8 and 9 March 2023, Greece

The screening of “Ithaca – The battle for the release of Julian Assange” kicked off at the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival ini crowded room, including the Secretary of MeRA25 Yanis Varoufakis.

Following the screening at the documentary festival Amnesty International awarded the film as the best documentary in the “Human Rights” section, with the aim of highlighting human rights violations, as well as raising awareness of the public and its participation in its work and action for a better world with justice and without discrimination.

“Ithaka: A Fight to Free Julian Assange by Ben Lawrence is an attempt to amplify the voices and stories of Assange’s loved ones who live without the ability to communicate with him, as he is held in the maximum-security prison of Belmarsh by the British authorities.”

The Trianon cinema in Athens was packed for the screening of Ithaka documentary, organized by MeRA25 in collaboration with meta and DiEM25 with the presence of its secretary Yanis Varoufakis and Assange’s partner, Stella Assange.

Yanis addressed the audience stressing that there is no greater fighter for truth, transparency and non-disguise than Julian Assange, who is being pushed to his death every day by the American intelligence services.

Stella pointed out that those who govern use the laws to control society, but in no way intend to respect them themselves. “The mistake Julian made was to believe that the rules and laws apply to everyone.”

With special thanks for organizing – https://metacpc.org/en/

7 March 2023 Rome, Italy

The Faculty of Political Science of the Sapienza University of Rome was packed with students addressed by Stella Assange, MEP Sabrina Pignedoli, Prof. Maria Cristina Marchetti and Prof. Alessandro Guerra.

Chaired by journalist Riccardo Iacona, who hosts the popular TV series Presa Diretta, emphasized how much the Assange case “touches us all, touches the core of European values”. Julian’s extradition would be “a setback for our democracy; indeed, it would call it into question.”

Stella pointed out to the political science students, “this detention, now lasting four years, is completely arbitrary, as were arbitrary the previous seven years of forced confinement in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London – and this is not my opinion, but the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.”

Read the whole article here.

The second meeting in the Parliamentary Groups Hall was packed to hear Stella explain how Julian’s relentless judicial persecution is, in fact, “an attack on freedom of the press.“

“Is a political case, not a legal one; the solution therefore must be political. The UK has got Julian; the US wants to get him; between the two, Europe must intervene to say enough is enough and to save him. Each of you opinion makers can contribute to his release by making your voices heard… now.”

Promoted by the European Parliamentarian Sabrina Pignedoli with the collaboration of the Italian Parliamentarian Stefania Ascari it brought together, alongside Stella, the President of the National Order of Journalists, Carlo Bartoli, the popular journalist and former Parliamentarian Alessandro Di Battista, and Maddalena Oliva, deputy editor of the widely-read daily Il Fatto Quotidiano.

Read the whole article here.

Later on Stella Assange attended an event in Sala Borsa in Bologna on freedom of information alongside Sabrina Pignedoli, Steania Ascari moderated by journalist Luca Ponzi.

The latest expression of support for Assange was the 2,000 strong Night Carnival protest in London. The carnival was led by Lady Justice followed by artists and campaigners dressed in costumes carrying lanterns, placards, flags including samba bands marching along the crowd.

Symbolically it began at Lincoln’s Inn Field. Famously, this is the place where Charles Dickens novel Bleak House pictured the legal fog which kept cases going for years being at its thickest and most lethal.

The carnival aimed to shine a lot through this fog and illuminate Julian Assange’s case. Its slogan was ‘Light into Darkness’, using the age-old subversive nature of carnival to shine a light on this very dark corner of the political and legal system.

The carnival concluded with an indoor rally at the Emanuel Centre with various speakers supporting Assange. Ben Westwood, son of legendary fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, opened the rally expressing the importance of facts for a functioning democracy with words “The world needs Julian.” Ben brought a scarf made by Vivienne Westwood, the text bulletpoints the violations and injustices against Julian.

Jeremy Corbyn spoke second at the rally explaining the work and importance of campaigning for Assange: “Julian spoke out for the innocent victims all around the world of unaccountable military power”

“It’s a reminder that in the midst of all that cruelty, there is a world of kindness that does believe in justice” We heard an incredibly moving story from Richard Ratcliffe, husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was reunited with her family after six years in detention in Iranian jail.

Kristinn Hrafnsson was one of the many speakers at The Emmanuel Centre where people rallied together in defence of the freedom of Julian Assange.

“So much for this to just be a legal case. It’s a political persecution! You have it in black and white. You have it admitted by the former Secretary of State”

Kristinn Hrafnsson

Julian Assange’s wife Stella Assange ended the rally speaking about the unjust imprisonment and incarceration of her husband.

“Julian’s imprisonment is an attempt to punish the messenger for uncomfortable truths”

Stella Assange

In other news, Andrew Cockburn has written a feature piece ‘Alternative Facts’ stating how the media ignored or misrepresented “key information about Julian Assange’s plight”.

You can read the whole article in Harpers: https://harpers.org/archive/2023/03/alternative-facts-how-the-media-failed-julian-assange/

The Belmarsh Tribunal will convene in Sydney, Australia on 4 March with range of expert witnesses – from constitutional lawyers, to acclaimed journalists, parliamentarians and human rights defenders. The Sydney chapter of the Tribunal will add a uniquely Australian voice to the global demand to free Julian Assange.

Some of appearing will include Stella Assange, John Kiriakou, Jennifer Robinson, Yanis Varoufakis, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Mary Kostakidis and many more hosted by the Progressive International.

To find out more follow this link: https://act.progressive.international/belmarsh-tribunal-sydney/

Théâtre National de Strasbourg and the TJP – Centre Dramatique National de Strasbourg Grand-Est brought together the Assange Odysseia, created by Sahra Datoussaid and Sarah Siré.

Inspired by the narrative form of Homer’s Odyssey, Assange Odysseia tells the story of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks and, with the help of witnesses, experts as well as political and cultural figures, sheds light on facts and events that are little known by the general public.

“It is a challenge to go beyond the strictly political and/or legal framework in order to do artistic work which is, moreover, in phase with current events. The difficulty is to deal with a situation that is taking place in the present time and whose political and judicial outcome is not yet known. Creating a Forum for Theatre seemed to us the most obvious
solution.”

Through this forum the play reconstructs the last twelve years’ journey: from the journalistic and political project of WikiLeaks with Collateral Murder to the judicial persecution of its editor Julian Assange, via the denunciation of the psychological torture of Assange by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer, to the observation of amalaise in our democracies.

