The Case against Julian Assange
Prepared by: Renata Avila, Courage Foundation Trustee and Legal Advisor for Wikileaks and
Julian Assange
10 tactics to silence Wikileaks• Targeted surveillance of journalist
and massive surveillance of readers
• Technical threats (DDoS to the Website, hacking attempts, slow Internet)
• Legal threats and actions directly linked to publishing.
• Legal threats of other kinds and abuse of process.
• Not a journalist organization Non –State Agent
• Financial blockade and diversion of funding.
• Providers under threat refusing to sell services to WL.
• Media smear campaigns and commissioned books and films.
•
• Discrimination - Different treatment to cases concerning WL and their members.
• Seized property, including laptops belonging to members of the legal team.
Instruments to counter attacks • Encryption and sophisticated digital
hygiene.
• Decentralised technical infrastructure.
• Alternative currencies and decentralised services.
• Solidarity network including lawyers and journalists, human rights organizations.
• Government support.
• UN Mechanisms including Special Rapporteurs, UNHCHR.
• Regional Courts such as the Interamerican Court of Human Rights, the European Court of Human Rights.
• Political support at the EU, Latin American, National and municipal level.
• Grassroots support.
• Pro bono legal advice and donations.
Attacks 2.0 Publishers and
Whistleblowers v. Trump
2017
“Julian Assange has no First Amendment rights.”
Why is this serious and urgent?
- Blocking any possibility of uncovering the
wrongdoings of National Security and
Intelligence spaces, effectively putting people at
risk.
- Selective, arbitrary application of First
Amendment Rights.
- Blocking the possibility of scrutiny by foreign
governments.
The threat is real
Whistleblower Protections Must
Include Publishers Like WikiLeaks
and Julian Assange
By recognizing human rights
monitors and whistleblowers and
their publishers as a 'vulnerable
group,' the EU could provide a
protected status similar to that
available to other groups at risk of
persecution.
Without adequate international legal
protections for publishers,
governments like the US will continue
their war on dissent and
whistleblowers, intimidating
publishers and cutting to the heart of
free speech.
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