“Every time we witness an injustice and do not act, we train our character to be passive in its presence and thereby eventually lose all ability to defend ourselves and those we love.”
― Julian Assange
The last time I saw Julian Assange, exactly one year ago, when he was still at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, I didn’t know yet that the next time I would see him would be in a high-security prison.
I didn’t visit as a journalist, as a lawyer, nor as a family member – I came as a friend.
But not only as a friend – I’ve also visited Julian as a member and one of the co-founders of DiEM25, the movement that has continuously stressed that the freedom of Julian Assange is a European issue, a precedent that might have dire consequences for democracy and freedom of the press in Europe. And of course – his life.
To be completely honest, I wasn’t prepared for a prison visit. I wasn’t prepared because I didn’t know if the visit will take place at all up until the very last moment. But more importantly, I simply couldn’t: how can you possibly be prepared for visiting a friend in prison?
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Read article in DiEM25 (Democracy in Europe Movement 2025)