21 Days Standing Watch at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London: the Reality

I decided in November of 2018, after a call out for help from @Ciaron O’Reilly on Twitter, to join him in standing watch over Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Many felt the holiday period would be extremely dangerous for Assange to be taken at night at this time. I posted a gofundme to raise the funds for my trip and arrived at Gatwick Airport on the 12th of December .

That was the easy part I found out very quickly. I am a small town girl but I’ve driven through many a city in my life. Being on foot in London was a totally new experience for me however. First I took the train to Victoria station. Finding my bus to Hyde Park took me about 15 minutes. I was alone but I found several people who helped me along my way. I walked to my hostel. By this time I had been awake approximately 36 hours. It was 2 pm London time or 1400.

I dropped off my luggage and headed over to Hans Crescent to join the vigil there. (Pic is below) after attending the vigil, I walked over and introduced myself to Ciaron. I stayed that evening so he could sleep in his nearby makeshift tent. I stayed awake approximately 56 hours in total.

London is a different kind of cold from what I was used to. The humidity there is extremely high and 45 degrees Fahrenheit there, feels like 20 in Michigan. Add to that the rain that happens nearly every single day and you feel like you are freezing all the time. The buildings are old and drafty and often I slept in long johns at the hostel during the day.

It didn’t take long to meet the Catholic Workers who often stopped by to see Ciaron. Sylvi, Jo, Lise, Eric, Patrick and a few others can often be seen there. I miss them all. They were a wonderful group!

It didn’t take long for a neighbor to donate a warm blanket and another lady Carolau brought me warm socks and things to keep me getting cold. Nevertheless, the chill of a London winter night often left me chilled to the bone and wet. The nights were often lonely as I watched the police and surveillance vans come and go. ( See pics below).

Not that there weren’t certain events that oftentimes either made me smile or shake my head. How can I forget our mentally ill homeless lady. She often attempted to steal signs and go through Ciaron’ s belongings. To talk to her, you realized she was on a mission to clean up London. She wore only shorts and a coat with a sweater underneath, shoes Ciaron found in a dumpster for her and carried bags from Harrods around with a few of her “belongings”. Try as we did to get her to wear pants we brought her, she refused.

Closer to Christmas, Julian’s father John made his appearance for a number of days (Pic also seen below) and not only was I honored enough to meet him, I also had coffee with him at the little Italian restaurant around the corner. He was very soft spoken and polite as well as a true gentleman. To me this was the best event while I was there.

I was also honored to be a part of the Christmas video done by Bruce King.

Here is the Christmas video with Bruce King https://youtu.be/O392z5OEJZA

When Julians father left it was a sad day indeed knowing it left Julian alone again. John had been spending most of the day until around 10:30 at night with his son.

While standing watch I had a whistle to alert Ciaron if anything happened. Honestly, it felt safe with hourly Harrod’s staff going by and police constantly being near. Often times, groups of people would walk by on their way home from a night at a pub. Many would go back in the alley to relieve themselves not realizing there were at least 15 cameras back there. Finding a public toilet in the area was difficult after 11 pm.

Quite often, I paced up and down the alley and in front of the Embassy to keep warm as I have bad circulation to my extremities due to my Type 1 diabetes and my feet and hands were always literally burning from the frigid air.

By Christmas, the attacks on my character by certain supporters were reaching their peak and I was disgusted and saddened. I chose to go simply because I was able to do what no one wanted to do. Other supporters were unable to stand vigil there but my being single enabled to me. I was terrified they would take him to be honest. Yes I had a plan but will not discuss that.

Christmas Day, there were seven of us. The other Ciaron had brought us dinner and we shared it and had great political discussions as we stood watch over Julian together. I spent Christmas night alone as Ciaron slept which had become habit.

At some point between Christmas and New Year’s Paolo Barnard joined us. At 12 midnight, we all chanted Happy freed New Year’s to Julian and sang a song. Video is below. There were 11 of us that night and we enjoyed talking to eachother.

On January 3rd, my last night there, I joined Paolo at the Guardian in protest to their constant smears of Julian. We stood for about two hours. Most staff either nodded at us or ignored us after reading our signs. It was the end of quite an experience but a fitting one.

