Winner was convicted of revealing US intelligence information on efforts by the Russian government to influence the US election. Manning is in jail for refusing to participate in a grand jury investigating Wikileaks releases prior to 2016 and for which the statute of limitations will end soon. The US government is trying to extradite Assange due to Wikileaks’ release of such documents as the Collateral Murder video of a US AH-64 helicopter firing on civilians during the Iraq war and US government Iraq and Afghanistan war reports.
The Trump administration has demonstrated that it does not support government transparency and has no love of the press revealing government secrets that people in the US, and even the world, have a right to know. The US involvement in Ecuador’s revocation of asylum for Assange and arrest by the United Kingdom were done to silence a critic of US government policy. Should the US government win a case against Assange, any one involved in Wikileaks as well as all US news companies, already concentrated in an increasingly smaller number of entertainment conglomerates, will be on notice that they could be next unless they parrot the government’s viewpoint.
We must support these defenders of free speech and government transparency. To fail to do so now will embolden those who would limit our First Amendment right to know what our government does in our name.
Chelsea Manning, Reality Winner and Julian Assange are being held for their efforts to reveal information the United States government wanted to keep secret. Manning and Winner are already in US custody and the Trump administration is trying to extradite Assange to the US for trial.
Winner was convicted of revealing US intelligence information on efforts by the Russian government to influence the US election. Manning is in jail for refusing to participate in a grand jury investigating Wikileaks releases prior to 2016 and for which the statute of limitations will end soon. The US government is trying to extradite Assange due to Wikileaks’ release of such documents as the Collateral Murder video of a US AH-64 helicopter firing on civilians during the Iraq war and US government Iraq and Afghanistan war reports.
The Trump administration has demonstrated that it does not support government transparency and has no love of the press revealing government secrets that people in the US, and even the world, have a right to know. The US involvement in Ecuador’s revocation of asylum for Assange and arrest by the United Kingdom were done to silence a critic of US government policy. Should the US government win a case against Assange, any one involved in Wikileaks as well as all US news companies, already concentrated in an increasingly smaller number of entertainment conglomerates, will be on notice that they could be next unless they parrot the government’s viewpoint.
We must support these defenders of free speech and government transparency. To fail to do so now will embolden those who would limit our First Amendment right to know what our government does in our name.
How to Support Chelsea Manning
Chelsea needs donations for her legal defense. You can donate at https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/chelsea-manning-needs-legal-funds-to-resist-a-grand-jury-subpoena.
She also needs letters of support. Visit https://xychelsea.is/#support to find out how or consult the steps in this graphic:
How to Support Reality Winner
You can write letters of support to Reality Winner at:
REALITY WINNER 22056-021
FMC CARSWELL FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTER
PO BOX 27137
FORT WORTH, TX 76127
How to Support Wikileaks
You can donate to Wikileaks. You can also donate to Assange’s defense fund. We will post updates as more information on how to help becomes available.