The award is judged by a group of retired senior US military and intelligence personnel, and past winners. This year the award to Julian Assange was unanimous.
Previous winners and ceremony locations:
Coleen Rowley of the FBI; in Washington, D.C.
Katharine Gun of British intelligence; in Copenhagen, Denmark
Sibel Edmonds of the FBI; in Washington, D.C.
Craig Murray, former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan; in New York City
Sam Provance, former sergeant, U.S. Army, truth-teller about Abu Ghraib; in Washington, D.C.
Frank Grevil, major, Danish army intelligence, imprisoned for giving the Danish press documents showing that Denmark’s prime minister disregarded warnings that there was no authentic evidence of WMDs in Iraq; in Copenhagen, Denmark
Larry Wilkerson, colonel, U.S. Army (retired), former chief of staff to Secretary Colin Powell at the State Department, who has exposed what he called the “Cheney-Rumsfeld cabal”; in Washington, D.C.
http://original.antiwar.com/mcgovern/2010/08/15/can-wikileaks-help-save-lives/
Not sure yet where this year’s award ceremony will be held, but I’ll be there.
Gita Sahgal lost her job at Amnesty International for protesting at AI giving public support to Moazzam Begg’s organisation as poorly judged. Human rights lawyers appear to be reluctant to help her. Her statement may be of interest:
http://www.spectator.co.uk/martinbright/5759197/gita-sahgal-a-statement.thtml
Here’s a wiki article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gita_Sahgal
I see a parallel with Craig’s story. In both cases, a a senior member of an important organisation was forced out for publicly protesting aganist official policy, and then had a hard time finding public support.
MJ, yes, I’m no toxicologist, but I think that both dextropopoxyphene and succinylcholine would be detectable (directly or indirectly via metabolites) in the tox. screen at PM. The MOSSAD Dubai hit victim had succinylcholine in his blood, picked-up at PM.
I’m sure there are respiratory-paralytic toxic drugs with very short half-lives which degrade quickly into natural compounds even after death (?insulin and potassium chloride, which causes unconsciousness and cardiac arrest?), but I’d have to look up the textbooks again to find out; an anaesthetist, toxicologist, crime writer, pharmacologist – or a Public Executioner! – would know – though of course the execiutioner doesn’t have to worry about the chemicals being undetectable. The injection of large quantities of air directly into the venous system will also cause death and apart from the injection-mark, is undetectable. It’s also very problematic to interpret PM blood-levels of drugs and compare them to ‘fatal’ blood-levels of drugs.
MJ,
Thank-you for your confidence – Of course you are right, toxicology would have found dextropropoxyphene and it did – as the now banned (and dangerous) component of co-proxamol.
succinylcholine metabolises and is thus very difficult to detect without enzyme analysis. Dr Hunt, the pathologist, we know is somewhat incompetent having confused the identity of serviceman’s remains:
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1300935/Official-probe-Dr-Kellys-post-mortem-pathologist-mixed-servicemens-remains.html
His mm by mm inspection of David Kelly’s body found nothing – the left wrist injection site was obscured/obliterated by the many so called ‘tentative’ cuts that is indicative of overcoming the natural ‘suicide barrier’ in the majority of sane humans who attempt to kill themselves by bleeding out.
The prescription only co-proxamol strips had no fingerprints or DNA (neither did the knife); David we remember was NOT prescribed co-proxamol and would have been aware of the dangers associated with dextropropoxyphene:
bmj.com/cgi/content/full/326/7397/1006
My wife’s (fuzzy) brother survived an overdose of 11 grams of paracetamol (22 tablets) some years ago – a real case and I expose the details to you reluctantly with his permission, such is the importance of obtaining an inquiry to the satisfaction of Janice and her three beautiful daughters.
A British detective lied at the Hutton inquiry –
Why?
Yes, Iain (and Abe), Begg, in my view, is a ‘problematic’ figure; the Gita Sahgal whistleblowing-and-loss-of-job was an example of this. He’s not the only such figure.
Apart from all that, it irks me a little (a lot) that for years, on the basis of ‘Unity in Diversity’, Islamist figures and some organisations seemed able to leverage tons of money form the Government/ Govt-associated bodies, allowing them to attain a position of prominence in the UK in relation to ‘representing’ the ‘UK Muslim community’ (as though that were a monolithic entity!). Then, after ‘9/11’, some of these individuals and organisations seemed to re-invent themselves (trimmed beards, two-piece suits, no fists, lots of fessing-up, self-improvement books) in favour of ‘Community Cohesion’ and ‘Anti-Terrorist Facilitators’ (I’ve invented the latter term, but it’s not much of an exagerration) and again to leverage piles of dosh from the government and assocaited bodies and again to ‘represent’ ‘UK Muslims’ from the highest to the most grassroots level.
