On Saturday 24th June, Davide Dormino will bring his Anything to Say? statue to London for one day only! If you have anything to say, then join us in Parliament Square from 1pm.
“Anything To Say?” is a life size bronze sculpture, portraying three figures each one standing on a chair. The fourth chair is empty because it is our chair. The one for us to stand up on to express ourselves or simply to stand next to Edward Snowden, Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning, who had the courage to say no to the intrusion of global surveillance and to lies that lead to war.
When: Saturday 24 June at 1pm BST Where: Parliament square, London UK
Mark your calendars!
Our campaign relies on donations from the the general public.
Whether you can give £1 or £1000, your support makes a huge difference. We are raising to help us mobilize massive #FreeAssange protests similar to our Human Chain or the Night Carnival event.
Help us raise money so we can fund Anything to Say protest on 24 June and to keep the#FreeAssange billboard outside Belmarsh prison where Julian Assange is currently imprisoned – Join our Crowdfunder
Kevin Gosztola will be in London to speak about his newly published book Guilty of Journalism, a carefully-documented analysis of the government’s case against Julian Assange and its implications for press freedom joined by Rebecca Vincent, the director of operations and campaigns for RSF. Vaughan Smith freelance video journalist and founded the Frontline Club in London will moderate the event.
The legal action against Julian Assange is poised to culminate in a trial in the United States in 2023, and this book will help the public understand the proceedings.
Date and Time 6 April 2023, 19:00pm
Location The Frontline Club 13 Norfolk Place London W2 1QJ
Kevin Gosztola accounts for the role of U.S. national security agencies in targeting Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. He describes what is known about the CIA and the FBI’s roles in the prosecution. Through several examples, he shows the extensive lengths that those in the shadow government have gone to instill paranoia and fear among those in Assange’s inner circle, who represent him publicly and legally, and those who campaign for his freedom.
Rebecca Vincent is the Director of Operations and Campaigns for Reporters sans frontières (RSF), which acts globally to defend the freedom, pluralism and independence of journalism. She is an American-British human rights campaigner and former diplomat with more than 17 years of professional experience. She has worked with a wide range of non-governmental organisations and coordinated many high profile international human rights campaigns. Rebecca has lived and worked in London, Paris, Washington, D.C., New York, and Baku, Azerbaijan. She holds an MA in Human Rights from University College London. She is a frequent commentator in the media and has published widely.
Vaughan Smith is a freelance cameraman and founder of Frontline News TV and Frontline Club Charitable Trust in London, Paddington.
Richard Burgon MP is hosting a special parliamentary screening of Ithaka, an award-winning new documentary on the fight to free Julian Assange.
There will be a follow up discussion with Julian’s wife Stella Assange.
When: 31 January, 7pm
Where: London Wilson Room, Portcullis House, House of Commons
Contact your MP to attend the screening and understand what is at stake in Julian Assange’s case. Ask your local representatives to take concerted action to defend the free press and Julian’s human rights, educate your neighbours, friends and coworkers, and join the world wide campaign in Julian’s defense.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has led a coalition of 16 organisations in urging the new UK Home Secretary to intervene in the US government’s request to extradite Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange.
You can do the same by emailing the Home Secretary Suella Braverman and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Stop the Extradition of Julian Assange.
The International Federation of Journalists calls on all media unions, press freedom organisations and journalists to urge governments to actively work to secure Assange’s release.
Fill in amodel letter created by IFJ and send it to US embassy in your country calling for the immediate release of Julian Assange. Encourage your members to do the same; the more, the better! #FreeAssangeNOW
The 5 Star delegation is pleased to invite you to the press conference “The Julian Assange case: Publishing is not a crime” that will take place on Tuesday December 13, from 17h00 to 17h30 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Daphne Caruana Galizia room – Weiss N-1/201.
Julian Assange is a finalist for the Sakharov Prize 2022, the European Union’s highest award in the field of human rights and freedom of thought. The WikiLeaks publisher partnered with world-leading newspapers to publish documents that evidenced war crimes, arbitrary detention, torture and judicial interference leaked by US private Chelsea Manning. Julian Assange remains imprisoned in the UK’s notorious Belmarsh high security prison while he fights United States extradition and a sentence of 175 years in prison. It was recently reported that he has lodged an application before the European Court of Human Rights.
Joint press conference by:
Tiziana Beghin, head of the 5 Star delegation in the EP Sabrina Pignedoli, 5 Star MEP, promotor of Assange’s candidature at the Sakharov Prize Antoine Vey, Julian Assange’s lawyer Stella Assange, Julian Assange’s wife The conference will be held in EN – IT with FR and ES live interpretation.
The Frontline Club, PEN International, and English PEN are delighted to invite you to an evening of reflection on how literature, journalism, and other forms of writing are both the target of censorship and a powerful tool for advocating for freedom of expression, and how global communities can maintain solidarity with those facing persecution.
ABOUT THE EVENT
A panel of writers and activists will discuss the cases of editor, publisher and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange; Belarusian pro-democracy activist, writer and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ales Bialiatski; British-Egyptian blogger and activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah; and the case of the 12 Eritrean journalists, writers, poets, and government critics detained without trial and held incommunicado since 2001. They will also explore the importance of solidarity and the ways in which people can offer meaningful practical and moral support to writers at risk.
With the generous participation of writer, editor, and journalist, Deepa Anappara, lawyer and human rights defender Stella Assange, writer and PEN Eritrea director Awet Fissehaye,writer, translator, and activist Hanna Komar and writer and activist Ahdaf Soueif. The evening will be moderated by PEN International board member and writer SalilTripathi and will close with readings of solidarity letters written by Siri Hustvedt and Ahdaf Soueif to imprisoned Iranian writer Narges Mohammadi, and a performance by Uyghur musician and activist Rahima Mahmut. This will be followed by a drinks reception in the Frontline Club bar.
Lawyer, human rights defender and campaigner Stella Assange will talk about the case of her imprisoned husband, editor, publisher and Wikealeaks founder Julian Assange
Hanna Komar- Belarusian poet, translator, and member of PEN Belarus (formerly imprisoned) will talk about her own experience of imprisonment, the situation in Belarus and the case of Ales Bialiatski, Belarusian pro-democracy activist, writer, prisoner of
Eritrean poet, writer and lyricist Awet Fissehaye will talk about freedom of expression in Eritrea and the case of the 12 Eritrean journalists, writers, poets, and government critics detained without trial and held incommunicado for 21 years.
Egyptian writer and activist AhdafSoueif (OR Sanaa OR Mona Seif- participation TBC yet) will talk aboutthe case ofBritish-Egyptian blogger and activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah
8.00- 8.20 pm: readings of solidarity letters to imprisoned Iranian writer Narges Mohammadi
Author and journalist, Deepa Anappara to read a letter of solidarity written by acclaimed writer Siri Hustvedt to Narges Mohammadi
Egyptian writer and activist AhdafSoueif to read her own solidarity letter to Narges Mohammadi
8:20 – 8:30pm:MUSIC TO CLOSE THE EVENT
Musician, activist and World Uyghur Congress UK Director Rahima Mahmut to sing a few of her songs
8:30pm onwards: DRINKS AND SOCIAL AT THE FRONTLINE CLUB BAR
After a successful #FreeAssange#HumanChain event last October we are going to take the streets of London for a Night Carnival in cooperation with the Wau Holland Foundation. Bring torches, lanterns, masks, drums, pots and pans!
Date and time
Saturday, February 11, 2023, 4:00 PM GMT
Assemble
Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2A 3LJ London, United Kingdom
The #NightCarnival is nearly upon us! Will you be marching to Parliament?
— Don't Extradite Assange – #FreeAssange (@DEAcampaign) January 28, 2023
Emmanuel Centre rally
At the end of the Night Carnival for Assange on Saturday 11 February there will be a rally in the Emmanuel Centre, Marsham Street, Westminster, SW1P 3DW. Speakers will include Stella Assange, Ben Westwood, Kristinn Hrafnsson, Richard Ratcliffe and Jeremy Corbyn..
The pressure on the UK Government to free Julian Assange is very high. Help us reach our goal as we ramp up campaigning efforts to #FreeAssangeNOW with Night Carnival.
Register for the launch of a new campaign in solidarity with Julian Assange, including a livestreamed screening of “Hacking Justice” + Q&A
Amnesty International UK 25 New Inn Yard London EC2A 3EA United Kingdom
Date and time
Tue, 11 October 2022, 18:00 – 20:30 BST
About the event
A new activist-led campaign on press freedom launches this month focusing on the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
For over a decade, the US government’s unrelenting pursuit of Julian Assange for publishing evidence of war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan has represented a full-scale assault on freedom of expression.
Amnesty is calling on the US to drop its extradition and all charges against Assange. The UK government must also release him from Belmarsh Prison immediately.
Join us for a screening the newly revised cut of “Hacking Justice” plus Q&A on Tuesday 11 October, 6-8.30pm. This event will also be livestreamed from the Human Rights Action Centre.
As head of Julian Assange’s legal team, Baltasar Garzón warns that the growing influence of intelligence services puts freedom of information, our right to know what our governments are doing, and democracy at risk.
With privileged access to Assange and Wikileaks for nine years, “Hacking Justice: Julian Assange” witnesses the struggle for the control of information, the role of the mass media and the difficult balance of individual rights and state security.
Thousands of people have now pledged to surround UK parliament on Oct 8th by forming a Human Chain. Supporters around the world are holding rallies in solidarity including in Washington DC, with a great line up of speakers like Ben & Jerry’s cofounder Ben Cohen, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges, EPA whistleblower Marsha Coleman-Adepayo, and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou and more, which is organized by US’s Assange Defense.
Check out Candles4Assange for actions around the world, find your city and join with your friends and family.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls on journalists unions, press freedom organisations and journalists to mobilise and express their solidarity.
The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) also back global mobilisation on October 8 to free Julian Assange
NUJ members will join others too by forming a human chain around the Houses of Parliament to demonstrate the opposition to the extradition of Julian Assange.
Get your organisation to take part of the Surround Parliament Human Chain.
Model Resolution for organisations, groups, and others to adopt
The national Surround Parliament demonstration on Saturday 8 October is fast approaching. We need the largest possible turnout so we are asking you if you are a member of a trade union or trades council, or political party, campaign or a community organisation or NGO, or a tenant’s group, or church, mosque, synagogue, or any other place of worship, take this model resolution and get your organisation to adopt it. That way the email lists, websites, social media feeds, and organising capacity of your group can help us mobilise.
This Model Resolution notes:
The imprisonment of Julian Assange in Belmarsh high security prison.
The attempt by the US government to extradite Julian Assange for revealing the truth about the Iraq and Afghan wars, and about Guantanamo bay.
The US government attempt to use the 1917 espionage act in order if convicted to imprison Assange for a 175 year sentence.
This organisation believes:
That a free press is essential to the proper working of a democratic society.
That Julian Assange revealed material that was wholly in the public interest.
The Julian Assange should not be extradited to the US and the charges against him should be dropped.
This organisation resolves:
To affiliate to the Don’t Extradite Assange campaign.
To support the ‘Surround Parliament’ national demonstration on Saturday 8 October in support of Julian Assange.
To publicise this event to our members and supporters and to encourage them to attend.
Where possible to assist with transport to the protest.
To send the banner of our organisation where such exists
Stella Assange: Courage calls to Courage everywhere. Surround Parliament Oct 8 – form a human chain
‘Julian is fighting for his life – his life depends on not being extradited to the United States.
This is a political case, it can be stopped here and it must be stopped here.
So on the 8th of October, come to London to show your solidarity, come help free Julian Assange.
Thank you for your support‘ – Stella Assange
Please join us in London on Saturday, 8th October in front of Parliament at 1pm to form a Human Chain to demand Julian Assange’s freedom.
Will you be part of the human chain to free Assange? We need your help to be part of this huge protest in support of Julian Assange and a free press. Please do sign up to pledge that you’ll be at Parliament to be part of the chain of support that will go from the front of parliament over Westminster bridge, along the south bank of the Thames and back over Lambeth bridge. Please be a link in the solidarity chain. Sign up here:
Priti Patel must make the right choice. She must save Free Speech and Press Freedom. She must Free Assange. Priti Patel, Don’t Extradite Assange!
Julian Assange’s defence is providing it’s final arguments to Priti Patel on May 17th. Anytime after this date up to May 31st she has to make a decision whether or not to extradite Julian Assange to the United States.
Assange is charged with Political offences under the so-called Espionage Act merely for receiving and publishing documents that revealed US war crimes. Julian Assange is not charged with hacking into computers. Assange’s charges are only in relation to WikiLeaks publications from 2010-2011. Extraditing Julian Assange would represent a massive threat to Free Speech and Press Freedom globally.
The US-UK extradition treaty clearly states “Extradition shall not be granted if the offense for which extradition is requested is a political offense”
Judge Baraitser previously ruled “it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America”
Please join us on Tuesday, 17th May at 6pm outside the Home Office on 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF in Protest to Priti Patel.
The documentary “Hacking Justice: Julian Assange” has been broadcast on several European television outlets and shown at Film Festivals around the world.
Q&A with: Julian Assange’s wife Stella Assange, UK Member of Parliament Apsana Begum and the film director Clara López Rubio.
