uncensorable_donations.html.pm

#lang pollen

◊(define-meta title "Uncensorable donations")
◊(define-meta subtitle "Donations governments cannot stop")
◊(define-meta published "2019-08-28T00:00:00+01:00")
◊(define-meta updated "2021-05-07T19:11:00+01:00")
◊(define-meta uuid "f35cab59-0629-4173-9de0-a07a0eef33dc")
◊(define-meta template "chapter.html")

◊(clear-sidenotes)

◊; US efforts to jail Assange for espionage are a grave threat to a free media (theguardian.com)
◊; https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20173534

◊epigraph{
    ◊qt[#:author "WikiLeaks"
        #:url wiki-about]{
        Open government is strongly correlated to quality of life. Open government is compelled to answer injustice rather than causing it. Plans by an open government which are corrupt, cause injustice or do not alleviate suffering are revealed and so opposed before implementation. If unjust plans cannot reach implementation then government will be a force for justice.
    }
}

◊(define wiki-about
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://wikileaks.org/wiki/Draft:About"
    "WikiLeaks: Drafts:About"))

In the ◊link[freezing_of_merchant_accounts]{last} two ◊link[undesirable_businesses]{chapters}, we looked at the issues with digital payments, but when you think about donations you wouldn't assume they have the same problems as payments have. For example, when donating money to a charity, like ◊link[charity-water]{Charity Water}, they don't have to be worried about ◊link[charge-back-fraud]{charge back fraud} because you're voluntarily giving them money.◊sn{charity-fees} But the same problem with third-party censorship is relevant here as well.◊sn{voluntary}

Imagine a country doing something really horrible, like ◊link[killing-fields]{purging intellectuals and political opponents}, that would put the government in a bad light. Journalists trying to report on this event may find it difficult or impossible to accept donations to continue their work. A payment processor (which is necessary for digital donations)---perhaps under pressure from the government---might block donations or break the journalist's anonymity,◊sn{crypto-privacy} making donations to truth-seeking journalists very difficult or outright dangerous.

Donations are an excellent use case for cryptocurrencies, as they cannot be censored even by the most powerful nations in the world. And as I'll argue in this chapter, this is a real concern.

◊note-pos[#:top -24]{charity-fees}
◊note-pos[#:top -17]{voluntary}
◊note-pos[#:top -8]{crypto-privacy}

◊ndef["voluntary"]{
    However even charities can be prosecuted for not fulfilling their promises, an experience the founder of Charity Water writes in his book ◊(book-link thirst-book). So charge back fraud isn't a completely irrelevant worry.
}

◊ndef["charity-fees"]{
    Most payment processors have lower fees for charities, but they're still more expensive than the ◊link[cryptocurrency-fees]{low cryptocurrency fees}.
}

◊ndef["crypto-privacy"]{
    Some cryptocurrencies also ◊link[private_property]{give better privacy} than other digital payment systems.
}

◊(define killing-fields
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://allthatsinteresting.com/cambodian-genocide"
    "Mark Oliver (2017) 33 Haunting Photos From The Killing Fields Of The Cambodian Genocide"))
◊(define charity-water
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.charitywater.org/"
    "Charity Water"))


◊subhead{Censorship is real}

A ◊link[china-forgettance]{powerful example} of censorship is the ◊link[wikipedia-tiananmen]{Tiananmen Square Massacre} in China in 1989. It was a student-led protest which was forcefully suppressed by hundreds of thousands military troops, killing large numbers of demonstrators and bystanders.◊mn{hong-kong}

◊ndef["hong-kong"]{
    Some have ◊link[hong-kong-protests]{drawn parallels} between the recent protests in Hong Kong and Tiananmen, but with smartphones everywhere it would be close to impossible to cover up a similar massacre.

    The Hong Kong Free Press, an independent news source in China, ◊link[hk-fp]{accepts Bitcoin donations}.
}


◊qt[#:author "Margaret Holt"
    #:src "BBC: Tiananmen 30 years on - China's great act of 'forgettance'"
    #:url china-forgettance]{
    "This gun-happy soldier, he's firing indiscriminately into the crowd and three young girl students knelt down in front of him and begged him to stop firing," she says quietly, gesturing with her hands in a praying motion.

    "And he killed them."
}

◊note-pos[#:top -17]{hong-kong}


China has gone to great lengths to cover up these events. Twitter is censored by default in China◊mn{china-censorship} and anyone caught tweeting about Tiananmen might ◊link[twitter-detained]{get arrested}.◊mn{reeducation} On the anniversary they have police escorts for the victim's families who want to visit the graves---to keep them away from journalists.

◊ndef["reeducation"]{
    If caught, you'll probably be placed in a ◊link[china-reeducation #:quote #t]{re-education camp}, which are quite similar to camps in Stalin's Soviet or Hitler's Germany.
}

◊ndef["china-censorship"]{
    The ◊link[china-censorship]{censorship in China} is absolutely massive. They try to scan and filter all internet traffic in China, often called ◊link[great-firewall-of-china #:quote #t]{The Great Firewall of China}, and they're doing a pretty good job. For example they completely ban Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Google, Youtube, Wikipedia, WikiLeaks, Netflix and ◊strong{many} others. It might be possible to work around the restrictions using a VPN, but many don't work in China either.
}

◊note-pos[#:top -8]{china-censorship}
◊note-pos{reeducation}

Censorship is a ◊link[censorship-global]{global problem} and is a big problem in for example Eritrea, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia. A more modern problem is manipulation on social media, with the goal to control public opinion. One way is to use trolls (fake user accounts) and another is to ◊link[reddit-censorship]{censor opinions} that don't fit your narrative.

