Julian Assange: 600+ Rights Groups and Individuals Condemn UK and Sweden for Failing to Recognize UN Arbitrary Detention Finding

2.3.16

A campaigner calling for the release of Julian Assange from his asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy, June 19, 2014 (Photo: Andy Worthington).Yesterday, March 1, over 600 rights groups and prominent individuals — including Ai Weiwei, Pussy Riot, Naomi Klein, Arundhati Roy, Brian Eno, Ken Loach, Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, the former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, and the Northern Irish peace activist Mairead Maguire — delivered an open letter to the British and Swedish governments (via the EU reformist group DiEM25), at the 31st United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, urging the two governments to respect the finding last month by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that Assange — the WikiLeaks founder, who, in 2010 and 2011, released the Iraq and Afghan war logs, a trove of US diplomatic cables from around the world, and the Guantánamo files, all originally leaked by Chelsea Manning — has been subjected to arbitrary detention. This was “partially,” as the Guardian explained, “on the grounds that Swedish prosecutors used disproportionate methods, including a European arrest warrant, rather than initially interviewing him in the UK.” The statement was delivered to the Swedish and UK Permanent Representatives to the United Nations.

Noam Chomsky said, “Julian Assange should have been freed a long time ago.  The judgment of the UN Working Group is welcome, and should be implemented forthwith.” Mads Andenas, professor of international law at Oxford All Souls, and the UN Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary Detention, said, “UK politicians [have] aimed at weakening the authority of the UN body for short-term opportunistic gain.”

Assange has been living for over three and a half years in the Ecuadorian Embassy, behind Harrod’s, in Knightsbridge, in London, where he first sought asylum in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning over rape and sexual assault allegations, which he has always denied.

Both the British and Swedish governments refused to accept the UN’s findings. As the Guardian described it, “Philip Hammond, the UK foreign secretary, dismissed the UN report as ‘ridiculous’, called it ‘flawed in law’ and described Assange as a fugitive from justice,” and when the finding was issued last month, Anna Ekberg, a spokesperson for the Swedish foreign ministry, said, “The UN working group on arbitrary detention has concluded that Mr Assange is arbitrarily detained. The working group’s view differs from that of the Swedish authorities.”

The statement delivered at the UN yesterday states:

We the undersigned, including legal and human rights organisations, academics, and policymakers condemn the reactions of the governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom to the finding by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that Julian Assange is arbitrarily detained.

The governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom are setting a dangerous precedent that undermines the United Nations Human Rights system as a whole. We urge Sweden and the United Kingdom to respect the binding nature of the human rights covenants on which the decision is based, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; as well as the independence, integrity and authority of the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

We therefore call on the governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom to comply without further delay with the Working Group’s findings and “ensure the right of free movement of Mr. Assange and accord him an enforceable right to compensation, in accordance with article 9(5) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Writing of Julian Assange’s current status, the statement’s authors noted that he was “granted political asylum by Ecuador in response to the pending prosecution against him in the US in relation to WikiLeaks publications, which include revelations of the US spying on allied governments, as well as the UN Secretary General and the UNHCR.” They added that the US has stated that its pending prosecution against WikiLeaks, which is being handled by the Department of Justice National Security Division and Criminal Division, is ongoing.

The statement’s authors also wrote about the current status of the “preliminary” investigation in Sweden, stating that Julian Assange “has not been charged at any stage and has already previously been cleared,” adding, “For the one allegation remaining in the ‘preliminary investigation’ the woman says the police ‘made it up’, ‘railroaded’ her and that she did not intend to file a complaint.” See the pages here and here on the Justice for Assange website for more information.

The full list of signatories is below, and as the letter’s authors noted, it includes more than 500 high profile signatories from more than 60 countries, more than 100 human and legal rights organizations including 16 national associations of lawyers and jurists, 50 international law professors, former judges and jurists, four Nobel Peace Prize winners, 25 Freedom of expression organizations including Reporters Without Borders, the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) and The Freedom of the Press Foundation, UN Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary Detention Mads Adenas and five other former UN Special Rapporteurs, Experts and Working Group Chairs, the cities of Madrid and Barcelona, and over 100 academics from 65 universities.”

