The extradition case against Julian Assange is now entering its final phase, with his final UK court hearing expected in early 2024. He could then be brought to the US to face charges under the Espionage Act.

The potential ramifications for global power-challenging, truth-seeking journalism cannot be overstated. The application of the Espionage Act in the U.S. sets a chilling precedent that reverberates far beyond Assange's individual fate. The silencing of a truth-seeker sends a dangerous message, signalling a decline in the resilience of a free press against the forces of authoritarianism.

As three members of the Belmarsh Tribunal, which sits in Washington DC on Saturday 9 December — John Kiriakou, former CIA intelligence officer, Yanis Varoufakis, Greek economist and politician and Lina Attalah, Co-founder and Chief Editor of Mada Masr — explain in an article published this week that Assange’s fate “could stifle the beacon of transparency he represents” and have impact far beyond US borders.

In their analysis, Wikileaks’ legacy “goes beyond exposing government misconduct; it pierces the veil of secrecy shrouding global affairs.” With Israel’s bombardment of Gaza already killing 63 journalists, according to Belmarsh Tribunal partner the Committee to Protect Journalists, we “need Wikileaks’ fearless journalism and brave Israeli whistleblowers to find out how this toll is so incredibly high.”

Lina Attalah is unable to attend in person the Washington DC sitting of the Belmarsh Tribunal on Saturday at the National Press Club where Assange first screened Collateral Murder to the public. Her publication’s reporting of the ongoing assault on Gaza has raised the ire of the US-allied Egyptian state. If the US can imprison those that reveal torture and persecute journalists who reveal truths, why can’t the US’ authoritarian allies?

The pressure is mounting on the Biden administration to free Julian Assange. From Presidents and Prime Ministers to Nobel Peace Prize winners, the international community is crying out against the injustice of Assange's prosecution — and its implication for press freedom worldwide.

On Saturday 9 December, the world's leading journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders will gather at the National Press Club in Washington, DC as witnesses to the Biden administration’s crackdown on free speech and the First Amendment.

Join them. It's not too late to stand on the right side of history. Register now to attend the Tribunal in person or follow the proceedings online.

Latest from the Movement

Shut it down for Palestine

On Thursday, mass pickets blockaded four British arms factories supplying arms to Israel. At a BAE Systems site in Glasgow, work was interrupted and the workers were sent home. The actions are an intensification of a campaign led by trade unionists in the UK to sever the ties of British complicity with Israeli war crimes but throwing sand in the wheels of the Israeli war machine.

On Monday, roads and railways in Canada were shut down by activists, led by PI member the Palestinian Youth Movement. The protestors demanded an immediate ceasefire and an end to the siege of Gaza.

La Via Campesina Conference

This week, La Via Campesina, the international peasants movement, held its 8th International Conference in Bogotá, Colombia. Comprised of 182 farmers’ organisations from 81 countries, La Via Campesina holds its International Conference every four years, but the 8th was held six years after the 7th Conference held in Bilbao, Spain in 2017 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Conference, which marks the 30th anniversary of La Via Campesina, focused on reflecting on its progress, sharing the experiences of peasants around the world in the face of climate change, war, and other threats, and outlining the activities of La Via Campesina’s affiliated farmer organisations around the world for the next four years. In particular, the Conference focused on the need to strengthen international solidarity for peasants’ rights and food sovereignty.

COP Out

COP28 is underway in the United Arab Emirates. It’s going well for fossil fuel lobbyists, whose number has quadrupled at this year’s COP up from a record over 600 last year, but terribly for the planet and the people on it.

The Loss and Damage fund, announced to great fanfare last year, currently has pledges in the hundreds of millions of dollars a year, when hundreds of billions are required. Likewise, Northern countries are failing to live up to their commitments on Adaptation Finance. At Paris, in 2015, the nations of the world agreed to a fund of $100 billion per year for the Global South to adapt. Nearly a decade on, that commitment is unmet.

The PI is on the ground to bring reporting from the UAE and COP28, where the space for dissent has be drastically reduced from previous years. As the Conference moves towards conclusion next week, look out for further updates, interviews and analysis.

Art: Artwork made for the December 2023 DC sitting of the Belmarsh Tribunal by PI Creative Director Gabriel Silveira.