBT+ community. Hungary has defended the provisions, which were supported by both the ruling party and the opposition. It insists that the law “protects the rights of children” and denies it is discriminatory.

Such 'fundamental European values' as did not exist 20 or 30 years ago. It is not Hungary that has departed from Europe's fundamental values, it is much of the rest of the EU.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government accused von der Leyen of making “false allegations” and said the bill “does not contain any discriminatory elements” because it “does not apply to the sexual orientation rights of those over 18 years of age.”

The EU summit convenes in Brussels this Thursday and Friday, to discuss Covid-19, economic recovery, migration, and external relations, according to the official agenda.

European court rules Polish justice minister violated rights of judges

by firing them without appeal

29 Jun, 2021 15:56

FILE PHOTO. The building of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. © Reuters

/ Vincent Kessler; (inset) Polish Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro. © Reuters / AGENCJA GAZETA

The decision by Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro to dismiss court officials without appeal violated their right to challenge their early removal from the posts, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled.

Following a series of judicial reforms introduced by Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party since 2015, judges Mariusz Broda and Alina Bojara were removed from their positions as vice presidents of the Kielce Regional Court without justification or the right to appeal their firing.

“As the premature termination of the applicants’ term of office as court vice-presidents had not been examined either by an ordinary court or by another body exercising judicial duties, the respondent state had infringed the very essence of the applicants’ right of access to a court,” the ECHR stated in its judgement on Tuesday.

For violating their rights, the ECHR ruled that Poland should pay the two judges €20,000 ($24,810) each in damages, though the Polish government has three months to appeal the ruling.

While the Polish Justice Ministry said it would comment after reviewing the verdict, the country’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, told a press conference that his government will “respect the court.” The PM also made it clear that his officials will continue “implementing our programs, including the reform of the justice system, in line with our schedule.”

In other words, they may get their €20,000, but they won't get their jobs back. Poland's right-wing government seems to be replacing left-leaning judges with conservative-friendly judges.

The judicial reforms, which were criticized by the EU when they were introduced for infringing on the independence of the courts, gives the justice minister the power to both hire and fire judges. 

After the new rules were brought in, the minister removed more than 150 court presidents and vice presidents within a six-month period spanning part of 2017 and 2018.

As Belarus ends partnership with EU, Minsk plans to merge tax system

with Russia & establish common markets for energy, transport

29 Jun, 2021 09:42

FILE PHOTO. State colors of Russia and Belarus on the building of the Minsk Philharmonic. © Sputnik

Neighbors Russia and Belarus plan to further deepen their close economic ties by creating multiple integrated markets and working together to unify vital tax and customs legislation, Minsk’s representative in Moscow has revealed.

Vladimir Semashko, the Belarusian ambassador to Russia, explained on Monday that the pair were working towards uniting their energy and transport sectors, and would also be making plans to transition to a joint industrial and agricultural policy. The two nations expect to have concluded this by January 1, 2022, he said.

The move came on the same day that Belarus announced it would be withdrawing from the European Union’s ‘Eastern Partnership’, a scheme designed to pull former Soviet states into Brussels’ orbit and away from Russia.

Another act of aggression from NATO against Russia.

Minsk and Moscow have been part of a so-called Union State since 1999, when current Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and the former Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a treaty and agreed to begin integration. According to the document’s text, the two nations planned to create a joint parliament, court, and cabinet. Since then, unification has regularly been discussed, including the creation of a shared currency, military, and customs space. However, 22 years later, many of these ideas are yet to come to fruition.

“Much has already been done [to integrate] in social policy, economic policy, defense, and so on,” Semashko told Belarusian state media agency BelTA. “Today, we have really reached the time when we have to bolster the economic foundation of the union of Belarus and Russia.”

The ambassador noted that the two countries would work on integrating 28 sectors of the economy, including oil, gas, and electricity. They would also be focusing on unifying tax and customs legislation, he said.

“We are now at a fundamentally new stage,” he noted, explaining that Belarusian-Russian trade turnover had increased by 30% in the past year. Minsk is Moscow’s fourth-largest trading partner.

Further integration of Russia and Belarus has long been discussed, with both President Lukashenko and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, regularly returning to the topic. Discussions between the two leaders have intensified in recent months, especially following the unrest in Belarus after last year’s disputed presidential election and the subsequent Western interest in working with Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. Her supporters claim she was the real winner of the contest.