The future of Julian Assange — and of investigative journalism — is now being decided by the British Home Secretary. If the WikiLeaks founder is extradited to the United States, he will face a sentence of up to 175 years for publishing US war crimes including torture, murder and human rights abuses.
For his lawyer, Baltasar Garzón, the pioneer of Universal Justice, much more is at stake than the freedom of an independent journalist and publisher. As head of Assange’s legal team, Garzón warns that the growing influence of intelligence services puts freedom of information, our right to know what our governments are doing, and democracy at risk.
On Friday 22nd April at 7:30pm CET Christophe Marchand and Dr Deepa Driver and Roger Waters will speak at a lecture about the case of Julian Assange, organized by the EU Free Assange campaign. This university lecture discussion aims to introduce the “EU Free Assange Concert/Rally” taking place on 23rd April 2022 in Brussels. A call to action so the people of Europe can voice their support for freeing Julian Assange, as well as a reminder that it is our leaders who are increasingly put on trial by this historical case.
Location
50 Avenue Franklin Roosevelt, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Support the EU Free Assange Rally in Brussels, check out the fundraiser here.
EU Free Assange Concert/Rally
Free Assange Wave is organizing a gathering and concert outside the EU Parliament to call on EU institutions to take a clear stand to call on Freeing Julian Assange.
This Rally in Brussels on 23 April 2022 will bring together politicians and artists in support of Julian Assange and activists and friends of press freedom. If you would like to participate in the event as a journalist or NGO please contact us.
The world famous ´Chicks on Speed´ music Ensemble will be giving an Open-Air Concert, bringing with them their many fans to join the Free Assange movement, which is growing every day! This together with a fantastic film crew of the band including Prof. Florian Schneider (Film director for Arte & Kein Mensch ist Illegal), Joen Vedel & Mohammad Bayesteh (Camera men) who will live stream the Concert & Speeches through numerous channels across the globe.
Prominent speakers such as Nils Melzer (UN Special Rapporteur on Torture), Anthony Bellanger (International Federation of Journalists), Ögmund Jönasson (former Icelandic Minister of Justice and Human Rights) & Dr Deepa Driver (ICMA Centre) will make the voice of Europeans´ outrage clearly heard on stage between songs especially composed for Julian, as we face the Extradition of the Award-Winning Journalist for Peace, to the State that threatened to murder him.
Location
Place de la Monnaie, 1000 Bruselles, Belgium
Date & Time
Saturday, April 23, 2022, 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM CEST
Find the details for the Open Air Concert here. Register here.
Hacking Justice – Documentary Film Screening
The documentary “Hacking Justice: Julian Assange” has been broadcast on several European television outlets and shown at Film Festivals around the world.
The screening will follow with live discussion and Q&A with film’s director Clara Lopez, Deepa Driver and Davide Dormino.
Date & Time: Sat, April 23, 2022, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM CEST
Location: Cinéma Vendôme, 18 Chaussée de Wavre, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium
The documentary “Hacking Justice: Julian Assange” has been broadcast on several European television outlets and shown at Film Festivals around the world.
Hosted by SOAS ICOP – an innovative front-line project addressing the democratic deficit between UK universities and UK politics.
The screening will follow with live discussion of invited guests, musician and artist Brian Eno, journalist Peter Oborne and the director of the film Clara López Rubio.
The future of Julian Assange — and of investigative journalism — is now being decided in the British Courts. If the WikiLeaks founder is extradited to the United States, he will face a sentence of up to 175 years for publishing US war crimes including torture, murder and other human rights abuses.
For his lawyer, Baltasar Garzón, the pioneer of Universal Justice, much more is at stake than the freedom of an independent journalist and publisher. As head of Assange’s legal team, Garzón warns that the growing influence of intelligence services puts freedom of information, our right to know what our governments are doing, and democracy at risk.
With privileged access to Assange and Wikileaks for nine years, “Hacking Justice: Julian Assange” follows the controversial characters united against the world’s most powerful state in a standoff which is not over yet.
Sponsor a park bench or similar in your local context in honour of their wedding
Put up Free Assange posters in your local café or business
Write to your MP or local government officials
What should I wear?
Please dress as if you were going to any other wedding. There is no formal dress code but there may be photo opportunities with the bride.
Can I bring a card?
Yes you may bring wedding cards for Julian and Stella and/or gifts of cash to the wedding If writing cheques, make your cheque payable to “DEA Campaign”
Can I bring flowers?
