MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Brazil hosts Unasur Summit to relaunch regional integration
The Government of Brazil has confirmed it will host a Summit in Brasilia on May 30 to relaunch Unasur. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's initiative will be called Meeting of Presidents of South American Countries and “aims to promote a frank dialogue among all, aimed at identifying common denominators, discussing perspectives for the region and reactivating the South American cooperation agenda in key areas, such as health, climate change, defense, combating illicit transnational corporations, infrastructure, and energy, among others,” according to Itamaraty Palace. Read full article
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May 05th, 2023 - 01:01 pm - Link - Report abuse -2One more opportunity to be free of the Westerners.
You are a Westerner Bras, Western Hemisphere country of European stock, think before you post such stupid dribble,
May 05th, 2023 - 02:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Western is Atlantic Europe, Anglo-Saxon America and Australia.
May 05th, 2023 - 02:29 pm - Link - Report abuse -1Not us. We were excluded and barred from the party several centuries ago.
So, we South Americans, from Portuguese and Spanish America, are from the South. From the Global South. As all BRICS countries are.
I don't attack you in my comments. So respect me. Disagree with my ideas without personal aggression.
Bras, you post so much ridiculous stuff, the west is not Anglo anything it is the whole western world of which Brazil is a part of which believes in democracy and freedom, get yourself educated, with out western values Brazil would not exist,
May 05th, 2023 - 02:50 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Our ancestors were dispossessed, enslaved, raped. You Westerners weren't.
May 05th, 2023 - 03:06 pm - Link - Report abuse -1Our America has always suffered from political interference, economic exploitation and the squandering of natural resources. You Westerners have always been the authors of all this.
Our people, to this day, suffer structural racism, personal arrogance and military threat from the West. Not from Russia, or China.
We want to have the right to exploit our natural resources. Give an opportunity to improve the lives of our people. In peace!
Bras, seriously, go to your nearest library and study politics economics and geography, When has the west threatened Brazil ? the answer is never, any exploitation in the land of Brazil is done by the white settlers (you) who robbed the land from the true native owners, BRICS is an informal trade block nothing more, India and China dont like each other and are constantly having border Skirmishes, Russia is ruled by a mad man and has no friends, South Africa is broke and desperate for Western investment, where do you get your silly nonsense from, who is stopping from developing ? the answer is no one, you, Racism, is rife in Brazil and nothing to do with anyone but yourselves, educate yourself,
May 05th, 2023 - 03:26 pm - Link - Report abuse 0White man bad!!
May 05th, 2023 - 03:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0We ruin the lives of native Amazonians, for opportunities to exploit natural resources and improve lives in peace.
This is the white man's fault.
China doesn't cause military threats to anyone! Russia doesn't cause military threats to anyone!
Well, they actually do and they actually are each of them, a nasty bunch of liars and murderers.
Brasi shuts out this reality, so he can engage in his white hatred racism.
Our America goes beyond Brazil. In the words of the President of Colombia, Panama, Grenada and the Dominican Republic were militarily invaded by the West.
May 05th, 2023 - 03:39 pm - Link - Report abuse -1In addition, I personally read in the Western media about the desire for political and military invasion of the Amazon, the original land of our Moroccan identity, the land of our heritage in Grão-Pará. From Mazagon.
You see, we are threatened every day just for wanting to trade in all of the world's currencies, not just the dollar.
Imagine if passing through western thinking, we sign a military cooperation treaty with China, for example?
Just because our president visited China, we were attacked and vilified in all of you Western media.
We don't want to be like you. Our historical values, our ethnic background, OUR WAY OF SEEING THE WORLD is different.
We are threatened every day??? by who ??? nonsense, no one threatens you,
May 05th, 2023 - 04:08 pm - Link - Report abuse 0your previous President was big buddies with Trump.
Political and military invasion of the Amazon ???, utter and complete garbage,
Brazil is friends with other western countries.
You can trade in what ever currency you want, no one is interested, its not important,
Media attacked you for a China visit, French President visited China as do all western leaders. its called diplomacy,
Our historical values are different ???? more nonsense, give the land back to the natives and return to were your ancestors are from,
our ethnic background, ????? Portuguese, German and Africa,
if posting nonsense was an Olympic sport then the gold medal would be yours.
Bras
May 05th, 2023 - 11:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Just a couple of the most obvious points.
‘Our ancestors were dispossessed, enslaved, raped’, err, it was your ancestors that were doing all that.
