Latest news with #NCRI
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Iran's unfathomably cruel execution regime is laid bare… by the man who's seen it first hand after 25 YEARS on death row
ONE of Iran's longest-serving prisoners has exposed the disturbing mechanisms the regime uses to put inmates to death. Saeed Masouri, who has spent 25 years behind bars, also revealed how the execution rate has spiralled in the last month in a harrowing letter written behind bars. 5 Saeed Masouri been in jail in Iran for 25 years Credit: NCRI 5 Four Iranian convicts hanging after a public execution in 2007 Credit: AFP 5 Masouri is held in Ghezel Hesar prison in Iran Credit: Iran Human Rights The regime's merciless killing spree has seen at least 176 inmates sent to the gallows in the past month. Insiders told The Sun the shocking spike in executions comes amid a barbaric attempt from leaders to crush dissent and act as a warning against it. Masouri, who was arrested for his affiliation with the resistance unit People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, has now told of the secret process behind executions. Psychological torture, threats against family and sham trials are all used as tools by the regime to condemn its enemies to death on trumped-up charges. Masouri's emotional letter was smuggled out of the notorious Ghezel Hesar prison in Iran and shared with The Sun from Iran Human Rights Monitor. "It is often said that every criminal act is preceded by criminal preparations, hidden beneath the surface," the 60-year-old wrote in a letter to the UN. "For instance, when an execution is carried out, the inhumane and rights-violating acts that preceded it remain hidden from view. "Formal steps like prosecution, indictment, and trial are mere facades. Every detail, from A to Z, is orchestrated by these security agencies." Masouri told how those accused are hauled into court with a "fabricated case file" to give a smoke screen of a fair and legal procedure. "These so-called 'judges don't even read the actual files," he said. Dad set to be executed in Iran shares powerful audio message blasting regime from behind bars "This is why there is no logical argumentation or credible evidence in the case files, no opportunity for defence (as trials rarely last more than 10 minutes), and no access for lawyers to review the case materials. "Verdicts are predetermined and simply announced. "Empty phrases about 'resolving disputes', 'equality before the law', 'prohibition of injustice', or 'delivering rights to rightful owners' are just lip service. "In reality, defendants are denied the right to a fair defense, and the courts are devoid of justice and even basic adherence to their own laws. "Meanwhile, the stripping of civil rights is carried out to the fullest extent possible." Defendants - and their lawyers - are often even denied access to their own files, making it near impossible to be cleared. Masouri said this is true in the cases of Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani, who both face imminent execution. "When the so-called evidence in a case has no real basis or credibility, the only way to keep it hidden is to declare the entire file confidential," he wrote. Haunting message of dad behind bars Exclusive by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital) A DAD set to be executed in Iran blasted its brutal regime in a powerful voice message recorded behind bars. Mehdi Hassani, 48, was handed a death sentence on trumped-up charges and has been tortured in jail. He now faces imminent execution after his appeal to be spared death was rejected by Iran's merciless rulers. But defiant Hassani has unleashed a blistering put down of Iran's 'cruelty and oppression' in a voice message to his daughter Maryam that has been shared with The Sun. The dad-of-three said: 'This regime has for the past 46 years spent the country's wealth on warmongering and suppressing the people of Iran. 'If I'm in prison today and have been sentenced to execution, it is only because I could not tolerate seeing such cruelty and oppression against this nation and against the children of my land and I stood up against oppression. 'They have no evidence against me and they didn't even allow my lawyer to access and study my file so that he could expose the contradictions that exist.' Hassani - who was arrested in September - vowed the regime is 'doomed to perish'. READ MORE HERE "[This allows] the system to coerce forced confessions, such as televised admissions or baseless claims presented as 'documentaries'. "In return, the accused is promised clemency or a reduction in punishment. In this way, the defendant is forced to choose: either confess to lies or face execution. "Lawyers - stripped of any ability to defend their clients - are left to weigh between refusing to participate in injustice and doing something, anything, to save their client's life. "Often, the only path left is for the accused themselves to express remorse, seek forgiveness, or act in whatever way they think may help." But Masouri warned even if inmates decide to "confess" to fabricated charges, it does not put them in the clear. "The accused's family is summoned and threatened: if your loved one does not repent, if they do not write a confession, if they do not seek a pardon - then execution is inevitable, and nothing can stop it," he said. "If the execution happens, the blame lies with them—and with you. "Thus, when families and lawyers are left with no means of defense, they may blame themselves, one another, or even the defendant. 