Signatories

Organizations

Acceso Libre, Venezuela
ACI Participa, Honduras
ActiveWatch-Media Monitoring Agency, Romania
Acção Académica para o Desenvolvimento das Comunidades Rurais, Mozambique
Agencia Latinoamericana de Información, Bolivia
Agência Publica, Brazil
Alternative Intervention of Athens Lawyers (AIAL), Greece
American Association of Jurists (AAJ), US
Arab Lawyers Union (ALU), Middle East
Articulação de Empregados Rurais do estado de MG (ADERE-MG), Brazil
Artistas, Cientificos y Movimientos Sociales, Cuba
Asamblea Nacional de Afectados Ambientales, Mexico
Asociación Mayoritaria de Afrodescendientes del Ecuador AMAE, Ecuador
Asociación por los Derechos Civiles (ADC), Argentina
Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, Egypt
Associação de Rádios Públicas do Brasil (ARPUB), Brazil
Associação Portuguesa de Juristas Democratas (APJD) (Portuguese Association of Democratic Jurists), Portugal
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, Australia
Brazilian Association for Investigative Journalism, Brazil
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, Canada
Capitulo Cubano De La Red En Defensa De La Humanidad De Intelectuales, Cuba
Center for Constitutional Rights, US
Center for International Law, Singapore
Centre Europe-Tiers Monde (CETIM), Switzerland
Centre for Independent Journalism, Malaysia
CHARTA 2008, Sweden
City of A Coruña, Spain
City of Barcelona, Spain
City of Madrid, Spain
Code Pink, US
Coletivo Juntos! – Por outro futuro, Brazil
Comision Nacional de Organizaciones Sociales de Uruguay, Urugauy
Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT), Brazil
Comite Carioca de Solidariedade a Cuba, Brazil
Comite en Solidaridad con la Causa Arabe, Spain
Comité Chileno De Solidaridad Con Palestina, Chile
Comité de Derechos Humanos de Base de Chiapas Digna Ochoa, Mexico
Comité de Solidaridad con los Pueblos, Latin America
Comité Permanente por la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos CDH, Ecuador
Comunidad de Software Libre de Nicaragua (GUL-NIC), Nicaragua
Confederación de Trabajadores y Servidores Públicos Nacional OSTNA, Ecuador
Confederación Intercultural Campesina del Ecuador AMARU, Ecuador
Consulta Popular, Brazil
Convergencia Nacional de Organizaciones Sociales del Ecuador, Ecuador
Cooperativa de Trabalho em Comunicação e Cultura Desacato, Brazil
Coordenação Nacional de Entidades Negras (CONEN), Brazil
Coordinador Nacional Agrario de Colombia CNA, Colombia
Cuba Si France, France
Demand Progress, US
Democratic Alliance for Knowledge Freedom, India
Derechos Digitales, Chile
Electronic Frontier Foundation, US
Equal Education Law Centre, South Africa
Eva Joly Institute for Justice & Democracy (EJI), Iceland
Executiva Nacional dos Estudantes de Biologia (ENEBIO), Brazil
Federación Española Pro Derechos Humanos, Spain
Federación Internacional Pro Derechos Humanos-España, Spain
Federação dos Estudantes de Agronomia do Brasil (FEAB), Brazil
Festivales Solidarios de Guatemala, Guatemala
Fora do Eixo, Brazil
Foro de Abogados de Izquierdas-red de Abogados Democratas (FAI-RADE), Spain
Foro de Comunicación para la Integración de Nuestra América, Latin America
Foundation for Fundamental Rights, Pakistan
Free Software Foundation Tamil Nadu, India
Free Software Mancha West Bengal, India
Free Software Movement Karnataka, India
Free Software Movement Maharashtra, India
Free Software Movement of India, India
Freedom of the Press Foundation, US
Fundacion Karisma, Colombia
Fundación Imagen, Bolivia
Fundación Pueblo Índio del Ecuador, Ecuador
Fundación Vivian Trías, Urugauy
Fórum Nacional pela Democratização da Comunicação (FNDC), Brazil
Giuristi Democratici (Italian Democratic Lawyers Association), Italy
Grupo Tortura Nunca Mais – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Guerrilleros Por la Paz GUEPAZ, Colombia
HackLab de Cochabamba, Bolivia
Hagámonos El Paro, Guatemala
Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), India
Initiative for Freedom of Expression, Turkey
Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, US
Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety, Azerbaijan
Instituto Brasileiro de Estudos Políticos-IBEP, Brazil
International Association of Democratic Lawyers
Intersindical Central da Classe Trabalhadora, Brazil
IT for Change, India
Japanese Lawyers International Solidarity Association (JALISA), Japan
Joao Daniel, Federal Congress Representative, Workers Party, Sergipe, Brazil
JustNet Coalition, India
Juventud en Progreso, Ecuador
Jóvenes ante la Emergencia Nacional, Mexico
La Corporación Colectivo de Abogados “José Alvear Restrepo” (CCAJAR), Colombia
La Quadrature du Net, France
Levante Popular da Juventude, Brazil
Liga Española Pro Derechos Humanos, Spain
Luna del Sur A.C. Oaxaca, Mexico
Marcha Mundial das Mulheres (MMM), Brazil
Movimento de Mulheres Camponesas (MMC), Brazil
Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB), Brazil
Movimento dos Pequenos Agricultores (MPA), Brazil
Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais sem Terra (MST), Brazil
Movimento Nacional de Rádios Comunitárias (MNRC), Brazil
Movimiento de Liberación Nacional, Mexico
Movimiento De Solidaridad Nuestra America, Mexico
Movimiento Mega, Brazil
National Association of Democratic Lawyers of South Africa (NADEL), South Africa
National Lawyers Guild, US
National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, Philippines
Nouvelles Alternatives pour le Développement Durable en Afrique (NADDAF), Togo
O Grupo tortura Nunca Mais, Brazil
Observatorio por el Cierre de la Escuela de las Américas, Chile
Observatório da Mulher, Brazil
Organización de Solidaridad de los Pueblos de África, Asia y América Latina (OSPAAAL), Cuba
Organização “Coletivo Quilombo”, Brazil
Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Gaza, Palestine
Pastoral da Juventude Rural (PJR), Brazil
Periódico Resumen Latinoamericano , Latin America
Podemos, Spain
Prensa Comunitaria, Guatemala
President del Partido Revolucionario Febrerista, Paraguay
President Fundación Manuel Gondra, Paraguay
Progress Lawyers Network, Belgium
Progressive Global Commons
Proyecto de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales (ProDesc), Mexico
Proyecto mARTadero, Bolivia
Red Alba TV, Latin America
Red Alternativa de Informacion Vientos del Sur VISUR, Colombia
Red Latina Sin Fronteras, Latin America
Red Nacional Communia, Brazil
Red Tz’ikin, Guatemala
Rede Ecumênica da Juventude (REJU), Brazil
Reporters Without Borders / Reporters Sans Frontières, France
Revista Reflexión, Peru
Rättssäkerhetsorganisationen (The Rule of Law Organisation), Sweden
Secretaría Operativa de ALBA, Latin America
Sindicato Unificado dos Petroleiros de São Paulo, Brazil
Society for Knowledge Commons, India
Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), Thailand
Spanish Association for International Human Rights Law (AEDIDH), Spain
Sursiendo, Costa Rica
Swadhin, India
Swecha, India
The Haitian Platform to Advocate Alternative Development (PAPDA), Haiti
Union de Juristas de Cuba, Cuba
Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Peru
Universidad Popular del Buen Vivir, Ecuador
União da Juventude Rebelião (UJR), Brazil
União da Juventude Socialista (UJS), Brazil
União Nacional dos Estudantes (UNE), Brazil
Veterans for Peace, US
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Switzerland
World Forum for Alternatives, Venezuela

