southfront--2020-08-06--SouthFront Sends Warmest Greetings To US Department Of State

We are pleased to inform you about another eye-opening report about SouthFront ’ s work released by the highest levels of the US government .
In early August , the Global Engagement Center of the US Department of State released a report entitled “ Pillars of Russia ’ s Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem ” .
At least 13 of the 77 pages of this report are dedicated to SouthFront : Analysis & Intelligence as a “ pillar ” of Russian disinformation and propaganda .
Please find the full version of report on the official website of the US Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make some comments regarding the content of this brilliant investigative report dedicated to our endeavour .
We do not think that our comments include anything really new , but it will be useful to recall the history of SouthFront ’ s creation and development .
First of all , we want to compliment the authors of the report .
It has a very straight and useful logic : If some media organization has Russian citizens or people of Russian origin among its members , or , God forbid , other links with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spreading Russia ’ s disinformation and is controlled by the Kremlin .
Setting the tone for the depth of the investigation , the part of the report about SouthFront starts by repeating tired tropes about the registration of the SouthFront website domain ( southfront.org ) by a Russian domain registrar Reg.ru .
This is an open secret and we ’ ve repeatedly said that this was done intentionally in order to secure the domain in the case of an attempt to censor it .
Recent developments demonstrate that this decision was well founded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeats Facebook stories created to justify the censorship of SouthFront ’ s public page with about 100,000 subscribers .
The reports ’ authors took from the claims made by Facebook in “ April 2020 Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior Report ” what they thought to be the most important part : the allegation that SouthFront was based in Crimea , and used this allegation to associate SouthFront with another organization with a similar name “ News Front ” .
This media organization is in fact based in Crimea and officially registered in Russia .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were the result of an in-depth investigation and itself a great revelation of SouthFront ’ s roots .
Nonetheless , many of our readers and subscribers who have been following SouthFront for years well know SouthFront ’ s history and there has been no secret made of the fact that a few members of SouthFront are of Russian origin , from Russia or are Russian citizens .
There are also members from other post-USSR states .
This does not mean that SouthFront , as an international team of independent authors and experts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SouthFront Steering Committee is located in Crimea .
This is a blatant lie and we are ready to prove this in court .
It is easy to see that SouthFront has always provided a platform for the various , sometimes opposing , points of view shared by our members , volunteers and contributors .
SouthFront also freely provided its umbrella brand for authors and groups of authors , who share the main principles of SouthFront and stand against mainstream disinformation , global censorship and the enforcing neo-liberal , globalist world order .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by YouTube in 2015 included ‘ crimeanfront ’ in its name and makes far-reaching conclusions using this claim .
This is a clear factual error .
Even the screenshot used in the report itself confirms this by quoting the following words : “ Our new channel is https : //youtube.com/user/crimeanfront ” .
If that is the new channel , then it is only logical to assume that some other channel was deleted .
Right ?
So here are the actual facts : The channel deleted in April 2015 had the link ‘ https @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a suspicious story with copyright claims by NATO-affiliated Nordic Films LTD .
Here is the message then shared by our friends , including The Saker : After the deletion of that channel , SouthFront volunteers of Russian origin proposed using the already existing YouTube channel https : //www.youtube.com/user/crimeanfront .
At that time , this channel already had a certain number of subscribers .
Therefore , it was useful to employ it instead of creating a new one with a zero base audience .
Unfortunately for the US State Department investigators , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If the US analysts had really wanted to go into the matter and produce useful material instead of potential toilet paper , they would have found out that that YouTube channel https : //www.youtube.com/user/crimeanfront was not deleted in April 2015 .
Of course , SouthFront Team is arousing fear among members of the Washington establishment .
Nonetheless , the situation itself causes a sad smile .
The next part of the report is based on screenshots showing the redesign of https : //www.youtube.com/user/crimeanfront and claims of some person insisting that he created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Using this , the authors of the report claim that SouthFront and News Front are somehow “ at least began as sister organizations ” .
It is hard to dignify such a superficial investigation with a comment .
Even when the SouthFront concept was being created and the like-minded group of people that later created SouthFront : Analysis & Intelligence and evolved into SouthFront Steering Committee first got together , we had no links to the aforementioned organizations .
On top of this , the YouTube channel https : //www.youtube.com/user/crimeanfront provided to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the aforementioned organizations .
This is why they were not using this channel .
Instead , SouthFront got it for free over 1.5 years after the developments in Crimea in 2014 .
At the same time , there is no secret that in 2015 and coming years , SouthFront , an endeavour dedicated to the coverage of conflicts around the world , was covering developments in Ukraine .
It ’ s easy to find this if one opens southfront.org and checks the category # UKRAINE .
As to the idea of the endeavour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & Intelligence , it first appeared in 2012-2013 and came about as a result of the rapid deterioration of the international situation around the world , especially in the Middle East .
The developments in Crimea , eastern Ukraine and Syria in 2014 became the turning point that led to the creation of SouthFront : Analysis & Intelligence , the SouthFront Steering Committee and to the main foundations of our work : independence , the commitment to freedom of speech , human rights , and combating media disinformation and censorship .
Trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State Department report ignored the obvious fact that SouthFront appeared earlier than News Front .
This can be seen from the date of the creation of the first Facebook page of SouthFront , and screenshots shared by the report ’ s authors themselves .
Therefore , there are two main versions : 1 ) SouthFront is an all-mighty Kremlin tool that influences other Russian ‘ proxy sites ’ and ‘ disinformation and propaganda ’ on the international scene , and its members are on a first-name basis with Vladimir Putin ; 2 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the use of the word “ Front ” in the name of an organization indicates a connection to any other organization also using “ Front ” in its name .
Conspiracy theorists may be surprised to learn that SouthFront is a largely volunteer organization with a regularly changing team composition .
So , we want to seize this opportunity and inform the US experts about some realities of modern informational warfare and disinformation .
We can perhaps excuse Department of State personnel for not knowing that when one obtains a domain name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data shows the physical address of the domain registrar office .
However , the inability to notice that SouthFront has always had a PayPal account with a .ru address and that this address has always been public and easily found on southfront.org is beyond our understanding .
Do the authors really think that if SouthFront Team members were to work secretly for the Kremlin or Russian intelligence services ( for example , the mighty GRU ) , we would not have found the time to obtain an address through Yahoo.com or some other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the investigation showcases 7 links allegedly confirming that SouthFront “ directly aligns with Kremlin talking points and disinformation.
” Since the launch of southfront.org , we have released several tens of thousands of articles , videos and graphic pieces .
Apparently , the State Department staff spent a lot of time checking them to find these seven posts .
In any case , SouthFront has never denied that we provide a platform for all sides interested in a constructive discussion , including the pro-Russian perspective .
It is also interesting to note how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ articles criticizing the internal situation in Russia and the actions of Moscow .
For them , this is just a “ tactic ” to hide “ an ocean of Kremlin-aligned disinformation ” .
However , if one employs this approach , one would have to find that CNN , the Washington Times , the New York Times and other outlets , which release critical articles about Russia , must also be a part of the sophisticated Kremlin-affiliated disinformation network .
Joking aside , if one checks SouthFront articles questioning the actions of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would find hundreds of content pieces .
In fact , it is hard to find a southfront.org article that would provide a solely positive view on the current internal political situation in Russia or on the actions of Moscow in the last 1-2 years .
The COVID-19 disinformation part also shows no creativity .
We have already stated this on previous occasions , but it bears repeating : SouthFront well understands that the COVID-19 outbreak is a sensitive issue .
This is why our articles about the outbreak/pandemic always include links to sources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deserves special attention , is that SouthFront articles do not fuel hysteria and fear regarding the COVID-19 spread .
We seek to objectively cover the situation .
The report includes 6 examples of supposed COVID-19 disinformation .
SouthFront releases about 30 content pieces per day .
Articles , videos and graphic pieces dedicated to the COVID-19 outbreak make up less than 1 % of the content released by SouthFront in 2020 so far .
This is less than a statistical error .
Nonetheless , the State Department report reads as if half of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and most of the rest is made up of official statements by the Kremlin .
The part of the paper entitled Niche Graphics Capabilities emphasizes the “ professionally designed ” SouthFront visual content .
We , the SouthFront Team , want to say thank you to the Department of State for its high praise of our work .
This will motivate us to even greater efforts in the field to produce even more high quality content .
The conspiracy theory explaining the evolution and redesign of southfront.org ’ s side bar is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigators made several screenshots of the partners section of old southfront.org ’ s side bar pretending that its changes are something ‘ strange ’ and need ‘ explanations ’ .
It seems that far from everybody in the State Department spent time in university doing something useful .
At least , we can recommend that they google “ Occam ’ s razor ” .
Time is moving on .
Life is a complex and variable thing .
Conflicts start and conflicts end .
The geopolitical game continues , the balance of power in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It would be strange to expect that the list of organizations with which SouthFront stays in touch or cooperates would not also change over the years .
SouthFront has always provided its content for free , on the basis of the fair usage principle , without any paywalls .
Therefore , in 2015 , when the conflict in Ukraine was dominating the media and SouthFront was producing at least 10 % of its content on the issue , there was one list of media partners .
In 2018 , when the US-Iranian conflict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different , and included some Iranians .
Meanwhile , the website itself was redesigned and optimized and the southfront.org sidebar made way to create additional free space ; for example , for the ‘ MAPS & INFOGRAPHICS DATABASE ’ banner .
In the end , the content of the report just sinks into a conspiracy abyss allowing no chance for common sense to reassert itself .
Likely in an attempt to link SouthFront to Iran or to the ‘ bloody Assad regime ’ , the Department of State quotes a comment sent by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The comment includes a proposal to share videos with that blog , and is signed by SouthFront volunteers , not by the SouthFront Steering Committee .
This fact can only serve as a demonstration of the umbrella ( franchising ) nature of the SouthFront organizational structure .
With the exception of facebook.com/southfronten , all the links mentioned in the comment are de-facto independent branches of SouthFront voluntarily created by groups of motivated people from different countries and affiliated with SouthFront only through their commitment to the SouthFront principles at that moment .
SouthFront @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consultancy help to people that stand up for freedom of speech and against the globalist censorship .
What is really strange is that State Department investigators failed to find the still existing independent branches of SouthFront in northern and western Europe .
Probably , this could serve as another signal of the ‘ depth ’ of this investigation .
SouthFront Team is sorry to conclude that the Department of State of the world ’ s sole super power was unable to provide any facts to confirm their speculations about SouthFront being a front @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which have been circulating in various media outlets and think tanks funded by Euro-Atlantic structures for years , do not count .
In reality , this likely means that the authors did no research of their own in the field and just copy-pasted and patched together already existing reports made by their friends from affiliated or allied organizations .
Thank God , the authors did not try to link SouthFront to supposed Russian meddling in the US election .
After such ‘ high-quality investigations ’ in this field , the Department of State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of saving face .
It would be interesting to get the reaction of the bosses of these staff members and of the leadership of the State Department itself , to find out what they think about such quality of work .
It is highly likely that the group of State Department specialists that prepared the report presented it as an exclusive investigation that required a significant amount of time and financial resources .
Proposal to US Department of State SouthFront proposes the leadership of the US Department of State expert help in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a pillar of Russia ’ s disinformation and propaganda network .
Exclusively for the Department of State , we are ready to prepare weekly reports about our work with a detailed overview of our content , links to the most interesting articles , videos and graphic pieces , and entertaining behind the scenes content about our work .
We are sure that these reports will be not less professional and entertaining than the paper described above .
SouthFront ’ s direct assistance will also help Mr. Pompeo and his employees to avoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ somebody is not even able to read their own screenshot ) .
And last but not least , the State Department would be able to save hundreds of thousands of US taxpayer dollars .
The US government would then be able to use these funds to combat the COVID-19 outbreak or help combat veterans .
Please , feel free to contact SouthFront via email : info @ southfront.org On August 5 , the US Department of State also offered Russians $ 10 million for information about Russian meddling in US elections .
Taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for SouthFront work held by the US government , you also can contact us regarding this topic .
$ 10 million would be a useful donation to SouthFront ’ s budget .
The contact email is the same : info @ southfront.org By the way , US government personnel know our email address very well .
In previous years , we have received emails from them with proposals for fruitful cooperation .
As to the style of emails sent to SouthFront , we recommend that the staff of the State Department contact their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They act and write much more professionally and are not too shy to ask about things that are interesting to them .
Using this opportunity , SouthFront wants once again to assure Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Department of State of our highest consideration .
P.S .
Support the pilar of Russia ’ s disinformation and propaganda : Donate via VISA , PayPal , Paysafecard , Bitcoin and other options .
This systems accepts all types of cards , PayPal , Amazon Payments , bitcoin ( FAQ is under the main @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can subscribe for a monthly donation of $ 15 ( or any another amount ) OR make one time donation by clicking buttons below

