International
Ola Bini, the computer scientist linked to Assange who will be five years old prosecuted in Ecuador
Ola Bini, the Swedish computer scientist and programmer who was arrested in 2019 in Ecuador and accused of an alleged cyber attack for links with the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, is on the way to five years prosecuted, without yet seeing the light of the tunnel, despite the fact that a court has already descised to continue the case for lack of evidence.
“This whole process is very frustrating. It has been frustrating for a long time and I still don’t see the end,” he explained in an interview with EFE Bini, who first spent 70 days in pretrial detention and since then is at large, but prevented from leaving the country and forced to report periodically to the authorities.
This has been the life of this now 41-year-old computer scientist in the last five years, who was 37 when he was arrested on April 11, 2019 before he took a flight to Japan, and whom the Government accused of improperly accessing databases of the National Telecommunications Company (CNT).
Bini recalled that it was the Government that linked him to Assange under the accusation of an alleged plot to destabilize the Executive after the eviction of the Australian from the Embassy of Ecuador in London, but emphasized that in the file of the Prosecutor’s Office there is no reference to him.
And despite the fact that in January 2023 a court ruled in favor of filing the process against him, the Prosecutor’s Office appealed the ruling and now it is going to be reviewed by another court that in 2019 already denied Bini the appeal to the pretrial detention order, so for the computer scientist it is not a guarantee of a fair ruling.
“They already have an opinion about my case. So, I do not expect an objective trial or without a conflict of interest, and that is what generates the most uncertainty: not knowing when all this is going to end,” said Bini, who if what he anticipates is fulfilled is already clear that he will appeal to the National Court of Justice, the supreme court.
The Swede commented that he has already had that same uncertainty for five years, that “it can end tomorrow or continue for five more years.”
“I try to have a social life and train to lower my stress a little, but everything is difficult,” lamented Bini, who now works at the Center for Digital Autonomy to promote the protection of personal data and free software, and tries to lead a normal life, despite the fact that he assures that he permanently feels the follow-up of undercover policemen.
“I don’t understand why they watch me in this way. I don’t understand if this is something they do with any (prosecuted) after five years of judicial process and after they have declared my innocence,” Bini said.
For the computer scientist, “Ecuador is experiencing a very complicated situation (with an ‘internal armed conflict’ declared since the beginning of the year against organized crime) and it is not explained that they spend resources to monitor it “when there are all these problems in the country.”
The court that must review the sentence that gave up continuing with the accusation against Bini has tried to set up the hearing on two occasions, but the first did not have an official Swedish translator and then the communication seemed to make it impossible to develop the exhibitions for the Nordic.
Bini emphasized that this hearing is due to the appeal filed by the Prosecutor’s Office, because CNT, which was the private accusation, did not do the same.
According to Bini, the only thing they presented as evidence against them is the alleged photograph of a screen where it is evident that there is no intrusion, because “a connection appears, then a warning and a request from a user and password, and then a ‘time out’ (time exceeded to comply with entering the required information).”
“In this case there was no intrusion because there was a warning, and then nothing happens,” reiterated Bini, for whom also “they had no records of firewalls or other (cybersecurity) systems of CNT,” because “they did not show anything else, and even the reports said that it is clear that there was no intrusion.”
Bini’s case is practically unprecedented in the country, so he and his lawyers have to do a lot of pedagogy with the judges so that they know computer terms and procedures that are familiar to them.
“I understand that these issues have not been discussed before. So, if I am convicted with this type of thing, almost all activities on the network were going to be crimes and that is very dangerous at the same time,” Bini warned.
“I would like to stay in Ecuador, because Ecuador is my home, but of course, I would like to be able to travel and visit my family and friends (in Sweden). So what I would like is just to continue working here and continue living here, but to have my freedom to be with my relatives as well,” he concluded.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
International
Man pleads not guilty in Liverpool parade incident that injured more than 130
Paul Doyle, who has been held in provisional detention since the incident, is accused of intentionally injuring 12 people, attempting to injure another 17, and committing acts of violence and dangerous driving.
According to prosecutors, eight of the victims were minors at the time, including a six-month-old baby.
Wearing a black suit, the 54-year-old defendant broke into tears as the jury entered Liverpool Crown Court, in northwest England. Doyle, a father of three and former member of the Royal Navy, had pleaded not guilty in September to the 31 charges against him.
On Tuesday, he reaffirmed his not-guilty plea when asked to respond again to four of the charges, which had been slightly amended. The jury was sworn in the same day, and the trial—expected to last three to four weeks—will begin on Wednesday.
The incident occurred on May 26, when thousands of Liverpool FC supporters were gathered for a parade celebrating the club’s Premier League victory. According to the investigation, Doyle’s car entered a street that had just been reopened to allow an ambulance through.
His vehicle was then surrounded by a crowd of Liverpool supporters, some of whom acted aggressively. Doyle first reversed, then accelerated forward, swerving and striking people on both sides of the street. According to an initial report from Merseyside Police, 134 people were injured.
Firefighters reported that one man was thrown onto the hood of the vehicle and four people, including a child, were trapped underneath the car.
Doyle was arrested at the scene. Police quickly ruled out any terrorist motive, stating instead that it was an isolated incident.
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