Save press freedom, save Julian Assange

Julian Assange is being prosecuted for publishing truthful information in the public interest Read more →


The Assange Defense Committee is a U.S. coalition fighting to free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Join us →

Noam Chomsky

Academic, activist 

“Julian Assange shouldn’t be the subject of a grand jury hearing, he should be given a medal. He’s contributing to democracy.”
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Alice Walker

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist

“Years from now people will say: Oh, if only I had known what we were losing when they abused this decent and courageous man!”
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Assange Defense’s founding co-chairs were Noam Chomsky, Alice Walker, and the late whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg.

Status update

Assange’s situation  | Updated February 2024

The UK High Court has confirmed that a public hearing will take place on 20-21 February 2024. The two-day hearing may be the final chance for Julian Assange to prevent his extradition to the United States. If extradited, Assange faces a sentence of 175 years for exposing war crimes committed by the United States in the Afghan and Iraq wars.. See all hearing coverage here.

Julian Assange

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Journalism is on trial

WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange is facing up to 175 years in prison for publishing truthful information in the public interest.

Julian Assange is being sought by the United States for publishing US government documents that exposed war crimes and human rights abuses in 2010. The politically motivated charges represent an unprecedented attack on press freedom and the public’s right to know – seeking to criminalize basic journalistic activity.

If convicted, Julian Assange faces a sentence of 175 years, likely to be spent in extreme isolation.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called for the UK government to “end Mr. Assange’s deprivation of liberty, respect his physical integrity and freedom of movement, and afford him the right to compensation.”

Amnesty International says, “Were Julian Assange to be extradited or subjected to any other transfer to the USA, Britain would be in breach of its obligations under international law.”

Human Rights Watch says, “The only thing standing between an Assange prosecution and a major threat to global media freedom is Britain. It is urgent that it defend the principles at risk.”

The UK’s National Union of Journalists has stated that the “US charges against Assange pose a huge threat, one that could criminalize the critical work of investigative journalists & their ability to protect their sources.”

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The Economist New Media Award (2008)


The Amnesty New Media Award (2009)


The Sydney Peace Foundation Gold Medal (2011)


The Sam Adams Award for Integrity (2010)


The National Union of Journalists Journalist of the Year (Hrafnsson) (2011)


TIME Magazine Person of the Year, People’s Choice (highest global vote) (2010)


The Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism (2011)


The Blanquerna Award for Best Communicator (2011)


The Walkley Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism (2011)


The International Piero Passetti Journalism Prize of the National Union of Italian Journalists (2011)


The Voltaire Award for Free Speech (2011)


The Jose Couso Press Freedom Award (2011)


The Privacy International Hero of Privacy (2012)


The Brazillian Press Association Human Rights Award (2013)

And many more

Assange Defense Campaign Launch

Ahead of Assange’s extradition hearing in September 2020, the Assange Defense Committee co-chairs announce the campaign to defend the First Amendment right to publish

Verdict Reaction: Extradition Denied

Noam Chomsky, Daniel Ellsberg, and Marjorie Cohn react to the UK’s district court blocking Julian Assange’s extradition on medical grounds, in a panel event hosted by Kevin Gosztola

Support Assange Defense!

Donate to the legal and public campaign to defend Julian Assange by credit card, bank transfer, cryptocurrency, or check

Take Action!

The Assange Defense is working with People Powered Initiatives to get the extradition order rescinded for Julian Assange and to protect journalism.

News


WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY

Mass Mobilization to Free Assange

Wednesday, May 3, 2023 |  Washington D.C.

  • This World Press Freedom Day, join us in calling on Attorney General Merrick Garland to drop the charges against Julian Assange
  • Want to organize your own satellite event? Email our activist organizer Vinnie DeStefano today!

Previous Events

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Julian Assange’s Extradition Hearing

A video playlist of commentary before, during, and after Julian Assange’s extradition proceedings in London, featuring Alice Walker on the need to get involved, Assange’s partner Stella Moris, and legal observers speaking outside the courtroom.

Photobook: #WeAreMillions

O/R Books, Courage, and DiEM25 are thrilled announce our new book WE ARE MILLIONS. The team behind the #WeAreMillions project are joined by contributors Chris Hedges, Angela Richter, and Ben Cohen to discuss the book and the global support for Julian Assange.

Julian Assange's partner and children
Assange ‘in a lot of pain’ says partner after prison visit

Julian Assange’s partner has visited him in prison for the first time in almost six months, and said he looked much thinner than last time she saw him. Continue reading →

Julian Assange’s hidden family revealed:
top secrets inside the Embassy

60 Minutes Australia watch video ↑

Stella Moris – partner of Julian Assange and the mother of his two sons

Assange’s partner is fighting against his extradition to the United States.

“My partner, the journalist and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, is fighting extradition to the United States and faces 175 years in prison. I and many others are joined in that fight – against extradition and his continuing imprisonment. We are appealing for your help.” —Stella Moris

What WikiLeaks Exposed

WikiLeaks has published millions of documents exposing governments and corporations all around the world.

War Crimes

Collateral Murder is a classified US military video of a helicopter gunship slaying eighteen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad, including two Reuters journalists and their rescuers, documents a war crime. The Iraq and Afghanistan War Logs showed the true number of civilian deaths in Iraq and is the most detailed record of war to date. It detailed the abuse and torture of prisoners by police and military in full knowledge of coalition forces.

Nuclear Issues

The WikiLeaks site has 284, 493 publications on nuclear issues. These documents traverse the nuclear fuel cycle – from uranium mining to nuclear waste – with many thousands exposing nuclear energy industry giants, and nuclear weapon threat assessments, numbers, doctrines and negotiations.

The Environment

The Minton Report detailed how Dutch multinational company Trafigura had dumped toxic waste in the Ivory Coast affecting 108,000 people. The report had been suppressed through a super injunction that the Guardian and the BBC obeyed, but WikiLeaks exposed.

Trade

TPP, TTIP & TISA, aka the ‘Big 3Ts’, are major trade agreements being drafted and negotiated in secret without proper democratic oversight. WikiLeaks has provided multiple draft chapters and negotiating positions to the public. The Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership are now stalled. The lesser known Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) between US, EU and 22 other countries accounts for two thirds of global GDP has been classified to keep it secret not just during the negotiations but for five years after the TiSA enters into force.

Intelligence

The Global Intelligence Files revealed the inner workings of the private intelligence firm Stratfor that services the US government and large corporations such as Bhopal’s Dow Chemical Co., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defence Intelligence Agency.

Wars and Refugees

WikiLeaks released two classified EU documents, outlining the planned military intervention against boats travelling from Libya to Italy. The more significant of the two documents was written by the combined military defence chiefs of the EU member states. The plan was formally approved by representatives from all 28 countries on 18 May 2015.

The National Union of Journalists in the UK has issued a new call to stop the extradition to the US of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange

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Doctors from around the world have written an open letter to the UK home secretary about the plight of Julian Assange in London’s Belmarsh prison

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