The Reggio Emilia Movement involved in the campaign for the liberation of Julian Assange continues to take action to keep attention alive on the case of the journalist/editor of WikiLeaks and next May 8th it has several events planned in the area, with the participation of the investigative journalist Stefania Maurizi, who collaborates with Il Fatto Quotidiano and is the author of the book “The secret power. Because they want to destroy Assange and WikiLeaks.”
In the morning, from 10.15 to 11.45 at the university (Viale Allegri, 9) the journalist will hold a conference on “Media, freedom and human rights – The Julian Assange story” in dialogue with the prof. Damiano Razzoli, head of the Multimedia Communication course. In addition to the interested university students, some fifth classes of secondary schools in the city will be present. The initiative is promoted in collaboration with the Coop. Reggiana Educatori and with Officina Educativa, as part of training courses shared with teachers. Entrance is free and open to the public.
In the afternoon, from 6.15pm to 7.30pmStefania Maurizi will be a guest of the Circolo Berneri for a convivial meeting, during which she will take stock of the situation on Assange’s legal affair.
The last event of the day will be held in Casalgrande, at 9.00 pm in the “G. Strada” (P.zza R. Ruffilli, 3): a public meeting where Stefania Maurizi will present the elements collected in the long research work she carried out regarding Julian Assange and Wikileaks, an investigation that returns an image of Assange as no longer a criminal , but victim.
Assange is the victim of unprecedented legal persecution for having released confidential documents that were embarrassing to the US government, to say the least, which revealed, among other things, war crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Crimes hitherto hidden thanks to “state secrecy”.
For five years Assange has been locked up in a maximum security prison in London, without trial or charges and is now awaiting the final decision regarding his extradition to the USA; here they want to try him under a 1917 law, never before applied to a journalist, which makes no distinction between a spy and an information professional who publishes news of public interest. In practice they want to deny him the shield of the First Amendment of the American Constitution, which guarantees freedom of the press in the interest of the governed and not of the rulers.
On May 20th, the London High Court will have to evaluate whether the guarantees provided by the USA on the treatment that would be reserved for Assange, in the event of his extradition, can be considered satisfactory – a condition required to confirm the extradition – or, if not, accept the request to appeal against extradition presented by Assange’s lawyers.
In any case, we cannot afford to be confident about the possibility that Assange will be able to obtain legal justice, given the series of anomalies that characterize this long judicial affair. To demonstrate that this is a political issue, not a judicial one.
This is why the fight must continue. For Julian, for human rights, for democracy.
Free Assange Movement Reggio Emilia