Earlier this month, Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko revealed that negotiations between Moscow and Minsk were “entering the home stretch.”

Deep State's Dirty Tricks Have Kept Julian Assange a Prisoner for Far Too Long

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Snowden declares 'end of case against Julian Assange' after newspaper reveals

LIES by key witness in US extradition case

27 Jun, 2021 01:15

FILE PHOTO: Sigurdur Thordarson and Julian Assange ©  Sigurdur Thordarson

Key accusations in the case against WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, who faces up to 175 years in prison if extradited to the US, are reportedly based on testimony from a convicted fraudster who admitted to media he was lying.

Sigurdur Ingi Thordarson, an Icelandic citizen and former WikiLeaks volunteer who became an FBI informant for $5,000, has admitted to Icelandic newspaper Stundin that he fabricated important parts of the accusations in the indictment. 

In an article published on Saturday, Stundin details several parts of his testimony that he now denies, claiming that Assange never instructed him to carry out any hacking. 

The newspaper points out that even though a court in London has refused to extradite Assange to the US on humanitarian grounds, it still sided with the US when it came to claims based on Thordarson's now-denied testimony. For instance, the ruling says that “Mr. Assange and Teenager failed a joint attempt to decrypt a file stolen from a 'NATO country 1' bank,” where "NATO country 1" is believed to refer to Iceland, while "Teenager" referred to Thordarson himself.

However, he now reportedly claims that the file in question can't exactly be considered "stolen" since it was assumed to have been distributed and leaked by whistleblowers inside the bank and many people online were attempting to decrypt it at the time. That's because it allegedly contained information about defaulted loans provided by Icelandic Landsbanki, the fall of which in 2008 led to a major economic crisis in the country.  

Thordarson also provided the publication with chat logs from his time volunteering for WikiLeaks in 2010 and 2011, showing his frequent requests for hackers to either attack or get information from Icelandic entities and websites. But, according to Stundin, none of the logs show that Thordarson was asked to do that by anyone inside WikiLeaks. What they do show, according to the newspaper, are constant attempts by the organization's volunteer to inflate his position, describing himself as chief of staff or head of communications. 

Pride and overconfidence make for really bad judgment.

In 2012, WikiLeaks filed criminal charges against Thordarson over embezzlement and financial fraud. He was later sentenced for both in Iceland. 

US out to get Assange

Stundin also cites Ogmundur Jonasson, then-Icelandic interior minister, who says US authorities were going out of their way to get Assange.

They were trying to use things here [in Iceland] and use people in our country to spin a web, a cobweb that would catch Julian Assange. 

The newspaper claims that Thordarson's testimony is key for the prosecution's line portraying Assange as a criminal, rather than a journalist publishing material protected by the First Amendment, like the New York Times or other media that shared the same documents as WikiLeaks. 

Reacting to the bombshell article by Stundin, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden tweeted: "This is the end of the case against Julian Assange." Investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald agreed, saying: "It should be."

Assange has spent more than two years behind bars at Belmarsh Prison in the UK. The US government has charged the Australian journalist under the Espionage Act, accusing him of leaking classified information in 2010. At the time, WikiLeaks published documents detailing abuses, including possible war crimes, carried out by the US military in Afghanistan and Iraq. Washington is currently seeking his extradition, and Assange could be jailed for up to 175 years if found guilty. 

Deep State cannot afford for Americans to find out how many innocent people they kill lest the people turn against them and decide that being involved in every war on Earth might not be a good thing.

At the beginning of June, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer called on the UK government to release the journalist, condemning his incarceration as “one of the biggest judicial scandals in history.”

Belmarsh HMP

Middle East Military Madness > US Prolonging Syrian War; Iran Ends IAEA Monitoring; Brit's Childish Games With Russia

Like I said...

US push to extend cross-border aid opening is aimed at supplying terrorist groups

& prolonging war – Syrian FM

26 Jun, 2021 19:56

The Bab al-Hawa crossing at the Syrian-Turkish border, in Idlib governorate. © Reuters / Khalil Ashawi

The US is fighting hard to keep the border crossing from Turkey into Syria’s Idlib open because it allows them to supply arms to terrorists under the pretense of delivering aid, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told RT.

