The Battle to Free Assange is the Battle for Freedom of the Press, and Affects Freedom for All

Last week's legal fumble that showed Assange has sealed charges against him has been something he has known about for years. This is why he sought refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy. People may not have believed him before, but the evidence brought to light form a copy-paste mistake indicates the charges have been kept secret, possibly to not spook Assange and make it more easy to snatch him up. That changed when he sought asylum at the embassy.

The copied indictment was used as a template and came from the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA). Assange's name was left when it should have been replaced. The EDVA is where the WikiLeaks Grand Jury (Ref:10GJ3793) was convened in 2010 to indict Assange over the Chelsea Manning leaks ^[Source]. It was headed by Neil McBride who previously prosecuted CIA anti-torture whistleblower John Kiriakou.

The EDVA is where charges would come from, as the Washington Post mentioned in an article from 2012 shortly after Assange sought asylum at Ecuador's London embassy:

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning is charged with leaking the documents and he faces a military trial. Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London since June, but if he is ever charged in this country, it would happen in Alexandria.

The copy-paste template that made the news last week, was signed by U.S. Attorney Zachary Terwilliger who was working under Neil McBride at the time. It all adds up. Assange has secret sealed charges against him, and Assange has known the U.S. are trying to kidnap him for a show-trial to make an example of him.

Assange likely first heard of the threat against his life from a WikiLeak of Stratfor Emails that made the news at the end of February 2012. The press release from WikiLeaks said:

Confidential emails obtained from the US private intelligence firm Stratfor show that the United States Government has had a secret indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for more than 12 months.

_Source

Stratfor's Vice-President for Counterterrorism and Corporate Security, Fred Burton, said in an email from 2011 that a secret Grand Jury had already issued a sealed indictment of Assange, adding that:

"Assange is going to make a nice bride in prison. Screw the terrorist. He'll be eating cat food forever."

and that

"... extradition to the US is more and more likely."

It's been over 6 years that Assange has been hiding out in isolation, almost like a prisoner. If the U.S. gets their hands on Assange as they've wanted for 7 years, the intended trial would have ramifications for press freedom throughout the world.

Some think that to publish documents from the U.S. government is a "threat" to "national security" which allegedly "undermines" the democratic process. Popular Democrats like Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden have called Assange a "terrorist", of all things. The Mike Pompeo, former director of the CIA and current Secretary of State, has said WikiLeaks is a "non-state hostile intelligence service". WikiLeaks has been a target for 10 years now:

Much of flawed thinking is that Assange may have gotten the files from Russia as part of an electron rigging conspiracy. But that's not based on evidence, but more anti-Russian hysteria to try to account for Clinton's loss. Whether you like Assange of not, you have to really think about the validity of prosecuting a publisher. To do so would set a precedent to narrow the publishing rights of every newspaper or media outlet, as Edward Snowden recently said:

You can despise Wikileaks and everything it stands for. You can think Assange is an evil spirit reanimated by Putin himself. But you cannot support the prosecution of a publisher for publishing without narrowing the basic rights every newspaper relies on.

_Source

His trial and most-definite imprisonment would send a message to media publishers, journalist and whistleblowers alike that you can end up thrown into a cage for airing the U.S.' dirt laundry. Making journalism or publishing documents a form of "espionage" would violate the duty to inform the public on vital issues that the state would rather be kept quiet.

In a world of information overload, perception management and manufactured consent, getting access to the truth is of vital importance. Whistleblowers and journalists help to keep the public informed and the questionable methods of politicians who seek power through devious and immoral means.

People like Assange who publish information on immoral behavior are doing humanity a great service and justice. In a time where journalists are being killed or jailed across the world, there are signs that doing he job of getting the truth out is going to cost you your freedom, or even your life.

People should be standing against this hostility, not support it by wanting Assange to go to jail. We won't have much freedom left if we can't detect the lies that surround us. None of us would know about the dirt on various governments and their agencies without the work of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. If people can't expose wrong-doings of authorities, then humanity is heading backwards and into deep shit.

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References:

• In Va.’s Eastern District, U.S. attorney’s reach transcends geographic bounds
• WikiLeaks Stratfor Emails: A Secret Indictment Against Julian Assange?
• Stratfor Emails: US Has Issued Sealed Indictment Against Julian Assange
• Julian Assange: The battle to save freedom of press

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Thank you for your time and attention. Peace.

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