itchy_lizard

The words of Greta Thunberg this week

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pyi0L7_vwo

Activists are being systemically targeted with repression and are paying the price for defending life and the right to protest.

We are seeing now extremely worrying developments where activists all over the world are experiencing increased repressions just for fighting for our present and our future.

There is extreme hypocrisy when it comes to this. All over the world we're experiencing this. Not the least, for example, here in France. Just the other day - that activists are being systemically targeted with repression and are paying the price for defending life and the right to protest.

We're still speeding in the wrong direction

We are now at an extremely critical point. The emissions of greenhouse gasses are at an all-time-high, and the concentration of Co2 in the atmosphere hasn't been this high in the entire history of humanity.

And we're still speeding in the wrong direction. The emissions are on the rise, and science has been very clear on this. And the people living on the front-lines of the climate emergency have been sounding the alarm for a long time

After being scammed into thinking her daughter was kidnapped, an Arizona woman testified in the US Senate about the dangers side of artificial intelligence technology when in the hands of criminals.

Jennifer DeStefano told the Senate judiciary committee about the fear she felt when she received an ominous phone call on a Friday last April.

Thinking the unknown number was a doctor’s office, she answered the phone just before 5pm on the final ring. On the other end of the line was her 15-year-old daughter – or at least what sounded exactly like her daughter’s voice.

“On the other end was our daughter Briana sobbing and crying saying ‘Mom’.”

Briana was on a ski trip when the incident took place so DeStefano assumed she injured herself and was calling let her know.

DeStefano heard the voice of her daughter and recreated the interaction for her audience: “‘Mom, I messed up’ with more crying and sobbing. Not thinking twice, I asked her again, ‘OK, what happened?’”

She continued: “Suddenly a man’s voice barked at her to ‘lay down and put your head back’.”

Panic immediately set in and DeStefano said she then demanded to know what was happening.

“Nothing could have prepared me for her response,” Defano said.

Defano said she heard her daughter say: “‘Mom these bad men have me. Help me! Help me!’ She begged and pleaded as the phone was taken from her.”

“Listen here, I have your daughter. You tell anyone, you call the cops, I am going to pump her stomach so full of drugs,” a man on the line then said to DeStefano.

The man then told DeStefano he “would have his way” with her daughter and drop her off in Mexico, and that she’d never see her again.

At the time of the phone call, DeStefano was at her other daughter Aubrey’s dance rehearsal. She put the phone on mute and screamed for help, which captured the attention of nearby parents who called 911 for her.

DeStefano negotiated with the fake kidnappers until police arrived. At first, they set the ransom at $1m and then lowered it to $50,000 when DeStefano told them such a high price was impossible.

She asked for a routing number and wiring instructions but the man refused that method because it could be “traced” and demanded cash instead.

DeStefano said she was told that she would be picked up in a white van with bag over her head so that she wouldn’t know where she was going.

She said he told her: “If I didn’t have all the money, then we were both going to be dead.”

But another parent with her informed her police were aware of AI scams like these. DeStefano then made contact with her actual daughter and husband, who confirmed repeatedly that they were fine.

“At that point, I hung up and collapsed to the floor in tears of relief,” DeStefano said.

When DeStefano tried to file a police report after the ordeal, she was dismissed and told this was a “prank call”.

A survey by McAfee, a computer security software company, found that 70% of people said they weren’t confident they could tell the difference between a cloned voice and the real thing. McAfee also said it takes only three seconds of audio to replicate a person’s voice.

DeStefano urged lawmakers to act in order prevent scams like these from hurting other people.

She said: “If left uncontrolled, unregulated, and we are left unprotected without consequence, it will rewrite our understanding and perception what is and what is not truth. It will erode our sense of ‘familiar’ as it corrodes our confidence in what is real and what is not.”

After being scammed into thinking her daughter was kidnapped, an Arizona woman testified in the US Senate about the dangers side of artificial intelligence technology when in the hands of criminals.

Jennifer DeStefano told the Senate judiciary committee about the fear she felt when she received an ominous phone call on a Friday last April.

Thinking the unknown number was a doctor’s office, she answered the phone just before 5pm on the final ring. On the other end of the line was her 15-year-old daughter – or at least what sounded exactly like her daughter’s voice.

“On the other end was our daughter Briana sobbing and crying saying ‘Mom’.”

Briana was on a ski trip when the incident took place so DeStefano assumed she injured herself and was calling let her know.

DeStefano heard the voice of her daughter and recreated the interaction for her audience: “‘Mom, I messed up’ with more crying and sobbing. Not thinking twice, I asked her again, ‘OK, what happened?’”

She continued: “Suddenly a man’s voice barked at her to ‘lay down and put your head back’.”

Panic immediately set in and DeStefano said she then demanded to know what was happening.

“Nothing could have prepared me for her response,” Defano said.

Defano said she heard her daughter say: “‘Mom these bad men have me. Help me! Help me!’ She begged and pleaded as the phone was taken from her.”

“Listen here, I have your daughter. You tell anyone, you call the cops, I am going to pump her stomach so full of drugs,” a man on the line then said to DeStefano.

The man then told DeStefano he “would have his way” with her daughter and drop her off in Mexico, and that she’d never see her again.

At the time of the phone call, DeStefano was at her other daughter Aubrey’s dance rehearsal. She put the phone on mute and screamed for help, which captured the attention of nearby parents who called 911 for her.

DeStefano negotiated with the fake kidnappers until police arrived. At first, they set the ransom at $1m and then lowered it to $50,000 when DeStefano told them such a high price was impossible.

She asked for a routing number and wiring instructions but the man refused that method because it could be “traced” and demanded cash instead.

DeStefano said she was told that she would be picked up in a white van with bag over her head so that she wouldn’t know where she was going.

She said he told her: “If I didn’t have all the money, then we were both going to be dead.”

But another parent with her informed her police were aware of AI scams like these. DeStefano then made contact with her actual daughter and husband, who confirmed repeatedly that they were fine.

“At that point, I hung up and collapsed to the floor in tears of relief,” DeStefano said.

When DeStefano tried to file a police report after the ordeal, she was dismissed and told this was a “prank call”.

A survey by McAfee, a computer security software company, found that 70% of people said they weren’t confident they could tell the difference between a cloned voice and the real thing. McAfee also said it takes only three seconds of audio to replicate a person’s voice.

DeStefano urged lawmakers to act in order prevent scams like these from hurting other people.

She said: “If left uncontrolled, unregulated, and we are left unprotected without consequence, it will rewrite our understanding and perception what is and what is not truth. It will erode our sense of ‘familiar’ as it corrodes our confidence in what is real and what is not.”

One of Guatemala’s best known journalists is facing up to 40 years in prison on Wednesday in a case that has raised alarm about a squeeze on democracy in Central America’s largest economy.

José Rubén Zamora said he believed the charges of money laundering, blackmail and influence peddling against him were filed in retaliation for stories published by his newspaper that alleged corruption by the government of President Alejandro Giammattei.

Days before his final hearing, Zamora told the Financial Times: “What [the president] has done to me is horrible . . . [But] I’m glad that he put me here for doing my job properly.” Giammattei’s office denied any role in Zamora’s case.

Businessman and journalist Zamora, who is being held in the isolation wing of a prison on the outskirts of Guatemala City, won international acclaim for his work exposing corruption since the country’s civil war.

Zamora has been the target of attacks, raids and threats for decades. But in May he said political and economic pressure had made it impossible to continue and he shut down El Periódico, the newspaper he started as the country signed peace accords to end its 36-year civil war in 1996.

The detention and potential conviction of one of the country’s highest-profile journalists has sparked fear among Guatemala’s reporters, with more than 20 fleeing the country in a little over a year, according to the journalism collective #NoNosCallaran (“They will not silence us”).

Zamora’s case comes as members of the media across the region face increasing physical and legal threats, pushing major outlets such as El Salvador’s El Faro and Nicaragua’s La Prensa to relocate abroad.

The verdict in Zamora’s case could come under two weeks before presidential and congressional elections.

“Everyone is terrified,” Zamora said of the country’s press corps. He spoke from the prison on a military base surrounded by lush green forest where he is kept separate from other inmates. Zamora has just one hour a day outside his cell on a small patio.

Giammattei has insisted there is a free press in Guatemala and has underscored its importance for building a democracy. A spokesperson for him rejected any suggestion he was involved in Zamora’s case, stressing the executive branch is separate from the judiciary.

“Guatemala respects and works to guarantee the free exercise of journalism,” the spokesperson said. “We’ve counted more than 6,000 critical stories about the government of Guatemala and there has been no censorship, therefore publishing baseless assertions is an irresponsible decision.”

Giammattei and other political leaders have stressed that the case against Zamora is about how he handled the newspapers’ finances, not its stories. “Does press freedom mean immunity for his acts that aren’t acts done as a journalist but as a businessman?” Giammattei told Colombian radio earlier this year.

Zamora and rights groups say the case is politically motivated and plagued with procedural irregularities. He was arrested within days of the original complaint, and the case could be wrapped up in just a year in a country with widespread impunity and where cases often drag on for years. Prosecutors have asked for a longer than standard sentence because he “disrespected the authorities”.

The country’s attorney-general and chief anti-corruption prosecutors are on Washington’s undemocratic and corrupt actors list.

Prosecutors have also pursued cases against several of Zamora’s defence lawyers, reporters and family members, including last week asking the now-shut El Periódico for all the stories published by nine of its journalists since July 2022.

“This is something you would expect in Cuba, not in a democratic country,” said Juan Pappier, acting deputy director for the Americas at Human Rights Watch. “There is a push to destroy the independent press in Guatemala through various means.”

Several journalists in Guatemala said they felt they had to be careful before publishing stories. In March, the US embassy in Guatemala said it was “deeply concerned” about the reports of an investigation into El Periódico journalists.

Journalist Sonny Figueroa, founder of Guatemalan news site Vox Populi, said there were still critical journalists in the country doing essential work, but that he had suffered harassment, death threats and a criminal complaint made by subjects of a corruption story. He and his reporting partner Marvin Del Cid had already left the country temporarily twice. “We have one foot out and one foot in,” he said.

The drive to prosecute journalists ramped up after the state had already pursued cases against former officials, who had investigated corruption with a UN-backed commission known as the CICIG. The CICIG filed more than 120 cases and helped to topple former president Otto Pérez Molina but its mandate was not renewed by the former government in 2019.

Since then, many of those involved in trying the cases have been prosecuted themselves, and more than 30 former justice system officials have left the country, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Claudia Samayoa, founder of non-profit the Human Rights Defenders Protection Unit in Guatemala, called the crackdown “the politics of revenge”.

Samayoa said prosecutors were increasingly using laws aimed at tackling organised crime to pursue reporters. “The real intention of all these cases is to capture the journalist . . . it’s very easy to be put in prison, getting out of prison is difficult,” she said.

Zamora, who spends his days reading through a pile of books from novels by Jorge Luis Borges to a Winston Churchill biography, said he thought Guatemala and neighbouring authoritarian Nicaragua were like “twin brothers”.

“We are at a high risk . . . of becoming a tyrannical, fascist dictatorship,” he said.

On June 11, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a significant speech to a group of scientists, experts, and officials in Iran’s nuclear industry. He praised their achievements and cautiously approved the possibility of a deal with the West regarding Tehran’s nuclear program but also emphasized the importance of preserving Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Given that the Supreme Leader holds the final authority in all foreign policy matters, his diplomatic language provides crucial insights into Iran’s negotiating stance and carries serious implications for the future of nuclear negotiations and U.S.-Iran relations.

The speech comes at a critical juncture for Iran’s nuclear program and its relations with Washington and its Western allies. The indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran have been stalled since September, with both sides accusing the other of making unreasonable demands. The Iranian government’s assistance to Russia in the Ukraine war and its brutal crackdown on a countrywide protest movement since that time have also stalled the negotiation process.

Meanwhile, Iran has been steadily advancing its nuclear activities by increasing its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, installing more advanced centrifuges, and reducing cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). These moves, which exceed the limits established under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that was negotiated between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany have increased concerns about Iran’s intentions as it has approached nuclear breakout capability.

While a full restoration of the JCPOA appears increasingly unlikely, both sides could still benefit from a smaller agreement that involves mutual concessions. Such an agreement would help alleviate tensions and partially address their respective interests, thus averting an immediate crisis.

Khamenei’s approval of a potential agreement, albeit with the caveat that Iran’s nuclear infrastructure should not be compromised, could be interpreted as a signal that Tehran is now prepared to make some concessions for a deal. The key question, however, is what he meant by preserving Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, which could encompass advanced centrifuges, high-enriched uranium stockpiles, and other nuclear material and equipment that pose a proliferation risk.

Iran’s primary concern lies in receiving assurances that the U.S. will honor any new deal, even if it isn’t legally binding. Hence, many in Iran argue that maintaining significant parts of its nuclear infrastructure, even if placed under IAEA or international supervision, is a necessary safeguard against any potential U.S. withdrawal from a new agreement. However, preserving the nuclear infrastructure as it exists today would clearly violate the limitations set forth in the 2015 nuclear deal.

In his speech, Khamenei also reiterated Iran’s long-held position that it is not seeking nuclear weapons and emphasized that such weapons, along with chemical weapons that indiscriminately kill people, are prohibited on religious grounds. He insisted that the West’s claim about “the fear of nuclear weapons production in Iran” is a lie, adding that the U.S. intelligence community has acknowledged several times, including in recent months, that there is no sign of Iran moving towards producing nuclear weapons. He also urged Iran to maintain its cooperation with the IAEA within the framework of its safeguards agreement.

Interestingly, Khamenei’s speech coincides with reports — originating in Korean, Israeli, and Qatari media — suggesting that the U.S. and Iran are indeed considering a more limited or interim agreement. Such an agreement would involve freezing or rolling back some of Iran’s nuclear advances in exchange for partial sanctions relief. Both sides, however, have so far denied reaching any interim deal or alternative arrangement beyond the JCPOA.

Nevertheless, the stakes are high for both sides, as they face domestic and international pressures to resolve the nuclear impasse. Khamenei seeks to ensure conservative President Ebrahim Raisi’s success as his protégé and potential successor, secure Iran’s strategic interests and regional influence, and avoid military confrontation with the U.S. or Israel, both of which have threatened to use force if diplomacy fails to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. On the other hand, President Biden aims to fulfill his promise of diplomacy with Iran, prevent a nuclear crisis that could negatively impact his 2024 reelection campaign, and address concerns from U.S. allies in the region, notably Israel and Saudi Arabia, regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional behavior.

In this context, Khamenei’s speech signals support for the Raisi government to pursue a diplomatic solution with Washington.

Any new agreement, however, carries risks and challenges for both parties. They must navigate the expectations and reactions of their domestic and international audiences, some of which may oppose or seek to undermine a deal. In the U.S., the Biden administration faces resistance from lawmakers, particularly Republicans, who have long opposed the JCPOA and favor maintaining, if not increasing tough economic sanctions against Iran. Biden would face a major challenge, particularly in light of Tehran’s closer ties with Moscow since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in persuading Congress and the American public that engaging with Tehran serves the national interest.

Similarly, Raisi must contend with hardliners to his right who oppose any compromises on Iran’s nuclear program and argue that it would be foolhardy to trust that the U.S. would fulfill its promises given former President Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA. Nonetheless, Khamenei’s speech may help protect Raisi against domestic criticism if his diplomats manage to secure a deal.

Ultimately, both Iran and the U.S. share a strong interest in reaching an agreement. A more limited or interim agreement could serve as a crucial bridge, effectively easing tensions and building a foundation for further negotiations. Khamenei’s speech potentially paves the way for a breakthrough in the protracted nuclear impasse or, at the very least, mitigates the risk of further escalation and confrontation with the U.S. However, achieving such an outcome remains uncertain, as both sides face formidable domestic and international pressures that could derail the diplomatic process.