A diplomatic standoff is underway as the seven-year-long UN mandate to keep the Bab al-Hawa crossing point between Turkey and northern Syria open expires in July. The US and its allies, including Turkey, which has military presence in Idlib and maintains contacts with the local armed groups, are pushing for the crossing to remain operational for at least another year, citing concerns over civilians in the last terrorist stronghold in the country. But Syria’s main ally, Russia, threatens to veto the relevant UN Security Council resolution, insisting that all aid to the population should be channeled through Damascus.

Mekdad said Washington’s policy on cross-border aid was “pure hypocrisy.” Their efforts to keep the crossing operational are just “another attempt to help terrorist groups and to provide them with all necessary materials to prolong the terrorist war against Syria,” which has been ongoing since 2011.

Cross-border activities by the US and Turkey are a “direct violation of the sovereignty of our country,” Mekdad said, claiming arms are being sent to the militants as part of this “so-called humanitarian assistance.” He pointed to the presence in Idlib of Jabhat al-Nusra, an Al-Qaeda offshoot and UN-designated terrorist group.

Mekdad also slammed US sanctions on Syria. “If the Western countries are really careful (concerned) about Syrian citizens, they should lift their sanctions…,” he said, adding that they “aren’t allowing us to even import medical instruments, not to mention foods and other necessary materials.”The “unilateral coercive measures” by the US and other Western countries “are killing the Syrian people” and some 95% of the population are affected by them, Mekdad added.

On Friday, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Joey Hood said that Washington will maintain a “limited military presence” in the southern enclave of At Tanf and in the northeast of Syria in order to counter Islamic State and support their allies from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces militia.

But Syria’s top diplomat reiterated the demand by Damascus for some 900 American troops to finally withdraw from the country.

“[The US] have to stop their infringement on the territorial integrity of Syria because they are illegally entering into Syria…they have to stop stealing Syrian oil, and Syrian wheat, and other Syrian property,” Mekdad continued, adding that without American support, “Daesh would have been eliminated a long time ago.”

Mekdad also said that Damascus was looking forward to the resumption of talks next month in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan aimed at a Syrian peace settlement.

The so-called Astana format – brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran – is “the most effective mechanism” for finding solutions to the crisis, given that the negotiations are attended by the Syrian government, the opposition and international players that support each of the sides.  

“Most recent positive developments in Syria have proven that the Astana format is the best format for finding a political settlement to the crisis,” the foreign minister said.

It's absurd to think that America, since the 2nd World War, ever entered a theatre of war for the purpose of ending it. America enters wars for the purpose of using its inventory of war. Having war-time vehicles, materials, weapons, etc., etc., standing unused in the USA is very bad for the profit levels of America's war-loving oligarchs. 

I believe America wants to keep the war in Syria going until they can come up with an excuse for a full-on invasion. Meanwhile, they are happy to steal Syrian oil. 

Iran says it will ‘NEVER’ give nuclear site images to UN watchdog

as monitoring deal expires

27 Jun, 2021 18:20

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria. © Reuters / Heinz-Peter Bader

Iran won’t hand over images from some of its nuclear sites to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as Tehran’s monitoring agreement with the UN agency has expired, Iranian parliament’s speaker stated.

“The agreement has expired... any of the information recorded will never be given to the IAEA and the data and images will remain in the possession of Iran,” Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said during a parliament session on Sunday.

Those recordings were made in offline format and they’re going to be stored in Iran in full compliance with the country’s laws, he said, as quoted by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council is expected to decide, at its first session after the deal’s expiration, whether to prolong the monitoring agreement, Mahmoud Vaezi, chief of staff to outgoing Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, said midweek.

The deal, which IAEA and Iran signed after Tehran decided to reduce cooperation with the agency in February, allowed the watchdog to keep receiving at least some data about Iran's nuclear activities. It was agreed for a three-month period and later extended for another month.

But earlier this week the monitoring deal expired, after a letter from IAEA with an offer to extend it again or to sign a new one went unanswered by Tehran.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi called on Iran to provide “an immediate response” on the crucial matter, but was brushed off by Iranian envoy to the IAEA, Kazem Gharibabadi, who insisted that his country “was not required to comply” with the demand.

Gharibabadi later said on Twitter that past data recording was “a political decision” by Tehran aimed at facilitating the talks on the US return to the Iranian nuclear deal and “shouldn’t be considered as obligation.”

On Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Iran’s reluctance to cooperate with the IAEA could negatively affect the outcome of the ongoing talks to revive the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The JCPOA, which Tehran and six world powers signed after years of diplomatic efforts in 2015, saw Iran curbing its military nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.

