Breaking:
Possible Hand-Over Of Julian Assange To The UK May Be Imminent
#RespectAsylum
#HumanRights
#LegalRights
#FreePress
#FreeAssange
#SafePassage4Assange
#Unity4J
#StandUp4Julian
#auspol
Breaking:
Possible Hand-Over Of Julian Assange To The UK May Be Imminent
20
July, 2018
What
happens in a world without Julian Assange?
It
seems we may be in the unthinkable position of facing such a reality,
after WikiLeaks Tweeted regarding the recent statement of Margarita
Simonyan, RT’s Editor-in-chief. Her message read (In English): “My
sources tell me that Julian Assange will be handed over to the UK in
the next weeks or days. Like never before I wish that my sources are
wrong’.’
Editor-in-chief of RT: "My sources tell me that @JulianAssange will be handed over to the #UK in the next weeks or days. Like never before I wish that my sources are wrong''
An
exceptionally brief article published by Russian
Insider documented
Simonyan’s foreboding Tweet, indicating that her statement seemed
especially serious in light of the quality of her sources.
Russian media is hardly the first source of dire warnings regarding Assange’s safety in recent weeks. Just Days ago, the World Socialist Website related: “The London Times reported July 15 on secret talks between the British and Ecuadorian governments. They are apparently intending to expel WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has enjoyed political asylum for six years. The article said the talks were “an attempt to remove Assange from the embassy,” and they were being run at the highest levels of government. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Sir Alan Duncan, is personally involved.”
Ecuador is preparing to evict and turn #JulianAssange over to British police. They have confirmed they are in negotiations with the British to “resolve” his fate. truthdig.com/articles/the-w…
These
reports also follow a chilling article penned by award-winning
journalist Chris
Hedges,
who wrote:
“The
failure on the part of establishment media to defend Julian Assange,
who has been trapped in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since 2012,
has been denied communication with the outside world since March and
appears to be facing imminent expulsion and arrest, is astonishing.
The extradition of the publisher—the maniacal goal of the U.S.
government—would set a legal precedent that would criminalize any
journalistic oversight or investigation of the corporate state. It
would turn leaks and whistleblowing into treason. It would shroud in
total secrecy the actions of the ruling global elites.”
As
described by Hedges, Western legacy press has become analogous to the
attack dogs of the establishment, especially since the 2016 US
Presidential election cycle, becoming almost rabid following the loss
of Clinton to Trump. Their predatory focus on Assange – as opposed
to their defense of his right to publish as a journalist – has
astounded many and forced the public to reconcile with the true face
of the media as state-sanctioned propoganda.
As
noted by many independent media outlets in the months since Assange’s
solitary confinement was enforced by the Ecuadorian government, his
sanctuary in the embassy has mutated – apparently irrevocably
– from
a refuge to a prison cell.
A hot afternoon outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London standing in solidarity with #WikiLeaks editor Julian #Assange July 18th 2018
Disobedient
Media reported that Assange, is being
tortured according
to UN rules on solitary confinement. Every day that his
state-sanctioned isolation continues is a 24-hour period of cruel and
unusual treatment that also breaches the Ecuadorian constitution. As
noted by one of Assange’s legal representatives, international
law is also on his side.
However, it remains to be seen as to whether Ecuador, the UK, or
United States will respect international law.
Under
the Presidency of Lenin Moreno, Ecuador has embraced a growing
relationship with the United States, including economic and military
agreements.
Less than a month ago, US Vice
President Pencevisited
Ecuador as part of a tour of Latin American nations, with intense
speculation surrounding the event in terms of its implications for
Julian Assange’s asylum.
Telesur wrote
of the meeting between Pence and Moreno: “The
Center for Economic and Social Rights (CDES) in Ecuador has warned
that United
States Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to Ecuador “seeks
to align the country to U.S. influence:
that is turn Ecuador into a territory of war, sign an aggressive free
trade agreement, eliminate ‘irritating’ subjects like the Texaco
(Chevron) case, and dismantle sovereign regional integration.”
These
developments, in light of Assange’s isolation, have caused
escalating concern, while provoking a backlash across the planet
against unelected United States military powers. These demonstrations
of solidarity have ranged from vigils
on the ground in
front of the Ecuadorian embassy in London to petitions, online
vigils, works
of art and pieces
of incredible music.
All of these works have
illustrated silencing Assange is against the deep state’s interest.
Happy birthday Julian. I made something for ya. Acrylic and oil on masonite. @WLArtForce #FreeAssange @AssangeMrs
Every
act of brutality against him has and will increase solidarity with
him on the ground at the embassy, online, and in the streets.
Web-based vigils under the banner #Unity4J have
brought together journalists, activists, and thinkers from around the
globe ranging from progressives and socialists to conservatives,
independents, and everything in between.
On
the sixth anniversary of Assange’s entry into the Ecuadorian
embassy in London, demonstrations
of solidarity were
also held in locations including Sydney Australia, Bern Switzerland,
Washington D.C., Sri Lanka, India, and Dublin, Ireland among others.
At a rally in Sydney, award-winning documentary film-maker and
journalist, delivered the following
address:
If
Assange is surrendered by the Ecuadorian government to the UK, it
will no doubt provoke outrage and public demonstrations in his
support. It will also suggest that his arrest may have been the
impetus for the recent escalation in feigned
neoMcCarthyist fervor. Some
have suggested that the only recourse left to support Assange at this
time may be civil disobedience
Dearest supporters of Julian,
As Julians life is in extreme danger right now from an Embassy asylum eviction & extradition to the US the priority is to act to prevent that.
Your actions to protect Julian will give him more comfort than a personal letter atm.#FreeAssange
As Julians life is in extreme danger right now from an Embassy asylum eviction & extradition to the US the priority is to act to prevent that.
Your actions to protect Julian will give him more comfort than a personal letter atm.#FreeAssange
We
are hardly the first to point out that if his asylum were to be
revoked in any way, dangerously inept intelligence agencies,
especially the CIA, would continue to operate outside the purview of
public vision. We would have lost an important public voice warning
us of the dangers of artificial intelligence, and any pretense to an
authentic free press. As outlets like the Guardian, The New York
Times and The Washington Post have seemed only too eager to
cannibalize the work of a journalist they also persecute, the public
must understand that the implications of Assange’s asylum, if lost,
would reach far beyond petty political outcomes.
Whistleblowers
may be less likely to turn to outlets unable to secure their
anonymity and advocate on their behalf, as we have seen in WikiLeaks’
actions towards alleged sources such as Chelsea Manning. WikiLeaks’
protection and advocacy on behalf of its sources is absolutely
unmatched.
The ultimate outcome of the loss of Julian Assange are too great to
fully summarize.
However,
CIA Whistleblower John
Kiriakou spoke
during the first Unity4J vigil, saying: “I
feel like we’re heading into an international crisis if we turn our
backs on Julian Assange.”
All
legitimate press across the globe must advocate for a politically
imprisoned journalist to be protected by the rule of international
law which has found his confinement
to be illegal, deserving
of immediate cessation and recompense.
Disobedient
Media will continue to report on this critical story as events
unfold.
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