{"id":228073,"date":"2023-01-30T12:00:05","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T12:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=228073"},"modified":"2023-01-27T08:42:59","modified_gmt":"2023-01-27T08:42:59","slug":"tribunal-in-washington-calls-on-president-biden-to-end-prosecution-of-julian-assange-and-to-defend-rights-of-journalists-and-whistleblowers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2023\/01\/tribunal-in-washington-calls-on-president-biden-to-end-prosecution-of-julian-assange-and-to-defend-rights-of-journalists-and-whistleblowers\/","title":{"rendered":"Tribunal in Washington Calls on President Biden to End Prosecution of Julian Assange and to Defend Rights of Journalists and Whistleblowers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Third Belmarsh Tribunal for Julian Assange held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. (January 20, 2023) [Source: rumble.com]<\/p><\/div>\n

24 Jan 2023 – <\/em>Nearly 13 years after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange released the video Collateral Murder<\/a><\/em> exposing the brutal and intentional killing of Iraqi civilians and two Reuters journalists, over 150 people packed the same room in the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. for the Belmarsh Tribunal. January 20th\u2019s sitting was the third of the Tribunal, following events in London<\/a> and New York<\/a> City in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Many thousands also watched the event live online. See video of Tribunal below.<\/p>\n

Organized by Progressive International and co-chaired by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!<\/em> and Croatian philosopher and author Sre\u0107ko Horvat, the Belmarsh Tribunal brought together a panel of whistleblowers, activists, lawyers and more in support of Assange, WikiLeaks and journalistic freedom.<\/p>\n

httpv:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=j_QqpYATupw<\/p>\n

Held just two blocks from the White House, the Tribunal called on President Biden to end the prosecution of Julian Assange and to defend the rights of journalists and whistleblowers.<\/p>\n

Belmarsh, the prison near London where Assange has been held since 2019 is a high-security facility often referred to as the \u201cBritish version of Guantanamo Bay.\u201d Beginning with the so-called \u201cwar on terrorism\u201d in 2001, Belmarsh has been used to house suspected terrorists. Today, many of its prisoners are people who have committed brutally violent crimes like murder and rape.<\/p>\n

\"A
Belmarsh prison. [Source: birminghammail.co.uk<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Assange is being held there pending the completion of his extradition trial, in which the United States government under the Trump and Biden administrations seeks to bring him to trial in the U.S. He could face up to 175 years in prison under the Espionage Act for publishing proof of U.S. war crimes. It would be a death sentence for the 51-year-old whose physical and mental health has already deteriorated during his confinement.<\/p>\n

Solidarity was a key theme of the event. Human rights lawyer Steven Donziger opened his remarks by saying \u201cHalf the battle is this\u201d as he motioned around the crowded room. \u201cIt\u2019s the solidarity,\u201d he continued, expressing his appreciation for those who came out to defend him in his struggle. \u201cI cannot tell you how completely uplifting that was. Part of the challenge when truthtellers speak truth to these entrenched pools of power is how to turn the attacks into opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Human rights lawyer Steven Donzinger [Source: salon.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Donziger brought and won a lawsuit against oil company Chevron\/Texaco on behalf of indigenous people in Ecuador for destruction of their lands through oil extraction in the Lago Agrio oil field. Chevron retaliated after a $9.5 billion award was levied against them, filing an outrageous RICO suit against Donziger, who was placed under house arrest for a total of 993 days (in addition to 45 days in prison) until he was finally freed in April of 2022.<\/p>\n

Solidarity was also extended to Daniel Hale<\/a>, a whistleblower who exposed the deadly U.S. targeted killing and drone program. Attorney Jesselyn Radack spoke on his case and its connection to Assange\u2019s. Hale is being held in a Communications Management Unit (CMU) at the U.S. Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, A.K.A. \u201cGitmo North,\u201d where his connection to the outside world is monitored and severely limited.<\/p>\n

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\"A
Daniel Hale attorney Jessalyn Radek. [Source: alchetron.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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[Source: unac.notowar.net<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cI have been shut out of my own clients\u2019 unclassified hearings. The parts of the hearings that are public often include code words and substitutions that make the proceedings very difficult for the public to understand. In one case, the government attempted to prevent defense attorneys from using the word whistleblower, or the word newspaper.\u201d Radack\u2019s account suggests that should Assange be extradited to the United States, he will not be able to receive a fair and impartial trial.<\/p>\n

The prosecution of Assange is an example of naked political aggression and intimidation. It\u2019s not only aimed at Assange himself and WikiLeaks, but puts whistleblowers, journalists and activists squarely within the crosshairs.<\/p>\n

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[Source: elpais.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Former UK Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said, \u201cWhat\u2019s Julian charged with? Telling the truth. Telling the truth all over the world about what governments do and what governments want to hide\u2026I, as an elected politician, am very well aware that elected politicians don\u2019t like being questioned on the decisions that they make. But it\u2019s fundamental to a democratic society that they are constantly under surveillance and under question. [While] they are very keen on putting everybody else under surveillance, their decisions should be under surveillance at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
Former UK Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. [Source: lavarnguardia.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to calling for the Biden administration to end his prosecution, Corbyn also called on journalists and media outlets to continue to stand up. In November 2022, an open letter from The New York Times<\/em>, El Pais<\/em>, Le Monde<\/em>, The Guardian<\/em> and Der Spiegel<\/em> published an open letter with the same demand: \u201cThis indictment sets a dangerous precedent, and threatens to undermine America\u2019s First Amendment and the freedom of the press. Holding governments accountable is part of the core mission of a free press in a democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Corbyn went further and called on journalists around the world to stand up for Assange: \u201cI say this to journalists who may be watching this around the world: You might say \u2018well ok that\u2019s Assange, that\u2019s different\u2026\u2019 sorry it\u2019s not! It\u2019s you as a journalist because if Julian Assange ends up in a maximum security prison in the United States for the rest of his life, every other journalist around the world will think \u2018oh, should I really report this information I\u2019ve been given? Should I really speak out about this denial of human rights, miscarriage of justice in any country around the world? Because the long arm of United States espionage might reach me and an extradition treaty might put me in that same prison.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Kristinn Hrafnsson, the current WikiLeaks Editor-In-Chief, appeared by video at the suggestion of his lawyers, as travel to the United States could be dangerous for him.<\/p>\n

Hrafnsson broke down the story of WikiLeaks into two chapters:\u00a0 \u201cOne is about the publications, the most important journalistic work of this century. The other chapter is about the reaction to this work, and it is equally revealing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Kristinn Hrafnsson [Source: npc.org.au<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On one side of that reaction are the attacks on WikiLeaks and journalism, as well as the weakening of basic democratic norms, principles and domestic and international processes. On another is the attention and support that WikiLeaks, Assange and whistleblowing have received. Hrafnsson discussed his recent trip around Latin America, meeting with leaders to discuss the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cArgentinians, as do others in the region, know fully well the capability of the CIA in planning kidnapping or killing of individuals.\u201d he said of his meeting with Alberto Fern\u00e1ndez and Cristina Fern\u00e1ndez de Kirchner of Argentina. Bolivian President Luis Arce \u201cfully committed himself in support of Assange.\u201d The newly-elected President of Brazil, Lula, said \u201cthe fight to end the injustice entailed in the Assange case would be a priority in his foreign policy.\u201d Gusavo Petro of Colombia also provided words of support, as did Andr\u00e9s Manuel L\u00f3pez Obrador of Mexico.<\/p>\n

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President\u00a0Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is among many progressive leaders in Latin America supporting Assange. [Source:\u00a0usnews.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
Bolivian President Luis Arce [Source:\u00a0k2.abs-cbnnews.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Vice President Francia M\u00e1rquez. [Source:\u00a0nytimes.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador\u00a0[Source:\u00a0japantimes.co.jp<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Argentinian President Alberto Fern\u00e1ndez and his Vice President, former President Cristina Fern\u00e1ndez de Kirchner. [Source:\u00a0npr.org<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n
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Stefania Maurizi [Source: la7.it<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Italian journalist Stefania Maurizi described how she had been \u201cstunned\u201d by the state criminality documented in the files, by the impunity that war criminals and torturers enjoy in our democracies.\u201d She continues to file Freedom of Information requests that she describes as \u201ctrench warfare\u201d in the U.S., UK, Sweden and Australia to continue unearthing the truth of the prosecution of Assange. Her latest book, Secret Power: WikiLeaks and its Enemies<\/em>, has recently been translated to English.<\/p>\n

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Sre\u0107ko Horvat [Source: cultureforum.eu<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In closing, Horvat provided a review of the panel, the evidence and next steps. \u201cIt\u2019s up to the Biden administration to drop the charges. But it\u2019s also up to all of you here in the room and outside of the room to take this further and to make pressure as much as possible towards the Biden administration.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next Belmarsh Tribunal will be held in Sydney, Australia in March. He finished with a quote from Assange himself: \u201cIf we can only live once, then let it be a daring adventure that draws on all our powers. Let it be with similar types whose hearts and heads we may be proud of. Let our grandchildren delight to find the start of our stories in their ears but the endings all around in their wandering eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

______________________________________________<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>Chris Garaffa has been an anti-imperialist and social justice organizer since joining the movement against the Iraq war in 2003. He is a weekly guest on <\/em>Sputnik Radio\u2019s \u201c<\/em>By Any Means Necessary\u201d focusing on the intersection between technology and human rights, and co-hosts <\/em>CovertAction Bulletin, the radio show and podcast of <\/em>CovertAction Magazine. Email:\u00a0 chris.garaffa@gmail.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Go to Original – covertactionmagazine.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

24 Jan 2023 – Nearly 13 years after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange released the video Collateral Murder, over 150 people packed the same room in the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.–just two blocks from the White House–for the Belmarsh Tribunal. Co-chaired by Amy Goodman and Sre\u0107ko Horvat, it brought together whistleblowers, activists, lawyers in support of Assange.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":228076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[229,918,2732,2709,910,2163,2963,942,487,2964,378,651,234,911,454,572,639,292,70,126,921,113],"class_list":["post-228073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-whistleblowing-surveillance","tag-activism","tag-assange","tag-belmarsh-prison","tag-belmarsh-tribunal","tag-big-brother","tag-collateral-damage","tag-cryptome","tag-ecuador","tag-human-rights","tag-john-young","tag-journalism","tag-justice","tag-media","tag-surveillance","tag-sweden","tag-torture","tag-uk","tag-un","tag-usa","tag-violence","tag-whistleblowing","tag-wikileaks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}