Loading....

Take Action:
End the persecution of Julian Assange!

The tide is changing surrounding the prosecution of Julian Assange. But Congress needs to hear from you.

Australian publisher Julian Assange is a political prisoner. After being abducted out of the Ecuadorian embassy, he has languished in Belmarsh prison for nearly four years. In the intervening time, press freedom groups, major newspapers, and civil libertarians have all condemned the US’s unprecedented charges against Assange.

After years of grassroots advocacy, now members of Congress are starting to speak out. But they need to hear your voice.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is currently circulating a sign-on letter calling for Attorney General Merrick Garland to drop the charges against Assange. Other members of Congress can join the letter, but this is an issue that demands courage. They need to hear from you, their constituents.

Write to your members of Congress and ask them to join Rep. Tlaib’s effort. The future of the First Amendment is at stake!

We just need few pieces of information to connect you with your members of Congress:

First Name*

Last Name*

Email Address*

Address, line 1*

City*

State*

Zip Code*

Please put me on DRAD's email list (no more than one email per week)

Please note that the additional information being requested below is required by your members of Congress. Defending Rights & Dissent does not require or capture this information. Further, the lack of a gender-neutral title other than "Dr." is appalling and we apologize for it.

Take Action

Defending Rights & Dissent does not share your personal information. Ever.

Organization Name
Org Address Line 1
Org City, Org State Org Zip

Get in touch! Org Email or Org Phone

Send the Email! Please add your own words.

Members of Congress who have not yet signed on to the letter

Subject: Please Stand Up for Press Freedom

Message:

As your constituent, the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of the press is deeply important to me.

Human rights organizations, press freedom advocates, and major newspapers like The New York Times have all called for the US to drop its charges against Julian Assange. I urge you to join them by signing on to Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s letter calling on the Attorney General to drop these charges. .

The US government’s case against Assange is based on publishing information in the public interest about US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, its prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the activities of the State Department. Much of this information was also published by major newspapers, including The New York Times and The Guardian. The threat posed by the US government’s unprecedented prosecution of Assange goes far beyond any one individual. In seeking to criminalize Assange’s actions, which are legally indistinguishable from what mainstream journalists do daily, the US government will set a broad precedent that allows the government to prosecute journalists who publish classified information. The Barack Obama Administration referred to this as “the New York Times problem,” (any precedent set against Assange, would create a precedent that would allow for The New York Times to be prosecuted) and declined to bring Espionage Act charges against Assange for this very reason.

You swore an oath to defend the Constitution. The prosecution of Assange endangers the First Amendment’s guarantee of press freedom. Please join Rep. Tlaib, human rights organizations, and leading newspapers in demanding the Attorney General end this prosecution.

Thank you to members of Congress who have signed on to the letter.

Subject: Thank You For Your Courage

Message:

Thank you for your courage in speaking out for press freedom by opposing the prosecution of Julian Assange. As your constituent, the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of the press is deeply important to me. Assange’s prosecution has been opposed by virtually all human rights, civil liberties, and press freedom organizations. Thank you for standing with the Constitution, and standing with Assange.

Organization Name
Org Address Line 1
Org City, Org State Org Zip

Get in touch! Org Email or Org Phone

Take Action: End the persecution of Julian Assange!

We're sorry, but we had an error connecting you to the White House. If you think you may have received this message in error, please try entering your address again.

Your messages have been sent!

Take Action:
End the persecution of Julian Assange!