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Rules for Video Access to Julian’s Feburary 2024 Appeal

On the 1st February 2024 the UK Courts and Tribunals Judiciary published these directions for video access

Before:
President Of The King’s Bench Division and Mr Justice Johnson

Between:
Julian Paul Assange
-v-
Government Of The United States Of America
-v-
Secretary Of State For The Home Department
(Interested Party)

Order

UPON the appellant’s renewed application for permission to appeal being listed on 20 and 21 February 2024
AND UPON the court receiving requests to attend the hearing by video link, and anticipating that further requests will be received before the hearing

It is ordered that:

  1. If the parties wish to make any representations about the way in which the court should treat requests to attend the hearing made under paragraph 3 below, those representations must be filed with the court by 4pm on 9 February 2024.
  2. Any person may, with the written permission of an employee of HMCTS (which shall only be granted after approval by the court), observe the proceedings by way of an audio-visual link.
  3. Any person seeking such written permission shall send the request to listoffice@administrativecourtoffice.justice.gov.uk by 4pm on 15 February 2024.
  4. Any person (“the applicant”) seeking permission under paragraph 3 above, shall include in their request:
    (a) the full name of the applicant;
    (b) the email address of the applicant;
    (c) information as to whether the applicant would be located within the jurisdiction of England and Wales at all times when attending the Hearing remotely (if a transmission direction were to be made); and, if not, details of the applicant’s location;
    (d) any information the applicant wishes to provide in support of the request, including in particular any reason(s) why it is contended that making such a direction would be in the interests of justice; and
    (e) a statement by the applicant in the following terms:
    “I agree and undertake to the Court that, if permitted to attend the Hearing remotely, I will not make a recording, capture images, and/or broadcast any part of the proceedings. I understand that to do so may be an offence and/or contempt of court, punishable by imprisonment and/or a fine. I will abide by any directions given to me by the Court during the Hearing. I agree and undertake to the Court that I will not provide the link that I am given to access the Hearing to any other person.”
  5. A request for permission that is not made by the deadline imposed by this Order and/or does not comply with paragraph 4 of this Order may be refused.
  6. All those who are provided with a link t observe the proceedings shall be provided with a copy of this order.
  7. Each such observer shall ensure that nobody else is able to hear or view the proceedings via the link unless that person has first identified themselves to the court and has been provided with permission by the court to view the link.
  8. Each observer may only access the link from within the United Kingdom unless the observer has been given permission, in writing, by a member of HMCTS staff to observe the proceedings from outside the United Kingdom (in which case they may only access the link from that location).
  9. Each observer shall, as a condition of continued access:
    (a) keep their camera turned off, and ensure that they are muted (unless instructed otherwise)
    (b) conduct themselves appropriately and in particular in accordance with any instructions of the judges and/or court staff for persons observing the proceedings (remembering that they will be treated as if they were physically present in the courtroom).
  10. Transmission via the link is dependent on the link being activated at least 5 minutes before the proceedings start, so that information may be provided by the court staff before proceedings start.
  11. This direction may be varied or revoked at any time and without notice by further direction of the court.
  12. Any party who wishes to vary or set aside this direction may do so on written application.
  13. Costs in the case.
    Important note: See the attached rules for those who observe proceedings remotely. If you do not obey the rules then that might amount to a criminal offence or a contempt of court which may be punished by imprisonment.
    GDPR: Your personal data will be processed for the purposes of facilitating your attendance at the hearing, ensuring that the proceedings are conducted without disruption, and enforcing the applicable laws and directions, including those requiring orderly behaviour during proceedings, prohibiting live text-based communication from court, and the making of audio-visual recordings. They will not be used for any other purposes, and will not be kept on file for longer than is necessary for those purposes.

Reasons:

(A) The Court anticipates that there is likely to be interest from media representatives and members of the public in attending remotely the hearing that is due to commence for 2 days on 20-21 February 2024. To manage the process, we have set out a procedure whereby anyone who wishes to attend the hearing remotely can make a transmission direction request.

(B) The court will not normally grant a transmission direction request in respect of an applicant who will not be in England and Wales during the Hearing. Anyone making a transmission direction request who will not be in England and Wales should provide information (pursuant to paragraph 4(d) above) as to why it would nevertheless be in the interests of justice to make a transmission direction order in his/her case.

