I think it would be very important if a network like ourmedia could give
active solidarity to Indymedia and the attack to freedom of communication
and independent information that indymedia stands for...
Maybe the European Social Forum could be a good space to take common
actions/campaigns?
francesca
(imc italy volounteer)
Indymedia Press releases
------------------
The two press releases, including many translations - please use and
distribute them widely! For questions please email
[log in to unmask]
http://indymedia.org/en/2004/10/111999.shtml
http://indymedia.org/en/2004/10/112047.shtml
more: http://www.indymedia.org/en/static/fbi.shtml
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Press Release
08 October 2004
Italy and Switzerland Requested Indymedia's Server Seizure
Today, October 8, 2004, Indymedia has learned that the request to seize
Indymedia servers hosted by a US company in the UK originated from
government agencies in Italy and Switzerland. More than 20 Indymedia
sites, several internet radio streams and other projects were hosted on
the servers. They were taken offline on October 7th after an order was
issued to Rackspace, Inc., one of Indymedia's web hosting providers.
The reasons for the court order or who actually holds the servers now are
still unknown to Indymedia.
According to Italian news agency reports and an Agence France-Presse (AFP)
interview with FBI spokesman Joe Parris, the FBI acted on Italian and
Swiss requests. "It is not an FBI operation," Parris told AFP. "Through a
legal assistance treaty, the subpoena was on behalf of a third
country."(1)
Earlier today Rackspace published a statement that they turned over the
servers in response to an order under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty
(MLAT). The MLAT establishes procedures for countries to assist each other
in investigations regarding international terrorism, kidnapping and money
laundering. The court prohibits Rackspace from commenting further on this
matter. (2)
An Indymedia system administrator stated: "We do not know if Rackspace is
under a gag order, or what legal restrictions were imposed requiring them
to act this way, or whether they legal department had enough time to study
the request."
Aidan White, the General Secretary for the International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) had this to say. "We have witnessed an intolerable and
intrusive international police operation against a network specialising in
independent journalism. The way this has been done smacks more of
intimidation of legitimate journalistic inquiry than crime-busting."(3)
Indymedia condemns the fact that even 24 hours after two entire servers
were taken down, Indymedia is still not getting any information of the
reasons for the order.
By taking down 2 servers more than 20 Indymedia sites were affected in
different countries globally as well as several unrelated projects.
Indymedia considers this extremely invasive operation a a serious threat
to the Freedom of Speech worldwide.
Indymedia insists that the servers are returned because each day they are
inoperable and Indymedia's irreplaceable data is unaccessible means
greater material damages to the Indymedia operation worldwide.
Note to editors:
(2) AFP report
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1509&ncid=738&e=6&u=/afp/20041008/tc_afp/us_internet_justice
(2) Statement from Rackspace, 8 Oct. 2004: "In the present matter
regarding Indymedia, Rackspace Managed Hosting, a U.S. based company with
offices in London, is acting in compliance with a court order pursuant to
a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), which establishes procedures for
countries to assist each other in investigations such as international
terrorism, kidnapping and money laundering. Rackspace responded to a
Commissioner’s subpoena, duly issued under Title 28, United States Code,
Section 1782 in an investigation that did not arise in the United States.
Rackspace is acting as a good corporate citizen and is cooperating with
international law enforcement authorities. The court prohibits Rackspace
from commenting further on this matter." For additional information on the
MLAT, please visit
http://library.lp.findlaw.com/articles/file/00297/002460/title/Subject/topic/Criminal%20Justice_Extradition%20and%20Detainers/filename/criminaljustice_2_2251
(3) IFJ Statement http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=2734&Language=EN
(4) Indymedia volunteers can only speculate about possible reasons.
Switzerland Indymedia suspects that the order might have to do with two
photos published on the French site (IMC Nantes) of Swiss undercover
police agents in charge of the G8 events in Switzerland in 2003. In the
last few weeks there was contact between Swiss, specifically the Genevan
governmental authorities, and the FBI. The FBI also approached Rackspace
as well as a Seattle Indymedia activist recently regarding that matter,
but according to communication from Rackspace to Indymedia on Tuesday, the
matter appeared to to be closed. For its part, Italy Indymedia can only
assume that the request is motivated by the Italian government's attitude
towards Indymedia, which has been overtly hostile ever since the 2001 G8
Summit in Genoa.
(5) More background information is available at
http://indymedia.org/en/static/fbi
(6) Contact: [log in to unmask]
----------------------
Press Release
7 October 2004
FBI Seizes Indymedia Servers in the UK
Thursday morning, US authorities issued a federal order to Rackspace
ordering them to hand over information hosted on Indymedia web servers to
the FBI. Rackspace, which provides hosting services for more that 20
Indymedia sites at its London facility, complied by turning over two
Indymedia servers to federal authorities, effectively removing those sites
from the internet.
Indymedia, a global network of independent non-corporate media
organizations, had been asked last month by the FBI to remove a story
about Swiss undercover police from one of the websites hosted at
Rackspace. It is not known, however, whether Thursday's order is related
to that incident since the order was issued to Rackspace and not to
Indymedia. According to Rackspace, they "cannot provide Indymedia with any
information regarding the order." ISPs have received gag orders in similar
situations which prevent them from informing concerned parties about what
is happening.
It is unclear to Indymedia how and why a server that is outside US
jurisdiction can be seized by US authorities.
The last few months have seen numerous attacks on independent media by the
US Federal Government. In August, the Secret Service used a subpoena in an
attempt to disrupt the New York City Independent Media Center before the
Republican National Convention by trying to obtain their IP logs from ISPs
in the US and the Netherlands. Also, in the past month, the FCC shut down
community radio stations throughout the US. Despite these setbacks,
Indymedia and other independent media organizations have enjoyed recent
victories against Diebold and the Patriot Act.
The list of local media collectives affected by the FBI seizure includes
Ambazonia, Uruguay, Andorra, Poland, Western Massachusetts, Nice,
Nantes, Lilles, Marseille, Euskal Herria (Basque Country), Liege, East and
West Vlaanderen, Antwerpen (all Belgium), Belgrade, Portugal,
Prague, Galiza, Italy, Brazil, UK, and Germany. Additionally, several
streaming radio stations, a Linux distribution site, and other services
hosted on those servers were also affected.
For more information, please contact Hep at 415-867-9472 or email
[log in to unmask] Additional information about Indymedia is
available at http://www.indymedia.org/.
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