In this letter, twenty-seven writers, journalists, film-makers,
artists, academics, former intelligence officers and democrats call on the
government of Ecuador to allow Julian Assange his right of freedom of speech.
If it was ever clear that the case of Julian Assange was never
just a legal case, but a struggle for the protection of basic human rights, it
is now.
Citing his critical tweets about the recent detention of Catalan
president Carles Puidgemont in Germany, and following pressure from the US,
Spanish and UK governments, the Ecuadorian government has installed an
electronic jammer to stop Assange communicating with the outside world via the
internet and phone.
As if ensuring his total isolation, the Ecuadorian government is
also refusing to allow him to receive visitors. Despite two UN rulings
describing his detention as unlawful and mandating his immediate release,
Assange has been effectively imprisoned since he was first placed in isolation
in Wandsworth prison in London in December 2010. He has never been charged with
a crime. The Swedish case against him collapsed and was withdrawn, while the
United States has stepped up efforts to prosecute him. His only
"crime" is that of a true journalist -- telling the world the truths
that people have a right to know.
Under its previous president, the Ecuadorian government bravely
stood against the bullying might of the United States and granted Assange
political asylum as a political refugee. International law and the morality of
human rights was on its side.
Today, under extreme pressure from Washington and its
collaborators, another government in Ecuador justifies its gagging of Assange
by stating that "Assange's behavior, through his messages on social media,
put at risk good relations which this country has with the UK, the rest of the
EU and other nations."
This censorious attack on free speech is not happening in
Turkey, Saudi Arabia or China; it is right in the heart of London. If the
Ecuadorian government does not cease its unworthy action, it, too, will become
an agent of persecution rather than the valiant nation that stood up for
freedom and for free speech. If the EU and the UK continue to participate in
the scandalous silencing of a true dissident in their midst, it will mean that
free speech is indeed dying in Europe. This is not just a matter of showing
support and solidarity. We are appealing to all who care about basic human
rights to call on the government of Ecuador to continue defending the rights of
a courageous free speech activist, journalist and whistleblower.
We ask that his basic human rights be respected as an Ecuadorian
citizen and internationally protected person and that he not be silenced or
expelled.
If there is no freedom of speech for Julian Assange, there is no
freedom of speech for any of us -- regardless of the disparate opinions we
hold.
We call on President Moreno to end the isolation of Julian
Assange now.
List of
signatories (in alphabetic order):
Pamela Anderson,
actress and activist
Jacob Appelbaum,
freelance journalist
Renata Avila,
International Human Rights Lawyer
Sally Burch,
British/Ecuadorian journalist
Alicia Castro,
Argentina's ambassador to the United Kingdom 2012-16
Naomi Colvin,
Courage Foundation
Noam Chomsky,
linguist and political theorist
Brian Eno,
musician
Joseph Farrell,
WikiLeaks Ambassador and board member of The Centre for Investigative
Journalism
Teresa Forcades,
Benedictine nun, Montserrat Monastery
Charles Glass,
American-British author, journalist, broadcaster
Chris Hedges,
journalist
Srecko Horvat,
philosopher, Democracy in Europe Movement (DiEM25)
Jean Michel Jarre,
musician
John Kiriakou,
former CIA counterterrorism officer and former senior investigator, U.S. Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations
Lauri Love,
computer scientist and activist
Ray McGovern,
former CIA analyst, Presidential advisor
John Pilger,
journalist and film-maker
Angela Richter,
theater director, Germany
Saskia Sassen,
sociologist, Columbia University
Oliver Stone,
film-maker
Vaughan Smith,
English journalist
Yanis Varoufakis,
economist, former Greek finance minister
Natalia Viana,
investigative journalist and co-director of Agencia publica, Brazil
Ai Weiwei, artist
Vivienne Westwood,
fashion designer and activist
Slavoj Žižek,
philosopher, Birkbeck Institute for Humanities
No comments:
Post a Comment