◊(define reddit-censorship
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2016/06/12/reddit-topics-censored-users-banned-linking-orlando-shootings-islam/"
    "Allum Bokhari (2016) Reddit Mods Delete Orlando Shooting Posts Because Attacker Was Muslim"))
◊(define censorship-global
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://cpj.org/2015/04/10-most-censored-countries.php"
    "Committee to Protect Journalists (2015) 10 Most Censored Countries"))
◊(define hk-fp
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.hongkongfp.com/support-hkfp/"
    "Support Hong Kong Free Press"))
◊(define china-censorship
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_China"
    "Wikipedia: Censorship in China"))
◊(define great-firewall-of-china
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.howtogeek.com/162092/htg-explains-how-the-great-firewall-of-china-works/"
    "Chris Hoffman (2017) How the “Great Firewall of China” Works to Censor China’s Internet"))
◊(define hong-kong-protests
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://thefederalist.com/2019/07/25/hong-kong-protest-beijings-new-tiananmen-square/"
    "Helen Raleigh (2019) The Hong Kong Protest Is Beijing’s New Tiananmen Square"))
◊(define china-forgettance
   (x-ref
     "2019-08-28"
     "https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-china-blog-48455582"
     "John Sudworth (2019) Tiananmen 30 years on - China's great act of 'forgettance'"))
◊(define wikipedia-tiananmen
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989"
    "Wikipedia: 1989 Tiananmen Square protests"))
◊(define twitter-detained
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://pen.org/press-release/deng-chuanbin-arrest/"
    "PEN America (2019) Arrest of Chinese Filmmaker Deng Chuanbin Represents the Extreme Lengths of Chinese Authorities to Silence Artistic Voices"))
◊(define china-reeducation
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/09/china-up-to-one-million-detained/"
    "Amnesty (2018) Up to one million detained in China’s mass “re-education” drive"))


◊subhead{A short history of WikiLeaks}

◊link[wikileaks]{WikiLeaks} is a relevant example for illustrating the importance of uncensorable payments as it shows the influence powerful actors have over payment processors and, in turn, the funding for WikiLeaks. We will focus on the Chelsea Manning leaks and the aftermath, where WikiLeaks got their donation channels shut down for exposing government atrocities.

I'll bring up the ◊link[assange-events]{events surrounding Julian Assange}, because they give context and might be relevant to the story of government abuse, but it's not about him or any other person in particular. Even if Julian Assange is guilty of rape, it does not change the importance of the leaks or WikiLeaks as a concept, which goes above individuals.◊mn{association-fallacy}

This is ◊strong{not} a glorification of WikiLeaks---they have ◊link[wikileaks-immoral]{endangered individuals} via their leaks. Instead I hope to show that uncensorable donations are important, because exposing government atrocities can lead to your donations being blocked (and government atrocities should be exposed).

◊note-pos[#:top -10]{association-fallacy}

◊ndef["association-fallacy"]{
    Trying to discredit WikiLeaks by discrediting Assange is ◊def[association-fallacy]{guilt by association}---a logical fallacy.

    If we think that good deeds can only be done by perfectly good people then it follows that only Superman can do good. But in reality people are flawed like Iron Man, who is narcissistic and alcoholic, but also a hero.
}

◊(define wikileaks
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://wikileaks.org/"
    "WikiLeaks"))
◊(define association-fallacy
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_fallacy"
    "Wikipedia: Association fallacy"))
◊(define wikileaks-immoral
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.wired.com/2016/07/wikileaks-officially-lost-moral-high-ground/"
    "Emma Grey Ellis (2016) WikiLeaks Has Officially Lost the Moral High Ground"))


◊section[#:class "wikileaks"]{

  ◊entry["Beginning"
          #:date "Oct 4, 2006"]{

    WikiLeaks ◊link[wikileaks-history]{was launched} as a news site for collaborative editing, similar to how Wikipedia is edited by volunteers. Despite their similar names the sites aren't related. In 2010 WikiLeaks stopped being a wiki, but the name remained the same.

    Today many equate WikiLeaks with Julian Assange, but he's only one of many people involved. Sometimes he's described as the founder, editor-in-chief, or director.
  }


  ◊entry["The Chelsea Manning leaks"
         #:date "July 5, 2010"]{

    ◊div[#:class "caution"]{First I must caution you: it's very easy to become numb when you read about these leaks. The sheer amount of horror is enough to overwhelm you and might cause your brain to suppress your emotions, maybe out of self-defense. But try to remember that this happened to real people---it's not just a mass of text and numbers. Please don't relegate this as just another forgettable statistic.}

    Chelsea Manning (formerly Bradley Manning) is a former soldier of the United States who provided WikiLeaks with nearly 750,000 military and diplomatic documents. They were released in batches and spread out over a period of time. Some of the content was absolutely shocking and caused global outrage, I've tried to pick out some notable leaks◊mn{more-leaks}:

    ◊ndef["more-leaks"]{
        It's hard to do justice as there are ◊strong{many} more leaks, I find it overwhelming. See for example:

        1. ◊link[guantanamo]{Torture and abuse} in the Guantánamo naval base.
        2. How the ◊link[uk-cluster-bomb-ban]{U.S. avoided the U.K. cluster bomb ban}.
        3. The ◊link[abu-omar]{Abu Omar abduction}.
        4. ◊link[tunisian-revolution]{Political corruption} in Tunisia.
        5. ◊link[saudi-urges-attack]{Saudi urged U.S. to attack Iran}.
    }

    ◊ul{
      ◊leak["Collateral murder" #:url collateral-murder-wikileaks]{

        WikiLeaks uploaded a video of a Baghdad helicopter attack in July 12, 2007 with the title "Collateral murder". It's a video of how an attack helicopter killed a dozen innocent people, including two Reuters news staff.

        Here are some ◊link[collateral-murder-transcripts]{transcripts}◊mn{timestamps} of the ◊link[collateral-murder-full]{full video} with my comments on the events:

        ◊ndef["timestamps"]{
            At 2019-08-28 the transcript timestamps are slightly off compared to the full video, I've tried to match them up better.
        }

        ◊div[#:class "transcript-wrapper"]{

          ◊transcript{
              02:34  He's got an RPG [Rocket Propelled Grenade]?
              02:35  All right, we got a guy with an RPG.
          }

          Except now we know it's not an RPG but a camera held by a Reuters journalist.

          ◊transcript{
              03:45  All right, hahaha, I hit [shot] 'em...
              ...
              04:55  Oh, yeah, look at those dead bastards.
              05:00  Nice.
              ...
              06:57  Come on, buddy.
              07:01  All you gotta do is pick up a weapon.
          }

          After killing a bunch of people, they're looking at an injured person crawling on the ground wanting him to pick up a weapon---so they're allowed to kill him.

          ◊transcript{
              07:59  Picking up the wounded?
              08:01  Yeah, we're trying to get permission to engage.
              08:04  Come on, let us shoot!
          }

          Then, a van enters the scene and they're rushing in to help the wounded. But now the rules aren't that important anymore---they want to shoot!

          ◊transcript{
              10:35  Oh yeah, look at that. Right through the windshield!
              10:37  Ha ha!
              10:39  All right. There were uh approximately four to five individuals in that truck, so I'm counting about twelve to fifteen.
          }

          There were two children behind that windshield who got seriously injured. Their father was killed for trying to help the wounded on the street.

        }

        ◊note-pos[#:top -48]{timestamps}



        ◊; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/apr/05/wikileaks-us-army-iraq-attack

        When Reuters tried to get answers for how their reporters died, the U.S. military claimed they didn't know how they got killed, and that all dead were insurgents. They also didn't know how the children got injured, despite having the video footage.

        Afterwards, the military investigated the issue and concluded that the actions of the soldiers where in accordance with the law of armed conflict and its own "Rules of Engagement".
      }

      ◊leak["Execution of children"
            #:url execution-of-children]{

        In 2006, a group of U.S. soldiers entered a house in Iraq where they executed at least 10 people (9 civilians), including an infant and four other children---all five years or younger---and elderly women. They called in an airstrike to cover up the evidence, but postmortems showed they had been handcuffed and shot in the head.◊mn{children-bodies}

        We're quick to call them terrorists, but viewed from another angle the U.S. soldiers are the terrorists. Just imagine foreign soldiers entering your neighbour's house and executing everyone there, including the children...

        The soldiers were cleared of any wrongdoing by the U.S. military, after the military initially denied that the events happened at all.

        ◊qt[#:author "Unknown"]{
            One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter
        }

        ◊note-pos[#:top -18]{children-bodies}

        ◊ndef["children-bodies"]{
            Even the infant was shot in the head.

            A photographer ◊link[children-bodies]{captured pictures of the bodies}. (WARNING FOR GRAPHIC IMAGES)

            ◊; Other:
            ◊; http://alexanderhiggins.com/wikileaks-cable-suggests-the-us-executed-handcuffed-women-and-children-under-5-including-an-infant/
        }

      }

      ◊leak["Civilian deaths in Iraq"
            #:url civilian-deaths-iraq]{

        While U.S. officials had previously said no logs existed of civilian deaths in Iraq, leaked cables told another story. 66,081 civilian deaths had been logged out of a total of 109,000 deaths between 2004 and 2009. That's 60.6% of all dead being innocent people---a horrifyingly bad ratio.◊mn{wtc}

        Leaked cables also indicated that U.S. authorities had failed to investigate hundreds of reports of torture, rape, abuse and murder by Iraqi security officials.
      }

      ◊ndef["wtc"]{
          66 thousand innocent people dead in six years. That's like 22 World Trade center attacks (where 2,977 people died)---more than three a year. Or 31 innocent people dead every day during the six years.
      }

      ◊note-pos[#:top -7]{wtc}

    }

    Countless numbers of civilians killed---while soldiers are laughing---and systematic cover-ups to hide it all.◊mn{purpose}

    ◊ndef["purpose"]{
        You just can't help but wonder---for what purpose? Imaginary nuclear weapons, bringing "democracy and peace" to Iraq, securing oil supply, helping U.S. allies or simply needing a purpose for their massive war machine?

