You may have heard that there was some good news for Julian Assange. The supposedly good news is that, after almost 12 years of finding refuge in an embassy (about 7 years) or being locked up in prison (about 5 years) -- all without trial, and all due to the persecution by the U.S. government for the offense of journalism -- Assange won't be extradited to the United States unless the U.S. government makes certain "assurances" that are easy to make, impossible to believe, and miles away from constituting justice. - The U.S. government may "assure" the British court that Assange will have First Amendment rights, but in Espionage Act trials defendants have no such rights, and Assange's alleged crime is the exercise of such rights.
- It may "assure" that Assange will not be discriminated against for being Australian, but still punish him for making U.S. crimes public.
- It may claim that it will not pursue the death penalty, but the court that will try Assange in the U.S. will not have agreed to that.
There's a resolution before the House of Representatives that makes some fairly indisputable points: (1) "regular journalistic activities, including the obtainment and publication of information are protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States;" (2) "First Amendment freedom of the press promotes public transparency and is crucial for the American Republic;" (3) "the Federal Government ought to drop all charges against and attempts to extradite Julian Assange; and" (4) "the Federal Government allow Julian Assange to return home to his native Australia if he so desires." If you agree, please click here to ask your Representative to cosponsor the resolution (H Res 934).  |
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