By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book
Books - Guardian - NY Mag - Brutal Kangaroo
SDNY, Dec 8 – The United Nations used for now imprisoned arms trafficker Viktor Bout to move Pakistani "peacekeeper" to East Timor, and Belgians to Somalia where they urinated on corpses, is now silent on the trade of Bout for Brittney Griner.
Here from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York which Inner City Press covers in-house since the corrupt UN banned it is the order - signed back in November: "ORDER (SEALED) as to Viktor Bout: ORDERED that: 1. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the Warden of USP Marion in Marion, Illinois (USP Marion), shall allow personnel of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) to remove VIKTOR BOUT (BOUT) (BOP Register Number 91641-054) from USP Marion on December 2, 2022, or any day thereafter until December 16, 2022. 2. The USMS shall keep BOUT in its custody, and shall be responsible for the safekeeping and welfare of BOUT, unless and until the President of the United States executes the clemency power under Article II of the U.S. Constitution with respect to BOUT. 3. The USMS shall return BOUT to USP Marion on or before December 16, 2022, unless the President executes the clemency power with respect to BOUT during the period in which the USMS has custody of BOUT. 4. This Order and underlying Affirmation shall be maintained under seal, and the docketing of any entries related to this matter shall be delayed, until either 24 hours after the release of BOUT from USMS custody, or when BOUT is returned to USP Marion on or before December 16, 2022, whichever occurs earlier. The Government shall promptly advise the Court upon the occurrence of either event. (Signed by Judge Victor Marrero on 11/29/2022) (See attached AFFIRMATION AND APPLICATION)." It was unsealed on the afternoon of December 8.
Before noon on December 8 Inner City Press in writing asked UNSG Antonio Guterres and his spokespeople, "Dec 8-1: What are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on the release of arms trafficking (and sometime-UN partner) Viktor Bout, in exchange for US star Griner? Disclose all business on the UN with Bout and his companies." Typically, no answer.
On the morning of August 5, 2022 Inner City Press asked UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, in writing, "What are the comments and action if any of the offered and impending trade of arms trafficker Viktor Bout, given his role in West Africa, Colombia and elsewhere for which he was sentenced to 25 years in prison in SDNY court?"
Twelve hours later, nothing, despite an on-camera promise to answer Inner City Press' written questions after having it thrown out of and banned from the UN, by Melissa Fleming, the censorship chief of SG Antonio Guterres. The UN is totally corrupt, as are some others - watch this site.
One thing about the Wikileaks data-dumps was that they often resurfaced, made relevant again by current events.
As Kurt Wheelock began digging through the more than 300 references to Wikileaks in US Federal court cases, he came across the State Department memo about bribes paid to witnesses against Viktor Bout in Thailand.
Now in 2022 there was talk of Bout being traded by the Administration for WNBA player Brittney Griner.
The leaked memo: "Classified By: Ambassador Eric G. John, reason: 1.4 (b) and (d). 1. (S) Summary: The Ambassador on March 4 pressed Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban to ensure retraction or rebuttal of false court testimony in the extradition proceedings of Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, which resume March 6. Suthep said Prime Minister Abhisit had previously discussed the matter with him, and he would investigate and take appropriate action."
Bout was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, before then-Judge Shira A. Scheindlin.
She shot down Bout's argument as being "based on two 'secret United States State Department cables which [were] leaked to Wikileaks' that reveal 'a multi-pronged effort to seek a successful reversal [of the Thai lower court’s denial of extradition] during the appeals process.' However, far from any impropriety, the cables merely demonstrate the State Department’s view that Bout was “a high priority for the United States," etc.
Now, with the SDNY prosecutors raring to ask for a lengthy sentence for Joshua Schulte, those above them were said to mull freeing the merchant of death.
They'd made a movie about Bout, with Nicholas Cage. But no movie, barely a podcast, about Joshua Schulte.
There was, however, as of July 16 a blues, here. And as of July 13, a booklet - now with eight typos fixed (better late than never).
One thing not corrected but amplified: while some set a strangely high standard for "who is a whistleblower," not unlike "who is a journalist," Kurt with experience as both thought: having covered the United Nations, showing abuses of power and immunity with the help of staff whistleblowers who can not only be fired but also deported from NY if they are found out, conclude a person doesn't need to confess in order to be whistleblower.
Some were comfortably setting a requirment of voluntary martyrdom. But some martyrdom's are unintentional, ineffable. The search continued.
This might be a new project, a follow-up to Brutal Kangaroo.
Order here. Watch this site.
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