(C) Late requests, because they cause disruption to the Court’s work are likely to be refused, unless there are compelling reasons why the applicant was unable to comply with the Court’s directions.

Dated this 1st day of February 2024

Rules for third-party observers (public hearing)

You are being given remote access to a public court hearing. The judiciary and court service are committed to open justice. This is subject to five simple rules to protect the court process.

  1. Do not share your link without permission. The link must only be used by someone else if that has been approved by the court.
  2. Behave respectfully. A court hearing is a serious matter. Behave as if you were in a physical court room. Do not disturb or interrupt. Follow any instructions of the judge. Your access may be terminated if you do not.
  3. Do not record the hearing. It is a criminal offence to record a court hearing. You must not record video or audio or take photos or screenshots of the hearing.
  4. If you want to report, take care. You can report live in writing if you are a journalist or you have the specific permission of the Judge conducting the hearing. Otherwise, reports must be after the event. In all cases there may be reporting restrictions which you must obey. It is your responsibility to find out whether restrictions apply.
  5. Take all these rules seriously. If you break them you might not just lose your access. You might be guilty of an offence or contempt of court for which you could be fined or sent to prison for up to 2 years.

To make sure these rules are followed we advise you to
• find somewhere private to join the hearing
• turn off your microphone and camera
• switch off any other device, unless you have permission to use it
• check whether reporting restrictions apply

Reference original article at judiciary.uk

Paul Gosar : United States ought to drop all charges against and attempts to extradite Julian Assange

On the 13th December 2023, Rep. Paul Gosar ( Republican Arizona) referred a bill to the House Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Congress

Paul Gosar ( from United States Congress Web Site )

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that regular journalistic activities are protected under the First Amendment, and that the United States ought to drop all charges against and attempts to extradite Julian Assange.

The Bill reads

Refer United States Congress web site for current status

Refers :
James P. McGovern,
Thomas Massie,
Marjorie Taylor Greene,
Anna Paulina Luna,
Eric Burlison,
Jeff Duncan,
Ilhan Omar,
Clay Higgins.

The RESOLUTION READS

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that regular journalistic activities are protected under the First Amendment, and that the United States ought to drop all charges against and attempts to extradite Julian Assange.

Whereas regular journalistic activities, including the obtainment and publication of information, are protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States;

Whereas, in 2010, WikiLeaks, a media organization established by Julian Assange, published a cache of hundreds of thousands of pieces of information including Guantanamo Bay detainee assessment briefs, State Department cables, rules of engagement files, and other United States military reports;

Whereas the disclosure of this information promoted public transparency through the exposure of the hiring of child prostitutes by Defense Department contractors, friendly fire incidents, human rights abuses, civilian killings, and United States use of psychological warfare;

Whereas, in 2018, Mr. Assange was charged with one count under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) for alleged conspiracy to help a United States Army intelligence analyst access Defense Department computers without authorization;

Whereas the charge under the CFAA was despite the fact that said intelligence analyst already had access to the mentioned computer, that the purported breaching of the Defense Department computers was impossible, and that there was no proof Mr. Assange had any contact with said intelligence analyst;

Whereas, in 2019, Mr. Assange was charged with an additional 17 counts under the Espionage Act for alleged obtainment and disclosure of classified national defense information;

Whereas no other publisher had ever been prosecuted under the Espionage Act prior to these 17 charges;

Whereas Mr. Assange could face up to 175 years behind bars, effectively a death sentence, for these charges;

Whereas, in 2019, Mr. Assange was arrested by the London Metropolitan Police for an outstanding warrant and is currently being held at HM Prison Belmarsh while he battles the United States request that the United Kingdom extradite him;

Whereas the successful prosecution of Mr. Assange under the Espionage Act would set a precedent allowing the United States to prosecute and imprison journalists for First Amendment protected activities, including the obtainment and publication of information, something that occurs on a regular basis;

Whereas First Amendment freedom of the press is essential to promote public transparency and is a crucial safeguard for our Republic;

Whereas numerous human rights, press freedom, and privacy rights advocates and organizations have disclosed their sincere and steadfast support for Mr. Assange; and

Whereas at least 70 Senators and Members of Parliament from Australia, a critical United States ally and Mr. Assange’s native country, support actions that would allow Mr. Assange to return home: Now, therefore be it

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that—

(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.

Barnaby Joyce MP Warns Australian Parliament on the Extraterritorial Precedent of Julian’s Extradition

On 28th November 2023, Barnaby Joyce Nationals MP for New England, addressed Australian Parliament on the dangers of the extraterritorial precedent of the extradition of Julian Assange

Mr JOYCE  (New England) (16:23):

I would like to follow on from the member for Makin and also acknowledge Gabriel Shipton, who’s here today. There are very few things that draw together people from both sides of the political fence, whether it’s the Greens; Alex Antic; Tony Zappia—we’ve known each other for a long time and worked together—the Nationals; the Labor Party; the Liberal Party; the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese; or Peter Dutton, but this issue has done that. It’s time that this issue is resolved and brought to a conclusion. I acknowledge that Gabriel Shipton is Julian Assange’s brother, but I’m not here to give warrant to Mr Assange did—not for one second. But I am saying that extraterritoriality is an incredibly dangerous precedent. I’ll say, for the Australian people, that—and not to go through the details, which the member for Makin has done—Julian Assange was not a US citizen.

Julian Assange did not commit a crime in Australia. In fact, he got a Walkley Award for it. Julian Assange was never in the US when any offence that the US has nominated was committed.

So we are sending a person to a third country on the behest of a third country because of their domestic laws. Once you start agreeing to do that, it’s only a matter of time before the Chinese government says, ‘We’ve got a few people in Australia we want you to send to China.’ If someone offends a religion in another part of the world, they’ll say, ‘You should send those people to us as well.’ How are you going to argue against that when you have given credibility to what is happening here? For the US, how are they going to justify their position when they are part and parcel of this? I’ve said before that Australia has been a good neighbour to the US, and, with Mr Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, who most definitely committed offences in Australia—most definitely—we haven’t called for their extradition back to Australia. If we did, they would go to jail for quite a while.

So I ask something of those in the United States. I know the Prime Minister of Australia has now been to the US. I’m not going to delve into what discussions the Prime Minister may or may not have had, but I want to reinforce to the people of the United States and the government of the United States our great respect for their nation but our displeasure that this issue continues on. It needs to be resolved. This carbuncle in the relationship needs to be removed. We have bigger fish to fry. There are bigger issues out there for us to deal with. This issue needs to be put aside.

I want to also acknowledge the great work done by the delegation with Tony Zappia, Alex Antic, Peter Whish-Wilson, Monique Ryan and David Shoebridge—I’m forgetting some more. I thank them for their work. The support will continue on.

Refer original coverage in Hansard

Recent articles covering Mr Joyce’s support for Julian :
Australian Financial Review

Tony Zappia MP Calls for Julian’s Release in Australian Parliament

On 28th November 2023, Tony Zappia Labor MP for Makin addressed Australian Parliament calling for Julian’s immediate release. As reported in Hansard

Mr ZAPPIA  (Makin) (16:20):

Since April 2019, Julian Assange has been held in the maximum security Belmarsh prison in England as he fights extradition to the USA, where he faces multiple espionage related charges. For the seven years prior, he was confined to the Ecuadorian embassy in London. His alleged wrongdoing was publishing classified US military documents through his WikiLeaks website. Other media outlets that published the same material, including the Guardian, the New York Times and the online US Cryptome blogger, John Young, are not being pursued and never have been by the US government.

Julian Assange is an Australian citizen. His health is failing. In September, an Australian cross-party delegation, which consisted of senators David Shoebridge, Peter Whish-Wilson and Alex Antic, as well as the member for New England, Barnaby Joyce; the member for Kooyong, Dr Monique Ryan; and me, travelled to Washington to lobby for the release of Assange. In the two-day privately funded visit, the Australian delegation met with key US government officials and cross-party members of the US Congress. Subsequent to the Australian delegation’s visit, 16 cross-party members of the US Congress signed a joint letter to the US President calling for the withdrawal of the Julian Assange extradition request and a halt to the US prosecution. Countless other international human rights advocates, eminent legal persons and world leaders have also called for his release. Three-quarters of a million people have signed a petition in support of Julian Assange.

