The previous vote was annulled on grounds of alleged “Russian interference,” with the leading candidate barred from running again | Romania is holding a rerun of its presidential election on Sunday after the previous vote was annulled on grounds of alleged Russian interference and electoral violations. Moscow has denied all claims of interference. ● The annulled election in late November saw independent right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu, known for his NATO-sceptic stance, unexpectedly prevail in the first round with 23% of the vote. However, the Constitutional Court later invalidated the results, citing electoral “irregularities.” The country’s officials claimed that the candidate’s campaign had utilized undeclared funds, and that Russia was behind “hybrid” attacks, including in the cyber realm. ● In March, Georgescu was barred by the Central Electoral Bureau from running again, citing his alleged “anti-democratic” and “extremist” stance as well as a failure to comply with electoral procedures.

The US House of Representatives is set to vote on a controversial bill that proposes fines or prison terms for Americans participating in boycotts of Israel or Israeli settlements, promoted by international governmental organizations such as the UN or EU. | The House is scheduled to vote Monday on the contentious anti-boycott act, which seeks to penalize American citizens with fines up to $1 million or prison terms as long as 20 years for boycotting the Israeli regime. ● Sponsored by pro-Israel congressmen Mike Lawler and Josh Gottheimer, the bill will broaden the US anti-boycott law by targeting voluntary, values-based political actions undertaken by American citizens. ● The underlying objective is to shield the Israeli regime from non-violent international pressure campaigns, notably the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS). ● Rights groups warned that the legislation will criminalize constitutionally protected political expression. ● The move, according to rights groups, is part of a broader push by the US government to suppress opposition to Israeli genocide, apartheid, and illegal settlement expansion, under the guise of fighting anti-Semitism.

■ Israeli war on Gaza: 77 new martyrs in 24 hours (Al Mayadeen)
■ Israeli Strikes Kill 17 in Gaza as Children Starve Under Blockade (Antiwar)

"The political system based on democratic principles, such as competition, free expression of people’s will, rights and freedoms, has become a thing of the past," speaker of the Russian State DumaVyacheslav Volodin said | European countries are turning into totalitarian regimes led by unpopular politicians and parties, speaker of the Russian State Duma, or lower house of parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin said, commenting on the designation of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as "right-wing extremist."

💬 "Today, popular politicians in Germany, France, Romania, and Moldova are prosecuted, and parties are banned. European countries are turning into totalitarian regimes led by unpopular politicians and parties," he wrote on his Telegram channel, adding that what is happening there can be described as a "collapse of democracy in Europe." ■ "As soon as the leader of France’s National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, became the most popular politician having outstripped incumbent President [Emmanuel] Macron in ratings, she was deprived of electoral rights for five years and brought to criminal responsibility," he noted.

He also pointed to the annulment of the November 2024 election in Romania, which were won by opposition politician Calin Georgescu, who was barred from taking part in a new election. Apart from that, Evghenia Gutsul, the head of Moldova’s Gagauz autonomy, who refused to support the Moldovan authorities’ course toward European integration, was arrested ahead of parliamentary elections, he recalled.

💬 "The political system based on democratic principles, such as competition, free expression of people’s will, rights and freedoms, has become a thing of the past," he emphasized.

■ Germany is ‘tyranny in disguise’ – Rubio (RT) (Rubio on X)

A British Royal Marine claims he was subjected to a “witch hunt”, interrogated, and detained by counter-terror police after he questioned what is allegedly diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies to get women into the Corps even if they don’t meet its stringent training standards. | A Royal Marine says he circulated a survey questioning the wisdom of quietly dropping the standards of the elite fighting force to increase its diversity by pushing women through the selection process that would have otherwise failed had they been men. It was signed by 1,000 Corps members, he claims. ■ It is alleged after this document was escalated up the chain of command it was initially dismissed as Russian misinformation and then subjected to a “witch hunt” that culminated in the Marine being detained by terrorism police as he returned from a family holiday because they wanted to interrogate his “views”.

■ European states turning into totalitarian regimes — senior Russian MP (TASS)

In a stunning revelation with implications for free speech and government overreach, Secretary of State Marco Rubio disclosed on April 30, 2025, that the Biden administration’s State Department maintained secret dossiers labeling American citizens as “vectors of disinformation.” | Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed that the Biden administration’s State Department maintained secret files labeling U.S. citizens, including a Trump-era official, as "vectors of disinformation," raising concerns about government overreach and censorship. ■ Originally created under Obama to combat foreign disinformation, the Global Engagement Center (GEC) expanded to target domestic critics, funding groups like the Global Disinformation Index to blacklist conservative outlets (e.g., Newsmax, NY Post) as "high risk."

