Statement of the international network “No to war – no to NATO”

We demand the immediate release of Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange

In April 2010, Julian Assange’s whistleblower platform Wikileaks published hundreds of thousands of US documents classified as secret. This uncovered serious violations of international law and criminal law by the USA, including the video “Collateral Murder”. To this day, both Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning are persecuted politically for whistleblowing.

Over the next few years, Julian Assange and Wikileaks in particular continued to publish a number of secret documents documenting illegal warfare, widespread human rights abuses, undemocratic and authoritarian behavior by leading governments and politicians.

We know, and have not forgotten, that the revelations at that time brought to light many criminal violations of the law.

Support for whistleblowing and solidarity with whistleblowers is a commitment to peace. Without the revelations, knowledge, bravery and courage of whistleblowers, important peace activities would be impossible or much more difficult. These findings repeatedly reinforce the demands of the network No to war – no to NATO: NATO is a dinosaur of the Cold War; it belongs to the rubbish heaps of history.

We are of the opinion that breaches of law and war crimes must not in any case claim any protection of secrets and that the disclosure of such events must be exempted from criminal prosecution. Media and politicians must, with their full weight, show their resistance to the persecution of Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange and oppose these breaches of freedom of expression. This is a democratic responsibility.

We turn against the various suspicions and insinuations against Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange. Those who bring the truth to the public and stand up for it expect persecution from those in politics, the media and society who deceive and manipulate the public with lies, fraud and human rights violations. War always involves lies – peace also means truth and solidarity.

Our solidarity is with Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange. We demand their immediate release.

Instead, and for this we will always speak up: punish the perpetrators of the secret crimes, not those who uncover and publish them!

25.04.2019