Posted on 04/21/2023 1:46:39 PM PDT by lowbridge
A federal grand jury has charged three St. Louis residents with illegally pushing pro-Russian propaganda and misinformation about Ukraine and sowing discord across Missouri, Georgia and Florida through the African People’s Socialist Party.
The indictment alleges that African People's Socialist Party Chairman Omali Yeshitela and members Penny Joanne Hess and Jesse Nevel acted as illegal agents of the Russian government without notifying the U.S. attorney general. They each face up to 10 years in prison for that charge. They also face up to five years in prison for conspiring to have U.S. citizens act as illegal agents.
The indictment alleges Russian national Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov founded the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia, a Moscow-based organization run by the Russian government, to promote pro-Russian propaganda and create influence campaigns among political groups across the country, including the African People’s Socialist Party. It also alleges Ionov tried to promote the Russian invasion of Ukraine with pro-Russian talking points. It says that Ionov would appear on video calls hosted by the party in which he likened support to Ukraine to supporting Nazis and that Yeshitela made statements supporting Russia.
“Russia’s foreign intelligence service allegedly weaponized our First Amendment rights — freedoms Russia denies its own citizens — to divide Americans and interfere in elections in the United States,” Justice Department’s National Security Division Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen said in a statement.
-snip
The indictment comes several months after the FBI raided the party’s Uhuru Center in south St. Louis. Agents raided the party’s St. Petersburg office as well. Yeshitela said at the time that his organization had never taken money from the Russian government.
The Uhuru Center drew attention last year after it had raised money for projects across the city, including nearly $130,000 from GoFundMe for the basketball court in
(Excerpt) Read more at news.stlpublicradio.org ...
Very dangerous precedent, yet another example of the erosion of freedom of speech.
Black?
Is there a legal way to push pro Russia propaganda? Maybe cnn or msnbc?
Must be Black Russians
The Administration of the Steal prattling on about corrupt elections?
Why, what would 50 intelligence experts say?
So much for free speech. Officially, we are not at war with Russia. Hell, we did not stifle free speech during the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, etc.
We are descending into a tyranny.
We need to be free to push aliens live in Joe Biden's brain if we want. I kid of course, not even aliens can survive that much evil in one space.
Yes, now spreading propaganda or misinformation about [name of country] can be against the law.
“Pushing” it or merely expressing it?
People don’t have to listen if they don’t want to.
Tucker Carlson talked about this last night and had Glenn Greenwald on as well.
I agree with nothing these people are saying but they have the right to say whatever they want, unless they were planning some type of violence and actually carried out some type of violence, I can’t see how spreading propaganda warrants getting arrested and potentially sent to jail.
This is incredibly wrong in so many different ways.
We aren’t at war with Russia, so how can this even remotely be illegal?
There are a number of people posting on FR that I suspect would have no problem with this....
Welcome to the party, pal.
This ain’t your father’s country anymore
But it’s okay inviting thousands of terrorists across our southern border.
WTH? It’s a crime to be pro-Russia or to say pro-Russian things?
“A federal grand jury alleges Yeshitela and members Penny Joanne Hess and Jesse Nevel acted as illegal agents of the Russian government without notifying the U.S. attorney general.”
It doesn’t say they were lobbying the state or federal government. What exactly did they do?
It didn’t say they were funneling foreign money into political campaigns which would be investigated by the FEC.
They cannot be involved in politics if they have visited a foreign country?
Where does that leave the Bidens?
For us all:
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