Support SouthFront
DEAR FRIENDS, READERS, SUBSCRIBERS, AND SUPPORTERS,
We are pleased to inform you about another eye-opening report about SouthFront’s work released by the highest levels of the US government.
In early August, the Global Engagement Center of the US Department of State released a report entitled “Pillars of Russia’s Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem”. At least 13 of the 77 pages of this report are dedicated to SouthFront: Analysis & Intelligence as a “pillar” of Russian disinformation and propaganda.
Please find the full version of report on the official website of the US Department of State: HERE
SouthFront also feels obliged to make some comments regarding the content of this brilliant investigative report dedicated to our endeavour. We do not think that our comments include anything really new, but it will be useful to recall the history of SouthFront’s creation and development.
SouthFront vs Globalists – Episode We Lost Count
First of all, we want to compliment the authors of the report. It has a very straight and useful logic: If some media organization has Russian citizens or people of Russian origin among its members, or, God forbid, other links with Russia, this media is beyond question spreading Russia’s disinformation and is controlled by the Kremlin.
Setting the tone for the depth of the investigation, the part of the report about SouthFront starts by repeating tired tropes about the registration of the SouthFront website domain (southfront.org) by a Russian domain registrar Reg.ru. This is an open secret and we’ve repeatedly said that this was done intentionally in order to secure the domain in the case of an attempt to censor it. Recent developments demonstrate that this decision was well founded.
Then, the US State Department repeats Facebook stories created to justify the censorship of SouthFront’s public page with about 100,000 subscribers.
The reports’ authors took from the claims made by Facebook in “April 2020 Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior Report” what they thought to be the most important part: the allegation that SouthFront was based in Crimea, and used this allegation to associate SouthFront with another organization with a similar name “News Front”. This media organization is in fact based in Crimea and officially registered in Russia.
This cheap trick is presented as if it were the result of an in-depth investigation and itself a great revelation of SouthFront’s roots. Nonetheless, many of our readers and subscribers who have been following SouthFront for years well know SouthFront’s history and there has been no secret made of the fact that a few members of SouthFront are of Russian origin, from Russia or are Russian citizens. There are also members from other post-USSR states. This does not mean that SouthFront, as an international team of independent authors and experts, is based in Crimea or that the SouthFront Steering Committee is located in Crimea. This is a blatant lie and we are ready to prove this in court.
It is easy to see that SouthFront has always provided a platform for the various, sometimes opposing, points of view shared by our members, volunteers and contributors. SouthFront also freely provided its umbrella brand for authors and groups of authors, who share the main principles of SouthFront and stand against mainstream disinformation, global censorship and the enforcing neo-liberal, globalist world order.
The report states that the SouthFront account deleted by YouTube in 2015 included ‘crimeanfront’ in its name and makes far-reaching conclusions using this claim.
This is a clear factual error. Even the screenshot used in the report itself confirms this by quoting the following words: “Our new channel is https://youtube.com/user/crimeanfront”. If that is the new channel, then it is only logical to assume that some other channel was deleted. Right?
So here are the actual facts: The channel deleted in April 2015 had the link ‘https://www.youtube.com/c/southfront’ and was removed due to a suspicious story with copyright claims by NATO-affiliated Nordic Films LTD.
Here is the message then shared by our friends, including The Saker:
After the deletion of that channel, SouthFront volunteers of Russian origin proposed using the already existing YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/crimeanfront. At that time, this channel already had a certain number of subscribers. Therefore, it was useful to employ it instead of creating a new one with a zero base audience.
Unfortunately for the US State Department investigators, the facts go contrary to their conspiracy theories. If the US analysts had really wanted to go into the matter and produce useful material instead of potential toilet paper, they would have found out that that YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/crimeanfront was not deleted in April 2015.
Of course, SouthFront Team is arousing fear among members of the Washington establishment. Nonetheless, the situation itself causes a sad smile.
The next part of the report is based on screenshots showing the redesign of https://www.youtube.com/user/crimeanfront and claims of some person insisting that he created Crimean Front that later became News Front. Using this, the authors of the report claim that SouthFront and News Front are somehow “at least began as sister organizations”.
It is hard to dignify such a superficial investigation with a comment. Even when the SouthFront concept was being created and the like-minded group of people that later created SouthFront: Analysis & Intelligence and evolved into SouthFront Steering Committee first got together, we had no links to the aforementioned organizations.
On top of this, the YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/crimeanfront provided to SouthFront by volunteers was not linked to the aforementioned organizations. This is why they were not using this channel. Instead, SouthFront got it for free over 1.5 years after the developments in Crimea in 2014.
At the same time, there is no secret that in 2015 and coming years, SouthFront, an endeavour dedicated to the coverage of conflicts around the world, was covering developments in Ukraine. It’s easy to find this if one opens southfront.org and checks the category #UKRAINE.
As to the idea of the endeavour that later was named SouthFront: Analysis & Intelligence, it first appeared in 2012-2013 and came about as a result of the rapid deterioration of the international situation around the world, especially in the Middle East.
The developments in Crimea, eastern Ukraine and Syria in 2014 became the turning point that led to the creation of SouthFront: Analysis & Intelligence, the SouthFront Steering Committee and to the main foundations of our work: independence, the commitment to freedom of speech, human rights, and combating media disinformation and censorship.
Trying to link SouthFront with News Front, the State Department report ignored the obvious fact that SouthFront appeared earlier than News Front. This can be seen from the date of the creation of the first Facebook page of SouthFront, and screenshots shared by the report’s authors themselves. Therefore, there are two main versions:
1) SouthFront is an all-mighty Kremlin tool that influences other Russian ‘proxy sites’ and ‘disinformation and propaganda’ on the international scene, and its members are on a first-name basis with Vladimir Putin;
2) In the world of State Department fairy-tales, the use of the word “Front” in the name of an organization indicates a connection to any other organization also using “Front” in its name.
Conspiracy theorists may be surprised to learn that SouthFront is a largely volunteer organization with a regularly changing team composition. So, we want to seize this opportunity and inform the US experts about some realities of modern informational warfare and disinformation.
Dear friends, you may have failed to notice this, but in the modern information society, new network organizations work on principles that are quite different to those employed 10-20 years ago. Lies, double-faced policies and distortion of facts by government-funded media set the basis for SouthFront’s power and influence. It is a high time to understand that this concerns people around the world and inspires them to get an independent point of view.
We can perhaps excuse Department of State personnel for not knowing that when one obtains a domain name via a domain registrar, the registration data shows the physical address of the domain registrar office. However, the inability to notice that SouthFront has always had a PayPal account with a .ru address and that this address has always been public and easily found on southfront.org is beyond our understanding.
Do the authors really think that if SouthFront Team members were to work secretly for the Kremlin or Russian intelligence services (for example, the mighty GRU), we would not have found the time to obtain an address through Yahoo.com or some other non-.ru service?
The next part of the investigation showcases 7 links allegedly confirming that SouthFront “directly aligns with Kremlin talking points and disinformation.” Since the launch of southfront.org, we have released several tens of thousands of articles, videos and graphic pieces. Apparently, the State Department staff spent a lot of time checking them to find these seven posts. In any case, SouthFront has never denied that we provide a platform for all sides interested in a constructive discussion, including the pro-Russian perspective.
It is also interesting to note how the authors of the document described SouthFront articles criticizing the internal situation in Russia and the actions of Moscow. For them, this is just a “tactic” to hide “an ocean of Kremlin-aligned disinformation”. However, if one employs this approach, one would have to find that CNN, the Washington Times, the New York Times and other outlets, which release critical articles about Russia, must also be a part of the sophisticated Kremlin-affiliated disinformation network.
Joking aside, if one checks SouthFront articles questioning the actions of the Russian authorities or criticizing them, one would find hundreds of content pieces. In fact, it is hard to find a southfront.org article that would provide a solely positive view on the current internal political situation in Russia or on the actions of Moscow in the last 1-2 years.
The COVID-19 disinformation part also shows no creativity. We have already stated this on previous occasions, but it bears repeating: SouthFront well understands that the COVID-19 outbreak is a sensitive issue. This is why our articles about the outbreak/pandemic always include links to sources and facts. The fact, which deserves special attention, is that SouthFront articles do not fuel hysteria and fear regarding the COVID-19 spread. We seek to objectively cover the situation.
The report includes 6 examples of supposed COVID-19 disinformation. SouthFront releases about 30 content pieces per day. Articles, videos and graphic pieces dedicated to the COVID-19 outbreak make up less than 1% of the content released by SouthFront in 2020 so far. This is less than a statistical error. Nonetheless, the State Department report reads as if half of SouthFront content is ‘COVID-19 disinformation’ and most of the rest is made up of official statements by the Kremlin.
The part of the paper entitled Niche Graphics Capabilities emphasizes the “professionally designed” SouthFront visual content. We, the SouthFront Team, want to say thank you to the Department of State for its high praise of our work. This will motivate us to even greater efforts in the field to produce even more high quality content.
The conspiracy theory explaining the evolution and redesign of southfront.org’s side bar is a third rate fairy tale.
State Department investigators made several screenshots of the partners section of old southfront.org’s side bar pretending that its changes are something ‘strange’ and need ‘explanations’. It seems that far from everybody in the State Department spent time in university doing something useful. At least, we can recommend that they google “Occam’s razor”.
A small hint for State Department employees reading this article: Occam’s razor is the principle that, of two explanations that account for all the facts, the simpler one is more likely to be correct.
Time is moving on. Life is a complex and variable thing. Conflicts start and conflicts end. The geopolitical game continues, the balance of power in different regions of the world changes. It would be strange to expect that the list of organizations with which SouthFront stays in touch or cooperates would not also change over the years. SouthFront has always provided its content for free, on the basis of the fair usage principle, without any paywalls. Therefore, in 2015, when the conflict in Ukraine was dominating the media and SouthFront was producing at least 10% of its content on the issue, there was one list of media partners. In 2018, when the US-Iranian conflict escalated, the partner list was already different, and included some Iranians.
Meanwhile, the website itself was redesigned and optimized and the southfront.org sidebar made way to create additional free space; for example, for the ‘MAPS & INFOGRAPHICS DATABASE’ banner.
In the end, the content of the report just sinks into a conspiracy abyss allowing no chance for common sense to reassert itself. Likely in an attempt to link SouthFront to Iran or to the ‘bloody Assad regime’, the Department of State quotes a comment sent by SouthFront volunteers to Syrian Free Press. The comment includes a proposal to share videos with that blog, and is signed by SouthFront volunteers, not by the SouthFront Steering Committee.
This fact can only serve as a demonstration of the umbrella (franchising) nature of the SouthFront organizational structure. With the exception of facebook.com/southfronten, all the links mentioned in the comment are de-facto independent branches of SouthFront voluntarily created by groups of motivated people from different countries and affiliated with SouthFront only through their commitment to the SouthFront principles at that moment.
SouthFront is always glad to assist and provide consultancy help to people that stand up for freedom of speech and against the globalist censorship.
What is really strange is that State Department investigators failed to find the still existing independent branches of SouthFront in northern and western Europe. Probably, this could serve as another signal of the ‘depth’ of this investigation.
SouthFront Team is sorry to conclude that the Department of State of the world’s sole super power was unable to provide any facts to confirm their speculations about SouthFront being a front for Russian disinformation. Bogus stories, which have been circulating in various media outlets and think tanks funded by Euro-Atlantic structures for years, do not count. In reality, this likely means that the authors did no research of their own in the field and just copy-pasted and patched together already existing reports made by their friends from affiliated or allied organizations.
Thank God, the authors did not try to link SouthFront to supposed Russian meddling in the US election.
After such ‘high-quality investigations’ in this field, the Department of State would not even have a theoretical chance of saving face.
It would be interesting to get the reaction of the bosses of these staff members and of the leadership of the State Department itself, to find out what they think about such quality of work. It is highly likely that the group of State Department specialists that prepared the report presented it as an exclusive investigation that required a significant amount of time and financial resources.
Proposal to US Department of State
SouthFront proposes the leadership of the US Department of State expert help in the field of covering the work of SouthFront as a pillar of Russia’s disinformation and propaganda network. Exclusively for the Department of State, we are ready to prepare weekly reports about our work with a detailed overview of our content, links to the most interesting articles, videos and graphic pieces, and entertaining behind the scenes content about our work.
We are sure that these reports will be not less professional and entertaining than the paper described above. SouthFront’s direct assistance will also help Mr. Pompeo and his employees to avoid foolish factual mistakes in future (e.g.when somebody is not even able to read their own screenshot).
And last but not least, the State Department would be able to save hundreds of thousands of US taxpayer dollars. The US government would then be able to use these funds to combat the COVID-19 outbreak or help combat veterans.
Please, feel free to contact SouthFront via email: info@southfront.org
On August 5, the US Department of State also offered Russians $10 million for information about Russian meddling in US elections.
#США вознаградят тех, кто поможет нам в борьбе против вмешательства в выборы США. Если вы обладаете информацией об операциях, нацеленных на выборы США, вы можете претендовать на награду до $10 млн.#Election_Reward Telegram: @RFJ_Election_Bot
WhatsApp/Signal: +1-202-999-5113 pic.twitter.com/Sp1bge5IaI — Rewards for Justice, Русский (@RFJ_Russian) August 5, 2020
Taking into account the high level of regard for SouthFront work held by the US government, you also can contact us regarding this topic. $10 million would be a useful donation to SouthFront’s budget. The contact email is the same: info@southfront.org
By the way, US government personnel know our email address very well. In previous years, we have received emails from them with proposals for fruitful cooperation.
As to the style of emails sent to SouthFront, we recommend that the staff of the State Department to contact their counterparts in the Department of Defense. They act and write much more professionally and are not too shy to ask about things that are interesting to them.
Using this opportunity, SouthFront wants once again to assure Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Department of State of our highest consideration.
Sincerely yours,
The mighty and intangible SouthFront Steering Committee
A brief look at the history of SouthFront’s relations with official bodies of the United States and the European Union:
P.S. Support the pilar of Russia’s disinformation and propaganda:
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southfront--2020-08-06--“He Abandoned The Deadly Cargo”: Meet The Mysterious Businessman At Center Of The Beirut Blast Saga

Thus far an official ongoing investigation by Lebanese authorities into the cause of Tuesday ’ s Beirut port blast , now considered the largest non-military munitions explosion in history , has dubbed it severe “ negligence ” .
It ’ s now well known that over 2,500 tons of ammonium nitrate , an ultra-combustible chemical compound utilized in fertilizers and production of explosives , was allowed to sit at the port in a warehouse going back seven years .
Specifically , President Michel Aoun identified that it was no less than 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate that detonated as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though port officials reportedly attempted to warn the government for years that it must be moved .
A number of port officials have been placed under house arrest pending the investigation .
Customs chief Badri Daher has told international media that his agency pleaded with Lebanese courts and high officials to order the chemical removed .
Daher says the request for urgent removal was made six times to the judiciary over the years , all denied .
“ This did not happen , ” he said .
The end result after the dangerous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the deadly 1995 Oklahoma City bombing — was stored there since 2013 ( also in undiluted form ) , was the most destructive blast in Lebanese history , killing over 135 people and injuring more than 5,000 – not to mention an estimated three billion dollars in damage .
“ Legal documents , court correspondence and statements by public officials now trying to pass the buck shed light on the operations of the port , which has been dogged by allegations of widespread bribery and controlled in large measure by the militant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports .
And the almost unbelievable story of how the explosive substance got there has emerged .
It ’ s centered on a derelict and leaking vessel leased by a Russian businessman living in Cyprus .
In 2013 the man identified as Igor Grechushkin , was paid $ 1 million to transport the high-density ammonium nitrate to the port of Beira in Mozambique .
That ’ s when the ship , named the Rhosus , left the Black Sea port of Batumi , in Georgia .
But amid mutiny by an unpaid crew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s hull , and constant legal troubles , the ship never made it .
Instead , it entered the port of Beirut where it was impounded by Lebanese authorities over severe safety issues , during which time the ammonium nitrate was transferred off , and the largely Ukrainian crew was prevented from disembarking , leading to a brief international crisis among countries as Kiev sought the safe return of its nationals .
Meanwhile , Igor Grechushkin – believed to still be living in Cyprus – reportedly simply abandoned the dangerously subpar vessel he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , never to be heard from again .
According to a damning legal briefing at the time : The ammonium nitrate was supposed to be auctioned off , but this never happened .
Apparently exasperated customs and dock officials even suggested Lebanese farmers could simply spread it across their fields for a good crop yield .
But not even this simple solution was heeded , nor proposals to give it to the Lebanese Army .
Via The Siberian Times : “ The crew – eight Ukrainian and two Russian men – was forced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while the owner Grechushkin declared himself bankrupt and ‘ abandoned the ship ’ .
Lebanese authorities agreed to let six out of ten sailors to leave the country , others were left stranded on the ship for almost a year .
Instead the deadly substance languished at port , and the Rhosus sank in the harbor years later .
The last crew members weren ’ t allowed to leave the ship and return home until August 2014 .
Grechushkin may have paid for their return tickets at that time .
And then later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in writing in legal documents : Astoundingly , even lawyers which had represented the effectively abandoned crew of the ship ( which Ukrainian media at the time said were “ hostages ” of the Lebanese government ) while it had been detained at port warned Lebanese government officials that the sensitive cargo was in danger “ of sinking or blowing up at any moment ” .
Yet these series of warnings went unheeded for years amid a notoriously corrupt and inept Lebanese system .
Meanwhile , the fate of the man originally at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision to simply abandon the leaky ammonium nitrate laden ship in the first place , remains somewhat of a mystery and is now largely being overlooked in international media reports .
Strangely , it doesn ’ t even appear that Lebanese law enforcement is eager to talk to him just yet .
Cypriot media is saying Igor Grechushkin is not a Cypriot passport holder but is indeed residing in the EU country .
Local authorities have indicated they are ready to bring him in for questioning , but they haven ’ t received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Interpol .
Cypriot police spokesman Christos Andreou announced Thursday : “ We have already contacted Interpol Beirut and expressed our readiness to provide them with any assistance they need , if and when our assistance is requested.
” Why hasn ’ t this happened ?
So far a few scant details have emerged via a Russia-based English language publication called .
It ’ s also included what it says is the first photograph to have emerged of Grechushkin .
The publication reports the following details : ‘ The owner of the ship Igor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remaining crew.
’ ‘ He is not providing us with money , he completely deprived us of all means of communication .
‘ He told us that he went bankrupt and while I don ’ t believe him , the most important thing is that he gave up on both the people and the cargo ’ , wrote captain Boris Prokoshev back in June 2014 in a desperate plea to international organisations , diplomats , authorities of Ukraine and the authorities of the port of Beirut to release them .
Igor Grechushkin is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with his wife .
The Daily Mail has since republished the photographs of Grechushkin and his wife , writing that the Russian businessman “ currently lives in Cyprus with wife Irina – has been accused of abandoning his ship in Beirut loaded with the lethal load.
” Given that Lebanese officials are now decrying a “ crime against humanity ” in having stored the deadly cargo at the port in the first place , one would think Grechushkin would at least be subject of investigation along with whatever top Lebanese officials willfully ignored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

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Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
Thus far an official ongoing investigation by Lebanese authorities into the cause of Tuesday’s Beirut port blast, now considered the largest non-military munitions explosion in history, has dubbed it severe “negligence”.
It’s now well known that over 2,500 tons of ammonium nitrate, an ultra-combustible chemical compound utilized in fertilizers and production of explosives, was allowed to sit at the port in a warehouse going back seven years.
Specifically, President Michel Aoun identified that it was no less than 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate that detonated as it was “stored unsafely” — though port officials reportedly attempted to warn the government for years that it must be moved. A number of port officials have been placed under house arrest pending the investigation.
An undated photo of the vessel Rhosus, via The National/EPA
Customs chief Badri Daher has told international media that his agency pleaded with Lebanese courts and high officials to order the chemical removed. Daher says the request for urgent removal was made six times to the judiciary over the years, all denied.
“This did not happen,” he said. The end result after the dangerous chemical — which is the same use in the deadly 1995 Oklahoma City bombing — was stored there since 2013 (also in undiluted form), was the most destructive blast in Lebanese history, killing over 135 people and injuring more than 5,000 – not to mention an estimated three billion dollars in damage.
“Legal documents, court correspondence and statements by public officials now trying to pass the buck shed light on the operations of the port, which has been dogged by allegations of widespread bribery and controlled in large measure by the militant Hezbollah group,” The Washington Post reports.
And the almost unbelievable story of how the explosive substance got there has emerged. It’s centered on a derelict and leaking vessel leased by a Russian businessman living in Cyprus. In 2013 the man identified as Igor Grechushkin, was paid $1 million to transport the high-density ammonium nitrate to the port of Beira in Mozambique. That’s when the ship, named the Rhosus, left the Black Sea port of Batumi, in Georgia.
UK Daily Mail and The Siberian Times has published the above photograph of Igor Grechushkin, reported to be still residing in Limassol, Cyprus with his wife. Image: Ren TV
But amid mutiny by an unpaid crew, a hole in the ship’s hull, and constant legal troubles, the ship never made it. Instead, it entered the port of Beirut where it was impounded by Lebanese authorities over severe safety issues, during which time the ammonium nitrate was transferred off, and the largely Ukrainian crew was prevented from disembarking, leading to a brief international crisis among countries as Kiev sought the safe return of its nationals.
Meanwhile, Igor Grechushkin – believed to still be living in Cyprus – reportedly simply abandoned the dangerously subpar vessel he leased, as well as its crew, never to be heard from again.
According to a damning legal briefing at the time:
“…the vessel was abandoned by her owners after charterers and cargo concern lost interest in the cargo. The vessel quickly ran out of stores, bunker and provisions.”
The ammonium nitrate was supposed to be auctioned off, but this never happened. Apparently exasperated customs and dock officials even suggested Lebanese farmers could simply spread it across their fields for a good crop yield. But not even this simple solution was heeded, nor proposals to give it to the Lebanese Army.
During the standoff which created a diplomatic rift between Ukraine and Lebanon: the largely Ukrainian crew was prevented from leaving the ship, even at times struggling to get food.
Via The Siberian Times: “The crew – eight Ukrainian and two Russian men – was forced to stay on board of the vessel while the owner Grechushkin declared himself bankrupt and ‘abandoned the ship’. Lebanese authorities agreed to let six out of ten sailors to leave the country, others were left stranded on the ship for almost a year.
Instead the deadly substance languished at port, and the Rhosus sank in the harbor years later. The last crew members weren’t allowed to leave the ship and return home until August 2014. Grechushkin may have paid for their return tickets at that time.
WaPo relates:
“Owing to the risks associated with retaining the Ammonium Nitrate on board the vessel, the port authorities discharged the cargo onto the port’s warehouses,” lawyers acting on behalf of creditors wrote in 2015. “The vessel and cargo remain to date in port awaiting auctioning and/or proper disposal,” it added.
And then later, more warnings, which apparently are in writing in legal documents:
“In view of the serious danger posed by keeping this shipment in the warehouses in an inappropriate climate,” Shafik Marei, the director of Lebanese customs, wrote in May 2016, “we repeat our request to demand the maritime agency to re-export the materials immediately.”
Astoundingly, even lawyers which had represented the effectively abandoned crew of the ship (which Ukrainian media at the time said were “hostages” of the Lebanese government) while it had been detained at port warned Lebanese government officials that the sensitive cargo was in danger “of sinking or blowing up at any moment”.
Yet these series of warnings went unheeded for years amid a notoriously corrupt and inept Lebanese system.
Meanwhile, the fate of the man originally at the center of the saga, whose decision to simply abandon the leaky ammonium nitrate laden ship in the first place, remains somewhat of a mystery and is now largely being overlooked in international media reports. Strangely, it doesn’t even appear that Lebanese law enforcement is eager to talk to him just yet.
Cypriot media is saying Igor Grechushkin is not a Cypriot passport holder but is indeed residing in the EU country. Local authorities have indicated they are ready to bring him in for questioning, but they haven’t received a request from either Lebanese authorities or Interpol. Cypriot police spokesman Christos Andreou announced Thursday: “We have already contacted Interpol Beirut and expressed our readiness to provide them with any assistance they need, if and when our assistance is requested.”
Why hasn’t this happened? So far a few scant details have emerged via a Russia-based English language publication called The Siberian Times. It’s also included what it says is the first photograph to have emerged of Grechushkin.
First pictures emerge of a Russian man whose ammonium nitrate cargo detonated in the port of Beirut. The 2,750 tonnes cargo of Khabarovsk-born businessman Igor Grechushkin was detained in Lebanon in 2013 https://t.co/hbu1VJgres pic.twitter.com/yQZqzcBIya — The Siberian Times (@siberian_times) August 5, 2020
The publication reports the following details:
‘The owner of the ship Igor Grechushkin effectively abandoned the ship and the remaining crew.’ ‘He is not providing us with money, he completely deprived us of all means of communication. ‘He told us that he went bankrupt and while I don’t believe him, the most important thing is that he gave up on both the people and the cargo’, wrote captain Boris Prokoshev back in June 2014 in a desperate plea to international organisations, diplomats, authorities of Ukraine and the authorities of the port of Beirut to release them. Igor Grechushkin is reported to be still residing in Cyprus with his wife.
The Daily Mail has since republished the photographs of Grechushkin and his wife, writing that the Russian businessman “currently lives in Cyprus with wife Irina – has been accused of abandoning his ship in Beirut loaded with the lethal load.”
Given that Lebanese officials are now decrying a “crime against humanity” in having stored the deadly cargo at the port in the first place, one would think Grechushkin would at least be subject of investigation along with whatever top Lebanese officials willfully ignored the ticking time bomb in their midst.
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southfront--2020-08-06--Bolivia: Confrontation Deepens As Negotiations Fail, National General Strike And Blockade To Continu