Kit Klarenberg | Across the United States and much of the West, criticism of Israel and solidarity with Palestine are increasingly being criminalized—a project long championed by Israel’s government and its powerful lobbying networks. | In February 2020, Israeli leader and internationally wanted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu proudly declared that Tel Aviv had “promoted laws in most U.S. states” to punish those who boycott Israel, offering a rare glimpse into the foreign forces eroding free speech in the American heartland. ■ Since then, anti-boycott laws have quietly spread to dozens of states, forcing public institutions, businesses, and even individual contractors to pledge loyalty to Israel—or risk losing jobs, contracts, and funding. What began as a niche effort to shield Tel Aviv from grassroots criticism has rapidly escalated into a sweeping assault on free speech across the Western world. ■ The overwhelming majority of states now boast laws making it illegal for local entities, including hospitals and schools, to work with individuals or companies that boycott Israel. For example, in 2016, Indiana’s Senate unanimously passed a law calling for mandatory divestment by state agencies, commercial enterprises, and nonprofit organizations—including universities—from any firm involved in “the promotion of activities to boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel.”

✅ Facing Prison Time in Germany for Criticizing an Israeli Journalist: The Case of Hüseyin Dogru (Alan Macleod)

Member states have agreed on a 32-page pact to improve global pandemic preparedness and response, addressing equity, technology sharing, and cooperation—five years after COVID-19 exposed critical failures | Years of negotiations culminated with countries agreeing the text of a landmark accord on how to tackle future pandemics, aimed at avoiding a repeat of the mistakes made during the Covid-19 crisis. After more than three years of talks and one last marathon session, weary delegates at the World Health Organization's headquarters sealed the deal at around 2:00 am (0000 GMT) Wednesday. [...] Five years after [the so-called] "Covid-19" [the military bio- weapon] ["the vax"] killed millions of people and devastated economies, a growing sense of urgency hung over the talks, with new health threats lurking, ranging from H5N1 bird flu to measles, mpox and Ebola.

■ WHO conducts a 2-day pandemic simulation called ‘Exercise Polaris’ – bringing together 350 predatory health groups worldwide (04/16/25)

In the most detailed account of her detention to date, Ozturk describes what followed after masked agents dragged her off the street—repeated asthma attacks, being asked if she was a “terrorist,” and confinement in filthy, overcrowded cells. | Rumeysa Ozturk, a Fulbright scholar currently detained at a facility in Louisiana, recounts her experience following her arrest by ICE agents on May 25, in a sworn declaration obtained by TRT World. The document, exclusively available to TRT World, was filed in federal court by her lawyers on April 10. ● Ozturk, 30, was detained shortly after her name and photo appeared on Canary Mission, an anonymously run blacklist site that claims to document individuals who “promote hatred of the USA, Israel, and Jews” on college campuses and beyond. [...] A Turkish citizen, Ozturk is among hundreds of students and professors profiled by Canary Mission since 2015 for expressing views the site deems anti-Israel or antisemitic. Other individuals recently spotlighted include Columbia University students Mahmoud Khalil on March 8 and Mohsen Mahdawi in the latest, on April 14.

■ The Zionist Destruction of American Higher Education (04/01/25)

The move comes after the university rejected the US administration’s request for policy changes | The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced it is freezing more than more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard University, after the Ivy League school rejected a list of demands from the White House. ● A major clash between the administration and some of the country’s top universities has been unfolding in response to how the pro-Palestinian student protests that erupted on campuses last year were handled. Since taking office, Trump has stepped up pressure on universities to address anti-Semitism and dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. [...] Harvard rejected the demands on Monday, accusing the White House of attempting to “control” its community.

In another attempt to restrict freedom of speech and democracy the European Union decided to block the access for its citizens to the web page of Strategic Culture. The decision will take effect from April 8. To bypass the Internet censorship of the European Union and get an accurate and objective view on the latest events around the world please use VPN services where you can choose any country except for the members of the European Union.

