08/20/12

WikiLeaks has been financially blockaded without process for 628 days.
Julian Assange has been detained without charge for 623 days. 
 - 63 days at the Ecuadorian Embassy.

Bradley Manning has been in jail without trial for 820 days.  
A secret Grand Jury on WikiLeaks has been active for 706 days.

WikiLeaks News:

• Center for Constitutional Rights executive director Vincent Warren wrote about the U.S. determination to prosecute WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, while discussing many important revelations from WikiLeaks releases.
• Australia had a Senate debate on cluster bombs today. Multiple WikiLeaks cables showed how Australia actively sought to water down the text in the Cluster Munitions Convention.

Julian Assange News:

• Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa will be on ECTV tonight and will be discussing Julian Assange. The program will air at 9PM Ecuador Time and will be available live in Spanish.
• Anonymous has taken down UK Government websites as part of 'Operation Free Assange'. 
• New Matilda spoke with Noam Chomsky about Julian Assange. He said that Mr Assange was right to fear the U.S., stated the Swedish legal system is unreliable, and that Mr Assange deserves a medal of honour for "performing his responsibilities as a citizen of a democratic society".  
• U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that the U.S. has nothing to do with Julian Assange's case, yet she made assertions that Mr Assange is "clearly trying to deflect attention away from the real issue" and falsely stated he had been charged with a crime (which she was corrected on by her questioner).
• Swedish officials stated there is no U.S. extradition order for Julian Assange, yet they still refuse to question him in the UK or provide assurances against his extradition to the U.S. from Sweden. 
• Formers UK Ambassador Craig Murray commented on The Guardian's false statements about him and his talk in support of Julian Assange from Sunday.
• Twitter user @x7o went through The Guardian's nameless editorial about Julian Assange, correcting the multiple falsehoods throughout the article.
• Ecuador stated that they will reopen dialogue with the UK if they formally withdraw their threat to storm the Embassy in London and arrest Julian Assange. 
• Ecuadorian representatives and officials were briefed on Julian Assange's case and the threats by the UK to storm the Embassy in London.
• Citizens in Quito and Guayaquil took to the streets today to express their support for Ecuador's decision to grant Julian Assange asylum.
• A poll in Ecuadorian newspaper El Telegrafo shows 93.6% of voters believing Julian Assange should be granted safe passage by the UK to Ecuador.
• Firedoglake's Kevin Gosztola was on BBC Radio 5 to discuss Julian Assange's asylum situation.
• Today's episode of Democracy Now! presented Julian Assange's full speech from the Ecuadorian Embassy, as well as the speeches of Tariq Ali and Craig Murray.
• WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson and Frontline Club owner Vaughan Smith discussed Julian Assange's current living situation inside the Ecuadorian Embassy.
• 3AW radio host John-Michael Howson was suspended for four weeks after screaming "Sieg Heil!" at Christine Assange after she refused to give an interview with him. 
• Christine Assange slammed Western media for its coverage of her son's asylum, including their lack of research into Ecuador's media situation and the continued false usage of "charges" against her son.
• The Cambridge Union Society uploaded video of the talk Julian Assange gave there in March of 2011.

Bradley Manning News:

• The Bradley Manning Support Network issued a news update for August 20 which covers Julian Assange's calls for Bradley to be released, supporters' occupation of Obama campaign offices, and an interview with Letters and Politics on Bradley's treatment at Quantico Marine Base.