Our solidarity efforts in defence of Julian Assange, Freedom of Speech and Press Freedom encompass a wide range of actions. Each one of us finds their own way according to ability, skill and inclination, whether it is participating in street actions, advocating for his freedom on social media, correcting the record, donating to his official campaign or his legal costs, writing to your elected representative, educating and challenging them to take a position against Julian Assange’s extradition to the USA.

The latter is of vital importance as it’s the most effective way of advocating for Julian Assange and the work of WikiLeaks as a media organisation within the democratic arena. Press Freedom and Freedom of expression are essential for the democratic function of our societies in particular because it enables accountability for all those who participate in public life under our mandate, ie the 651 individuals who make the laws we are all governed by. Sometimes they forget to listen to our voices, they become captured by the gravitas of their own position forgetting we put their posterior on that Green leather seat at the House of Commons with our vote.

Here is a wonderful example of the efforts of a constituent to educate their Member of Parliament. Despite his persistent efforts, his Member of Parliament Damian Green sticks to the scriptures of his party’s whip, yet the Constituent returns with arguments and facts.

But Mr Green MP in his last reply demonstrates a perfect example of a man, captured and absorbed by the power and authority of their position, who commits a crime of arrogance by denigrating the voice and opinions of his constituent by calling them absurd.

“To say that the justice system is corrupt is a gross misrepresentation and to use the term torture in relation to Assange is of course completely absurd”

But this response received an extraordinary attention by the world’s leading authority on torture, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer.  He said about the MP’s response:

“Very revealing indeed. High time for my upcoming GA75 report on unconscious patterns of self-deception & denial of reality, highly prevalent among officials, media & ordinary citizens worldwide, suppressing moral dilemma from complacency & complicity with torture & arbitrariness.”

Here is the exchange in social media:

Very revealing indeed. High time for my upcoming GA75 report on unconscious patterns of self-deception & denial of reality, highly prevalent among officials, media & ordinary citizens worldwide, suppressing moral dilemma from complacency & complicity with torture & arbitrariness. pic.twitter.com/Sqme7mJI1h

— Nils Melzer (@NilsMelzer) July 7, 2020

Please, please keep on writing to your elected representatives. We learn so much in this journey of support and through our learning we improve the quality of our democracy!

In solidarity #FreeAssange!