STATE TERRORISM CFK's Junta - Argentine government begins process to dismember Clarin media group

Argentina's government Monday began the process of auctioning off media licenses and related assets held by the media conglomerate Grupo Clarin SA. The move, which government officials say should take about 100 business days to complete, comes after a lower court judge ruled Friday that a three-year-old media law requiring Clarin to be dismantled is constitutional.

Early morning Cristina Fernandez administration official visited Clarin to inform them the process of auctioning licences had started

“We notified Clarin that the auction process has begun. The law is constitutional, and it is in full effect,” said Martin Sabbatella, who was appointed by Argentine President Cristina Fernandez to enforce the law.

Earlier Monday, Clarin appealed the ruling to a federal appeals court. In a statement, Clarin accused the government of violating other court decisions by starting the auction process.

Clarin noted the same federal appeals court recently said the company would have one year to comply with the law even it were found constitutional. Clarin also said that because it appealed the ruling, the decision automatically would be suspended until it has been confirmed or rejected by a higher court.

Marcela Basterra, a constitutional law professor at the University of Buenos Aires, said the government's action Monday was primarily political.

“The government is doing this for political reasons because, legally speaking, it has to wait for a decision on this matter from the appeals court before it can act,” Mrs. Basterra said. “In reality, this case is going to end up in the Supreme Court, and only then will it be resolved.”

Mrs. Basterra said the lower court's ruling isn't binding because it has been appealed. She said the Supreme Court eventually will have to decide whether the law is constitutional and how much time Clarin has to comply with it.

“The majority of constitutional scholars think the one-year period will come into effect only if the law has been definitively declared constitutional by the Supreme Court,” she said.

Mr. Sabbatella disagrees and has said repeatedly that the one-year divestment period has expired already, meaning the government is right to enforce the law immediately.

Monday's developments are the latest in an intense and public battle between Clarin and President Cristina Fernandez, who accuses the company of being a coup-mongering monopoly that tries to topple her government.

Little Adolf Putin's Media Mouthpiece - Washington’s new tricks on the road to global dominance

The latest round of the war against an independent Syria unfolded in Paris last week at the gathering of the “Friends of Syria”.

­Russia and China very rightly did not attend this “amoral” – in the diplomatic language of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – meeting. At the meeting western champions of the war insisted on their interpretation of the one-week old Geneva agreements: “transition government based on mutual consent” means “Bashar al-Assad must go”, affirmed French President Hollande.

This recent round of pressure highlights two new tactics employed by Washington: word games and an end-run around the United Nations itself.

First, the new formula “transition government”. The authoritative Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “regime” as “government” and “change” as “transition.” Thus, for those who reject “regime change,” a euphemism was created that has much better chances to go through.

Interestingly enough, this term was promoted by an expert of Russian origin, Dmitri Trenin, Director of the Carnegie Moscow Center. On June 28, 2012 Trenin published a suggestion in his piece “Syria: A Russian Perspective”: “Russia might be willing to cooperate with the U.S. and other countries if the goal moves towards “transition” rather than “regime change” – what has been dubbed the “Yemen model.”

So who is Mr. Trenin? This retired Soviet colonel was a Senior Research Fellow at the NATO Defense College in Rome just before he was recruited in 1993 to join the Carnegie Moscow Center, created the same year by none other than Michael McFaul, the current US Ambassador in Moscow. After nearly 20 years in the pay of the Americans Trenin was rewarded with his current post as director by his former boss, Rose Gottemoeller, who left Moscow in 2008 to join the State Department where she is now Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security. Big shoes to fill for Mr.Trenin, but in Washington they know how to pick their cadre.

The board of the Carnegie Endowment in Washington features – this world is truly small – Kofi Annan himself. Among the Endowments “Funders and Supporters” are George Soros’s Open Society Institute, the US National Intelligence Council, the US Defense Intelligence Agency, the US Defense Department, and a collection of other private and public enthusiasts.

Of course the “transition government” and “Yemen model” are nothing other than “regime change.” Honestly: we, Russians, brought up on Tolstoy and Chekhov, should be able to miss Washington’s elementary-school semantic traps.

Secondly, unable to push anti-Syrian resolutions through the UN Security Council due to Russia and China’s staunch resistance, Washington is building up a group of more than hundred nations more pliable to US pressure. Such “coalitions of the willing” have been put together before, but this time the number of countries makes it look like a parallel anti-UN construct acting as if it is replacing the UN General Assembly itself.

Such a gathering, despite total absence of legitimacy, is not just a talking platform. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told “Le Parisien” that the Paris meeting would push for a Chapter VII United Nations resolution to enforce the transition plan. A Chapter VII resolution can authorize the use of military force "to maintain or restore international peace and security."

In the short term, the United States may attempt to institutionalize this ad hoc grouping into a mechanism to implement a “final solution” to President Al-Assad. In the long term, Washington may try to solidify such structure into an anti-U.N. body of sycophants, ready and willing to approve any U.S. initiative.

Now, from tactics to strategy. Looking at the type of leaders that are seizing power in the Arab world with American assistance, a normal person is perplexed: why does the United States, with assistance of their local satellites, keep on removing moderate secular governments and bringing to power, in one country after another, increasingly radical extremists – that same type of people who committed 9/11, the greatest tragedy in U.S. post-WWII history?

Indeed, this question is not solvable by listening to Washington’s official line of arguments. But take a look at the policies of the US and its European partners during the in the 1930s. Then, America and its ever so reasonable and civilized European allies provided the financial, industrial and political support encouraging the highly energized, violent extremist Nazi and fascist movements in Europe. With a purpose: to direct its violence against Russia. According to the plan, Germany and Russia were to exhaust themselves so that the US would emerge dominant.

Similarly, the earlier use of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and again today the encouragement of various Muslim extremists including elements of the Muslim Brotherhood are part of the plan to create a regional movement which could be thrown against Iran, Russia and China. Such a furnace of war and chaos in the Middle East, the Caucuses and Central Asia will permanently disable all three of America’s strategic rivals and allow Washington to rise to uncontested world domination.

We should be able to decipher not only US language, but also US strategy. In the 1930s, the Soviet Union was at the front line of the fight against Fascism in Europe. Today, Russia owes it to its history and to the fallen in the anti-fascist struggle to recognize and before it is too late avert American designs.

We must prevent Russian and other people from being drawn into a bloodbath of mutual extermination in the voracious interest of Washington’s drive for global hegemony.

Lavrov Squeaks - Moscow urges uniform OSCE election monitoring rules

Members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) should introduce “generally acceptable” and clear regulations for election observation, says Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is in charge of vote monitoring and currently lacks any clear rules “that would be based on uniform criteria rather than double standards, as is not the case,” Lavrov pointed out.

“Unfortunately, our Western partners flatly refuse to discuss such rules,” he told journalists. (SW -  This from a man who completely ignores Human Rights in his own country, suppresses Freedom of Speech,  supports Syrian State terrorism,  accepts Putin as President in a 'fixed election, is Putin's babbling mouthpiece and dares to  preach to the West)

Many OSCE member states “have ignored their obligation to incorporate the provision obliging them to invite international observers to monitor elections into their national legislation,” he said, as cited by RIA Novosti.

“We have done this and expect the same from our partners,” the Minister stressed.

"The OSCE has a CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization] proposal that was actively co-authored by Russia and Belarus that suggests approving basic principles of monitoring national elections in the OSCE member states," he said.

Moscow and Belarus are going to push for the OSCE monitoring system reform at the upcoming seminars and meeting between the members of the organization.

“Right now there is only one obligation in force: to invite international observers, as we do. As to how many, on what grounds and how the election monitoring should be organized – all these issues have yet to be agreed. So far, not such agreement has been reached in the OSCE and unfortunately its achievement has been blocked by Western countries,” Lavrov said.

Tens of thousands in 'March of millions' Moscow protest

The Russian opposition is holding a mass anti-government rally in the country's capital. It is the first so-called “March of Millions” demonstration since mass protests on May 6 were marred by violence and hundreds of arrests.

Organizers say that around 100,000 people have gathered for the mass demonstration. Moscow police have confirmed up to 22,000 people are participating in the rally.

Protesters began the rally on Strastnoy Boulevard at 12pm (08:00 GMT) and marched across the center of Moscow to finish on Sakharova Avenue at 6pm (14:00 GMT).

Opposition leaders then addressed the tens of thousands of protesters who had gathered on Sakharova Avenue.

At Sakharova, the rally’s manifesto was announced. It demanded President Vladimir Putin resign and a new election law be drawn up.

“Snap elections should be held according to the new law. The Parliament should also call a referendum to reshape the Constitution. The revamped Constitution should limit the president’s authority and his term of office,” said Evgenia Chirikova, leader of the Movement to Defend the Khimki Forest.

As the rally got into full swing, key opposition figures Sergey Udalstov and Boris Nemtsov were called for questioning by the Russian Investigative Committee as part of a probe into the violence at the anti-government rally on May 6.

Moscow authorities stepped up security in the city in preparation for the demonstrations, with over 12,000 police deployed. Police also closed some roads in the center of Moscow to allow for the free passage of demonstrators.