I hope my endeavor deterred anyone seeking to harm Julian and helped protect him in some way. I hope he knows he is never alone as many of us keep him close in our thoughts. #FreeAssange

The Assange/Manafort Lie and the US Department of Justice

Due to a fake news article by the Guardian Newspaper, written by Luke Harding of the Guardian along with Villavicencio and Dan Collyns, reporting that Paul Manafort had met with Julian Assange, the DOJ in the U.S. is investigating the claim of the meeting. There is no evidence of such a meeting. In truth, facts show that Manafort actually met with President Lenin Moreno of Ecuador to arrange the eviction of Assange. Yet, in recent breaking news from Wikileaks, the U.S. DOJ has issued letters to interrogate 6 former diplomats and staff at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. See screenshots below:

The other part of this story is the letter written and signed by Charles Schumer, Robert Menendez, Richard Durbin, Eliot Engel, Dianne Feinstein, and Jerrold Nadler to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo regarding his visit with Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Valencia. This letter can be seen here. I have included the context below:

I have no respect for these Senators who are on a wild goose chase to destroy a news organization in the name of Russiagate. Wikileaks has stated repetitively that it was not a government that gave them the DNC Leaks or Podesta’s emails. Before Julian Assange was silenced by Ecuador, he also stated this. What are these Democrat Senators afraid of? They know the emails are true and show the corruption in their own party. We are still waiting for the members behind all of this to be indicted.

Due to the slanderous operation to destroy Assange and Wikileaks by the Guardian, this investigation is taking place even though it has been proven it is nothing but another attempt to defeat the organization and its creator.

Further attempts to slander Assange by the Guardian in recent months include a supposed plan to smuggle Julian out of the Embassy to Russia which falls in line with accusations of Wikileaks and the supposed connection to Russia in the 2016 election. A garbage story was co-written by Luke Harding with two other authors seen here. Another fabrication by Luke Harding is #OperationHotel a supposed list of people who visited Assange in 2017 that is completely an invention of his deluded mind to sell his fiction..

Wikileaks has chosen to sue the Guardian for their smears and has opened a GoFundMe. Please show your support by donating Wikileaks Go Fund Me Page. Also, I suggest writing to these Senators and demanding they drop their foolish investigation into a witch hunt against a publisher and his organization.

Why We Should Build the Wall: My Christian Thoughts with Bible Verses

As a Christian, I think building the wall on our southern border is a good idea.  Why? You ask.  Is it biblical? Yes, it actually is.  I will share a few Bible verses on building walls though there are many and share my thoughts on why I think God would support it, but first, I want to share my thoughts.

Do you live in an apartment complex with walls surrounding it?  Do you have bars on your windows or lock your doors? Why?  It’s most likely to protect the loved ones and valuable property within, am I correct?  It’s not about keeping people out who wouldn’t do damage. They would knock on the door to gain entrance.  It’s about keeping those out who intend harm.  Correct?

It’s the same with the southern border wall.  If people want to “knock” and come in legally, we are all for it.  It’s not racist, bigoted or anything else to want that.  We want people to come, only we want to them to do it legally.  If you will break a law to come in, who is to say you won’t break more laws.  Legal immigrants go through a process of teaching them our laws.  Illegals only know former laws.  Many laws in foreign countries can be broken if the police are bribed.

Every city in Biblical times was surrounded by a wall. They wanted to protect the people that lived within from attacks because they valued them.  Here are some verses on building the wall in Jerusalem:

2 Chronicles 32:5  And he took courage and rebuilt all the wall that had been broken down and erected towers on it, and built another outside wall and strengthened the Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in great number.

Nehemiah 2:17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire.Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”

Ezekiel 42:20  He measured it on the four sides; it had a wall all around, the length five hundred and the width five hundred, to divide between the holy and the profane.

Revelation 21:12-19  It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall. The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal. And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;

The final verse, I believe speaks of the New Jerusalem prophesied by John the Disciple.  If our future as Christians is the New Jerusalem and a New Earth and it has a wall, why shouldn’t we build a wall to protect Americans from those who intend to hurt it?  Why shouldn’t we protect those within? Proposed southern border wall

Ancient wall around Jerusalem

Temple Mount

 

The Absolute Isolation of Julian Assange

Do you remember the television show “I Dream of Jeanie”? Remember her tiny little room in the lamp her master found her in? He’d call for her and she’d appear and sometimes even got out of his house. Compared to Julian Assange, she had it made. He is stuck in his little room and can never leave other than to meet a visitor in another little room or go to his bed in a converted women’s bathroom. The isolation and loneliness must be overwhelming at times.

Now imagine being stuck in that room for 8 months and not allowed internet access, phone calls or visitors. He’s endured that and even though his rights have been partially restored, he’s still being detained arbitrarily. If he leaves these confines, he looks at extradition to the U.S. where he faces life behind bars, in solitary confinement, if not the death penalty. If he is convicted of espionage, he may not even be allowed visitors or to see his lawyers.