The widely held view is that Julian Assange is being punished for having embarrassed the US and US individuals. Regardless of whatever view one holds about Julian Assange, including believing he did wrong, almost five years in the high-security Belmarsh prison has been a very heavy penalty, particularly in light of Chelsea Manning, the US intelligence officer who provided the classified material to him, having had her sentence commuted in 2017. It serves no useful purpose to continue the detention and pursuit of Julian Assange. Exposing the truth should not be a crime, and the persecution of Julian Assange contradicts the very principles of freedom of speech and freedom of journalism and wider human rights that the modern world stands for. It diminishes our credibility in speaking up for the human rights of others.

In New York Harbour, since 1886, the Statue of Liberty, with its motto of ‘Liberty Enlightening the World’, has stood as a beacon of justice, freedom and hope. If the US is to remain true to those values, the case against Julian Assange must be discontinued and he should be set free. As the Prime Minister has said, enough is enough. Can I take just a moment to acknowledge the presence of Gabriel Shipton in the House with us today. He has been a tireless campaigner for the Julian Assange release.

Read original article in Hansard

Greg Barnes : UK Rwanda Ruling is Relevant to Julian’s Extradition

On the 23rd November 2023, Greg Barnes, legal advisor to the Australian Assange Campaign issued a press statement on the ruling in the recent Rwandan deportation case.

Recently the UK Supreme Court ruled against the government’s policy of forcibly removing asylum seekers to Rwanda.  The decision is very relevant to Julian’s case because the Court said that the government had failed to look at the real risk of harm to people if they were sent to Rwanda.  The Court was also highlighted the problem with the UK government relying on assurances, – like the US Diplomatic Notes accepted by the court in the US appeal against Julian’s release in October 2021 – and indicated they were problematic, from a rule of law perspective, as a commitment which was not able to be enforced in a court.

Greg Barnes

For a detailed analysis read Craig Murray’s analysis on Znetwork

Exposing War Crimes Riskier Than Doing War Crimes

On the 16th November The Shovel published this article in response to David McBride pleading guilty as crucial evidence was ruled to be too sensitive to the Security of the Nation to be presented in court.

Blowing the whistle in Australia about war crimes is more likely to see you face a prison sentence than if you actually just did the war crimes yourself, ex solider David McBride is discovering.

McBride was the first person in Australia to be charged in relation to war crimes in Afghanistan. However, in a minor detail that seems to have gone unnoticed by the Australian Government, he was the guy actually revealing the war crimes, rather than doing them.

Criminal expert Samantha Richelli said there may have been some confusion within the Albanese Government. “Forgive me for getting a little technical here, but traditionally in a war crimes hearing the person who is on trial has done some war criming. The person who reveals the war crimes is on the other side. I’m sure it’s just an embarrassing mix up which they’ll realise any day now”.

Defence barrister Phillipa Lee said she always advised her clients against revealing war crimes. “If you’re into that type of thing it’s a much safer option to just do them. At least in Australia,” she said.

Refer original article in The Shovel
And further articles :
Pearls and Irritations
Who do you serve? The non-trial of David McBride
Crown successfully overturns Nuremberg war crimes principles in Australian court
ABC
As whistleblower David McBride pleads guilty, pressure is building on the Albanese government
9 News
War crime whistleblower David McBride pleads guilty to leaking classified information

9 News summarises

Originally facing five charges, the former military lawyer pleaded guilty to three offences, including stealing Commonwealth information and passing that on to journalists.
The classified documents led to a series of reports alleging Australian special forces troops committed war crimes in Afghanistan.A later inquiry uncovered credible information of 23 incidents of potential war crimes, which involved the killing of 39 Afghans and cruel treatment of two more between 2005 and 2016.The report found 25 soldiers were perpetrators or accessories – some on a single occasion and some on multiple.

Editors Note: The 9 News summary overlooks the glacial progress as the Brereton Report was made public in 2020 and refers to issues now up to 14 years old.

Editors Note: Hiding war crimes is a War Crime. David McBride has faced a dilemma of following international law ( to which Australia is a signatory ) or following Australian Law as charged and becoming an active participant in Australian War Crimes in Afghanistan. We believe international Law prevails

Editors Note: This issue of frustrating War Crimes investigations is not limited to Australia but may be a common occurrence with all the perpetrators of the War on Terror for example the report in the BBC Afghanistan inquiry hears senior officers hid SAS killings as recently as the 11th October 2023.