Individuals

Enrique Acosta Estévez, Human Rights Activist, Paraguay
Mirta Acuna de Baravalle, Co founder Mothers and Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, Argentina
Phillip Adams AO, Journalist, Australia
Juan Agosto, Journalist, Argentina
Shahzad Akbar, Human rights lawyer, Foundation for Fundamental Rights (FFR), Pakistan
Santiago Alba-Rico, Writer, Spain
Marina Albiol, Member of the European Parliament, Spain
Professor Manuel Alcántara Sáez, Professors of Politics, Spain
Tariq Ali, Writer and Publisher, UK/Pakistan
Martín Almada, American Asociation of Jurists Executive Committee, Right Livelihood Award winner 2002, Paraguay
Azyz Amami, Blogger and cyber-activist, Tunisia
Slim Amamou, Activist and former Secretary of State for Sport and Youth, Tunisa
Alejandra Ancheia, Executive Director and Founder, ProDESC, Mexico
Alejandra Ancheita, Human Rights Defender, Mexico
Professor Mads Andenas, Former UN Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary Detention, Norway
Jacob Appelbaum, journalist and programmer, Tor Project, US
Profa. Dra. Renata Aquino Ribeiro, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Brazil
Carmen Aristegui, Anchor of Aristegui CNN Español, Mexico
Renata Avila, Lawyer, Guatemala
Pepe Baeza, Photographic Editor, Spain
Aral Balkan, Founder of Ind.ie, Turkey
Olivia Ball, Human Rights Specialist, Australia
Edith Ballantyne, Secretary General (WILPF) 1969 – 92, awarded Gandhi Peace Award 1996, Switzerland
Adam Bandt, MP, Australia
Greg Barns, barrister & former National President of the Australian Lawyers Alliance, Australia
David Barsamian, Investigative Journalist, Armenian-American
Andrew Bartlett, Research Fellow, ANU, Australia
Helene Bergman, Journalist, Sweden
Patricia Bermúdez, Iniciativa Guayaquil, Ecuador
Almudena Bernabeu, Director Transitional Justice Program, Center for Justice & Accountability, Spain
Valeria Betancourt, Internet Rights Expert, Ecuador
Frei Betto, Writer, Brazil
Jeremy Bigwood, Investigative Reporter, US
Johann Binninge, Founder and Chairman of the Legal Certainty Organization, Sweden
William Blum, Author, US
Professor Atilio A. Boron, Political scientist, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Luchezar Boyadjiev, Artist, Bulgaria
Estela Bravo, Documentary filmmaker, US
Dr. Benedetta Brevini, Journalist and Lecturer, Australia
Professor Jean Bricmont, Academic, University of Louvain (UCL), Belgium
Luis Britto-García, Writer, Venezuela
Gilbert Brownstone, President, Brownstone Foundation, US
Dr. Fernando Buen Abad Domínguez, Academic, Writer, Cinema director NY University, Philosopher, Writer, Mexico
Dr. Scott Burchill, Senior Lecturer, Deakin University, Australia
Al Burke, Editor Nordic News Network, Sweden
Julian Burnside, QC, Australia
Professor Tom Bäckström, Academic, University Friedrich-Alexander (Erlangen-Nürnberg), Germany
Maria Stella Caceres, Director: Museum of Memory: Dictatorship and Human Rights, Paraguay
Dr. Agnes Callamard, Director Colombia University Global Freedom of Expression Project, former Chef de Cabinet Amnesty International, US
Maria Augusta Calle, Asambleísta de PAIS, Presidenta Comisión RRII d Asamblea Nacional, Ecuador
Peter Carey, Author, Australia
Remo Gerardo Carlotto, Diputado de la nación Argentina por la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Mike Carlton, Journalist, Australia
Guillermo Carmona, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Chamber of Deputies, Argentina
Anibal Carrillo, 2013 Presidental Candidate, Paraguay
Jordi Casanova, Political Officer, Dominican Republic
Bernard Cassen, Academic, University of Paris 8, France
Professor Alicia Cebada-Romero, Professor of International Criminal Law at Universidad , Spain
Mercedes Chacin, Director Epale, Venezuela
Ramon Chao, Journalist and Writer, Spain
Professor Noam Chomsky, Academic, MIT, US
Dr. James Cockroft, Lecturer and writer, New York State University, US
Gabriella Coleman, Academic Writer, McGill University, US
Professor John Cooper, Academic, Bucknell University, US
Javier Couso, Member of the European Parliament, Spain
Alfonso Cuarón, Film Director, Producer, Acedemy Award for Gravity, Children of Men, Y tu Mama Tambien, Mexico
