Here, the author Pitasanna Shanmugathas a graduate from Vermont Law looks at the reprisals faced by prominent whistleblowers in the wake of Julian Assange’s release, and the threat whistleblower prosecutions raise to media freedom and the principles of transparency and accountability in government… The release of Julian Assange after years of legal battles highlights the [...]
Search Results for: Russia
Bank of Italy reports possible illegal transactions to Russia
The Bank of Italy identified over 150,000 suspicious transaction in 2023, including possible illegal transactions to Russia, Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) said in its 2023 annual report posted publicly on Wednesday. The FIU annual report detailed the possibility of these illegal transactions towards Russia. The alleged transactions were monitored in the Aggregate Anti-Money Laundering Reports (SARA), [...]
Russia and Ukraine exchange 180 prisoners in UAE-mediated swap
Russia and Ukraine conducted a prisoner exchange, with each side exchanging 90 prisoners of war each and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) acting as an intermediary. The Tuesday exchange marked the latest in a series of periodic swaps between the two nations since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022. The Russian defense [...]
The recent defense agreement between North Korea and Russia, pledging mutual defense and assistance, signals a disturbing shift in the global geopolitical landscape. This pact, building on an increasingly visible camaraderie between these authoritarian regimes, raises the specter of a new axis of dictatorships. With China, Iran, and Belarus already exhibiting varying degrees of alignment [...]
ECHR finds Russia liable for multiple human rights violations in Crimea since 2014
The European Court of Human Rights unanimously found Tuesday that Russia was guilty of a pattern of human rights violations since 2014 in Crimea under the European Convention on Human Rights (Convention) and international humanitarian law, in its ruling on the case Ukraine v. Russia (re Crimea). These violations included ill-treatment, intimidation, disappearances, forced Russian [...]
Russia’s foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that it is banning access to the broadcasts of 81 media outlets in response to the EU’s decision to sanction certain Russian media outlets for spreading propaganda. They also accused the EU based media outlets of disseminating false information about the war in Ukraine. The ban notably affects several prominent [...]
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants Tuesday for Russia’s former defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, and its military chief of staff, General Valery Gerasimov. The two are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, specifically for allegedly attacking civilian targets in Ukraine. The ICC’s judges believe there are reasonable grounds to hold Shoigu [...]
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell announced Monday during the Foreign Affairs Council that EU ministers agreed on a “legal framework” to increase its military support to Ukraine and bypass Hungary’s opposition to the project. The EU’s diplomacy chief emphasized in a press statement before the meeting of foreign [...]
Russia blames US for Sevastopol attack that killed four and summons ambassador
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs blamed the US on Monday for a Ukrainian attack on Russian-annexed Crimea that killed four and injured more than 150, saying in a statement they had “no doubt” of the US involvements. Russia also summoned the US ambassador to the country to discuss the issue. According to the Russian [...]
Indonesia confirms National Data Center cyber attack and refuses to pay $8 million ransom
The head of Indonesia’s state Cyber and Crypto agency (BSSSN). Hinsa Siburian, confirmed Monday that the National Data Center (PDN) of the Ministry of Communication and Information in Indonesia was disrupted by a ransomware attack on June 20, local media reported. According to Siburian, the ransomware used is the kind of cyber attack that infects [...]