Following unrest during May’s protests, the Russian government has introduced harsher punishments for those who violate rally rules. The violence during the last March of Millions demonstration has been largely attributed to the involvement of more radical opposition groups.

The new legislation places significant fines of up to $9,000 on those who attend unsanctioned rallies or cover their faces during protests. The government has said the measures have been put in place to maintain public order, but opposition members have branded the bill as a financial curfew.

Opposition leaders’ homes searched

The homes of key members of the opposition were searched by police on Moscow as part of an ongoing probe into the violence that marred the May 6 protests.

Aleksey Navalny, Ilya Yashin and TV personality Ksenia Sobchak were among those who had their properties searched, according to officials from the Russian Investigative Committee.

All those who had their apartments searched will be required to appear for questioning on Tuesday.

The investigation seeks to discern if any of the opposition figures are guilty of organizing mass unrest. If charged, they could face a potential jail sentence of 10 years.

Authorities reportedly seized documents, political banners, computers and up to 1.5 million euro from the targeted apartments.

Putin signs new anti-rally bill

The Illegal and Communist Russian President Adolf Putin has signed the much disputed set of amendments to the administrative code that increase the fines for illegal rallies 150-fold and introduces more regulations over street protest.

Putin announced that he had signed the bill as he spoke at the conference dedicated to the development of the Russian court system. The head of the Russian state told the justice officials that they “should apply the new law in such a way that it does not limit the citizens’ right for expression over any issue of internal or external politics, including street marches, events and rallies”. At the same time, Putin stressed that the protests “must be organized in such way that they inflict no damages to other citizens, who do not take part in them”.

Putin reminded the audience about last year’s events in Great Britain “when it all came to mass riots, torched cars and robbed stores”. “As the society guarantees the right to express their opinion, including by street events, to some of the citizens, it must protect other citizens and the society as a whole from radicalism,” he said.

The President asked the justice officials to study the law and submit suggested changes if they are needed. “Nothing we have is frozen solid. If we find out the MPs have missed something, that something must be laid out in a different way, you are welcome, we can approach the State Duma deputies, look at how the law is applied and ask them to make some corrections. If there is such a necessity,” Putin noted.

The new law raises the maximum fine for ordinary citizens found guilty of participating in illegal street protest to 300,000 roubles (about $9,000) from the current 2,000 roubles (under $70). Meanwhile, the fine for officials will increase from the current 50,000 to 600,000 roubles ($1300 – $20,000).The bill allows individuals the option of performing up to 200 hours of community service instead of paying the fine, which may prove exorbitant for some protesters.

However, the maximum fines are applied only in cases when the protesters cause damage to health or property of other citizens. Ordinary violations are punished by much smaller fines – from 10,000 to 20,000 roubles ($300 – $600) or an administrative arrest of up to 15 days.

Furthermore, the new law makes it illegal for protesters to conceal their faces at rallies, as well as some other adaptations to the law that aims to make the life of illegal protesters more difficult.

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev called Putin’s decision to sign the bill “a mistake”.

He did not rule out that it would have to be corrected.

Senior member of Liberal-Democratic party (LDPR), Igor Lebedev said such a decision was “absolutely expected.” “I don’t think that protests will increase,” he told Interfax. The LDPR voted against the controversial law.

According to Sergey Mitrokhin, the leader of liberal Yabloko party, the law is “in fact a ban on holding rallies and political actions.” He added that now everyone comes under fire – organizers of such events and activists.

However, Yalboko is not planning any protests against the law in the near future.

“Now anyone can be punished with slave labor or a crazy fine. I can’t gather people for a rally knowing that they might be sent straight to the galleys from there,” Mitrokhin stated.

The head of the Presidential Human Rights Council, Mikhail Fedotov said the consequences of the adoption of the document might be grave. Everything will depend on the way the law is enforced, he said, adding that he hopes the usage would be “moderate.” The Council Chairman stressed the law needs to be seriously improved. Earlier, the body issued a statement saying that the draft law violated the Russian constitution and other laws and said that they would ask the President to veto the bill.

Meanwhile, the head of the State Duma Security and Anti-Corruption Committee Irina Yarovaya stressed that the law on illegal rallies is aimed at providing public safety as well as protecting the lives and health of Russian citizens.

“The protection of public security and national interests of the country is the political mission of the President,” she stressed. The deputy added that Russian democracy and opposition are still very “young” compared to those of European countries. “We are only beginning to have the experience that other countries have been accumulating for decades and centuries.”

After being signed by the President, the law has to be officially published. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it published in the government daily “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” on Saturday and the majority of its clauses will come into force immediately after that.