Above Photo: Kremencek/Flickr
In recent days we learned that the US government has an indictment set in place to arrest Julian Assange on charges of espionage and government theft. This sealed indictment was said to not exist by the United States and both Ecuador and the UK insisted that an extradition warrant would not be put in place if Assange left the embassy. The photos below show otherwise.
So you are wondering how this affects you or how this is dangerous. Let me explain. In early NAZI Germany, Hitler and his brown coats took control of state media which then was radio and newspapers. By controlling what the media told the public, they were able to take control of all assets of everyday life step by step. Every dictatorship or overthrow of government resulted in the silencing of those who spoke the truth. By prosecuting Assange, the US government sets a dangerous precedent against press freedom protected by the First Amendment and also violates every individual’s freedom of speech.
Silencing those who publish government corruption is the first step in taking away all our rights. Violating the Constitution will inevitably lead to the end of America as we know it. We cannot let this happen.
Regardless of if you agree with Wikileaks politics or Assange’s stand against war, corruption and war crimes, fighting against his persecution and prosecution is standing up for your own rights. We cannot let our government take away the right to free press and free speech. Without it, we the people lose our right to voice our opinion on what is right and wrong and soon lose our rights to freedom!
According to @FreedomofPress on Twitter, (which was retweeted by Wikileaks),
Here’s what the @NYTimes‘s lawyer told a room full of judges a few months ago about the Trump admin potentially prosecuting WikiLeaks and Assange: “I think the prosecution of him would be a very, very bad precedent for publishers.” https://www.courthousenews.com/judges-hear-warning-on-prosecution-of-wikileaks/ …
According to the New York Times, seen here:
“Mr. Assange is not a traditional journalist, but what he does at WikiLeaks has also been difficult to distinguish in a legally meaningful way from what traditional news organizations, like The New York Times, do every day: seek out and publish information that officials would prefer to be kept secret, including classified national security matters.
The Justice Department has never charged journalists with violating the law for doing their jobs. But in recent years, it has become far more common to charge officials with a crime for providing information to reporters. Depending on the facts, the case against Mr. Assange could set a precedent further chilling investigative journalism.”
“Deeply troubling if the Trump administration, which has shown little regard for media freedom, would charge Assange for receiving from a government official and publishing classified information—exactly what journalists do all the time,” Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, wrote Friday on Twitter.”
If Wikileaks staff and Julian Assange are prosecuted under an antiquated law from World War I which was in regards to those who took documents to enemy lines then wouldn’t this open the door to prosecuting other media operations such as the New York Times and Washington Post. Doesn’t this set a precedent to arrest anyone who publishes documents exposing criminal activity in our government? How can we as citizens of the United States stand by and watch as our government violates the very document our country was founded on?
The statement below is from Glenn Greenwald.
After they go after publishers, they will arrest whistleblowers who bring the crimes to light. Do we not as a people, who own our government, have the right to know what our government does illegally behind closed doors? Why are we allowing our DoJ to prosecute the press?
What other Constitutional Rights we will allow to be stripped under false pretenses? Will they take away our rights to protest? Our right to freedom of religion? To be able to press charges against government officials who commit crimes? What then are we? Nothing more than a unitary state.
The very roots of this country came from those who fought to free us from tyranny. If we allow Assange to be prosecuted and his persecution continued, we are allowing a travesty against our own rights as US citizens. Please contact your representatives, President Trump and the DoJ today and demand they drop these charges and keep their vows to the Constitution.