[8 July repost of accidently deleted 2 July post - oops and sorry for inconvenience]
On
the occasion of Julian Assange's 49th birthday 3 July Free Assange NZ
determined to run events in Auckland and Wellington 3 July and an
early event Thursday 2 July at NZ's Parliament, to mark the two year
occasion of our unsuccessful petition requesting the NZ Parliament
to; "urge the NZ Government to provide Assange with asylum in
NZ.
On
this occasion Free Assange NZ wrote an open letter to NZ
Parliamentarians focused on the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
select committee that considered the 2018 petition and rejected it
for 'lack of jurisdiction' and without considering the
merits.
Perhaps
given NZ's prominence on the global stage for being a state promoting
kindness and fairness across the planet with initiatives such as
Christchurch Call, NZ may act locally to ensure fairness globally and
act to demonstrate NZ's support for free expression and publisher's
rights, making a "Call for Assange's Freedom."
As
well as write our letter and the unenthusiastic response to our media
release, Free Assange NZ placed a bit of promo material around the
Wellington region direct to the public
Love
Wellington for providing context for purposeful public display
opportunities;
Contents
1.
Open letter
2.
Media release (after the linebreak)
3.
Links to events associated with Julian's 49th birthday and the
campaign to win his freedom
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Open
letter to NZ Parliamentarians and Government From:
Free Assange NZ
June
2020
Dear
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade select committee members, Greg
O'Connor MP*
and all NZ Parliamentary representatives,
Please
carefully reconsider the question of Julian Assange and his work
through Wikileaks.
We
respectfully request;
New
Zealand stands as a moral agent on the world stage by making a clear
Public Call for the immediate release of Julian Assange.
By
making such a principled stand, New Zealand will be acting locally
for a global cause; a rule
of law order that ensures people's
freedom
and rights are respected.
War
is the most
wasteful
corruption.
It is ecocide
- the antithesis
of public
interest.
For
his and Wikileaks' effort toward informing the democracy, Assange is
demonised
by the UK-US led hegemony and many journalists from the mainstream
media.
Assange
is presently jailed at UK's Belmarsh high security prison, in
solitary confinement awaiting an extradition
hearing, the substantive arguments due September
2020.
The
US has made new filings with their latest superseding indictment,
24 June 2020.
What
to do about the challenge of transnational corruption
of the world?
Sunlight
and bravery
Press
freedom and publishers' rights to transmit ideas and opinion, are
inseparable and derive from the public's right to know.
A
Call for Assange's freedom will be a major achievement as NZ is a
partner within the Anglo-American alliance. It is NZ's alliance
partners that persecute
Julian Assange for his role in revealing war crimes and the mass
surveillance
state that underpins the current phase of state/capitalist
market economy.
Many
notable individuals, professionals, some journalists, politicians,
organisations and public demand
Julian Assange's release from persecution.
Free
Assange NZ's 2018 petition for Assange's asylum
We
wrote NZ Parliamentarians October 2018, when the FADT committee
returned its report in regard to our petition
“urging the NZ Government to facilitate Julian Assange's asylum to
NZ.”
The
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (FADT) select committee denied the
petition asserting a lack of jurisdiction in the matter.
Possibly
at that point in 2018, NZ's political representatives did not sense
that Parliament had the will or power to accede to our reasonable
request?
New
Zealand has had several transformative
experiences since, and her international role has led to the growing
perception
of New Zealand and her Coalition Government as one who acts
for general wellbeing.
Perhaps
NZ's international reputation and apparent reasonable approach to
contemporary matters might grant greater power to the Government's
voice and ability to persuade allies toward rule of law and justice
in the global chess game?
Where
NZ's people and leadership
desire a kinder and more caring nation state consider the precept;
think global, act local.
To
facilitate that kind and caring world, political
will and capital needs to be exerted to attain the desired state.
Right
to official information, to hold an opinion and express it
No
democracy can exist without access to official
information in order for those so motivated
to delve, analyse, report and inform the mass of people of the state
of public affairs. A good process facilitates enlightened public
debate.
