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Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Joe Emersberger, Nils Melzer (2019) June 16, 2022

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Welcome to Gorilla Radio, recorded June 16th, 2022

Last week, CONAIE, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador began a popular protest over rising food and fuel prices and the neoliberal policies of Guillermo Lasso’s government. Across the country Monday transportation hubs, government offices, and oil productions facilities were blockaded. The actions prompted a quick response from Lasso, whose military and police launched an operation to snatch CONAIE president, Leonidas Iza; a move the confederation denounced as “arbitrary and illegal”.

Joe Emersberger is a Canada-based engineer of Ecuadorian descent. He’s a writer and activist, and co-author with Justin Podur of the book, ‘Extraordinary Threat: The US Empire, the Media and 20 Years of Coup Attempts in Venezuela‘. Emersberger’s many articles focusing on Western media coverage of the Americas can be found at FAIR.org, CounterPunch.org, TheCanary.co, Telesur English, and ZComm.org, among other places.

Joe Emersberger in the first half.

And; Britain’s Home Secretary, Priti Patel is charged with making the final decision on the extradition of Julian Assange to America from his current incarceration in London’s Belmarsh Prison, and she’s expected to make that decision imminently. The publisher, journalist, and founder of WikiLeaks has been held in isolation within the maximum security facility since being dragged from asylum in Ecuador’s London embassy three years, two months and five days ago.

Hundreds of doctors have petitioned Patel to deny extradition based on Assange’s frail mental and physical health. A similar argument was made by United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Nils Melzer after visiting Assange with two medical experts “specialised in examining potential victims of torture and other ill-treatment” shortly after his arrest in 2019. Melzer’s demand for Assange’s release was ignored then, as have been myriad subsequent appeals to the UK government from all quarters.

Nils Melzer and the torturous destruction of Julian Assange, from an interview we recorded in June of 2019, in the second half.

But first, Joe Emersberger and Guillermo Lasso’s presidency one year on: The perfect Sturm und Drang.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing since 1998. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: cfuv.ca. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com/

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Johnny Vedmore, Nils Melzer (September 2019) March 24th, 2022

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Welcome to Gorilla Radio, recorded March 19th and 20th, 2022

Two years along and the Covid-19 epidemic is deemed done, by omission. Though the sickness goes on, Big Media has dropped the topic like a hot, rotten potato. But, before moving on, there’s still a few questions of interest yet to be answered about the Sars-CoV-2 outbreak and its provenance; questions demanding more than an empty declaration of victory and tantalizing suggestions of a brand-spanking new war to follow, “after these brief messages from our sponsor“.

Johnny Vedmore is an Investigative Journalist, Musician, Activist, Presenter of the Fungi Monkey Podcast, Video Creator, and Writer for UnlimitedHangout.com. His investigations and films can be found at his website FungiMonkey, and JohnnyVedmore.com, where I discovered his recent article, ‘The Wellcome Five – The Proximal Origin of Covid Control‘.

Johnny Vedmore in the first half.

And; Britain’s Supreme Court last week refused to hear Julian Assange’s appeal of a High Court ruling allowing afterall his extradition to the United States. Assange has been imprisoned without trial in London’s Belmarsh Prison since his unprecedented expulsion from asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy April 11th, 2019. United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer visited Assange during his first month at Belmarsh and described conditions of his incarceration in blistering terms in a statement released to the media. By all accounts, things have not improved for the prisoner.

UN Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer in place of Steve Poikonen in an interview we recorded in September of 2019 on Julian Assange’s long punishment by process in the second half.

But first, Johnny Vedmore and Wellcome Trust, the “uncontrollable behemoth” in our midst.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio and serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Ron Ridenour November 2, 2020

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Welcome back to Gorilla Radio’s home edition, recorded on this date, November 2nd, 2020.

This week America’s election carnival will come to a head. What happens over the months following is anyone’s guess, but there’s less uncertainty for the Julian Assange extradition hearings in London’s Old Bailey where presiding magistrate, Vanessa Baraitser adjourned proceedings saying, “One way or another, my decision is likely to go after the US elections.” The hearing will resume January 4th, and Baraitser will assuredly rule as bidden to by whomever will reside on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Ron Ridenour is a journalist, author, editor, and peace and social justice activist. The ex-pat American has lived and worked in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Bolivia and currently calls Denmark home. He’s worked too as a special correspondent and freelancer for numerous publications in Europe the US, and Latin America, and served as press aid to Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales and the governments of Cuba and Nicaragua. Some of Ridenour’s many book titles include: ‘The Russian Peace Threat: Pentagon on Alert’, ‘Cuba: Revolution in Action’, ‘Backfire: The CIA’s Biggest Burn’, and his latest, still in progress, ‘Winding Brook Stories’.

Ron’s articles feature at numerous online sites, including on ThisCantBeHappening.net, where his ‘A Horror Story in Two Parts: Will England Send Assange-the-Messenger to America’s Dungeons?’ and ‘A Travesty of Justice: UK Caters to the US Government’s Desire to Crush Assange’ appear.

Today, Ron Ridenour and coming out of the trenches for Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Thursday between 11-Noon Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: https://cfuv.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/