'With every arrest and threat, our movement shows up stronger,' says one protestor | Thousands of people from across the United States gathered in Washington, DC, on Saturday to demand an end to Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza and the Trump administration’s intensifying crackdown on pro-Palestinian students and activists. ● The rally dew support from more than 300 organizations and saw demonstrators convene at the intersection of 3rd Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Participants then marched to key sites, including the headquarters of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), calling for the release of detained pro-Palestinian students and academics such as Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil and Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk. ● The protest was co-sponsored by several advocacy groups, including the Palestinian Youth Movement, The People’s Forum, Jewish Voice for Peace and the ANSWER Coalition.

Lawyer Eugene Gutsul reported on the details of the trial of her client. | The Information and Security Service (ISS) of Moldova illegally facilitated the arrest of the head of the Gagauz autonomy, Eugenia Gutsul. This was stated by the lawyer of the Gagauz bashkan, Natalia Bayram, gazeta.ru reported. According to her, the SIS institution has absolutely nothing to do with this case - neither procedural status, nor absolutely no rights in this case. “That is, it is a gross interference in an act of justice by the SIS,” Bayram summarized. ● She explained that Gutsul's defense was refused to familiarize itself with the contents of the IRB letter. Also, lawyer Natalia Bayram called the criminal case against the head of Gagauzia Eugenia Gutsul a political order and a gross violation of human rights. She specified that, according to the country's Constitution, the term of preventive arrest cannot exceed 12 months. ● Eugenia Gutsul was detained at the Chisinau airport in the evening of March 25, when she was trying to leave Moldova. The head of Gagauzia had his passport taken away, was subjected to a full search and was not allowed to leave the country. Later, the politician was arrested. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Kit Knightly | The UK’s Online Safety Act officially came into force two weeks ago, and they have wasted no time using it. | It’s a bland piece of dishonesty by omission, pretending to objectivity even as it hides behind language. They only specifically mention child porn and terrorism and other criminal behaviour as “illegal content”, but don’t mention that the act is about far more than child porn and drugs. ■ It has entire sections dedicated to “false communication offenses” – meaning publishing material the state has deemed “misinformation”, and a second section specifically and explicitly giving newspapers and media companies immunity from those offences.

The US president has attributed the criminal conviction of the right-wing politician to “lawfare” by “European Leftists” | US President Donald Trump has accused the French political establishment of employing lawfare against right-wing figure Marine Le Pen, urging Paris to “free” her. ● On Monday, a Paris court sentenced Le Pen to four years in prison and imposed a five-year ban on her eligibility for public office, effectively preventing her from running in the 2027 presidential election.In a post on Truth Social late Thursday, Trump declared Le Pen a victim of a “witch hunt.” He asserted that the prosecution of Le Pen was orchestrated by “European Leftists using Lawfare to silence Free Speech, and censor their Political Opponent.”

💬 “It is the same ‘playbook’ that was used against me by a group of Lunatics and Losers, like Norm Eisen, Andrew Weissmann, and Lisa Monaco,” he remarked, referring to attorneys who were involved in litigation against him since his first term as president. Trump claims those proceedings were politically-driven.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right Israeli government is moving to dispense with all constraints on its powers and get rid of its political opponents within the state apparatus—including the head of the Shin Bet domestic spy agency Ronen Bar and Attorney-General Galia Beharav-Miara. This is part of its preparations for a broader crackdown on all opposition to its policies at home and abroad. | Last week, in an unprecedented move aimed at eliminating judicial oversight of government, the cabinet unanimously backed a no confidence motion against Baharav-Miara, who as Israel’s Attorney-General is the country’s most senior legal official and one of the few nominal checks on the power of the executive, while also heading the public prosecution. Her position is a fixed-term independent, not a political, appointment. The vote is the first step in a lengthy process to secure her dismissal that will likely go all the way up to the Supreme Court, which some ministers have already said they will ignore if the decision goes against them.

The investigation concerns threats received by the judge who sentenced the presidential hopeful | French prosecutors have launched an investigation into threats against the judge who presided over a case in which right-wing presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen was sentenced to prison and barred from running for office, AFP has reported, citing sources. ● On Monday, Le Pen, the former leader of the conservative National Rally party (RN), was sentenced to four years in prison – two of them suspended and two more to be served under electronic monitoring, a hefty fine, and a five-year ban on holding public office. ● The court found her guilty of embezzling European Parliament funds by allegedly diverting them from official duties to party activities in France. The verdict prevents her from running in the 2027 presidential election. Le Pen has denied wrongdoing and said she would appeal.

