Stella Assange: “The world is watching“ Assange extradition hearing

Stella Assange speaks outside the courthouse following the extradition hearing of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (London, February 21, 2024). “The world is watching. Everything turns on the outcome of this case. Whether states can criminalize journalism and put journalists in prison like they’ve been doing in the UK with an Australian citizen; a publisher who’s won many, many awards for his journalism and they’ve stuck him in the deepest, darkest hole of the UK prison system. And the US threatens to put him in the deepest, darkest hole of the US prison system for 175 years. Shame. Julian’s imprisonment is a result of people with too much power, who lost the plot, who got power thirsty and are guilty. They know they’re guilty, and they want to continue to live their lives without any consequences for the crimes they’ve committed. This case is about whether state crimes can continue unpunished, unscrutinized. Julian’s freedom is the only antidote. We don’t have a decision today. Julian’s life is at severe risk every single day he is in prison. He is a political prisoner; he is the world’s most famous political prisoner. We know what happened to the other most famous political prisoner last week. That cannot happen to Julian. It cannot be allowed to happen. The world is watching. Julian has to be freed. Our rights are at stake, but Julian’s life is at stake. Shame on those who put journalists in prison. Shame on those who murder journalists. Shame on those who are afraid of the truth. That’s not a society I want to live in. We’re better than that. The UK courts are also under scrutiny. They have heard about the murder plots against my husband. They’re on notice that the country that is trying to extradite him has planned to murder him. They don’t deny it. They just change the subject. The whole time we were in court, the other side somehow avoided to talk about what the documents Julian published revealed. They didn’t talk about the war crimes. They didn’t talk about the 15,000 civilian killings in Iraq that were revealed. They didn’t talk about their torture and rendition for all program. They didn’t talk about Guantanamo Bay. They simply changed the subject. Shame. This case is brought by criminals who want to maintain their impunity, who want to avoid the courts. They are the fugitives from justice, not Julian. Julian is justice. He is transparency. He is us. He is the public. And as long as Julian remains in prison, we are all in prison and they are free. It cannot be. Free Assange!” Produced by Ross Domoney and Nadia Peridot Videography and editing by Ross Domoney The Real News is an independent, viewer-supported, radical media network. Help us expand our in-depth analysis and coverage from Baltimore to Bangladesh by subscribing and becoming a member today! Donate: Sign up for our newsletter: Like us on Facebook: Follow us on Twitter: