₿

May contain traces of nuts.

[Magyar Péter (Ne féljetek) @magyarpeterMP]

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has just called to congratulate us on our victory.

[Szabolcs Panyi @panyiszabolcs]

‼️Statement on the Orbán Government Accusing Me, an Investigative Journalist, of Espionage‼️

Today, the Hungarian government has filed a complaint against me for espionage. Accusing investigative journalists of espionage is virtually unprecedented in the 21st century for an EU member state. This is typical of Putin’s Russia, Belarus, and similar regimes.

I have spent over a decade documenting how Russian spies and interests have penetrated Hungarian politics, so I am probably the least surprised by this.

Despite growing signs that the Hungarian government acts as a Kremlin ally and copies the Russian model, I still trust that parts of the Hungarian state—and the judiciary—follow the Hungarian constitution, not that of the Russian Federation.

I have never engaged in espionage. I see my work as journalistic counterintelligence—from exposing the hacking of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry by Russian actors to revealing the activities of Hungarian pro-Kremlin propagandists.

Defending myself publicly would be easier if I were not bound by source protection. But that remains my top priority. I cannot reveal who provides me information or what I receive, including from within Hungarian state structures.

If I were not a journalist, I could list many facts proving it is impossible for the Hungarian state to genuinely believe I am spying. Certain meetings, contacts, and information gathering could never have happened otherwise.

This baseless accusation now forces me to share details of a specific investigation, including a conversation with a confidential source that appears to have been wiretapped. Normally, this would appear in a finished article or my upcoming book—not here. (It will appear there as well.)

Since 2023, I have investigated whether the relationship between Péter Szijjártó and Russian officials exceeds legal limits. The published audio, where I’m heard talking to a source, mentions that communication between Szijjártó and Sergey Lavrov is recorded by EU intelligence services. Less attention has gone to my point that this relationship raises strong suspicion of political intelligence activity and influence operations in Russia’s interest.

These are serious claims and hard to prove. As a journalist, I cannot force anyone to speak or hand over documents. That is why gathering this information has taken so long—and why I spoke to that sensitive source (while the conversation was secretly recorded).

Serious claims require serious evidence, and I believe I have gathered some. I have not engaged in espionage.
I have not cooperated with any foreign intelligence service in surveilling Szijjártó. Instead, I tried to verify earlier fragments of information about Szijjártó–Lavrov communication.

I sought to identify the channels and phone numbers used, and whether a secret channel—possibly used by Russian intelligence—exists. In other words, whether Szijjártó uses a hidden device or number unknown even within the Hungarian Foreign Ministry.

This was only one part of my research. The other, more serious topic is this:

Since at least 2016–2017, EU and NATO intelligence services have had indications that large amounts of cash and precious stones may have been transported from Russia on Hungarian government aircraft or private jets used by government figures. Officials from at least six countries made such claims to me.

These signals did not come from monitoring Hungarian targets, but, for example, from intercepting Russian officials discussing or preparing such shipments.

Alongside Szijjártó–Lavrov communication, I examined how baggage screening and handling works on such flights, which officials travel with what luggage, whether more packages arrive from Moscow than depart, and how such shipments could be handled discreetly.

I know how serious this is, and I would not have written even this much—but since I do not know what else may be taken from the edited recording, or what fabricated accusations (like, for example, that I was seeking such details to commit terrorism) may follow, I believe I must share this now.

Why do I investigate all this?

According to many sources familiar with the Hungarian state and counterintelligence, there is no independent body in the Orbán system able to investigate or act if a senior official is suspected of espionage.

Government members direct intelligence services and set expectations. The services lack both tools and authority to investigate a government member.

I knew this would be difficult when I chose to pursue it. But few people in Hungary can or dare to do this, so I felt it was my duty.

We have now reached the point where the Orbán government—of which Szijjártó is still a member—aware of my reporting plans and the risk they pose, has preemptively accused me of espionage.

I am a Hungarian patriot. I serve the public. As an investigative journalist, my job is to hold power accountable. Neither political theater nor legal threats will deter me.

[Ukraine / Україна @Ukraine]

nothing beats the death of a dictator 🥳

[Sana Ebrahimi Ledene @__Injaneb96]

Anyone who understands the Middle East knows this: the fall of the Iranian regime would be more consequential than the fall of the Berlin Wall, not because the Islamic Republic is a global power, but because it has been a central tool for China and Russia and a major engine of terrorism in the Middle East. Its collapse would rip out a core pillar of their influence and fundamentally change global power dynamics.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

The crux of the entire diplomatic situation is that it was Russia, and only Russia, that started this war, and it is Russia, and only Russia, that has been refusing to end it throughout the full-scale invasion. From the very first minutes of February 24, Putin has been waging this war with complete disregard for how many of his own people he loses and how many of ours he kills.

Russian commanders are not merely inclined to act brutally – they receive explicit orders allowing them to kill however they please. That is why Russia’s war is so bloody, taking lives both on the front lines and in peaceful Ukrainian cities. That is why Russia not only kills adults but also abducts children and tries to re-educate them so that they will take part in the war once they grow up.

Russian commanders are now sending into assaults against Ukrainian positions those who were still in elementary school in 2014, when Crimea was occupied and Russia’s hybrid aggression against Ukraine began. This is a long war, and the main thing Russia is trying to do is to preserve its ability to wage it even longer, and not only against Ukraine. That is why we appreciate so deeply that so many forces and leaders are working for peace right now.

Ukraine is grateful to the United States, to every American heart, and personally to President Trump for the assistance that – starting with the Javelins – has been saving Ukrainian lives. We thank everyone in Europe, in the G7, and in the G20 who is helping us defend life. It is important to preserve the support.

It is important not to forget the main goal – to stop Russia’s war and prevent it from ever igniting again. And to achieve that, peace must be dignified. In just this one year alone, Putin has already sent hundreds of thousands of his own people to their deaths in order to occupy one percent or several percent of Ukrainian territory. And this is what Russia is doing – a country that already has more internationally recognized territory than any other state in the world. This nature of the war, and Russia’s attempts to prolong it, show that for them this is not about territory or about how one neighbor or another behaves toward Russia, but about Russia’s “right to wage war,” its “right to subjugate” others, and a fundamental absence of security.

That is why we work so carefully on every point, on every step toward peace. Everything must work out the right way – so that this war is truly ended and so that it does not happen again. Thank you to everyone who is helping! Thank you, America! Thank you, Europe! I am proud of our people. Glory to Ukraine!

[Signal @signalapp]

We are alarmed by reports that Germany is on the verge of a catastrophic about-face, reversing its longstanding and principled opposition to the EU’s Chat Control proposal which, if passed, could spell the end of the right to privacy in Europe.

https://t.co/015qmQnIS2

[Nayib Bukele @nayibbukele]

👀

[Dr. Eli David @DrEliDavid]

Rowan Atkinson on free speech, and how it is threatened in Britain 🇬🇧

[Elmo @elmo]

Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?

[WikiLeaks @wikileaks]

JULIAN ASSANGE IS FREE

Julian Assange is free. He left Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of 24 June, after having spent 1901 days there. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and was released at Stansted airport during the afternoon, where he boarded a plane and departed the UK.

This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organisers, press freedom campaigners, legislators and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations. This created the space for a long period of negotiations with the US Department of Justice, leading to a deal that has not yet been formally finalised. We will provide more information as soon as possible.

After more than five years in a 2x3 metre cell, isolated 23 hours a day, he will soon reunite with his wife Stella Assange, and their children, who have only known their father from behind bars.

WikiLeaks published groundbreaking stories of government corruption and human rights abuses, holding the powerful accountable for their actions. As editor-in-chief, Julian paid severely for these principles, and for the people's right to know.

As he returns to Australia, we thank all who stood by us, fought for us, and remained utterly committed in the fight for his freedom.

Julian's freedom is our freedom.

[More details to follow]

[Meredith Whittaker @mer__edith]

📣Official statement: the new EU chat controls proposal for mass scanning is the same old surveillance with new branding.

Whether you call it a backdoor, a front door, or “upload moderation” it undermines encryption & creates significant vulnerabilities

https://t.co/g0xNNKqquA

[Lyn Alden @LynAldenContact]

I produced a half-hour animated overview of the Broken Money subject matter.

It covers the history of money, the development of banking, and how new technology changes the way we interact with money over time.

Enjoy:
https://t.co/r1CLMv1XPK

[Signal @signalapp]

Phone number privacy and usernames are now rolling out to everyone using Signal version 7.0! Update your app to take advantage of these new features 🎇

[Garry Kasparov @Kasparov63]

Putin tried and failed to murder Navalny quickly and secretly with poison, and now he has murdered him slowly and publicly in prison. He was killed for exposing Putin and his mafia as the crooks and thieves they are. My thoughts are with the brave man's wife and children.

[₿ @butNotTheCardi]

"The history of the world is the flickering of the flame of liberty, ... Satoshi started a fire in cyberspace, ... and that is the fire of freedom and truth..." @saylor

[Edward Snowden @Snowden]

Institutions are burning the public's faith in them at the precise moment in history when we have developed the capacity to replace them with algorithms.

A revolution is coming, and if you thought human judgment was bad, just wait until you see what replaces it.

[Kyle Becker @kylenabecker]

Remember Hollywood elites' nervous laughter at the Oscars when Ricky Gervais joked about the Epstein list?

Now we all know why. This is glorious.

[Edward Snowden @Snowden]

Netanyahu nurtured a zillion-dollar industry selling spying tools to despots that use them to break into the iPhones of critics, elected opponents, human rights lawyers, and even students (these are all real examples).

Turns out they're not very useful for spying on Hamas, tho. https://t.co/qwuVMCmmJZ

[Anil Patel @anilpatel]

A handful of concepts that will improve your understanding of bitcoin:

[Edward Snowden @Snowden]

Julian Assange has spent years in prison--in the absence of any conviction--for the "crime" of committing an act of journalism: publishing information that the government itself has acknowledged to be true and correct.

End his persecution. Free Julian Assange!
#FreeAssange