5 Pictures show a man named Balal who was led to the gallows by his victim's family 5 "The government and judiciary, meanwhile, are absolved of any responsibility. It comes amid a staggering rise in executions - which sources told The Sun came as the eyes of the world were on Iran's nuclear talks with the US rather than its human rights record. More than 1,100 state executions have taken place Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's stooge came to power. According to figures from the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), that marks more than a 20 per cent increase compared to 2023, when the regime executed 853 Iranians. Hossein Abedini, deputy director of the NCRI offices in the UK, said paranoid rules were hellbent on stamping out repression. He told The Sun: "Executions under the clerical regime contravene all internationally recognised standards and norms of due process and are fundamentally used as a political instrument of repression. "Faced with deep-rooted crises stemming from illegitimacy, corruption, and incompetence, and driven by fear of popular uprisings and nationwide protests, this regime has resorted to increasing executions. "It employs inhumane pressures on political prisoners, torturing and harassing them and their families. "As a result, the rate of executions in Iran is rising at an unprecedented level in recent decades, with death sentences issued even for political prisoners arrested during the September 2022 uprising."
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Iran's unfathomably cruel execution regime is laid bare… by the man who's seen it first hand after 25 YEARS on death row
ONE of Iran's longest-serving prisoners has exposed the disturbing mechanisms the regime uses to put inmates to death. Saeed Masouri, who has spent 25 years behind bars, also revealed how the 5 Saeed Masouri been in jail in Iran for 25 years Credit: NCRI 5 Four Iranian convicts hanging after a public execution in 2007 Credit: AFP 5 Masouri is held in Ghezel Hesar prison in Iran Credit: Iran Human Rights The regime's merciless killing spree has seen at least 176 inmates sent to the gallows in the past month. Insiders told The Sun the shocking spike in executions comes amid a barbaric attempt from leaders to crush dissent and act as a warning against it. Masouri, who was arrested for his affiliation with the resistance unit People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, has now told of the secret process behind executions. Psychological torture, threats against family and sham trials are all used as tools by the regime to condemn its enemies to death on trumped-up charges. More on Iran Masouri's emotional letter was smuggled out of the notorious Ghezel Hesar prison in Iran and shared with The Sun from Iran Human Rights Monitor. "It is often said that every criminal act is preceded by criminal preparations, hidden beneath the surface," the 60-year-old wrote in a letter to the UN. "For instance, when an execution is carried out, the inhumane and rights-violating acts that preceded it remain hidden from view. "Formal steps like prosecution, indictment, and trial are mere facades. Every detail, from A to Z, is orchestrated by these security agencies." Most read in The Sun Masouri told how those accused are hauled into court with a "fabricated case file" to give a smoke screen of a fair and legal procedure. "These so-called 'judges don't even read the actual files," he said. Dad set to be executed in Iran shares powerful audio message blasting regime from behind bars "This is why there is no logical argumentation or credible evidence in the case files, no opportunity for defence (as trials rarely last more than 10 minutes), and no access for lawyers to review the case materials. "Verdicts are predetermined and simply announced. "Empty phrases about 'resolving disputes', 'equality before the law', 'prohibition of injustice', or 'delivering rights to rightful owners' are just lip service. "In reality, defendants are denied the right to a fair defense, and the courts are devoid of justice and even basic adherence to their own laws. "Meanwhile, the stripping of civil rights is carried out to the fullest extent possible." Defendants - and their lawyers - are often even denied access to their own files, making it near impossible to be cleared. Masouri said this is true in the cases of Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani, who both face imminent execution. "When the so-called evidence in a case has no real basis or credibility, the only way to keep it hidden is to declare the entire file confidential," he wrote. Haunting message of dad behind bars Exclusive by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital) A DAD set to be executed in Iran blasted its brutal regime in a powerful voice message recorded behind bars. He now faces But defiant Hassani has unleashed a blistering put down of Iran's 'cruelty and oppression' in a voice message to his daughter Maryam that has been shared with The Sun. The dad-of-three said: 'This regime has for the past 46 years spent the country's wealth on warmongering and suppressing the people of Iran. 