        The value of non-American lives in this war is ridiculously low.
    }

    To me, Chelsea Manning is a hero for bringing this to light. Yet how was she thanked? Like all whistleblowers, she was made an example of; she was court-martialed and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

    ◊note-pos[#:top -8]{purpose}




    ◊; Helicopter attack
    ◊; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hx-jA2m_hY
    ◊; 17 min version:
    ◊; https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=5rXPrfnU3G0
    ◊; Full version:
    ◊; https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=820&v=is9sxRfU-ik

    ◊; https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/chelsea-manning-seven-leaks-rocked-middle-east

  }


  ◊entry["Sexual assault allegations against Julian Assange"
          #:date "Aug 2010"]{

    Shortly after the massive leaks, Julian Assange was ◊link[assange-rape]{accused of sexual assault} in Sweden. The timing might be a coincidence◊mn{truth-fiction}; or if you're a conspiracy theorist you might say they're manufactured by the U.S. government, in a way to reach Julian Assange.

    ◊ndef["truth-fiction"]{
        Like the saying goes: "truth is stranger than fiction".
    }

    In November, when Assange had already traveled to London (the charges were dropped to be picked up again after he left Sweden), an ◊link[assange-international-arrest]{international arrest} warrant was issued by the Swedish police via Interpol.

    ◊note-pos[#:top -10]{truth-fiction}
  }


  ◊entry["PayPal freezes WikiLeaks donations"
         #:date "Dec 4, 2010"]{

    Later, ◊link[paypal-freezes-wikileaks]{PayPal freezes WikiLeaks donations} with the reason:◊mn{paypal}

    ◊ndef["paypal"]{
        As far as reasons for shutting down services, PayPal ◊link[freezing_of_merchant_accounts]{doesn't have a good record}. This excuse is at least believable on the surface.
    }

    ◊qt{
        Our payment service cannot be used for any activities that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity.
    }

    Even if you don't like conspiracy theories, it's not a stretch to say the U.S. government put pressure on PayPal in their effort to shut down WikiLeaks.

    ◊note-pos[#:top -13]{paypal}

    ◊;https://wikileaks.org/PayPal-freezes-WikiLeaks-donations.html
    ◊;https://www.wired.com/2010/12/paypal-wikileaks/
  }

  ◊entry["Banking blockade"
         #:date "Dec 7, 2010"]{
    This further developed into a ◊link[banking-blockade]{Banking Blockade} that the Bank of America, VISA, MasterCard and Western Union also joined. WikiLeaks claim this destroyed 95% of their revenue, and they had to resort to cash reserves.

    The blockade was later ◊link[illegal-blockade]{found to be illegal} and today WikiLeaks again accept donations via PayPal and credit cards, but they suffered large damage at the crucial time when the world was in uproar over the leaks.◊mn{shutdown-successful}

    ◊ndef["shutdown-successful"]{
        If the goal was to divert attention and to put breaks on WikiLeaks until the whole thing blew over, you might say it was a success.

        For instance today, in 2021, the torture and abuse still continues in Guantánamo, despite ex-president ◊link[obama-guantanamo]{Barack Obama's promise} to close it.
    }
  }


  ◊entry["WikiLeaks accepts Bitcoin"
         #:date "Jun 14, 2011"]{

    After being shunned by banks and payment processors, WikiLeaks turned to Bitcoin, because nobody---not even the U.S. government---can block Bitcoin transactions.

    Why did it take almost a year before WikiLeaks started accepting Bitcoin? Satoshi made this appeal in the de-facto discussion forum at the time:

    ◊qt[#:author "Satoshi"
        #:url satoshi-quote
        #:date "Dec 5, 2010"]{
        ◊qt{
            Basically, bring it on.  Let's encourage Wikileaks to use Bitcoins and I'm willing to face any risk or fallout from that act.
        }

        No, don't "bring it on".

        The project needs to grow gradually so the software can be strengthened along the way.

        I make this appeal to WikiLeaks not to try to use Bitcoin.  Bitcoin is a small beta community in its infancy.  You would not stand to get more than pocket change, and the heat you would bring would likely destroy us at this stage.
    }

    Which ◊link[assange-bitcoin-ama-msg]{Assange cites} as the reason they held off introducing Bitcoin donations.

    ◊;https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/2ghp54/i_am_julian_assange_ama_about_my_new_book_when/ckjcmyw/

    ◊;This was 6 days before Satoshi vanished from the community.

    ◊;◊qt[#:author "Satoshi"
        ◊;#:url "https://archive.fo/2acvG#msg29280"
        ◊;#:date "Dec 11, 2010"]{
        ◊;It would have been nice to get this attention in any other context.  WikiLeaks has kicked the hornet's nest, and the swarm is headed towards us.
    ◊;}

    ◊;https://mobile.twitter.com/wikileaks/status/80774521350668288
    ◊;https://www.coindesk.com/assange-bitcoin-wikileaks-helped-keep-alive
    ◊; Actual source of Assange talking about bitcoin:
    ◊; https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/2ghp54/i_am_julian_assange_ama_about_my_new_book_when/

  }


  ◊entry["Assange applies for political asylum from Ecuador"
         #:date "June, 2012"]{

◊;https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/19/julian-assange-wikileaks-asylum-ecuador
◊;https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/aug/16/julian-assange-ecuador-embassy-asylum-live

◊;https://shadowproof.com/2012/05/30/uk-supreme-court-rejects-julian-assanges-extradition-appeal/

    A couple of weeks after the Supreme Court's final ruling in U.K. that Assange ◊link[assange-loses-extradition-appeal]{should be extradited} to Sweden, he walked into the Ecuadorean embassy in London and applied for political asylum. The stated reason was fears that Sweden would send him to the U.S. where he would risk the death penalty under espionage charges.◊mn{sweden-extradition}

    Assange was ◊link[assange-asylum-granted]{granted asylum} on August 16◊sup{th} and his stay at the embassy would be longer than anyone would have thought.

