https://www.rt.com/news/347319-assange-event-whistleblowers-freedom/
Ten cities across the world
are hosting a week of events dubbed “First they came for Assange,” featuring
Noam Chomsky, Slavoj Zizek, Yanis Varoufakis and Patti Smith, among others. It
marks four years of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s detention.
Assange has been unable to
leave Ecuadorian Embassy since June 19, 2012, due to the UK police’s 24/7 watch
on the building, a legal case opened against him in Sweden, but, crucially,
because of what he says is Washington’s persecution for publishing and maintaining
the largest trove of explosive leaks in world’s history.
“First they came after Julian
Assange, then they came after Chelsea Manning, then they came after Edward
Snowden… who is next?” says the site
of the global ‘Assange week,’ which focuses on the fate of those who blew the
whistle and draws attention to the diminishing of freedom of expression
globally.
Now is a critical time for
whistleblowers, believes Srećko Horvat, one of the organizers of the event. The
collective appeal on the websites states that “unless there is an increase in
political pressure,” not only there won’t be any change in Assange’s fate, but
instead “everyone opposed to the political and financial powers might soon
become a target.”
“We are gathering all around
the world on [June 19] to speak out for Julian, because he has spoken out for
all of us, we are speaking out before there is no one left to speak out,” said
Horvat, a Croatian philosopher and founder of the Democracy in Europe Movement
(DiEM25).
“The inspiration for the title
of the event, ‘First they came for Assange,’ comes from the famous Martin
Niemöller poem about the cowardice of intellectuals and purging of dissidents,”
he said.
British filmmaker Ken Loach,
the winner of this year’s the Palme d’Or at Cannes, is one of the speakers at
the event. He said he joined the protest because Assange is a “brave man in
isolation,” stressing that “our legal system is being manipulated” when it
comes to Assange’s case.
“All who care about freedom of
information should demand that the threats made against Julian should be
lifted. He should be able to leave his place of safety without fear of
deportation or being handed over to those who intend him harm.”
Some of the other speakers at
the event include American philosopher Noam Chomsky, Slovenian-born philosopher
Slavoj Zizek, Chinese contemporary artist Ai Wei Wei, American
singer-songwriter Patti Smith, American documentary filmmaker Michael Moore,
English artist Brian Eno, English musician PJ Harvey, Spanish journalist
Ignacio Escolar, former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and many
others.
The global event will run from
June 19 to June 25. The participating cities include Athens, Belgrade, Berlin,
Brussels, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Milano, Montevideo, Naples, New York, Quito,
Paris and Sarajevo. Assange will join the event live from the Ecuadorian Embassy
in London.
As of June 19, Assange has
been deprived of his freedom for 2,022 days.
He remains in confinement even
after a UN panel’s February ruling that he has been “arbitrarily detained” in
the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. UN has called upon the UK and Sweden to end
Assange’s deprivation of liberty.
“The Working Group on
Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) … considered that Mr. Julian Assange was arbitrarily
detained by the Governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland,” the statement said.
The UN Working Group concluded
that the WikiLeaks founder “is entitled to his freedom of movement and to
compensation.”
The UN’s decision came after
Assange filed a complaint on Arbitrary Detention against Sweden and Britain
back in September 2014.
However, both countries failed
to comply, even though the opinions of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
are legally binding to the extent that they are based on international human
rights law, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR).
Assange is wanted in Sweden
for questioning in connection with allegations of sexual assault against two
women in 2010, an accusation which he has always denied. Several additional
charges against Assange were previously dropped because their statute of
limitations have expired. However, the current charge is not due to lapse until
2020.
The WikiLeaks founder fears
that if he goes to Sweden, he will then be extradited to the US, where he is
wanted on espionage charges related to publishing classified US military and
diplomatic documents in 2010 – the largest information leak in US history.
The prolonged detention has
had a detrimental impact on Assange’s health, according to his lawyers.
Attorneys Thomas Olsson and
Per Samuelsson said the whistleblower is suffering from shoulder pain and is in
need of urgent dental care, arguing that their client cannot receive adequate medical
care at the embassy.
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