'If I'm in prison today and have been sentenced to execution, it is only because I could not tolerate seeing such cruelty and oppression against this nation and against the children of my land and I stood up against oppression. 'They have no evidence against me and they didn't even allow my lawyer to access and study my file so that he could expose the contradictions that exist.' Hassani - who was arrested in September - vowed the regime is 'doomed to perish'. "[This allows] the system to coerce forced confessions, such as televised admissions or baseless claims presented as 'documentaries'. "In return, the accused is promised clemency or a reduction in punishment. In this way, the defendant is forced to choose: either confess to lies or face execution. "Lawyers - stripped of any ability to defend their clients - are left to weigh between refusing to participate in injustice and doing something, anything, to save their client's life. "Often, the only path left is for the accused themselves to express remorse, seek forgiveness, or act in whatever way they think may help." But Masouri warned even if inmates decide to "confess" to fabricated charges, it does not put them in the clear. "The accused's family is summoned and threatened: if your loved one does not repent, if they do not write a confession, if they do not seek a pardon - then execution is inevitable, and nothing can stop it," he said. "If the execution happens, the blame lies with them—and with you. "Thus, when families and lawyers are left with no means of defense, they may blame themselves, one another, or even the defendant. 5 Pictures show a man named Balal who was led to the gallows by his victim's family 5 "The government and judiciary, meanwhile, are absolved of any responsibility. It comes amid a staggering rise in executions - which sources told The Sun More than 1,100 state executions have taken place Supreme Leader According to figures from the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), that marks more than a 20 per cent increase compared to 2023, when the regime executed 853 Iranians. Hossein Abedini, deputy director of the NCRI offices in the UK, said paranoid rules were hellbent on stamping out repression. He told The Sun: "Executions under the clerical regime contravene all internationally recognised standards and norms of due process and are fundamentally used as a political instrument of repression. "Faced with deep-rooted crises stemming from illegitimacy, corruption, and incompetence, and driven by fear of popular uprisings and nationwide protests, this regime has resorted to increasing executions. "It employs inhumane pressures on political prisoners, torturing and harassing them and their families. "As a result, the rate of executions in Iran is rising at an unprecedented level in recent decades, with death sentences issued even for political prisoners arrested during the September 2022 uprising." Iran ramps up executions by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital) PARANOID Iranian leaders are hellbent on ramping up repression on home turf in a dramatic bid to stamp out rebellion, insiders say. It comes as Iran's regime has been left red-faced by the downfall of Syria's dictatorship as well as Executions are said to be taking place every couple of hours as Iran has one of the most horrific human rights records in the world, and according to campaigners also holds the harrowing title for the highest execution rate. The Sun previously revealed how dozens of Harrowing records leaked from Iran's torturous prisons also showed how In 2024, the Iranian regime ramped up the executions of its own people - including women, children and political prisoners. Official records show that the number of executions last year reached 1,000 - the highest number in 30 years and 16 percent higher than the previous. Of those on record, 34 were women and seven were under 18 at the time of their so-called crimes. The Most of the surging executions are by hanging, but there is also evidence of other
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Inside Pakistan's disinformation campaign on Pahalgam attack: An army of AI bots and influencers
Even as India was ascertaining the magnitude of the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan had started a disinformation campaign involving state propagandists, Western influencers with millions of followers, and an army of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven bots, according to an investigation by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI). read more Paramedic carry a wounded tourist on a stretcher at a hospital in Anantnag after assailants indiscriminately fired at tourists visiting Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Photo: AP) Even before Indians knew the scale of the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan had begun its disinformation campaign that sought to convince its Western audience that it was an Indian false flag operation, according to an investigation by Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) at Rutgers University. The promptness with which Pakistan began its disinformation campaign adds to the suspicion that Pakistani establishment had prior knowledge of the Pahalgam plot. As Firstpost has previously reported , Pakistan's actions immediately after the Pahalgam attack, ranging from emptying terrorist launchpads in border areas to ramping up military activities, suggested that it had wargamed the response to the attack well in advance. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Prasiddha Sudhakar, a researcher at NCRI, tells Firstpost that the Pakistani disinformation campaign began even before India had gathered the basic information about the attack, such as the number and identities of those killed. 'When India did not have even such basic information, Pakistan had already started a very coordinated disinformation campaign. The campaign largely used state actors and state-aligned media influencers that put out posts on X that this was a false flag operation. The posts soon went viral across Pakistani social media circles,' says Sudhakar. In its report titled 'From State Actors to Western Influencers: The Transnational Surge of 'False Flag' Disinformation After Terror Attack in India', the NCRI listed three steps that went into Pakistan's campaign. Firstly, state-linked Pakistani actors coordinated to spread the narrative that the Pahalgam attack was a false flag operation by India. Secondly, bot networks using artificial intelligence (AI)-generated memes and state media gave traction to such claims. Thirdly, Pakistan roped in major Western influencers like Jackson Hinkle that amplified the message to millions. Credit: Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) Instead of reinforcing the views of a domestic audience, the campaign sought to influence the Western audience. The objective was clear: every government is hostage to public opinion and by shaping public opinion in the West against India, Pakistan sought to put pressure on Western governments to turn on India. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD From bots to influencers, how Pakistan peddled anti-India disinformation In its disinformation campaign, Pakistan brought together influencers for hire and AI. More than 20,000 posts on X pushed the false flag narrative and around 40 per cent of those posts were from bots, according to the NCRI report. These bots used generative AI to produce terrorist-themed memes saying 'Indian false flag exposed' along with hashtags like #BJPBehindPahalgam and #StopModiFascism on social media as part of their campaign. Pakistan co-opted influencers like Hinkle, Mohammed Hijab, and Zeeshan Ali — all of whom have a history of peddling jihadist and anti-India, anti-Hindu content for years. While Hinkle is a vocal supporter of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Iran-backed terrorists, Hijab and Ali have been indicted in a previous NCRI investigation for playing an instrumental role in disseminating anti-Hindu conspiracies and incitement during the Leicester riots in the United Kingdom in 2022. Hinkle used his podcast, 'Legitimate Targets', to not just give a platform for rabid, anti-India Pakistani voices, but also himself spewed propaganda. Together, they reached out to millions of people in the West. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Credit: Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) The NCRI further found that the disinformation campaign witnessed a 'dramatic surge' on May 6 when India conducted the first round of airstrikes under Operation Sindoor. 'Engagement gradually declined after April 26, with minor fluctuations until early May. On May 6, there was a dramatic surge and hashtag volume reached the highest level in the observed period. The increase in social chatter coincided with India's retaliatory strike on Pakistan and the viral amplification of false flag claims by high-profile influencers like Jackson Hinkle,' the NCRI report noted. Credit: Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) The campaign was not a first, however, and it 'mirrors past operations –from Pulwama to the Israel-Hamas conflict– where proxies carry out violence and disinformation ecosystems are activated to shift blame and fracture consensus'. The report further concluded that there could be real-world consequences of such campaigns beyond narrative warfare. Referring to how Hijab and Ali's disinformation previously helped incite violence, the report said, 'As seen in Leicester (2022), diaspora-targeted false flag narratives can catalyse real-world unrest, stoke retaliatory violence, and fracture intercommunal trust in Western democracies.