John Cusack, Actor, US
Joao Daniel, Central Única dos Trabalhadores – CUT, Brazil
Roy David, Author, UK
Pablo A de la Vega, Regional coordinator Inter-American Platform for Human Rights, Democracy and Development, Latin America
Adail Ivan de Lemos, Journalist, artist and Filmmaker, Brazil
Professor Willem de Lint, Professor in Criminal Justice, Flinders University, Australia
Professor Olivier de Schutter, Former UN Special Rapporteur, University of Louvain (UCL), Belgium
Professor Radhika Desai, Academic, Author, University of Manitoba, Canada
Mohamed Diab, Screenwriter and Director, Egypt
Josefina Duarte, President Febrero Revolutionary Party, Paraguay
Paul-Emile Dupret, legal expert and staff advisor at the European parliament, Belgium
Professor Mirta Díaz-Balart, Academic, UCM, Spain
James Early, Academic, US
Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, former judge, lawyer, Iran
Professor Hedvig Ekerwald, Academic, Uppsala University, Sweden
Osman El-Hajjé, Former Chair-Rapporteur of UN Working Group on Enforced Disapperances, Lebanon
Daniel Ellsberg, Former United States military analyst and source of Pentagon Papers, US
Professor Aant Elzinga, Academic, Gothenburg University, Sweden
Brian Eno, Musician and Artist, UK
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Argentina
Edgardo Esteban, Journalist and Writer, Argentina
Ahmed Ezzat, Human Rights Lawyer, Egypt
Professor Mireille Fanon-Mendes, Academic and Activist, University Paris V-Descartes, France
Gaël Faye, Musician, Burundi
Luis E. Sabini Fernández, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Professor Marcello Ferrada de Noli, Chairman Swedish Doctors for Human Rights, Sweden
Alberto Ferrari, Journalist, Argentina
Marcelo Ferreira, Academic, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tom Findlay, Recording Artist, UK
Jeremy Fox, Journalist and Writer, Open Democracy, US
Alberto Fraguas-Herrero, CEO Instituto de Estudios de la Tierra, Spain
Maria Luiza Franco Busse, Journalist, Brazil
Professor Marianne Franklin, Chair of the Global Internet Governance Academic Network, University of London, UK
Professor H. Bruce Franklin, Cultural Historian and Scholar, Rutgers University, US
Jane Franklin, Historian, Author, US
Dr. Des Freedman, Academic, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
Alipio Freire, Journalist, Writer and Artist, Brazil
Professor Johan Galtung, Professor of Peace Studies, Norway
Lidia García Díaz, Coordinadora de Incidencia Política del Centro de Documentación en Derechos Humanos, Ecuador
Nuria García Sanz, Equipo Jurídico Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de España, Spain
José Luis García-Siguero, Academic, University of Madrid, Spain
Baltasar Garzon, Jurist, Fundación FIBGAR, Spain
Franck Gaudichaud, Lecturer, University of Grenoble Alpes, France
Marcela Gereda, Journalist, Guatemala
Canan Gerede, Film-maker, Turkey
Bennu Gerede, Actress, Turkey
Professor Jayati Ghosh, Economist, Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi, India
Peggy Gish, Former co-director of the Appalachian Peace and Justice Network, Christian Peacemaker Team, US
Charles Glass, Author, Journalist, and Broadcaster, US
Professor Gerard Goggin, Professor of Media & Communications, Sydney University, Australia
Dr. David Goldberg, Editor, Australia
Horacio González, President of the National Library of the Argentine Republic, Argentina
Adelaide Gonçalves, Historian, Brazil
Walter Goobar, Journalist, Argentina
Belén Gopegui, Writer, Spain
John Goss, Journalist, UK
Kevin Gosztola, Journalist, US
Andrew Greig, Writer, UK
Anand Grover, Former UN Special Rapporter on Health, Senior Advocate Supreme Court of India, India
Rafaela Guanes de Laino, Organización de Mujeres Campesinas e Indígenas (CONAMURI), Paraguay
Sol Guy, Film & Music Producer, Canada
Bill Hackwell, Photojournalist, Resumen Latinoamericano, US
Dr. Harry Halpin, Academic, MIT, US
Laura Hanna, Co-founder Debt Collective, US
Marta Harnecker, Writer, Chile
Nozomi Hayase, Writer, Japan/US
Professor Mary Heath, Associate Professor of Law, Flinders University, Australia
Chris Hedges, Journalist, US
Amado Heller, Editor, Argentina
Tom Henheffer, Journalist, Canada