Bolivia: Confrontation Deepens As Negotiations Fail, National General Strike And Blockade To Continue

The Central Obrera Boliviana ( COB – Central Trade Union Confederation ) and Pacto de Unidad ( Unity Pact ) civic organizations , which are a part of the alliance of social movements and organizations making up the Movement to Socialism ( MAS ) , the political party of former president Evo Morales , announced on Tuesday that they will continue to intensify the mobilizations , however , they instructed the blockaders to allow ambulances and medical supplies and personnel to pass through .
COB executive Juan Carlos Huarachi urged blockaders to allow the passage of essential health services and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reiterated by the organization ’ s intercultural executive , Henry Nina , who ratified the instruction to allow the passage of ambulances due to the health situation that the country is going through .
The announcement was made after the government reported that the blockages are preventing the passage of oxygen tubes , which are vital for treating COVID-19 patients .
Tuesday marked the second day of protests called to demand that the forthcoming national elections be held on September 6 as originally agreed between the major political factions after two previous delays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ postpone the election until 18 October .
The social leaders estimated that as of Tuesday there were more than 50 major blockade points throughout the country .
The executive of the Confederación Sindical Única de Trabajadores Campesinos de Bolivia ( Single Trade Union Confederation of Agricultural Workers of Bolivia , CSUTCB ) , Jacinto Vega , announced the organizations ’ decision that it will also “ continue to join ” the protests and not back down .
The social movements and organizations that have organized the nationwide blockade of major transport routes apologized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caused by the blockades , but emphasized that they are necessary to ensure that national elections are held to re-establish a legitimate government .
The leader of the COB leader further stated that the de facto government is not meeting the urgent needs of the population regarding the health crisis and the economic recovery .
LINK Late on Wednesday , after five hours of meetings between representatives of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal ( TSE ) and the social organizations protesting the postponement of the elections , the respective sides announced that no agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indefinite national general strike and roadblocks will continue for the time being .
The executive secretary of the Federation of Trade Unions of Mining Workers of Bolivia ( FSTMB ) , Orlando Gutiérrez , reaffirmed that the miners are ready to expand the mobilization in the event of any attempt by the police or military to end the blockade by force .
The leader of the COB , Juan Carlos Huarachi , expressed his regret that no agreement has been reached .
“ Unfortunately , there is no will from the TSE .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ people ’ s request , covering the social reasons for the demand and legal arguments , ” he said after the meeting amid cheers and calls of ‘ elections now ’ outside the TSE building , in the Plaza Abaroa in La Paz .
LINK MORE ON THE TOPIC :

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The Central Obrera Boliviana (COB – Central Trade Union Confederation) and Pacto de Unidad (Unity Pact) civic organizations, which are a part of the alliance of social movements and organizations making up the Movement to Socialism (MAS), the political party of former president Evo Morales, announced on Tuesday that they will continue to intensify the mobilizations, however, they instructed the blockaders to allow ambulances and medical supplies and personnel to pass through.
COB executive Juan Carlos Huarachi urged blockaders to allow the passage of essential health services and equipment, a call that was subsequently reiterated by the organization’s intercultural executive, Henry Nina, who ratified the instruction to allow the passage of ambulances due to the health situation that the country is going through.
The announcement was made after the government reported that the blockages are preventing the passage of oxygen tubes, which are vital for treating COVID-19 patients.
Tuesday marked the second day of protests called to demand that the forthcoming national elections be held on September 6 as originally agreed between the major political factions after two previous delays. The electoral commission is attempting to postpone the election until 18 October.
The social leaders estimated that as of Tuesday there were more than 50 major blockade points throughout the country.
The executive of the Confederación Sindical Única de Trabajadores Campesinos de Bolivia (Single Trade Union Confederation of Agricultural Workers of Bolivia, CSUTCB), Jacinto Vega, announced the organizations’ decision that it will also “continue to join” the protests and not back down.
The social movements and organizations that have organized the nationwide blockade of major transport routes apologized to the Bolivian people for the inconvenience caused by the blockades, but emphasized that they are necessary to ensure that national elections are held to re-establish a legitimate government.
The leader of the COB leader further stated that the de facto government is not meeting the urgent needs of the population regarding the health crisis and the economic recovery. LINK
Late on Wednesday, after five hours of meetings between representatives of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) and the social organizations protesting the postponement of the elections, the respective sides announced that no agreement had been reached.
Consequently, the indefinite national general strike and roadblocks will continue for the time being.
The executive secretary of the Federation of Trade Unions of Mining Workers of Bolivia (FSTMB), Orlando Gutiérrez, reaffirmed that the miners are ready to expand the mobilization in the event of any attempt by the police or military to end the blockade by force.
The leader of the COB, Juan Carlos Huarachi, expressed his regret that no agreement has been reached. “Unfortunately, there is no will from the TSE. We have spent five hours justifying the people’s request, covering the social reasons for the demand and legal arguments,” he said after the meeting amid cheers and calls of ‘elections now’ outside the TSE building, in the Plaza Abaroa in La Paz. LINK
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southfront--2020-08-06--Iranian Forces Launched Large Combing Operation In Syria’s Deir Ezzor

On August 6 , Liwa Fatemiyoun , an Iranian-backed Afghan group operating in Syria , launched a large combing operation @ @ @ @ @ Deir Ezzor .
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , hundreds of fighters @ @ @ @ @ taking part in the operation .
Iranian-backed forces are combing a vast region between the @ @ @ @ @ .
Liwa Fatemiyoun , which is operating in Aleppo , Homs and Deir Ezzor , @ @ @ @ @ .
The Afghan group is funded , trained , and equipped by the Islamic Revolutionary @ @ @ @ @ its attacks on government-held areas in Deir Ezzor recently .
Last week , the group @ @ @ @ @ fields in the governorate ’ s western countryside .
A number of pro-government fighters were @ @ @ @ @ new combing operation will restrict the movement of ISIS terrorists in southern Deir Ezzor on @ @ @ @ @ , more efforts and time are needed to address the group ’ s threat in @ @ @ @ @ THIS TOPIC :

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On August 6, Liwa Fatemiyoun, an Iranian-backed Afghan group operating in Syria, launched a large combing operation in the southern countryside of Deir Ezzor.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, hundreds of fighters and 120 military vehicles are taking part in the operation. Iranian-backed forces are combing a vast region between the cities of al-Mayadin and al-Bukamal.
“They are combing the desert looking for cells of the Islamic State [ISIS] organization,” the UK-based monitoring group said in a report.
Liwa Fatemiyoun, which is operating in Aleppo, Homs and Deir Ezzor, has 10,000 to 20,000 fighters. The Afghan group is funded, trained, and equipped by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
ISIS intensified its attacks on government-held areas in Deir Ezzor recently. Last week, the group’s terrorists attacked oil fields in the governorate’s western countryside. A number of pro-government fighters were killed and injured.
The new combing operation will restrict the movement of ISIS terrorists in southern Deir Ezzor on the short term. However, more efforts and time are needed to address the group’s threat in the governorate.
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southfront--2020-08-06--Colombia: Former President Uribe Placed Under House Arrest By The Supreme Court

