30 October 2020 — Assange Defense
We haven’t written in a while, and we just wanted to touch base with you about our efforts to defend Julian Assange and civil liberties and get you thinking about the importance of press freedom.
Do You Know What’s Really Scary?
In the spirit of Halloween, we want to get people thinking about (and talking about) how dangerous the prosecution of Julian is. So, without further ado…
Do you know what’s REALLY SCARY?
- How the war in Iraq was sold to the public with bad information. The press failed to serve as a check on government propaganda then, and it would be much harder for them to do so in the future if the precedent is set that journalists can be prosecuted for newsgathering.
- How it has been 10 years since the Iraq War Logs were published, but no one has been prosecuted for war crimes or misleading the public! Instead the government smears whistleblowers and critics to discredit them, and uses harassment, spying, and the justice system to intimidate people from coming forward in the future.
- How the case against Julian would set a terrible precedent that would cripple investigative journalism as we know it. Reporting on national security issues would be nearly impossible, and the entire notion of a free press is at stake. That’s why the Obama-Biden administration decided not to prosecute Julian!
- How the extradition of Julian, who is not a U.S. citizen and is being charged for journalistic activities overseas, would open the door to unfriendly governments like Russia and China targeting foreign journalists for critical reporting.
What’s Next?
We have some big projects in the works, including a video series that will launch next week. These videos will be a great opportunity to raise awareness, and we hope you’ll be on the lookout to like and share them. Stay tuned!
Get Involved!
How can you help?
A few easy steps you can take are to sign up for our Action Network mailing list and follow us on Twitter & Facebook. Every time you retweet or share you’re helping spread awareness.
Looking to do more? You can really help by writing a Letter to the Editor (LTE) of your local newspaper. And we can help you do it! We have a detailed LTE handbook that includes samples and materials to help you convey your own message to your local community. Dozens have signed up already, but having more voices really helps! To volunteer to write an LTE, sign up with us through Action Network or reply to this email.
In solidarity,
Team Assange Defense
The New Dark Age 