Professor Edward S. Herman, Academic, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, US
Scott Horton, Host of Anti-War Radio, US
Srećko Horvat, Philosopher, DiEM25, Croatia
Dr. François Houtart, Co-Founder World Social Forum, Ecuador
Andrew Hsiao, Editor Verso Books, US
Professor Wang Hui, Intellectual, China
Emin Huseynov, Journalist and human rights activist, Azerbaijan
Iole Iliada, Fundação Perseu Abramo, Brazil
Maria Antonieta Izaguirre, Phycologist, Venezuela
Andrés Izarra, Journalist and Politician, Venezuela
Ivanka Jenkings, Publisher, Brazil
Diane Johnstone, Journalist and Author, France
Eva Joly, MEP, former investigating magistrate and Presidential Candidate, France
Alicia Jrapko, Solidarity activist, Resumen Latinoamericano, US
Marcelo Justo, Journalist, Argentina
Professor Venko Kanev, Academic, University of Rouen, France
Professor Vrasidas Karalis, Chair of Department Sydney University, Australia
Professor Priscilla Karant, Academic, New York University, US
Dr. Athina Karatzogianni, Academic, Leicester University, UK
Tawakkol Karman, Politician, Journalist, Nobel Peace Laureate 2011, Yemen
Claudio Katz, Economist, Argentina
Professor John Keane, Professor of Politics, Sydney University, Australia
Bernard Keane, Journalist, Australia
Stephen Keim , Barrister, South Coast Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation, Australia
Zach Kerschberg, Filmmaker, US
James Kesteven, Documentary Film-Maker, Australia
Maina Kiai, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, Kenya
Axel Kicillof, Former Minister of Finance, Argentina
Professor John King, Emeritus Professor, Warwick University, UK
Dr. Bernard Kirtman, Academic, UCSB, US
Naomi Klein, Author, Canada
Mary Kostakidis, Journalist, Australia
Hans Otto Kroeger, Atorney, Paraguay
Dennis Kucinich, Former presidential candidate and Congressman, US
Domingo Laino, President Plataforma de Estudio e Investigación de Asuntos Campesinos, Paraguay
Salim Lamrani, Writer and Academic, University of La Réunion, France
Archie Law, Executive Director ActionAid, Australia
Pepijn Le Heux, Attorney, Netherlands
Michael Lebowitz, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Canada
Dr. Margarita Ledo Andión, Journalist, Writer and Film-Maker, USC, Spain
Pablo Leighton, Academic, University of Western Sydney, Chile
Bibiana Leme, Deputy Editor Boitempo, Brazil
Jonathan Lethem, Novelist, US
Ken Loach, Film Director, UK
Barbara Lochbihler, Member of the European Parliament, Germany
Antony Loewenstein, Journalist, Author and Political Activist, Australia
Geert Lovink, Research Professor, Institute of Network Cultures, Netherlands
Michael Lowy, Sociologist, France
Kintto Lucas, Former Deputy Foreign Minister of Ecuador, Ecuador
Senator Scott Ludlam, Senator, Australia
Tony Lujan, Politician, Argentina
Professor Rick Luttmann, Academic, Sonoma, US
Jake Lynch, Associate Professor, Sydney University, Australia
Ryan Lynn, Actor, US
John R. MacArthur, Journalist, Author, President of Harpers magazine, US
Gavin Macfayden, Executive Director, Center for Investigative Journalism, Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK
Stefano Maffei, Lawyer, Italy
Paolo Magagnoli, Research Associate, Queensland University, Australia
Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Co-founder Women for Peace, Northern Ireland
Rachel Maher, President EngageMedia, Australia
Professor Mahmoud Mamdani, Herbert Lehman Professor of Government Columbia University, Uganda
Eduardo Mangas, Lawyer, Nicaragua
Professor Robert Manne, Emeritus Professor of Politics and Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University, Australia
Professor Michael Mansfield QC, Barrister, Legal Scholar, City University, UK
Sanjuana Martinez, Journalist, Mexico
Eusebio Veron Martinez, Secretario de Organización del Partido Paraguay Tekopyahu e integrante de la Coordinadora de Desarroll, Paraguay
Professor Aitor Martínez-Jiménez, Professor of Public International Law and International Criminal Law , Spain
Alberto Mas, CAP Coordinator and Journalist, Argentina
Mwalimu Mati, Former head of Transparency International Kenya, Kenya
Professor Patrick McCurdy, Associate Professor in Communications, University of Ottawa, Canada
