Assange’s struggle resonates with SA’s

One would ask why we have to make a noise and fight for someone who has published confidential information, knowing very well it could have extreme and dire consequences.

This is not just a story to defend the freedom of the press, expression and all, this is a story of a political prisoner incarcerated by the global North trying to prove what it is capable of doing when one moves out of spaces that are supposed to confine him/her.

Free [Julian] Assange, Stop extradition: In fact it is also very important to conceptualise Assange with regards to our struggles both in the past and present.

The struggles and torture of Bantu [Steve] Biko, Molly Blackburn, Mangaliso Sobukwe, the Cradock Four and even to this day of Andries Tatane who died at the hands of police by the system that does not allow conscious species who are better able to collectively decide on their own affairs in the interest of their people, place and planet.

However, one of the reasons Assange’s case resonates so deeply with us is because of our shared experiences of being subjected to injustices perpetrated by a system which often showed little or no care for the protection and upholding of human rights, democratic liberties and the delivery of justice to people.

But sadly, this feeling of hope was severely put to the test by the actions of the UK government collaborating with the US and other powerful states to spread war and injustices to various parts of our planet.

This directly includes ongoing political, material and weaponry support for the military onslaught on the people of Palestine.

To add insult to injury, they continue to harass Assange purely because he and WikiLeaks brought to public knowledge the war crimes and human rights violations caused by the actions of these countries.

Finally, if the US is interested in peace and human rights, it would heed the humanitarian appeal of Stella Assange, stop the extradition process and drop the charges.