Assange's struggle for freedom, and why it's so important

Episode 28 sneak peek

This week, we’re bringing Julian Assange’s brother and father on the show to talk about the pressing case for his freedom. A quick refresher: Assange is the founder of WikiLeaks, a whistleblowing organization that has revealed everything from a Guantanamo Bay manual to Iraq and Afghanistan War documents. Of course, his work has made him the target of the American state. Hillary Clinton called WikiLeaks’s release of State Department cables an “attack on the international community.” Assange was arrested in 2019 under the Espionage Act, and has fought extradition to the U.S., which a judge deemed “oppressive” to his mental health.

Jeremy Corbyn @jeremycorbyn

This morning @HackneyAbbott @RichardBurgeon and I joined Stella and Max - the partner and son of Julian Assange who has been held in Belmarsh prison for two years. We delivered a letter from 20 MPs demanding to exercise our right as Parliamentarians to visit him. #FreeAssange

While Assange serves time for his work bringing the abuses of U.S. empire to light, we’re looking forward to speaking with his family about his struggle for freedom and his commitment to spreading truth. Currently, Assange’s family and supporters are undertaking a national series of rallies to raise public awareness of this struggle. Among those who have publicly spoken out for Assange’s freedom are Professor Noam Chomsky, author of Manufacturing Consent, and Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg.

"This gross miscarriage of injustice prolonged over many cruel years should be ended at once. Julian Assange should not only be free, but should be accorded the great respect that he originally deserves for his contributions," Chomsky said.

Assange’s work is heroic. As Chomsky recognizes, we owe him immense gratitude and respect for the corruption and cruelty that he has unearthed. New developments in his trial reveal hope for a just outcome. Siggi Thordarson, who claimed that Assange ordered him to carry out hacking attacks for WikiLeaks, has admitted that his claim was fabricated, intended to help him win immunity. In the words of Jennifer Robinson, an attorney working with Assange since 2010, “The factual basis for this case has completely fallen apart.” It’s about time.

Video of this conversation will be available Friday evening for paid subscribers. Then, everyone gets access to the audio conversation when it drops on Saturday through Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Substack, and more.