From Gabriel Shipton of the Assange Campaign, see message below
In the Guardian too - which having helped shaft JA, can’t miss a chance to posture about supporting press freedom.
ED
Julian Assange may no longer be behind bars, but his conviction casts a shadow over press freedom and the safety of truth-tellers everywhere—a wrong we’re determined to set right. This fight doesn’t end with Julian’s release; true success means overturning his wrongful conviction. With just 54 days left in President Biden’s term, we have a narrow window to push for a Presidential pardon. Your support has already driven meaningful progress, and together, we’re closer to securing the justice this case demands.
This month, in a remarkable bipartisan effort, Republican Congressman James McGovern and Democratic Congressman Thomas Massie came together across the aisle and co-authored a letter urging President Biden to pardon Julian Assange.
“A pardon would remove the precedent set by the plea and send a clear message that the U.S. government under your leadership will not target or investigate journalists and media outlets simply for doing their jobs.”
This is a significant achievement and wouldn’t have happened without your support. Every time we speak to legislators, they tell us how powerful, passionate, and dedicated our movement is. They see people like you, standing up for democracy time and time again, and it’s this relentless commitment—through raising public awareness and providing the financial support we need to engage with U.S. decision-makers that is driving them to act. Thank you for making this movement impossible to ignore.
Key points in the letter
- The congressmen raised serious concerns about Julian being required to plead guilty to felony charges, arguing that this threatens both freedom of expression and press freedoms.
- They warned that provisions for handling sensitive information could be misused to target journalists and publishers for routine journalistic work.
- They emphasised that the plea agreement sets a dangerous precedent, marking the first time the Espionage Act has been used against a journalist—an alarming development for advocates of free expression and press freedom.
This is a crucial opportunity. We’ve only got 54 days until President Biden closes out his term.
We are making headway with Julian’s pardon but we need your help to keep going. Will you join us by donating $20 so we can keep fighting?