⚖️ Assange went to the police to answer all their questions. The case got closed, but weeks after a prosecutor from a different jurisdiction re-opened it. Assange lawyers then requested that he would promptly be interviewed by the prosecutor so he could clear his name. This was refused as the prosecutor was "sick". Weeks after lawyers ask for a permission for him to leave Sweden, as he had work to do elsewhere. Permission granted. He leaves for the UK.

4/14

🚨 Weeks after, Interpol issues a "red notice" (usually used for international organized crime, terrorism, etc.), while Sweden issues an extradition warrant for Assange. Unbelievable! This is when he decided to go by himself to the police in London, so his name could be cleared in court. Of course it didn't go as planned, extradition was upheld (hence the appeal, during which the photos were taken). Preposterous "house arrest", ankle bracelet, daily report to the police, etc. ensued.

5/14

🇪🇨 Later on, as it became clearer and clearer that the UK won't help get that case closed, and as all was pointing to the US preparing an indctment for "conspiracy for espionnage" (under the 1917 espionnage act under which a defendant has no way of arguing his motive was political, or of general interest...), Julian took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy. He got political asylum and EC nationality as its government confirmed the risk was real he'd be extradited to the US.

6/14

⛓️ During 7+ years confined in this minuscule apartment, without a balcony, without seeing a tree or getting outside once, his lawyers asked repeatedly to the Swedish prosecutor to either 1/ come to the embassy to conduct interrogation 2/ use a video link as frequently done by Sweden at that time. No answer. This period in the embassy was considered by UN Rapporteur on arbitrary detention as.. detention. And felt like prison. J's health without access to doctors/hospitals degraded.

7/14

👩‍⚖️ For 10y Sweden kept the "investigation" ongoing (think of "the victims"!) without agreeing to interview him. When case was finally closed, his name was durably muddied. The truth is: there was NO Swedish case... or rather the Swedish case has been the case of Sweden's police and judicial authority manipulating the truth to help the US harass a journalist, while instrumentalising these women for 10y. (background of 2nd woman A. Ardin is interesting but not the topic here.)

8/14

🦅 After 7+ years in the Ecuadorian embassy, a regime change there, the mega-release of Vault7 that proved how incompetent, unaccountable and crazy the CIA was with its capacity to enter about any device without leaving traces, and a few days after Ecuador got a 4B$ loan from the IMF, the UK police got invited into the embassy to drag him out and arrest him (2019). Accused of "skipping bail" (usually a 20ish weeks of prison) he spent 4+years in the worst max-security prison in UK.

9/14

😷 Of course his health is degrading. Mentally and physically. Many would have been dead already in such conditions. That is: a few weeks in jail + 2 years of house arrest + 7 years of "detention" (according to UN) in embassy + 4 years in max-security prison.. But his incredible resilience, his strong network of support, and the faint hope that there would be legal or political means to get him out kept him alive so far...

10/14

💀 If Assange is sent to the US he is a dead man. Because:
- 1917 espionnage act doesn't leave a chance to defend oneself (no way to invoke general interest, it is just about whether or not documents were published, and they were);
- he faces up to 175 years in prison;
- he would be detained in isolation in the topmost-security prison;
- the CIA wants him dead (and already attempted to kidnap or kill him while in embassy https://news.yahoo.com/kidnapping-assassination-and-a-london-shoot-out-inside-the-ci-as-secret-war-plans-against-wiki-leaks-090057786.html);
- his mental health is in decline;

11/14

🗽 So in case you're not convinced yet: Assange/WikiLeaks case is the most important legal case of our times, as it impacts: press freedom; freedom to publish; war crimes; cyber-security; the resilience of our collective infrastructures online; online censorship; geopolitics; lies and crimes in governments; instrumentalisation of police and justice; the CIA; the relationship of we (the people) facing arbitrary authoritarian powers of the state; character assassination; [list too long]

12/14

⁉️ If you think you "hate the guy" or just "dislike him" or that you are not concerned by his legal case because.. you know.. his "personality", please ask yourself: why? How do you know about his personality? What are your sources? Please put all this in the balance and take a look at the big picture of the massive (almost 15y!) campaign of manipulation/influence/slander/character assassination, and a legal case that goes way beyond him. If a precedent is made here, you will suffer too.💔

13/14

📢 So PLEASE: make some NOISE about the #Assange / #WikiLeaks case!

📖 Read and share the two excellent books by N. Melzer:
https://annas-archive.org/md5/7120b3643f3ed14faa4a6513309c2be8
and S. Maurizi:
https://annas-archive.org/md5/3862013f7a4758af82af8c4d119d5f8b
(they exist in several languages, please buy a copy to support them if you can)

📽️ Watch and share excellent videos and documentaries about the case:
https://video.emergeheart.info/videos/trending?c=true&s=2

✊ And remember that freedom to publish is more than ever *our* collective freedom.

#FreeAssange #FreeAssangeNOW

14/14