In the United States, the Assange Defense Committee will hold a rally at the Department of Justice in Washington DC, calling on Attorney General Merrick Garland to drop the charges against Assange at 12PM. Other rallies will be organised across the US.
In Australia, Assange’s home country, several actions are planned, including the formation of a human chain starting at Princes Bridge, Southbank, in Melbourne at 11AM.
In addition, more than twenty actions will take place around the globe to demand Assange’s release, from a human chain surrounding the Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, to a march that will go from the UK embassy to the US embassy in Mexico DF.
The IFJ is gravely concerned about the impact of Assange’s continued detention on media freedom and the rights of all journalists globally. It has launched a global campaign calling on the US government to drop all charges against him and asking all media unions and press freedom organisations to urge their governments to secure Assange’s release. Irrespective of personal views, his extradition will have a chilling effect, with all journalists and media workers at risk.
IFJ President Dominique Pradalié said: “The decision of the UK Home Secretary to allow the extradition of Julian Assange was vindictive and a real blow to media freedom. All journalists must support Julian Assange, who enabled them to reveal US army war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. October 8 is the time to mobilise and express solidarity to defend Assange’s freedom as well as everyone’s right to know”.
If you wish to support the call to free Assange:
- Download this visual to express solidarity on social media.
- Use the hashtags #FreeAssangeNOW #humanchain #dropthecharges and tag the accounts @DEAcampaign and @WikiLeaks for more visibility.