Secular organisations face a much more difficult process, not least because they have to operate in a field where it has become convenient and mutually beneficial for both Islamists (the term being used here in its broadest sense) and authorities to deal with each other in an ongoing systemic manner.
“Thank-you for your confidence – Of course you are right, toxicology would have found dextropropoxyphene and it did – as the now banned (and dangerous) component of co-proxamol.”
Mark, can you see what you have just done here?
“David we remember was NOT prescribed co-proxamol and would have been aware of the dangers associated with dextropropoxyphene”
Can you also see what you have done here?
nvm
Mark:
“toxicology would have found dextropropoxyphene and it did – as the now banned (and dangerous) component of co-proxamol”
But as I understand it only a therapeutic, non-lethal dose was found; a couple of tablets.
“The prescription only co-proxamol strips had no fingerprints or DNA (neither did the knife)”
Well well.
“I expose the details to you reluctantly with his permission”
Many thanks.
“A British detective lied at the Hutton inquiry –
Why?”
You can say what you like at inquiries. At inquests you’re under oath.
Correct me if I’m wrong but I seem to recall that it was originally reported that Kelly was found with pads on his chest, under his shirt, the type that are used by doctors for monitoring cardiac activity. I haven’t heard this detail mentioned of late. Or I might be dreaming it.
Suhayl:
“I’m sure there are respiratory-paralytic toxic drugs with very short half-lives which degrade quickly into natural compounds even after death”
“The injection of large quantities of air directly into the venous system will also cause death and apart from the injection-mark, is undetectable”
Interesting.
MJ
The sticky pads were put there by the paramedic.
Alistar Hay, Professor of Toxicology, questions findings of the Hutton inquiry. Alexander Allan, the forensic toxicologist at the inquiry, considered the amount ingested of Co-Proxamol insufficient to have caused death less than a third of what would normally be found in a fatal overdose. The toxicology report on David Kelly reports blood level concentrations of 97 micrograms of paracetamol and 1.0 micrograms of dextropropoxyphene per millilitre. He calculated that it was equivalent to approximately 20 tablets.
Angrysober,
explain?
So detropops did not kill him, so he wasn’t injected with dextropos. PCM doesn’t kill suddenly in any case, so PCM didn’t kill him. So we’re left with the ischaemic heart disease and presumed blood loss (if one is considering that it wasn’t murder).
‘The Assassin’s Cookbook’ – good title for a graphic novel, eh? Sick, though.
“The toxicology report on David Kelly reports blood level concentrations of 97 micrograms of paracetamol and 1.0 micrograms of dextropropoxyphene per millilitre. He calculated that it was equivalent to approximately 20 tablets”.
OK, so he had the equivalent of 20 tabs in his blood, but the remains of only a couple of tabs in his stomach if I’m not mistaken. This suggests either that he took a larger quantity of tabs much earlier, which had already been absorbed, or he had been injected with dextropropoxyphene then forced to take tablets to give the impression of a self-inflicted overdose. The latter scenario is supported by the wounds in his mouth and the trail of undigested tablets on his clothes, suggesting he had spat them out. But this still doesn’t explain the non-lethal concentrations in his blood.
Thanks for the clarification re the pads.
Summary of incompetence
Doubt – Doubt – Doubt
1. David Kelly’s body was propped up against a tree. (Hutton Photo? Louise Holmes) and *moved* so he was laying flat ‘a short distance from the tree.’
2. Livor mortis (post mortem lividity), which indicates that Kelly died on his back, or at least was moved to that position shortly after his death. Propping the body against the tree was a mistake that had to be rectified. Rigor mortis present? – who knows.
3. Coe maintained there was only one other person besides himself. He was not questioned about the discrepancy.
In fact the third young man with a ‘posh sounding voice’ was according to my source collecting documents/evidence on behalf of MI5/secret service. MI5 were ‘fuming’ over Kelly’s ‘death’
4. The police took over 300 statements from witnesses but less than 70 were forwarded to the Hutton inquiry. Witness statements were not to be released (even to the inquiry) unless the witness signed an authorization permitting it.
5. A listing of evidence provided to the Hutton inquiry by Thames Valley Police shows a reference to a document described, ‘TVP Tactical Support Major Incident Policy Book
Suhayl,
Enough muscle relaxant and opiate to stop David breathing? Fuzzy’s brother’s breathing stopped and he had to be resuscitated after 22 tabs of paracetamol.
That’s very odd. PCM causes liver failure which usually takes several days to become apparent. The liver failure then causes (as well as the panoply of liver failure effects) gradually deteriorating consciousness, jaundice, ‘flapping’ tremor, etc. On its own (and that’s the key point), prior to the liver damage, why would PCM cause loss of consciousness or respiratory depression? PCM overdose is a horrible way to die.
http://www.pharmweb.net/pwmirror/pwy/paracetamol/pharmwebpic9.html
Having said all that, as you know, Mark, I think David Kelly’s death very suspicious and the fact that all of these eminent scientists (who know far more than I) have raised concerns in suhc a public manner is good reason to maintain a high level of skepicism about the case.
“explain?”
Okay, Mark.
a) We know David Kelly didn’t kill himself because there wasn’t enough dextropropoxyphene from the co-proxamol he supposedly swallowed in his blood to be fatal.
b) Yet, we know that he was given a lethal injection of dextropropoxyphene because the toxicologist found it and put it in his report.
Are you not struck by the illogicality of a) & b)?
You appear to be saying he wouldn’t swallow co-proxamol himself because he knew how dangerous it was. Yet, if it was his intention to commit suicide then clearly its dangerousness was very much the point!
Also if a lethal injection explained the presence of dextropropoxyphene then what explains the paracetamol? Oh, the co-proxamol!
But he wasn’t prescribed them. No, but his wife was.
“a) We know David Kelly didn’t kill himself because there wasn’t enough dextropropoxyphene from the co-proxamol he supposedly swallowed in his blood to be fatal.
b) Yet, we know that he was given a lethal injection of dextropropoxyphene because the toxicologist found it and put it in his report.
Are you not struck by the illogicality of a) & b)?”
The low levels of dextropropoxyphene found cast doubt only the theory that it was this that caused Kelly’s death. Mark said nothing about “knowing” there was a lethal injection. It was pure supposition and clearly prefaced as such. Please pay attention.
“But he wasn’t prescribed them. No, but his wife was”.
Any views on the fingerprint/DNA business?
MJ: “Mark said nothing about “knowing” there was a lethal injection. It was pure supposition and clearly prefaced as such. Please pay attention.”
Don’t be silly. The point is that Mark was positing a lethal injection on the basis that dextropropoxyphene was found on the toxicology report when it was obviously better explained as being from co-proxamol, especially given the presence of paracetamol as well.
What I find odd is that now the very things the pathologist reported as cause of death which were considered insufficient for suicide or even a cause of death are now being put forward as sufficient for homicide.
“Any views on the fingerprint/DNA business?”
I don’t know much about forensic science. But I have heard that the taped handle of the knife, which was apparently quite small was less likely to retain fingerprints than, say, a steel-handled knife.
It sounds a bit like something called CSI effect:
“The CSI effect (sometimes referred to as the CSI syndrome) is a reference to the phenomenon of popular television shows such as the CSI franchise raising crime victims’ and jury members’, even criminals’, real-world expectations of forensic science, especially crime scene investigation and DNA testing… The CSI effect is purported to skew public perceptions of real-world forensic science, as well as the behavior of criminal justice system actors; this is of particular concern in the courtroom setting, where many prosecutors feel pressured to deliver more forensic evidence.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect
Am I the only one here who finds Angrysoba — Yawn — a bore.
“The point is that Mark was positing a lethal injection on the basis that dextropropoxyphene was found on the toxicology report”
I thought the point was that you claimed that Mark “knew” this was the case, when in fact he was clearly hypothesising.
The wider point is that co-proxamol is an equally speculative suspect, given the amounts found in Kelly’s blood and stomach.
“…the taped handle of the knife, which was apparently quite small was less likely to retain fingerprints than, say, a steel-handled knife”.
I’m sure cotton gaffer tape is hopeless at retaining fingerprints, but pretty good at absorbing and retaining DNA. There is also the question of the co-proxamol packets. Were they wrapped in tape too?
To return briefly to the original topic of this post, I see that Assange has made a rather interesting remark today:
“Australian intelligence services had warned WikiLeaks of “dirty tricks” before Swedish authorities issued a short-lived arrest warrant for founder Julian Assange over a rape claim, he said Monday.