“At the crossroads of documentary theatre and the Court of Opinion, our Forum attempts to open a public debate through a device where witnesses and experts are invited to share their expertise and testimony with the public, who are invited to actively participate in the process of rigorous investigation”

The performer of the play: Stella Assange, wife of Julian Assange, Françoise Tulkens, judge at the European Court of Human Rights from 1998 to 2012, Rafael Correa, president of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017, Denis Robert, Laurent Dauré and Stefania Maurizi, investigative journalists, Jennifer Robinson and Baltasar Garzon, lawyers for Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, Geoffroy de Lagasnerie, philosopher and sociologist, Mohamedou Ould Slahi, author of The Guantanamo Diaries, lawyers Julien Pieret, Annemie Schaus and Diane Bernard, philosopher of law.

Watch in English

Watch in French

Julian Assange’s wife Stella was speaking at the European Parliament Press Seminar on the Sakharov Prize on Tuesday 14 December for which the publisher was nominated as a finalist.

Julian Assange was selected as one of three finalists for the prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, awarded each year by the European Union Parliament. More than 40 MEPs nominated Julian Assange for this year’s Sakharov Prize long list. Julian Assange’s wife Stella Assange addressed a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, October 11th, in which she made the case for Julian Assange winning the award.

MEP Sabrina Pignedoli and the 5 Star Movement officially presented the candidacy in the first phase of the selection for the Sakharov Prize, the highest recognition awarded by the Eurochamber to those who stand out in the battle for respect for human rights.

The President of the International Federation of Journalists and other MEPs have called on the President of the EU Parliament to work to ensure that Julian Assange can attend the Sakharov Prize ceremony as a nominee.

However Belmarsh prison authorities have refused permission for Assange to participate via video link in meetings and press conferences during the plenary of the European Parliament. Julian Assange’s wife, Stella, attended the European Union’s Sakharov Prize ceremony on his behalf, following an invitation by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

Members of the European Parliament and press freedom groups co-signed an open letter to the US President Joe Biden asking him to pardon Julian Assange.

“For over a decade, Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have been at the forefront of investigative journalism, publishing information that has revealed significant abuses of power and corruption at the highest levels of powerful institutions. In doing so, he has been part of the institution of a free press essential to any democracy.”

Press Conference With Stella Assange, Julian Assange’s Wife on 13 December the European Parliament in Strasbourg

The 5 Star delegation’s press conference “The Julian Assange case: Publishing is not a crime” took place on Tuesday December 13 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Daphne Caruana Galizia room.

Joint press conference by:

Moderated by Davide D’Antoni, 5 Star press officer

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.
Virginie Lemarié, Julian Assange’s lawyer
Stella Assange, Julian Assange’s wife

The Commission on Human Rights and Participative Legislation (CDH) of the Federal Senate of Brazil has held an interactive public hearing to shed light at the numerous cases of attacks and threats to the work of journalists in Brazil and around the world, including the Julian Assange case. The hearing was held at the initiative of Senator Humberto Costa (PT-PE), who presided over the Panel. It was convened as a part of Wikileaks Latin American tour. Wikileaks representatives Kristinn Hrafnsson and Joseph Farrell previously met with Presidents of Colombia, Brazil and Argentina, as well as with numerous legislators, policy makers and representatives of media freedom organizations.

“It is ironic that the accusers are precisely the ones who were unmasked,” said Carol Proner, a professor of international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Assange’s case itself brings to light the “crimes committed” by US security forces, said the lawyer during the hearing.

The editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, Kristinn Hrafnsson highlighted that the possible extradition of Assange “will send a signal that any journalist who ventures to expose the secrets of the powerful will be punished”.

The Commission has deliberated that it will produce a note to be sent to the US, UK and Australian Embassies and form a delegation to go to Washington. It also mentioned that the Brazilian President-elect Lula da Silva has endorsed WikiLeaks and stated that defending the freedom of Julian Assange will be part of government policy.

After the meetings with President of Colombia Gustavo Petro and President-elect of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Wikileaks Editor-In-Chief, Kristinn Hrafnsson, and Joseph Farrell, WikiLeaks Ambassador were received by President of Argentina Alberto Fernández.

They discussed Julian Assange’s plight and the ongoing extradition battle. After the meeting Hrafnsson stated that “the President told us that he would support our mission”, adding that “it is extremely positive to receive such a clear signal of support from the country’s highest authority”.

Hrafnsson stressed that “it is not just about a man or a life, it is about a much greater interest: it is the freedom of the press in the world that is at stake” and concluded by saying: “That is the position of the main human rights organizations in the world that have taken an interest in the case and for this reason the leaders have joined so strongly”.

Hrafnsson and Farrell also met with the Vice President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. “In these meetings we have seen absolute support,” Hrafnsson said, adding that “this is revenge against an individual, an award-winning journalist, for exposing the dark secrets of the empire.”

The Almudena Grandes Award for freedom of expression was collected by the imprisoned journalist’s wife, Stella Assange, and was delivered by the director of El País, Pepa Bueno. “Julian is a political prisoner. The right to truth is a fundamental right. The United States has turned journalism into a criminal activity,” she stressed about Washington’s obsession with extraditing her husband to stand trial there. She celebrated, in any case, that Julian Assange is “surrounded by friends who do not stop fighting for him until he is free.”

Poet Luis García Montero, director of the Cervantes Institute and columnist for infoLibre, spoke on a large screen that dominated the stage. “We live in a world in which it is increasingly essential to defend the independence of journalism. We cannot commit ourselves to being in possession of the truth, but we can commit ourselves not to lie,” concluded and thanked the Almudena Grandes Award for the defense of the right to information, awarded to Julian Assange.

The infoLibre Awards celebrate the pride of journalism without fear in the face of noise and uncertainty.

“You cannot send anyone to a country that has planned their assassination” – Álvaro Sánchez’s interview with Stella Assange. Read it here.

Lugano’s Plan ₿ Forum is the premier Bitcoin conference hosted by Tether Operations Limited and the City of Lugano in Switzerland.

The Forum featured blockchain industry leaders along with influential experts in global financial markets and the Bitcoin ecosystem at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Lugano on October 28th and 29th 2022

The list of speakers to discuss how Bitcoin is disrupting the world on both social and economic levels as well as the important topic of individual freedoms was also joined by Stella Assange, lawyer and wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange; Gabriel Shipton, film producer and brother of Julian Assange and John Shipton, father of Julian.

They participated in a fireside chat with journalist and podcast host Peter McCormack, a leading voice in the Bitcoin community, and share their experiences advocating for free speech.

The Attack on Julian Assange is an Attack on Freedom of Speech

In addition, participants could look forward to a unique virtual reality experience following the footsteps of Julian Assange and an opportunity to reflect on freedom of speech. Participants could virtually navigate the places where Assange has lived for the past 10 years: from Ecuador’s embassy in the United Kingdom, to the Belmarsh maximum security prison in London where Assange is currently detained.

Thanks to the Assange family, the attendees of the conference could also watch the documentary film that Shipton produced. Titled Ithaka, an intimate portrait of the struggle of Julian’s father, John, to free his son.

22 October 2022 Berlin, Germany

Julian Assange received this year’s Weizenbaum Prize for Peace and Social Responsibility for his work as an “outstanding journalist”, for his “creative use of technology” and for his merits and courage. His wife, Stella Assange, accepted the award on Saturday, October 22 on his behalf.

The prize is named after Joseph Weizenbaum. The influential computer scientist and peace activist, who would have turned 100 next year, publicly refused to work on the development of electronic elements for weapon systems during the Vietnam War.

The award ceremony took place as part of this year’s FIfF (Forum Computer Scientists for Peace and Social Responsibility) conference FIfFKon22, which has a technical and a political focus: “Our goal is nothing less than world peace,” says the announcement of the event.

Stella Assange accepting the Weizenbaum Prize for Peace and Social Responsibility

Julian Assange receives the Order of Italian Journalists Card

28 October 2022 Turin, Italy

The journalist’s card was delivered by President Carlo Bartoli of the Order of Italian Journalists accepted by Julian Assange’s father John Shipton. The ceremony took place in Turin as part of the Morrione Prize in Italy.

“Assange has carried out a work in defense of journalism, suffering a very serious attack on the right of the press and it is clear that the stakes are between knowing and not knowing and the dividing line is between democracy and dictatorship.”

“These are the battles that we have a duty to fight, to leave our children and grandchildren a democratic system to which we must never abdicate,” Carlo Bartoli.

Among the speakers of the debate, coordinated by Vincenzo Vita, were Stefania Maurizi journalist and writer, Gian Giacomo Migone professor and former president of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and John Shipton, father of Julian Assange.

“I am particularly happy – said Bartoli – to be able to hand over the card to Julian Assange’s father in the name of the entire National Council of the Order and of the colleagues who are members of it, who, if he wishes, can use it to prove that he has completed “Acts” of journalism.

Some of the more than 80 videos of testimony for the freedom of the founder of WikiLeaks collected by the “My voice for Assange” Committee, coordinated by the Sapienza professor Grazia Tuzi were screened. “Articolo21” will continue the campaign with incessant determination.

Skram, Litteraturhuset in Oslo, 25 November 2022

Musical performance by Lars Klevstand.

In the panel:

– Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe (2009-2019), former prime minister of Norway, former minister of foreign affairs.

– Sofie Marhaug, member of the Norwegian Parliament (MP), initiator of the support group for Julian Assange in the Parliament.

– Gisle Selnes, professor of Literature (Bergen, UiB), co-author of the book “The Persecution of Julian Assange” (2022).

The event and the panel will be moderated by Rune Ottosen, professor of journalism, journalist and head of the Assange-committee of Norwegian PEN.

The event is hosted by Agnete G. Haaland, who is vice-president of Norwegian PEN.

Originally published in Norsk PEN.

The fifth Human Rights Film Festival Berlin presented 41 films on the current state of human rights in the world from 13 to 23 October 2022. The festival’s opening film was ITHAKA: a powerful portrait of the family of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange reveals the personal consequences of his fight for the truth. 

The film celebrated its German premiere on 13 October in the historic hall of the Berlin Colosseum cinema.

“An impressive family: wife, father and brother of Julian Assange. In the film Ithaca, they take us on their fight against the blatant injustice against Julian Assange. approachable. Vulnerable. A visit to the Human Rights Film Festival in Berlin is worthwhile,” said Derya Türk-Nachbaur, Member of the German Bundestag and a member of the German delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)

The film has been also shortlisted for the Australian 2022 Walkley Documentary Award. The film has already made its debut in Australia and the UK and has also been screened at the Sydney Film Festival 2021, Capricorn Film Festival 2022, docedge Film Festival 2022 and Sheffield Docfest 2022.

“Ithaka shows how far the richest and most powerful nations in the history of the world go to hide their crimes. Ithaka gets to the heart of how freedom of the press and our right to communicate are slowly being dismantled before our very eyes.” – Gabriel Shipton, brother of Julian Assange and producer of the documentary

At Bitcoin Amsterdam, Stella Assange advocated for her husband Julian’s freedom, drawing parallels between Bitcoin and WikiLeaks.

Stella Assange, wife of Julian Assange, the founder of classified document publisher WikiLeaks who has been confined to a London prison since 2019, took the stage at the Bitcoin Amsterdam event today in a keynote presentation titled “Free Assange.” She described the parallels between Bitcoin as a permissionless form of value transaction and WikiLeaks’ mission to disseminate vital information to the public, outlining that Julian’s battle for freedom is one that should resonate with adopters of Bitcoin.

“I was thinking about how to talk about freeing Julian here, and Julian told me, he explained Bitcoin to me back in 2011,” Stella Assange began, adding that Julian had been moved to solitary confinement last weekend after testing positive for COVID-19. “He explained the technology behind it, but he also gave me a big picture understanding of the significance of Bitcoin… I think (that explanation) is also a pathway to understanding the kind of parallel tracks of WikiLeaks and Bitcoin, and the future of Bitcoin and how that’s tied to what’s being done to Julian.”

Stella went on to recount the most infamous publications from WikiLeaks, including the “Spy Files” and files related to the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay from 2011. She outlined the role that Julian and the publishing platform played in spurring the Occupy Wall Street movement, and said that Julian called Bitcoin “the real Occupy Wall Street.” In 2013, WikiLeaks helped former NSA contractor Edward Snowden release mass surveillance disclosures, with Snowden himself going on to advocate for Bitcoin as a freedom tool.

She underscored the groundbreaking changes that WikiLeaks brought to the field of journalism in the age of the internet through its ability to protect anonymous sources online and its decisions to publish large amounts of information quickly and freely.

“In that sense, Bitcoin and Bitcoin technology are trying to fight censorship in a very similar way to how WikiLeaks has fought censorship using cryptography,” she explained. “(Julian) was an incredible pioneer and changed the way journalism is done. And he did that because Julian of course was a Cypherpunk, he’s a cryptographer and he understood that the major newsrooms had no idea how to protect their sources when they were operating on the internet.”

Stella also outlined the role that Bitcoin played in supporting WikiLeaks as centralized financial institutions attempted to silence it following its major document releases in 2011.