The Colombian Supreme Court ordered the house arrest of former president ( and current senator ) Álvaro Uribe Vélez on Tuesday , in a historic event in the South American country .
The decision took effect immediately , though the former president has the opportunity to appeal the decision .
The decision was unanimous among the six magistrates of the Supreme Court ’ s Investigative Chamber who decided the case ( the seventh , Cristina Lombana , a military officer during Uribe ’ s presidency , declared herself impeded from hearing the case ) .
Although Uribe can appeal the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision ’ s legal effect until and unless the appeal is successful .
The decision concerns accusations that Uribe tried to bribe ex-paramilitary members who are now prisoners , to persuade them to change their testimony against the former president implicating him in the creation and financing of several former paramilitary groups .
The decision was confirmed by ex-president Uribe himself , who , through his social networks , announced the precautionary measure against him .
The arrest warrant , which may last for a maximum of one year , must be carried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under increased political and legal pressure following revelations made by the magazine in a series of investigative reports including ‘ Chuzadas sin cuartel ’ ( Illegal electronic surveillance without quarter ) and ‘ Las carpetas secretas ’ ( The secret archives ) , which implicated Uribe ’ s Democratic Centre political party in the illegal surveillance and interception of communications carried out primarily by military intelligence units against government opponents ( or suspected opponents ) including journalists , human rights defenders , the then Secretary-General of the Presidency , and an adviser to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In a press release , the Democratic Centre party said it was indignant that the Supreme Court put Uribe under house arrest , possibly ending the political career of one of the most powerful politicians in Colombia .
The statement asserted that the bribery charges and accusations Uribe had tried to obstruct justice were “ slanderous ” and “ sustained by false witnesses ” .
Democratic Centre is already struggling to refute allegations that drug trafficking money financed the presidential campaign of Ivan Duque in 2018 , among numerous other major scandals .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ former president Uribe and current president Ivan Duque ‘ s in disarray .
One of the party ’ s members in the Senate , Paloma Valencia , even proposed a comprehensive reform to the judicial system to abolish the units investigating Uribe on fraud and bribery charges , something the party has been unsuccessfully promoting for years .
However , the proposal is less likely than ever to gain support in the national Congress , where the Democratic Centre has a minority ( 19 of 108 seats in the senate and 32 of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the other major parties are distancing themselves following the party ’ s heavy defeat in the 2019 regional elections and a series of damaging allegations and investigations .
While the leadership of the coalition Conservative Party stated that they “ regretted the situation the former ex-president is in , ” they nonetheless expressed support for the Supreme Court .
Radical Change party leader German Vargas , whose party also is in the governing coalition , did not immediately respond to the Supreme Court ’ s announcement .
Several of Uribe ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Manuel Santos and leftist Senator Gustavo Petro , stated that they expect the court to do its utmost to ensure that Uribe receives a fair trial .
The Supreme Court ’ s statement justifying the house arrest noted that the magistrates ’ decision to proceed with the trial is unanimous and that it is based on solid evidence .
LINK MORE ON THE TOPIC : • Colombia ’ s Supreme Court opens another criminal investigation against former president Alvaro Uribe • Lawfare Colombian-style legal political and quasi-judicial harassment persecution and counterinsurgency operations in @

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The Colombian Supreme Court ordered the house arrest of former president (and current senator) Álvaro Uribe Vélez on Tuesday, in a historic event in the South American country. The decision took effect immediately, though the former president has the opportunity to appeal the decision.
The decision was unanimous among the six magistrates of the Supreme Court’s Investigative Chamber who decided the case (the seventh, Cristina Lombana, a military officer during Uribe’s presidency, declared herself impeded from hearing the case). Although Uribe can appeal the decision, this will not alter the decision’s legal effect until and unless the appeal is successful.
The decision concerns accusations that Uribe tried to bribe ex-paramilitary members who are now prisoners, to persuade them to change their testimony against the former president implicating him in the creation and financing of several former paramilitary groups.
The decision was confirmed by ex-president Uribe himself, who, through his social networks, announced the precautionary measure against him.
“The deprivation of my freedom causes me deep sadness for my wife, for my family and for the Colombians who still believe that I have done something good for the Homeland,” Uribe said in this regard.
La privación de mi libertad me causa profunda tristeza por mi señora, por mi familia y por los colombianos que todavía creen que algo bueno he hecho por la Patria — Álvaro Uribe Vélez (@AlvaroUribeVel) August 4, 2020
The arrest warrant, which may last for a maximum of one year, must be carried out immediately.
Uribe has also been under increased political and legal pressure following revelations made by the magazine Semana in a series of investigative reports including ‘Chuzadas sin cuartel’ (Illegal electronic surveillance without quarter) and ‘Las carpetas secretas’ (The secret archives), which implicated Uribe’s Democratic Centre political party in the illegal surveillance and interception of communications carried out primarily by military intelligence units against government opponents (or suspected opponents) including journalists, human rights defenders, the then Secretary-General of the Presidency, and an adviser to the High Commissioner for Peace. LINK
In a press release, the Democratic Centre party said it was indignant that the Supreme Court put Uribe under house arrest, possibly ending the political career of one of the most powerful politicians in Colombia.
The statement asserted that the bribery charges and accusations Uribe had tried to obstruct justice were “slanderous” and “sustained by false witnesses”. Democratic Centre is already struggling to refute allegations that drug trafficking money financed the presidential campaign of Ivan Duque in 2018, among numerous other major scandals.
The announcement left the political party of former president Uribe and current president Ivan Duque‘s in disarray. One of the party’s members in the Senate, Paloma Valencia, even proposed a comprehensive reform to the judicial system to abolish the units investigating Uribe on fraud and bribery charges, something the party has been unsuccessfully promoting for years.
However, the proposal is less likely than ever to gain support in the national Congress, where the Democratic Centre has a minority (19 of 108 seats in the senate and 32 of 172 in the House of Representatives) and the other major parties are distancing themselves following the party’s heavy defeat in the 2019 regional elections and a series of damaging allegations and investigations.
While the leadership of the coalition Conservative Party stated that they “regretted the situation the former ex-president is in,” they nonetheless expressed support for the Supreme Court.
Radical Change party leader German Vargas, whose party also is in the governing coalition, did not immediately respond to the Supreme Court’s announcement.
Several of Uribe’s main political adversaries, former President Juan Manuel Santos and leftist Senator Gustavo Petro, stated that they expect the court to do its utmost to ensure that Uribe receives a fair trial.
The Supreme Court’s statement justifying the house arrest noted that the magistrates’ decision to proceed with the trial is unanimous and that it is based on solid evidence. LINK
MORE ON THE TOPIC:
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southfront--2020-08-06--Russian S-300 Air Defense System Spotted In Libya?

Russia has deployed an advanced S-300 air defense system to Libya to support the forces of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar against the Turkish military and its proxies , local media reported on August 5 .
According to photos surfacing online , the supposed S-300 system is deployed near the town of Ras Lanuf , a key oil export port controlled by the Libyan National Army ( LNA ) .
The town is located more than 200km away from the port city of Sirte , which the LNA is defending against Turkish-led forces .
The circulating photos supposedly show a 96L6E @ @ @ @ @ @ @ launcher ( TEL ) similar to those used in S-300 and S-400 air-defense systems .
This 3D early-warning and acquisition radar has a range of 300 km and can track up to 100 targets simultaneously .
Last month , several Arab sources already reported that an S-300 system had bee deployed in Libya .
Egypt , an ally of the LNA , operates a variant of the system that is different from the one allegedly spotted near Ras Lanuf .
Turkish sources are already crying foul about the cowardly Russians who are aiming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democratically bombing LNA-controlled cities .
At the same time , it should be noted that the photos from the Ras Lanuf area are yet to be verified .
In particular , the pictured radar also looks similar to those of the Iranian-made Khordad-15 air defense system , which was used in 2019 to shoot down a RQ-4A Global Hawk BAMS-D surveillance drone of the United States over the Strait of Hormuz .
In any case , if any of these versions is confirmed , it will be sad news for the Erdogan sultanate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for an attack on Sirte , the Turkish Armed Forces , pro-Turkish Syrian militants and Tripoli forces have not yet launched an attack on the port city , likely fearing a direct military response by Egypt to such a move .
Sporadic clashes regularly erupt west of Sirte and sides exchange isolated airstrikes , but the general situation on the frontline has stabilized .
This means that the conflict has at least temporarily entered into a positional war stage .
In these conditions , the main backers of Field Marshal Khaftar – Egypt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ France and Russia , have every chance to take the upper hand in this standoff even without the direct involvement of Russia or other major powers at their side .

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Russia has deployed an advanced S-300 air defense system to Libya to support the forces of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar against the Turkish military and its proxies, local media reported on August 5.
According to photos surfacing online, the supposed S-300 system is deployed near the town of Ras Lanuf, a key oil export port controlled by the Libyan National Army (LNA). The town is located more than 200km away from the port city of Sirte, which the LNA is defending against Turkish-led forces.
The circulating photos supposedly show a 96L6E Cheese Board radar and a transporter erector launcher (TEL) similar to those used in S-300 and S-400 air-defense systems. This 3D early-warning and acquisition radar has a range of 300 km and can track up to 100 targets simultaneously.
Last month, several Arab sources already reported that an S-300 system had bee deployed in Libya. Egypt, an ally of the LNA, operates a variant of the system that is different from the one allegedly spotted near Ras Lanuf.
Turkish sources are already crying foul about the cowardly Russians who are aiming to shoot down peaceful Turkish combat drones democratically bombing LNA-controlled cities. At the same time, it should be noted that the photos from the Ras Lanuf area are yet to be verified. In particular, the pictured radar also looks similar to those of the Iranian-made Khordad-15 air defense system, which was used in 2019 to shoot down a RQ-4A Global Hawk BAMS-D surveillance drone of the United States over the Strait of Hormuz. In any case, if any of these versions is confirmed, it will be sad news for the Erdogan sultanate and its proxies.
Despite active preparations for an attack on Sirte, the Turkish Armed Forces, pro-Turkish Syrian militants and Tripoli forces have not yet launched an attack on the port city, likely fearing a direct military response by Egypt to such a move. Sporadic clashes regularly erupt west of Sirte and sides exchange isolated airstrikes, but the general situation on the frontline has stabilized.
This means that the conflict has at least temporarily entered into a positional war stage. In these conditions, the main backers of Field Marshal Khaftar – Egypt and the UAE, partially supported by France and Russia, have every chance to take the upper hand in this standoff even without the direct involvement of Russia or other major powers at their side.
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southfront--2020-08-06--Russian Service Members Were Injured In Northern Lattakia Clashes – Reports