Nick McKim, Senator , Australia
Dr. Cynthia McKinney, Former U.S. Congresswoman and 2008 Presidential Candidate, US
Gayle McLaughlin, Politician, US
Hind Meddeb, journalist and filmmaker, France
Amina Meddeb, Diplomat, France
Bartomeu Melià, Jesuit Priest, Autonomous University of Social Movements, Mexico
Bonita Meyersfeld, Director, Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) at University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Alan Mills, Writer, Guatemala
Alex Mitchell, Journalist, Australia
Samwel Mohochi, Executive Director Kenyan Section of International Commission of Jurists, Kenya
Edgar Morin, Philosopher, France
Evgeny Morozov, Author, Belarus
Jacqueline Moudeina, Right Livelihood Award winner 2011, Chad
Professor Michel Mujica, Academic and Diplomat, Ecuador
Craig Murray, Former UK ambassador, UK
Carmen Márquez-Carrasco, Academic, Derechos Humanos y Globalización, Spain
Cecilia Nahón, Former Argentinain Ambassador to US, Argentina
Mirjana Najcevska, Former President of the Helsinki Committee, UN Expert, Macedonia
Jean-Luc Nancy, Philosopher, France
Toni Navarro, Cinema Director, Organización Internacional pro Derechos Humanos, Spain
Enrique Naveda, Journalist, Guatemala/Spain
Eric Nepomuceno, Writer, Brazil
George Newhouse, Lawyer, National Justice Project, Australia
Tim Norton, Digital Rights Watch, Australia
Fís Nua, Political Party, Ireland
Rebecca O’Brien, Film Producer, UK
Tomás Ojea Quintana, Former SR on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Argentina
Professor Manuel Ollé Sese, Professor of International Criminal Law , Spain
Dr. Winston Orrillo, Author, Premio Nacional de Cultura del Perú, Peru
Jordi Ortega, Promotor de Forum Ecòlogic, Forum Ecòlogic, Spain
Carlos Ortellado, Coordinador de la mesa nacional por los DDHH del Paraguay, Paraguay
Jean Ortiz, Academic, University of Pau & Pays de l’Adour, France
Okoth Osewe, Author and Blogger, Kenya Stockholm, Sweden
Elizabeth O’Shea, Lawyer, Australia
Yongjun Park, Academic, Hongik University, South Korea
Melissa Parke, MP, Australia
Airton Paschoa, Writer, Brazil
Gastón Pauls, Writer, Argentina
Maja Pelević, Writer and Dramaturg, Serbia
Rene Perez, Musician (Calle 13), Puerto Rico
Philip Pettit, Rockefeller University Professor of Politics and Human Values at Princeton University, US
Bernard Pignerol, Conseiller d’Etat, Government of France, France
John Pilger, Journalist and Filmmaker, Australia/UK
Professor Rafael Pla-Lopez, Academic, University of Valencia, Spain
Laura Poitras, 2014 Pulitzer Prize winner, Academy Award for Best Documentary 2014, US
Vladimir Pomakov, writer, Bulgaria
Dirk Poot, Politician (Pirate Party of the Netherlands) and Programmer, Netherlands
Jesselyn Raddack, Lawyer & former Department of Justice ethics chief, US
Professor Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Founding Director of the Program on Human Rights and Justice at MIT, Professor of Law, US
Ana Maria Ramb, Writer & Editor, Argentina
Professor Ignacio Ramonet, Academic, France
Sonia Randhawa, Electronic Frontiers Foundation (EFF), USA
Justin Randle, Researcher, Australia
Michael Ratner, President Emeritis Centre for Constitutional Rights, US
Professor Robert Reed, Academic, Boston College, US
Madeleine Rees OBE, Lawyer, UK
Professor Stuart Rees, Emeritus Professor, University of Sydney, Australia
Víctor Regalado, Journalist and Filmmaker, El Salvador
Dr. Ellie Rennie, Deputy Director of the Swinburne Institute for Social Research, Australia
Miguel Repiso, Journalist, Argentina
Lee Rhiannon, Senator, Australia
Janet Rice, Senator , Australia
Daniel Richter, Artist, Germany
Angela Richter, Director and Writer, Germany
Jennifer Robinson, Lawyer, Australia
Dr. Rigmor Robèrt, M.D, Sweden
Silvio Rodriguez, Composer and Musician, Cuba
Martin Rodriguez-Pellecer, Journalist, Guatemala
Yudith Rolon, Director General Justicia y Reparación Defensoría del Pueblo, Paraguay
Andrew Ross, Academic and Writer, New York University, US
Peter Rosset, Academic, Michigan University, Mexico
Agustin Rossi, Minister of Defense 2013 – 2015, Argentina
Arundhati Roy, Author, India
Guy Rundle, Journalist, Australia