“Overnight practically, PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, they just shut off WikiLeaks from 97% of its revenue which came through (donations via the platforms),” she recalled. “And how was it done? It was done completely extralegally. It was a phone call from a few senators in the U.S. to these companies, and they just shut it off.”

She added that, by enabling freedom of information, Bitcoin is one of the emerging tools that can safeguard against eroding freedom of information in the digital age.

“Bitcoin breaks Orwell’s dictome, ‘He who controls the present, controls the past. And he who controls the past, controls the future,’” she said.

Finally, in an appeal for support in Julian’s ongoing legal fight, Stella argued that the U.S. is relying on vague and outdated language from the Espionage Act of 1917 to pursue a 175-year sentence were he extradited there. She suggested that those who similarly challenge authority with a permissionless monetary system like Bitcoin could one day face similar fates.

“What’s being done to Julian is not a legitimate use of the legal system,” she said. “It is bending the rules, it is corrupting the rules in order to keep him there and, in so doing, it is corrupting the whole system… Anyone that challenges the hegemonic order with innovation is up against that level.”

Originally published in Bitcoinmagazine.com

BRUSSELS, 11 October 2022

MEP Sabrina Pignedoli and the 5 Star Movement officially presented the candidacy in the first phase of the selection for the Sakharov Prize, the highest recognition awarded by the Eurochamber to those who stand out in the battle for respect for human rights.

“My husband’s is a political case, Julian is a political prisoner, awards such as the Sakharov Prize act as political protection and in his case this prize could save his life. Winning this award would certainly change things,” says Mrs Assange.

“We wanted to promote Assange’s candidacy for the Sakharov Prize because Assange is paying dearly for telling the truth, so we believe he is the best candidate,” Sabrina Pignedoli.

“This candidacy is recognition of Julian’s work, who has fought all his life for freedom of expression and to ensure that this was a reality and that human rights violations could be made public so that we could ask governments to account for it before justice.

“Because this is a political case, he is a political prisoner, persecuted for publicizing the crimes of a truly powerful government, and this recognition could save his life.”

The fact that Julian Assange is in prison “is instead a clear message, which tells us that governments can commit crimes with impunity and be imprisoned even in the West, that the struggle for human rights no longer has any value and that indeed those who carry on this fight can be punished,” Stella Assange concluded.

The first meeting of the Wired Next Fest 2022 in Milan talked about Wikileaks and Julian Assange: a case that goes to the heart of the freedom of the press of the democracy of the future.

Stella Assange, first guest of the Wired Next Fest Milan 2022 said that “Julian’s case represents the destiny of our future”. In a room packed with people at the new Milanese edition of the Wired Next Fest 2022, hosted in the spaces of the Fabbrica del Vapor, the legal consultant and wife of the well-known journalist and activist defined the story of the Wikileaks case as “political” and Assange as a “political prisoner” . In 2010, about 600,000 documents relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were published on the WikiLeaks site he created, including videos revealing real war crimes committed by the US military.

For this reason Julian Assange is persecuted by the American government and has been hosted by the Ecuadorian embassy in London for years. At the moment he is in the British prison of Belmarsh, a maximum security prison in the English capital nicknamed the “British Guantanamo” following allegations of ill-treatment of the detainees. Regarding the condition of her husband, whom she sees twice a week with her children, Stella Assange tells of a very bad physical and mental state that has lasted since 11 April 2019, the day of her arrival in the British prison.

The key difference between the Assange case and the Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning cases, says Stella Assange, is that the latter “were whistleblowers and not editors of a news site.” In order to be able to try him, former US President Barack Obama had in fact spoken of the need for a precedent. “Julian is not American, he was not working for the United States and had no contractual obligations,” Assange continues, pointing out how the US government actually extended its jurisdiction outside the country, persecuting a journalist and a publisher for the mere fact that he has done his job.

“What happened after Julian’s case is quite the opposite of what he expected: the relationship between citizens and governments has become even more blurred, it joins the surveillance capabilities of the states and the increasing compression of our rights” says Stella Assange also referring to the fact that democracies like the United States contradict their own ideals of transparency.

Original article was published in Wired Italia.

https://www.wired.it/video/watch/stella-assange-wired-next-fest-2022

The Head of Government of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, named Julian Assange a Distinguished Guest and delivered the Keys to the City to the family of the founder of WikiLeaks, who is in Mexico at the invitation of the Presidency to the celebrations for the anniversary of the independence.

“Julian Assange represents the truth, he represents freedom of expression and never, anywhere in the world, can that be persecuted,” Sheinbaum said. John Shipton and Gabriel Shipton, father and brother of Julian Assange, attended the ceremony on Wednesday.

“Today, in this national month, we endorse Independence and because we always endorse freedom of expression, Julian Assange will be welcomed, through his family, to Mexico City.”

Jesús Ramírez Cuevas, general coordinator of Social Communication and Spokesman for the Government of the Republic, pointed out that Julian Assange could be considered a “21st century liberator.”

“We hand over the Keys to the City to the family of Julian Assange. For us, Julian represents the truth, freedom of expression. We are a progressive City that has always defended the great freedoms and the right to free access to information.” Claudia Sheinbaum, Head of Government of Mexico City

The Former Minister of National Defence of Ecuador Ricardo Patino was able to deliver to the father and brother of Julian Assange, the national journalism award given to the founder of Wikileaks by the Journalists Club of Mexico in 2018.

On Monday 5 September 2022 Julian Assange has been a awarded the honorary card of the Order of Italian Journalists. President Carlo Bartoli with the secretary Paola Spadari Venice officially delivered the card to Stefania Maurizi, a close collaborator, with the Casa degli Autori on the Lido of Venice, where the event was held.

The occasion was promoted by the Audiovisual Archive of the Labor and Democratic Movement and by the Articolo21 association, in collaboration with the National Federation of the Italian Press and the Order of Journalists.

“Defending Assange means defending the right of the press, freedom of information and the safety of whistleblowers,” – said the president of the Order Carlo Bartoli showing the honorary card for Assange at the authors’ house in Venice.

“This is why we decided to enroll Julian Assange in the Order of Italian Journalists. If an English court decides to extradite him to the US, in England – which was the cradle of press freedom, will become the funeral of freedom of information.”