    ◊note-pos[#:top -8]{sweden-extradition}

    ◊ndef["sweden-extradition"]{
        The fears of Sweden extraditing Assange to the U.S. might not be unfounded. In 2001 the ◊link[repatriation-sweden]{Swedish police watched CIA forcefully detain} two Egyptian refugees on Swedish soil, who later faced torture in Eqyptian prisons.
    }
  }


  ◊entry["Chelsea Manning's sentence is commuted"
         #:date "Jan 17, 2017"]{

    President Barack Obama ◊link[manning-commutes]{commutes Chelsea Manning's prison sentence}. Important to note it only reduced her sentence, it doesn't change the fact that she was convicted.◊mn{pardon} She spent almost 7 years of her original 35 year sentence in prison.

    ◊ndef["pardon"]{
        In contrast, a ◊def{pardon} would completely absolve her of any wrongdoing.
    }
  }

  ◊entry["Chelsea Manning is jailed again"
         #:date "Mar, 2019"]{
    Chelsea Manning is ◊link[manning-jailed-again]{jailed again} for her refusal to testify against Julian Assange. She objected to the secrecy of the grand jury process and says she has already revealed everything she knows at her court martial.
  }

  ◊entry["Assange arrested at the embassy"
         #:date "April, 2019"]{

    After almost 7 years at the Ecuadorien embassy, Julian Assange finally leaves the embassy and is arrested.◊mn{second-arrest}

    While he was immediately ◊link[assange-indicted]{indicted on 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act} by the U.S. his release was news for the Swedish prosecutors. Nevertheless the Swedish investigation ◊link[assange-rape-reopen-19]{was soon reopened} as well.

    ◊note-pos[#:top -9]{second-arrest}

    ◊ndef["second-arrest"]{
        Confusingly he was actually arrested twice. First for ◊link[assange-arrest-uk]{skipping a U.K. court warrant} and a second time at the ◊link[assange-arrest-us]{request of the U.S.} seeking his extradition.

        ◊; https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/apr/11/julian-assange-arrested-at-ecuadorian-embassy-wikileaks
    }


◊; Arrested:
◊; https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19632449

◊; Indicted under Espionage Act
◊; https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19995363

◊;https://www.theguardian.com/media/live/2019/apr/11/wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-arrested-at-the-ecuadorean-embassy-live-updates
  }

  ◊entry["The rape investigation is dropped"
         #:date "November, 2019"]{
    A few months later, the Swedish prosecutor once again ◊link[assange-rape-closed-19]{dropped their investigation against Assange}, citing the long period of time since the alleged crime as the reason.

    When Assange first sought asylum many people said it was only to avoid the Swedish charges and he used fears of the U.S. as a pretext, but in hindsight the fears might have been real.

  }

  ◊entry["Observers are denied entry to the Assange hearings"
         #:date "September, 2020"]{

    During Assange's extradition hearing, where the U.K. will rule on extradition to the U.S., Amnesty International were ◊link[amnesty-hearings]{blocked from observing the hearings}. They claim the hearings were intentionally locked down:

    ◊qt{
        The judge wrote back expressing her "regret" at her decision and saying: “I fully recognise that justice should be administered in public". Despite her regret and her recognition that scrutiny is a vital component of open justice, the judge did not change her mind.

        [...]

        Amnesty International have monitored trials from Guantanamo Bay to Bahrain, Ecuador to Turkey. For our observer to be denied access profoundly undermines open justice.
    }

  }

  ◊entry["A farcical extradition hearing"
         #:date "September, 2020"]{

    The human rights activist, Craig Murray, was allowed to observe and he's been documenting the hearing ◊link[craig-murray]{on his blog}, and it's not an exaggeration to call the hearing a farce.

    Witnesses were prevented from taking the stand because the U.S. managed to block any reference to the torture at Guantanamo (which we know is true):

    ◊qt[#:author "Craig Murray"
        #:url day-14
        #:src "Assange Hearing Day 14"]{
        The next witness, Andy Worthington, was at court and ready to give evidence, but was prevented from doing so. The United States government objected to his evidence, about his work on the Guantanamo Detainee files, being heard because it contained allegations of inmates being tortured at Guantanamo.
    }

    In another instance, the prosecution---with the cooperation of the judge---tries to hide the fact that Assange was caught with a razor in the cell, which would imply that Assange is thinking of suicide:

    ◊qt[#:author "Craig Murray"
        #:url day-17
        #:src "Assange Hearing Day 17"
        #:emphasis #t]{
        For Baraitser [the judge] to try to protect both Lewis and the prosecution by pretending the existence of the blade is dependent on the outcome of the subsequent charge, when all three people in the cell at the time of the search agreed to its existence, including Assange, is perhaps Baraitser’s most remarkable abuse of legal procedure yet.

