Past events: Talks

An archive of online and public discussion events organised in support of Julian and Wikileaks. Links to replays included.

Online | 1h 21min | Watch the replay

The Iraq war is still the defining military conflict of the 21st century, we look at the continuing impact of the Iraq War Logs.

Host: Don't Extradite Assange Campaign (DEA)

Moderator: Kristinn Hrafrsson, Wikileaks editor-in-chief

Speakers:

• Iain Overton, investigative journalist and Action on Armed Violence
• Chris Woods, investigative journalist and Airwars.org

Online | 1h 26min | Watch the replay

The Courage Foundation convened a panel of experts to examine what Julian Assange would endure and be up against if the United Kingdom extradites him to the U.S., from pre- and potentially post-trial prison conditions, the lack of a public interest defense under the Espionage Act, and the extremely high rate of convictions in U.S. federal courts.

Host: Courage Foundation

Moderator: Kevin Gosztola, independent U.S. journalist at Shadowproof.com who has covered Chelsea Manning’s military court martial and Julian Assange’s extradition proceedings thus far

Speakers:

• Barry Pollack, Julian Assange’s attorney in the U.S.
• Jeffrey Sterling, CIA whistleblower who was convicted under the Espionage Act
• Lauri Love, U.K. activist who successfully defeated an extradition request from the United States

Leipzig, Germany | 37min | Watch the replay (intro in German)

The Courage Foundation in cooperation with DiEM25 opens the Europe-wide exhibition “We Are Millions”, a massive photo campaign in support of imprisoned WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, in Leipzig. Find the exhibition online and add your own photo at WeAreMillions.org. On August 7th, 2020, the exhibition culminated with a talk by EcoLeaks founder Esteban Servat, a video message from WikiLeaks editor Kristinn Hrafnsson, and performances and video installations to shed light on Assange’s case.

Host: Courage Foundation

Moderator: Klaudia Trappkova, Diem 25

Speakers:

• Esteban Servat, founder of EcoLeaks
• Kristinn Hrafrsson, Wikileaks editor-in-chief (via video-link)

Online | 1h 49min | Watch the replay

Through the lenses of economics, politics, law and history we will examine the case of Julian Assange and the lessons we learn from the Toldpuddle 'martyrs'.

Host: Consortium News

Moderator: Deepa Driver, university lecturer, trade unionist

Speakers:

• Dr Helen Mercer, economist and trade unionist
• Geoffrey Robertson QC, barrister
• Chris Williamson, former Labour MP and City Council Leader (Derby North)

Online | 1h 03min | Watch the replay

10 years on, a look at the continuing impact of the Afghan War Logs.

Host: Don't Extradite Assange Campaign (DEA)

Moderator: Claudia Webbe, UK member of Parliament (Labour)

Speakers:

• Joe Glenton, former soldier, conscientious objector
• Kristinn Hrafrsson, Wikileaks editor-in-chief
• Nick Davies, investigative journalist

Online | 1h 11min | Watch the replay | Watch the film only (23min)

Official launch of a film about the state torture on Assange, written, produced and directed by John Furse. A a film that will confound viewers just as the UN Special Rapporteur was confounded when he discovered the truth behind the headlines. This revelatory film shows how WikiLeaks founder Assange is a victim of prolonged psychological torture, an abuse of human rights and international law recognised and classified by the United Nations (UN). We discover how a sustained assault on his credibility as a journalist and publisher and a deliberate enterprise to break his psychological and physical health has developed.

Host: Don't Extradite Assange Campaign (DEA)

Moderator: Rebecca Vincent, UK Bureau Director at Reporters without Borders, monitored Julian Assange's extradition hearing in London.

Speakers:

• Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture
• John Furse, Film maker and director, 'Not in Our Name'

Online | 1h 12min | Watch the replay

Host: Don't Extradite Assange Campaign (DEA)

Moderator: John Rees, writer, broadcaster, activist

Speakers:

• Kristinn Hrafrsson, Wikileaks editor-in-chief
• Jen Robinson, lawyer of Assange.
• Sami Ramadani, Iraqi democrat
• Dean Yates, journalist and writer

Online | 1 h 44min | Watch the replay

The Spanish Case: Uncovering huge breaches of Julian Assange's rights to a fair trial. The case against #JulianAssange is marked by shocking breaches of due process - incl. gross violations of attorney-client privilege.