But in 2018, then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the landmark deal and imposed new sanctions against Iran, much to the shock of other signees – China, France, Russia, UK, Germany and the EU. The move by Washington prompted Tehran to renege on some of its commitments under JCPOA, including intensifying its uranium enrichment.

Indirect talks between Washington and Tehran have been underway in the Austrian capital Vienna since April, as Joe Biden, who replaced Trump in the White House, has expressed eagerness to restore the agreement.

The negotiations are currently on pause, likely until early July, with differences still not settled between the sides. Washington says that a deal will only be struck after Iran returns to full compliance with JCPOA, but Tehran insists that US sanctions must be lifted first.

Secret British military docs allegedly found near BUS STOP reveal

UK foresaw furious Russian reaction to Crimea incursion 

27 Jun, 2021 09:48 

The British Royal Navy warship HMS Defender approaches the Black Sea port of Batumi, Georgia, June 26, 2021.

©  Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia/Handout via REUTERS

Britain mulled what Moscow might do if it sent a warship into disputed waters, near Crimea, according to "secret" documents allegedly found at a bus stop. The leak comes after London was discovered to have lied about the incident.

The 50-page dossier, containing classified information about the HMS Defender’s journey through the Black Sea, was reportedly discovered in a “soggy heap” behind a Kent bus stop on Tuesday morning. The person who discovered the documents, the story goes, contacted the BBC upon realizing their sensitive nature. The dossier includes emails and PowerPoint presentations, and is believed to have originated in the office of a senior Ministry of Defence (MoD) official. 

A spokesperson for the ministry said that an employee had reported the loss of sensitive papers, adding that it would be “inappropriate” to comment further. An investigation is now underway to determine how the documents ended up at the bus stop, the BBC said. 

The MoD viewed the Royal Navy destroyer’s mission, dubbed “Op Ditroite,” as an “innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters,” the secret documents reportedly show. British military planners believed that they had a “strong, legitimate narrative” for passing through the disputed area, and said that having journalists aboard the warship would help provide “independent verification” of the vessel’s actions. 

However, there was apparently an understanding that the Russian military would likely view the HMS Defender’s travel itinerary differently. 

“What do we understand about the possible 'welcome party'…?” asked one British military official, during high-level discussions that were detailed in the classified dossier. 

A series of slides prepared by the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) offered two potential routes through the Black Sea, with one described as “a safe and professional direct transit from Odessa to Batumi.” The plan included a short stretch through a “Traffic Separation Scheme” located near the southwest tip of Crimea. Choosing this route would  “provide an opportunity to engage with the Ukrainian government… in what the UK recognises as Ukrainian territorial waters,” one of the slides explained.

The BBC said that the mislaid dossier outlined potential Russian responses, ranging from “safe and professional” to “neither safe nor professional.”

The documents also discussed the possibility of keeping the HMS Defender away from contested waters. This plan would avoid any potential confrontation but would also allow Russia to claim that the UK was “scared” or “running away,” the secret dossier stated. 

One of the presentations contained in the trove of classified documents noted that contact between Russian and British forces in the area have largely been “unremarkable” but that, “following the transition from defence engagement activity to operational activity, it is highly likely that... interactions will become more frequent and assertive.”

Moscow said Wednesday's mission had prompted it to fire warning shots at the vessel. Which was quickly denied by the UK's Ministry of Defence, claiming that its vessel was conducting “innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law,” and the Russian shots were part of a pre-planned gunnery exercise.

On Thursday evening, video emerged showing Russian forces repeatedly demanding that the British leave their waters and, after several warnings, targeting warning shots at the intruding ship. 

Journalists who were aboard the British warship at the time suggested that the confrontation with Russian forces was expected. One reporter noted that “increasingly hostile warnings were issued over the radio” by the Russian coast guard. 

Russia summoned the British ambassador, as well as the UK’s military attache in Moscow, to protest over the incident. 

While it would have taken a huge mistake by one side or the other to have started a real conflict from this event, mistakes do happen. The point of challenging the other guy to respond is a stupid, adolescent thing to do. It is such a pity that militaries seem to have to resort to such childish behavior. Wouldn't it be nice if we all grew up and acted like adults?

Does Greed and Avarice Spell the Eventual Demise of Capitalism?

..

Even young REPUBLICANS are growing tired of capitalism,

American pollsters say

25 Jun, 2021 14:22

A protester holds up an anarchist symbol flag during a Black Lives Matter protest in Manhattan, New York,

August 1, 2016 © Reuters / Andrew Kelly

Fewer than half of young Americans have a positive view of capitalism, a new poll has found. Even young Republicans are increasingly skeptical – but don’t expect America to go full-on socialist just yet.

An Axios poll published on Friday revealed that in the capitalist US, just 49% of Americans aged 18-to-34 actually support capitalism. And 51% say they have a positive view of socialism.

For several years, polling has found support for socialism rising among Democrats and the young. As a result, Democrats running on explicitly socialist platforms – like Democratic Socialists of America members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) – have translated this discontent into electoral success.

However, the latest poll found that young Republicans, usually tireless advocates for free-market capitalism, have grown sick of the system they’re used to defending. Among Republicans aged 18-to-34, some 66% now have a positive view of capitalism, down from 81% in 2019. But 56% of young Republicans want the government to focus on reducing wealth inequality, up from just 40% two years ago.

Axios puts this rise down to more Americans seeing the “tangible upsides of unprecedented levels of government intervention” during the coronavirus pandemic. Indeed, then-President Donald Trump criticized both parties in Congress for agreeing on sending out “ridiculously low” stimulus checks of $600 in December, instead of the $2,000 he pushed for – criticism that would have been alien from a Republican president in recent decades. Equally rarely, Ocasio-Cortez and Tlaib both agreed with Trump on the issue.

Yet the Right’s shift away from unfettered capitalism has been underway since before the pandemic hit. Fox News host Tucker Carlson, America’s most-watched cable news host and an influence on Trump during his tenure in the White House, has backed proposals by Democrats to break up the Silicon Valley tech monopolies, and vocally condemned the “mainstream Republican” focus on the “religion” of “market capitalism.”

“We do not exist to serve markets,” he said in 2019. “Just the opposite. Any economic system that weakens and destroys families is not worth having. A system like that is the enemy of a healthy society.”

Yet most Americans aren’t ready to declare themselves socialists just yet. While a slim majority of young Americans have a favorable view of the term, just 41% across all age groups share this view, and 52% say they have a negative view. Carlson would likely call himself a populist rather than a socialist, and Trump – a self-declared “nationalist” – frequently railed against the socialism practiced in Venezuela, Cuba and the Soviet Union, while passing tax cuts that significantly benefited the rich.

What the poll does reveal, however, is that Republicans might not be able to rely on calling their opponents “socialists” as a blanket pejorative for much longer. Aside from the fact that many Democrats wouldn’t argue with the label, a small but growing number of Republican voters might roll their eyes too.

As I have watched capitalism display its spectacular greed in the past two decades, I have become more and more disgusted. I am not a socialist, but I am old enough to have seen the damage done to too many societies from that. 

Capitalism only works in a society that is ethically determined to be good corporate citizens. These are very hard to find anymore. The amazing greed that caused the 2008 economic crash has not disappeared. Big Pharma is 100% about profits and 0% about health care. As a Canadian, I can't imagine living without full access to medical specialists for everyone. 

I think pharmaceutical research should be done in universities without the help of Big Pharma. Governments should pay for the research and collect a good portion of the dividends on profitable medications. There should also be room for research on medications that may not be highly profitable but may save money and lives in the long run. 

Someone should have done a major study on the effectiveness if Ivermectin last spring, but any such effort was destroyed by Big Pharma's propaganda. I wonder how many medications were ignored or disposed of because it would not make big profits for Big Pharma?

=============================================================================================

Ozzone 4-29 > When we have the right relationship with God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy, not fear or worry

 

Islam - Current Day > Ugandan Bishop Murdered; Hamas Flag Banned in Germany; Greatest Wave of Islamic Violence

..

Christian bishop killed over outreach to Uganda Muslims:

‘Today Allah has judged you’

By Anugrah Kumar, 

Christian Post Contributor

Sunday, June 20, 2021

A follower of the Holy Spirit Movement church performs rituals at a shrine in Gulu town, north of Uganda capital Kampala February 15, 2015. | Reuters/James Akena

A radical Muslim has confessed to police in Uganda that he killed a 70-year-old pastor earlier this month because of Allah’s word to kill all infidels who mislead Muslims by sharing the Gospel.

The accused, identified as Imam Uthman Olingha, told police he killed Bishop Francis Obo, senior pastor of Mpingire Pentecostal Revival Church Ministries International in Odapako village Mpingire Sub-County, on June 11, Morning Star News reported.

Olingha was one of the Muslim extremists dressed in Islamic attire who stopped Pastor Obo and his wife on their way home from a market at about 8:30 p.m., his wife, Christine Obo, said.

“Olingha openly confessed (to police) that he can’t regret that he killed the bishop because he did it in the cause of Allah’s word to kill all infidels who mislead Muslims. He added that Allah will be with him in jail, but the kafiri (infidel) deserved the killing.”

One of the attackers told the pastor, who oversaw 17 churches across the region and had been sharing Christ with Muslims, that he was an “infidel” who caused Muslims to leave Islam and “blasphemes the words of Allah,” and that, “Today Allah has judged you.”

A week before the murder, the couple had invited a former Islamic teacher to testify on how he became a Christian at their church, Christine Obo recalled. Area Muslims were also upset with the church because it offered the former Islamic teacher a pig as part of a micro-enterprise livestock project that helped raise funds for the church, she added.

Describing the incident, she said, “As I moved a few meters in a hurry trying to save my life, I heard a little noise and wailing from my husband and realized that his life was in danger.”

When she reached home, she was trembling and unable to speak, she said, and her children took her to a hospital. When she regained consciousness the following morning, she told her oldest son and his siblings to go to the site.

“Reaching there, they were shocked and fearful as they found a big number of Christians and relatives gathered around the dead body mourning their bishop after being murdered by Muslims,” Obo was quoted as saying.

According to World Watch Monitor, a homegrown Islamist rebel movement organizing in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo has emboldened Ugandan radicals to persecute Christians.

Voice of the Martyrs earlier noted that Uganda’s history has made it vulnerable to the influence of Islam as “Arab countries also continue to invest significant resources into furthering Muslim interests in the country.”

In Uganda, persecution is mainly seen in the form of local Islamists persecuting Christians, mostly in areas where “radicals have been steadily encroaching.”

“Radical Islam’s influence has grown steadily, and many Christians within the majority-Muslim border regions are facing severe persecution, especially those who convert from Islam,” a Voice of the Martyrs factsheet explains. “Despite the risks, evangelical churches in Uganda have responded by reaching out to their neighbors; many churches are training leaders how to share the Gospel with Muslims and care for those who are persecuted after they become Christians.”

Last December, a mob of Muslim extremists in Uganda reportedly killed 41-year-old former imam Yusuf Kintu a week after he converted to Christianity.

German government to ban displaying of Hamas flag, after spike in anti-Semitic incidents during Gaza conflict – media

20 Jun, 2021 16:26

FILE PHOTO. Supporters of the Palestinian Hamas hold the group's flags during a rally.

© Global Look Press / DPA / Mohammed Talatene

Germany’s coalition government has reached a consensus to impose a ban on the flag of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group. The move is intended to send a “clear message to Jewish citizens” amid a spike in anti-Semitic incidents.

The ban on the Hamas flag was first reported by the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. The outlet cited Thorsten Frei, the deputy parliamentary spokesperson for Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).

The two parties that spearheaded the move have reached a consensus with their parliamentary partner, the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the official said.

“We do not want the flags of terrorist organizations to be waved on German soil,” Frei stated. “I’m very pleased that the SPD has joined our initiative. In doing so, we can send a clear signal to our Jewish citizens.”

The SPD reportedly had constitutional concerns about the move, but those differences were ultimately settled. According to a letter obtained by the newspaper that was sent by Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) to Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU), the party believed the initial proposal by the CDU/CSU was “in need of revision”.

While Germany has not designated it as a terrorist group, this was the label the European Union slapped on Hamas in the early 2000s. Berlin had previously taken similar action against other pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel groups.

Back in 2019, for instance, it branded Lebanon-based Hezbollah – both its military and political wings – as a terrorist group and banned the displaying of its flag or the showing of support. Unlike Germany, the EU as a whole designated only the military wing of Hezbollah as a terror group.

The action against the Hamas follows a wave of pro-Palestinian events that swept over Germany back in May, during the two-week conflict between the armed group and Israel. Many of the pro-Palestinian rallies have been marred by assorted incidents, including attacks on synagogues, the burning of Israeli flags, and so on.

Many Germans still remember the massacre at the Munich Olympics orchestrated by Palestinian terrrorists. Nine Israeli athletes were killed and a German policeman. 5 Black September terrorists were killed in the rescue operation that went very badly. The 3 surviving members of Black September were put on a blacklist with several others, where Mossad was authorized to hunt them down and neutralize them. They did!