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The use of generative AI, diaspora targeting, and collaboration with Western influencers marks a dangerous evolution in narrative warfare. Left unchallenged, these operations risk fueling real-world violence and eroding trust in legitimate attribution on the global stage.' Credit: Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) 'India should engage more with international public figures' The NCRI report noted that the Indian and Pakistani approaches to shaping narrative were quite different: while Pakistan co-opted influencers and used AI, India sought to contain disinformation by banning accounts on X. Instead of such an approach, India should engage more with international public figures, such as podcasters, influencers, and sociopolitical commentators to get its message across to the world, says Sudhakar. While Indian diplomats did give interviews to major Western news channels, alternative media, such as sociopolitical commentators and podcasters, are now much more potent tools to reach out to the public. She further says that such engagements need to take place outside one's comfort zones. 'More engagement with podcasters or political commentators in India or abroad who ask tough questions is the best way to get your point across to a new audience. You don't want to just give interviews to people who are already aligned with your beliefs. In fact, it's much more important to engage with people who don't necessarily align with you so that you address their questions and reach out to a new audience,' says Sudhakar. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As for the disinformation campaign, Sudhakar says that it is not limited to the India-Pakistan conflict. She pointed out that the recent murders of Israeli embassy staffers were also portrayed by many as a false flag attack. 'We have seen such such disinformation in nearly all conflicts, whether it is the India-Pakistan conflict or the Israel-Hamas and Ukraine-Russia wars. Authoritarian regimes everywhere resort to disinformation,' says Sudhakar. Two reasons why people are prone to falling for disinformation spread on social media by bots or influencers are falling trust in mainstream news media and the failure to identify bots, says Sudhakar. 'People are no longer looking at just CNN or Fox News. They are also looking at political commentators and content creators to better understand the issues they consider important. The trust in the mainstream media has greatly eroded and the alternative media, such as podcasters and commentators, have filled that vacuum. The polarisation is such that people don't usually stick to a news outlet if it no longer reinforces their own perspective or feeds into their confirmation bias,' says Sudhakar. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In a recent remark, India's Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan said the armed forces had to devote 15 per cent of its time during Operation Sindoor in countering disinformation by Pakistan or pro-Pakistan entities.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Oral cancer cases rising among women: Experts
Kolkata: The incidence of oral cancer, which is more common among men, is rising alarmingly among women. In 2024, the state-run R Ahmed Dental College (RADC) Kolkata, the foremost dental institute in Bengal, registered 422 oral cancer cases, of which 133 were women, making the ratio close to 2:1. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As the world observes No Tobacco Day, doctors said the reason behind this rising incidence of oral cancer among women is due to the increasing use of tobacco. While there is no composite oral cancer registry, RADC, a tertiary hospital for dental health, started maintaining its own data on oral cancer over the past few years. In 2023, the hospital detected 673 cases of oral cancer — 522 men and 151 women. In 2022, 422 oral cancer cases were detected — 281 men and 141 women. "There is a concerning rise in oral cancer in women, and the main reason is the increased use of tobacco. There is a need to say no to tobacco in any form — smoking or chewing — to minimise the risk of oral cancer," said dental surgeon Raju Biswas, state secretary of the Indian Dental Association. Sources in the hospital said that many patients, especially women with symptoms like pre-cancerous lesions, don't even turn up for a biopsy for confirmation. Hence, the oral cancer burden among women could be much higher. "While we still detect oral cancer more in men, the number among women is also rising. This cancer can progress very fast in an aggressive way. While the best way is prevention, a yearly oral health check-up can help prevent pre-cancerous lesions from turning into malignancy, and also in early detection for a better outcome," said Basudev Mahato, associate professor of oral and maxillofacial pathology at RADC Kolkata. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Maxillofacial surgeon Alangkar Saha of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) said that in addition to the use of tobacco, HPV (human papilloma virus) could be a cause of the rising incidence of oral cancer among women, due to changing sexual behaviour. "We are also seeing a rise in oral cancer cases among women," said Saha. Head-and-neck onco surgeon Sourav Datta of Medica Superspecialty Hospital said that apart from oral cancer, tobacco causes cancer of lungs, larynx, bladder, and oesophagus. "The number of these cases is also on the rise among women, where tobacco is the main cause," said Datta. To observe World No Tobacco Day on Saturday, many city hospitals, including Manipal, CMRI, NCRI, Apollo, and organisations like IDA, are holding numerous activities.
