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The campaign to stop Julian Assange from being extradited to the United States from England continues with a letter writing campaign to the US Ambassador to Australia.
The latest plea for support comes from Stella, Julian Assange’s wife.
She writes: “For more than ten years, I have fought for his right to freedom. With Julian’s extradition order under appeal and a decision coming soon, we know that the next six months will be the most critical in the 12 years since this nightmare began.
“Prime Minister Albanese recently revealed that he has made private representations to the United States Government on behalf of Julian – but we need the US to know he has the full support of the Australian community.
“I’ve worked closely with his legal defence team to write it, making the most powerful argument we can for his release. The US Government is under pressure to act, which is why it is necessary to continue to mount community pressure on the government to do the right thing. Can you join me and add your name to those already reaching out to the Ambassador?
“Julian is 51. He was 39 when I met him, and I have never known him as a free man. Julian is a husband. A father to two young children. He is an award-winning publisher. He is a political prisoner relentlessly persecuted for publishing truthful information that was unquestionably in the public interest. He is currently detained in the crushingly oppressive Belmarsh Prison, known as Britain’s Guantanamo Bay. Julian is locked up for over 20 hours a day. “His mental and physical health are in steady decline because of his mistreatment over the years, and because of his day-to-day environment which he has had to endure month after month, year after year. He is an innocent man that needs to be allowed his freedom.
“If he is extradited to the United States his treatment will only get far, far worse. Julian’s freedom is the ultimate test for Western democracy. Julian’s life hangs in the balance. His imprisonment is intolerable on every level. Over the next few months we have a narrow window to act – will you join me and write to Caroline Kennedy today? The letter is addressed to the President of the United States of America, Mr Joseph Biden, care of the Ambassador Caroline Kennedy.
It is a petition to the American Ambassador and it says: “We, the people of Australia, call on the Administration of the United States of America to end the prosecution of Mr Julian Assange.
“Mr Assange is an Australian citizen and publisher, being held in Belmarsh prison in the United Kingdom pending the finalisation of an extradition request from the United States government that is seeking to prosecute him for espionage and other alleged crimes.
“We call upon you to end the prosecution of Mr Assange on the following grounds:
That his prosecution under the United States Espionage Act is a violation of the right to Freedom of Expression, the Freedom of the Press and the right of all citizens to be informed of the criminal acts committed by governments.
The charges against him are politically motivated in that they are motivated by an intention to punish Mr Assange for exposing the war crimes of the American military.
That his right to legal privilege has been violated by the CIA ordering secret recordings of his meetings with his lawyers and his conversations while in the Ecuadorian Embassy.
That his prosecution sets a dangerous precedent of extra-territoriality that globally endangers journalists and publishers who reveal abuses of governments of all persuasions.
That a key source of the allegations against Mr Assange has since admitted that he fabricated the false allegations and has since been charged with numerous crimes.
That he has been subject to harsh and unreasonable conditions by being imprisoned in a high security prison when he is not a dangerous person.
That the planned trial in the “Espionage court” of Eastern District of Virginia will not be a fair trial.
That imprisonment for 175 years in a maximum-security prison, which Mr Assange faces in the United States, is cruel and inhumane and amounts to an effective death penalty.
That his treatment and lack of medical assistance has caused him to have a stroke which has severely impacted his life.
That he is an innocent man, who deserves to be recognised for his contribution to democracy, and not prosecuted to deter others.
The petition and letter can be signed via the website https://www.action.assangecampaign.org.au/