✅ Le Pen and the Guillotine of "Democracy" (Constantin von Hoffmeister)

ICE arrested Tufts graduate Rumeysa Ozturk a year after she co-authored a pro-Palestinian op-ed and was flagged for anti-Israel activism.

Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/ih1luFo3zG

— AF Post (@AFpost) March 26, 2025

Ron Unz | We may be witnessing the ongoing destruction of one of the greatest pillars of postwar American global influence and hegemony. Late last week an astonishing event occurred in American society, and video clips of that incident quickly went viral across the Internet. ■ A 30-year-old Tufts doctoral student and Fulbright Scholar from Turkey was walking across her Boston-area neighborhood on the way to a holiday dinner at a friend’s house when she was suddenly seized and abducted in the early evening by six masked federal agents of the Department of Homeland Security. The terrified young woman was handcuffed and taken to a waiting car, secretly detained for the next 24 hours without access to friends, family, or lawyers, then shipped off to a holding cell in Louisiana and scheduled for immediate deportation, although a federal judge has now temporarily stayed the proceedings. ■ Just one of the Tweets showing a short clip of that incident has been viewed more than 4.5 million times, with a much longer YouTube video accumulating another couple of hundred thousand views.

"[T]he convicted candidate participates in the presidential elections, this will pose a risk to democracy." | Marine Le Pen, the leader of the parliamentary faction of the National Unification Party (RN), was convicted. One of the country's most popular politicians will not be able to participate in the next presidential election. However, it's too early for opponents of French eurosceptics to rejoice. The consequences of the Paris court's decision are described in the RIA Novosti article. ● Le Pen appeared at the meeting 20 minutes before the start, refusing to comment to the press. The judge began pronouncing the verdict almost immediately. The politician and her eight associates were found guilty of embezzling funds from the European Parliament (EP) and creating fictitious jobs for deputies' assistants. ● The other 12 members of the RN were also convicted. None of them, including Le Pen, will be able to be elected to any government in the next five years. However, the party leader will retain his parliamentary mandate until the expiration of his term of office. In addition, Marine Le Pen received four years of restriction of freedom. Of these, two are conditional, and two more are at home with an electronic bracelet. The court estimated the total damage from fraud at 2.9 million euros. Le Pen was personally fined one hundred thousand instead of the 300 requested by the prosecution. RN has to pay out a million.

■ FACTBOX: What is known about Marine Le Pen’s sentence (TASS)
■ Marine Le Pen rebukes ban on running for French presidency (Al Mayadeen)
■ Le Pen conviction ‘a very big deal’ – Trump (RT)
■ The Guillotine of Globalism Rothschild Falls on Marine Le Pen (03/31/25)
✅ Le Pen and the Guillotine of Democracy (Constantin von Hoffmeister)
✅ Marine Le Pen devant le précipice (Jules Pecnard)

| TheIslanderNews Hungary’s Viktor Orban posted: “Je suis Marine.” Three words that thunder across a silenced continent. | France just crossed the Rubicon. Marine Le Pen, the strongest anti-globalist voice in Europe, has been sentenced to four years in prison, with two years behind bars and a five-year ban from running for public office. The charge? EU “embezzlement” tied to staff payments. The real charge? Opposing mass migration, EU technocracy, and NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine. The establishment didn’t beat her at the ballot box, they took her out with a gavel. Make no mistake: this is not law. This is lawfare. And it follows a chilling pattern: Moldova’s pro-Russian Gagauz leader Eugenia Gutul jailed for defending her people’s sovereignty. Romania’s Călin Georgescu sidelined for daring to challenge Brussels’ grip. A coordinated purge — from Paris to Chisinau. But resistance is rising.