Visitors find Assange still in good spirits, however. He’s ready to fight as always. After 8 years of isolation and 8 months of pure torture, most people would have easily given up. Not Assange. His courage and integrity stand up against 3 governments who want to destroy him.

As a publisher and journalist, this man has endured much more than any other in the history of the United States itself. He has stood heroicly against world government’s corruption and injustice, exposing what is wrong. So why is the United States and the United Kingdom trying so desperately to silence him? Because they themselves have become criminal and crooked. They hide their crimes from the public and when exposed prosecute the whistleblowers who bring to light their fraudulent transgressions.

Mainstream Media should have long ago broadcast this disgusting atrocity against human rights and free speech but being organizations that propaganda tools this would be against the corporations who own them. In fact, there have been more smears published about Assange than anything else.

Many have never even heard of Julian Assange and the fact he has been confined to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for 6 1/2 years without sunlight, fresh air or proper medical care against two UN rulings. They have no idea that the government who promised to protect him tortured him for 8 months through solitary confinement. Even prisoners get an hour outside a day, yet Assange has been allowed on the balcony only 6 times for a few minutes in the last 6 years. This is a tragedy and a disgusting display of government overreach amongst other things.

The permanent damage done to this man can never be repaired or repaid. The damage done by his stint in solitary confinement alone is irreversible. (See my article on the effects of solitary confinement seen here.) Yet, Julian Assange still stands tall. An innocent man who simply published the truth against governments who seek to destroy him in order to make what he has exposed a crime.

How will this all end? We can only fight to see a good outcome. In fact, we must fight that this man does not deteriorate before our eyes. As human beings, we must end this breach of human rights and save this man for truth and justice and for good conscience sake.

Please write your elected officials or call them and demand they stand up for this man and free him. If not for a fellow human being, for future generations free speech and free press.

What Is the U.N.Convention Against Torture Law and How Can It Help Julian Assange

I have only recently learned of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment also known as the U.N. CAT law or convention against Torture.  Under this law, I have found a few things that may have been overlooked in regards to the illegal detainment of Julian Assange. According to article one found here:

“For the purpose of this Convention, the term “torture” means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him, or a third person, information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in, or incidental to, lawful sanctions.”

In the case of Julian Assange, with 8 years arbitrary detention 6 of which have been without fresh air, sunlight or proper medical care and the complete isolation of over 8 months this past year, his situation certainly is considered torture under international law.  In fact, the U.N. has ruled twice in favor of Assange, finding the U.K. has detained Assange illegally as seen here:

“The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention considers that the various forms of deprivation of liberty to which Julian Assange has been subjected constitute a form of arbitrary detention,” said Seong-Phil Hong, who currently heads the expert panel.

“The Working Group maintains that the arbitrary detention of Mr. Assange should be brought to an end, that his physical integrity and freedom of movement be respected, and that he should be entitled to an enforceable right to compensation,” Mr. Hong added.  

However, it has not been brought in front of the U.N. the current state of torture Assange is suffering.  The funny thing is that the U.K. parliament itself ratified the U.N. CAT law and yet they continue to violate it by keeping an uncharged man imprisoned in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.  Documentation of this ratification can be seen here.

According to Wikipedia seen here:

“The Committee against Torture (CAT) is a body of human rights experts that monitors implementation of the Convention by State parties. The Committee is one of eight UN-linked human rights treaty bodies. All state parties are obliged under the Convention to submit regular reports to the CAT on how rights are being implemented. Upon ratifying the Convention, states must submit a report within one year, after which they are obliged to report every four years. The Committee examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of “concluding observations.” Under certain circumstances, the CAT may consider complaints or communications from individuals claiming that their rights under the Convention have been violated.”

In essence, Assange’s lawyers could bring the current situation to the Committee and very possibly stop the U.K. from being able to arrest him until the case is finalized by the U.N.  If, in fact, the committee were to find Ecuador and the British authorities in violation of the current law, Assange would most certainly be allowed to leave the premises as a free man.

Another legal matter that needs to be addressed is a Habeus Corpus sent to the United States State Department and any court that has jurisdiction in this case.  Upon investigating this, I found this at Cornell university’s law site found here.

“A writ of habeas corpus is used to bring a prisoner or other detainee (e.g. institutionalized mental patient) before the court to determine if the person’s imprisonment or detention is lawful.  A habeas petition proceeds as a civil action against the State agent (usually a warden) who holds the defendant in custody. It can also be used to examine any extradition processes used, the amount of bail, and the jurisdiction of the court.”