Yes you may bring flowers to help decorate outside of Belmarsh for the wedding. Please note that the bride may not have the space to be able to bring flowers & large gifts home with her after the wedding.
We invite you to join us in Oslo Norway on March 17th at 19:30 local time for a SetJulianFree.org event in cooperation with Norwegian PEN, Kulturkirken Jakob, and the Don’t Extradite Assange campaign.
This online panel aims to introduce the “EU Free Assange Concert/Rally” taking place on 23rd April 2022 in Brussels. A call to action so the people of Europe can voice their support for freeing Julian Assange, as well as a reminder that it is our leaders who are increasingly put on trial by this historical case.
In collaboration with DEA Campaign, the EU Free Assange campaign are hosting a promotional event where speakers invited can give a taster of the main event & encourage people to attend #FreeAssange Brussels rally.
Moderated by: John Rees – national officer of the Stop the War Coalition, National Co-ordinator for Don’t Extradite Assange campaign;
Featuring: Ernest Sagaga – Human Rights and Safety at International Federation of Journalists; Jeremy Corbyn – member of Parliament of the United Kingdom; Dr. Deepa Driver – member of the National Executive Committee of UCU (University and College Union) Stelios Kouloglou – journalist, Member of the European Parliament – GUE/NGL Ögmundur Jónasson – Member of Parliament in Iceland, former Interior Minister
On 22nd April 7.30pm (CET) a lecture will be given at the Free University ULB Brussels by Dr Deepa Driver & Christophe Marchand on: Europe, Justice & Press Freedom: The Case of Julian Assange.
NUJ Manchester & Salford branch’s expert panel of speakers, to hear about the latest developments in Julian Assange’s case and find out what you can do to support him.
Chaired by: Professor Chris Frost, of the NUJ’s Ethics Committee
with: Stella Moris, Julian Assange’s partner Tim Dawson, executive Member, the National Union of Journalists of Britain and Ireland Mohamed Elmaazi, journalist, editor Ian Hodson, elected president of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU)
Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Professor of International Law at Glasgow University and Human Rights Chair at the Geneva Academy started his investigation into how the US and UK governments were working to ensure a conviction. His findings are explosive, revealing that Julian Assange has faced grave and systematic persecution, due process violations, judicial bias, collusion and manipulated evidence.
Melzer’s expert and compelling investigation puts the UK state into the dock, showing how, through secrecy, impunity and – crucially – public indifference, unchecked power reveals a deeply undemocratic system. Furthermore, the Assange case sets a dangerous precedent: once telling the truth becomes a crime, censorship and tyranny inevitably follow.
Watch FPA’s press briefing with Nils Melzer from Friday 18th February, where he explains what he has discovered and why this is important now.
On January 24 the UK’s High Court announced that it has certified a point of law for Julian Assange to be able to apply to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The decision comes after Assange raised three points of law of general public importance that have an impact on the procedural and human rights safeguards of a wide range of other types of cases. However it’s still up to the Supreme Court to decide whether it will review the case.
This Friday we will hear responses from Stella Moris, Julian Assange’s partner, Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief. Moderating will be Suzie Gilbert, filmmaker.
When: 6:30pm GMT, Jan 28, 2022
For our Twitter, Facebook and YouTube livestream tune in here: linktr.ee/DEAcampaign
This interview is part of the #FreeTheTruth event series. In this interview, journalist Bjartmar Alexandersson, who revealed how the FBI’s case against Julian Assange is based on a pack of lies. Alexandersson conducted over 9 hours of recorded interviews with Sigurdur Thordarson – the prosecution’s star witness – who admits he lied .
On May 3rd, World Press Day, eleven distinguished writers will be heard in defence of Julian Assange. Assange is still being held in Belmarsh prison, as he awaits an appeal from the US government against Westminster Magistrates Court’s earlier refusal to extradite him. His only ‘crime’ is to have revealed the truth of US and UK war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq.
These eleven voices represent the eleven years since WikiLeaks released filmed footage of the killing of Iraqi civilians on a pavement in Baghdad by a US gunship. One of the participants, Marina Warner says:
The main principle of uncovering truth needs to be defended and the rights of prisoners who have not been charged or tried are in urgent need of defence. Marina Warner DBE
The event will be introduced by world famous musician Brian Eno and he and Marina Warner will be joined by A.L. Kennedy, Charles Harris, Jan Woolf, Matt Devereaux, Richard Bradbury, Robert Ilson, George Szirtes, Michael Rosen, and actors Zoe Aaronson and Gilles Madan reading Adrian Mitchell’s great poem ‘To Whom it May Concern’.
