Congresswoman Left for Dead at Jonestown Recalls the Massacre, 37 Years Later

This story was updated on Nov. 20, 2019 | Rep. Jackie Speier knows exactly how it feels to be left for dead.

On Nov. 18, 1978, she was shot five times on a remote airstrip in Guyana, South America. Her boss, Rep. Leo J. Ryan and four others lay dead nearby, killed by gunfire as they tried to escape Jonestown, the commune built by cult leader Jim Jones. Nearly 40 years later, Speier still remembers why she decided to get on a plane to go down on the ill-fated congressional trip. “Back in 1978, there were not many women in high-ranking positions in Congress," said Speier, who was legislative counsel for Ryan at the time. "I felt if I didn’t go, it would be a step back for women holding these high positions. I thought, 'I can’t not go.'” So she went, accompanying Ryan and 23 other people to Guyana, on the northeastern coast of South America, attempting to visit Jim Jones and nearly 1,000 followers he’d amassed.

By the end of the trip, Ryan was dead — the first and only congressman to be assassinated in office — along with three journalists and one cult defector. Speier and nine others had been shot and left for dead at a remote airstrip; they waited 22 hours for help to arrive. Immediately following the shootings, Jones and more than 900 of his followers died from self-inflicted cyanide poisoning in what was seen as a mass suicide at the time, but is now widely considered a mass murder. The Ryan congressional delegation had no military escort. The State Department had given neither a warning nor protection. Speier has occupied Ryan’s former seat in Congress since 2008. In an interview with CQ Roll Call, she noted that while much has changed, some fundamental questions about Jonestown remain unanswered.

https://www.rollcall.com/news/jonestown-murders-jackie-speier-37-years

Video Interview:

https://www.rollcall.com/news/jonestown-murders-jackie-speier-37-years?jwsource=cl

>>7780530

>>7780530

>Azerbaijan

Not sure if you can tell..but is the area they are flying in and out of looking anything like this?

>>7780638

Hmm, the only connection I can make at the moment that makes any sense..is this.

Landmines on the Georgian-Azerbaijani border

Snippet: Employees from the British HALO Trust demining organization also confirmed that heavy military equipment from Azerbaijan had crossed into Georgia on a number of occasions. On 6 July 2015 the HALO TRUST obtained permission from the Georgian Delta Scientific Technical Center (a humanitarian landmine action coordinating agency under the jurisdiction of the MoD) for conducting a technical survey in the Red Bridge area. Under the permit the organization was supposed to determine the size of the minefield and identify the types of mines planted there. However, despite having permission, the HALO Trust had to abandon those operations. Irakli Chitanava, Programme Manager at HALO Trust Georgia: “Upon obtaining permission, we immediately started preparing for the survey. In August, as we approached the minefield, about 50 meters away from the border, we saw that the Azerbaijani side had deployed soldiers and heavy military equipment. They demanded that we leave the area. Although we were accompanied by the Georgian Foreign Ministry and Border Police officials we still had to withdraw.”

According to him, in the Kirach-Mughanlo area mines have been found not only directly at the border, but also some distance from it. In 2016 the local residents reported to the HALO Trust that they discovered a mine 800 meters away from the border. The organization appealed to the border police and the mine was rendered inert. However, the organization hasn’t been permitted to survey the area and clear it of mines. As the Georgian Defense Ministry pointed out in its official letter addressed to the HALO Trust organization, all operations on the border should be suspended until a final decision has been made. Although the defense agency hasn’t given any official reasons for it, the organization’s staff have mentioned in private conversations that Tbilisi intends to first discuss this matter with Baku. The residents of Kirach-Mughanlo village shared similar stories about Azerbaijani border guards crossing the border from time to time. “I’m not the only one who has seen them. You can ask anyone in the village,” said Mamish Musayev. “Sometimes they take away our cattle. Once my flock of 35 sheep was stolen. I complained to the Georgian border guards, to the police, but I never got them back.”

https://jam-news.net/landmines-on-the-georgian-azerbaijani-border/

HALO Trust

The HALO Trust (Hazardous Area Life-support Organization) is a non-political and non-religious registered British charity and American non-profit organization which removes debris left behind by war, in particular land mines. With about 6,000 deminers worldwide, HALO's largest operation is in Afghanistan, where the organization operates as an implementing partner of the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan (MAPA).

HALO's global headquarters are located in Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. HALO has US offices located in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, California.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HALO_Trust

Speier & Cho were just over in Armenia discussing The Halo Trust, … which was started in the EU via Princess Diana

>>7780530 >>7780638

2019 Trafficking in Persons Report: Azerbaijan

AZERBAIJAN: Tier 2 Watch List

The Government of Azerbaijan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so. These efforts included identifying more victims and providing thorough victim assistance at the government-run trafficking shelter and victim assistance center. The government also increased awareness campaigns for Azerbaijani migrants traveling abroad, and the anti-trafficking police unit hired an experienced attorney with a firm understanding of victim-centered approaches. However, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period. Prosecution efforts decreased, with courts issuing suspended sentences for nearly all convicted traffickers. The credibility of the Anti-Trafficking Department (ATD) was diminished by credible reports of its arbitrary detention and physical coercion of a confession from a minor; and the government did not regularly screen vulnerable populations and lacked proactive identification efforts, particularly for Azerbaijani victims of internal trafficking. As a result, the government disincentivized cooperation with law enforcement and may have penalized victims due to inadequate identification. The government did not fund NGO-run shelters despite relying heavily on their victim support and reintegration services. Some local officials mobilized and forced some public-sector employees to participate in the autumn cotton harvest. Therefore Azerbaijan was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List.

https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-trafficking-in-persons-report-2/azerbaijan/

Connecting Dots.. Something else to consider here. Keep in mind Speier's mother donated heavily to orphans in the region..maybe? What other reason for Azerbaijan to object to the removal of landmines?