Enemy of the state

This article is about the political and criminal term. For other uses, see Enemy of the state (disambiguation).

An enemy of the state is a person accused of political crimes against the state, such as treason. In designating certain persons and organizations as enemies of the state, the government can realize the political repression of political opponents, such as dissidents; thus a government can justify political repression as protecting the national security of the country and the nation.^{[citation needed]}

Examples

Political

• In ancient Rome, some parties could be named an enemy of the state through specific public actions resulting in a formally recognized state of war.^[1] The Latin term proscription was used for official condemnation of enemies of the state.^[2]
• The term "enemy of the people" in the Soviet Union during the period of Stalinism.
• Communists were considered as enemies of the state in Indonesia since 1965. Displaying communist symbols or attempting to propagate the ideology is considered an act of high treason and terrorism punishable by up to 20 years of imprisonment.^[3]
• Jews, Romani people, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, disabled, communists, social democrats and trade unionists were considered "enemies of the state" in Nazi Germany.^[4]
• Carlos Lamarca, a Brazilian Army Captain who deserted to become the leader of a left-wing guerrilla against the military dictatorship; Lamarca was the only man in the history of Brazil to receive the status of traitor, being considered an "enemy of the state".^{[citation needed]}
• Leaker of classified U.S. military documents and diplomatic cables Chelsea Manning was charged with "aiding the enemy" (identified as al-Qaeda).^[5][6]
• Edward Snowden, the American computer specialist who leaked details of top-secret United States and British government mass surveillance programs to the press,^[7] has been discussed by opinion writers as being persecuted as an enemy of the state.^[8]
• Human rights defenders working on behalf of communities affected by large-scale development projects are increasingly branded as enemies of the state.^[9][where?]
• Clive Palmer, an Australian mining magnate, was labelled as such by Mark McGowan, the Premier of Western Australia, when Palmer sued the Western Australian government for not allowing him free entry into the state during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.^[10]

Biography

• Justin Raimondo's biography of Murray Rothbard, An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard.^[11]
• Bill Lueders' biography of Erwin Knoll, An Enemy of the State: The Life of Erwin Knoll.^[12]

Fictional

• The fictional character Peter LaNague in the novel An Enemy of the State (The LaNague Federation, Book 1) by F. Paul Wilson.^[13]
• The fictional character Emmanuel Goldstein in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.
• In Resident Evil: Damnation, special agent Leon S. Kennedy is accused of being an enemy of the state by President of the Eastern Slav Republic Svetlana Belikova who orders her guards to kill him right after she briefly spars in one-on-one combat with him.^[14]
• The six main characters in Final Fantasy XIII are branded as enemies of the state following the destruction of Cocoon; the main events of the game revolve around them trying to survive and hopefully clear their names.
• Tali'Zorah is accused of treason during her personal quest in Mass Effect 2.
• In the NCIS: New Orleans episode "Breaking Brig", the team hunt down a suspect known as "Matt S. O'Feeney", which was an anagram for eneMy OF State.^[15] The suspect was a dangerous man wanted by NCIS and Interpol for illegal arms dealing and other criminal activities.

See also

• Enemy of the people
• Public enemy

References

1. Fasolt, Constantin (2004). The Limits of History. University of Chicago Press. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-226-23910-1. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
2. Magill, Frank N., ed. (2013). The Ancient World: Dictionary of World Biography. Vol. 1. Routledge. p. 1209. ISBN 978-1-135-45740-2. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
3. Undang Undang no.27/1999, laws on Communism and Marxism-Leninism 30 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine (Indonesian)
4. "Enemies of the State". Holocaust Encyclopedia. 16 December 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
5. Dorling, Philip (27 September 2012). "US calls Assange 'enemy of state'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
6. Tate, Julie; Londoño, Ernesto (29 July 2013). "Judge finds Manning not guilty of aiding the enemy, guilty of espionage". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
7. Gellman, Barton; Markon, Jerry (9 June 2013). "Edward Snowden says motive behind leaks was to expose 'surveillance state'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
8. • Edwards, Bea (1 August 2013). "American Whistleblowers in Prison and in Exile". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
   • Vlahos, Kelley Beaucar (8 August 2013). "The Right Rallies To Edward Snowden". The American Conservative. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
   • Robinson, Eugene (12 August 2013). "Eugene Robinson: What NSA reforms?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
9. (PDF). Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders. July 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 March 2016.
10. Cross, Daile; Hondros, Nathan (31 July 2020). "'I think he's the enemy of Australia': McGowan ramps up war of words with Palmer on WA border battle". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
11. Raimondo, Justin (2000). An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-61592-239-3.
12. Lueders, Bill (1996). An Enemy of the State: The Life of Erwin Knoll. Common Courage Press. ISBN 1-56751-098-1.
13. Wilson, F. Paul (2005). An Enemy of the State (The LaNague Federation, Book 1). Infrapress. ISBN 0-9766544-2-3.
14. Resident Evil: Damnation (2012) - B.O.W. Lab Attack Scene (6/10). Movieclips. 7 February 2020. Event occurs at 0:44. Retrieved 30 July 2021 – via YouTube.
15. Elizabeth, Stormy (8 October 2014). "'NCIS: New Orleans' "Breaking Brigg" [sic] Recap: Season 1 Episode 3". Celeb Dirty Laundry. Retrieved 4 August 2021.