        [...]

        The existence of the blade was not in doubt. Julian Assange had attested to it and two prison warders had attested to it. ◊em{Baraitser said that she could only base her view on the decision of the Prison Governor}.

        [...]

        The Governor’s decision was at paragraph 19. Baraitser told Fitzgerald she could not accept the document as it was new evidence. Fitzgerald told her ◊em{she had herself asked for the outcome of the charge}. He said the document contained very interesting information. Baraitser said that the Governor’s decision was at paragraph 19, that was all she had asked for, and ◊em{she would refuse to take the rest of the document into consideration}.
    }

    The hearing is full of problems like these. The prosecution changed their accusations hours before and the defense not getting enough time to prepare, that the defense was prevented from questioning key witnesses and that there will be no closing speeches in the hearing.

    Nevertheless, in January 2021 the judge ◊link[blocked]{blocked Assange's extradition to the U.S.}

    Not because she disagreed with the prosecution, but because Assange would face barbaric prison treatment in the U.S., and thus it would be "unjust or oppressive to extradite him".

    As of March 2021, the judgement may still be overturned by appeals.

    ◊;As I'm writing this in late September it's not yet decided what will happen to Assange, but it seems clear that the judge already made up her mind before the hearing even began.◊mn{blocked}
  }
}

◊ndef["blocked"]{
}

◊; UN panel 'rules in Assange's favour'
◊;https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11032787

◊; Timeline of Assange:
◊; https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11949341


◊(define (entry title #:date [date #f] . text)
   (define xdate (if date
                     `(div ((class "date")) ,date)
                     ""))
   `(div ((class "entry"))
      (div ((class "header"))
        (h3 ,title)
        ,xdate)
      (div ((class "txt"))
        ,@text)))

◊(define (leak title #:url [url #f] . text)
   (define xtitle (if url
                      (link url title)
                      title))
   `(li ((class "leak"))
      (div [[class "title"]] ,xtitle)
      ,@text))

◊(define (transcript . rows)
   (define (make-row row)
     (if (string=? row "\n")
       ""
       (let ((cols (string-split row "  ")))
         `(div ((class "row"))
            (span ((class "time")) ,(car cols))
            (span ((class "txt")) ,@(cdr cols))))))
   `(div ((class "transcript"))
      ,@(map make-row rows)))

◊(define execution-of-children
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/special-reports/article24696685.html"
    "Matthew Schofield (2011) Iraqi children in U.S. raid shot in head, U.N. says"))
◊(define civilian-deaths-iraq
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wikileaks-iraqi-civilian-deaths-higher-reported/story?id=11953723"
    "Russell Goldman, Luis Martinez (2010) WikiLeaks Documents Reveal Death Count, Torture"))
◊(define satoshi-quote
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "http://archive.fo/Gvonb#msg26999"
    "bitcointalk.org (2010) Satoshi Re: Wikileaks contact info?"))

◊(define wikileaks-history
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiLeaks#History"
    "Wikipedia: History of WikiLeaks"))
◊(define assange-loses-extradition-appeal
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-18260914"
    "BBC (2012) Julian Assange loses extradition appeal at Supreme Court"))
◊(define assange-asylum-granted
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-19281492"
    "BBC (2012) Julian Assange: Ecuador grants Wikileaks founder asylum"))
◊(define assange-indicted
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/23/us/politics/assange-indictment.html"
    "Charlie Savage (2019) Assange Indicted Under Espionage Act, Raising First Amendment Issues"))
◊(define assange-rape
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.bbc.com/news/world-11047025"
    "BBC (2010) Wikileaks founder Julian Assange accused of rape"))
◊(define assange-international-arrest
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11803703"
    "BBC (2010) Wikileaks' Assange faces international arrest warrant"))
◊(define assange-events
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11949341"
    "BBC (2019) Julian Assange: A timeline of Wikileaks founder's case"))
◊(define obama-guantanamo
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/president-obama-expected-make-statement-guantanamo-n524131"
    "Halimah Abdullah (2016) Guantanamo Bay: Obama Announces Plan to Close Controversial Detention Facility"))

◊(define collateral-murder-wikileaks
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://collateralmurder.wikileaks.org/"
    "WikiLeaks (2012) Collateral Murder"))
◊(define collateral-murder-17
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rXPrfnU3G0"
    "YouTube (2010) Collateral Murder (17 min)"))
◊(define collateral-murder-full
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is9sxRfU-ik"
    "YouTube (2010) Collateral Murder (39 min)"))
◊(define collateral-murder-transcripts
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://collateralmurder.wikileaks.org/en/transcript.html"
    "WikiLeaks: Collateral Murder Transcript"))

