Stella Moris, partner of journalist and Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange, announces legal battle will go on and said medical evidence says if he will be extradited and put under tight isolation rules might take his own life. VIDEO © Ruptly
London, 10 Dec. 2021 – It’s not just a matter of freedom of speech, journalism, right to protect whistleblowers and right to leak information when in the public interest in a democracy.
Not only a journalist, but a human rights defender who used his high tech skills and knowledge to give us all the information we need to wisely use our political vote, to know what tech, media, arms and defence companies do and which are the hidden interests leading governments to engage in wars and killings of civilians. That is Julian Assange.
Everybody around the world understood the seriousness of his institutional, cross border, persecution and factious legal prosecution. It is also a cross party one as US Democrats are on the forefront of those committed to making of Assange the living intimidation to us all, the example for the warning: ‘look what happened to him, anyone else wants to try to reveal classified government information of public interest from now on?’.
Who from now on would step up publishing or even attempting to declassify such a number of files incriminating governments, secret services, defense agencies, arms industry in the name of public interest, risking not just their own lives, but those of whistleblowers?
The intimidation worked already. The example of what could happened to those who dare snooping in States’ affairs is as clear as the ‘diplomatic’ speech of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announcing, two days before this verdict, a “new liability fund to provide financial support for journalist and news organisations targeted with litigation as a result of their reporting”.
Was that timely delivered speech an attempt to influence this verdict in favor of the US? And the more the tone is quiet, the more is sinister.
Has anyone heard, for instance, any recent news on the links with arms companies (always unnamed…), secret services’ strategies for the control of the population, governments plans for wars?
Who knows what they’re preparing for our dark future of impotent subdued, constantly targeted by CCTVs and AI devices, we do not even know the reach of intrusion and spying tools. What’s the current level of control on people who write and act for press freedom, disarmament, peace, social justice…
Do we, for instance, know if governments have access to all information of the skilled, educated individuals they retain of ‘interest’ (whether journalists or not) by just paying access to their internet providers/accounts?
Yes, there are investigative journalism teams, we owe much to them, but the level of opposition to what is happening must build up because intimidation, induced moderation and self censorship are tangible.
Even if Julian will not be extradited, the ‘exempli gratia’ is always there: ‘beware, stay put; look at Assange dying in prison’.
Talkeurope.org 