Present were Carlo Bartoli and Paola Spadari, president and secretary of the National Council of the Order of Journalists, together with the Venetian colleagues Gianluca Amadori, member of the executive and Maurizio Paglialunga, coordinator of the CTS, with them also Giuliano Gargano President of the Veneto regional order . The meeting was also attended by Giorgio Gosetti, general delegate of the Authors’ Days; Giuseppe Giulietti, President of the Fnsi; Vincenzo Vita, president of Aamod. Contributions also include those of Monica Andolfatto, secretary of the Veneto Journalists Union; Tina Marinari, campaign coordinator of Amnesty International Italia; Manuela Piovano, vice president of the National Association of Authors and of the actress Ottavia Piccolo.

Originally published in Ordine dei Giornalisti.

The same time Assange was awarded honorary citizenship of Pescara in Italy. For the proposal of the councilors of the 5 Star Movement Erika Alessandrini, Massimo Di Renzo and Paolo Sola, the municipal council of the Adriatic city approved the motion with recognition proposed to the Wikileaks founder.

“Pescara joins the chorus of those who, all over the world, reiterate the defense of the right to freedom of the press which Julian Assange represents,” declared the councilor after the vote in the civic assembly. The recognition of honorary citizenship has a symbolic value but, the three councilors underline to “keep attention on the matter” and signify how “even the Pescara community feels it has to give its own contribution in defense of ideals such as the right to information and transparency”.

“The journalist, activist and founder of the WikiLeaks rose to the headlines in the international news in 2010 for revealing US war crimes, abuses and violence of the American armed forces during the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The arrest by the British police and the extradition request by the United States where he faces up to 175 years in prison for publication of information in the public interest is a capital punishment. An event that sparked a great international protest and raised numerous appeals for the release of the journalist from public opinion and various human rights organizations.”

“For his reporting activity, Julian Assange has received, over the years, numerous commendations and awards, as well as having been repeatedly proposed for the Nobel Peace Prize for revealing the horrors of Western wars.”

Originally published in Pressenza.

Earlier Assange was also awarded honorary citizenship by the City Council of Lucera, in the province of Foggia. Lucera is the first municipality in Italy to officially confer citizenship to Julian Assange.

As Julian Assange turns 51 his legal defence team has lodged an appeal to prevent his extradition to the US.

Last month, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel approved Assange’s extradition, with her office saying British courts had concluded his extradition would not be incompatible with his human rights, and that he would be treated appropriately.

Supporters of Assange held protests ahead of his 51st birthday, including one in an open-top double-decker London tour bus that passed by British government buildings in Westminster on Friday.

Assange’s wife, Stella, was among dozens of people who demonstrated outside Britain’s interior ministry to demand his release.

At the invitation of the Geneva Press Club/Club suisse de la presse, Swiss and international organizations of journalists and editors call with one voice for the release of Julian Assange in the name of press freedom on June 22 at the Swiss Press Club in Geneva at 11:00 am CEST. A broad-based coalition of journalists and media outlets has been formed after the British government authorized the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder to the United States on June 17, where he faces 175 years in prison. This Geneva-based coalition, which has been joined by journalistic organizations from many other countries, is calling directly on the British and American authorities. It also asks the Swiss authorities, in the name of freedom of the press and human rights, to intervene to ensure Julian Assange a refuge in Switzerland or elsewhere.

For all citizens: 

For journalists only: 

“We are demanding that Julian Assange be freed, returned to his family, and finally permitted to live a normal life,” said Dominique Pradalie, head of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)

“Democracy is being taken hostage. This attempt at criminalising journalism is a serious threat,” warned Pierre Ruetschi, the head of the Swiss Press Club who hosted the event.

“If Julian Assange can be threatened with prosecution as a spy, what might that mean for other journalists?” Tim Dawson, from the National Union of Journalists added.

With the participation of 

• Edgar Bloch, Co-President, impressum, Swiss journalists
• Daniel Hammer, General Secretary, Swiss Media
• Denis Masmejan, Secretary General, Reporters Without Borders Switzerland
• Dominique Pradalié, President of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Syndicat national des journalistes (SNJ) France
• Marc Meschenmoser, Co-president of Investigativ.ch
• Jean-Philippe Ceppi, Producer of Temps présent (RTS) and member investigativ.ch
• Nicole Lamon, Deputy editor-in-chief, Matin Dimanche
• Frédéric Julliard, Editor-in-chief, Tribune de Genève
• Philippe Bach, Editor-in-Chief, Le Courrier
• Serge Michel, Editor-in-Chief, heidi.news
• Tim Dawson, National Union of Journalists, Great Britain (zoom)
• Karen Percy, Media President of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), Australia
• Mika Beuster, National deputy director, Deutscher Journalisten Verband (Germany)
• Jean Musy, President, Association of foreign press in Switzerland (APES)
• Agustin Yanel, Secretary general, Federation of the unions of spanish journalists, Spain
• Pierre Ruetschi, Executive Director, Geneva Press Club and President of the Dumur Award

Ten other Swiss editors-in-chief support the Appeal and other international Journalists organization are joining.

Originally published at the Geneva Press Club.

BBC HARDtalk: Will Julian Assange be extradited to the US?

Stephen Sackur spoke to lawyer Stella Moris, wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and mother of two of his children. Watch full interview for UK only on BBC iPlayer. You can listen to the interview on BBC UK Sounds.

The full video is also available to watch here.

Double Down News: The CIA Plot to Kill My Husband Julian Assange

Julian Assange’s wife, Stella Assange spoke on Double Down News on the CIA plot to kill her husband in revenge for exposing war crimes and fight to save his life. She asks for your help to free Julian and to take any action to bring him home.

Progressive International: Special appeal from Stella Assange

“How can the UK even contemplate extraditing a journalist to the country that plotted to kill him for his groundbreaking journalism?”

The Project: Stella Assange On Julian Assange’s Last-Ditch Legal Bid To The UK

After a decade-long legal battle, the fate of Julian Assange now rests in the hands of Britain’s Home Secretary Priti Patel after his legal team handed in its final submission.

“The case is purely political and we hope there will be a poitical resolution…the UK could at any time stop this extradition.”

GB News: WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson

‘To extradite him [Julian Assange] as a result of his political persecution is unacceptable.’ WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson says extraditing Julian Assange would be a ‘stain’ on the UK’s reputation.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange receives the “Günter Wallraff Prize” at an event hosted by Deutschlandfunk in Cologne. The prize was awarded to his wife Stella Assange during the 6th Cologne Forum for Journalism Criticism. It honors critical journalism and civil courage on behalf of Günter Wallraff, Germany’s best-known investigative journalist.

Deutschlandfunk editor-in-chief Birgit Wentzien made a clear statement: “Putting grievances public is a core task of journalism. That is exactly what Julian Assange did. He has published documents leaked to him by his sources. Should Julian Assange be convicted for this, it would set a global precedent and act as a deterrent to reporters around the world. ‘Julian Assange affects us all’”.

