In February we had two anniversaries that bring home the dire situation Julian Assange faces. On February 5, it was three years since the United Nations Working Group of arbitrary detention published their ruling in his favour demanding he is released and compensated. Despite this clear direction the UK has refused to fulfil its international obligations and as a result on February 23 Julian Assange completed 3,000 days of arbitrary detention.

With a sealed indictment against him in the US that was accidentally revealed late last year and political developments in Ecuador moving to remove the political protections of asylum and nationality granted to him by this nation, Julian Assange’s freedom and safety have never been at more risk. He endures a draconian protocol imposed inside the Ecuadorian Embassy, including a year’s-long gagging preventing him from publicly speaking not only about his work and opinions, but also about his life and well-being.

WikiLeaks whistleblower Chelsea Manning has revealed she has been subpoenaed to testify in the WikiLeaks Grand Jury DOJ investigation i the Eastern District of Virginia March the 5th and she vows to resist the DOJ order. We honour the courageous principled stance she has consistently kept.

In these difficult times, we link up with our brothers and sisters in Australia who will rally in Melbourne on March 10, organised by the Socialist Equality Party, to demand that the Australia government take immediate action to secure the freedom of WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange. We cannot stand by and witness his ordeal unmoved. We are grateful for the rallies in his homeland and inspired by them, and we shall pick up the baton as they finish their action and we shall start a solidarity vigil outside the Ecuadorian Embassy on Sunday, March 10, between 3 and 5 p.m.

We need international solidarity to bring about a positive outcome in this struggle for freedom for Julian Assange whose work has served humanity, selflessly and courageously at great personal cost. We welcome everyone who believes in justice and in human rights, organisations and individuals to stand with us in respectful vigil in support of the publisher of WikiLeaks

Join us!