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 The Swedish case against him collapsed and was withdrawn, while the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.
