Daniel Ellsberg (leaker of Vietnam War Pentagon papers and
winner of Ghandhi Peace Award) and others who are closely familiar with
Assange's work (e.g., the attorney Glenn Greenwald) have also stated that
accusations of "military safety" are a default that is leveled against
whistleblowers regardless of relation to actual risk, and have challenged
accusers to come up with a single specific example in which individuals have
been hurt or have indicated that protection was needed as a result of leaked
WikiLeaks documents.
MYTH THREE: CRIMINAL, TREASONOUS, TERRORIST BEHAVIOR
Assange has committed treason or terrorism and needs to be treated as a criminal.
Julian Assange is an Australian citizen who has published edited documents voluntarily sent to him by others (see Myth #1). He did not steal the documents, pay someone to steal them, or break any binding agreements (e.g., between him and his employer) by releasing the documents to the public. While the U.S. (or other nations) are currently investigating possible laws under which Assange may be prosecuted (e.g., the Espionage Act), at this time, Assange has not been charged with any crime related to the leaked cables or any of the other documents released by his organization since 2006.
Despite this, and without
even a nod to due process, high ranking U.S. officials and leaders,
including Joe Lieberman, have made conclusive statements about Assange's
criminality and guilt, with some calling him "treasonous" and a "terrorist."
Meanwhile, major corporations in the U.S. and other countries, including Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal have blocked WikiLeaks from receiving donations, while others (Amazon, EveryDNS, Vimeo) have refused to continue hosting them on their web servers. All have cited investigations into illegality or actions that may have broken their contracts, while PayPal and Amazon have admitted to pressure from the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, respectively (although PayPal later denied it).
As a frequently cited contrast, supporters of the Ku Klux Klan can continue to use Visa and Mastercard to make donations to their site, which asks them to consent to a statement that "I am white and not of racially mixed descent. I am not married to a non-white. I do not date non-whites nor do I have non-white dependents. I believe in the ideals of western Christian civilisation and profess my belief in Jesus Christ as the son of God."
Reporters without Borders have stated that the actions to block WikiLeaks from operating are unprecedented:
This is the first time we have seen an attempt at the international community level to censor a website dedicated to the principle of transparency. We are shocked to find countries such as France and the United States suddenly bringing their policies on freedom of expression into line with those of China. We point out that in France and the United States, it is up to the courts, not politicians, to decide whether or not a website should be closed.
Daniel Ellsberg, who, in 1971 leaked the Pentagon Papers (an 8,000 page, 47 volume report which showed numerous ways in which the American public had been misled by the government about our involvement in Vietnam), has repeatedly defended Assange. Among other things, Ellsburg has stated that the accusations of treason and vitriol aimed at Assange in relation to the leaked diplomatic cables closely parallel his experiences following the leaking of the Pentagon Papers (including being put under illegal surveillance with the goal of discrediting him through any means possible).
Amnesty International has also released a strong and clear statement about freedom of speech and human rights as it relates to WikiLeaks, saying (among other things):
"criminal proceedings aimed at punishing a private person for communicating evidence about human rights violations can never be justified. The same is true with respect to information on a wide range of other matters of public interest.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
14
12
7