■ Le Pen sentenced to four years in prison, five-year election disqualification (TASS)
■ Zakharova en trois mots décrit la condamnation de le Pen (Pravda-FR)
■ Medvedev a proposé aux français après la condamnation de le Pen (Pravda-FR)

Alan MacLeod | Betar has regularly attempted to intimidate or shut down movements or gatherings protesting Israeli crimes. | A far-right, pro-Israel group with a history of support for terror and genocide is working closely with the Trump administration, preparing dossiers on thousands of pro-Palestine figures it wants deported from the United States. Betar U.S. is known to have had several meetings with senior government officials and has claimed credit for the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of the nationwide anti-genocide student demonstrations that began at Columbia University last year. ■ Ross Glick, the group’s executive director until last month, noted that he met with a diverse set of influential lawmakers, including Democratic senator John Fetterman and aides to the Republican senators Ted Cruz and James Lankford, and that all supported Betar U.S.’ campaign to rid the country of thousands of “terror supporters.” ■ Shortly after Glick’s trip to Washington, D.C., Trump signed an executive order titled “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism” that promises “the removal of resident aliens who violate our laws,” to “quell pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation,” and to “investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities.”

Yevgenia Gutsul, known as a critic of Moldova’s government, has been taken into custody upon her arrival in the capital | A vocal critic of Moldova’s pro-Western government, who leads an autonomous region in the EU candidate state, has denounced her arrest on what she claims to be fabricated criminal charges. ● Yevgenia Gutsul was taken into custody on Tuesday evening at the international airport in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, with the authorities saying she was on a wanted list. In a statement released through her lawyers on Thursday, she accused the government of pursuing a plan to dismantle the region of Gagauzia’s autonomy through lawfare targeting her administration.

💬 I am behind bars now under trumped up charges, yet my heart and my soul is with you,” she said, addressing the people of Gagauzia. ”This arrest is not a personal attack. It’s part of Chisinau’s grand plan to destroy our autonomy. Law enforcement officials controlled by the [ruling party] PAS have been trying to put pressure on me with bogus criminal cases for two years,” she added.

According to Moldovan media, Gutsul was taken into custody as part of an investigation into the 2023 gubernatorial election in Gagauzia, which she won. Her campaign was accused of financial irregularities. The Moldovan government claims that Gutsul is part of a Russian influence operation aimed at disrupting the country’s attempts to become a member of the EU.

■ Gutsul appears in systems with travel ban status (03/26/25)(In Russian)

Пограничная полиция предоставила подробности задержания башкана Гагаузии Евгении Гуцул. | Вечером 25 марта башкан Гагаузии пыталась вылететь из страны. В результате плановых проверок, проведенных во время пограничного контроля в Кишиневском аэропорту, было установлено, что она фигурирует в информационных системах со статусом запрета на выезд, отмечает noi.md. ● В соответствии с установленными законом процедурами компетентные органы были немедленно проинформированы. Впоследствии Гуцул была задержана на 72 часа Национальным антикоррупционным центром при координации городской прокуратуры Кишинёва. ● В настоящее время дело расследуется компетентными органами с целью выяснения всех обстоятельств. (For translation, go here.)

■ Песков: Кремль осуждает задержание в Молдавии главы Гагаузии Гуцул (RT На русском)
■ Гуцул заявила о нежелании жителей Молдавии присоединения страны к ЕС (Известия)

A French scientist was recently denied entry to the United States after immigration officers searched his phone at an airport and discovered messages in which he criticized the Trump administration’s research policies. | A French scientist was denied entry to the United States this month after immigration officers searched his phone at an airport and found messages in which he criticized the Trump administration's research policy. ● Philippe Baptiste, France’s Minister for Higher Education and Research, confirmed the incident in a statement to Agence France-Presse published by Le Monde, expressing concern over the situation.

Chilean-American blogger Gonzalo Lira died behind bars in Ukraine in January 2024 | The fact that only Moscow cared about the fate of US blogger Gonzalo Lira, who died in a Ukrainian prison last year, is a sign of the “deepest crisis” affecting the international bodies that are supposed to protect journalists, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said. Lira, a Chilean-American citizen, passed away behind bars in Ukraine in January 2024, while awaiting trial for “systematically justifying the Russian aggression.” ● Zakharova recalled the ordeal of the US journalist during a conference on the development of modern media at the Moscow School of Economics (MSE) on Tuesday. “Has anyone else talked about Gonzalo Lira? An American journalist, He had a US passport. Has anyone talked about him besides Russia? Try to remember. Nobody did,” she insisted. When asked about Lira’s incarceration, the White House and the US State Department replied with “strategic silence, generously paid for by USAID, an American agency that supposedly promotes international development. It is ridiculous,” the spokeswoman stressed.

