As the Culture of War, now led by Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, continues to use the control of information and outright lies as a major weapon in their arsenal, the struggle for truth becomes ever more important for the culture of peace. As Gandhi said, “’Non-violence and truth are inseparable and presuppose one another.’ He called it Satyagraha.”

This is not safe or easy, as we see in the following recent exampes of those who engage in this struggle.

Julian Assange has been imprisoned for many years now and threatened for extradition to the United States where he could be imprisoned for the rest of his life. In a letter this month to President Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, more than 30 progressive advocates, intellectuals, and former heads of state argued the charges against Assange should be dropped. The charges against Assange stem from his publication of classified material that exposed U.S. war crimes, including video footage of American forces gunning down civilians in Iraq.

According to a report by Yahoo News, the CIA and senior officials of the Trump administration discussed how to assassinate him.

Dmitry Muratov, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his independent journalism criticizing Russian policies, was attacked recently by someone shouting “Here’s to you for our boys” (i.e. Russian soldiers). Perhaps saved by his notariety as a result of the prize, he was not assassinated like several others of his journalist colleagues. Although his journal, Novaya Gazeta, has been shut down by Russian authorities, there are plans to re-open it abroad.

Glenn Greenwald is an American journalist who has been defending freedom of information for almost 20 years now, including defense of Edward Snowden and Julian Assange, and publishing investigative reports on corruption in Brazil and elsewhere. In an article this month republished by CPNN, he reviews the extreme censorship now being orchestrated from Washington has greatly limited the possibility to know what is truly happening in the Russian Federation and the Ukraine. He asks, “Why is there so much urgency about silencing the small pockets of dissenting voices about the war in Ukraine?” And he responds, “The answer seems clear,” and he documents the enormous contracts being given to the military-industrial complex to expand the war.

As an example of how censorship limits the possibility of knowing what is happening in Russia, the reader should recall the editor’s note on the CPNN article of January 19 this year, prior to the invasion of Ukraine: “: In recent weeks, Russian President Putin has proposed new peace treaties between Russia and the US and between Russia and NATO. Google lists perhaps a hundred news articles that mention Putin’s proposals but nowhere in any of the articles could I find a reference to the actual text of the proposals or to the historical context that includes American assurances at the end of the Cold War that NATO would not be expanded towards Russia. Instead, the articles listed by google support American and NATO claims that that Putin’s proposals mask a justification for Russian invasion of the Ukraine. Finally, after a rather long and detailed search, I found the following article (not listed by google) that links to the treaty proposals and to the historical context. Here it is.)

Sergey Aleksashenko, a former deputy governor of the Russian central bank, now writes a dissident blog from inside the Russian Federation. As republished in CPNN, he documents the censorship now being conducted by the Russian authorities which is so extreme as to become ridiculous at times. Somehow, despite the Russian censorship, he continues to publish daily blogs about the situation there.

Medea Benjamin and Nicholas Davies, from the American peace organization Codepink, condemn not only the war crimes committed by Russia in the Ukraine, but even more so the long list of war crimes committed by the United States military in recent years, such as those in Raqqa, Syria, and Mosul, Iraq. ” The United States and its allies have waged war in country after country for decades, carving swathes of destruction through cities, towns and villages on a far greater scale than has so far disfigured Ukraine.”

Marina Ovsyannikova is the Russian journalist who dared to interrupt a live news bulletin on Russian state TV Channel One holding a sign reading ‘NO WAR. Stop the war’. CPNN carried a link to the video of the event in which she describes her motivation.  She was immediately arrested and according to a more recent article in Haaretz, ” A court fined her the equivalent of about $270, but she still faces charges of violating a law against ‘false news,’ which makes it illegal to refer to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a “war.” If convicted, she could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.”

Oliver Stone, the film-maker who dared to defy the American authorities with his film JFK about the asassination of President Kennedy, has now published a film about the coup d’etat in the Ukraine in 2014 orchestrated by the American government, including Vice-President at the time Joe Biden. This provides key evidence of why the Russians have invaded, including links to the conversation between the US ambassador to the Ukraine and a top State Department authority on how to form the new government in 2014, and a statement from Vladimir Putin, asking what can be done to stop the encroachmen of NATO against his country.

In CPNN in recent weeks we have published statements and petitions from hundreds of thousands of Russians opposed to the war as detailed in last month’s bulletin. And most recently we have published also a call from Ukrainian pacifists who dare to criticize their own country as well as the Russians.

The Ukrainian Pacifist Movement writes, “We condemn military actions on both sides, the hostilities which harm civilians. We insist that all shootings should be stopped, all sides should honor the memory of killed people and, after due grief, calmly and honestly commit to peace talks. . . . War is a crime against humanity. Therefore, we are determined not to support any kind of war and to strive for the removal of all causes of war.”

Finally, we turn to the censorship of China.

