To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Respect UN, Drop US Espionage Case Against Julian Assange
Just Foreign Policy
Following the decision of the UN working group on arbitrary detention that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is being arbitrarily detained in London, we call on the U.S. government to drop all threats of prosecution against Assange and WikiLeaks for publishing U.S. government documents, and to commit to not seek Assange's extradition to the United States.
Why is this important?
The UN working group on arbitrary detention has found that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arbitrarily detained in London for more than five years and should be released immediately. [1]
Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said: “In light of this decision, it’s clear that any criminal charges against Mr. Assange in connection with WikiLeaks’ publishing operations would be unprecedented and unconstitutional. Indeed, even the prolonged criminal investigation of WikiLeaks itself has had a profound chilling effect. The Justice Department should end that investigation and make clear that no publisher will ever be prosecuted for the act of journalism.” [2]
Urge the U.S. government to end all criminal investigations and threats of prosecution against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks by signing our petition.
Initial signers:
Oliver Stone, director
Robert Naiman, Policy Director, Just Foreign Policy
Kevin Martin, Executive Director, Peace Action
Jon Rainwater, Executive Director, Peace Action West
Jodie Evans, Co-founder, CODEPINK
Beverly Bell, Founder, Other Worlds
Jeff Cohen, Co-founder, RootsAction.org
Ann Wertheimer, Chair, American Voices Abroad
Kevin Zeese, Co-director, Popular Resistance
Karen Barton, Coordinator, Bryn Mawr Peace Coalition
Alice Slater, New York Director, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
Hedy Epstein, Holocaust Survivor
C. G. Estabrook, Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois
T.M. Scruggs, Anthromusicologist
A. Belden Fields, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Illinois
References:
1. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=17012&LangID=E
2. http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/feb/05/julian-assange-un-panel-uk-sweden-deprivation-of-liberty
Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said: “In light of this decision, it’s clear that any criminal charges against Mr. Assange in connection with WikiLeaks’ publishing operations would be unprecedented and unconstitutional. Indeed, even the prolonged criminal investigation of WikiLeaks itself has had a profound chilling effect. The Justice Department should end that investigation and make clear that no publisher will ever be prosecuted for the act of journalism.” [2]
Urge the U.S. government to end all criminal investigations and threats of prosecution against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks by signing our petition.
Initial signers:
Oliver Stone, director
Robert Naiman, Policy Director, Just Foreign Policy
Kevin Martin, Executive Director, Peace Action
Jon Rainwater, Executive Director, Peace Action West
Jodie Evans, Co-founder, CODEPINK
Beverly Bell, Founder, Other Worlds
Jeff Cohen, Co-founder, RootsAction.org
Ann Wertheimer, Chair, American Voices Abroad
Kevin Zeese, Co-director, Popular Resistance
Karen Barton, Coordinator, Bryn Mawr Peace Coalition
Alice Slater, New York Director, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
Hedy Epstein, Holocaust Survivor
C. G. Estabrook, Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois
T.M. Scruggs, Anthromusicologist
A. Belden Fields, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Illinois
References:
1. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=17012&LangID=E
2. http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/feb/05/julian-assange-un-panel-uk-sweden-deprivation-of-liberty