Three months before his extradition hearing, imprisoned WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange was defended as a pioneering journalist punished for exposing crimes of the state.
The following are remarks given at a conference on Thursday night at St. Pancras Church in London by some of Assange’s biggest defenders, including journalist and filmmaker John Pilger, former British diplomat Craig Murray, the UN special rapporteur on torture, Nils Melzer, clinical psychologist Lissa Johnson, former Ecuadorian diplomat Fidel Narvaez, Lisa Longstaff, spokesperson for Women Against Rape and historian Mark Curtis. The video presentations are a production of Gordon Dimmack, and are republished here with his permission.
Julian Assange should be honoured as a hero; not vilified as a criminal
I will add my hearty “thanks” to CN for being virtually the ONLY news outlet in America that has supported Assange and run stories about him (RT’s coverage has been pretty good, too.) The silence from the so-called “progressive” media has been deafening. They are beyond shameless.
Just went online and made a recurring monthly donation to CN, money being the sincerest form of flattery.
This has been an extraordinary day of really hearing and listening to TRUTH. Thank you CN. Thank you Joe. My full gratitude to each speaker. And now it is up to each one of us to FIGHT, to ACT, to ride the momentum on these powerful waves created today for Julian and Chelsea and life itself – as far as our imaginations can go. And I also remember all of our U.S. political prisoners some of whom remain in these gulags for over 45 years – since the Freedom movements of the late 60s and 70s – and the other millions (and their families, children ) trying to survive day by day in barbarian hellholes. Each of us must act while we still can.
In gratitude and solidarity
Thank you CN for being transparent and exposing those government agencies who have always operated behind closed door, Gestapo style.
Hello Consortium News,
Just another stop on or journey of descent. The innocent are punished while the guilty not only go free but are doing their best to destroy the planet and all living things that exist here. This has become the world of evil. which will feed upon itself and become a greater evil. Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning are just the tip of the iceberg as far as torture is concerned.
Kenneth, you’re absolutely right and I couldn’t agree more. Yes, the innocent are punished while the guilty not only go scott-free but are doing their very best to destroy the planet and all living things within it. It’s become the world of evil, which will certainly feed upon itself and become even a greater evil. As you rightly said, Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning are simply the tip of the iceberg as far as torture’s concerned.
Totally agree. It’s one reason I still go on Faux Noise and leave comments about how the rich and powerful are screwing ALL of us. There are more of “us” than “them”, but we gotta start finding common ground. The evil is becoming obvious to more and more people.
Thank you CN for publishing and thank you Gordon Dimmack for recording this event. We all need to share this widely to the propagandized masses.
Free Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning!
Lots of talk about both physical and psychological torture being inflicted upon Assange, but why no talk about the pervasive psychological imbalance of those and the systems that pays their wages.
Anyone who does not recognize that those who rise to highest levels of, not just government but industry and financials no matter governing structures, have strong traces of one or both sociopathic and psychopathic characteristics, then they should get busy researchng.
The amounts of people in positions of power with narcisstic personalities combined with above two other mental disorders is very high as well, they are those who live by manipulating others and absorbing all blame from their destructive ways upon others.
All that they do and get away with is only possible because of the mental conditioning the system has subjected upon the masses of people who cannot and in most cases dare not look into own minds to understand why they sit on ass and let the system managers and their weak of self will followers rule their lives.
Alas, I totally agree with you. These people are sociopaths and psychopaths. That’s the reason they are powerful in the first place – they have zero concern for those they destroy as they accumulate their wealth and/or power.
Consider not-Justice Robert Bork. When told that Obama was looking for someone with empathy, his response was “what’s that?” Classic sociopathology – inability to empathize with another human being.
The reason most of us are not billionaires is not because we aren’t smart enough. It’s mostly because we cannot put aside our human values to screw enough people to get that rich.
Thank you, CN, for your nonstop information. Thanks to all speakers. Thanks for the adresses. I am spreading your work and writing letters.
Free Julian Assange! Free Chelsea Manning!
( Nils Melzer said during his visit that Germany should take it on to fight for Assange. And this is sad: The German Press Spokesman told Nils Melzer they don’t read his reports and consequently are unable to make a comment. The Press Spokesman is the voice of Angela Merkel. )
Wonderful! Brilliant! Outstanding!
Yes, thank you CN for this coverage of the conference, and your dedication to freedom of the press, against the intrusions of a rogue state shedding its last pretenses of a democracy it has not had since the Great Depression.
From the first video (at 7:52):
“Why am I so passionate about this case? It’s because it is about all of us. It is about the future of our democracies. It is about the future of the rule of law. And it’s also about the man Julian Assange.”
— Nils Melzer, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, November 28, 2019
Mr. Lauria, I thank you kindly for publishing these speeches. I have learned many new tips with which to hopefully help Julian be freed. I am going to be busy this afternoon with all the corresponding I must do. Time well spent beyond measure it will be. Thank you for being such a good editor, Joe. You are the perfect fit here at CN. To all the speakers here, you were, each of you, simply stellar and I only wish I had been there in person to hear each speech. From the depths of our collective humanity, thank you and may you long live to advocate for freedom and justice for all of us. So may we all. ML
Hugs all round for this man and his supporters of TRUTH – fuck the state, the british atate, the american state – all of them
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You CN!