Douglas Rushkoff, Writer, Lecturer, Media Theorist, US
Emir Sader, Academic, Brazil
Professor Héctor Salazar Zapatero, Academic, Hiperderecho, Peru
Felix Salvador Kury, Program Director & Faculty Advisor, Clínica Martín-Baró, SFSU-UCSF, US
Luc Sante, Writer, Belgium
Ivan Santos, President Organizacion Aculco, Spain
Professor Saskia Sassen, Sociologist, Columbia University, US
Ildo Luis Sauer, Director of the Institute for Energy and Environment, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Peter Schey, Executive Director Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, US
Justin Schlosberg, Academic, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
Sylvia Schulein, Journalist, Ecuador
Laureano Seco-Tejada, Activist and Politician, Spain
Professor Richard Sennett, London school of Economics & New York University, UK
Pascual Serrano, Journalist and Writer, Spain
José Miguel Serrano, Director of the National Board of Student Aid and Scholarships (Junaeb), Chile
Rachel Siewert, Senator, Australia
Germán Silva Lozada, President La Fundación Humanitaria Por La Paz y la Integracion de los Pueblos del Sur, Colombia
Robert Simms, MP, Australia
Pertti Simula, Director, Assocoacao de Amigos sem Terra da Finlandia, Finland
Vaughan Smith, Executive Director, The Frontline Club, UK
Professor Jean-Marc Sorel, Professor of International Law, University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France
Raji Sourani, President of the Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR), Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, 2013 Right Livelihood Award, Palestine
Professor Robert Sparrow, Research Fellow, Monash University, Australia
Dr. Jeff Sparrow, Author, Australia
Richard Stallman, President of the Free Software Foundation, GNU Project, MIT, US
Aleen Stein, Founding partner Criterion Collection, CEO and Publisher of Organa L.L.C., US
Alan L. Stewart, Director of Progressive Global Commons, US
Bernard Stiegler, Philosopher, France
Danae Stratou, Visual Artist, Greece
Oliver Stone, Film Director, Screenwriter and Producer, US
Professor Joan Subirats, Academic, Universidad Autónoma Barcelona, Spain
Brita Sundberg-Weitman, Former Chief Judge and Associate Professor of Public International Law, Sweden
George Szamuely, Author, Senior Research Fellow at the Global Policy Institute, Hungary
Alex Taek-Gwang Lee, Academic, Kyung Hee University, South Korea
Peter Tatchell, Human Rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell Institute for Human Rights, UK
Michel Taupin, Director of Communication, Cuba Si France, France
Svante Thorsell, Lawyer, Sweden
Ernesto Tiffenberg, Director Pagina 12, Argentina
Michael Edward Tigar, Emeritus Professor, Duke Law School and Washington College of Law, US
Trevor Timm, Executive Director Freedom of the Press Foundation, US
Nadya Tolokonnikova, Conceptual Artist and Political Activist, Pussy Riot, Russia
Miguel Urbán, Member of the European Parliament, Co-founder PODEMOS, Spain
Patricia Vaca Narvaja, Ambassador of Argentina in Mexico, Argentina
Walter van Holst, Lawyer, Netherlands
Marc Vandepitte, Philosopher, Belgium
Yanis Varoufakis, Economist and former Greek Minister of Finance, Greece
Cristina Vazquez, International Vice President of Workers United, US
Horacio Verbitsky, President, Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS), Argentina
Professor Manuel Villoria-Mendieta, Director of Government Administration and Public Policy, Institute Ortega y Gasset, Spain
Professor Ben Wagner, Sociologist, Germany
Larissa Waters, Deputy Leader of the Australian Green Party, Australia
Professor Joel Weisberg, Academic, Carleton College, US
Ai Weiwei, Artist and Activist, China
Rohan Wenn, Journalist, Australia
Vivienne Westwood, Designer, UK
Leonardo Wexell Severo, Journalist and Writer, Brazil
Peter Whish-Wilson, Senator, Australia
Stuart Wilson, Lawyer, South Africa
Tracy Worcester, The Marchioness of Worcester, Actress and Environmentalist, UK
Ofelia Yegros, Architect, Paraguay
Professor Stephen Yellin, Academic, Stanford University, US
Professor Spencer Zifcak, Professor of Law, Australia
Slavoj Žižek, Philosopher and International Director of Humanities at Birkbeck, Slovenia

