What Did Silja Talvi Do? A Dangerous Lie in a Dangerous Time
Most recently Talvi has taken the extraordinary step of making outrageous FALSE claims that certain persons, including activists and lawyers, are undercover federal operatives out of retaliation for not complying with her demands for confidential and legally privileged information. Make no mistake: this is a crime for a myriad of reasons, both in Finland, where Talvi resides and the United States, placing the safety of others at risk. Do not allow yourself to be entrapped by her tactics, claims, or invitations to communicate. You do so at your own risk. Also concerning are Talvi’s interactions with prisoners.
To be clear: No legitimate journalist will engage or even appear to engage in these smear tactics which are unlawful (criminal and civil), dangerous, and lack journalistic integrity. Do not be fooled by the political or movement language or irrelevant sob story of this once relevant reporter. Do not be deceived by her credentials. Talvi lives in Finland and has not, to her own admission, been on U.S. soil in at least 15 years, targeting U.S. news channels so that her probable crimes are less detectable in Finland where the expression of many of her false claims are illegal.
In the approximately 15 years since Talvi has been living in Finland, we cannot locate a single Finnish publication that has featured Talvi’s work. Likely indicating that her work does not meet journalistic standards in her own country, which are more stringent than in the U.S. Her reporting ought to be received with the same measure of the courage she cannot apparently muster to actually visit the country she is unsuccessfully reporting on.
Talvi is no Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, or Assata Shakur, examples of true journalism and activism in exile. Upon information and belief, her retreat to Finland is out of defeat and scurrying to the label of “victim” to evade accountability for her actions in the United States. Bottom line. We are not aware of a single human rights petition, lawyer, or court action in Finland or the United States that supports Talvi’s claim of prosecution. A shabby newsletter from Amnesty International as proof will not do as they do not bear the color and pattern of truth. Everyone, especially progressive publications, communities of color, families of incarcerated persons, and incarcerated people, should BEWARE. Let this failed reporter be all together disregarded.
*Stay tuned for more information and analysis*