Organiser Jan Woolf says, ‘Writers aren’t moralists, but their work carries moral weight. These writers are representing so many others who would have taken part. All realise that the case of Julian Assange represents the freedom of investigative journalism and a refusal to cover up war crimes. One day Julian Assange will universally be hailed as a hero.
‘This is an important statement from some of the UK’s leading writers on World Press Day. This country prides itself on a free press, but it cannot avoid the charge of hypocrisy while it holds Julian Assange in jail.’
Live-streamed May 3, 6pm BST on Don’t Extradite Assange campaign Twitter, Facebook and YouTube channels. – https://linktr.ee/DEAcampaign
Julian Assange is facing a 175 year sentence for publishing US government documents revealing evidence of war crimes and human rights abuses. The publication of these public interest releases were the result of collaboration between WikiLeaks and multiple news organizations including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Der Spiegel, Le Monde and many others. The politically motivated decision to prosecute is unprecedented and would set a chilling precedent for every journalist and publisher in the world.
Despite a 4 January 2021 UK Magistrates Court ruling that his extradition would be oppressive and must be stopped, Assange continues to be denied bail and remains in detention. He has been detained in one form or another for over 10 years – either under house arrest, seven years while under political asylum in London’s Ecuadorian embassy, or for the past two years in Belmarsh Maximum security prison.
Due to Covid restrictions Assange has been unable to receive any visitors for more than a year, including his fiancee and two young children. Communication with his lawyers has been difficult and Assange’s ability to prepare for the US appeal against him severely hampered.
There has been mounting pressure on the US Department of Justice to distance itself from the Trump-era prosecution of Julian and drop the charges entirely. The proceedings against Mr. Assange “jeopardizing journalism that is crucial to democracy.”
This international public symposium of parliamentarians and legislators will discuss and examine the issues at stake in the Julian Assange case. The event will also be live-streamed by the Don’t Extradite Assange campaign on their YouTube, Twitter and Facebook channels.
All major Human Rights and Free Press Organizations have opposed Assange’s extradition including Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders, Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch and many more. Newspaper Editorial boards including The Guardian, New York Times, El, Pais, Der Speigel, Le Monde, as well as major Journalist Unions including the UK’s NUJ and Australia’s MEAA have voiced their strong opposition to the proceeding against Assange and the threat it posses to Journalism and the Free Press.
Saturday 17 April 12pm noon BST (UK time).
Programme:
Session 1. Briefing on the Julian Assange case with UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer and Stella Moris, Julian Assange’s partner. Chaired by Richard Burgon MP. Followed by questions and contributions.
Session 2. Country Reports: A chance for attendees to discuss the situation in their countries.
Session 3. How to take the campaign forward. With former Nobel prize winner Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, German Member of Parliament Sevim Dagdelen and UK MP Richard Burgon – with questions and contributions from attendees.
UK Magistrates Court issued a ruling blocking the US government’s request to extradite Julian Assange. The court ruled that extraditing him would be unsafe and it accepted that the evidence showed a high likelihood that Julian would die if the UK decided to extradite him.
The extradition is an attempt to criminalise journalism, not just in the US but in the UK and the rest of the world as well; and that the decision to indict Julian was a political act, a violation of the treaty, a violation of his human rights.
With the growing support of politicians around the world, press freedom, civil liberties, and international human rights advocacy organizations raising awareness of the Assange indictment we discussed the steps we can take to save Julian Assange and with that press freedom and investigative journalism.
Speakers:
John Kiriakou, CIA torture whistleblower
Clare Daly, Member of the European Parliament
Peter Oborne, British author, The Assault on Truth
District Judge Vanessa Baraitser has blocked Julian Assange’s extradition! While her ruling adopted the U.S. government’s extremely dangerous arguments undermining press freedom, the judge found that because U.S. prison conditions are so deleterious, it would be unjust and oppressive to extradite Julian. Almost immediately the lawyers representing the U.S. announced their intent to appeal that decision.
Two days later, the same lower courtjudge denied Assange’s bail application, meaning he will remain in the freezing cold, COVID-infected maximum-security HMP Belmarsh prison in London as he waits for the appeal process to unfold. That process could take weeks, months, or longer if the U.S. refuses to drop the case altogether.
