Re: <nettime> piece about Julian Assange

[Jean-Noël Montagné <jnm@autistici.org>]

Le 24/11/2020 à 01:56, Andy Bichlbaum a écrit :
> We intensely regret that Julian acted as he did in 2016, whether it was 
> out of “journalistic integrity,” hatred for Clintonite warmongering or 
> other policies, or a desire to see American power fail.
>
> But we even more intensely believe that extraditing Julian to the United 
> States to face trial under the Espionage Act would be a disaster for 
> journalism and democracy worldwide. Wikileaks is a media organization, 
> and an incredibly effective one at that. It has published a lot of 
> crucial information and revolutionized the idea of what journalism can 
> do, whether or not we like all its results.

(my two cents, and sorry for my bad english)

Thank you Andy, I appreciate this analysis and the Yes Men actions about 
Julian Assange.

The harassment of certain American or European authorities against JA 
has not always been based on democratic principles or legal principles, 
but sometimes on illegal actions carried out by an informal coalition 
composed by occult and corrupt political-economical powers, especially 
by the military industry.

We owe a great deal to Wikileaks, to have brought out the notion of 
whistleblower in digital culture, in big data, in military affairs, in 
war policies, in business and economy, at the highest level of the world 
press and media.

Wikileaks action made it possible to free the words of whistleblowers at 
any scale, not only Chelsea, Edward, Aaron, the Yes Men, but also some 
more unknown anti-corruption & pro-environnement heroes of our time.

By releasing crucial datas revealing the behaviour of US army in middle 
east, JA knew that he was risking his life for all his life. The fatwa 
on him by many US economical, political and military powers is not extinct.

Even if we don't appreciate his political decisions in his last jailed 
years, we can not judge his decisions as if they were taken with no 
pressure. Nobody of us can imagine the impact of different judiciary, 
military, personal, political, medical and mediatical pressures he had 
to face, from many countries, at the same time, in very bad physical 
conditions of confinement.  Who among us would have the strength to 
resist to this and being cristal clear? What are the best long-term 
survival strategies if you want to stay alive with your children and 
family, and the political & historical sense of your action ?  We can 
criticize his decisions, but we cannot have enough perspective to judge 
 them.

We must give total conscious protection to the humanity of Julian 
Assange, as well as absolute support to the political culture of 
anti-corruption fights.

Jean-Noël Montagné
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