GLOBAL CORRUPTION AND PUBLIC INTEGRITY: THE HUMAN FACTOR

Fav Icon
Fav Icon

Ari Danikas (Greece/South Africa) 2016 SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

Ari Danikas (Greece:South Africa) 2016 SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

Ari Danikas was a police reserve officer in the Cato Manor unit of the South African police. This unit typically deals with violent crime, including armed robbery, cash-in-transit robberies, the protection of politicians, kidnapping, drug trafficking, murder investigations, and organized criminal gangs. They are an elite unit of the South African Police. Through the publication of a series of videos and public revelations, Danikas revealed that the unit was allegedly engaged in extrajudicial killing, tampering with crime scenes, and the torture of subjects.

In 2012, working with South Africa’s Sunday Times journalists Stephan Hofstatter and Mzilikazi wa Afrika (and with support from a third journalist, Rob Rose), Danikas had his disclosures published. This followed the initial posting of a series of videos forming part of the disclosure to YouTube in 2009. Following the initial Sunday Times pieces, the trio published a series of stories and produced a documentary with Al Jazeera focusing on the allegations.

Collectively, Danikas’ disclosure and the subsequent series of articles reveal serious allegations against the Cato Manor squad. Over a period of many years, the members of the Cato Manor police squad — based in Durban, South Africa — have allegedly been involved in a number of illegal and unethical practices. These have allegedly included extra-judicial killing, torture, and the ‘setting up’ of crimes where a tip-off was given to the squad in advance of a crime, and then the squad ambushed the suspects with over-zealous use of force.

Additionally, the squad was allegedly involved in the tampering of crime scenes by planting weapons, re-arranging corpses, cleaning gunpowder residue, and other forensic manipulation. Danikas also documented at least one occasion where a suspect was reportedly tortured in police custody. A particularly graphic disclosure was a video in which it appears officers shot a suspect and let him bleed to death in a garage.

Blueprint does not imply the guilt of any party at this time. The allegations brought against the squad should be dealt with in a transparent manner. Danikas’ evidence will be critical in an investigation of members of the squad. The allegations of continued violence, sustained over time, against low-income black South Africans are serious enough to need an impartial judicial review led by a panel of eminent jurists, such as retired judges from an international court, who are completely independent of the complex party politics of South Africa.

Before the initial publication of the videos as part of his disclosure in 2009, Danikas fled to his native country, Greece, in fear for his life. He is still subjected to threats and intimidation as a result of his disclosure.

Danikas’ disclosure raises numerous public interest matters that deserve proper independent investigation; extra-judicial killing by an arm of the state offends the basic rights of any citizen. It is important for the citizenry to be able to have confidence in the rule of law, and those who enforce it.

This case is an excellent demonstration of a whistleblower and journalists working together to get information from secretive places into the public domain. It also highlights how journalists should be handling sensitive whistleblower sources, by protecting their anonymity, and not abandoning them as soon as the story is published.

Danikas has demonstrated bravery in stepping forward in a dangerous environment to speak out and should be recognised for his sacrifice.

https://www.blueprintforfreespeech.net/en/prize/recipients/2016/ari-danikas ( PDF )

Facebook
X(Twitter)
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Similar Topics

Right to know – right to talk Freedom of the Press and Information of the Citizens

In commemoration of World Press Freedom Day (May 3), in collaboration with the 4th Lyceum of Mytilene, we organized an online conference titled “Right to Know – Right to Speak.” Guided by a deep sense of responsibility and active engagement in human rights issues, the event was conducted within the framework of the “Schools Ambassadors of the European Parliament” project and our school’s initiatives aimed at fostering active citizenship and democratic education. The conference sought to underscore the vital importance of freedom of expression, the role of independent and trustworthy journalism, and the challenges faced by journalists globally. Distinguished speakers included Aristeidis Danikas, CEO and founder of the NGO Liberty of Speech; Tassos Morfis, journalist and co-founder of Qurio; and Vasilis Stamatopoulos, co-founder of Fraud Line Whistleblowing Services. They provided insightful discussions on the current obstacles confronting journalists, the significance of free speech, the necessity of nurturing a new generation

Discover More »

RIP, Whislteblower worrier, The remarkable story of ED SCHRANK

WORKPLACE PROMISE INSTITUTE 2024 Washington, DC On the 11th of September 2024, we traveled to the Capitol in Washington, DC, discussing various legislation regarding the USA whistleblowing protection act. Members of Congress engaged with us. The singing of the USA national anthem by disabled veteran, whistleblower, and remarkable man, Ed Schrank, was a memorable event that left us both in admiration and sadness.                 At the time of his retirement from the United States Marine Corps, Ed was a Gunnery Sergeant. Ed is a 6-time head and neck cancer survivor from chemical exposure while serving 15 years in the United States Marine Corps. He was diagnosed with lacrimal adenocarcinoma (tear duct cancer) in 2006 after being exposed to toxic chemicals in military jet fuel from January 1998 to May 2003; during the latter part of this period, Ed was stationed in Afghanistan, where he performed extra hazardous duties. The physician

Discover More »

The Novartis Scandal: Ethical Implications and Legal Conflict

The Novartis scandal represents a significant chapter in the ongoing discourse surrounding ethicsin the pharmaceutical sector, particularly in relation to allegations of corruption and bribery. Thisanalysis explores the intricacies of the scandal, the penalties imposed by U.S. authorities, theconflicts arising from the legal frameworks of Greece and the United States and the implicationsthese differences have an effect on the protection status of whistleblowers.

Discover More »

Participation in the Workplace Institute conference in September 2024, which is being hosted by Whistleblowers of America.

For the second year, we participated and engaged with congressional staffers and prominent veteran whistleblowers at the US Capitol in DC.Emphasis was given to multiple problems whistleblowers are facing on a global scale. https://www.workplacepromiseinstitute.org/wpi-conference/2024-agenda https://www.workplacepromiseinstitute.org/wpi-conference/2024-agenda/aris-danikas-24

Discover More »
error: Content is protected !!