Messages from Twitter and the letter from JADC (Julian Assange Defence Committee – Grassroots Solidarity Campaign for the WikiLeaks Editor) signed by many who attended the vigil marking 5 years since he entered the Ecuadorian Embassy.

Julian,

We would like to speak to you today, even though we cannot physically be there. There are no words to describe the debt of gratitude we owe you, and the amazing staff of Wikileaks. You have changed the world for the better. We all stand with you, and we will all continue to fight for your freedom. For freedom of Truth. For justice. To do whatever we can to get you out of there, and to reunite you with your family. Please be strong and continue to fight, as we will all be alongside you! You are not alone. You have our support, our determination, our fight for what’s right, and our love.

With our deepest gratitude,

Kelli, Ruth, Joy, Linda, Bethany, and the entire group of ‘Assangeivists’.

From the letter:

Dear Mrs Dent Coad

At a time of grave sorrow for the loss of life in London due to terrorism and the fire in Grenfell Tower with public services cuts still very much unfolding, increasing further the risks to our safety, I am writing to you to highlight the plight of Julian Assange, the Editor of WikiLeaks who for the last 5 years has been trapped in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London at great expense to the London Taxpayer and great risk to his life and health.

Government is often deaf to people’s voices when their demands for justice come into conflict with their ideology, objectives or other perceived interests. Perceived Foreign policy objectives keep the UK government from granting safe passage to Julian Assange to travel wherever he wishes to and enjoy the political asylum granted to him by the government of Ecuador which is his right. United Nations legal opinion published in February 2016 and confirmed in November 2016 is that he has been arbitrarily detained by the governments of Sweden and UK. Last month, in May, Sweden has stopped legally detaining him, rescinding the Swedish and as a result the European Arrest Warrant that legally detained him. Not only Sweden no longer seeks his arrest, in fact, the Swedish Prosecutor after questioning Julian Assange inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in November 2016, has now closed the preliminary investigation against him.

Despite all of the above the Metropolitan Police has publicly stated that it seeks to arrest him for breaking his bail conditions and have an arrest warrant against him. This continues to keep him trapped in the Embassy, where he continues to be under 24/7 surveillance to facilitate arrest.

Julian Assange sought the protection of Ecuador because he is persecuted for his journalistic and publishing work. There is plenty of evidence that a Grand Jury investigation is amassing evidence against Julian Assange, WikiLeaks, and its staff for more than 7 years for their publishing work. Recently, in April this year, CIA Director Pompeo has unequivocally stated CIA’s determination to end the operation of WikiLeaks by any means, US Attorney Sessions soon after made public statements that he is preparing charges against Julian Assange for his journalistic work, clearly he is being persecuted over many years. It is the political asylum granted to him by Ecuador that protects him from this persecution.

Up until October 2015 the publicly available information for the cost of this surveillance by MetPol to facilitate arrest alone amounted to more than £12 million pounds. This was in addition to a covert operation where the cost is classified. Since then any information about the cost of surveillance has been classified as the operation is apparently 100% covert and we have no idea what money is being spent on it. It is money ill spent! At a time of austerity, with police and other essential services funding cuts, it is intolerable that the UK government is throwing good money down the drain keeping Julian Assange trapped in the Embassy to serve whatever ill perceived foreign policy objectives, wasting police time, instead of protecting the safety and security of the public at large.

Mrs Dent Coad, here at one of the streets of your Constituency lives a man who has never received any assistance as a Constituent from any member of Parliament. His own country has abandoned him. We appeal to you to intervene in creating the necessary communications to assist and facilitate the end of his detention, upholding his human rights. By stopping his detention, you could at the same time stop the draining of public resources that can be used for the safety, security and wellbeing of Londoners.

With Many Thanks for taking the time to read this letter at such difficult times,

Yours sincerely
Julian Assange Defence Committee
(Grassroots Solidarity for the WikiLeaks Editor)