Julian Assange’s Brother Speaks at ‘Rage Against the War Machine’ Rally in DC

Julian Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton spoke at today’s ’Rage Against the War Machine’ rally in Washington DC, with remarks that included talking about the recent conviction of his brother, the founder of Wikileaks

After years imprisoned in the United Kingdom while fighting extradition to the United States, Julian Assange reached a plea deal in June of this year, which entailed pleading guilty to conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information. As part of the deal, the DOJ sought a sentence of 62 months, the amount of time Assange spent in British prison. Assange was released from prison in the U.K. to travel to the U.S territory of Saipan for a court proceeding. The plea, accepted by a judge at the Saipan federal territorial courthouse of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, allowed Assange to travel to his native Australia immediately following the court proceeding

Speaking about the conviction, Shipton stated “The conviction under the Espionage Act goes directly in the face of the First Amendment in this country, and opens up a perilous pathway for the DOJ to prosecute journalists and publishers who have the courage to tell the truth about war”