Dear
readers,
While the Marc Harris scandal is unfolding and
will hurt government officials for the corruption
involved, the Panamanian authorities are creating
yet another case in which they refuse to
investigate fraud, corruption and other crimes an
prefer to go after the journalists that expose
it.
The Panama News published
earlier two articles I wrote about San Cristobal,
a real estate development company, and it's
principals. While so far having failed to prove
even one statement in those articles that was not
based in fact, San Cristobal responded with a
campaign of death threats, harassment, burglary
and possibly even murder against me, a colleague
of Panamanian paper El Siglo
and one of my sources, a Canadian businessman.
When that didn't work they paid off a
pseudo-journalist and a Panamanian spammer to
publish and distribute an invented story that I
would be blackmailing San Cristobal.
When that didn't work they, pretty desperate now,
filed criminal defamation charges against me and
Eric Jackson, publisher of The Panama
News. Libel and slander, contrary to
the situation in most civilized countries, are
crimes in Panama which carry prison sentences of
up to two years. It's interesting to note that
San Cristobal could think of nothing else than to
seek refuge in the dark left-overs from the
military dictatorship in Panama, the anti-press
laws.
The Panamanian authorities, who have done nothing
so far to investigate San Cristobal and it's
founder Tom McMurrain - a fugitive from US
justice - are now actively persuing yet
another opportunity to persecute journalists.
Earlier, it was explained to me by someone from
the Procuradoria (the attorney general's office)
that the Panamanian judicial authorities are not
interested in "gringos ripping off
gringos", even when they rip them off in
Panama. It is difficult to understand why then
the authorities would be interested in
prosecuting a Dutch journalist that writes about
gringos ripping off other gringos, even when he
is published in Panama.
In Panama, retarded anti-press laws have a higher
priority than laws against fraud, embezzlement,
drug trafficking and corruption.
Did the Panamanian authorities start an
investigation into San Cristobal for fraud? No
they did not.
Did the Panamanian authorities follow up on
reports from it's own police force about alleged
distribution of narcotics by employees of San
Cristobal, headed by fugitive Tom McMurrain? No,
they did not.
Did the Panamanian authorities follow up on
reports that environmental crimes would be
committed by San Cristobal in Bocas del Toro? No
they did not.
When colleague Carmen Boyd of El Siglo,
a Canadian investor who was one of my sources and
myself received (death) threats, were followed in
the streets, had a hotel room broken into and
were harassed by the San Cristobal gangsters, did
the authorities start an investigation into San
Cristobal or even do so much as hear some of
their goons who were openly involved? No they did
not.
Did the authorities act upon a detailed report on
these events that was filed by this Canadian
source with the police? No, they did not.
Did the authorities respond to the request by
respected journalist organisation
Periodistas Frente a la Corrupción to
investigate San Cristobal and protect the safety
of me and others? No they did not.
Did the authorities even so much as take my
statement when my immigration attorney was
assasinated only weeks after San Cristobal's
founder Tom McMurrain sent me a threatening email
that involved this attorney? No, they did not. Do
they have the killers yet? No they do not.
Instead of doing their work, the authorities
choose to follow up on frivolous defamation
charges and go after the journalists that exposed
San Cristobal for what it is. Instead of
protecting those that report the truth, they
choose to once more abuse the myriad of opressive
press laws that date back to the times Panama was
ruled by a military dictatorship.
These laws were designed not to promote and
protect freedom of speech and freedom of press -
basic human rights and essential ingredients for
democracy - but to silence journalists at
will whenever convenient.
But enough is enough.
We will put these gag laws on trial, and San
Cristobal's abuse of these laws to burry the
truth.
We will prove that criminally prosecuting
journalists for reporting the truth is
undemocratic, a violation of human rights and
therefore illegal.
We will not obey restrictions on freedom to
travel that a court may order under the
dictatorship laws.
We will not reveil the identity of confidential
sources.
We will show that the gag laws' only purpose is
to protect corruption and fraud, and those who
are guilty of it.
We will demonstrate that the only purpose of
these charges is for San Cristobal and it's
principals to shield off their shady activities
from investors, prospects and the judicial
authorities outside Panama.
We will expose how Panama has almost 50% of it's
journalists facing or having faced criminal
defamation charges that carry prison sentences,
more than any other country in the world. We will
show how this, together with the lack of judicial
security, has made Panama the laughing-stock of
the international community.
And we will expose all this as always; out in the
open and for everyone to see. My web site under
construction, at http://www.ornstein.org, will
have a special section with all the info on the gag
laws on trial case. We'll email
regular updates and news. We'll name the
executors of the illegal press laws in Panama.
We'll make available all the evidence for
everyone to see.
They're not gonna get away with it.
Okke Ornstein
The two articles on San Cristobal can still be
found at:
http://www.thepanamanews.com/pn/v_09/issue_08/business_02.html
for part
1
http://www.thepanamanews.com/pn/v_09/issue_09/business_01.html
for part
2
=============================================
ATTENTION:
New email address: okke@ornstein.org
Please update your address book.
Okke Ornstein
=============================================
See Response Email from ONE at admin@mrdynastyempire.org
reflecting Here NOW at
The Divine Magistrate is Stepping in
- 6-28-2003
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