Prominent whistleblowers and journalists defend Julian Assange at online vigil
Over the weekend, dozens of public figures, including prominent whistleblowers and journalists, took part in a 36-hour international online vigil in defence of WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange. The event was the third "Unity4J" vigil organised by independent journalist and New Zealand Internet Party leader, Suzie Dawson, since Assange's communications were cut-off by Ecuadorian authorities at their London embassy last March.
[...] Daniel Ellsberg, whose release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 exposed the extent of US criminality in Vietnam, drew a parallel between his own activities and those of WikiLeaks. Referring to WikiLeaks' 2010 publication of US war logs in Iraq and Afghanistan, he stated: "I really waited almost 40 years, after the Pentagon Papers had come out, for someone to do what I had done."
Ellsberg pointed to similarities between the attacks that had been levelled against him, and the persecution of Assange. "I was charged with 12 felony counts, a possible 150 years in prison. Nixon had in mind for me what Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have had in mind for Julian Assange," he said.
takyon: #Unity4J. See also: Why I Stand With Julian Assange at The American Conservative.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 14 2018, @02:59AM (4 children)
FBI director Comey interfered in the election the week before, in full public, but please continue pounding on Assange and praying to the altar of Comey, just because Trump finally fired him because it was apparent he was a loose cannon.
(Score: 2) by Aegis on Saturday July 14 2018, @04:37AM (3 children)
Yes.... the anti-Trump bias at the FBI was to release damaging information about the Clinton campaign...
Clearly it's a deep state conspiracy to make white rice brown.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 14 2018, @04:39PM (1 child)
You have to read that OIG report: https://www.justice.gov/file/1071991/download [justice.gov]
To me it looks like he thought he was being set up to be a fall guy, that "tarmac meeting" was the last straw.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 14 2018, @07:53PM
A fall guy under Obama, or Trump, or both?
And look what we have now: A corrosive public discussion, and huge damage to the Justice Department and the sense of justice in the country.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 15 2018, @05:15AM
It sure is weird that congress has suddenly got oversight fever. But for some reason the only thing they want oversight on is one specific ongoing case. I mean, all that brouhaha about wiretapping and NSA spying, and yet the very same people raising a ruckus also just signed off on extending the NSA's wiretapping abilities. And I don't mean same people as in generic congress members, I mean, the exact same people on the exact same house intelligence committee. [eff.org]
So strange!! I am so perplexed. NOT.