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Breaking News: Rights defenders protest at courts US rights abuses.

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Human Rights Examiner
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David House subpoenaed to testify before Grand Jury in Alexandria Virginia after government illegally confiscated his laptop.

Silencing dissent a hallmark of government corruption

Human rights defenders are presently heading to an Alexandria, Virginia courthouse to protest United States human rights violations of whistleblowers, targeted individuals persecuted for opposing government corruption, illegal wars, and unjust foreign policies. The Bradley Manning Support Network's founding member David House, ordered to testify today, Wednesday, June 15, before a federal Grand Jury in the WikiLeaks investigation, will be met by some of America's strongest rights defenders plus others demonstrating outside the courthouse at 9:30am ET before House enters the courthouse at 10:30am.

View slideshow: David House, Founding Member, Bradley Manning Support Network

Human rights advocates defending the rights of whistleblowers will also be demonstrating at 6:00 ET today in Boston, House's city of residence.

House has been helping to publicize oppressive conditions of  Sgt. Bradley Manning's detention that experts have said met criteria of torture. (See: "Obama rebuked on Bradley Manning torture as Clinton condemns China rights abuses")

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The government seized House's laptop without a warrant. He was then ordered to give his testimony before today's Grand Jury. (See subpoena and accompanying documents received by House here and here.)

“This harassment only increases our resolve to defend our fundamental constitutional freedoms,” said Jeff Paterson of the Bradley Manning Support Network. 

Obama war at home on whistleblowing and transparency

"By conducting the people’s business in secret and persecuting transparency advocates, government decision-makers have abandoned core American values.” (Emphasis added)
 
According to the Bradley Manning's Support Network, the protests are designed for supporting David House, opposing the grand jury investigation of WikiLeaks, and gaining attention to the ongoing pretrial confinement of PFC Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army intelligence analyst who stands accused of blowing the whistle on illegal and unjust foreign policies.
 
“The Justice Department’s unprecedented crackdown, not only on accused whistle-blowers, but also their friends and supporters, stems from the same impulse to silence legitimate dissent that has become a hallmark of corrupt governments the world over,” said Kevin Zeese, an attorney with the Bradley Manning Support Network.
 
"It is heartening to see that some witnesses are refusing to cooperate with this campaign to conceal the truth."
 
"One witness who has appeared before the Grand Jury has already refused to answer any questions beyond the most basic biographical ones (name and address), invoking the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to do so, and other witnesses are highly likely to follow suit," wrote journalist Glenn Greenwald.
 
A potential witness told Greenwald that they view the attempted criminalization of WikiLeaks such a profound assault on basic freedoms, including press freedoms -- motivated by desire to conceal government wrongdoing and illegality -- that they would rather be imprisoned than cooperate in any way with those efforts. ("WikiLeaks Grand Jury investigation widens," Greenwald, G.)
 
"It is not hyperbole to say that the Obama administration is waging an all-out war  against  transparency and  whistleblowing," reported Greenwald.
 
He added that "the transparency groups who obsequiously awarded Obama a transparency award [one accepted in secret] are as disgraceful as the five Norwegians who awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize as he continues to do things like this." 
 
The Alexandria, VA Rally is being coordinated by the Washington Metro chapter of the Bradley Manning Support Network that will gather in the plaza outside the United States District Court at 401 Courthouse Square in Alexandria, VA at 9:30am ET. 
 
In Boston today, supporters of David House and others subpoenaed by the Justice Department in the WikiLeaks grand jury investigation will meet at the Boston Courthouse Government Center at 6:00pm ET. 
Human rights defenders ready to rally at US District Court, Alexandria, Va against US rights violations of whistblowers exposing government corruption, illegal wars, unjust foreign policies
Human rights defenders ready to rally at US District Court, Alexandria, Va against US rights violations of whistblowers exposing government corruption, illegal wars, unjust foreign policies
Photo credit: 
Nesbitt Realty

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Deborah Dupre' holds American and Australian science and education graduate degrees plus thirty years human rights, environmental and peace activism; led Aboriginal Pacific Islander and Australian research; holds pivotal role in FUEL; co-founded America's Green Team, FUEL; lectures on Ancient...

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