Online meeting hosted by Bristol branch of Don’t Extradite Assange campaign
An online discussion with David Davis Conservative Member of Parliament, Rebecca Vincent – International Campaigns manager of RSF, Richard Burgon Secretary of the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs, Kristinn Hrafnsson – editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, and Craig Murray – former UK Diplomat, on 4th January at 4pm GMT after the verdict of Julian Assange’s extradition hearing.
10 years ago on 28 November 2010 WikiLeaks started publishing over 250 000 US diplomatic cables known as Cablegate along with Der Spiegel, El Pais, Le Monde the Guardian.
It has transformed journalism in the digital age. The cables have contributed significantly to public and political conversations all around the world, they became valuable reference resource to researchers, universities, investigative journalists, human rights advocates and lawyers.
The Cables also revealed that governments overclassified information and kept secrets that should have been subject to public scrutiny and debate and have genuinely revolutionized our understanding of political reality.
In recognition, a year later Julian Assange won Walkley Award, Australian equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, for “the Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism, courageous and controversial commitment to the finest traditions of journalism: justice through transparency, applied new technology to penetrate the inner workings of government to reveal an avalanche of inconvenient truths in a global publishing coup.”
Julian Assange has been charged by the Trump administration for publications of these cables, Iraq War logs and Afghan War logs which exposed war crimes and human rights abuses — for which he now faces a 175 year prison sentence.
To mark 10 years of the release Don’t Extradite Assange hosted an online discussion chaired by John Rees, on the panel Alison Broinowski former Australian diplomat, academic, journalist and Craig Murray former British diplomat, human rights campaigner, whistleblower and Hans-Christof von Sponeck former UN Assistant Secretary-General and UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq.
The Iraq war is the defining military conflict of the 21st century.
Almost 10 years ago WikiLeaks published the Iraq War Logs along with The New York Times, The Guardian, El Pais, Washington Post and other news outlets.
The Iraq War logs showed the true numbers of civilian deaths in Iraq, at least 15,000 more people had died than previously thought, as well as the abuse and torture of prisoners by police and military in full knowledge of coalition forces. This also resulted in creating the Iraq Body Count project.
The Guardian at the time stated “The US figures appear to be unreliable in respect of civilian deaths caused by their own military activities.”
WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange remains held at a maximum security prison in London in relation to a US extradition request – he faces a sentence of 175 years for publishing truthful information in the public interest which include the Iraq War Logs.
Don’t Extradite Assange campaign organized an online panel with investigative journalists Iain Overton and Chris Woods to discuss the impact of their release.
Organized by Courage Foundation an online panel of experts to examine what Julian Assange would endure and be up against if the United Kingdom extradites him to the U.S., from pre- and potentially post-trial prison conditions, the lack of a public interest defense under the Espionage Act, and the extremely high rate of convictions in U.S. federal courts.
Barry Pollack, Julian Assange’s attorney in the U.S.
Jeffrey Sterling, CIA whistleblower who was convicted under the Espionage Act
Lauri Love, U.K. activist who successfully defeated an extradition request from the United States
Moderated by Kevin Gosztola, independent U.S. journalist at Shadowproof.com who has covered Chelsea Manning’s military court martial and Julian Assange’s extradition proceedings thus far.
On the 10th year anniversary of the release of the Afghan War logs former soldier Joe Glenton, jailed for refusing to fight in Afghanistan, and WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson will discuss the effects of that war and the importance of the freedom of the press, moderated by Labour MP Claudia Webbe.
Afghan War logs reveal torture, evidence of human rights violations and extrajudicial killings that involve abundant and compelling evidence of war crimes committed by US and coalition forces in Afghanistan. This is one of the reasons why Julian Assange has been indicted for by releasing these documents by WikiLeaks. You can watch from 2010 Amnesty International’s reaction to US military files released by WikiLeaks here.
Official launch of a film about the state torture on Assange, written, produced and directed by John Furse. A a film that will confound viewers just as the UN Special Rapporteur was confounded when he discovered the truth behind the headlines. This revelatory film shows how WikiLeaks founder Assange is a victim of prolonged psychological torture, an abuse of human rights and international law recognised and classified by the United Nations (UN).
We discover how a sustained assault on his credibility as a journalist and publisher and a deliberate enterprise to break his psychological and physical health has developed.
Follow up discussion with Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and John Furse, moderated by Rebecca Vincent from Reporters Without Borders.
