THE arrest this week of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should alarm all real journalists and activists in Bermuda and around the world.
His arrest in London at the behest of Swedish officials has more to do with politics than any concern that he may have committed sexual offenses there. The truth is, he has the courage of a thousand men.
File photo of Julian Assange, founder of whistle blowing website WikiLeaks.
I wasn’t there when Mr. Assange had intimate relations with those two women.
The charges of rape against him are bizarre and manifestly groundless since prosecutors in Sweden initially refused to prosecute him because of a lack of evidence.
It is therefore hardly a mystery why the matter resurfaced days after Wikileaks began releasing secret U.S. Diplomatic cables.
Having said all of this, one wonders if Sweden is running a kangaroo court.
As to the leaking of sensitive diplomatic material… Wikileaks may be justified in the sense that the information, regardless how it was obtained, reveals dishonesty by several governments and shines a light on what is being done across the globe by these governments in the name of their citizens.
To those who claim the release of this information puts innocent lives at risk – there is no proof.
Stock image courtesy capturagroup.com
Mr. Assange is a hero to all those who believe in freedom of speech and information. Gone are the days when vital information could only be kept under lock and key, without any hope of the public learning the truth.
The Internet has forever changed our world; It has empowered those whose only weapon is an idea. And no army (or government) can stop an idea whose time has come.
Julian Assange must be released from prison without delay. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
BermudaWired