A number of Russian service members were reportedly injured in the northern countryside of Syria ’ s Lattakia on August 6 .
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that the Russian service members were injured when militants shelled the outskirts of the town of Kinsabba .
According to the monitoring group , a Russian helicopter landed near the town to evacuate the wounded .
The al-Fateh al-Mubeen Operations Room claimed responsibility for the strikes on Kinsabba .
The operation room , which includes Turkish-backed factions and al-Qaeda-affiliated groups , is led by Hay ’ at Tahrir al-Sham .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet to comment on these claims .
The ministry usually acknowledges any human losses in Syria within a few days .
Earlier in the morning , the Syrian Arab Army launched a limited attack from Kinsabba on the al-Hadadah hill .
Intense clashes broke out in the region .
Nine Syrian soldiers and five militants were reportedly killed .
If the reports of Russian casualties in northern Lattakia are true , Russian forces will likely respond within a few hours .
Such an attack could even encourage the Syrian military and its allies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Idlib .
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A number of Russian service members were reportedly injured in the northern countryside of Syria’s Lattakia on August 6.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that the Russian service members were injured when militants shelled the outskirts of the town of Kinsabba. According to the monitoring group, a Russian helicopter landed near the town to evacuate the wounded.
The al-Fateh al-Mubeen Operations Room claimed responsibility for the strikes on Kinsabba. The operation room, which includes Turkish-backed factions and al-Qaeda-affiliated groups, is led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
The Ministry of Defense of Russia is yet to comment on these claims. The ministry usually acknowledges any human losses in Syria within a few days.
Earlier in the morning, the Syrian Arab Army launched a limited attack from Kinsabba on the al-Hadadah hill. Intense clashes broke out in the region. Nine Syrian soldiers and five militants were reportedly killed.
If the reports of Russian casualties in northern Lattakia are true, Russian forces will likely respond within a few hours. Such an attack could even encourage the Syrian military and its allies to launch a new operation in Greater Idlib.
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southfront--2020-08-06--ISIS Increased Attacks: New Clashes Reported In Eastern Hama

Early on August 6 , ISIS terrorists launched a “ hit and run ” attack on Syrian military positions in the eastern countryside of Hama .
According to pro-government sources , the terrorists attacked positions and checkpoints of the Syrian Arab Army and the National Defense Forces around the town of  .
Government forces repelled the attack after several hours of heavy clashes .
Syrian government forces didn ’ t sustain any losses .
ISIS , whose terrorists were forced to pull back from the vicinity of  , may have suffered casualties .
According to the London-based Syrian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the second attack by ISIS on eastern Hama this week .
The group ’ s terrorists attacked military positions near the town of Jub Abyad on August 4 .
ISIS terrorists are likely launching their attacks from the Homs desert , that lays between eastern Homs and western Deir Ezzor .
The terrorists may be launching these attack to secure supplies .
The Homs desert have very limited resources and a harsh heat wave is currently effecting the region .
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Early on August 6, ISIS terrorists launched a “hit and run” attack on Syrian military positions in the eastern countryside of Hama.
According to pro-government sources, the terrorists attacked positions and checkpoints of the Syrian Arab Army and the National Defense Forces around the town of Jundya. Government forces repelled the attack after several hours of heavy clashes.
Syrian government forces didn’t sustain any losses. ISIS, whose terrorists were forced to pull back from the vicinity of Jundya, may have suffered casualties.
According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, this was the second attack by ISIS on eastern Hama this week. The group’s terrorists attacked military positions near the town of Jub Abyad on August 4.
ISIS terrorists are likely launching their attacks from the Homs desert, that lays between eastern Homs and western Deir Ezzor.
The terrorists may be launching these attack to secure supplies. The Homs desert have very limited resources and a harsh heat wave is currently effecting the region.
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southfront--2020-08-06--Turkey Deployed New Batch Of Syrian Militants In Libya: SOHR

Turkey had deployed a new batch of Syrian militants in Libya to support the Government of National Accord ( GNA ) , the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights ( SOHR ) reported on August 6 .
According to the London-based monitoring group , the newly-deployed militants are enlisted in the ranks of the Hamza Division , the Sultan Murad Division and the Suleyman Shah Division .
The three Turkish-backed groups are a part of the so-called Syrian National Army .
Since last year , Turkey has deployed 17,300 Syrian militants , including 350 minors , in Libya to boost the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealed in a recent report that Ankara had also transported 10,000 jihadists of different nationalities from Syria to Libya over the last few months .
The jihadists included at least 2,500 Tunisians who were fighting in Syria .
The deployment of Syrian militants and jihadists allowed the GNA to repel the Libyan National Army large attack on the capital , Tripoli .
Turkish-backed forces also secured important areas in northwestern and western Libya .
These achievements came at a high cost for Syrian militants .
Around 481 militants , including 34 under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Libya , thus far .
The deployment of more Syrian militants indicates that Turkey and the GNA are preparing to resume operations soon .
The town of Sirte and al-Jufrah Air Base will likely be the targets .
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Turkey had deployed a new batch of Syrian militants in Libya to support the Government of National Accord (GNA), the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on August 6.
“A new batch arrived [in Libya] in the past 48 hours, numbering about 300 fighters,” the SOHR’s report reads.
According to the London-based monitoring group, the newly-deployed militants are enlisted in the ranks of the Hamza Division, the Sultan Murad Division and the Suleyman Shah Division. The three Turkish-backed groups are a part of the so-called Syrian National Army.
Since last year, Turkey has deployed 17,300 Syrian militants, including 350 minors, in Libya to boost the capabilities of GNA forces.
The SOHR revealed in a recent report that Ankara had also transported 10,000 jihadists of different nationalities from Syria to Libya over the last few months. The jihadists included at least 2,500 Tunisians who were fighting in Syria.
The deployment of Syrian militants and jihadists allowed the GNA to repel the Libyan National Army large attack on the capital, Tripoli. Turkish-backed forces also secured important areas in northwestern and western Libya.
These achievements came at a high cost for Syrian militants. Around 481 militants, including 34 under the age of 18, have been killed in Libya, thus far.
The deployment of more Syrian militants indicates that Turkey and the GNA are preparing to resume operations soon. The town of Sirte and al-Jufrah Air Base will likely be the targets.
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southfront--2020-08-06--Saudi-led Coalition Shot Down Houthis’ Suicide Drone

The Saudi-led coalition announced on August 6 that its air-defense units had shot down a suicide drone of the Houthis @ @ @ @ @ Arabia .
Col. Turki al-Maliki , a spokesman for the coalition , revealed that the @ @ @ @ @ coastal Yemeni city of al-Hudaydah , which is controlled by the Houthis .
The Saudi-led @ @ @ @ @ any information on the type of the drone or reveal its designated target inside Saudi @ @ @ @ @ are yet to comment on the Saudi-led coalition ’ s claims .
Earlier this year @ @ @ @ @ missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia .
Last month , the Houthis launched a @ @ @ @ @ drones at air-defense systems , military airports and oil fields in different parts of Saudi @ @ @ @ @ the coalition claimed that the attack was foiled .
The Saudi-led coalition improved its defenses @ @ @ @ @ year .
Nevertheless , the Houthis ’ ever growing offensive capabilities are still a credible @ @ @ @ @ its allies .
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The Saudi-led coalition announced on August 6 that its air-defense units had shot down a suicide drone of the Houthis that was heading to Saudi Arabia.
Col. Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the coalition, revealed that the drone was launched from the coastal Yemeni city of al-Hudaydah, which is controlled by the Houthis.
“The terrorist Houthi militia continues to violate the Stockholm Agreement and the ceasefire in al-Hudaydah and continues to launch hostilities and terrorist operations from the governorate of al-Hudaydah,” the spokesman said in an official statement.
The Saudi-led coalition didn’t provide any information on the type of the drone or reveal its designated target inside Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis’ are yet to comment on the Saudi-led coalition’s claims. Earlier this year, the group resumed its missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Last month, the Houthis launched a large attack with missiles and drones at air-defense systems, military airports and oil fields in different parts of Saudi Arabia. Back then, the coalition claimed that the attack was foiled.
The Saudi-led coalition improved its defenses and tactics over the last year. Nevertheless, the Houthis’ ever growing offensive capabilities are still a credible threat to Saudi Arabia and its allies.
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southfront--2020-08-06--Kurdish Forces Sustained Losses In New Round Of Turkish Shelling In Northern Raqqa

Late on August 5 , the Turkish military shelled the towns of Ayn Issa and Sida in the northern Raqqa countryside from its post in the nearby village of Kurmizat .
The shelling targeted positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF ) .
Turkish drones were flying over Ayn Issa and Sida at the time of the attack .
Some sources claimed that the drones were also used to attack SDF positions .
However , this is yet to be confirmed .
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revealed that the shelling had claimed the lives of two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not yet commented on this issue .
Turkish forces intensified their attacks in northeastern Syria recently .
Last week , the Turkish military and its Syrian proxies shelled a number of towns in northern al-Hasakah and opened fire at civilians traveling on the M4 highway .
The Turkish military invaded northeastern Syria in October last year .
The Turkish attack was facilitated by the U.S. , which withdrew its forces from many areas in the region .
Turkey committed to de-escalate tension in northeastern Syria under two separate agreements with the U.S. and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forces didn ’ t stop the attacks on the SDF .
This could soon lead to a new confrontation in the region .
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Late on August 5, the Turkish military shelled the towns of Ayn Issa and Sida in the northern Raqqa countryside from its post in the nearby village of Kurmizat.
The shelling targeted positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkish drones were flying over Ayn Issa and Sida at the time of the attack. Some sources claimed that the drones were also used to attack SDF positions. However, this is yet to be confirmed.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revealed that the shelling had claimed the lives of two SDF fighters. The Kurdish-led group has not yet commented on this issue.
Turkish forces intensified their attacks in northeastern Syria recently. Last week, the Turkish military and its Syrian proxies shelled a number of towns in northern al-Hasakah and opened fire at civilians traveling on the M4 highway.
The Turkish military invaded northeastern Syria in October last year. The Turkish attack was facilitated by the U.S., which withdrew its forces from many areas in the region.
Turkey committed to de-escalate tension in northeastern Syria under two separate agreements with the U.S. and Russia. Nevertheless, Ankara’s forces didn’t stop the attacks on the SDF. This could soon lead to a new confrontation in the region.
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southfront--2020-08-07--Turkish Army Shelled Syrian Military Positions In Southern Idlib

In the early hours of August 7 , the Turkish military shelled several positions of the Syrian Arab Army ( @ @ @ @ @ of Ma ` arat al-Nu ` man in the southern Idlib countryside .
According to @ @ @ @ @ Human Rights , the Turkish artillery strikes didn ’ t result in any losses in @ @ @ @ @ .
The strikes were carried out from posts in the al-Zawya Mount area .
In @ @ @ @ @ there have been heavy clashes between the SAA and Turkish-backed militants in Greater Idlib .
@ @ @ @ @ southern Idlib and northern Lattakia .
According to unconfirmed reports , Russian service members were @ @ @ @ @ artillery strikes were likely meant to deter and intimidate the SAA and its allies , @ @ @ @ @ new operation in Greater Idlib .
Turkey ’ s actions and military buildup in Greater @ @ @ @ @ there .
Ankara committed under the March 5 agreement with Russia to neutralize these militants @ @ @ @ @ now supporting them .
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In the early hours of August 7, the Turkish military shelled several positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in the city of Ma`arat al-Nu`man in the southern Idlib countryside.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Turkish artillery strikes didn’t result in any losses in the SAA’s ranks. The strikes were carried out from posts in the al-Zawya Mount area.
“[The shelling] coincided with intense flights of Bayraktar combat drones in the skies of Idlib governorate,” the monitoring group said in a report.
In the last two days, there have been heavy clashes between the SAA and Turkish-backed militants in Greater Idlib. Both sides sustained losses in southern Idlib and northern Lattakia. According to unconfirmed reports, Russian service members were also injured.
The Turkish artillery strikes were likely meant to deter and intimidate the SAA and its allies, who are reportedly planning a new operation in Greater Idlib.
Turkey’s actions and military buildup in Greater Idlib encourage the remaining militants there. Ankara committed under the March 5 agreement with Russia to neutralize these militants. Yet, it is now supporting them.
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southfront--2020-08-07--US Police Fabricate SWAT Raids And More For Reality TV Content

The US reality TV show “ Live PD ” was taken off the air , similarly to its predecessor “ COPS.
” The main reason is the constant accusations that ethical boundaries are continuously crossed in order to get footage for the shows .
“ In one case , the Williamson County Sheriff ’ s Office in Texas is being accused of intentionally passing up an opportunity to arrest their suspect , Asher Watsky , while he was in court , just so they could raid his home for the television cameras a few hours later .
The court appearance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but is just now getting new attention after the cancellation of the show.
” And the individual was aware of it the entire time .
“ The second I saw the cameras , I ’ m aware of the Live PD program , I figured out right then , I had a feeling what was going on , ” Asher said .
Gary Watsky , one of the occupants of the home , says that the SWAT raid was “ all for show.
” “ It was all for TV , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shawn Dick was among many people involved with the case who felt that Watsky could have been arrested peacefully when he was in court less than four hours before the raid .
According to KVUE , Dick said that officials with the sheriff ’ s office admitted that they removed Watsky ’ s warrant from the record system so no one in the court would see it that day and try to arrest him .
Watsky was wanted for assault charge that he faced from a fight that he got into with his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his court requirements for the initial charge , but for some reason , the police filed an additional charge against him , but didn ’ t activate it until after he appeared in court .
It was allegedly deemed safer to send a SWAT team to his house and raid it , rather than just arrest him after he passed security checks in a courthouse .
Dick has also identified at least five other cases where the Williamson County sheriff ’ s office used excessive force while cameras were rolling for Live PD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that this raid may not have been necessary , and he fears , “ That this was staged for the value of live television.
” In June 2020 , the Free Though Project reported that a 40-year-old postal worker was on his way home from a friendly poker game when he allegedly made the mistake of failing to turn off his brights when passing another vehicle .
Ambler ’ s last moments alive were captured on police body camera footage as well as footage from the crew from A & E ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He never resisted , posed a threat to cops , or attempted to attack them , yet he was thrown to the ground , repeatedly tasered , and the air squeezed from his body until he fell unconscious and died .
The incident began as Deputy J.J. Johnson , who is regularly featured on “ Live PD , ” passed Ambler and allegedly saw him fail to dim his brights .
So , the deputy targeted Ambler for extortion and subsequent murder .
Ambler was presumably scared of what police could do and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minutes .
The chase came to an end when Ambler crashed his vehicle .
When Ambler appeared to turn toward his car door , Johnson used his Taser , according to an internal investigative report the Statesman obtained under the Texas Public Information Act .
Ambler fell on one knee , rolled onto his back and stomach and acted as though he was trying to stand.
” As the Statesman reports , a death-in-custody report filed with the Texas attorney general ’ s office said Ambler did not attempt to , nor did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ verbally threaten others nor attempt to get control of any officers ’ weapons .
So , yeah , essentially raiding people ’ s homes and killing them on camera passed as entertainment .
MORE ON THE TOPIC : • Protests Continue In Portland , As Trump Focuses On Vital Issues : Banning TikTok • ‘ I ’ ll Probably Just Die This Way ’ : Body-Cam Footage Of Moments Leading Up To George Floyd ’ s Murder Released

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The US reality TV show “Live PD” was taken off the air, similarly to its predecessor “COPS.”
The main reason is the constant accusations that ethical boundaries are continuously crossed in order to get footage for the shows.
As the Libertarian Institute reported:
“In one case, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office in Texas is being accused of intentionally passing up an opportunity to arrest their suspect, Asher Watsky, while he was in court, just so they could raid his home for the television cameras a few hours later. The court appearance and raid happened in May of 2019, but is just now getting new attention after the cancellation of the show.”
And the individual was aware of it the entire time.
“The second I saw the cameras, I’m aware of the Live PD program, I figured out right then, I had a feeling what was going on,” Asher said. Gary Watsky, one of the occupants of the home, says that the SWAT raid was “all for show.” “It was all for TV,” he said.
Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick was among many people involved with the case who felt that Watsky could have been arrested peacefully when he was in court less than four hours before the raid.
According to KVUE, Dick said that officials with the sheriff’s office admitted that they removed Watsky’s warrant from the record system so no one in the court would see it that day and try to arrest him.
Watsky was wanted for assault charge that he faced from a fight that he got into with his roommate.
He was fulfilling all of his court requirements for the initial charge, but for some reason, the police filed an additional charge against him, but didn’t activate it until after he appeared in court.
It was allegedly deemed safer to send a SWAT team to his house and raid it, rather than just arrest him after he passed security checks in a courthouse.
Dick has also identified at least five other cases where the Williamson County sheriff’s office used excessive force while cameras were rolling for Live PD.
National law enforcement consultant Jeff Noble said that this raid may not have been necessary, and he fears, “That this was staged for the value of live television.”
“That is not the type of situation to take lightly but, at the same time, it is not the type of situation I would expect a SWAT team to enter a home to make an arrest,” Noble said.
In June 2020, the Free Though Project reported that a 40-year-old postal worker was on his way home from a friendly poker game when he allegedly made the mistake of failing to turn off his brights when passing another vehicle.
Ambler’s last moments alive were captured on police body camera footage as well as footage from the crew from A&E’s reality show “Live PD.” He never resisted, posed a threat to cops, or attempted to attack them, yet he was thrown to the ground, repeatedly tasered, and the air squeezed from his body until he fell unconscious and died.
The incident began as Deputy J.J. Johnson, who is regularly featured on “Live PD,” passed Ambler and allegedly saw him fail to dim his brights. So, the deputy targeted Ambler for extortion and subsequent murder.
Ambler was presumably scared of what police could do and led them on a chase for 20 minutes.
The chase came to an end when Ambler crashed his vehicle.
“Johnson, who had no backup at the time, drew his gun and ordered Ambler to get out of his car, raise his hands and get on the ground. Ambler, a 400-pound former football player, got out and showed his hands. Johnson, who is black and about half Ambler’s size, holstered his gun and pulled out his Taser. “Get down!” Johnson repeated several times.
When Ambler appeared to turn toward his car door, Johnson used his Taser, according to an internal investigative report the Statesman obtained under the Texas Public Information Act. Ambler fell on one knee, rolled onto his back and stomach and acted as though he was trying to stand.”
As the Statesman reports, a death-in-custody report filed with the Texas attorney general’s office said Ambler did not attempt to, nor did he assault deputies; he did not verbally threaten others nor attempt to get control of any officers’ weapons.
So, yeah, essentially raiding people’s homes and killing them on camera passed as entertainment.
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