Modern
society needs an effective public intelligence system. The fight for
a free press and publishers' right to publish, is carried on the
principle of free
speech and the right to transmit one's
opinions freely.
Open
Government and transparency
Absent
true open government interested parties will corrupt
policy formulation, regulation and
enactment through wielding their power or money.
Power
and money invariably drive politics to favour their pecuniary and
group interests.
The formula is simple; their individual or group interest versus the
broad
public interest.
Wikileaks
and Julian Assange provide a valuable window which allows belated
slivers and rays of sunlight to penetrate the powerful entities,
nations and hegemony's records, apparatus, actions and structures of
command.
Such
disclosures assist and enable the public to apprehend the
interlocking
interests between private individuals, corporations, think tanks,
media and the various governments and non government organisations,
so called 'philanthropic foundations.'
You
are either with us for freedom and openness, or you are; effectively
in favour of the full implementation of the surveillance
capitalist state.
Powerful
individuals and those representing vested interests, interface and
intersect to realise their plans and schemes through revolving doors
and money in politics.
That
practice effectively denies the common people their due, as the
corrupt steal from the common-wealth for their private advantage.
You
are either with us for freedom and openness, or you are in favour of
something other than democracy.
Any
move from full democratic control is despotism and in the present age
- likely totalitarian, where it doesn't descend to war lords as in
Afghanistan, or as created in various North African (Libya) and other
states (Syria) through inappropriate acts and pretext - invariably
the war is criminal aggression.
New
Zealand and other people's wars
Governments
allow war through various means; facilitate allies, engage themselves
or assist through surveillance. Technology and armament exchanges
enable war to be advanced and conducted against another nation
state's people, assets and territory.
New
Zealand is such a government within the Anglo-American hegemony, thus
involved in heinous war crimes which are geopolitically necessary -
PM John Key roared in the House “get
some guts” or on another occasion spelt
out the corrupt arrangement “it's
the price of being in the Club.”
The
club of blood-thirsty belligerents is no longer appropriate for the
land of kindness and care. “The only thing necessary for the
triumph
of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
There
ought be a high bar, to dissuade belligerents - a high likelihood of
criminal prosecution
for war crimes.
New
Zealand refuses to sign the Kampala
Amendments which would make aggression by
leaders a crime. Why does NZ disagree with the principle of
prosecuting war criminals?
Surely
that would be a deterrent to aggression so favouring the public
interest and wellbeing NZ states it supports.
Whistleblowers
Whistleblowers
perform a public service through the risk they undertake in
disclosing to the public corrupt
matters that they encounter in their working life.
Wikileaks
enables whistleblowers to disclose corrupt practice, thus Wikileaks
is a public service and the democracy would be lessened without
Wikileaks
or whistleblowers.
NZ's
new bill that will allow whistleblowers
to more easily report wrong-doings is recognition of the principle
that whistleblowers are an essential good to counter corruption and
wrongdoing.
Supporting
Assange's freedom is acting under the same principle, ending
corruption and enshrining the public right to know.
Wikileaks
aids in the task of rooting
out corruption for the public good.
Freeing
Julian Assange is analogous to freeing the power of a well informed
democracy.
Events
in cities around the planet to mark Julian's 49th
birthday 3 July.
In
conclusion please consider that the case is well established that the
continued detention of Julian Assange is arbitrary persecution and
unjust in most rational people's consideration of law and rights.
We
respectfully request;
New
Zealand stands as a moral agent on the world stage by making a clear
Public Call for the immediate release of Julian Assange. Call for
freedom.
By
making such a principled stand, New Zealand will be acting locally
for a global cause; a rule
of law
order that ensures people's freedom
and rights
are respected.
Many
thanks in anticipation of your further consideration.
Ends.
*NZ
Labour MP, Greg O'Connor kindly sponsored Free Assange NZ's petition
seeking NZ offer Julian Assange political asylum in 2018.
