Supporters of Julian Assange gather to mark his 50th birthday as they demand his release at Parliament Square in London on July 3, 2021. (Photo: Hasan Esen/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Assange Supporters Demand Release Amid Key DOJ Witness's Admission Testimony Was Fabricated
The Wikileaks founder's family attended a rally in London to mark Assange's birthday—his third behind bars at Belmarsh Prison.
The family of Julian Assange was joined by supporters on Saturday in Parliament Square, London, where they marked Assange's 50th birthday--the third he's spent in the city's Belmarsh Prison as he awaits possible extradition to the U.S.--and to demand his release days after a key witness in the case against him admitted his testimony was false.
Assange's partner, Stella Moris, was in attendance with the couple's young children at the gathering, which took place two days after Assange's father and brother wrapped up a tour of the U.S. aimed at building pressure on President Joe Biden to drop all charges against him under the Espionage Act.
"Democracies do not imprison journalists. Julian is a political prisoner," Moris told the supporters in Parliament Square. "He's a prisoner of conscience. He's in prison because he acted according to his conscience, exposing the powerful and defending the weak and the powerless."
The rally came a week after a key witness in the U.S. government's case against Assange, Sigurdur Ingi Thordarson, "admitted that his entire testimony is false" in an article in the Icelandic news outlet Stundin.
"The article details how Thordarson, a convicted felon, pedophile, and diagnosed sociopath, used his position to steal money from Wikileaks, and received immunity from prosecution from the FBI in a quid pro quo," FAIR reported, noting the new information received virtually no coverage from the corporate media.
Jennifer Robinson, a legal adviser to Assange, appeared on Democracy Now! earlier this week to discuss the development, calling Thordarson's admission "just the latest revelation to demonstrate why the U.S. case should be dropped."
Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, Amnesty International, and press freedom organization PEN International were among those joining the calls for Assange's freedom on social media on Saturday.
Veteran journalist John Pilger, who also attended the rally in Parliament Square, condemned the international press for its silence on the most recent development in the Assange case, which he said indicates that "the case against Assange has collapsed."
"We celebrated Julian as a rare, true democrat," Pilger said. "Don't let America get its hands on him."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
The family of Julian Assange was joined by supporters on Saturday in Parliament Square, London, where they marked Assange's 50th birthday--the third he's spent in the city's Belmarsh Prison as he awaits possible extradition to the U.S.--and to demand his release days after a key witness in the case against him admitted his testimony was false.
Assange's partner, Stella Moris, was in attendance with the couple's young children at the gathering, which took place two days after Assange's father and brother wrapped up a tour of the U.S. aimed at building pressure on President Joe Biden to drop all charges against him under the Espionage Act.
"Democracies do not imprison journalists. Julian is a political prisoner," Moris told the supporters in Parliament Square. "He's a prisoner of conscience. He's in prison because he acted according to his conscience, exposing the powerful and defending the weak and the powerless."
The rally came a week after a key witness in the U.S. government's case against Assange, Sigurdur Ingi Thordarson, "admitted that his entire testimony is false" in an article in the Icelandic news outlet Stundin.
"The article details how Thordarson, a convicted felon, pedophile, and diagnosed sociopath, used his position to steal money from Wikileaks, and received immunity from prosecution from the FBI in a quid pro quo," FAIR reported, noting the new information received virtually no coverage from the corporate media.
Jennifer Robinson, a legal adviser to Assange, appeared on Democracy Now! earlier this week to discuss the development, calling Thordarson's admission "just the latest revelation to demonstrate why the U.S. case should be dropped."
Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, Amnesty International, and press freedom organization PEN International were among those joining the calls for Assange's freedom on social media on Saturday.
Veteran journalist John Pilger, who also attended the rally in Parliament Square, condemned the international press for its silence on the most recent development in the Assange case, which he said indicates that "the case against Assange has collapsed."
"We celebrated Julian as a rare, true democrat," Pilger said. "Don't let America get its hands on him."
The family of Julian Assange was joined by supporters on Saturday in Parliament Square, London, where they marked Assange's 50th birthday--the third he's spent in the city's Belmarsh Prison as he awaits possible extradition to the U.S.--and to demand his release days after a key witness in the case against him admitted his testimony was false.
Assange's partner, Stella Moris, was in attendance with the couple's young children at the gathering, which took place two days after Assange's father and brother wrapped up a tour of the U.S. aimed at building pressure on President Joe Biden to drop all charges against him under the Espionage Act.
"Democracies do not imprison journalists. Julian is a political prisoner," Moris told the supporters in Parliament Square. "He's a prisoner of conscience. He's in prison because he acted according to his conscience, exposing the powerful and defending the weak and the powerless."
The rally came a week after a key witness in the U.S. government's case against Assange, Sigurdur Ingi Thordarson, "admitted that his entire testimony is false" in an article in the Icelandic news outlet Stundin.
"The article details how Thordarson, a convicted felon, pedophile, and diagnosed sociopath, used his position to steal money from Wikileaks, and received immunity from prosecution from the FBI in a quid pro quo," FAIR reported, noting the new information received virtually no coverage from the corporate media.
Jennifer Robinson, a legal adviser to Assange, appeared on Democracy Now! earlier this week to discuss the development, calling Thordarson's admission "just the latest revelation to demonstrate why the U.S. case should be dropped."
Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, Amnesty International, and press freedom organization PEN International were among those joining the calls for Assange's freedom on social media on Saturday.
Veteran journalist John Pilger, who also attended the rally in Parliament Square, condemned the international press for its silence on the most recent development in the Assange case, which he said indicates that "the case against Assange has collapsed."
"We celebrated Julian as a rare, true democrat," Pilger said. "Don't let America get its hands on him."