Wallraff praised Assange for his tenacity as a journalist, who through his tenacity opened up a new world and was the type of a new person

“Julian’s trial is political and publicity is critical to how it will end. The prosecution is designed to silence Julian, remove him from public consciousness – and with him all the deaths of the tens of thousands of civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan that he has exposed,” Stella said.

Further information, the detailed program and the live stream can be found at www.deutschlandfunk.de/journalismuskritik

The Forum for Criticism of Journalism is an event organized by the Deutschlandfunk newsroom and the News Enlightenment Initiative (INA), co-organized this year by the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences.

Read Stella Assange’s recent interview about the award in German: „Die Rolle Deutschlands ist für den Fall Julian Assange entscheidend“

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) delivered a petition last week, calling on UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to reject the extradition of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange to the United States.

They urged Patel not to sign the extradition order and instead act to protect journalism and press freedom by releasing Assange without further delay.

“We are grateful to supporters from around the world for signing this petition and adding their voices to the global call on the UK government not to extradite Julian Assange. The message is clear: a move to extradite Assange would be a move against journalism and press freedom. We call on Priti Patel to reject the extradition order and secure Assange’s immediate release, and will continue our global campaign until he is free,” said RSF Director of Operations and Campaigns Rebecca Vincent.

Commissioner calls on UK government not to extradite Julian Assange

In a letter, published May 10th, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, called on UK Home Secretary Priti Patel not to extradite Julian Assange.

“As I have previously stated, it is my position that, taking into account both these wider implications and the concerns raised by independent experts about Mr Assange’s treatment upon extradition, the government of the United Kingdom should not allow his extradition to the United States. I therefore call upon you to decide against the extradition of Mr Assange.” the letter says.

Letter from Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Nobel Peace laureate to UK Secretary of State Priti Patel

Nobel Peace laureate pens letter to UK Home Secretary calling for release of Julian Assange amid ‘violations of Mr. Assange’s fundamental human, civil and political rights and the precedent his persecution is setting for press freedom’

“The United Kingdom, a sovereign country with longstanding tradition in the upholding the rule of law, should refuse the abusive and illegal extradition request by the United States of America” the letter says.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate warned that “there could be potentially fatal consequences if the UK decides to go ahead with this extradition” of the WikiLeaks founder.

The documentary film “Hacking Justice: Julian Assange”, made by Clara López Rubio and Juan Pancorbo, was shown first time in London’s cinema last Wednesday. It has been broadcast previously on several European television outlets and shown at Film Festivals around the world.

The screening was followed up by a live Q&A with Julian Assange’s wife Stella Assange, UK Member of Parliament Apsana Begum and the film director Clara López Rubio.

You can watch the full screening on Consortium News YouTube channel.

As Julian Assange’s defence submitted its final arguments to Home Secretary Priti Patel on May 17th, within two weeks she will make a decision whether or not to extradite Julian Assange to the United States.

A protest was held in front of the Home Office in London where Assange’s partner Stella Assange addressed the crowd:

“Give the message loud and clear to Priti Patel and the Home Office and the entire British Government, that they should do the right thing, they should block this extradition. It is a political case and it has a political solution. And that is to end this now. “

UK MP Richard Burgon was in front of the Home Office to show support.

“The idea that people could tolerate an award-winning journalist being extradited to the United States to spend more than his whole life in a sentence behind bars is an absolute travesty. We all need to speak up for freedom of speech. This would be a political extradition and political extraditions should not be taking place.”

WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hransson also made a statement to Priti Patel:

“Julian is a political prisoner and now Priti Patel has the life of Julian Assange in her hand. She can end this. Priti Patel might take this case to Boris Johnson, a former journalist himself. This is a reputation issue.”

Watch Kristinn Hrafnsson’s interview with Consortium News here.

Assange’s imprisonment and threat to extradite him are
assaults on press freedom around the world

On 3 May 2022, World Press Freedom Day, journalists around
the world make it their duty to pay tribute to Julian Assange.

Through his struggle, determination and example, Assange has
been instrumental to advancing knowledge and protecting the
right to information around the world.

Incarcerated in a maximum security prison in England and
threatened with extradition to the United States, where he
could face life imprisonment and the death penalty, his “crime”
is well known. He revealed secrets of the war machines of the
great powers, in particular the US empire and close allies.

He exposed lies, unmasked false heroes, and uncovered shady
dealings between governments. He verified allegations of
execution and torture of prisoners and journalists.

In an example of professional rigour, his revelations were
always accompanied by extensive documentation, photos and
videos whose veracity was never questioned.

This is the tragedy of freedom of the press on this May 3, 2022.
Assange is being persecuted – and may lose his life – because he
dared to tell the truth. He did not misrepresent the facts, he did
not omit, he did not lie or deceive. Nor did he lack the courage
to denounce what he discovered. He merely fulfilled his duty to
state the harsh reality of this 21st century of ours.

Because of the responsibilities he took on, because of the risks
he faced, Assange’s stay in prison represents a step towards the
creation of a state of exception on a global scale. A state,
compatible with a new international disorder that is already on
the horizon, threatening the freedom of men and women and
the self-determination of peoples.

In the name of his right to freedom – and for the preservation
of conquests that concern all of humanity – there is only one
right measure to take: Free Julian Assange now.

Brazilian Association of Journalism Education – ABEJ
Brazilian Press Association – ABI
Brazilian Association of Digital Media – ABMD
Brazilian Association of Journalism Researchers – SBPJOR
Association of Journalism Professionals – APJor
Centro Acadêmico Benedito Paixão – Journalism – PUC-SP
Centro Acadêmico Vladimir Herzog – Journalism – Cásper Líbero
National Federation of Journalists – FENAJ
Vladimir Herzog Institute – IVH
Brazilian Network of Environmental Journalism – RBJA
Network of Journalists for Diversity in Communication – Black
Journalists (Rede de Jornalistas pela Diversidade na
Comunicação – Jornalistas Pretos)
Union of Professional Journalists of Minas Gerais – SJMG
Union of Professional Journalist of Noth Paraná – Sindijor –
Paraná
Union of Professional Day Laborers in the State of São Paulo –
SJSP
Union of Professional Journalists of Rio de Janeiro – SJPERJ
Union of Professional Journalists of Bahia – SinjorBA

Media:
Jornalistas Livres
Inteligência Brasil Imprensa – IBI
Jornal 360
Media Quatro

Brazil – May 3, 2022

April 22, 2022 — PEN International joins Reporters Without Borders and 17 organisations – including English PEN, German PEN, PEN Melbourne, PEN Norway, PEN Sydney, Scottish PEN, Slovene PEN and Swedish PEN – in calling on UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to reject Julian Assange’s extradition to the US and to release him from prison.