‘You Westerners weren't’, well read some European history, in fact some history of anywhere, this has been going on since we swung out of the trees.
‘We want to have the right to exploit our natural resources. Give an opportunity to improve the lives of our people. In peace!’
But you deny the same rights to the Falkland Islanders??? Who are not an implanted population, unlike most of S. America, including you.
If you think your salvation is in BRICS, then good luck with that, it is entirely your choice, but you might want to check out how it has worked out in places like Africa first.
Once you sell your soul to the Devil there is no way back.
Oh and your President wasn’t vilified because of where he went, but because of what he said, big difference.
Juan, While I disagree with Brasileiro on many things, I completely support his request to keep these exchanges civil. Using invective and innuendo only serves to weaken your own position.
May 06th, 2023 - 10:53 am - Link - Report abuse 0FortHay, to a certain extent i agree, however, if you look at many of his posts on the Falklands section, you will see some of the things he has posted are quite distasteful racist aggressive and quite hateful towards the islanders and the UK,NATO etc,
May 06th, 2023 - 12:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva denounced the lack of concerted efforts to free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, …
May 07th, 2023 - 12:23 am - Link - Report abuse 0“A journalist who denounced trickery by one state against another is arrested, condemned to die in jail and we do nothing to free him.”
”The indictment of Assange is a blueprint for making journalists into felons. By Glenn Greenwald
The U.S. government unveiled an 18-count indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, charging him under the 1917 Espionage Act for his role in the 2010 publication of a trove of secret documents …
With these new charges, the Trump administration is aggressively and explicitly seeking to obliterate the last reliable buffer protecting journalism in the United States from being criminalized, a step that no previous administration, no matter how hostile to journalistic freedom, was willing to take. The U.S. government has been eager to prosecute Assange since the 2010 leaks.
The argument offered by both the Trump administration that Assange isn’t a journalist at all and thus deserves no free press protections.
In a 1977 Supreme Court opinion documenting the limitless scope of the constitutional free press guarantee, Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote: “In short, the First Amendment does not ‘belong’ to any definable category of persons or entities: It belongs to all who exercise its freedoms.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/05/28/indictment-assange-is-blueprint-making-journalists-into-felons/#comments-wrapper
https://apnews.com/article/brazil-lula-coronation-london-julian-assange-wikileaks-a994ffc406fc8df19e0f1a9ac1c0ed16
May 07th, 2023 - 12:20 pm - Link - Report abuse -1‘Lula offered the remarks in response to a question about Assange, …. He said he had forgotten to discuss the matter with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Humm, ‘forgotten to discuss the matter’, cannot be very important to him if it can so easily be forgotten and requires a question from a journalist to remind him.
Mind you, he seems to have forgotten to mention Las Malvinas as well, is this also not important to him??? Or is this early onset alzheimer's???
Mr Assange has only himself to blame for his current predicament.
Had he gone back to Sweden when he was supposed to, he would be a freeman by now whatever the outcome of the charges against him.
But noooo, he skipped bail and stayed in the Ecuadorian embassy, on the grounds that he was afraid he would be extradited to the US from Sweden, although no extradition request had been made to either country.
Sweden one of the most difficult countries in the world to extradite people from, where Britain and the US have the easiest of extradition arrangements.
Either he was lying through his teeth, or he is unbelievably stupid, either way, he is proper F*cked now.
@fortHay, you clearly dont know Brasileiro, its not about agreeing or disagreeing, its about common sense, 90% of his post are just not sensible in any way shape or form, and as it has been said if you look on the Falklands thread. there are racist and aggressive war mongering comments made by him,
May 07th, 2023 - 01:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Mr Assange has only himself to blame for his current predicament”.
May 07th, 2023 - 09:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Why? When the highest legal ruling in the US, says his conduct is Constitutionally protected.
“In a 1977 Supreme Court opinion documenting the limitless scope of the constitutional free press guarantee, Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote: “In short, the First Amendment does not ‘belong’ to any definable category of persons or entities: It belongs to all who exercise its freedoms.”
I don’t see how ‘the First Amendment’, or ‘constitutional free press guarantee’, or especially ‘his conduct is constitutionally protected’, apply when the issue is skipping bale to avoid rape/sexual assault charges in Sweden.
May 07th, 2023 - 11:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Had he gone back to Sweden when he was supposed to, he would be a freeman by now whatever the outcome of the charges against him.