For the 10th year anniversary of WikiLeaks releasing Collateral Murder video, we commemorated this event with an online panel which you can watch here: Collateral Murder – 10 Years On The video shows how two Apache helicopters murdered 11 Iraqi people including two Rueters journalists. This is one of the publications Julian Assange is being indicted for espionage. He faces 175 years in a US jail if extradited from the UK. We are doing a special follow up broadcast with WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, Assange’s lawyer Jen Robinson, Iraqi Democrat Sami Ramadani and special guest Dean Yates Former Reuters journalist, who was in charge of the bureau in Baghdad when his Iraqi colleagues Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh were killed in July 12 2007. You can read his story here.
Julian Assange has been subjected to psychological torture. That is the conclusion of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. But it is not the only medical issue in a case where the defendant is held in a prison where two inmates have died of coronavirus.
Three doctors who have been campaigning over the treatment of Julian Assange. Dr Lissa Johnson – Psychologist and New Matilda columnist, Dr Derek Summerfield – Honorary senior lecturer at London’s Institute of Psychiatry and Dr Bob Gill – NHS doctor and producer of The Great NHS Heist discuss these vital concerns.
All three speakers are members of Doctors for Assange who have written both to the Australian and the British governments to voice their serious concerns about the health of Julian Assange and to condemn the violations of his right to be free from torture, right to health, and right to doctor-patient confidentiality.
If you would like to join the signatories and you are a Medical Professional you can sign it here: https://doctorsassange.org/
The UK’s already overcrowded prison system has been thrown into crisis by the outbreak of Covid 19. Prisoners and staff have suffered a high infection and death rate. The government at first promised an early release programme to reduce overcrowding, but then quickly abandoned it. What is happening in our prisons? Why haven’t even remand prisoners who are convicted of no crime, like Julian Assange, been released on bail? These pressing questions were discussed by the following experts: Richard Garside – Director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Faith Spear – Criminologist and Former Prison Monitor, Steve Gillan – General Secretary of the Prison Officers’ Association.
The Treaty under which the United States is seeking to extradite Julian Assange has been widely condemned, even by Boris Johnson, as unbalanced. Some 200 UK citizens have been extradited from Britain to the US. Only 11 Americans have been extradited to the UK. Our panel will ask if the Extradition Treaty is fit for purpose. On the panel – David Davis MP, British Conservative Party politician with Radd Seiger legal advisor for Harry Dunn family, moderated by Baronnes Helena Kennedy QC, Scottish barrister and Labour member of the House of Lords.
A chance to learn first-hand from some of whistleblowers who have shaped what we know about modern politics, the importance of free speech, a free press, and the case of Julian Assange. With, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, Katharine Gun who revealed Iraq War secrets from GCHQ and former CIA officer John Kiriakou who confirmed that waterboarding was used to interrogate al-Qaeda prisoners.
Discussion between journalists about Julian’s current situation in prison and how his persecution affects journalism and the democracy. On the panel: John Pilger – award winning journalist, Stefania Maurizi– investigative journalist, Charles Glass – author, journalist, broadcaster
The cockpit video of an Apache helicopter shooting journalists and Iraqi civilians became one of the greatest journalistic coups of this century when it was released 10 years ago. Ann Wright – retired United States Army colonel and retired U.S. State Department official, Kristinn Hrafnsson – editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, and columnist and essayist Nozomi Hayase discussed the global political impact of that revelation, with a new video presentation that interviews the families of the Iraqis who lost their relatives in the attack.
First major protest march to Parliament Squaren in support of Assange was lead by Roger Waters of Pink Floyd and Greek MP Yanis Varoufakis.They were joined in their call not to extradite Julian Assange by Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, John Shipton (Julian Assange’s father), musician Brian Eno, rapper and activist Lowkey, Kristinn Hrafnsson from WikiLeaks, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, Tariq Ali writer and activist, and Tim Dawson from the National Union of Journalists. The march was from Australia House to Parliament Square.
Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell spoke at a public rally in central London joined by former Shadow Secretary of state Richard Burgon as well as Tim Dawson an executive of the National Union of Journalists, Nils Melzer the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Kristinn Hrafnsson editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, Jen Robinson from Julian Assange’s legal team, and activist and writer Tariq Ali.
World famous artist MIA, Croatian philosopher, author and political activist Srećko Horvat, and British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, joined Julian Assange’s father John Shipton with this protest to halt the extradition case against Julian Assange.
World famous musician Roger Waters, the co-founder of Pink Floyd performed the band’s classic ‘Wish You Were Here’ after speaking about the importance of empathizing with Julian and defending him. John Pilger, filmmaker and journalist, opened the event with an impassioned speech before calling on Julian’s brother Gabriel Shipton and Roger Waters to the stage.
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