[FYI] (Fwd) FC: FBI raids Seattle journalist collective, delivers gag order

["Axel H Horns" <horns@ipjur.com>]

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent:      	Tue, 24 Apr 2001 15:12:07 -0500
To:             	politech@politechbot.com
From:           	Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Subject:        	FC: FBI raids Seattle journalist collective, delivers gag order
Copies to:      	paulshukovsky@seattle-pi.com, editorial@seattle.indymedia.org,
	news@seattle.indymedia.org
Send reply to:  	declan@well.com

This was reportedly posted on then removed from vermont.indymedia.org:
>"There is a report of FBI Officers currently located within the
Seattle >IMC demanding the location of the person who's name is the
registered name >of indymedia.org. Apparently, they have an arrest
warrant for Jonathan Jay >because of a supposed threat against
President Bush on the Montreal IMC >site. They are making threats that
the IMC is not supposed to send out >*any* emails regarding this
issue, according to the warrant. However, >this, according to the IMC
lawyer, is Prior Restraint, which is >unconstitutional. The closest
story mentioning Bush on the Montreal site >is the following: story
mentioning bush Please look to >seattle.indymedia.org as well as other
sites for updates on this situation."

The name "Jonathan Jay" does indeed appear in the "whois" database:
http://www.networksolutions.com/cgi-bin/whois/whois?STRING=indymedia.o
rg

But each Independent Media Center is a collective that includes
hundreds of loosely-affiliated journalists and activists. Holding the
whois registrant responsible for what appears on the site -- if that
is what happened -- makes little sense. He may have simply donated the
domain name years ago, or may be no longer involved in the publication
of the site.

Also, the gag order -- the sketchy little we know of it -- seems
remarkably broad. Why shouldn't a news organization be able to report
on a raid of its office?

Background:
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,38286,00.html
http://www.cluebot.com/article.pl?sid=01/04/24/1857245

-Declan

*********

Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 12:07:54 -0700
From: Warren Cowley <wdcowley@earthlink.net>
To: declan@well.com
Subject: Indymedia raided by the FBI and gag order placed on
discussion of the issue

Declan,
Please sound the alarm. The FBI has chosen another target. They raided
the Indymedia center on sat  04/21/01. In the process they have placed
a gag order on indymedia. the story is here :
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0424-04.htm and here:
http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=36185&group=webcast

Thanks
A very concerned citizen

*********

http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/19980_security24.shtml

    FBI raids media center
    Stolen security plan for Quebec meeting was put on Internet here

    Tuesday, April 24, 2001

    By PAUL SHUKOVSKY
    SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

    Security plans intended to protect Western leaders attending a
    trade summit in Quebec City were stolen from a car there over the
    weekend and posted, hours later, on a Seattle-based Web site,
    authorities said yesterday.

    On Saturday night, FBI agents raided the offices of the
    Independent Media Center in downtown Seattle, seizing computer-log
    records, according to federal sources.

    No arrests have been made.

    Center spokeswoman Sherry Herndon said she and other staff have
    been told "not to talk about" the incident under threat of being
    held in contempt of court.

    She referred inquiries to attorney Bob Goodman of the Center for
    Constitutional Rights in New York City, who also declined comment.

    He said the court order that was served on the IMC "contains a
    fairly broad gag order; therefore, we cannot talk."

    ...

    No mention of the FBI raid could be found yesterday on the IMC Web
    site. But the organization's home page carried a boldface note
    stating, "Everything is fine at the Seattle IMC. We will keep you
    posted on any further developments."

    ...

*********




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