On the 24th March 2023, the members of the Third World Forum on Human Rights submitted this appeal on behalf of Julian Assange to the US Department of Justice
We, the undersigned participants of the III World Forum on Human Rights, express our concern about the extradition requested by the United States of America in relation to the journalist and founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, currently on remand in subhuman conditions in the high security prison of Belmarsh, in the United Kingdom.
Extraditing Julian Assange would set a dangerous precedent for press freedom and the right to access information globally. Not only would it be a life sentence against this journalist, Julian Assange, but it would act as a veiled threat to all journalists around the world who aim to do their job in an honest manner.
Mr. Assange is charged under the Espionage Act 1917, a law that has never been used against a journalist for publishing accurate information concerning egregious international crimes. The UK-US Extradition Treaty itself, which forms the basis for this extradition request, specifically prohibits extradition for political offences. The same is true of the 1957 European Convention on Extradition, the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights, the United Nations Model Treaty on Extradition, the Interpol Constitution and other bilateral treaties ratified by the United States of America. The prohibition on extradition for political offences is also enshrined in the Inter-American Human Rights System.
Mr. Assange engaged in normal practices of investigative journalism, such as receiving information from sources and then publishing that accurate information which was in the public interest. Charges under the Espionage Act would criminalise these routine journalistic practices, thus being a direct threat to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
It was precisely this irreconcilable conflict between these charges and the First Amendment that led former President Barack Obama’s Administration to rightly deny an indictment against Mr. Assange because it would criminalise the practice of journalism at its core.
Mr. Assange was arrested on 11 April 2019 and is now one of the longest detainees on remand in the United Kingdom.
We the undersigned demand a renewed confidence on the international rule of law and that of the United States, by the latter withdrawing the charges against Mr. Assange and ending the ongoing extradition before the UK courts.
By this Statement we express our full agreement with the view of the Council of Europe, which considers the treatment of Mr. Assange to be among “the most serious threats to press freedom”.
With that in mind, we add our voices to a growing public outcry in civil society, human rights organisations such as Amnesty International, to that of United Nations agencies, the world’s leading media, press freedom associations, medical organisations, as well as most of the political and judicial agencies which have demanded a stop to the persecution of Mr. Assange and to proceed to his immediate release.
We urge the U.S. Department of Justice to drop all charges against Mr. Assange by relying on the U.S. Constitution itself, on human rights standards recognised by International Law, as well as fundamental humanitarian values, as the life of a journalist is at risk, and freedom of the press and the right to access to information globally are at risk.
Signatories:
- Alberto Fernández, President of Argentina.
- Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Vice-President of Argentina.
- Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient and Honorary President of the WorldForum on Human Rights Argentina 2023.
- Estela de Carlotto, Honorary President of the World Forum on Human Rights Argentina2023.
- Fernanda Gil Lozano, Executive Director International Centre for the Promotion of HumanRights
- Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Association, Argentina.
- Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Línea Fundadora, Argentina.
- Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, Argentina.
- Tristán Bauer, Minister of Culture of Argentina.
- Horacio Pietragalla Corti, Human Rights Secretary of Argentina.
- Axel Kicillof, Governor of Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Matías Capeluto, Director of Casa Patria Grande, Argentina.
- Rafael Correa, Former President of Ecuador.
- Ernesto Samper, Former President of Colombia.
- Evo Morales, Former President of Bolivia.
- Pepe Mujica, Former President of Uruguay.
- José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Former President of Spain.
- Baltasar Garzón Real, Former Judge, and Coordinator of Julian Assange’s Legal DefenceTeam.
- Pablo Gentili, Executive Secretary of the World Forum on Human Rights Argentina 2023.
- Rodrigo Gómez Tortosa, Adjunct Executive Secretary of the World Forum on HumanRights Argentina 2023.
- Adoración Guamán, Professor of Employment Law, Universitat de València, Spain.
- Amina Masood Janjua, Activist, Pakistan.
- Camila Cuasialpud, Executive Director, Vivamos Humanos, Colombia.
- Camilo Lagos, Grupo de Puebla, Chile.
- Cruz Melchor Eya Nchama, Human Rights Defender, Equatorial Guinea.
- Enrique Santiago, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Spain.
- Erick Alfredo Guerrero, Deputies Congress, Spain.
- Felipe Llamas, Councillor, Más Madrid, Spain.
- Gerardo Pisarello Prados, Head Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Barcelona,Spain.
- Gabriela Alejandra Rivadeneira Burbano, Assembly Member, Ecuador.
- Gisele Ricobom, Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana, Foz do Iguaçu(UNILA), Brazil.
- Hugo Martínez, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, El Salvador.
- Juan Carlos Monedero Fernández, President of the República&Democracia Institute, Spain.
- Kathia Sabrina Dudyk, Researcher, FLACSO, Brazil.
- Marco Antonio Enríquez-Ominami Gamucio, Coordinator Grupo de Puebla, Chile.
- Mónica Xavier, Former President of the Frente Amplio Coalition, Uruguay.
