Free speech groups write an open letter calling for the release of #WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange ifex.org/open-letter-ca… #FreeAssange
"This is the first ever use of espionage charges for the publication of truthful information in the public interest & it represents a gravely dangerous attempt to criminalise journalist-source communications & the publication by journalists of classified information" #FreeAssange
"Even before the lockdown initiated by the coronavirus pandemic, Assange has been held in conditions approaching solitary confinement, confined to his cell more than 22 hours a day. Now under containment measures, Assange is even more isolated." #FreeAssange
"Assange has been allowed extremely limited access to his lawyers & documents, severely hampering his ability to participate in his own legal defence... UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer determined that Assange had endured psychological torture." #FreeAssange
"The coronavirus that continues to spread through prisons at an alarming rate, puts the health and well-being of Assange, who suffers from a chronic lung condition that makes him especially vulnerable to Covid-19, at serious risk." #FreeAssange
"We call on the UK government to release #WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange without further delay & block his extradition to the US – a measure that could save this journalist's life and preserve the press freedom that the UK has committed to championing globally" #FreeAssange