Host: Don't Extradite Assange Campaign (DEA)

Moderator: Deepa Driver, university lecturer, trade unionist

Speakers:

• Fidel Narvaez. former Ecuadorian consul
• Stefania Maurizi, investigative journalist, Il Fatto Quotidiano, ex La Republica
• Max Blumenthal, investigative journalist, editor of The Grayzone
• Iain Munro, professor, Newcastle University
• Mads Andenæs, professor of Law at the University of Oslo, former chair of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and a former Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary Detention.

Online | 59min | Watch the replay

Host: Don't Extradite Assange Campaign (DEA)

Moderator: John Rees, writer, broadcaster, activist

Speakers:

• Lissa Johnston, psychologist and New Matilda columnist
• Derek Summerfield, honorary senior lecturer at London's Institute of Psychiatry
• Dr. Rob Gill, NHS doctor and producer of The Great NHS Heist

Online | 51min | Watch the replay

Host: Declassified UK

Moderator: Suzie Gilbert, filmmaker

Speakers:

• Matt Kennard, co-founder of Declassified UK
• Phil Miller, journalist at Declassified UK

Online | 1h 43min | Watch the replay

The Trump Administration has declared war on the truth, on freedom of the press, and especially on fearless investigative journalists like jailed Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who faces 175 years in an American prison for exposing the multitude of war crimes committed by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently, as tens of thousands of American prisoners face an increased risk of contracting Covid-19, so does Assange, now locked away in a jail in London as he fights against extradition to the United States.
This webinar explores why Assange is seen as such a threat, how the fact of his prosecution threatens investigative journalists everywhere, and the role that racism plays in the demographics of our prison population and why, as with Assange, they face an increased risk of contracting the Coronavirus and should now be freed from their toxic confinements.

Host: Courage Foundation

Moderator: Jim Lafferty executive director emeritus, National Lawyers Guild, L.A., host of The Lawyers Guild Show on KPFK.

Speakers:

• Prof. Melina Abdullah: professor, dept. of Pan-African studies, Cal. State Los Angeles, co-founder of Black Lives Matter LA.
• Sharon Kyle: National Board member, American Civil Liberties Union, publisher of the LA Progressive.
• Marjorie Cohn: professor emerita, Thos. Jefferson School of Law; human rights lawyer and editor/author of 'Drones & Targeted Killing'.
• Stephen Rohde: civil liberties activist, writer, and former President of the ACLU of Southern California.
• Vincent De Stefano: human rights activist; recipient of Amnesty International’s 2019 Urgent Letter Writer of the Year Award.
• Robert Corsini: writer, producer and documentary filmmaker; owner of Videocratic Media.
• Nathan Fuller, executive director, Courage Foundation, executive director of the Committee to Defend Julian Assange and Civil Liberties
• Also: Video appearances by scholar and political activist Noam Chomsky and Daniel Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers whistleblower

Sponsors: ACLU SoCal Pasadena/Foothills Chapter, Courage Foundation, FAIR, Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, LA Progressive, National Lawyers Guild-LA.

Online | 1h 28min | Watch the replay (starts 19:20)

Host: Don't Extradite Assange Campaign (DEA)

Moderator: John Rees, writer, broadcaster, activist

Speakers:

• Richard Garside, director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies
• Faith Spear, criminologist and former prison monitor
• Steve Gillan, general secretary of the Prison Officers’ Association

Online | 1h 9min | Watch the replay (starts 07:40)

