The Ecuadorean Authorities Have No Reason to Detain Free Software Developer Ola Bini
Hours after the ejection of Julian Assange from the London Ecuadorean embassy last week, police officers in Ecuador detained the Swedish citizen and open source developer Ola Bini. They seized him as he prepared to travel from his home in Quito to Japan, claiming that he was attempting to flee the country in the wake of Assange’s arrest. Bini had, in fact, booked the vacation long ago, and had publicly mentioned it on his twitter account before Assange was arrested.
Ola’s detention was full of irregularities, as documented by his lawyers. His warrant was for a “Russian hacker” (Bini is neither); he was not read his rights, allowed to contact his lawyer nor offered a translator.
The charges against him, when they were finally made public, are tenuous. Ecuador’s general prosecutor has stated that Bini was accused of “alleged participation in the crime of assault on the integrity of computer systems” and attempts to destabilize the country. The “evidence” seized from Ola’s home that Ecuadorean police showed journalists to demonstrate his guilt was nothing more than a pile of USB drives, hard drives, two-factor authentication keys, and technical manuals: all familiar property for anyone working in his field.
Ola is a free software developer, who worked to improve the security and privacy of the Internet for all its users. He has worked on several key open source projects, including JRuby, several Ruby libraries, as well as multiple implementations of the secure and open communication protocol OTR. Ola’s team at ThoughtWorks contributed to Certbot, the EFF-managed tool that has provided strong encryption for millions of websites around the world.
Like many people working on the many distributed projects defending the Internet, Ola has no need to work from a particular location. He traveled the world, but chose to settle in Ecuador because of his love of that country and of South America in general. At the time of his arrest, he was putting down roots in his new home, including co-founding Centro de Autonomia Digital, a non-profit devoted to creating user-friendly security tools, based out of Ecuador’s capital, Quito.
- Login or register to post comments
- Printer-friendly version
- 16298 reads
- PDF version
More in Tux Machines
- Highlights
- Front Page
- Latest Headlines
- Archive
- Recent comments
- All-Time Popular Stories
- Hot Topics
- New Members
digiKam 7.7.0 is releasedAfter three months of active maintenance and another bug triage, the digiKam team is proud to present version 7.7.0 of its open source digital photo manager. See below the list of most important features coming with this release. |
Dilution and Misuse of the "Linux" Brand
|
Samsung, Red Hat to Work on Linux Drivers for Future TechThe metaverse is expected to uproot system design as we know it, and Samsung is one of many hardware vendors re-imagining data center infrastructure in preparation for a parallel 3D world. Samsung is working on new memory technologies that provide faster bandwidth inside hardware for data to travel between CPUs, storage and other computing resources. The company also announced it was partnering with Red Hat to ensure these technologies have Linux compatibility. |
today's howtos
|
Is Mr. Curl (Daniel Stenberg) Blacklisted?
Daniel Stenberg: One year in still no visa [Ed: Is the country which has just kidnapped Assange after Chelsea Manning used GNU WGet to download evidence of crimes blacklisting the developer of Curl?]
To Ola Bini
To Ola Bini, a Political Prisoner Caught Up in the Assange Debacle
Ecuador: Immediately release software developer Ola Bini
Ecuador: Immediately release software developer Ola Bini
Ola Bini’s statement from arbitrary detention at El Inca Prison
Ola Bini’s statement from arbitrary detention at El Inca Prison, Ecuador
Letters of support
Open letter from Noam Chomsky, Arundhati Roy, Dave Eggers, Pamela Anderson and many more on behalf of imprisoned tech privacy activist Ola Bini
Swedish Programmer Ola Bini Denied Bail by Ecuadorean Court
Swedish Programmer Ola Bini Denied Bail by Ecuadorean Court
Ola Bini's Case Highlights The Dangers of Vague Cybercrime Law
EFF to U.N.: Ola Bini's Case Highlights The Dangers of Vague Cybercrime Law
'He is innocent'
'He is innocent': Assange ally Ola Bini imprisoned in Ecuador takes case to UN
Vijay Prashad: My friend is in a prison in Ecuador
Vijay Prashad: My friend is in a prison in Ecuador
He Has Spent Two Months in Jail Without Charge in Ecuador
Ola Bini Was Friends with Julian Assange. He Has Spent Two Months in Jail Without Charge in Ecuador
Sources: US to question Assange pal jailed in Ecuador
Sources: US to question Assange pal jailed in Ecuador
Ola set free
Ecuador judge frees Swedish programmer close to Assange; probe continues
Ecuador Ends ‘Arbitrary’ Detention of Swede Linked to Assange
Ecuador Ends ‘Arbitrary’ Detention of Swede Linked to Assange
...Speaks Out After Release from Ecuadorian Jail
Ola Bini, Privacy Activist and Julian Assange Friend, Speaks Out After Release from Ecuadorian Jail
Ola Bini Released After Two Months in Ecuadorian Jail
Targeted for Being a Friend of Julian Assange? Ola Bini Released After Two Months in Ecuadorian Jail
In Ecuador, Political Actors Must Step Away From Ola Bini’s Case
In Ecuador, Political Actors Must Step Away From Ola Bini’s Case
EFF Delegation Returns from Ecuador
EFF Delegation Returns from Ecuador, says Ola Bini’s Case is Political, Not Criminal
Telnet Is Not A Crime: Unconvincing Prosecution
Telnet Is Not A Crime: Unconvincing Prosecution Screenshot Leaked in Ola Bini Case
The Latest Victim in the Crucifixion of Julian Assange
The Latest Victim in the Crucifixion of Julian Assange
Amnesty
As Ola Bini Prosecutors Wrap Up Investigation, Amnesty Calls Out Human Rights Violations in His Case
Ecuador Presses New Charges Against Assange's Associate Ola Bini
Ecuador Presses New Charges Against Assange's Associate Ola Bini
With the Intimidation of Tech Expert, Ola Bini Case
With the Intimidation of Tech Expert, Ola Bini Case Hits A New Low