Sunday, January 17th 2021 | 11:00am CST/ 12:00pm EST
Hosted by the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee
Speakers:
- Nils Melzer–United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture
- Ray McGovern–former, longtime CIA Russia analyst, presidential daily briefer, and co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS)
Moderator:
- Ann Batiza–Milwaukee Branch of the Assange Defense Committee
Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture; and Ray McGovern, former CIA Russia analyst, presidential daily briefer for George H.W. Bush and current peace activist (who is growing his beard in solidarity with Julian Assange), discussed the unprecedented extradition trial of Walkley-award-winning publisher and seven times (including 2020) nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, Julian Assange. Notably, Mr. Assange said, “If wars can be started by lies, peace can be started by truth.”Amnesty International, the ACLU, Rebecca Vincent of Reporters without Borders, Laura Poitras writing in the New York Times, Barton Gellman writing in the Guardian, Alan Rusbridger former editor of the Guardian, Glenn Greenwald now on Substack, editor Marty Baron of the Washington Post and editor-in-chief Dean Baquet of the New York Times have all described the threat to press freedom posed by this extradition trial. It is time that the public also understood what was at stake.