As re-published in CPNN, “Chinese professors have been restricted from airing their views and are reluctant to contradict the official Communist Party line on international relations and political events. However, a group of five prominent history professors from top Chinese universities were willing to go against the official narrative in a rare joint letter condemning the invasion of Ukraine.”

“The letter, signed by Nanjing University’s Sun Jiang, Peking University’s Wang Lixin, Hong Kong University’s Xu Guoqi, Tsinghua University’s Zhong Weimin, and Fudan University’s Chen Yan, described the Russian invasion as a “war that began in the dark”, and for an immediate end to the fighting. . . . The letter was immediately removed by censors when it appeared on 26 February on the Chinese social media platform WeChat but not before it had been viewed and commented upon – including attacking the professors on China’s social media with some calling them spies or traitors.”

In our survey of the Internet this year we found actions for the International Day of Peace in 628 communities located throughout the world. This total is similar to what we found last year, with the greatest number of actions taking place in Europe.

In Western Euope we found reference to actions in 191 communities. The greatest number was recorded in Belgium where 114 towns and municipalities participated in a campaign to fly the peace flag on official buildings, calling for a Belgium without nuclear weapons in a world without nuclear weapons. In France, the Collective for 21 September coordinated and described actions in 46 communities, including marches and demonstrations, often linked to the struggle to preserve the planet from global warming. The Collective is composed of 35 French organizations, led by Mouvement de la Paix.

Mikis Theodorakis, who passed away on September 2, was honored in Athens by dancers celebrating the Day of Peace, with the following quote from him, “”We are a vast, deep river that is constantly deepening, that is constantly widening and enriching as it moves towards this endless, wide sea, which is global cooperation in a world of peace.”

In the former Soviet countries of Eastern Europe, especially Russia, and the Ukraine, we found actions in 157 communities, most of them involving the children in schools. Following the tradition of recent years, the children made paper doves and wrote their wishes for peace, sometimes attaching them to balloons to fly into the sky and travel across the earth. This year many of the schools prepared videos of their actions and wishes.

As was the case last year, many of the actions took place in communities across the two sides of the armed coflict in the Ukraine. One of the celebrations, in Yasinovataya, took place despite being under an artillery attack. In one school after another, the war was mentioned, for example in Markivka it was said that “In the conditions of the war in the East of Ukraine, this holiday acquired a special, at the same time sublime and tragic significance. ”

In North America we found actions in 159 communities, of which 122 were coordinated and listed on the website of the Campaign Nonviolence, mobilizing “across the country and around the world for a culture of peace, economic equality, racial justice and environmental healing.” 48 of the 50 states of the United States were represented, along with the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec.

As usual, the most intensive celebration was in Philadelphia (Peace Day Philly) with 15 events, including four events with colorful flyers for which links are provided.

Ongoing wars and recent peace accords were addressed by the day’s celebrations in the rest of the world.

In Africa we found celebrations in 36 communities in 19 countries, many of them torn by violent conflict. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Youth Parliament of the Beni region declared ““We launch a vibrant appeal to all young people in the province of North Kivu to dissociate themselves from the armed groups in order to make possible the return of peace and security in our region.” In Cameroon, thousands who marched in several cities and towns said they were tired of burying civilians caught up in the fighting. They called for a cease-fire between the military and separatists. In Abuja, Nigeria, the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution called on all Nigerians to work assiduously to return peace to the country. And the African Union repeated its call for “Silencing the guns.”

In the Middle East and North Africa, we found actions in 18 communities in 12 countries. In Taiz, Yemen, the Abductees’ Mothers Association spoke of the suffering of mothers and families of the abducted, arbitrarily arrested, and forcibly disappeared individuals while waiting for peace resolutions leading to their sons’ freedom. In South Sudan, the Ecumenical Network on South Sudan called upon the leaders of South Sudan, both in government and in opposition, the security forces and citizens to finally take responsibility and resolve conflicts both national and locally through nonviolent means. In Jerusalem, some 1,000 Jewish and Arab mothers gathered for a number of events held by Women Wage Peace, including creating a human chain and a rally, demand that the government do everything possible to resolve the conflict with a political agreement. And the Arab League called on all nations and peoples, especially Arab countries experiencing armed conflicts, to immediately cease fire, abide by the cessation of hostilities, and resort to a political solution, as it is the only way to settle conflicts and disputes

In Latin America we found actions in 29 communities and 11 countries. Celebrations in Colombia were linked to commemoration of the fifh year since the signing of the peace agreement. In Bogota, the Unit for Victims reiterates its commitment to those most affected by the violence, working to implement all the actions that are the central axis of the Final Agreement with the FARC. In Medellin, the Mayor’s Office noted that the city is becoming an epicenter for the implementation of the Peace Accords, above all, putting in the center to the victims and their right to access justice, truth and guarantees of non-repetition. And in Nariño, the Third World Summit announced that San Bernardo and Tablon de Gómez iare now free of antipersonnel mines.