The Rt. Hon Priti Patel

Secretary of State for the Home Department

2 Marsham Street

London

SW1P 4DF

22 April 2022

Dear Home Secretary, We, the undersigned press freedom, free expression and journalists’ organisations are writing to express our serious concern regarding the possibility of extradition of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange to the United States and to ask you to reject the US government’s extradition request. We also request a meeting with you to discuss these points further.

In March, the Supreme Court refused to consider Mr Assange’s appeal against the High Court decision, which overturned the District Court ruling barring extradition on mental health grounds. We are deeply disappointed with this decision given the high public interest in this case, which deserved review by the highest court in the land.

However, it is now in your hands to decide whether to approve or reject Mr Assange’s extradition to the US. The undersigned organisations urge you to act in the interest of press freedom and journalism by refusing extradition and immediately releasing Mr Assange from prison, where he has remained on remand for three years despite the great risks posed to his mental and physical health.

In the US, Mr Assange would face trial on 17 counts under the Espionage Act and one count under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which combined could see him imprisoned for up to 175 years. He is highly likely to be detained there in conditions of isolation or solitary confinement despite the US government’s assurances, which would severely exacerbate his risk of suicide.

Further, Mr Assange would be unable to adequately defend himself in the US courts, as the Espionage Act lacks a public interest defence. His prosecution would set a dangerous precedent that could be applied to any media outlet that published stories based on leaked information, or indeed any journalist, publisher or source anywhere in the world.

We ask you, Home Secretary, to honour the UK government’s commitment to protecting and promoting media freedom and reject the US extradition request. We ask you to release Mr Assange from Belmarsh prison and allow him to return to his young family after many years of isolation. Finally, we ask you to publicly commit to ensuring that no publisher, journalist or source ever again faces detention in the UK for publishing information in the public interest.

We request to schedule a meeting at your earliest convenience, and would be grateful for a prompt response. Please reply via Azzurra Moores at Reporters Without Borders (RSF) at amoores@rsf.org.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Vincent, Director of Operations and Campaigns, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

Sarah Clarke, Head of Europe and Central Asia, ARTICLE 19

Mark Johnson, Legal and Policy Officer, Big Brother Watch

Dr Suelette Dreyfus, Executive Director, Blueprint for Free Speech

Daniel Gorman, Director, English PEN

Laurens Hueting, Senior Advocacy Officer, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)

Ricardo Gutiérrez, General Secretary, European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)

Ralf Nestmeyer, Vice-President and Writers-in-Prison Officer, German PEN

Index on Censorship

Anthony Bellanger, General Secretary, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)

Séamus Dooley, Assistant General Secretary, National Union of Journalists

Romana Cacchioli, Executive Director, PEN International

Christine McKenzie, President, PEN International Melbourne Centre

Kjersti Løken Stavrum, President, PEN Norway

Zoë Rodriguez, joint President, PEN Sydney, and Chair of the PEN International Women Writers Committee

Peter Tatchell, Director, Peter Tatchell Foundation

Ricky Monahan Brown, President, Scottish PEN

Tanja Tuma, President, Slovene PEN

Jesper Bengtsson, President, Swedish PEN

For further details contact Aurélia Dondo at PEN International, Koops Mill, 162-164 Abbey Street, London, SE1 2AN, UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 7405 0338 Fax +44 (0) 20 7405 0339 e-mail: Aurelia.dondo@pen-international.org

This was first posted by PEN International

See also: UK: RSF launches new #FreeAssange petition as Home Secretary considers extradition order

April 22, 2022 — On Wednesday, a UK magistrates judge ordered the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States, where he will face an unpredented prosecution threatening 175 years in prison for publishing truthful information in the public interest.

The decision now moves to UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, to sign off on the extradition order. The defense have until May 18 to file an application to appeal the extradition order on the substantive issues —like a politicized prosecution and the threats to press freedom— back at the UK’s High Court. 

Rights groups around the world condemned the latest legal development and are calling on Patel to halt the extradition.

PEN International and 18 other press freedom groups signed a new letter to the Home Secretary, calling for Assange’s freedom

“We, the undersigned press freedom, free expression and journalists’ organisations are writing to express our serious concern regarding the possibility of extradition of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange to the United States and to ask you to reject the US government’s extradition request. We also request a meeting with you to discuss these points further.”

National Union of Journalists: Assange’s fate in Priti Patel’s hands

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also spoke to protestors outside the court. He told them:

“There is still a chance for this Government to do the right thing, bring this case to a close, and free Julian Assange. I call on them to do that at once”.

 Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said:

“This Government seems confused about press freedom. It promises legislation to make SLAPPs more difficult, but is allowing this extradition to continue, when it is clear that the US is trying to prosecute Julian Assange for actions that are commonplace for journalists the world over”.

Reporters without Borders launches new #FreeAssange petition as Home Secretary considers extradition orderReporters without Borders launches new #FreeAssange petition as Home Secretary considers extradition order

“Following a district court order referring the extradition of Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange back to the Home Office, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has launched a new petition calling on Home Secretary Priti Patel to reject Assange’s extradition to the United States. RSF urges supporters to join the call on the Home Secretary to #FreeAssange by signing and sharing the petition before 18 May!

…
The next four weeks will prove crucial in the fight to block extradition and secure the release of Julian Assange. Through this petition, we are seeking to unite those who care about journalism and press freedom to hold the UK government to account. The Home Secretary must act now to protect journalism and adhere to the UK’s commitment to media freedom by rejecting the extradition order and releasing Assange,” said RSF’s Director of Operations and Campaigns Rebecca Vincent, who monitored proceedings on RSF’s behalf.”

Sign the petition here.

Amnesty International’s secretary general Agnés Callamard speaks to the New York Times

“The extradition of Julian Assange would also be devastating for press freedom and for the public, who have a right to know what their governments are doing in their name.”

Stella Assange’s speech outside of court

More reactions from human rights & press freedom groups

The Audálio Dantas trophy – Indignation, Courage and Hope was awarded to the Australian journalist, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and given to Carmen Diniz, coordinator of the Brazil Chapter of the International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity to Peoples by historian José Luis Del Royo.

The ceremony took place at Vladimir Herzog Memorial Square and was attended by hundreds of people, including journalists, students, activists and important personalities in the country’s recent history.

The ceremony was organized by the Oboré Projetos Especiais, associations of journalists and other entities that support freedom of expression and human rights.

The representative undertook to send the trophy to Assange and his family, as well as information on all the activities carried out there and their importance. She also stressed that “The worst thing that can happen to someone in prison is to think they are alone.”

The trophy awarded is a sculpture of Saint George, patron saint of journalists, in a stylized image in which instead of wielding a spear, he carries a microphone and a tape recorder in the fight against the dragon of evil. It should be noted that Saint George is also the patron saint of England, the country where Julian Assange is incarcerated in the maximum security prison of Belmarsh in London. “I hope all this symbolism contributes to Assange finally being released from the unjust prison in which he finds himself.”

Originally published here.

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, Federal President Karen Percy

“The charges against Assange are an affront to journalists everywhere and a threat to press freedom. “The US Government must see reason and drop these charges, and the Australian Government should be doing all it can to represent the interests of an Australian citizen.”

Australian Independent Federal MP Andrew Wilkie

Sevim Dağdelen, MP, Foreign policy & Arms Exports & Disarmament, Member of the German Bundestag

DIE LINKE is calling on the German government to work with the British government to end the political persecution of Julian Assange.

PEN International and PEN Melbourne

‘Dear Members of Parliament, Senators and concerned citizens,

At 11 am on the 11^th April, 2022, a delegation from PEN International will visit the British Consulate at 90 Collins Street, Melbourne to present an Open Letter calling for the immediate release of Julian Assange and a halt to the extradition.‘

International Federation of Journalists

Amnistía Internacional España

Amnesty Australia

Monday 11 April marks three years since Julian Assange’s arrest at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He remains behind bars at Belmarsh, a high security prison in the UK.

Together we can take the next step – pick up the phone and call your MP.

Stefan Simanowitz, Amnesty International Media manager

Amnistia Internacional Catalunya

Open Letter to US President Joe Biden from Progressive Leaders including Dilma Rousseff, Yanis Varoufakis, Roger Waters, Horvat Srecko and others calling to drop the charges against Julian Assange. With International Peoples’ Assembly.

Reporters Without Borders

Rebecca Vincent, Director of Operations and Campaigns Reporters Without Borders

Canan Bayram, lawyer and Member of the German Bundestag

Srecko Horvat, Croatian Philosopher

Yanis Varoufakis, Greek economist and politician

Democracy in Europe Movement 2025

Clare Daly, Member of the European parliament

Nicola Morra, Senator of Italy

Human Rigths Institute in Slovakia

Peoples Dispatch

Libertarian Party of New Hampshire

João Pedro Stedile, Brazilian economist

Defending Rights & Dissent

Code Pink

On the third anniversary of Julian Assange’s imprisonment at Belmarsh Prison in London, progressive leaders, intellectuals, and former heads of state from across the world including including Dilma Rousseff, Yanis Varoufakis, Roger Waters, and others, call on US officials to drop the charges against him.

Today also marks the three year anniversary of when Julian Assange was dragged out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London by the Metropolitan Police, arrested, and put in Belmarsh Prison. He is being held there while the UK courts deliberate on the request to extradite him to the United States where he will stand trial for the 18 charges, many of which are under the Espionage Act, and where he faces a maximum sentence of 175 years.

If extradited and charged, it would be the first time a publisher would be convicted under the Espionage Act and it would mark a dangerous precedent for the right to Free Speech and Press Freedom not only in the US but across the globe.

Assange who while in prison has already suffered suicide attempts, psychological torture, COVID-19 outbreaks, and a severe deterioration of his physical and mental health has stated that his extradition to the US would be akin to a death sentence.

Many, including the signatories of the letter, have denounced the persecution faced by Assange as retaliation for his brave work with Wikileaks to, as a journalist, uncover the truth about the crimes committed by governments across the world.

Stand with Assange, stand for press freedom.

Read the letter here:

Reacting to the UK Supreme Court’s refusal to hear Julian Assange’s appeal, his fiancee Stella Moris said:

“Just this morning on our way to school, our four-year-old son asked me when daddy will come home. Julian’s life is being treated as if it were expendable. He has been robbed of over a decade of liberty, and three years from his home and his young children who are being forced to grow up without their father. A system that allows this is a system that has lost its way.

Whether Julian is extradited or not, which is the same as saying whether he lives or dies, is being decided through a process of legal avoidance. Avoiding to hear arguments that challenge the UK courts’ deference to unenforceable and caveated claims regarding his treatment made by the United States, the country that plotted to murder him. The country whose atrocities he brought into the public domain. Julian is the key witness, the principle indicter, and the cause of enormous embarrassment to successive US governments.

Julian was just doing his job, which was to publish the truth about wrongdoing. His loyalty is the same as that which all journalists should have: to the public. Not to the spy agencies of a foreign power. He published evidence that the country that is trying to extradite him committed war crimes and covered them up; that it committed gross violations that killed tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children; that it tortured and rendered; that it bombed children, had death squads, and murdered Reuters journalists in cold blood; that it bribed foreign officials and bullied less powerful countries into harming their own citizens, and that it also corrupted allied nations’ judicial inquiries into US wrongdoing. For this, that country wants him in prison for 175 years.

Now the extradition will formally move to a political stage. Julian’s fate now lies in the hands of Home Secretary Priti Patel. This is a political case and she can end it. It is in her hands to prove that the UK is better than all of this. Patel can end Britain’s exposure to international ridicule because of Julian’s incarceration. It takes political courage but that is what it needed to preserve an open society that protects publishers from foreign persecution.

The cruelty against Julian is corrupting. It corrupts our most cherished values and institutions. They will be extinguished and lost forever unless this travesty is brought to an end.

The fight for freedom will go on, until he’s freed.”

Read the Supreme Court Application here:
https://dontextraditeassange.com/permissiontoappeal.pdf

Read the Supreme Courts decision here:
https://dontextraditeassange.com/supremecourtrefusal.jpeg

Read the statement by Assange’s lawyers here: 
https://dontextraditeassange.com/BirnbergPeirceStatement.pdf

The Austrian Journalists’ Club ÖJC presented the 2021 Journalist Awards, as part of Austrian Media Day, Dr Karl Renner Solidarity prize to Julian Assange. His partner and fiancée Stella Moris accepted the award in Vienna on Monday evening saying “There is a dark cloud hanging over Europe, over Belmarsh prison in London, over the whole world. As long as Julian Assange is imprisoned, there will no longer be freedom of speech and freedom of the press.”

WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson also took part of the ceremony in Vienna. He described that in the Julian Assange case the truth has been imprisoned and those in power will stop at nothing to cover up their wrongdoings.