20200110 Offener Brief des DJV an britische Innenministerin

10.01.2020 Offener Brief des DJV an britische Innenministerin

Deutscher Jounrnalistenverband writes open letter

For almost a year now, we have been fighting for the release of journalist and whistleblower Julian Assange with weekly vigils in front of the US Embassy at the Brandenburg Gate and have been active for several months in a media cooperation with various platforms. We are therefore very pleased with the statement of the German Journalists' Association (DJV) on 8 January.

The DJV together with "Leipzig unite to free Julian Assange" wrote an open letter to the British Home Secretary. The German text you will find here https://www.aktion-freiheitstattangst.org/de/articles/7134-20200110-offener-brief-des-djv-an-britische-innenministerin.htm

Dear Ms Patel
We, the signatories, can no longer remain silent.

We are writing to associate ourselves with the declaration by 60 persons and institutions of international prominence and repute, including professors and politicians, who, in an open letter addressed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, have advocated the immediate release of Julian Assange.

In a separate open letter addressed to the UK Home Office, 65 internationally acclaimed doctors, including several from the UK, have stressed the need for Mr Assange to be immediately transferred to a university hospital. The urgency of this course of action is underlined by the critical state of his health which has seriously deteriorated since his recent arrest. He is now suffering from severe pain and from serious mental health problems. If this transfer does not take place, there is a danger that Mr Assange might die in his cell.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer, wrote in his report dated 31st May 2019 of the intense “psychological torture” that Julian Assange had been subjected to during the years of his asylum in the embassy of Ecuador. Nils Melzer considers that the detention to which Mr Assange is subject poses a danger to life and limb: “In 20 years of working with victims of war, violence and political persecution, I have never seen a group of democratic states pursue such a coordinated policy of consciously isolating, demonising and abusing one single individual over such a prolonged period of time and with so little respect for human dignity and the rule of law.”

In view of the acute life-threatening situation in which Mr Assange finds himself, we assert that his treatment is inconsistent with:

Article 5 of the United Nations Charter on Human Rights which prohibits “any form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment”;
Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which outlaws torture or inhuman or degrading punishment.

Julian Assange is charged with no crime or offence under British law. The Swedish public prosecutor’s office has recently withdrawn its extradition request to the UK in connection with allegations of rape against him due to lack of evidence.

Mr Assange is therefore detained in Belmarsh maximum-security prison without adequate cause and only on the basis of an extradition request from United States on a charge of espionage, even though he does not have American citizenship.

Allegations in this matter are without substance. To date, it has not been shown that he has illegally hacked into American government databases nor unlawfully acquired relevant documents. Julian Assange has published material that was leaked to him, documenting war crimes in the last Iraq war. It is only by such methods that journalism can act as a corrective and as a “fourth estate” to exercise its duties in a liberal-democratic society. This is done in the interest of the public around the world. They owe Mr Assange a debt of gratitude for unearthing the comprehensive information and insights into government actions that would otherwise have never come to light.

We therefore urge the British Government to release Mr Assange. Because of the critical state of his health, there is no time to lose.

Yours sincerely
The signatories