US Lawmakers Support Assange

On the 8th November 2023, 16 Members of Congress or Senate of the United States of America sent this letter of support to the US President Joe Biden

20231107_assangecase_presbiden

Signatories are :
James P. McGovern, Member of Congress
Thomas Massie, Member of Congress
Rashida Tlaib, Member of Congress
Eric Burlison, Member of Congress
Ilhan Omar, Member of Congress
Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S., Member of Congress
Ayanna Pressley, Member of Congress
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Member of Congress
Pramila Jayapal, Member of Congress
Matthew Rosendale Sr., Member of Congress
Greg Casar, Member of Congress
Cori Bush, Member of Congress
Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D., Member of Congress
Jesús G. “Chuy” García, Member of Congress
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Member of Congress
Rand Paul, United States Senator

Read covering articles:
McGovern on ABC Radio National
Fox News
The Intercept
The Australian Financial Review
The Hill

Lula Uses UN Address to Call For Julian Assange’s Release

On the 19th September 2023, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, used his speech before the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to call for freedom for Julian Assange

A journalist, like Julian Assange, should not be punished for informing society in a transparent and legitimate way

Full speech on YouTube

News Coverage in Subscription Services
The Australian – Brazil’s Lula calls for Assange release
Brazilian president’s call comes a day before Australian MPs and Senators begin a series of meetings in Washington to put pressure on the Biden administration.
Chicago Tribune – In London, Brazil’s Lula calls for efforts to free Assange


Media Release: Delegation of Australian Members of Parliament will depart for Washington DC

On the 14th March 2023, The Australian Assange Campaign issued this media release

The delegation of Australian politicians will depart for Washington DC on 19 September, armed with a letter signed by 63 parliamentary colleagues across the political spectrum requesting that the United States’ prosecution and incarceration of Australian publisher Julian Assange end immediately.
 
The Australian Delegation to Secure the Release of Julian Assange is made up of representatives of the left, centre and right-wing members of the Australian Parliament. They include former Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals Leader Barnaby Joyce, Tony Zappia MP (Labor), Dr Monique Ryan MP (Independent), Senator Alex Antic (Liberal) and Senators Peter Whish-Wilson and David Shoebridge (Greens).
 
“The time to act to save Julian is now,” says Gabriel Shipton, brother of Julian Assange.
 
“We have faith that the Group’s message will be heard in Washington DC and officials will abandon attempts to extradite Julian to the United States in relation to unprecedented allegations of espionage. Julian’s physical and mental health continue to deteriorate each minute he spends in prison. As he faces his last chance appeal in the UK courts, the Delegation seeks to pave the way for a political solution prior to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to the US on the 23rd (to 28th) October to meet with President Joe Biden.” 
 

Julian Assange has spent over 13 years in various forms of arbitrary detention after exposing evidence of US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan published on his WikiLeaks website back in 2010. It included the confronting ‘Collateral Murder’ video, which shocked the world, showing a US Military Apache Helicopter opening fire on people in streets of Baghdad and killing over a dozen including two Reuters news staff. Julian and WikiLeaks have received over 30 international journalism awards for this work including an Australian Walkley Award. Their exclusive exposés were also republished and reported about in every major media outlet around the world, yet no other publisher has been charged or pursued by the United States.
 
Julian has been held in solitary confinement for the past four-and-a-half years in London’s high-security HM Belmarsh Prison, after being forcibly removed by local police from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he had previously sought asylum for 7 years.
 
Advisor to the Assange Campaign, Greg Barns SC says: “While Australia is not a party to the extradition proceedings it can intervene in this case in the same way it has done, over many years, in other cases where Australians have been subject to legal proceedings in other countries. It can raise the case at the political and diplomatic level in order to ensure that Julian is able to be reunited with his family and not continue to face the threat of extradition.”
 
Gabriel Shipton questions why our closest political ally is keeping an Australian publisher locked up when the US whistle blower has been free since 2017.
 
“In these cynical times this cross-party co-operation has captured the imaginations of Australians. It boils downs to fairness. Is Julian getting a fair-go? Australians don’t think so, and they are fed up.” says Mr Shipton.
 