Some weeks ago a coalition of public authorities and institutions have signed a letter to protect those who report or expose the harms, abuses and wrongdoing that arise during the COVID-19 crisis.
“The COVID-19 pandemic brings into stark relief the importance of accountability and the need for regular and reliable information from our public institutions and our leaders. The people of every affected country need to know the truth about the spread of the disease both locally and internationally in order to respond effectively and help protect their communities. Fairness, transparency and cooperation are vital and never more so than during a pandemic.”
The role of whistleblowers is crucial in times of crisis to expose wrongdoing and misconducts in private and public institutions, health systems, working environments, commercial and delivery markets, and to denounce abuses of personal privacy, both on the digital sphere and the everyday life. The work of whistleblowers is central to denounce power violations and to protect the most vulnerable sectors of our society, but also whistleblowers are people at risk. They are subjects of repression and opposition before and after blowing the whistle, and often confined in isolation, imprisoned or persecuted while their civil rights are suspended.
In a moment in which governments are entitle to use extraordinary powers without proper public oversight and transparency, we need to protect whistleblowers and discuss forms of collective participation to guarantee global safety and accountability, as well as to defend the human rights and freedoms of all people.
Read more here about whistleblowers around the world that got silenced or suffered persecution during COVID-19:https://whistleblower.org/blog/covid-19-the-largest-attack-on-whistleblowers-in-the-world/

Host: Disruption Network Lab

Moderator: Tatiana Bazzichelli, founder and director, Disruption Network Lab

Speakers:

• Renata Avila, international human rights lawyer, public and legal advocate for Assange and WikiLeaks for more than a decade, executive director of Ciudadanía Inteligente
• Joseph Farrell, WikiLeaks Ambassador
• Rima Sghaier, Outreach and Research fellow, Hermes Center for Transparency and Digital Human Rights

Online | 1h 4min | Watch the replay

Host: Don't Extradite Assange Campaign (DEA)

Speakers:

• David Davis, Conservative MP for Haltemprice and Howden
• Radd Seiger, adviser and spokesperson for the family of Harry Dunn
• Helena Kennedy QC, leading British lawyer in civil liberties and human rights

Online | 1h 9min | Watch the replay

Assange is fighting extradition to the US where he faces 175 years in prison for espionage. His crime? Publishing evidence of war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. Despite having served his sentence for violating bail and despite the danger of Covid-19 the torture of Assange in Belmarsh High Security Prison continues. The hearing set for 18 May has been postponed - possibly until November - due to the coronavirus lockdown. Under current conditions Assange is unable to prepare his defence and his life is at risk. The Assange case is an attack not just on an individual but on press freedom. Journalism is not a crime. To find out more about Assange’s case and its implications for a free press and the rule of law tune in on 6th May at 7pm where we will be joined by Tim Dawson (National Union of Journalists), John Shipton (Assange’s father), Renata Avila (Wikileaks legal team) and John Rees (Don’t Extradite Assange Campaign).

Host: Greater Manchester Stop the War Coalition

Moderator: Penny Hicks (Greater Manchester Stop the War Coalition)

Speakers:

• Renata Avila is an international human rights lawyer, public and legal advocate for Assange and WikiLeaks for more than a decade, and executive director of Ciudadanía Inteligente
• Tim Dawson is an NUJ past President and represents the NUJ and the International Federation of Journalists IFJ on the campaign against Julian Assange’s extradition.
• John Rees is a writer, broadcaster and activist, one of the organisers of the People’s Assembly and co-founder of Stop the War Coalition.
• John Shipton is Julian Assange’s father, an anti-war activist dedicated to the campaign to drop the extradition charge and see his son freed.

Online | 58 min | Watch the replay

Sunday, May 3rd, is World Press Freedom Day, an international celebration of fundamental journalistic principles and an assessment of attacks on reporters' right to hold the powerful to account. This panel, convened by the Courage Foundation, features two journalists whose reporting on the Snowden documents earned a Pulitzer Prize as well as the UK Bureau Director for Reporters without Borders, which tracks threats to journalism around the world. Their discussion will focus on the Trump administration's indictment of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange and its unprecedented charges of Espionage for the publication of truthful information in the public interest.

Host: Courage Foundation

Moderator: Aaron Maté, contributor for The Nation and host of Pushback at The Grayzone

Speakers:

• Barton Gellman, staff writer at The Atlantic, author of the forthcoming “Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State”.
• Rebecca Vincent, UK Bureau Director at Reporters without Borders, monitored Julian Assange's extradition hearing in London.
• Ewen MacAskill, former defence and security correspondent for The Guardian, covered WikiLeaks' Cablegate disclosures and Edward Snowden's NSA revelations.

