Líderes progresistas piden al presidente Joe Biden que retire los cargos contra Assange
Hoy, 11 de abril, líderes progresistas, intelectuales y ex jefes de Estado de todo el mundo, entre ellos Dilma Rousseff, Yanis Varoufakis, Roger Waters y Rafael Correa, han enviado una carta al presidente de Estados Unidos, Joe Biden, y a la presidenta de la Cámara de Representantes, Nancy Pelosi, para exigir a las autoridades estadounidenses que retiren los 18 cargos contra Julian Assange.
Hoy también se cumplen tres años desde que la Policía Metropolitana sacó a Julian Assange de la Embajada de Ecuador en Londres, lo detuvo y lo metió en la prisión de Belmarsh. Allí está recluido mientras los tribunales del Reino Unido deliberan sobre la solicitud de extradición a Estados Unidos, donde será juzgado por los 18 cargos, muchos contemplados bajo la Ley de Espionaje, y donde se enfrenta a una pena máxima de 175 años.
En caso que sea extraditado y condenado, sería la primera vez que se condena a un publicador bajo la Ley de Espionaje y sentaría un peligroso precedente para el derecho a la libertad de expresión y de prensa, no sólo en Estados Unidos sino en todo el mundo.
Assange, que durante su estancia en prisión ya ha sufrido intentos de suicidio, torturas psicológicas, brotes de COVID-19 y un grave deterioro de su salud física y mental, ha declarado que su extradición a Estados Unidos sería igual a una sentencia de muerte.
Muchos, incluyendo los firmantes de la carta, han denunciado que la persecución a la que se enfrenta Assange es una represalia por su valiente trabajo con Wikileaks desvelando la verdad sobre los crímenes cometidos por gobiernos de todo el mundo.
Apoya a Assange, defiende la libertad de prensa.
ÚNETE A NUESTRA CAMPAÑA PARA QUE LIBEREN A JULIAN ASSANGE:
ENVÍA UNA CARTA – Firma esta carta redactada por la AIP y envíala a tu embajada o consulado británico local diciéndoles que respeten sus responsabilidades legales y liberen a Assange ¡YA!
PARTICIPA – Sigue las cuentas en redes sociales de la AIP para saber más sobre el caso de Assange y sus incontables contribuciones a la lucha antiimperialista actual. Comparte nuestros materiales con tus comunidades y movimientos. Ayúdanos a correr la voz sobre por qué debemos liberar a Assange ¡Ahora!
Información de contacto: [email protected]
President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
1236 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear President of United States and Speaker of the House,
We have been paying close attention to the legal process and trial of Australian journalist Julian Paul Assange, who is currently in prison in the United Kingdom where he awaits a final decision on the extradition request made by the government of the United States of America.
The United States of America has a long tradition of defending freedom of expression, freedom of thought, and freedom of the press. The philosophical, legal, political and social thought produced by intellectuals in the United States of America forms an important foundational framework for the reflection and realization of freedom of expression throughout the world. Likewise, the struggle of activists since the 19th century for this freedom has been a source of inspiration for countless societies and countries.
It is precisely in the name of this tradition, continually renewed by daily creation, that we, progressive leaders of the world, address you to ask that, within the scope of its constitutional and legal competence, in respect of due process of law, and the democratic rule of law, that Your Presidency exercise its prerogative of dropping all 18 charges leveled against journalist Julian Paul Assange.
With such a gesture, you will send a strong message to the world: that freedom of expression, freedom of thought, and freedom of the press constitute an instrument that can controvert the interests of any government, including that of the United States of America. The cases where there are reports of serious violations of freedom of expression would also be impacted by the dropping of the 18 charges against Assange. It would affirm the defense of this Fundamental Human Right and would undoubtedly represent a clear and robust sign that everyone can express their opinion without fear of retaliation; that all the press outlets can give news to all the citizens of the world, with the certainty that the pluralism of thought is guaranteed.
It is these considerations that lead us to address you, Mr. President and other American authorities, to request that you drop all 18 charges against Julian Paul Assange.
São Paulo, April 11, 2022.
SIGNATORIES OF THE LETTER:
DILMA ROUSSEFF – Former President of Brazil (2011-2016).
ERNESTO SAMPER – Former President of Colombia (1994-1998) and former General Secretary of UNASUL
FERNANDO LUGO – Former President of Paraguay (2008-2012).
RAFAEL CORREA – Former President of Ecuador (2007-2017)
AIDA NARANJO GARCIA MOCHA – Former Minister for Women in Peru
ALOIZIO MERCADANTE – Former Chief of Staff and former Brazilian Minister of Education in the governments of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff
ANDRÉS ARAUZ – Ecuadorian presidential candidate in 2019
CARLOS OMINAMI – Chilean intellectual
CELSO AMORIM – Brazilian diplomat, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Itamar Franco’s government and in Lula’s government, and Minister of Defense in Dilma’s government
DANIEL MARTÍNEZ – Former Mayor of Montevideo for the Broad Front of Uruguay
ESPERANZA MARTÍNEZ – Senator from the Guasú Front in Paraguay
GUILLAUME LONG – Former Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Government of Rafael Correa in Ecuador
IDELI SALVATTI – Former Senator of the Republic, former Minister of Human Rights, former Secretary of Access to Rights and Equity at the OAS (Brazil)
IVAN CEPEDA – Senator from the Alternative Democratic Pole party in Colombia
JOSÉ CARLOS DIAS – Lawyer, former Minister of Justice, former Secretary of Justice in the State of São Paulo (Brazil)
JOSÉ EDUARDO CARDOZO – Former Minister of Justice and attorney-general of the Union of Brazil. He is a professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo
KAROL CARIOLA – Federal Deputy from the Communist Party of Chile
MARCO ENRÍQUEZ-OMINAMI – Chilean filmmaker
MARIA DO ROSÁRIO NUNES – Member of parliament and former Special Secretary for Human Rights (Brazil)
MARÍA JOSÉ PIZARRO – Senator from the Historic Pact in Colombia
MÓNICA XAVIER – Former Senator from the Broad Front in Uruguay and the former President of the Socialist Party of Uruguay
NILMA GOMES – Professor Emeritus of UFMG. Former Minister of the Secretariat for Racial Equality Policies and the Ministry of Women, Racial Equality and Human Rights (Brazil)
NILMÁRIO MIRANDA – Former National Secretary of Human Rights (Brazil)
PAULO SÉRGIO PINHEIRO – Former Brazilian National Secretary for Human Rights. Former UN Special Rapporteur for the Situation of Human Rights in Burundi, an African country victim of civil war
PAULO VANNUCHI – Former Brazilian Minister of Human Rights (2005-2010). Former Commissioner of Inter American Commission on Human Rights (2014-2017)
PEPE VARGAS – Former Minister of Human Rights, Minister of Institutional Relations, and Minister of Agrarian Development in the Dilma Rousseff government
RICARDO PATIÑO – Former Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Government of Rafael Correa in Ecuador
ROGÉRIO SOTTILI – Executive Director of Vladimir Herzog Institute, former Special Secretary of Human Rights, former Secretary of Human Rights in the State of São Paulo (Brazil)
ROGER WATERS – Singer, songwriter and musician (England)
SLAVOJ ZIZEK – Philosopher (Slovenia)
SREĆKO HORVAT – Philosopher and Co-founder of DiEM25 (Croatia)
TARSO GENRO – Jurist, former Minister of Education, former Minister of Justice, former Governor of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil)
YANIS VAROUFAKIS – Member of the Hellenic Parliament (Greece)