New York Post
19-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
US social media influencer spreads anti-western propaganda
A US social media influencer who spoke at a conference organized by Yemen's Houthi rebels and attended a Hezbollah leader's funeral spreads pro-Russia and Islamist propaganda, The Post has learned. Jackson Hinkle, 25, spreads anti-western conspiracies to his three million X followers and has been kicked off YouTube, Instagram and Twitch. Hinkle also gives a platform to terror group Hamas and interviewed Basem Naim, an official for the organization who is a former Minister of Health for Gaza. Advertisement Hinkle is also allegedly helping Pakistani intelligence spread 'false flag' narratives against India following a terrorist attack in the disputed territory of Kashmir last month that left 26 dead. The revelations come from a new study by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), a New Jersey-based non-profit that tracks social media-inspired violence and hate. 5 Jackson Hinkle receives an award from Yemen's Houthi-run government officials in March, at the conclusion of a scientific conference in Sana'a. Getty Images Advertisement 'Jackson Hinkle has engaged in activities that raise concerns regarding his affiliations and potential alignment with foreign interests,' the NCRI study says. 'He has publicly stated that he has been vetted by Russian and Chinese intelligence and maintains close ties with both governments… His public statements and affiliations warrant further scrutiny to assess the extent of his alignment with foreign interests.' A week following Hinkle's interview with Pakistani High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit on his program 'Legitimate Targets,' he accused India of conducting a false flag operation against Pakistan in Kashmir. Thsi was propaganda spread by Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan's primary intelligence agency, the NCRI study claims. 5 Various online bots pushed the narrative that Indian authorities had conducted a 'false flag' operation in the disputed territory of Kashmir. A non-profit traced the origin of the disinformation to Pakistan's secret service. Advertisement 5 A terrorist attack in the disputed territory of Kashmir killed 25 tourists and a local guide in Pahalgam on April 22, raising tensions between India and Pakistan. AP 'In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, inauthentic networks used generative AI [bots] to create and circulate provocative memes pushing the false flag narrative, featuring Indian symbols, political figures and inflammatory slogans,' says the NCRI report. Those 'inauthentic' bots have been spreading Hinkle's message to millions of social media users, according to NCRI. In February, Hinkle attended the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, and gave interviews to Hezbollah-owned Al-Manar TV and Iran's Channel 3. Advertisement He also participated in a Houthi conference in Sana'a where he met with Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesman, and gave a speech condemning US strikes on Yemen, according to NCRI. Hinkle did not respond to The Post's request for comment. After graduating high school in 2019, Hinkle ran in a special election for city council in San Clemente, California, in a campaign that was endorsed by Democratic Socialists of America. Among his campaign promises were opposing the legalization of prostitution and ending nuclear waste. 5 US influencer Jackson Hinkle attended the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon in February. AFP via Getty Images 5 US social media influencer Jackson Hinkle has been named to the Russophile Congress, an international support group for Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine. POOL/AFP via Getty Images Last year, Hinkle, who now calls himself a 'MAGA communist,' was appointed an official representative to the Russophile Congress at its second international meeting, according to the NCRI. The group was set up to gather international support for Russia after the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The movement's mission is to 'dispel anti-Russia myths' and 'weaken the West,' according to reports. Members of the congress include Konstanin Malofeyev, an oligarch and key financier of Russia's 2014 invasion of Crimea in Ukraine according to the Department of Justice. One NCRI analyst said that based on his joining the Russophile congress, Hinkle 'could be considered an asset to Russian Intelligence.' Advertisement Hinkle told the New York Times in 2024 he did not accept any payments from foreign governments. In 2022, the Department of Justice indicted Malofeyev with conspiracy to violate US sanctions in connection with his hiring of a US citizen to work for him to operate television networks in Russia and Greece. The case against him is sealed. Hinkle has praised Russian philosopher Aleksandr Dugin, a far-right nationalist and confidant of Russian leader Vladimir Putin who once called for Ukraine to be 'vanished from the Earth and rebuilt from scratch.' Advertisement 'The use of generative AI, diaspora targeting, and collaboration with Western influencers marks a dangerous evolution in narrative warfare,' the NCRI study says. 'Left unchallenged, these operations risk fueling real-world violence and eroding trust in legitimate attribution on the global stage.'
