Declassified UK, September 2023

Posted: 30th September 2023

September 2023

Hi everyone

This is Leila Dougan. I’m a new regular contributor to Declassified who’s going to take you through this month’s amazing work from the team. You can check out the short videos I’ve been making for Declassified on our YouTube channel here.

This month we’ve looked at a wide range of different issues and published a lot of articles!

This includes the 50th anniversary of the 1973 coup in Chile and how King Charles is cosying up to African dictators. Former defence secretary Gavin Williamson has been lobbying for Somaliland, undeterred by its violation of human rights and the mainstream media has been using tired stereotypes to report on devastating floods that have caused a humanitarian crisis in Libya. 

Labouring the Point

A victory for Labour in the election next year is not likely to be one for government transparency. Richard Norton-Taylor writes that if arrest activists under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, in a programme linked to intelligence agency GCHQ.

Further afield Declassified tracked down the son of man killed by British army bombs in Kenya, as Kenyan politicians hold an inquiry into the UK’s military presence in the African country. People have been maimed and killed by explosions caused by ammunition left over after British army exercises.

Former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, was removed from office through a no-confidence vote in parliament and sentenced to three years in prison. But the British government has said almost nothing about this and prefers business as usual with its close allies, the vjyiP07ebZOXUQrKcGnrggBzlitZpeI-4f98NP9j78&c=GdZZNAX8ePSU46FffeNiY0lAHmSAwAGvgujYsKIn8wkf3IATgx_JLQ==&ch=L1smwBlKFs_wnRVu9TEWVJDIQjLYRWBs4ot8aNC6uHbSJv0DWWbE0g==”>

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The weapons business is “booming”

London hosted the world’s largest arms fair this month, with guests at Defence and Security Equipment International cocking pistols, kicking the tires on tanks and enjoying a glass of wine while getting the lowdown on the latest submarines.

Business is good and profits are soaring thanks to the Russian war against Ukraine. Watch the moment our journalist Phil Miller chased down defence minister James Heappey with vital questions about why the UK continues to sell weapons to repressive regimes like Saudi Arabia.

As many UK citizens struggle to put food on the table, the government is continuing to spend billions of public funds on weapons, including nuclear arms. 

Richard Norton-Taylor also looked into the expansion of AI killer robots as the Ministry of Defence is spending billions of pounds to develop lethal weapons systems including spy satellites and submarines that can be operated without crew. The only thing more worrying than a computer-directed weapon on the battlefield is the continued secrecy behind the projects despite questions from journalists and parliamentarians.

There’s a serious health hazard on the battlefield in Ukraine. We highlighted a Challenger 2 tank capable of firing depleted uranium shellsthat has been destroyed which means some of the metal in the smoldering wreck is considered nuclear waste.

As you may have seen, our chief reporter Phil Miller has been working a lot on depleted uranium Even though radioactivity levels are low, depleted uranium has been linked to cancer and birth defects. The military in Ukraine has been warned to take precautions to limit exposure, but worryingly soldiers have been seen in the area where the tank was destroyed without safety gear and not exactly keeping a safe distance while recording the wreckage on their mobile phones.

Supporting investigative journalists

I’m seeing for myself how completely dedicated and focused the Declassified team is on uncovering stories in the public interest. One thing we can all do to help support free speech, oppose the government’s draconian policies and help investigate what is being done in our name – please support independent investigative journalism.

Declassified UK is the world’s only independent media outlet focused on uncovering UK foreign policy and promoting public interest journalism.

We know not everyone can afford to donate regularly, but if you are able to spare anything from £3 a month to an hour’s wage, please do set up a regular monthly donation.

Your support makes the work that we do possible and is a step in the pushback against an increasingly authoritarian state.

The “ruthless” Chilean coup, backed by the UK

In this month’s playbook of how the UK government backs the overthrow of democracies for the sake of corporate profit we took a look at Chile in the 1970s, recalling we previously revealed how a secret propaganda unit based within the UK Foreign Office had been trying to prevent the rise of Allende throughout the 1960s. By 1973, the Conservatives supported General Augusto Pinochet’s takeover of Chile by misleading the British public about the scale of atrocities his underlings were committing and, by sending arms to stabilise his violent regime and quash domestic opposition.

Allende’s grandson, Pablo Sepúlveda Allende, spoke to Declassified about how Britain interfered in the elections in Chile, the death of democracy in his country and how Margaret Thatcher’s government in the 1980s supplied weapons and military training to Chilean soldiers.

In a novel article, artist Peter Kennard exposed the horrors of the coup and its aftermath, reworking photographs into visual masterpieces that dive to the heart of military violence and oppression. Much of his work in the UK was censored, proving the extent to which corporate power rules the art world and censors dissent.

Breaking free speech

Another ongoing worrying development in Britain is the mainstream media turning its back on free speech in light of Julian Assange’s arrest and extradition to the US where he faces life behind bars, Peter Oborne wrote for us.

Indeed, the mainstream press has launched an outright attack on media freedom by failing to report adequately on Assange’s trial and glossing over the gross human rights violations that the United States committed and WikiLeaks exposed. With only corporations and government benefiting from this lack of reporting it’s clear who the establishment media is batting for.

I hope you have a great month and keep reading Declassified’s articles.

all the best for now

Leila Dougan