Online | 1h 46 min | Watch the replay (starts 00:45)

Host: Scots Defend Assange

Moderator: Deepa Driver, university lecturer, trade unionist

Speakers:

• John Wight, journalist and commentator
• Chris Williamson, former Labour MP and City Council Leader (Derby North)
• Greg Hadfield, secretary of Brighton, Hove and District Labour Party

Online | 2h 3min | Watch the replay (starts 23:30)

This #FreeTheTruth event will focus on the legal aspects of what's happening to Julian Assange.

Having served his prison sentence for seeking asylum, Julian is currently being held at Belmarsh prison pending extradition to the US for “conspiring with Chelsea Manning to publish the Iraq War logs, the Afghanistan war logs and the State Department cables”. Prof Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Arbitrary Detention describes the British state's complicity in his torture in this revealing interview: https://www.republik.ch/2020/01/31/nils-melzer-about-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange If extradited Julian will be tried in the US, without First Amendment protections, under special administrative measures (ie neither he nor his lawyers will be able to communicate with the press) and will face a potential sentence of 175 years in prison. The US authorities have confirmed that they may add further charges after extradition.
Former diplomat Craig Murray has written about the first phase of Julian's here: https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2020/02/your-man-in-the-public-gallery-assange-hearing-day-1/

Moderator: Deepa Driver, university lecturer, trade unionist

Speakers:

• Mads Andenæs, professor of Law at the University of Oslo, former chair of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and a former Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary Detention.
• Robert Tibbo, litigating barrister working in the areas of administrative and constitutional law, with a focus on human rights and on asylum and refugee law. Well-known for his role in saving the life of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
• Ben Wizner, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. Has worked at the intersection of civil liberties and national security. The principal legal advisor to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

London, UK | 2h 46min | Watch the replay

We recognise the dire situation that Julian faces, and feel so passionately for him, on a human level. We also recognise the severity of the further charges he will face if extradition to the US is granted. This case is a watershed moment, and potentially end times as we know it, for journalism. We must all stand with Julian, if we are to protect what's left of a free press. Exposing war crimes is not a crime! All monies from ticket sales will go to Julian's defense team.

Organiser: Gregory Sharkey

Host: George Galloway, British politician, broadcaster and writer

Speakers:

• Annie Machon, MI5 officer-turned-whistleblower
• Kristinn Hrafrsson, Wikileaks editor-in-chief
• Emmy Butlin, campaigner, Defence Committee of Julian Assange (DCJA)
• Peter Ford, former UK ambassador to Syria
• Neil Clark, journalist, author, broadcaster
• Alexander Mercouris, editor-in-chief, The Duran
• Sheila Coombes, founder of Frome Stop War
• Patrick Henningsen, editor of 21st Century Wire

☞ more info and speech summaries

Online | 1h | Watch the replay

Host: Don't Extradite Assange Campaign (DEA)

Moderator: John Rees, writer, broadcaster, activist

Speakers:

• John Kiriakou, CIA torture whistleblower
• Daniel Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers whistleblower
• Katharine Gun, Iraq war whistleblower

Online | 1h 21min | Watch the replay

Host: Glenn Greenwald, journalist at the Intercept

Speakers:

• Jennifer Robinson, international human rights lawyer who has long represented Assange in this and other legal proceedings.
• Margaret Sullivan, Washington Post media reporter. One of the few major media figures to have denounced the Assange indictment.

Online | 1h 36min | Watch the replay

Host: DiEM25 TV

Conversation between Angela Richter, German-croatian theatre director, author ​and Daniel Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers whistleblower

Online | 1h 26min | Watch the replay

Host: Courage Foundation

Moderator: Jeff Mackler, author of 'Obama’s National Security State: The Meaning of the Edward Snowden Revelations'.