In Asia and the Pacific we found actions in 42 communities in 13 countries. The plight of Rohingya refugees was addressed by the Center for Peace Studies in Dhaka, Bangladesh and by the NRS Relief in refugee camps. The plight of the people of Kashmir was addressed by the Kashmir Parliamentary Peace Conference. And the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process in the Philippines called for strengthening institutional an popular support for this effort.

As mentioned above, women are playing a leading role in peace efforts in Yemen and Jerusalem. Similarly, in the Ukraine, the “Women for Peace” “demonstrated and demanded fulfillment of promises by the government and Supreme Council to establish peace in the country. “We very much hope that once again the demands of our women, which we set out in our appeal, will be heard and measures will be taken.” And in Casamance, Senegal, it is the Platform of Women for Peace that is most active.

Summing up the sentiments of Peace Day participants, and repeating a phrase of young activist Greta Thunberg, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres concluded “We need peace to recover from the pandemic and re-build shattered systems and shattered lives. We need peace to level the playing field and reduce inequalities. We need peace to renew trust in one another — and faith in facts and science. And we need to make peace with nature — to heal our planet, build a green economy, and achieve our net-zero targets. Peace is not a naïve dream. It’s a light in the darkness. Guiding us to the only pathway to a better future for humanity. Let’s walk the pathway of peace as if our lives depended on it. Because they do.”

The commercial media this month was dominated by the American withdrawal (in defeat) from Afghanistan. However, it was difficult to find anything worthy of this bulletin, since we insist that articles must “promote at least one of the 8 domains of the culture of peace”.

Eventually we found something positive: the courage of Search for Common Ground to stick with their culture of peace principles and to resist the mass exodus from Afghanistan. The organization will continue working there on the grounds that “intensive and consistent dialogue between all parties is the key to building a safe, healthy, and just society.” Similar decisions were taken by a few other aid organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières.

The defeat of the American Empire in Afghanistan has inspired renewed efforts to defend Julian Assange, who is under attack because of his courageous research and publications that predicted the defeat from the very beginning. As expressed in an article coming from his home country of Australia, “The true nature of the war in Afghanistan has long ago been revealed by Assange, Wikileaks and others, counter to the propaganda justifying and promoting the war. . . . As events in Afghanistan demonstrate, never has the call for peace and justice for all peoples been more urgent. And given Julian Assange’s situation, never has the call for his release been more urgent.”

Meanwhile, as usual, the most important events for human history are ignored by the commercial media. The greatest threat to humanity is nuclear weapons, and the media mostly ignored the calls coming from Hiroshima and Nagasaki and peace activists around the world to ensure that they will never be used again.

The mayor of Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui, writes, “At this Peace Memorial Ceremony marking 76 years since the bombing, we offer heartfelt prayers for the peaceful repose of the souls of the atomic bomb victims. Together with Nagasaki and likeminded people around the world, we pledge to do everything in our power to abolish nuclear weapons and light the way toward lasting world peace.”

The mayor of Nagasaki, Tomihisa Taue, writes, “While extending our deepest condolences to those who lost their lives to the atomic bombs, I hereby declare that Nagasaki will work tirelessly alongside Hiroshima and all people who desire peace to spread a “culture of peace” around the world and bring about the abolishment of nuclear weapons and the realization of eternal peace.”

The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Gutteres, says he continues to be humbled by the “selfless acts of the hibakusha, the name given to those who survived and continue to bear witness. Your courage in the face of immense human tragedy, is a beacon of hope for humanity. I reaffirm the full support of the United Nations to ensuring that your voices are heard by the world’s people, and especially by younger generations.”

And the United National Antiwar Coalition (USA) writes, “Many people now believe that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not to end WWII, which was in its final days but to start the Cold War and show the Soviet Union and the world what the US could do if any country dared to oppose it. . . . the United National Antiwar Coalition sees the main danger of nuclear war coming from the United States and believes that we in the US have a special obligation to the world to oppose that danger.”

CPNN readers were invited this month to take part in three virtual conversations about Hiroshima and Nagasaki .

On August 6, a webinar on abolishing nuclear weapons was held by UNITAR, in collaboration with the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, Hiroshima Prefecture and the Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace.

Also on August 6, peace activists associated with the United Nations in New York, including the NGO’s Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons and Charter for Compassion held a webinar asking “Hiroshima Day: Have we done enough?”

And on August 5, antinuclear groups in Brisbane, Australia, commemorated the anniversary of the bombings with a webinar celebrating the work that the community has done over time in opposition to nuclear weapons. One of the speakers was the renowned Dr. Helen Caldicott.

We at CPNN join in the global chorus demanding the abolition of nuclear weapons before nuclear weapons destroy our planet.