-----000---000-----
On this occasion Free Assange NZ wrote an open letter to NZ Parliamentarians focused on the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade select committee that considered the 2018 petition and rejected it for 'lack of jurisdiction' and without considering the merits.
Perhaps given NZ's prominence on the global stage for being a state promoting kindness and fairness across the planet with initiatives such as Christchurch Call, NZ may act locally to ensure fairness globally and act to demonstrate NZ's support for free expression and publisher's rights, making a "Call for Assange's Freedom."
1. Open letter
2. Media release (after the linebreak)
3. Links to events associated with Julian's 49th birthday and the campaign to win his freedom
Sunlight and bravery
Free Assange NZ's 2018 petition for Assange's asylum
Right to official information, to hold an opinion and express it
Open Government and transparency
New Zealand and other people's wars
Whistleblowers
Freeing Julian Assange is analogous to freeing the power of a well informed democracy.
Events in cities around the planet to mark Julian's 49th birthday 3 July.
We respectfully request;
Many thanks in anticipation of your further consideration.
*NZ
Labour MP, Greg O'Connor kindly sponsored Free Assange NZ's petition
seeking NZ offer Julian Assange political asylum in 2018.
-----000---000-----
2. Media release (to Free Assange NZ's knowledge no media organisation published it)
Media
release for immediate use 29
June 2020
New
Zealand kicks off Global protests - Free Julian Assange Now!
Wellington
events
1.
Parliament 12pm: Thursday, 2nd July
2.
Left Bank Cuba St: 4pm, Friday, 3rd July
Auckland
event
Aotea
Square, Auckland CBD: 12 pm Friday, 3rd July
New
Zealand kicks off global protests to mark the occasion of Julian
Assange's 49th
birthday 3 July 2020.
Free
Assange NZ has written to the Open letter to NZ Parliamentarians and
Government seeking they Call for Julian Assange's freedom;
We
respectfully request;
New
Zealand stands as a moral agent on the world stage by making a clear
Public Call for the immediate release of Julian Assange.
By
making such a principled stand, New Zealand will be acting locally
for a global cause; a rule
of law order that ensures people's
freedom
and rights are respected.
Julian
Assange and Wikileaks
's work has provided an insight into New Zealand's allies dirty
and bloody
wars.
For
his and Wikileaks' effort toward informing the democracy, Assange is
demonised
by the UK-US led hegemony and many journalists from the mainstream
media.
Assange
is presently jailed at UK's Belmarsh high security prison, in
solitary confinement awaiting an extradition
hearing, the substantive arguments due September
2020.
The
US has made new filings with their latest superseding indictment,
24 June 2020.
What
to do about the challenge of transnational corruption
of the world?
Sunlight
and bravery
Press
freedom and publishers rights to transmit are entangled and derive
from the public's right to know.
A
Call for Assange's freedom would be a major achievement as NZ is a
partner within the Anglo-American alliance.
Many
notable individuals, professionals, 'some journalists,' politicians,
organisations and public demand
Julian Assange's release from persecution.
Free
Assange, free the power of a well informed democracy
Events
in many cities to mark Julian's 49th
birthday, 3 July:
Wellington
events
1.
Parliament 12pm: Thursday, 2nd July
2.
Left Bank Cuba St: 4pm, Friday, 3rd July
Auckland
event
Aotea
Square, Auckland CBD: 12 pm Friday, 3rd July
#FreeAssangeNZ #Candles4Assange #FreeAssangeNow
Ends
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Wellington events
Auckland event
New Zealand kicks off global protests to mark the occasion of Julian Assange's 49th birthday 3 July 2020.
Julian Assange and Wikileaks 's work has provided an insight into New Zealand's allies dirty and bloody wars.
Sunlight and bravery
Events in many cities to mark Julian's 49th birthday, 3 July:
Wellington events
Auckland event
3. Links to events associated with Julian's 49th birthday and the campaign to win his freedom
I'll add up to date links soon. Again sorry for my clumsiness in deleting the original 2 July post.
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