The Prosecution of Assange Adds to the High Crimes of the West https://original.antiwar.com/Nozomi_Hayase/2019/11/20/the-prosecution-of-julian-assange-calls-for-the-publics-defense-of-free-speech/ #FreeAssange

1/12. While the established media with their allegiance to the state has been failing to inform the public, the US government has been waging a war against the First Amendment. Assange has become a political prisoner of this war. #FreeAssange

2/12. In the era of "hope and change", Assange and his organization became a target of Obama’s crackdown on whistleblowers, which now has escalated into Trump administration’s assaults on the press freedom. #WikiLeaks #FreeAssange

3/12. On Tuesday, Swedish prosecutors dropped their preliminary investigation of Assange, which had railroaded him into a multi-year long arbitrary detention in the Ecuadorian Embassy, as indicated by the UN ruling. #FreeAssange

4/12. For the last 7 years prior to his imprisonment in the London’s maximum security prison, Assange has been unlawfully held by the UK government without charge, being denied access to medical treatment, fresh air, sunlight and adequate space to exercise. #FreeAssange

5/12. The Western nations’ coordinated attack on Assange was recognized by a UN expert. In May 2019, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture @NilsMelzer raised the concern that Assange has been subjected to psychological torture. #FreeAssange

6/12. The US gov's efforts to break Assange have extended into their egregious violation of his privacy. The videos & audio recordings accessed by La Repubblica revealed that the Spanish company carried out extraordinary surveillance on Assange, his lawyers, doctors & journalists

7/12. In the face of this outrageous incarceration, silence prevails among many media professionals. If media stillness is broken, it is only to be filled with an echo chamber of smearing. #FreeAssange

8/12. We live in an illusion of democracy, where we are surrounded by Orwellian doublespeak that distorts truth. Under the guise of free press, news headlines and sound bites turn the reality upside down. #FreeAssange #WikiLeaks

9/12. Those who dare to speak out against torture and abuse of power get condemned and punished, whereas torturers and perpetrators of violence are praised and rewarded. Truthtellers are silenced and persecuted, while war criminals walk free. #FreeAssange #WikiLeaks

10/12. The brutal prosecution of Julian Assange adds to the high crime of the West. It is an offense against the enlightenment ideas that are a foundation of civilization. #FreeAssange

11/12. If the US government succeeds in extraditing Assange to the US where he faces 175 years in prison without any chance of fair trial, it not only leads to possible execution of an innocent man, but also the death of a free press as a guardian of democracy. #FreeAssange

12. Asange’s extradition battle must become a defining moment of our fierce defense of free speech. Only through the courage of ordinary people who speak truth and wrestle with the beast devouring ideals that are kindled in our heart, can we save our democracy. #FreeAssange