This Shows How Impotent Western Peoples Are—They Cannot Even Save the Journalist Who Told Them the Truth
Persecution of Assange — more of the same
For nearly a decade the United States has been pursuing and persecuting Julian Assange in collaboration with three vassal states, aided and abetted by mainstream media. That appalling spectacle has been accompanied by a steady stream of eloquent denunciations and growing demands for Julian’s liberation.
The legal and moral grounds for all those demands and denunciations are indisputable. And yet he remains in prison under false pretexts, with no prospect of liberation in sight.
How is that possible? Because forces hostile to Julian Assange and what he represents have gained control of the institutions and superior resources of the collaborating governments. They have done so by means of ”democratic” elections which legitimise their control and — in the absence of any substantial opposition — ignore legal and ethical constraints on their conduct. In all of this, the complicity of the mainstream media has been essential.
A not-so-modest proposal
It is or should be obvious by now that Julian’s freedom is very unlikely to be won by appeals to reason and expressions of moral sentiment — no matter how often they are repeated and how widely they may be shared — as long as they remain disparate and unorganized, as they have been thus far. That is why I have proposed* the following:
• a global campaign dedicated to the release of Julian Assange from captivity, with an appropriate title such as ”Assange Freedom Now!”
• a qualified and influential steering committee to lead and legitimise the campaign.
• an adequately staffed and funded campaign headquarters, presumably in London but possibly elsewhere, to carry out tasks including:
Create and constantly maintain an attractive, easily read and technically efficient website to provide continual and authoritative reports on Julian’s current situation and related matters, correct errors in other media, answer reader enquiries, etc.
Develop and maintain a comprehensive list of solidarity groups around the world, document their actions, respond to their requests for information and guidance, etc.
Help plan, co-ordinate and execute major actions.
Indifferent response
In the two weeks that have passed since it was made, the response to that proposal has been less than overwhelming.
Two individuals have offered to help implement it. A few others have expressed approval but argued that it would be too difficult or take too long. Still others have explained that they want to do something, anything, without delay in order to vent their anger and frustration.
But the main response has been no response.
Instead, there has been more of the same, including several admirable initiatives involving a great deal of hard work and dedication. It goes without saying that I devoutly hope that they succeed in their variously expressed purpose of securing Julian’s freedom. It is extremely unlikely that they will.
One reason for that is reflected in the experience of two similar initiatives. Today, the author of one wrote of the other: ”This is completely different from my letter.… It started with my letter and got completely changed. Mine was against imprisonment, this is against extradition. Both are necessary but not the same. There is certainly a lack of coordination.”
There is indeed a lack of coordination, but I have found it extremely difficult to persuade others that overcoming that lack is of the highest priority. Very few have even been willing to discuss the issue.
And so it continues, with no one discernibly in charge of Julian’s struggle for freedom and very few who seem to believe that there ought to be, while millions of Julian’s supporters around the world remain uninformed and unorganised.
Apart from writing this memorandum, I lack the means to alter that perplexing and perturbing state of affairs. I can only hope that others with more power and greater resources will choose to do so
A final observation: As things now stand, Julian’s best hope may be for the Labour Party to win enough votes in the forthcoming U.K. election to form the next government. Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has condemned the current government’s treatment of Julian and has declared his intention to release him from prison if elected. Although it is conceivable that he might then change his mind or feel compelled to change his policy, there are ample grounds to trust Mr. Corbyn in this matter. I therefore urge that every possible effort be made to ensure that he becomes the next prime minister.
Al Burke
6 November 2019
References
OHCHR, “UN expert on torture sounds alarm again that Julian Assange’s life may be at risk”
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25249&LangID=E [1]
John Pilger, “Did this happen in the home of Magna Carta?”
http://johnpilger.com/articles/did-this-happen-in-the-home-of-magna-carta- [2]
Fidel Narvaez & Stefania Maurizi, ” “I Was Fired for Helping Julian Assange, and I Have No Regrets”
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/10/julian-assange-fidel-narvaez-ecuador-moreno [3]
Craig Murray, ”Assange in Court”
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/category/uncategorized/ [4]
*Al Burke, “Liberating Assange: A woeful lack of leadership”
http://www.nnn.se/nordic/assange/lead-lack.pdf [5]
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Al Burke
E-mail: editor@nnn.se
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