Residents of the Lutyvensk neighborhood of Rekrestok were awakened this morning to the sounds of police jackboots and the battering of rams. Three Special Reaction Teams (SRT) of the
State Commissariat of Internal Affairs (Стэка Комиcарият за Вынутpех Зэвитзия, СКВЗ;
Steka Komisariyat za Vinutryekh Zivitziya,
SKVZ) stormed six homes - including one in the 1300 block of the Lutyvensk Heights apartment complex - pursuant to an ongoing investigation involving the whistle-blowing organization
Freeleaks.org.
As reported extensively on both
KBSI and
other media outlets,
Freeleaks.org has recently stirred controversy through the leaking and unlawful dissemination of sensitive and classified material involving highly-controversial government policies, including government counter-terrorism surveillance practices and the treatment of unlawful enemy combatants. Due to such, in January, the
Kyruserednya passed the
Prohibition of Unlawful Ideological Organizations Act, stirring some controversy amongst Western media due to its official proscription of a wide-range of political organizations - including
Freeleaks - and other fringe affiliations associated with radical terrorism and certain prohibited political expressions.
Since the promulgation of the
Unlawful Ideological Organizations Act, the
State Commissariat for Internal Affairs and the
Kyrus National Police have executed over three hundred search warrants in Vyazkhva alone, with another two hundred being conducted across the
Fortified State. Though most search and seizure executions have turned-up minimal affiliations to radical or pro-terrorist organizations, earlier this morning, Special Reaction Teams associated with the Internal Affairs Commissariat executed six search and seizure warrants in-and-around the bustling metropolis of Rekrestok, seizing nearly fourteen terabytes of electronic media (including at least four terabytes of sensitive information unlawfully obtained from the
State Commissariat of Foreign Affairs) and a large collection of pro-
Freeleaks agitating propaganda, written and stylized to appeal directly to the Kyrusian citizenry.
Amongst the six persons arrested this morning was one non-national, a business executive from
North Star Pharmaceuticals, operating out of Freeport,
New Belhavia.
Nathaniel Osbourne, an Executive Director for Marketing and Distribution for the pharmaceutical supplier was arrested outside of his Rekrestok apartment after arriving at
Rekrestok International Airport on a business trip to the
Fortified State, a trip that would have had Osbourne remain in-country for seventeen days due to ongoing talks with
VycaPharm, a Rekrestok-based bio-pharmaceutical manufacturer.
A representative from the
SCIA stated that, upon searching Osbourne's apartment in Lutyvensk Heights, officers discovered "over two terabytes of electronic media containing information of a sensitive nature" pertaining to diplomatic cables and unofficial e-mail and instant messaging discussions between Kyrusian and international diplomats. "In addition to classified material being seized," the representative continued, "the suspect was also found to be in possession of pro-
Freeleaks propaganda and six grams of a controlled substance." At a 1:00P Local Time press conference, representatives from the Internal Affairs Commissariat further clarified that within Osbourne's Rekrestok apartment, six grams of methamphetamine and several pieces of paraphernalia were discovered.
Though an executive director within the small, but modestly profitable
North Star Pharmaceuticals, within
New Belhavia, Osbourne is a known and prolific supporter of the
Liberal Democratic Party; according to sources within the Belhavian government, in the last general election, Osbourne reportedly donated over UR$3,600 to the left-leaning political party, in addition to over UR$4,500 to various left-leaning and
Liberal Democrat-aligned lobbying organizations, the most well known being the controversial
Hemp Alliance - a pro-marijuana legalization lobbying group based out of the Belhavian city of
Dakos.
Since the revelation of a broad and effective counter-terrorism surveillance program in
Arthurista by
Freeleaks.org, the
Liberal Democratic Party in
New Belhavia has repeatedly attempted to quash or stall efforts by the conservative government of the
New Belhavian Empire to arrest and prosecute members of the organization. Such efforts - particularly undertaken by radical elements amongst the
Liberal Democrats - have been moderately successful in stalling such prosecutions. Avid critic of
Freeleaks.org and its supporters, recently-appointed Belhavian Foreign Minister
Daniel Nobelstein (formerly deputy Minister for Pardesi Affairs) has faced repeated threats against his life, most from left-leaning urban youth. Despite such violence against him, Nobelstein has gone on the record stating that only "the dictators and terrorists win here. Free societies suffer greatly," in regard to assertions made by
Freeleaks and its supporters of attempting to "make the governments of the world more transparent and free".
Due to such violence, a State Prosecutor from the
State Commissariat of Justice in Vyazkhva stated this afternoon, "We will not be granting leniency to these terrorists, nor their supporters. No quarter will be given to those whom seek to usurp the legitimacy of the free Kyrus society." As such, this evening, Nathaniel Osbourne and five other
Freeleaks.org conspirators and affiliates were indicted in Vyazkhva for espionage, violent sedition, and unlawful possession of sensitive materials and media. In addition, Osbourne was further charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, conspiracy to to poison, conspiracy to commit acts against the Foritifed State, and resisting arrest. Though cumulative sentences for the five conspirators range from ten to eighty years in state confinement, Osbourne's arrest and indictment, as a foreign national, has stirred some controversy due to the potential limit of his sentencing if he is found guilty.
"He faces a minimum of eighty-seven years," a representative of the Justice Commissariat stated, "with a maximum sentence of lawful termination if he is found guilty of espionage or conspiracy to commit acts [
against the Fortified State]." Assuming Osbourne is to be found guilty of all charges, a sentencing of lawful termination would be the first time a foreign national was sentenced to death in the
Fortified State since 1962 with the execution of Ummar Khivsavk for his detonation of a car bomb in central Odeka, an act which ultimately lead to the occupation of the Uchasknya region of western
Avaesia and its culminating and highly-controversial annexation.
With his remand to confinement in the Administration Segregation and Isolation Center in
Vyazkhva State Penitentiary, the issue of possible extradition of Osbourne may prove difficult. A representative of the Foreign Affairs Commissariat stated that, as of 5:40PM Local Time, Osbourne's exit visa was invalidated - standard policy for both foreign nationals and Kyrusian citizens upon remand for serious offenses. Even so, as of yet, the Foreign Affairs Commissariat stated that there have been no requests for Nathaniel Osbourne's extradition to
New Belhavia. "Really," the representative continued, "the Belhavians have yet to comment on [
Osbourne's] arrest and indictment, though we are willing to cooperate."
As of the publishing of this article,
KBSI has been unable to contact the Belhavian Foreign Ministry for comment.