[LINK] Fwd: An open letter to the PM re Julian Assange

Jon Seymour jon.seymour at gmail.com
Tue Dec 7 20:11:08 AEDT 2010


Nice sentiment, but can you recall the last time a Federal Labor
politician ever expressed anything remotely resembling support for the
Rule Of Law?

Think Haneef, think Hicks. Think offshore detention regimes.

jon.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rick Welykochy <rick at praxis.com.au>
Date: Tue, Dec 7, 2010 at 7:36 PM
Subject: [LINK] An open letter to the PM re Julian Assange
To: The Link Institute  <link at anu.edu.au>


Linkers,

The following open letter was lifted from the Unleashed area of the
ABC website.

The agreement with Assange and his his actions as well as many repeated
calls for our PM to offer her support instead of joining the lynch mob
are overwhelming (in the comments section).

Aside: Pilger today pointed out in his interview with Adams on RN that
the PM is placing herself in a delicate position by publicly declaring
outside of parliament that Assange is a criminal through her allegation
that he has acted illegally. The word slander or slanderous was raised
by Pilger.


http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/41914.html

Editor's note: There’s no doubt that WikiLeaks and its figurehead-on-the-run
Julian Assange are among the hottest items for discussion on the
planet right now.
Feelings are running high, and many in this country take the view that the
Australian Government ought do more to assist its vilified, beleaguered citizen.
Assange has become a cause celebre, as evidenced by the signatories to this open
letter, a who’s who of sorts, from Noam Chomsky to Helen Garner...

We wrote the letter below because we believe that Julian Assange is entitled
to all the protections enshrined in the rule of law – and that the Australian
Government has an obligation to ensure he receives them.

The signatures here have been collected in the course of a day-and-a-half,
primarily from people in publishing, law and politics. The signatories hold
divergent views about WikiLeaks and its operations. But they are united in a
determination to see Mr Assange treated fairly.

We know that many others would have liked to sign. But given the urgency of
the situation, we though it expedient to publish now rather than
collect more names.

If, however, you agree with the sentiments expressed, we encourage you to leave
your name in the comments section.




Dear Prime Minister,

We note with concern the increasingly violent rhetoric directed towards
Julian Assange of WikiLeaks.

“We should treat Mr Assange the same way as other high-value terrorist
targets: Kill him,” writes conservative columnist Jeffrey T Kuhner in the
Washington Times.

William Kristol, former chief of staff to vice president Dan Quayle, asks,
“Why can’t we use our various assets to harass, snatch or neutralize Julian
Assange and his collaborators, wherever they are?”

“Why isn’t Julian Assange dead?” writes the prominent US pundit Jonah Goldberg.

“The CIA should have already killed Julian Assange,” says John Hawkins on the
Right Wing News site.

Sarah Palin, a likely presidential candidate, compares Assange to an Al Qaeda
leader; Rick Santorum, former Pennsylvania senator and potential presidential
contender, accuses Assange of “terrorism”.

And so on and so forth.

Such calls cannot be dismissed as bluster. Over the last decade, we have seen
the normalisation of extrajudicial measures once unthinkable, from
‘extraordinary
rendition’ (kidnapping) to ‘enhanced interrogation’ (torture).

In that context, we now have grave concerns for Mr Assange’s wellbeing.

Irrespective of the political controversies surrounding WikiLeaks, Mr Assange
remains entitled to conduct his affairs in safety, and to receive procedural
fairness in any legal proceedings against him.

As is well known, Mr Assange is an Australian citizen.

We therefore call upon you to condemn, on behalf of the Australian Government,
calls for physical harm to be inflicted upon Mr Assange, and to state publicly
that you will ensure Mr Assange receives the rights and protections to which he
is entitled, irrespective of whether the unlawful threats against him come from
individuals or states.

We urge you to confirm publicly Australia’s commitment to freedom of political
communication; to refrain from cancelling Mr Assange's passport, in the absence
of clear proof that such a step is warranted; to provide assistance and advocacy
to Mr Assange; and do everything in your power to ensure that any
legal proceedings
taken against him comply fully with the principles of law and
procedural fairness.

A statement by you to this effect should not be controversial – it is a simple
commitment to democratic principles and the rule of law.

We believe this case represents something of a watershed, with implications that
extend beyond Mr Assange and WikiLeaks. In many parts of the globe,
death threats
routinely silence those who would publish or disseminate controversial material.
If these incitements to violence against Mr Assange, a recipient of Amnesty
International’s Media Award, are allowed to stand, a disturbing new
precedent will
have been established in the English-speaking world.

In this crucial time, a strong statement by you and your Government can make an
important difference.

We look forward to your response.

(followed by over 180 signatories)

. . . .



cheers
rickw



--
_________________________________
Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services

It's pretty sad when Pravda is lecturing the US on free speech,
tolerance and respect for human rights
     -- Mike Masnick at Techdirt
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