Your politically driven opinion blatantly ignores the absolute lack of any known offence in law.
May 08th, 2023 - 12:39 am - Link - Report abuse 0Fortunately, we don´t punish people who have not been convicted of any offence; in spite of your obvious preference for a different outcome.
There is nothing ‘politically driven’ about a rape charge in Sweden and the Swedish presented their evidence with the extradition request. Which is the issue here, not what he is going to be charged with in the US. Two entirely different matters.
May 08th, 2023 - 01:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0His ‘political notoriety’ does not exempt him from prosecution for thing like rape.
He was never convicted of any offence in Sweden, because he never went back to face the charges.
Instead he hid in the Ecuadorian embassy until the statute of limitations ran out in Sweden. Then the Ecuadorians, clearly having had enough of him stinking up the place, kicked him out, whereupon he was arrested for breach of bail (you don’t get bailed for that).
Which, with no prior, outstanding extradition warrant from Sweden to complicate matters, was the Americans que to make their extradition request.
He avoided charges in Sweden but thereby left himself open to extradition to the US.
Had he gone back to Sweden when he was supposed to, he would be a freeman by now whatever the outcome of the charges against him. With no chance of being extradited to the US either from Sweden or his native Australia, where he would have been deported to at the end of proceedings in Sweden.
But don’t worry it will be years before he has exhausted his appeals to UK then European courts, meantime residing in HMP Belmarsh.
And then when he is finally in the US, it will take a few more years before they decide what they are going to do.
As a result of his ‘Cunning Plan’, he will have spent many years in jail before he even starts any prison sentence. Where his imprisonment to date is entirely the result of his attempts to avoid going to court.
He was the architect of his own demise, unbelievably stupid.
‘‘his conduct is constitutionally protected’, apply when the issue is skipping bale to avoid rape/sexual assault charges in Sweden. ”
May 08th, 2023 - 07:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0No, those charges were dropped.
“Julian Assange: Sweden drops rape investigation” BBC,19 November 2019
You are deliberately misstating the issue, which is the illegal attempt of the US to obtain jurisdiction over Assange.
“In a 1977 Supreme Court opinion documenting the limitless scope of the constitutional free press guarantee, Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote: “In short, the First Amendment does not ‘belong’ to any definable category of persons or entities: It belongs to all who exercise its freedoms.”
Your politically driven opinion blatantly ignores the absolute lack of any known offence in law.
The charges were dropped because the statute of limitations had expired and for no other reason, so long was he in the Ecuadorian embassy.
May 09th, 2023 - 12:43 am - Link - Report abuse 0Then, with no prior, outstanding extradition warrant from Sweden to complicate matters, the Americans made their extradition request.
He avoided charges in Sweden but thereby left himself open to extradition to the US.
You are deliberately avoiding the point here, that there was nothing illegal or political about the Swedish extradition request, which was supported by evidence.
This was not about freedom of speech in the US, but about sex crimes committed in Sweden.
Rape is a well-known offence in law.
Either way, he has spent a long time in jail now and still no prospect of getting out anytime soon.
Had he gone back to Sweden, whatever the outcome, he would be out now and home free.
Stupid or what, go figure!!!
“The charges were dropped because the statute of limitations had expired and for no other reason”
May 09th, 2023 - 02:11 am - Link - Report abuse 0That is untrue according to: “The deputy chief prosecutor, Eva-Marie Persson, said the complainant’s evidence was deemed credible and reliable, but that after nearly a decade, witnesses’ memories had faded. After conducting a comprehensive assessment of what has emerged during the course of the preliminary investigation I then make the assessment that the evidence is not strong enough to form the basis for filing an indictment,” Persson said.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/nov/19/sweden-drops-julian-assange-investigation
So, you can move the goal posts as much want it doesn’t change the issue, as it was an investigation. He was never charged
Assange has acted as a journalist, and has been supplied with info from others. So don’t shoot the messenger, as he has not by his own hand been the origin of the materials.
Terrence, Pogol,
May 09th, 2023 - 11:41 am - Link - Report abuse -1Please note that it was the Obama administration that initially went after the man and every administration since has supported the pursuit. It seems clear to me that the Ecuadorian surrender was purchased by the US. The Swedish case may have been dropped due to statute of limitations, but also appeared to be a manufactured case designed to dislodge him from legal protection. Swedish extradition is not any more difficult to obtain than Turkish acquiescence to their abandoning neutrality and join the US empire.
Gentleman
May 09th, 2023 - 02:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0As the article linked says:
‘Swedish prosecutors dropped their preliminary investigation into the rape allegation in 2017, because they were unable to proceed while Assange remained in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He had been living there since 2012 after seeking refuge to avoid arrest after Sweden asked Britain to extradite Assange for questioning.’
The point is he hid in the Ecuadorian embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden on rape/sexual assault charges.
Nothing to do with WikiLeaks or his ‘professional activities as a journalist’.
Either way, he has spent a long time in the Ecuadorian embassy and now jail and still no prospect of getting out anytime soon.
Had he gone back to Sweden when he was supposed to, whatever the outcome, he would be out now and home free.
Stupid or what, go figure!!!
“The point is he hid in the Ecuadorian embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden”
May 09th, 2023 - 03:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0There was no statute of limits, thus you are a revealed liar. Stupid or what, go figure!!!
What is abundantly clear is that other than the complainants’ claim, there was no evidence. It was simply a case of he said, she said.
“The U.S. indictment against Assange stems from WikiLeaks’ publication in 2010 and 2011 of hundreds of thousands of U.S. military reports about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as American diplomatic communications. The material was originally leaked to WikiLeaks by former Army analyst Chelsea Manning.
The indictment includes one count of conspiracy to hack a computer to disclose classified information that “could be used to injure” the U.S. According to the indictment, Assange “conspired” with Manning by helping her crack a Defense Department computer password in March 2010 that provided access to a U.S. government network that stored classified information and communications.”
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/the-charges-against-julian-assange-explained
Moving the goal posts back to the actual issue. There is no case to answer, since no evidence has been proffered, only assertions.
All of which has nothing to do with why he was holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy.
May 10th, 2023 - 12:24 am - Link - Report abuse 0https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/apr/11/how-ecuador-lost-patience-with-houseguest-julian-assange#:~:text=When%20Julian%20Assange%2C%20disguised,next%20exited%20the%20front%20door.
‘An investigation into one of the Swedish women’s accusations, of sexual assault, was discontinued in 2015 after the statute of limitations expired, and in 2017, Sweden’s chief prosecutor said she was dropping her investigation into the outstanding allegation of rape after concluding there was no practical way of continuing.
Nothing to do with WikiLeaks or his ‘professional activities as a journalist’.
Mr Assange has only himself to blame for his current predicament. Had he gone back to Sweden when he was supposed to, whatever the outcome, he would be out now and home free.
Stupid or what, go figure!!!
“Sweden’s chief prosecutor said she was dropping her investigation into the outstanding allegation of rape after concluding there was no practical way of continuing.”
May 10th, 2023 - 10:18 am - Link - Report abuse 0That is untrue according to: “The deputy chief prosecutor, Eva-Marie Persson, said … that after nearly a decade, witnesses’ memories had faded. After conducting a comprehensive assessment of what has emerged during the course of the preliminary investigation I then make the assessment that the evidence is not strong enough to form the basis for filing an indictment,” Persson said.
http s ://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/nov/19/sweden-drops-julian-assange-investigation.
“A key witness in the Department of Justice’s case against Julian Assange has admitted that his entire testimony is false, a revelation that could be the death knell for US attempts to prosecute the Wikileaks founder.
Sigurdur Ingi Thordarson, often known as “Siggi the Hacker,” made the confession to Icelandic outlet Stundin (6/26/21) last weekend. The article details how Thordarson, a convicted felon, pedophile and diagnosed sociopath, used his position to steal money from Wikileaks, and received immunity from prosecution from the FBI in a quid pro quo.
Such a blatant and juicy piece of important news should have made worldwide headlines. But, instead, as of Friday, July 2, there has been literally zero coverage of it in corporate media; not one word in the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, NBC News, Fox News or NPR. A search online for either “Assange” or “Thordarson” will elicit zero relevant articles from establishment sources, either US or elsewhere in the Anglosphere, even in tech-focused platforms like the Verge, Wired or Gizmodo.”
https://fair.org/home/key-assange-witness-recants-with-zero-corporate-media-coverage/
Stupid or what, go figure!!!
https://en.mercopress.com/2023/05/09/lula-supports-assange-s-cause/comments#comment525908
May 10th, 2023 - 02:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“A key witness in the Department of Justice’s case against Julian Assange has admitted that his entire testimony is false, a revelation that could be the death knell for US attempts to prosecute the Wikileaks founder.”
May 10th, 2023 - 03:50 pm - Link - Report abuse 0https://fair.org/home/key-assange-witness-recants-with-zero-corporate-media-coverage/
WTF has “Siggi the Hacker” and the FBI got to do with extradition to Sweden for sexual offences??
Do try to keep up Sweden is a long-gone dead issue; this is only about the extradition of Assange to the US.
“Assange was offered presidential pardon to help 'resolve' Russia role in DNC hack, court told
http s://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/assange-offered-pardon-if-he-helped-resolve-speculation-about-russian-n1240424
Oh no, no, no the issue here is whether Assange was smart to hide in the Ecuadorian Embassy to avoid rape charges in Sweden.
May 10th, 2023 - 10:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 0My contention is that it was a ‘Muther Fu*king Dumb decision’, that has probably cost him the rest of his life.
It is you who keep trying to CHANGE THE SUBJECT to the extradition of Assange to the US, which is not in contention and has never been, do try and keep up, focus is required.
He did things which certainly cost people their lives and he will get a Trillion year sentence.
Had he gone back to Sweden, whatever the outcome, he would be home free by now.
And would not have to worry about being extradited to the modern day Court of the Star Chamber.
Capishhh!!!
”Oh no, no, no the issue here is whether Assange was smart to hide in the Ecuadorian Embassy to avoid rape charges in Sweden.”
May 10th, 2023 - 11:56 pm - Link - Report abuse 0That’s your issue, I have never made any such reference, as I have simply addressed the attempts by the US to have him transferred to them on unsubstantiated charges.
“BTW, was ‘Siggi the Hacker” was apparently the star witness that the DOP was relying on.
“The article details how Thordarson, a convicted felon, pedophile and diagnosed sociopath, used his position to steal money from Wikileaks, and received immunity from prosecution from the FBI in a quid pro quo.”
https://fair.org/home/key-assange-witness-recants-with-zero-corporate-media-coverage/
“An assertion is a statement offered as a conclusion without supporting evidence. Since an argument is defined as a logical relationship between premise and conclusion, a simple assertion is not an argument.”
Ignoring the Burden of Proof https ://learn.lexiconic.net/fallacies/index.htm
Yes, you have not responded to any of the points I have made, this is true.
May 11th, 2023 - 11:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Whether the US charges are ‘unsubstantiated’ or not, remains to be seen, I suspect not, given that his actions cost people their lives.
When he could have been safe home in Oz, oh well, guilty or innocent he is Proper F*cked now.
You can argue ideology/politics all you want, in the end it’s the result that counts and this way has produced a very bad result for poor old Julian, eh what!!!
“You can argue ideology/politics all you want”
May 12th, 2023 - 05:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I have left that field entirely to you, as the only issue I have addressed is the legalities.
As far as the legalities goes it seems pretty cut and dried.
May 13th, 2023 - 11:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0He is going to be extradited to the US and then charged with trillion year sentence crimes.
And what’s the odds he will be convicted???
‘Siggi the Hacker’, notwithstanding.
Did I miss anything???
“Did I miss anything???”
May 14th, 2023 - 01:35 am - Link - Report abuse 0Opinions are like buts everyone’s got on, just some stink more than others.
So, no legal rebuttal or counter argument then.
May 14th, 2023 - 01:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Just an ad hominem response.
I leave that field entirely to you.
“So, no legal rebuttal or counter argument then”
May 14th, 2023 - 06:50 pm - Link - Report abuse 0”Whether the US charges are ‘unsubstantiated’ or not, remains to be seen … I don’t see how ‘the First Amendment’, or ‘constitutional free press guarantee’, … Mr Assange has only himself to blame for his current predicament … what’s the odds he will be convicted ”
All based on your personal opinion or feelings.
Whereas I`m persuaded by qualified legal opinions, namely:
Barack Obama’s (Who is a professor of constitutional law) Justice Department called this the “New York Times problem,” because if WikiLeaks and Assange were criminals for publishing classified information, the New York Times would be just as guilty.“
Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote: “In short, the First Amendment does not ‘belong’ to any definable category of persons or entities: It belongs to all who exercise its freedoms.”
”What do you THINK???”
As I understand the matter, the DOJ has no evidence to sustain the claim that Assange was anything other than a journalist. Thus, he should not be convicted.
But, with the caveat that if he was tried under a special tribunal, based on national security criteria, you will then have your star chamber proceeding.
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