- Natividad del Carmen Llanquileo Pilquimán, Former Member of the ConstitutionalConvention, Chile.
- Nila Heredia Miranda, Former President of the Truth Commission, Bolivia.
- Salete Sirlei Valesan Camba, Flacso, Brazil.
- María Eugenia Rodríguez Palop, European MP, Spain.
- Shui-Meng NG, Activist against Forced Disappearances and Human Rights Defender,Malaysia
- Teresa Ulloa, Regional Director of the Regional Coalition Against Trafficking of Women andGirls in Latin American and the Caribbean, México.
- Clarissa Ramina, CLAJUD, Brazil.
- Claudia Gonçalves, University of The State of Río de Janeiro, UERJ, Brazil.
- American Association of Jurists.
- Civil Association Justicia Legítima, Argentina.
- Permanent Assembly of Human Rights, APDH, Argentina.
- Grupo de Puebla.
- Latin-Americans Council on Justice and Democracy, CLAJUD.
- David Adler, General Coordinator of Progressive International.
- The Trade Union of Media Workers, Buenos Aires, SIPREBA, Argentina.
- The Federation of Media Workers, Buenos Aires, FATPREN, Argentina.
- Autonomous Workers Union, CTAA, Argentina.
- Workers Union of Argentina, CTA, Argentina.
- Florencia Saintout, President of the Cultural Institute of the Buenos Aires Province,Argentina.
- Raúl Zaffaroni, Former Member of the Supreme Court of Argentina, Argentina.
- Carlos Raimundi, Ambassador of Argentina before the OAS.
- Carlos Alfonso Tomada, Ambassador of Argentina in México.
- Ariel Basteiro, Ambassador of Argentina in the Plurinational State of Bolivia.
- Rafael Bielsa, Ambassador of Argentina in the Republic of Chile.
- Luis Ilarregui, Ambassador of Argentina in Cuba.
- Alicia Castro, Former Ambassador of Argentina in the UK, Argentina.
- Oscar Parrilli, National Senator, Argentina.
- Eduardo Valdés, National MP, Argentina.
- Mónica Macha, National MP, Argentina.
- Hugo Yasky, National MP and General Secretary of the CTA, Argentina.
- Hugo Cachorro Godoy, General Secretary of the Autonomous CTA, Argentina.
- Leopoldo Moreau, National MP, Argentina.
- Cecilia Nicolini, Secretary Cambio Climático, Desarrollo Sostenible e Innovación, Argentina.
- Blanca Osuna, National MP, Argentina.
- Carlos Heller, National MP, Argentina.
- Juan Manuel Pedrini, National MP, Argentina.
- Leila Chaher, National MP, Argentina.
- Rosana Bertone, National MP, Argentina.
- Mara Brawer, National MP, Argentina.
- Silvana Ginocchio, National MP, Argentina.
- Carmela Moreau, General Secretary, Igualar Party, Argentina.
- Rodolfo Tailhade, National MP, Argentina.
- Mabel Caparros, National MP, Argentina.
- Leonardo Grosso, National MP, Argentina.
- Carolina Moisés, National MP, Argentina.
- Liliana Mazure, National MP, Argentina.
- Karol Cariola, MP, Republic of Chile.
- Martín Sabbatella, President of Nuevo Encuentro.
- Antolín Magallanes, President of Nuevo Encuentro – CABA.
- Delia Bisutti, Vice- President of Nuevo Encuentro – CABA.
- Marita Perceval, Special Representative for Foreign Affairs – Women Issues, Argentina.
- Cristina Caamaño, Former Intervenor AFI, Argentina.
- Víctor Hugo Morales, Journalist, Argentina.
- Santiago O ́Donnell, Journalist, Argentina.
- Cynthia García, Journalist, Argentina.
- Mariano Duahalde, Founder of the Eduardo Luis Duahalde Foundation, Argentina.
- María Belén Bertoli, Journalist, Argentina.
- Ernesto Lucero, Sociologist and Journalist of Patria Grande, Argentina.
- Oscar “Chino” Martinez Zemborain, Journalist, Argentina.
- Guido Carlotto, Former Secretary of Human Rights of the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.
- Elizabeth Gómez Alcorta, Human Rights Lawyer, Argentina.
- Luis Alén, Director of the Degree on Justice and Human Rights, Universidad Nacional deLanus, Argentina.
- Edgardo Binstock, Former Secretary of Human Rights of the Buenos Aires Province,Argentina.
- Adela Segarra, Former National MP, Argentina.
- Cecilia Rossetto, Actress, Argentina.
- Alejandro Vanelli, Actor and Producer, Argentina.
- Susana Torres Molina, Playwright, Argentina.
- Beatriz Spelzini, Actress, Argentina.
- Jorge Paccini, Actor, Argentina.
- María Ibarreta, Actress, Argentina.
- Ernesto Larrese, Actor, Argentina.
- Cristina Benegas, Actress, Argentina.
- Mirtha Busnelli, Actress, Argentina.
- Cristina Tejedor, Actress, Argentina.
24 March 2023, City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.