⚡️🇳🇪🇷🇺 Wagner PMC office opens in Niger.

Press release advises the Private Military Company will deploy a contingent in Niamey, capital of Niger, for the purpose of protection.

Earlier, Nigeria announced its readiness to invade Niger. The presence of Wagner PMC can help stop the growing escalation and discourage both the French and Nigerians from a direct intervention.

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🫁🇺🇦 Small collection of material on organ trafficking in Ukraine

1) USAID report on human trafficking in Ukraine

Ukraine has been a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking since the early 1990s. Even before Russia’s invasion, Ukraine was already facing an increase in the scale of human trafficking caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing displacement from conflict-affected eastern Ukraine and occupied Crimea. The population is extremely vulnerable
Dec 2022

https://www.usaid.gov/ukraine/fact-sheet/dec-16-2022-trafficking-persons

2) The dark medical side of the Ukrainian conflict

Ukrainians who ended up in hospitals can turn into experimental subjects for testing new medicines. For seriously wounded it can be even worse; at the front, several hundred dollars can be paid for a seriously or mortally wounded person in a field hospital who is ready for organ harvesting. Shortly before the war, on December 16, 2021, the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada passed a law allowing the removal of organs from the dead without notarial consent from them or their official representatives. The term “official representative” is vague, it may be the person who undertakes the funeral. In military conditions, it turns out to be the unit commander.
27 Dec 2022

https://www.greaterkashmir.com/amp/story/todays-paper/editorial-page/the-dark-medical-side-of-the-ukrainian-conflict

3) Organ trafficking targets Ukrainians in financial plight in cases involving Tokyo NPO

Ukrainians having financial difficulties have been identified as organ donors in several cases of suspected trafficking of living kidney transplants carried out overseas through the mediation of a Tokyo-based non-profit organization. People who wish to sell their organs are taken to other countries to have them removed. Transplantation across judicial borders deprives organ transplant recipients of the opportunity to receive a transplant in their own country.
3 Oct 2022

https://asianews.network/organ-trafficking-targets-ukrainians-in-financial-plight-in-cases-involving-tokyo-npo/

4) Moment 'evil child trader' is caught trying to take 11-month-old baby out of Ukraine to 'sell for organ transplants' after 'paying his mother $1,000'

A charity worker and has been detained in Ukraine after he was caught red-handed seeking to take an 11-month-old baby abroad to 'sell for organ transplants'. The man, 43, had allegedly given a $1,000 downpayment to the boy's mother, claiming he would ensure the boy was adopted in the EU to live in safety away from the war.
28 Jun 2023

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12242035/amp/Evil-child-trader-caught-trying-child-Ukraine-sell-organ-transplants.html

5) Jack Posobiec announcing a new documentary on child organ trafficking (along with child sex trafficking) in Ukraine (video).
25 Jul 2023

https://twitter.com/Susiemagooziee/status/1683889247701581825

6) A big three-part (two parts published already) ongoing study of the things directly or indirectly stating organ trafficking in Ukraine might actually be a real thing.

https://medium.com/@deborahlarmstrong/every-day-we-were-working-like-frankensteins-slaves-cb76bff7bdbd
https://medium.com/@deborahlarmstrong/human-beings-disassembled-like-legos-faab1e19ef41
◾️Follow:
t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses

❗️The Rise of Africa is the fall of America⚡️ 🇬🇭 🇧🇫 🇳🇪 🇲🇱 🇷🇺

🎙Follow @AussieCossack

🇳🇪 🇷🇺Niger: Tens of thousands rally with Russian flags in a show of defiance to the west.

🇦🇺The Royal Australian Navy's HMAS Warramunga is on the move out of Sydney Harbour.

⚡️HMAS Warramunga, a long-range frigate capable of air defence, surface and undersea warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction.

🇺🇸The USS Canberra (LCS-30) has just left Sydney Harbour.

⚡️The USS Canberra is an American Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy with a crew of 50.

🇦🇺She is the second US ship to be named Canberra, after the Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra, named after the Australian capital and sunk during the Battle of Savo Island.

🇬🇭🇷🇺A National Patriotic Party supporter of Ghana wearing a Russian flag tie. 💪

Part 1/2

❗️A special Australian Senate committee has just released a controversial report on foreign interference through social media.

⚡️Disclaimer: The author, Brendan Walker-Munro is funded by the Australian Government.

It makes for scary reading. In addition to widely publicised criticisms of WeChat and TikTok - social media platforms owned by Chinese companies - the committee found US-based platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter), Meta, LinkedIn and YouTube have been targeted by foreign interference campaigns.
Yet no one has been convicted for foreign interference since Australian law reforms on this were passed in 2018. So, what's going on?

What did the report find?

The inquiry heard evidence of actual interference in Australia carried out using social media, such as fake Russian accounts used to stalk Ukrainians in Australia, and death threats made against foreign journalists.