By then proving, without Assange being arrested, that his current detention is not only unlawful but extradition has been ordered by the United States government.  Assange would not need to be physically present at these proceedings but could appear via satellite link.  Upon proving there is an extradition order, Ecuador’s hands become tied due to Assange being a citizen of that country and cannot evict him from the Embassy.  This would also open the doors to what charges he faces in the United States.

Also under the United Nations CAT Law, explanation seen here:

“The UNCAT defines what is meant by torture, bans the use of torture, cruel and degrading treatment, bans refoulement (the extradition of individuals at risk to countries where they may face torture), requires governments to actively prevent torture, requires governments to investigate torture allegations, requires governments to provide remedy to torture victims and establishes an appropriate UN committee to deal with issues of redress, monitoring and investigation.”

In other words, because Assange faces the possibility of torture named out in the Stratfor emails seen below, he cannot be extradited to the United States under this law.

Another reason the torture of Assange by the United States may be inevitable is the nomination of “Bloody” Gina Haspel as CIA head.  She is known for her participation in the CIA torture program that was banned after being exposed by John Kiriakou.  Therefore, Julian Assange is in grave danger if he is extradited.

I am suggesting to the legal team of Assange that they look into this.  It may be helpful in their endeavors to free their client.

A Call Out to Journalists who Aren’t Supporting Julian Assange

You think it won’t affect you but it does…

The fact is that the persecution and silencing of publisher and journalist Julian Assange will inevitably affect journalists worldwide. It is only the beginning of the violation of free speech and free press worldwide. It will set a precedent for all media who do not follow the government’s standards for propaganda and news.

I have written before how Hitler’s browncoats took over the media first and burnt books that did not agree with their agenda. In fact, the purging of independent journalists on social media has already begun. Journalists worldwide are being murdered. When will you wake up?

Don’t forget the poem written by Pastor Ronald Niemoller seen below:

First they came for Assange… But you did not care. When they finally come for anyone who tells the truth including you, then you will wish you stood up for Julian when you had the chance. In October 2018, the independent published an article on the growing number of journalists being murdered seen here.

According to their article:
“According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New-York based organisation defending the freedom of the press, at least 43 journalists have been killed in 2018 so far. The figure includes those who died in the line of fire while covering conflicts or on dangerous assignments, as well as those who were murdered. Russian journalists Alexander Rastorguyev, Kirill Radchenko and Orkhan Dzhemal were killed in June while working on a story in the Central African Republic.Figures released by the CPJ show that 46 journalists were killed in 2017.“

These numbers are increasing and as Assange is isolated and being pressured to leave his asylum more and more journalists are being silenced in our midst. Where is the outrage?

You would think high profile media personalities would be protesting such an atrocity on a fellow comrade. Instead, they join in the propaganda and attempt to smear their peer. This is a disgusting display of apathy and passiveness. It’s easy to collect that paycheck and live like an elitist rather than put your own neck on the line and speak the truth, isn’t it?

I can only hope the public sees you for what you are and are able to save this man before it’s too late. For #FreePress and #FreeSpeech.

My Days Spent at the Ecuador Embassy in London: Free Assange

I was so excited when I arrived in London even though I got lost on my way to the hostel several times. London can be very beautiful in some areas and very poor in others. Arriving there I met several vigilers and then made my way over to meet Ciaron O’Reilly.

I spent 14 hours a day standing watch at night while Ciaron slept 8 of those. Hans Crescent is very quiet and lonely at night. I spent a lot of my time reflecting on the world, feeling very sad for Julian and contemplating the future. Often I thought of the persecution and torture of the man inside.

People truly don’t see the absolute injustice of what is happening to Assange. They don’t understand the irreparable damage be done by years of sensory deprivation, lack of sunlight, fresh air and medical care. They do not understand what 8 months without phone, visitors or internet can do. Solitary confinement after 15 days is considered torture according to the UN Nelson Mandela Act.

I have written before about the effects of solitary confinement on the mind,(seen here). Unfortunately the situation has not improved much for Julian. Fortunately, his father John Shipton was able to visit him for Christmas but Assange is suffering physically and there is no end in sight. The absolute horror of this atrocity does not hit you quite hard enough until you’ve stood outside that building for hours knowing what is happening inside.

It is easy for us to say there are other tragedies happening in the world today. It is easy to sit back and do nothing and expect others to take care of it for us. However, no one has ever built a skyscraper by themselves. The movement needs action not just words. People need to contact their elected officials by email, phone and letters. We need to stand in unity and solidarity or he will die in that embassy.

The reality of his plight and the need to fight harder became stronger for me by standing watch for 23 days. I met many wonderful people who are truly dedicated to this cause, but mostly it taught me that the fight to Free Assange must not only continue but strengthen.