■ Worthy vs. Unworthy Victims: Study Reveals Media’s Selective Coverage of Navalny and Lira (02/29/24)
■ The US government has allowed Ukraine to kill an American journalist who criticised ‘dictator’ Zelensky (01/14/24)
■ Gonzalo Lira - Dead (01/12/24)
■ From Gonzalo Lira - Out of Prison - Escaping . . . (08/01/23)
■ Gonzalo Lira arrested by Ukronazis (05/07/23)

On the EU's authoritarian censorship law—the Digital Services Act—under which Elon Musk was just put on formal notice for permitting "disinformation" on X:

"This is a pure censorship regime. There's no other way to describe it. No drama is needed, no hyperbole.

This is a… pic.twitter.com/g1ucpcOJyl

— System Update (@SystemUpdate_) October 11, 2023

© Image / Reiner Zensen

Celia Farber | I don’t know what to do. | When I say we owe Reiner Fuellmich, here is what I mean: Even if in the beginning, some claimed Reiner made funds protection moves with Viviane Fischer which were unorthodox (for months I got bogged down in the details and weeds) I challenge anybody to claim that his shocking plight is because of that. The facts of the “trial” suggest to me that he is not guilty, but I am now saying, even if somebody reading this takes the anti-Reiner position (and please do speak your mind so we can understand your case in March 2025) can they not see that he is an enemy of the state and being abused as a political prisoner? We all held the same objections to the Covid attack on humanity, we all published and spoke against it, and any of us could be in a jail cell in his place. He’s a scapegoat for us all.

We owe him. In my opinion, our “movement” died the day he was publicly accused. How did it happen? Who paid for it all? Who planned it all? When and how did the infiltration happen, and who allowed it to happen? Get his story out if you can. ■ If you think Reiner is not a political prisoner paying for the “crime” of exposing the Covid reich, I beg you to explain your position. Not in 2023 but in 2025. I don’t care if you think I’m deluded but I don’t understand the case for insinuating that he deserves this, at all. ■ It’s a very dangerous situation and his life may be at risk. Somebody tell me why there is a lingering anti-Reiner cloud in a movement that is supposed to be about freedom.

Grand-Jury.net: OVERVIEW: Grand Jury Proceedings

Watch this video clip and form your own opinion. Mine is that the WEF & other aligned transnational organizations should be banned from Canada and any politician associated should be removed from parliament
Who agrees ??pic.twitter.com/48PKTjzgeV

— Concerned Canadian (@Concern70732755) May 21, 2023

Trump cracks down on student protesters [...] The House panel sent a six-page letter to the university leadership saying that the university failed to deliver its promise to students, faculty, and Congress that it'd address "anti-semitism", saying that "Columbia’s continued failure to address the pervasive anti-semitism that persists on campus is untenable, particularly given that the university receives billions in federal funding." [...] Trump signed an executive order that allows the US government to use all available and appropriate legal tools to combat [so-called] "anti-semitism", including prosecuting and deporting those accused of anti-Semitic harassment, with the order targeting pro-Palestine student protesters.

Glenn Diesen | My Encounter with these “NGOs” ■ USAID, NED and other NGOs also operate in countries allied with the US to prevent dissent and preserve bloc discipline. The Ukraine Crisis Media Centre wrote an entire article smearing me in its project of “shady horses of Russian propaganda”, which listed false accusations such as being a “defender of Russia’s aggression”. The evidence for the absurd accusations included my conversations with Professor John Mearsheimer and former US Senator Ron Paul, which are labelled Kremlin “mouthpieces” by this NGO.[2] The Norwegian government (my own government) is also listed as a donor to this project of intimidation and smears. ■ The US foreign ministry, the National Endowment for Democracy, and my own government also finance the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, another “human rights NGO”, which has pursued a project of systematic intimidation against me for the past 4 years. Their tactics against me include regular smear pieces in the media, almost weekly tweets labelling me a propagandist for Russia, letters and phone calls to the head of my university to end my position as a professor, calls on other academics to go against me, efforts to cancel me from events where I have been invited to speak, etc. After successfully whipping up hatred in the public, the police advised me to hide my address and phone number. At this point, an employee at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee published a picture of my house on social media. These are the activities that my own government finances under the guise of supporting an “NGO” that promotes democracy and human rights. In response to the purge of academic freedom, I am now in the process of acquiring another citizenship to relocate to a country where civil society is not outsourced to fake NGOs pushing war propaganda and censorship.