Speakers:

• Margaret Kimberley, senior columnist and editor, Black Agenda Report
• Jim Lafferty, executive director (for three decades), National Lawyers Guild, Los Angeles
• Joe Lombardo, national coordinator, United National Antiwar Coalition
• Nathan Fuller, executive director, Courage Foundation
• Nozomi Hayase liberation psychologist, author, contributor to the book, In Defense of Julian Assange

Online | 1h 14min | Watch the replay (sound issues; starts 21:40)

Host: Don't Extradite Assange Campaign (DEA)

Moderator: John Rees, writer, broadcaster, activist

Speakers:

• John Pilger, award-winning journalist, writer and filmmaker
• Stefania Maurizi, investigative journalist
• Charles Glass, author, journalist, broadcaster

Online | 4h 24min | Watch the replay (starts 29:58)

Host: Vécu Le Media

Moderators: (…) and Corrine Henri (Assange, l'Ultime Combat)

Speakers:

• Alex Hills, Architecte, Violoniste, Fondatrice de FreeAssange NZ.
• Jean Rossiaud, Député Vert Genève, *Visa humanitaire.
• Phillip Adams, Journaliste-enseignant/ petitioner and activist.
• Walter Mellado, Groupe Virtual March for Julian 11 Avril.
• Davide Dormino, Sculpteur Enseignant.
• Isi Wasi, Free Assange Committee Germany.
• Bibiana Blockberg, Deutsche Aktion für Assange.
• Etienne Chouard, Enseignant et blogueur.
• Laurent Bouhnik, Réalisateur et scénariste.
• Philippe Pascot, Ecrivain.
• Fabien Rives, Journaliste.
• Françoise Nicolas, Lanceuse d'alerte Affaires étrangères.
• Edith Cabrera, Militante gpe fb #24F Coalición Vida y Libertad Julian Assange.
• David Simpson, Militant.
• Maryse Artiguelong, vice-présidente de la Ligue des droits de l'Homme, Vice-présidente de la Fédération Internationale des journalistes (FIJ).
• Bruno Gaccio, Chroniqueur, auteur et producteur de télévision.
• Dominique Pradalié, Journaliste, Secrétaire générale Syndicat National des journalistes, membre du comité exécutif de la Fédération internationale des journalistes (FIJ).
• Anthony Bellanger, secrétaire général de la Fédération internationale des journalistes (FIJ).
• Andrew Smith, Speaker, Stream support for Action 4 Assange.

Online | 1h 18min | Watch the replay

A panel discussion marking one year since WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was expelled from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and arrested by British police. Assange is fighting extradition to the United States where he faces 175 years in prison on the first-ever charges of espionage for publishing truthful information in the public interest.

Host: Courage Foundation

Moderator: Aaron Maté, writer for The Nation and host of Pushback at The Grayzone

Speakers:

• Daniel Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers whistleblower
• Marjorie Cohn, former president of the National Lawyers Guild
• Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

Online | 2h 22min | Watch the replay

This event commemorates the inhumane removal of award-winning journalist and publisher Julian Assange from the Ecuadorean embassy in London, and seeks to examine the circumstances surrounding his planned extradition to the US.

Host: Consortium News

Moderator: Deepa Driver, university lecturer, trade unionist

Speakers:

• Kristinn Hrafrsson, Wikileaks editor-in-chief
• Stefania Maurizi, investigative journalist
• Catherine Brown, English literature academic
• Peter Osborne, British journalist and broadcaster
• Chris Williamson, former Labour MP and City Council Leader (Derby North)
• Craig Murray, former British ambassador, historian and human rights activist
• Andrew Feinstein, writer, campaigner, ex-ANC MP (South-Africa)

☞ more info and transcripts

Online | 1h 30min | Watch the replay

It's been 10 years since WikiLeaks has released a classified US military video depicting three airstrikes from a US Apache helicopter on July 12, 2007 in New Baghdad, Iraq. At least eighteen people were killed in the airstrikes, including two journalists working for Reuters, Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen.

Host: Don't Extradite Assange Campaign (DEA)

Moderator: Nozomi Hayase liberation psychologist, author, contributor to the book, In Defense of Julian Assange

Speakers:

• Kristinn Hrafrsson, Wikileaks editor-in-chief
• Ann Wright, retired US Colonel, peace activist

London | 3h 12min | Watch the replay (starts 13:54)

Join our speakers as they share their expertise on imperialism in general, and on the Julian Assange case in particular.

