On
Thursday 10th
Nov 2011 a US judge
ruled Twitter must release details of Icelandic MP Birgitta
Jonsdottir's personal account and those of Seattle-based WikiLeaks
volunteer Jacob Appelbaum and Dutch hacker Rop Gonggrijp. This
follows other rulings in favour of the State Department's pursuit of
those involved in the release last year of a video showing a US
Apache helicopter unit killing two reporters in Iraq.
The
order also seeks records relating to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
and WikiLeaks informant private Bradely Manning who is confined in
controversial conditions awaiting trial.
 |
| Member of parliament Birgitta Jonsdottir pictured at her Iceland home 2011. US authorities have demanded Twitter to hand over her personal account details. The US is investigating the WikiLeaks release of the Apache attack video on civilians in Iraq 2010 |
The former WikiLeaks volunteer learned her account was under scrutiny after Twitter
challenged the subpoenas and believes the
case sets a worrying precedent for private citizens and politicians
across the world. (extracted from the Guardian Nov 12 2011)
The
appalling events surrounding the shooting of the journalists and
several other unarmed civilians, including medics trying to recover
bodies, justifies any breach of confidentially between government
authority and the people. The West cannot demand that dictatorial
regional regimes fall and disappear under the weight of people power
while denying the birth and growth of organisations dedicated to free
speech and the pursuit of justice. We must practice what we preach.
Torture camps, government assassinations, drone bombing of innocents
and the culture of not with me then against me, needs to not
represent democracy. This is not a perfect world but it is much
easier to wreck the house than to rebuild it. Especially, if pillars
of democracy such as whistle blowing and free speech are silenced in
favour of a suspected war crime.
.jpg)