◊(define paypal-freezes-wikileaks
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://wikileaks.org/PayPal-freezes-WikiLeaks-donations.html"
    "WikiLeaks (2010) PayPal freezes WikiLeaks donations"))
◊(define banking-blockade
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://wikileaks.org/Banking-Blockade.html"
    "WkiLeaks (2011) Banking Blockade"))
◊(define illegal-blockade
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://wikileaks.org/Protesters-against-WikiLeaks.html"
    "WikiLeaks (2014) Protesters against WikiLeaks banking blockade, the \"PayPal 14\", largely victorious"))
◊(define assange-bitcoin-ama-msg
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/2ghp54/i_am_julian_assange_ama_about_my_new_book_when/ckjcmyw/"
    "Julian Assange (2014) AMA with Julian Assange on Reddit"))
◊(define manning-commutes
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/us/politics/obama-commutes-bulk-of-chelsea-mannings-sentence.html"
    "Charlie Savage (2017) Chelsea Manning to Be Released Early as Obama Commutes Sentence"))
◊(define manning-jailed-again
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/08/chelsea-manning-judge-jails-wikileaks-case"
    "Erin Durkin (2019) Chelsea Manning jailed for refusing to testify to grand jury in WikiLeaks case "))

◊(define uk-cluster-bomb-ban
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/01/wikileaks-cables-cluster-bombs-britain"
    "Rob Evans and David Leigh (2010) WikiLeaks cables: Secret deal let Americans sidestep cluster bomb ban"))
◊(define abu-omar
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/cia-rendition-case-us-pressured-italy-to-influence-judiciary-a-735268.html"
    "Von John Goetz, Matthias Gebauer (2010) US Pressured Italy to Influence Judiciary"))
◊(define saudi-urges-attack
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.reuters.com/article/us-wikileaks-usa-idUSTRE6AP06Z20101129"
    "Arshad Mohammed, Ross Colvin (2010) Saudi king urged U.S. to attack Iran: WikiLeaks"))
◊(define tunisian-revolution
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikileaks_Revolution"
    "Wikipedia: Tunisian Revolution"))
◊(define guantanamo
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/25/guantanamo-files-lift-lid-prison"
    "David Leigh, James Ball, Ian Cobain and Jason Burke (2011) Guantánamo leaks lift lid on world's most controversial prison"))
◊(define children-bodies
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://web.archive.org/web/20150416062019/http://www.chris-floyd.com/march/"
    "Chris Floyd (2006) Children of Abraham: Death in the Desert (Wayback Machine)"))
◊(define repatriation-sweden
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repatriation_of_Ahmed_Agiza_and_Muhammad_al-Zery"
    "Wikipedia: Repatriation of Ahmed Agiza and Muhammad al-Zery"))

◊(define assange-arrest-uk
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47891737"
    "BBC (2019) Julian Assange: Wikileaks co-founder arrested in London"))
◊(define assange-arrest-us
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/apr/11/julian-assange-arrested-at-ecuadorian-embassy-wikileaks"
    "Caroline Davies, Simon Murphy and Damien Gayle (2019) Julian Assange faces US extradition after arrest at Ecuadorian embassy"))
◊(define assange-rape-reopen-19
  (x-ref
    "2020-09-22"
    "https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48253343"
    "BBC (2019) Julian Assange: Sweden reopens rape investigation"))
◊(define assange-rape-closed-19
  (x-ref
    "2020-09-22"
    "https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50473792"
    "BBC (2019) Julian Assange: Sweden drops rape investigation"))
◊(define amnesty-hearings
  (x-ref
    "2020-09-22"
    "https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/09/why-are-amnesty-international-monitors-not-able-to-observe-the-assange-hearing/"
    "Stefan Simanowitz, Amnesty International (2020) Why are Amnesty International monitors not able to observe the Assange hearing?"))
◊(define gallagher-dismissed
  (x-ref
    "2020-09-22"
    "https://fox5sandiego.com/news/navy-dismisses-case-against-seal-accused-of-covering-up-war-crimes/"
    "City News Service (2019) Navy dismisses case against SEAL accused of covering up war crimes"))
◊(define gallagher-chief
  (x-ref
    "2020-09-22"
    "https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2019/11/04/report-trump-makes-seal-gallagher-a-chief-again/"
    "Report: Trump makes SEAL Gallagher a chief again"))
◊(define craig-murray
  (x-ref
    "2020-09-30"
    "https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/"
    "Craig Murray - Historian, Former Ambassador, Human Rights Activist"))
◊(define day-14
  (x-ref
    "2020-09-30"
    "https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2020/09/your-man-in-the-public-gallery-assange-hearing-day-14/"
    "Craig Murray (2020) Your Man in the Public Gallery: Assange Hearing Day 14"))
◊(define day-17
  (x-ref
    "2020-09-30"
    "https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2020/09/your-man-in-the-public-gallery-assange-hearing-day-17/"
    "Craig Murray (2020) Your Man in the Public Gallery: Assange Hearing Day 17"))
◊(define blocked
  (x-ref
    "2021-03-10"
    "https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/USA-v-Assange-judgment-040121.pdf"
    "Judiciary of England and Wales (2021) USA vs. Julian Assange Judgment"))


◊subhead{Hiding skeletons in the closet}

There's another theme in the WikiLeaks story: How the U.S. government instead of admitting these horrible events, punishing the responsible and making sure they never happen again, seem to do everything to cover them up.

This idea that American soldiers are unconditionally heroes, regardless of what they've done, makes me both angry and sad. Donald Trump has for example expressed concerns over soldiers being prosecuted for war crimes, and ◊link[trump-pardons]{considered pardoning them}. This includes a ◊link[gallagher]{Navy Seals soldier} who (allegedly) killed a 15-year old defenseless kid with his hunting knife and shot unarmed civilians.◊mn{gallagher}

Those aren't the actions of a hero.