Organiser and host: Gregory Sharkey

Speakers:

• Craig Murray, former British ambassador, historian and human rights activist
• Alexander Mercouris, editor-in-chief, The Duran
• Eva Bartlett, investigative journalist
• Peter Lavelle, CrossTalk host RT
• George Galloway, British politician, broadcaster and writer
• Neil Clark, journalist, author, broadcaster
• Joti Brar, Workers' Party GB
• Mike Barson, Madness
• Joe Lauria, editor-in-chief, Consortium News

☞ transcripts and more info

London | 1h 18min |Watch the replay

Julian Assange faces a full extradition hearing on the 24th of this month, in one of the most high profile cases of its type in British courts. If granted, the Wikileaks founder could face 18 indictment charges in the US, including those under the Espionage Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. If found guilty he could receive a potential prison sentence of 175 years. Public opinion has long been polarised about the best way to handle this case. As we approach the trial, important voices in journalism gather at the Frontline club to discuss freedom of speech. What is the United States aiming to do in this prosecution, and should the British government be assisting? What are the potential consequences for the future of press freedom?

Host: Frontline Club

Speakers:

• Patrick Cockburn, award winning foreign correspondent
• Richard Gizbert, creator and presenter of Al Jazeera's The Listening Post

New York | 2h 7min | Watch the replay (starts 5:52)

Leading journalists, attorneys, and human rights defenders will hold a panel discussion just weeks before the extradition trial of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who if sent to the United States would face the first ever charges of Espionage for the publication of truthful information in the public interest. If the Trump Administration can imprison a foreign publisher for life for exposing war crimes, what can't it do? And is the New York Times next? These esteemed speakers will consider these questions and what we can do to protect the First Amendment.

Host: Courage Foundation

Moderator: Anya Parampil, journalist, The Grayzone

Speakers:

• Jim Goodale, former NYT General Counsel
• Renata Avila, international human rights lawyer, public and legal advocate for Assange and WikiLeaks for more than a decade, executive director of Ciudadanía Inteligente
• Glen Ford, executive editor, Black Agenda Report
• Max Blumenthal, editor, The Grayzone

New video statements from:

• Noam Chomsky, scholar and political activist
• Alice Walker, writer (The Color Purple) and social activist
• Daniel Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers whistleblower

L.A. | 1h 40min | Watch the replay

Host: UCLA Law

Moderator:

Speakers:

London | 2h | Watch the replay

Prof Eva Joly, Prof Nils Melzer, Craig Murray and eminent experts will join us in London to discuss torture, human rights, and the legal issues surrounding the extradition of award-winning journalist and publisher Julian Assange. Having served his prison sentence for seeking asylum, Julian is currently isolated at Belmarsh maximum security prison pending extradition to the US for “conspiring with Chelsea Manning to publish the Iraq War logs, the Afghanistan war logs and the State Department cables”. Details of his torture are explained here https://medium.com/@njmelzer/state-responsibility-for-the-torture-of-julian-assange-40935ea5d7c3

Organisers: Deepa Driver (Reading University) and Iain Munro (Newcastle University). With the support of the Committee to Defend Julian Assange (JADC)

Host: Deepa Driver, university lecturer, trade unionist

Guests:

• Craig Murray, former British ambassador, historian and human rights activist
• John Shipton, Julian Assange's father, anti-war activist
• Eva Jolly, French magistrate and politician
• Lisa Longstaff, spokeswoman for Women Against Rape
• Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture

☞ transcripts and more info

Washington D.C. | 1 h 10min | Watch the replay

WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange has been indicted on 17 counts of Espionage and 1 count of conspiracy to commit computer crime for WikiLeaks' 2010 publications of the Iraq War Logs, the Afghan War Diary, and State Department cables leaked to WikiLeaks by US Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning. On Jan. 30th 2020, these legal and academic experts discussed the impact of Assange's prosecution on the freedom of the press, at the National Press Club's First Amendment Lounge in Washington DC.