“We were warned on the 11th (of August) by Australian intelligence that we should expect this sort of thing,” Assange said in a telephone interview with broadcaster Al-Jazeera from a secret location in Sweden”.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/0823/wikileaks-australia-intelligence-warned-dirty-tricks/
I don’t quite know what to make of the fact that he is on such good terms with the Australian Intelligence service.
Yes, that is somewhat odd, isn’t it, MJ. Also, everyone knows about honeytraps.
Someone who has stirred-up such ire from the ‘establishment’ would need to understand that esp. at the present time, they would need to behave almost like a monk – otherwise the tabloids and/or the intelligence services will get stuff on them, even if there is no real basis for the stuff: mud sticks.
Now, if he’s saying he was warned and if – I say if – he still got into some kind of ‘intimate interaction’, well, all one can say is: Tommy Sheridan and the SSP (!) – allegedly.
But think for a moment of the allegations swirling around against Arthur Scargill specifically (and the NUM in general) during the 1980s – every single one was proven to be a load of tripe and to have been manufactured by the intelligence services. That’s part of their job description – to bring down anyone who threatens power.
Also, why on earth would anyone trust the Australian intelligence services? They are very close to the CIA et al. There has recently been (another) de facto constitutional coup in Australia – with the sudden toppling of the former Labour PM and his replacement with his Deputy (I’m not talking about the General Election).
It seems incredibly naive – and Assange cannot be naive. Maybe he’s playing a game with Australian Intelligence, roping them in somehow. I sense he must have powerful protectors – maybe wise to have some if you’re going up against the hyperpower.
This reminds me a little, just a little and perhaps unfairly, of the stories floating around relating to Gerry Gable, Editor of anti-fascist ‘Searchlight’ magazine. I emphasise that these are merely allegations. But it’s not just the fascists who’ve issue them; highly respected outlets also have explored his provenance.
So, if you’d just ‘outed’ 90,000 (or whatever it is) secret US state documents re. to war, war and more war, and the SS or SIS came to you and said, “Be careful, we think that the Pentagon are going to play dirty tricks on you” (as if you hadn’t guessed), would you say, “Why, thank you kindly, gentlemen. Cup of tea?” or would you say, “Get tae…”, or would you say, “Gie’s a job, then” (!)
‘Am I the only one here who finds Angrysoba — Yawn — a bore.’
No, I don’t. I take a contrary view to him on just about every subject discussed here but I think he fights his corner very well.
But it’s also important to understand, I think, that Western intelligence services are not monolithic and that they engage in turf wars with one another – and indeed that they routinely spy on one another’s (mainly commercial) operations.
What a dirty messy business to be in. I wonder do they all fancy themselves as 007s.
I suppose that, in a sense, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a country’s security service is offering a measure of support and assistance to one of its own citizens, particularly one who appears to be in some danger, though that seems an awfully out-dated view of how things really are.
Maybe the tacit agreement is that they’ll look out for him and he’ll back off from material that might compromise Australian security interests.
I don’t know; I’d be interested to hear the views of the Australian chap who posts here occasionally under the name of ‘nobody’.
i have to confess that, until I read that news item, it hadn’t quite occurred to me that Australia even had a security service. It just doesn’t seem that sort of place. A few jokes about Australian secrets came to mind that I was going to share, but I have thought better of it.
Dreoilin: “I wonder do they all fancy themselves as 007s.”
You might get an idea by reading the autobiographies of real spies, like Richard Tomlinson’s “The Big Breach”, or Victor Ostrovsky’s “By Way of Deception”. These were not in good standing, but an example of one who was would be Greville Wynne’s “The Man from Odessa” (he recruited Oleg Penkovsky).
MJ,
There’s a fake Aussie security service on Twitter and he can be very funny. He issues ‘alerts’. Which reminds me, he’s been quiet for some time. I must look him up.
Speaking of Twitter, I have no idea how far the Twitter campaign effort went, but apparently donations to the DEC for flood victims in Pakistan have increased hugely, which is great news.
Thanks Abe! I’ve got myself a Kindle and will be registering it shortly. Book recommendations are exactly what I need!
Dr Michael Powers QC speaking on Radio 5 this morning on the Victoria Derbyshire Show to a presenter called Stephen Nolan who seems to have been primed. Nolan 0 Powers 1
1hr 7mins in
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00tjn6m/Victoria_Derbyshire_23_08_2010/
http://www.medneg.co.uk/index.htm