Print Magazine
Brussels Morning Newspaper
Friday, March 31, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

We wait for Julian Assange in the EP as a free man

Sabrina Pignedoli MEP by Sabrina Pignedoli MEP
20 October 2022
in Opinion
We wait for Julian Assange in the EP as a free man

London, UK. 22nd February 2020. Protester with banner at the Don't Extradite Assange rally at Australia House in The Strand, in protest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's extradition to the USA.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper) “It is a pity for Julian Assange. The Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament awarded the Sakharov Prize 2022 to the brave people of Ukraine. Our congratulations go to all of them, however in our eyes the moral winner remains the founder of Wikileaks.

London, UK – March 2020: Signs in support of the Free Julian Assange Campaign on Upper street in North London

The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is the highest European award for those who defend human rights. In the past it was awarded to Nelson Mandela, who fought against apartheid, as well as to Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani blogger who demanded recognition of the right to education banned by the Taliban. Both went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

By exposing war crimes and systematic human rights violations, Julian Assange has informed world public opinion about the abuses perpetrated by so-called democracies. It is thanks to the Wikileaks files that we discovered the hell of Guantanamo where terrorist suspects were imprisoned and tortured. If those practices are no longer used today, it is also thanks to him.

For all these reasons, Assange has been fighting an obvious judicial persecution, which has led him to spend the last three and a half years in a maximum security prison in Great Britain.

The legal persecution against Assange, which began in 2010, is an obvious attempt to strike one to warn a hundred. If the American Espionage Act were to be applied for the first time against Assange, who is an Australian journalist and not a dangerous Russian spy, we would risk fuelling the so-called spiral of silence where journalists will self-censor themselves in order not to bother the powerful. Truths would never be brought out and so even democratic governments would be guaranteed wide impunity. What message would we send to citizens and dictatorships around the world?”

We have appealed to all political groups to support Julian Assange’s candidacy. Our battle to defend his rights is clear and unambiguous. As 5 Stars Movement, we collected signatures among parliamentarians to present his candidacy and votes to include him among the finalists. As Stella Morris, Assange’s wife, recalled, the Sakharov Prize 2022 would have saved his life because it would have forced British and American justice to confront the EU on the recognition of civil rights and democracy.

Our battle for his release does not end here. Britain will not be able to oppose the European Parliament’s invitation to all Sakharov Prize finalists to attend the award ceremony in Strasbourg on 14 December. In past editions, the presence of all three finalists or their representative is always been guaranteed. It would be a very serious fact if this right were to be denied and we will ensure that this will not happen. In fact, we will ask the European Parliament to welcome Assange as a free citizen”.

Tags: Brussels DirectJulian AssangeMain-SliderMEPOpinion section
Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

Category

  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Belgium News
  • Brussels
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Culture and Society
  • Diplomacy
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Europe
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Features
  • Health & Fitness
  • In Depth
  • Member States
  • Middle East Eye
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Parliament
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Uncategorised
  • US Elections
  • World

More info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookies Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Brussels Bubble
    • Parliament
    • Commission
    • Council
  • Wider Europe
    • Member States
  • World
  • Business & Society
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Culture & Society
  • Policy Talks
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Southeast Europe
  • Print Magazine

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT