The Arrogance of Assange’s Co-Conspirators: An Invitation
When Assange and Wikileaks partnered with the New York Times, The Guardian, Der Speigel, Le Monde and El Pais to publish the materials Chelsea Manning disclosed, it entered into the digital revolution of journalism.
There is no “putting the toothpaste back in the tube”, no collecting all the feathers from a down pillowcase rent open, no reversing the history,
or significance
or legacy
or technology of digitally disclosed truth.
To torture just one of the journalists on the team of co-conspirators is to single out the one who changed the course of history. It took a team of technologists, data analysts, researchers, journalists and editors from around the world to publish the information for which Julian Assange is facing Espionage according to the United States. There is zero chance that he will receive a fair trial in the U.S. according to law professor and United Nations rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer. His forecast matches the US Department of Justice’s track record and forecast for “successful” Espionage Act charges.
It took a team. Anyone on that team ten years ago should not be so arrogant as to think that they are immune from the same treatment, which will be applied retroactively to them.
It is time for the the New York Times to publish information which supports the work, life and legacy of Julian Assange (on a regular, cyclical basis).
El Pais is doing its part to publish the illegal spying on Assange by Ecuador and the CIA. More support is necessary.
Der Speigel has been quiet. Le Monde has been quiet. More support is necessary. For the individual journalists from the Guardian and Der Speigel who have spoken out, thank you.
The Guardian has been the primary instrument of Gaslighting and psychological torture. The bunker located at The Guardian’s buildings is evidence enough that it was a co-conspirator in Assange’s publishing. Gratefully the Guardian issued an editorial piece that asserted Assange should not be extradited to the United States for his journalistic work. More support is necessary.
It’s time for more Guardian staff, whether retired or currently employed, to write op-eds, columns and create videos in support of a man who is dying for the same project they collaborated upon.
If I can find the Twitter thread I wrote on this topic, I will post it. (stand by)
For now, I invite journalists, editors and publishers to find the courage to speak up for Assange, sign this petition and create media that advocates for his freedom. I especially extend this invitation to his team-mate co-conspirators from ten years ago including the tech department. Journalist Chris Hedges wrote a compelling piece, What Is Happening to Assange Will Happen to the Rest of Us. For the Co-Conspirators, I would love for you to join together and create a hashtag “I’m a publishing Co-conspirator.”, or “AssangeCoConspirator”.
You could say things like:
I was in the Bunker. I learned how to catalogue the data to help make it searchable on the Internet. I was an editor. I was an I.T. specialist working for the New York Times, the Guardian or Der Speigel. I was an intern at _________ (media org) and I met Julian Assange. He was a decent, hardworking and extremely intelligent person.
Just as Stella Moris, partner of Julian Assange and mother of Gabriel and Max, “came out” to the public to pre-empt an outing by British or international media, it would behoove the AssangeCoConspirators to have your say now, before you are arrested, put in Belmarsh, are disconnected from the Internet and facing extradition to the United States. It will happen. It’s only a matter of time. It might be the right time to make your “public interest” case to the world before you are detained, cut off from the internet or your phone, surveilled and baited for blackmail or charged under the US Espionage Act.
Make the case for why you participated in the publication of the Chelsea Manning disclosures now, while you still can. Join a courageous subset of a noble profession; join the courageous journalists, editors, publishers and tech support staff who take pride in their involvement in changing the course of history.
FreeAssange