Dear NEVILLE,

We just returned from London where we shot an exclusive interview with Julian Assange — his first Australian interview since he sought asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy.

Many GetUp members have been emailing with questions they wanted Mr Assange to answer, so we put your questions to him directly.

Click below to be the first to see this exclusive interview:

www.getup.org.au/free-speech

GetUp will always stand up for the rights of a democratic, free society; including freedom of speech, freedom of information and the right to a fair trial. That’s why we campaigned to bring David Hicks home after five years of detention and allegations of torture inside Guantanamo Bay. That’s why when members of Congress and the US media started labelling Assange a terrorist and calling for blood, more than 90,000 GetUp members chipped in to publish a full-page statement in The New York Times, headlined: “Wikileaks are not terrorists.”

Now Julian Assange is wanted for questioning concerning an alleged sexual assault in Sweden – allegations he must address, but can’t. Instead, he’s holed up inside the Ecuadorian embassy in the UK. If he steps out the door he fears he’ll simply be arrested and handed over to the US, where he faces life in prison and even the death penalty.

Wikileaks is a media organisation, but Mr Assange now faces the prospect of military prison in the United States for publishing information governments didn’t want heard. When our Government fails to take a stand for Mr Assange, they’re actually failing to fight for the freedom of our press.

Watch the exclusive interview, and add your name to our new petition.

www.getup.org.au/free-speech

Mr Assange’s fears that Sweden will hand him over to the US are not unfounded. Media reports have revealed that the US have already made plans to charge Mr Assange with espionage, in a military court — the same military system that has now detained Bradley Manning without charge for over 800 days.

Swedish authorities could simply interview Mr Assange where he is, but forcing him to go back to Sweden means he will be incarcerated instantly. He could then could be extradited under a bilateral agreement to the US, before he’s had a chance to even deal with the allegations of sexual assault. In this interview, Mr Assange says he wants to defend himself in relation to the Swedish allegations.

Whatever happens – we know where we stand. We campaign not to be the judge of someone’s innocence or guilt, but to defend the bedrock laws and values that underpin freedom and justice for everyone. These are the very rights that separate us from petty dictatorships around the world – where the act of publishing information the government doesn’t want seen gets you thrown into jail, or worse.

When we first published our NY Times statement, we promised that we would “continue to fight for free speech, a free press and freedom of information in a global, modern and interconnected world“; and that we would, “continue to stand up for the rule of law, due process and the democratic values that are often threatened in times of uncertainty.”

That hasn’t changed. Thank you for being part of this: www.getup.org.au/free-speech.

In hope,
the GetUp team.

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you’d like to contribute to help fund GetUp’s work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Sam Mclean, Level 2, 104 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.