Crushing Dissent Through Immigration Law
Throughout US history, reactionary forces have used immigration law to silence political speech — just as the Trump administration is trying to do against Mahmoud Khalil and several others.
52 Articles by: Chip Gibbons
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Chip Gibbons is policy director of the nonprofit advocacy organization Defending Rights & Dissent.
A Newly Free Julian Assange Speaks
After over half a decade of imprisonment and constant government harassment, Julian Assange is free and speaking out for freedom of speech and human rights. His freedom is a relief, but the state of protections for journalists like him is far from strong.
The Left’s Proud Legacy of Defending Free Speech
Throughout US history, left-wingers have often suffered harsh repression of their civil liberties, which is why they were at the forefront of fights to defend free speech. It’s a proud tradition that the Palestine movement must carry on today.
Julian Assange Is Free, but Justice Has Not Been Served
After a nearly 15-year ordeal, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is free. It’s a victory worth celebrating. But the message has been sent: when it comes to exposing the wrongdoing of powerful governments and corporations, no good deed goes unpunished.
Israel Is Waging Genocide in Open Defiance of the ICJ
By continuing its military assault on Gaza, massacring civilians in Rafah, and intimidating opponents into submission, Israel is taking rogue action against the International Court of Justice’s Genocide Convention — and the US is enabling it.
Assange Won a Victory, but the Fight Isn’t Over
The imprisoned journalist received a rare legal win when the UK High Court ruled he can appeal his extradition to the US. Yet the fight for Assange’s freedom — and the future of global press freedom — is far from over.
Julian Assange’s Basic Press Freedoms Are Still in Danger
In granting Julian Assange only the most limited appeal rights, the UK High Court has deliberately closed its eyes to the press freedom issues at stake and shown a grotesque indifference to Assange’s basic human rights.
Basic Press Freedoms Are at Stake in the Julian Assange Case
In Julian Assange’s ongoing extradition battle in the UK, the United States is asserting its right to track down any journalist anywhere in the world, seize them, haul them to the US, and throw them into a US prison.
ICJ’s Genocide Ruling Is a Rebuke to Israel and the US
In a clear censure of Israel and the US, the International Court of Justice just ordered Israel to cease its violations of the Genocide Convention. It’s a victory for the Palestinian rights movement and the civilians of Gaza.
Henry in the Gulf
On the “cynical operation” of Kissinger’s Kurdish affair.
South Africa’s Genocide Case Against Israel Is Strong
Oral arguments in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel have concluded. The International Court of Justice now has the chance to order a halt to Israel’s mass slaughter in Gaza.
Kissinger in the Gulf
Henry Kissinger was fond of telling Congress that he was in the business of real estate, not social work. Real estate, much like empire, is suited only to thugs and tyrants — as Kissinger’s decades of meddling in the Persian Gulf make clear.
Daniel Ellsberg, American Hero
Few have contributed as much to resisting the horrors of war and the accompanying undemocratic regime of secrecy as Daniel Ellsberg, who died today at age 92.
Ten Years Ago, Edward Snowden Blew the Whistle on the US’s Most Secretive Spy Agency
This week 10 years ago, Edward Snowden exposed the National Security Agency’s mass surveillance of Americans. The US government responded with ruthless persecution — just one egregious example in the NSA’s long, sordid history of fiercely guarding its secrecy.
Roger Waters’s Critics Are Smearing Him as Antisemitic Because They Hate His Pro-Palestine Activism
Claims that former Pink Floyd singer Roger Waters deployed antisemitic imagery at recent concerts in Berlin are baseless. The charges are being elevated by media figures and politicians who detest his advocacy for Palestinian liberation.
Rashida Tlaib and the Squad Are Demanding Julian Assange’s Freedom
Lawmakers around the world are again calling on the US to halt its unprecedented prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. For the first time, they are being joined by US congressmembers, led by Rashida Tlaib.
WikiLeaks Has Been Persecuted Mercilessly for Revealing the Secrets of US Empire
Since 2007, WikiLeaks has challenged entrenched power to reveal evidence of state crimes, political dirty dealings, and other secrets. Its efforts have provoked severe repression by the US government and its allies.
Secret Documents Have Exposed the CIA’s Julian Assange Obsession
New revelations show that the CIA secretly took control of the security company hired by Ecuador’s government to guard Julian Assange during his exile in London. The agency’s spying on Assange and his visitors constitutes a major breach of civil liberties.
It’s Always the Right Time to Call George W. Bush a War Criminal
If George W. Bush is not going to stand trial for war crimes, he should at the very least stop appearing in public to weigh in on unjustified wars, as he did this week when he accidentally referred to the “wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq.”
Dick Cheney Should Be in Jail, Not Praised as a Hero by Democrats
Dick Cheney is an enemy of democracy in America and a war criminal. His warm reception on the floor of Congress by Democrats yesterday at the January 6 Capitol riot commemoration was shameful and disgusting.