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)
Jul 03, 2021
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."
\u201cAcross from the UK's Houses of Parliament, supporters of Julian Assange join his fianc\u00e9 @StellaMoris1 in celebrating the WikiLeaks publisher's 50th birthday. Speakers blasted the 'political prosecution' levied against Assange and called for him to be freed from Belmarsh prison.\u201d— Mohamed Elmaazi (@Mohamed Elmaazi) 1625336476
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."
\u201cA key witness in Julian Assange's extradition case has admitted he made false claims against the WikiLeaks founder. "This is just the latest revelation to demonstrate why the U.S. case should be dropped," says Assange legal adviser @suigenerisjen. https://t.co/O79JpouxAJ\u201d— Democracy Now! (@Democracy Now!) 1625337789
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."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
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."
\u201cAcross from the UK's Houses of Parliament, supporters of Julian Assange join his fianc\u00e9 @StellaMoris1 in celebrating the WikiLeaks publisher's 50th birthday. Speakers blasted the 'political prosecution' levied against Assange and called for him to be freed from Belmarsh prison.\u201d— Mohamed Elmaazi (@Mohamed Elmaazi) 1625336476
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."
\u201cA key witness in Julian Assange's extradition case has admitted he made false claims against the WikiLeaks founder. "This is just the latest revelation to demonstrate why the U.S. case should be dropped," says Assange legal adviser @suigenerisjen. https://t.co/O79JpouxAJ\u201d— Democracy Now! (@Democracy Now!) 1625337789
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."
\u201cAcross from the UK's Houses of Parliament, supporters of Julian Assange join his fianc\u00e9 @StellaMoris1 in celebrating the WikiLeaks publisher's 50th birthday. Speakers blasted the 'political prosecution' levied against Assange and called for him to be freed from Belmarsh prison.\u201d— Mohamed Elmaazi (@Mohamed Elmaazi) 1625336476
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."
\u201cA key witness in Julian Assange's extradition case has admitted he made false claims against the WikiLeaks founder. "This is just the latest revelation to demonstrate why the U.S. case should be dropped," says Assange legal adviser @suigenerisjen. https://t.co/O79JpouxAJ\u201d— Democracy Now! (@Democracy Now!) 1625337789
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've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.