Thank you for this important resolution. I have posted it in the comments at
Edward Snowden's Substack under his December 23, 2021 essay:
In seeking to prosecute Assange, the US government is purporting to extend its sovereignty to the global stage and hold foreign publishers accountable to US secrecy laws. By doing so, the US government will be establishing a precedent for prosecuting all news organization everywhere - all journalists in every country - who rely on classified documents to report on, for example, US war crimes, or the US drone program, or any other governmental or military or intelligence activity that the State Department, or the CIA, or the NSA, would rather keep locked away in the classified dark, far from public view, and even from Congressional oversight.
--from Continuing Ed- with Edward Snowden.
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Kathleen de la Peña McCook
Distinguished University Professor
School of Information
University of South Florida
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Original Message:
Sent: Jan 06, 2022 03:40 PM
From: Sherre Harrington
Subject: SRRT Resolution on Julian Assange and support for Youth Council Caucus resolution on intellectual freedom
SRRT Action Council has voted to support in principle the Youth Council Caucus resolution on intellectual freedom. Here is the latest draft of Resolution to Support School and Youth Services Librarians Facing Increased Intellectual Freedom Challenges: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1toVp29QMfDduvscOY7ulNnzJWe9du0CWsqL61VZmAVc/edit?usp=sharing
With thanks to Action Council member Mark Hudson, we also passed the attached Resolution Calling on the US Executive Branch to Drop All Charges Against Julian Assange, to be sent to ALA Council for consideration at LibLearnX 2022 later this month. Our expectation is that Council will immediately refer the resolution to a committee, but our point, well-put by Al Kagan, is to create publicity for the movement to stop the prosecution, whether or not we actually pass the resolution. Please feel free to share the resolution with colleagues and anyone else you think will be interested.
If you have questions, I'm sure Mark, Al and others will be able to respond. When Mark first drafted the resolution in December, he shared these statements from other organizations about the UK court ruling on the case:
Reporters Without Borders (RSF): RSF condemns the UK High Court's decision allowing for Julian Assange's extradition to the US, and calls for his immediate release
https://rsf.org/en/news/rsf-condemns-uk-high-courts-decision-allowing-julian-assanges-extradition-us-and-calls-his-immediate
PEN International: PEN Centres Condemn Decision to Allow the Extradition of Julian Assange
https://pen-international.org/news/uk-usa-pen-centres-condemn-decision-to-allow-the-extradition-of-julian-assange
American Civil Liberties Union: ACLU Comment on Julian Assange Extradition Ruling
https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-comment-julian-assange-extradition-ruling
Amnesty International: "Travesty of justice" as extradition appeal fails to recognise that it would be unsafe for Julian Assange to be sent to the US
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/12/us-uk-travesty-of-justice-as-extradition-appeal-fails-to-recognise-that-it-would-be-unsafe-for-julian-assange-to-be-sent-to-the-us/
International Federation of Journalists: Assange can be extradited to the US, London court rules
https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/assange-can-be-extradited-to-the-us-london-court-rules.html
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Sherre Harrington
SRRT Coordinator
She/Her/Hers
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