'Fresh wave of violence' in Mozambique driven by radical jihadist extremists;

children beheaded

"This is probably the greatest wave of Islamic violence

that the modern era has seen.” 

By Emily Wood, 

Christian Post Reporter

| Wednesday, June 23, 2021

A volunteer claps as he sings with children during activities directed toward the healing for displaced children that witnessed atrocities in northern Mozambique, at a displacement settlement in Metuge on May 21, 2021. Conflict in the northern Mozambique province of Cabo Delgado that began in 2017 has now forced nearly some 700,000 people from their homes. Around 43 percent the 700,000 people displaced by the violence are children, according to the U.N. | JOHN WESSELS/AFP via Getty Images

Conditions in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, have “seriously deteriorated” over the past year, affecting children “disproportionately” as nearly 3,000 people have been killed and over 800,000 displaced since the violent insurgency that began in October 2017, according to a report.

Violent attacks by Islamic rebels in the Cabo Delgado province have led to the deaths of more than 2,838 people, including over 1,400 civilians, though the actual number is expected to be higher. 

A report released this month by Save the Children, Plan International and World Vision showed how the extent of the conflict in Cabo Delgado has worsened in the last 12 months and how children are suffering disproportionately. 

The last 12 months of Mozambique’s Islamic insurgency has escalated due to increased armed conflict on villages and district capital towns, leading to casualties and “grave violations” against children. 

Amy Lamb, director of communications for Open Doors, told The Christian Post that the “fresh wave of violence” in Mozambique has had a “devastating” toll.

Lamb said that for the first time, Mozambique was added to the World Watch List for the first time as being among the most persecuted countries “because of the fresh wave of violence coming into Mozambique primarily driven by radical jihadist extremists.” 

A March attack on Palma, a town in the northeast of Mozambique, led to an estimated 67,848 displaced people as of June 4. 

Many children affected by this attack were orphaned or were separated from their parents as they fled. 

The southeastern African country is home to about 17 million Christians, which is over 50% of the population. Lamb said it's also home to one of the fastest-growing evangelical populations in the world. 

“Because of [the rise in Christianity], we’re seeing jihadist groups including those who are affiliated with the Islamic state, with al Shabab, with Boko Haram, al Qaeda,” Lamb explained. 

“It’s just organizing together in order to expand their territories throughout the African continent, and their goal is really to eradicate Christianity from this territory and, unfortunately, in some ways, it’s working,” she continued. “Even specifically from this northern part of Mozambique, an estimated 800,000 people have fled the region, and those who remain, including women, children, families, are facing starvation even if they’re spared from … violence.” 

Lamb said Christians in Mozambique are especially targeted with violence and believes the government contributes to this. 

“There is a great deal of instability, and there can even be some anti-Christian antipathy at the government level,” Lamb said. “So as far as the government of Mozambique, in some ways, it’s not helping because there are some of those antipathies even at the highest level, so when it’s pervasive at the lower level, it’s combining into a perfect storm.”

The report also offers recommendations and said the U.N. and international community “must, without delay,” support the establishment of peace and address underlying causes of the conflict. 

In March, the U.S. Army Green Berets were deployed to Mozambique to train Mozambican marines to counter the violent insurgency that has led to children as young as 12 years old being beheaded. 

Lamb agrees that the situation requires the international community’s attention and said the Islamic State is struggling to gain a hold of the entire region in what she believes is “the greatest wave of Islamic violence” in the modern era. 

“It should be a matter of grave concern for the international community because it is an indication that there is an emerging caliphate throughout the sub-Saharan African region,” she said. “So what we saw in the devastation … that’s all caliphate activity.”

“And what’s so concerning is these groups are organizing together to create what’s essentially a new Islamic State throughout the entire region,” Lamb continued. “So that is deeply concerning, not just from a religious freedom standpoint, but also from a democracy standpoint. Also from just the overall human rights condition of we have this one group of incredibly violent extremists who are saying … ‘we’re going to take over.” It should be a matter of concern for the international community because this is probably the greatest wave of Islamic violence that the modern era has seen.” 

Lamb called on the American Church to pray for Christians in Mozambique and for those who have been displaced.

“Pray for God’s intervention in the violent attacks, and as rapidly as we have seen this wave of violence rise, that we would see it decline just as fast,” Lamb added.

Amen!