Moderator: Mary-Rose Papandrea, Constitutional Law Professor, UNC

Speakers:

• Jameel Jaffer, Director, Knight First Amendment Institute
• Amy Jeffress, Attorney, former US Department of Justice
• Ben Wizner, Director, ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology (SPT)Project

☞ more info

London | 2h 2min | Watch the replay

Mark Curtis, Lisa Longstaff, Prof Nils Melzer, Craig Murray, Fidel Narvaez, John Pilger, eminent academic experts and artists discuss and condemn the bloodsport that is the persecution of award-winning journalist and publisher Julian Assange.
Having served his prison sentence for seeking asylum, Julian is currently isolated at Belmarsh maximum security prison charged with “conspiring with Chelsea Manning to publish the Iraq War logs, the Afghanistan war logs and the State Department cables”. Details of his torture, made visible by his recent court appearance, can be found here https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/10/assange-in-court/

Organisers: Deepa Driver (Reading University) and Iain Munro (Newcastle University)

Host: Deepa Driver, university lecturer, trade unionist

Speakers:

• Lowkey, British rap musician
• Lissa Johnston, clinical psychologist
• Fidel Narvaez, former senior diplomat, Equadorian embassy
• Lisa Longstaff, spokeswoman for Women Against Rape
• Mark Curtis, historian/journalist on UK foreign policy
• Stefania Maurizi, investigative journalist
• Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture
• Craig Murray, former British ambassador, historian and human rights activist
• John Pilger, award-winning journalist, writer and filmmaker

☞ more info and speech summaries
☞ excerpts reel

Brussels | 1h 57min | Watch the replay

Since April this year Julian Assange, has been in Belmarsh high security prison in London. He has been charged by US prosecutors with 17 counts under the US Espionage Act of 1917. The charges relate solely to the 2010 publication of US government documents on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and from the US Department of State. Topics include possible war crimes, government collusion with the private sector and diplomatic interference in other countries’ internal affairs. Assange is now fighting extradition to the United States, where he will face up to 175 years in prison.

Chairs:

• Clare Daly, MEP
• Mick Wallace, MEP
• Pernando Barrena, MEP
• Luke Ming Flanagan, MEP

Speakers:

• David Greene, civil Liberties director, Electronic Frontier Foundation
• Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture
• Bob Carr, former Foreign Minister of Australia (via video link)
• John Shipton, Julian Assange's father, anti-war activist

☞ more info

New York | 1h 11min | Watch the replay

Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, the Courage Foundation, the Knight First Amendment Institute, and the Open Society Justice Initiative bring together distinguished panelists, including human rights and national security experts, United Nations Rapporteurs, and freedom of expression lawyers, to discuss all sides of the debate around WikiLeaks’ publishing, Julian Assange’s prosecution, and the future of blowing the whistle.

Host: Courage Foundation

Moderator: Dr. Agnes Callamard, director of Columbia Global Freedom of Expression; UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions

Speakers:

• Sandra Coliver, senior managing legal officer for Freedom of Information, Expression, Assembly & Association at the Open Society Justice Initiative
• Carrie DeCell, staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute
• Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

☞ more info

London | 2h 52min | Watch the replay

Part II of a two day event. Speakers from a variety of backgrounds share their expertise on imperialism in general, and on the Julian Assange case in particular.

Organiser: Gregory Sharkey

Host: George Galloway, British politician, broadcaster and writer

Speakers:

• Tony Bliar - aka Neil Clark, journalist, author, broadcaster
• Tommy McKearney, former Irish hunger striker
• Ogmundur Jonasson, former Icelandic minister
• Patrick Henningsen, editor, 21st Century Wire
• Roshan Muhammed Salih, activist and independent journalist, Press TV
• Alexander Mercouris, editor-in-chief, The Duran
• Clare Daly, Irish TD and MP

☞ more info and speech summaries

London | 3h 52min | Watch the replay (starts 7:57)

Part I of a two day event. Speakers from a variety of backgrounds share their expertise on imperialism in general, and on the Julian Assange case in particular.

Organiser: Gregory Sharkey

Host: Chris Hedges, Pulitzer-winning journalist, author and philosopher

Guest:

• Vivienne Westwood, fashion designer and justice campaigner
• Fidel Narvaez, former senior diplomat, Equadorian embassy
• Tommy McKearney, former Irish hunger striker
• Lauri Love, former US extradition defendant
• John Wight, journalist and commentator
• Catherine Brown, English literature academic
• Ahmed Kaballo, journalist at Press TV
• Catherine Shakdam, writer and commentator

☞ more info and speech summaries