Among its 17 recommendations, the report proposes transparency standards for social media companies. This includes requiring companies to have a physical presence in Australia (such as offices). A lack of this presence was one of the main reasons WeChat couldn't be compelled to give evidence during the inquiry.

The report also recommends companies which don't comply with the transparency standards should face massive fines or even be banned from operating in Australia.
TikTok and WeChat were also called out by the committee, with pressure building to ban those platforms from critical businesses like banks, airports and electricity providers. This is in addition to bans already in place for government-issued devices, as well as some of the large consultancy firms that work for the government.

The report also highlights the threat posed by generative AI in fuelling disinformation. On top of this, it recommends a full review of our espionage and foreign interference laws.

Our current foreign interference system

Australia already has some of the toughest laws in the world when it comes to criminalising threats to our national security, like espionage, foreign interference, and stealing classified information. These reforms were introduced in 2018 specifically to address the rising threat posed by foreign actors.

But foreign interference hasn't gone away. In 2021, parliament was handed another report, this time by the Joint Committee for Intelligence and Security, which looked at national security risks in universities. That report found Australian universities are at risk of being infiltrated by foreign agents looking to steal scientific research and technology.

In 2022, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) revealed its officers had disrupted an actual attempt to interfere with an election in Australia.

A wealthy individual with deep connections to a foreign government had hired an employee to identify electoral candidates who would support the interests of said foreign government. They then plotted to advance the candidates' political prospects through generous support and favourable articles on foreign language news platforms. But their plans were disrupted by ASIO before they could act.

Despite clear instances of foreign interference occurring in Australia, only two people have been charged under the 2018 laws. The first case alleged that Di Sanh Duong - a prominent member of the Melbourne business community - was in league with Chinese intelligence officers.

The second charge involved Sydney businessman Alexander Csergo, again alleging he provided reports to Chinese intelligence. Both are still awaiting trial.

Why have there been so few cases?

In part, few people have been charged for foreign interference because the evidence needed to prosecute someone might divulge how Australian law enforcement and spy agencies keep their eyes out for this kind of activity.

This is where the laws designed to keep our national security information confidential in court have been strongly criticised.

❗️Part 2/2

Prosecutions of this kind also need to be approved by the Attorney-General. It is entirely possible the Attorney-General has declined to prosecute a person because the evidence didn't stack up. However, that same law doesn't prevent a person from being charged or held in remand.

Without more details from our security agencies - which aren't likely to be forthcoming - we may never know how many people have been charged with a foreign interference offence but aren't subsequently prosecuted because the Attorney-General did not consent to do so.

Another possibility why few people have been prosecuted for foreign interference is that it can be difficult to obtain the evidence needed to prove a particular person committed foreign interference. This is because it is easy to use anonymising technologies when engaging in foreign interference online, so it may not be possible to actually identify who committed the offence.

Even if the person can be identified, if they are located overseas they would have to be extradited to Australia to face prosecution. This can be a challenging - if not impossible - process.

What needs to be done
Further reforms to Australia's espionage and foreign interference laws probably aren't necessary. The laws are already strong enough and, if anything, are too broad as they are. For example, they have the capacity to criminalise the legitimate work of journalists and academics. This can undermine core liberal democratic rights such as press freedom and academic freedom.

Rather than reform espionage and foreign interference laws, the government could focus on making changes to regulate the conduct of social media companies. For example, social media companies could be required to take reasonable steps to prevent foreign interference from occurring via their platforms. Failure to do so could be regulated in a number of ways, such as civil and/or criminal penalties if appropriate.

However, in doing so it is important the government works with social media companies to ensure we get the laws right.

In addition to law reform, government needs to resource law enforcement and intelligence agencies so they can take the actions needed to enforce existing foreign interference laws.

New transparency standards and reformed legislation won't make a difference if the Australian Federal Police won't - or can't - investigate and help prosecute those responsible. If the committee's recommendations go ahead, putting a banning power in the hands of a minister is only helpful when this power gets used.

We shouldn't forget the power of users either. Australians could consider whether they should join the 30% of WeChat users who have already ditched the platform over interference and surveillance risks.

Additionally, we all have a role to play in fighting disinformation and social media hatred. Being responsible sharers of content and checking our facts could go just as far in combating disinformation as locking up those responsible.

Brendan Walker-Munro receives funding from the Australian Government through Trusted Autonomous Systems, a Defence Cooperative Research Centre funded through the Next Generation Technologies Fund.

This article was written in Sarah Kendall's personal capacity as a PhD Candidate at The University of Queensland School of Law.

❗️Russian troops question a Ukrainian prisoner of war with the help of an axe.

❗️HMAS Albany (ACPB 86), an Armidale-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) seen entering Sydney Harbour.

🇦🇺A busy day in Sydney Harbour today with many sightings of US & Australian warships on the move.

🇺🇸 Another American humvee destroyed by Russian forces on the Zaporozhye front...