21 C
Byron Shire
March 28, 2024

Afghanistan and Julian Assange

Latest News

Splendour 2024 cancelled

It's official, Splendour in the Grass 2024 has been cancelled.

Other News

Breakfeast, Bluesfest weekend

Victoria Cosford Oh to be a cow with a four-chambered stomach system! Farmers’ market, Bluesfest long weekend, a spot of...

Bay FM community radio celebrates digital upgrade

Volunteers from Byron and across the Northern Rivers celebrated nearly $100,000 worth of new studio equipment at Bay FM Community Radio station on the weekend.

Roller derby rocks the Cavanbah Centre

The Red Kennedys have once again dominated the Northern Rivers Revolt Roller Derby Tournament held at the Cavanbah Centre over the weekend of March 16-17.

Workshop in Creative Writing For Beginners

Have you always felt like you have a novel in you, but don’t know where to start? Or have...

Way of the dog

One of the more disappointing aspects of the decline of Byron Bay, and I have a long list, is...

Community grants on offer

Ingrained Foundation is running its fifth annual grants program, with a funding pool of $150,000.

Roy Drew, Mullumbimby

Given the unfolding events in Afghanistan it seems more appropriate than ever to consider the plight of Australian citizen Julian Assange.

A defeat/retreat of US power such as this on the military front does not mean that there will be a corresponding defeat for them in the court room in London.

At the recent preliminary appeal hearing on 11 August, US prosecutors managed to successfully challenge the testimony of expert witness psychiatrist Professor Michael Kopelman and add weight to their application to appeal against the British courts’ decision not to extradite Julian to the US.

The prosecution won the right to appeal, on the petty grounds that Professor Kopelman did not reveal that Julian had started a family with his partner and had become the father of two children while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy.

Presumably they are suggesting that this diminishes the possibility of Julian committing suicide if he is sentenced to more than three lifetimes in a maximum security prison in the US – as the judge in the first hearing gave as her reason not to grant his extradition.

Judge Baraitser has also revealed that she was aware of these details and that she considered it appropriate that the names of Julian’s partner and children should remain confidential in the interest of their security and safety.

The decision to allow the appeal to be heard in late October has left Julian still cruelly incarcerated for a further agonising two months in the UK high security prison, Belmarsh.

The true nature of the war in Afghanistan has long ago been revealed by Assange, Wikileaks and others, counter to the propaganda justifying and promoting the war.

As Julian said in 2011 when speaking of vested interests ‘…the goal is an endless war, not a successful war’.

Although the next two months leading up to the appeal will be excruciating for Julian, it is only a short time for us to increase the pressure on the Australian government and our local representatives to demand his release and bring an end to the decade-long cruel and barbaric persecution of a journalist, publisher, Australian citizen, political prisoner and voice for ending imperialist war.

As events in Afghanistan demonstrate, never has the call for peace and justice for all peoples been more urgent.

And given Julian Assange’s situation, never has the call for his release been more urgent.


Support The Echo

Keeping the community together and the community voice loud and clear is what The Echo is about. More than ever we need your help to keep this voice alive and thriving in the community.

Like all businesses we are struggling to keep food on the table of all our local and hard working journalists, artists, sales, delivery and drudges who keep the news coming out to you both in the newspaper and online. If you can spare a few dollars a week – or maybe more – we would appreciate all the support you are able to give to keep the voice of independent, local journalism alive.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Julian represents the global “Everyman”. He is being punished for having strong ethics and morality by exposing the lies of War. He is a remarkable man and deserves all support from global communities and in particular Australia. His children must have their RIGHTS RECOGNIZED. He must be free to bond and experience the great pleasures of fatherhood. FREE JULIAN …FREE JULIAN …FREE JULIAN

  2. Thank you for writing about Australia’s most awarded journalist who is rotting away in Belmarsh prison. If our prime minister picked up the phone and ask ed Jo Biden to let Julian Assange it would be done. Any mistake in the paper work can allow the State Department to drop the appeal. There are plenty of those. The truth is both the ALP and the coalition bilaterally want Julian Assange persecuted and for him to die in jail. The last thing these political parties want is for Julian to reveal the truth about major political parties in Australia. The reality is Julian is probably incapable of being a threat to anyone. The job is done but the dogs keep tearing at the corpse.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

We just love him!

If you’re over 50 you might not be a fan of Tom Jones, but you can bet your mum is. If you’re under 40 you might not even know who he is, but your grandmother probably wet her pants at the mere mention of his name.

Peter Garrett gives Bluesfest the nod

If I say the words ‘US Forces give the nod’, I can pretty much guarantee that you will hear the unmistakable voice of Peter Garrett ringing in your ears. Your head may even start to bob up and down a bit. 

Save Wallum finalist in NSW 2024 environment awards

The Save Wallum campaign has been named as a finalist in the Nature Conservation Council of NSW Environment Awards 2024. The award ceremony will be held in Sydney tonight, and Save Wallum spokesperson and ecologist James Barrie will be attending with Tegan Kitt, another founding member of the group.

New report highlights gaps in rural and remote health

The second annual Royal Flying Doctor Service ‘Best for the Bush, Rural and remote Health Base Line’ report has just been released. Presenting the latest data on the health of rural and remote Australians and evidence on service gaps, it identifies issues in urgent need of attention from service providers, funders, partners and policy makers.