The Australian delegation will meet with members of US Congress and Senate, the US State Department and Department of Justice as well as key think-tanks and NGOs including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders.
 
The Australian Delegation to Secure the Release of Julian Assange has been funded by donations from generous supporters of the Assange Campaign.

The Supporting Letter

230918_MPs_signed_letter.pdf
The letter will be taken to Washington DC and presented to US Congresspeople and others as part of the cross-party delegation made up of Senators Alex Antic, David Shoebridge and Peter Whish-Wilson, Barnaby Joyce MP, Monique Ryan MP and Tony Zappia MP. This call follows the bipartisan position expressed by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition that the Julian Assange matter has gone on for too long, and responds to the cross-parliamentary view on this matter.

 “The continuing incarceration and extradition attempt of Julian Assange is unjust and strikes at the very heart of media freedom, as his extradition would set a frightening precedent for all journalists that they too are at risk of being locked up, just for doing their job. The United States must listen to the calls of the Australian community and abandon the extradition proceedings. It’s well and truly time for this matter to end and for Julian to be allowed to return home.” – Andrew Wilkie MP. 

“As a co-convenor of the Parliamentary Friends group I know how the call to bring Julian Assange home unites so many of us across the Australian Parliament. Together we will bring a powerful collaborative cross-party approach to Washington as a demonstration to US decision makers of the comprehensive political support behind the Assange campaign.” – Senator David Shoebridge. 

“The strong support in the Australian community for the end to the maximum-security detention of Julian Assange is reflected in this call by a significant number of Australian Parliamentarians, which in turn emphasises the bipartisan leadership position reached earlier this year that ‘enough is enough’. There is every reason for this matter to come to a close.” – Josh Wilson MP. 

“As I have said for some time, I have ongoing concerns about the treatment Julian Assange has endured over the past decade and this must come to an end. He is an Australian citizen who has endured inhumane conditions and has suffered significant mental and physical challenges as a result of his ongoing incarceration due to the lengthy legal battle.” – Bridget Archer MP.

Sample News Coverage
ABC News
Brother of Julian Assange says delegation an historical event
Barnaby Joyce on the Julian Assange parliamentary delegation The Guardian
The Gurdian
Australian MPs to lobby US to drop Julian Assange prosecution or risk ‘very dangerous’ precedent for Russia and China
Julian Assange: more than 60 Australian MPs urge US to let WikiLeaks founder walk free
Fox News
Delegation of Australian lawmakers will visit US to push for Julian Assange’s release: ‘Powerful message’
The Conversation
View from The Hill: Australia’s bid for Julian Assange’s freedom presents formidable problems for Joe Biden
The Irish Times
Delegation of Australian politicians to pressure US to end pursuit of Julian Assange
And many many more . . .

Itinerary
News Conference – US Department of Justice Building, Washington DC, 20th Sept at 5pm EST

Note of Support for Julian Assange from Brazil

On the 27th August 2023, the Brazil’s Minister of State for Human Rights and Citizenship posted this Note of Support on the Ministry’s official web site

Editor’s Note: John Shipton has spent much of August 2023 touring South America, attending rallies and meetings of support at all levels for Julian, questions and Answer session and viewings of Ithaka to packed houses.

Translated to English

Note of support for Julian Assange

Published on 08/27/2023 3:10 pm

This week, representatives of the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship and the federal government received John Shipton, father of Julian Assange.

On the occasion of the honorable visit, we express our support for the struggle of the journalist, his family, his friends and social movements around the world for his freedom and freedom of the press.

In times when the concept of freedom has been cynically manipulated by extreme right-wing groups – the totally uncompromised freedom of solidarity – the defense of Julian Assange’s freedom and the defense of freedom of the press, on the contrary, assume their genuine and full senses. It is the freedom totally associated with social responsibility, in this case, to bring out relevant information of public interest to several countries.

The right to information is a fundamental right, and Assange’s actions have helped to promote transparency and accountability at global levels.

In addition, his current situation raises concerns about due process and the rights of an individual in the face of possible political persecution. Assange and Wikileaks brought up information with an impact on governments and companies and this is the reason for their judicial persecution, in true lawfare.

Assange’s cause is a human rights cause.

Silvio Almeida
Minister of State for Human Rights and Citizenship

Note of Support on Ministry‘s web site ( In Portuguese )