◊ndef["gallagher"]{
    The serious charges against the Navy Seal solder ◊link[gallagher-dismissed]{were later dismissed} and he was "only" convicted for posing for a picture with the dead body of the 15-year old.

    Trump continued his support as he announced he was rescinding awards given to some of the Navy prosecutors who brought up the case.
}


Of course, covering up or rationalizing events isn't a U.S. only phenomena. Here are other examples:

◊ul{
  ◊li{◊link[rel-tiananmen]{As previously mentioned} the Chinese cover up of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.}
  ◊li{How Genghis Khan is looked up to.

    Maybe you've heard that 1 of 200 people of all people alive today are related to Genghis Khan? That's because he raped young girls wherever he went.◊mn{dan-hitler} ◊note-pos{dan-hitler}
  }
  ◊li{In Scandinavian countries we talk about Vikings with pride.

    But the word Viking originally refers to actions of a group: "to viking", "to pirate" or "to pillage". And pillaging means killing, stealing, raping and taking people as slaves. Not unlike the actions of the U.S. soldiers who executed children---which we find so revolting.
  }
  ◊li{How leaders like Ceasar and Kim Jong-il were glorified.

    It was even forbidden to talk about them negatively.
  }
  ◊li{How the Soviet Union tried to cover up the ◊link[chernobyl-accident]{Chernobyl nuclear disaster}.◊mn{chernobyl-TV} ◊note-pos{chernobyl-TV}}
}

◊ndef["dan-hitler"]{
    Dan Carlin, creator of the excellent ◊link[hardcore-history]{Hardcore History} podcast, brought up an interesting question:

    ◊em{How long will it take for people to celebrate Hitler?}

    It seems absurd to us now, but Genghis Khan did similarly awful things yet there's ◊link[khan-eurovision]{a song in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest} about him and how "all women fell for him".
}

◊ndef["chernobyl-TV"]{
    I recently finished watching the ◊link[chernobyl-TV]{Chernobyl} TV-series and I think it lives up to the hype. Among other things it captures the feeling of the cover-ups very well.
}

Unfortunately it seems like a human thing to try to hide your misdeeds instead of coming clean, even when they're exposed.

◊qt[#:author "A fidgeting child"]{
    No mom, it wasn't me!
}

◊(define rel-tiananmen
  `("#censorship-is-real" "Censorship is real"))
◊(define chernobyl-accident
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident.aspx"
    "World Nuclear Association: Chernobyl Accident 1986"))
◊(define chernobyl-TV
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7366338/"
    "IMDb: Chernobyl"))
◊(define word-viking
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://norse-mythology.net/what-does-the-word-viking-mean/"
    "What does the word Viking mean?"))
◊(define khan-eurovision
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvS351QKFV4"
    "YouTube (2012) Dschinghis Khan - Moskau 1979"))
◊(define hardcore-history
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/"
    "Hardcore History, a history podcast by Dan Carlin"))
◊(define trump-pardons
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2019-05-24/trump-considers-pardons-for-soldiers-accused-of-war-crimes"
    "Associated Press, Wire Service Content (2019) Trump Considers Pardons for Soldiers Accused of War Crimes"))
◊(define gallagher
  (x-ref
    "2019-08-28"
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Gallagher_(soldier)"
    "Wikipedia: Eddie Gallagher (Navy SEAL)"))


◊subhead{Burying the truth will allow it to continue}

◊book-qt[1984-book]{
    ... if all records told the same tale---then the lie passed into history and became truth. 'Who controls the past,' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.' ... 'Reality control', they called it: in Newspeak, 'doublethink'.
}

I know what some of you might say and others might feel: you don't want to know about these horrible things. It's true that you'll feel better if you're unaware and you'll probably personally be better off if you act like these never happened.

But if we practice collective 'forgettance', where we all pretend these never happened, they will continue to happen. This is why what Chelsea Manning and WikiLeaks revealed about the Iraq war is so important: we're forced to confront the truth.◊mn{prevent-future}

◊ndef["prevent-future"]{
    I'm not so naive to say the leaks will prevent future atrocities---they won't. But knowledge of what actually happens is a necessary first step for change to be possible at all.
}


◊subhead{Cryptocurrency donations cannot be prevented}

While the U.S. government was able to coerce payment processors and banks to drop WikiLeaks, they could never prevent Bitcoin donations. Even China, with the world's largest internet censorship, cannot censor cryptocurrency transactions.◊mn{china-mining} The best they can do is force some exchanges to cooperate---but that can be worked around, for example by selling bitcoins in person for cash or by avoiding fiat altogether.

It doesn't matter who you are or where you are, you can always accept donations digitally via cryptocurrencies. Even the most powerful nations in the world cannot prevent them, which is something unique for cryptocurrencies.

◊note-pos[#:top -14]{china-mining}

◊ndef["china-mining"]{
    China does have most of the Bitcoin hashrate inside their country. They could theoretically take majority control of Bitcoin's hashrate and censor transactions that way (this is the worst attack possible against a cryptocurrency, called a ◊def[51%-attack]{51% attack}). If successful this would also completely break Bitcoin's security, making it pointless.

    In this scenario the Bitcoin community would most likely recognize it as an attack and a chain split would happen, making existing miners worthless.
}

◊;https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19632449
◊;https://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n05/andrew-ohagan/ghosting