6 Responses

  1. Andy Worthington says...

    When I posted this on Facebook, I wrote:

    Here’s my latest article, publicizing a statement signed by over 600 rights groups and prominent individuals calling for the UK and Sweden to accept last month’s finding by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that ‪WikiLeaks‬ finder Julian Assange, who has been in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since June 2012, when he was granted asylum, is subject to arbitrary detention because of the actions of the British and Swedish governments.

  2. Andy Worthington says...

    In case some readers aren’t aware, I worked as a media partner with Wikileaks in 2011, for the release of the Guantanamo files, and the 32 articles I wrote, analyzing those files, in the cases of 422 released Guantanamo prisoners, are here: http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/category/2002-2011-the-complete-guantanamo-files-new/

  3. Paid agent of Swedish security services implicated in second disinformation campaign against Assange | The PROFESSORS' BLOG – Science, Culture & Human Rights For All says...

    […] See list of supporters at “Julian Assange: 600+ Rights Groups and Individuals Condemn UK and Sweden for Failing to Recognize UN…“, andyworthington.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March […]

  4. Former paid agent of Swedish Security Police dictated Amnesty Sweden’s stance against Assange | The PROFESSORS' BLOG – Science, Culture & Human Rights For All says...

    […] See list of supporters at “Julian Assange: 600+ Rights Groups and Individuals Condemn UK and Sweden for Failing to Recognize UN…“, andyworthington.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March […]

  5. Tom says...

    Assange is now a dual Australian/Ecuadorian citizen. He’s still in the Embassy and now cut almost cut off from the world. Many call this torture. Despite that, will May ever allow him to leave? No. Why?

    Because in her mind, she has all the power. How long have she and others continued to put out the “he’s a terrorist” mantra? He hasn’t been arrested, indicted, tried or convicted. Yet there are still politicians in Washington screaming fry him in the electric chair! Send in a CIA hit squad to kill him. Has the UK govt. discussed this in a Cobra meeting? If he was killed in the Embassy, what then? Would Ecuador cut off all diplomatic relations? Would they declare war on the UK?

    Assange will end up literally as a footnote. Remember the name of the Chinese dissident who spent 24 years in an Embassy before being released? No you don’t.

  6. Andy Worthington says...

    Thanks for your thoughts, Tom.

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Andy Worthington

Investigative journalist, author, campaigner, commentator and public speaker. Recognized as an authority on Guantánamo and the “war on terror.” Co-founder, Close Guantánamo and We Stand With Shaker. Also, photo-journalist (The State of London), and singer and songwriter (The Four Fathers).
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