Julian Assange is a divisive figure in many circles. Many people condemn the WikiLeaks founder for allegations of sexual assault (and his failing to surrender to bail in the United Kingdom for those allegations, instead being granted diplomatic immunity within the Ecuadorian Embassy in London). Meanwhile, others praise him for his work with the whistleblowing website responsible for releasing classified information – including thousands of American diplomatic cables. Avant-garde artist/musician and counter-culture icon Yoko Ono Lennon shows no such ambivalence, however, giving Assange the Courage Award for the Arts 2013 at a special ceremony this past weekend.
The annual award was created by Ono in 2009, with recipients chosen in recognition of their strength in following their own passion – especially when faced with disbelief and doubt from onlookers, or censorship and persecution from authorities. Previous award winners included art buyers Gil and Lila Silverman, feminist art group Guerrilla Girls Broadband, and musician Meredith Monk. “Our public officials have forgotten that they are ultimately accountable to the people who put them in office; that the information they keep in secrecy belongs to all of us,” Ono spoke of her decision to elect Assange as this year’s award recipient. “Julian Assange took a courageous step by rightfully returning what belongs to the public domain. For that reason, I believe we need to stand behind him.”
Assange was, of course, unable to accept the award in person; in his absence, it was accepted by his legal team, the Honorable Judge Baltasar Garzon Real and Michael Ratner, President Emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights. Assange also released a statement in response to the award, in which he thanked both men for their “courageous and unyielding support,” as well as the Ecuadorian people, whose support “strengthens not just my rights but the rights of political refugees everywhere.”
“People often ask me how I keep going,” Assange wrote. “They ask as if my work was some kind of burden to me. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is no greater pleasure than fighting for your principles. There is no greater pleasure than in fighting for those who have risked all to share your vision. And there is no greater pleasure than seeing those who you admire, in turn, move to fight for you. And while the embassy that shelters me is still surrounded by armed police, my voice is free.”
He dedicated his award “to our courageous sources, supporters and to my staff,” adding that “through their courage and wit they are revealing the true nature of our global human civilisation.
“This is how we may reform it. Elevate it – and make it just, beyond its humble origins. Their courage in documenting war crimes, gross human rights violations, and the corruption of our societies is unequaled.”
Shouldn’t the headline have read more like this: Yoko Ono presents an award she made up herself so that she can continue to feel like she’s relevant?
Couldn’t agree more.
Assange needs to be thrown into jail. He is a criminal. He might have thought his efforts were heroic, but when you put people’s lives at risk like he did, you are no better than a terrorist.
Actually anybody who name calls Assange a “criminal’ should be investigated for the skeletons he’s hiding in his own closet, possibly as bad as terrorism? Assange has exposed dark crimes of criminals in criminals governments, which results in a freer society. The freaks who want humanity to be enslaved will do anything to stop the freedom of knowledge and crimes to be exposed to the light of day. Too bad for the psychos of society that he’s out of their reach. Assange is simply a hero.
Sorry, but two wrongs do not make a right. You cannot call yourself a hero by exposing criminals while at the same time putting good, honest people at risk. That is wrong no matter how you want to spin it.
IMO … Assange is a criminal. Go ahead … check my closet out. I’m not perfect and I’ve made mistakes but no skeletons there.
It is the naive who think that all information should be available to everyone. While I don’t completely disagree with that, unfortunately, in the world we’ve lived in for the last 100+ years, it is the very existence of secrets that has allowed the world to be much freer than it might have been. Abuses should be exposed and prosecuted but not at the risk of endangering the world.
You might consider Assange a hero. I consider you ignorant.
Please help support freedom of the press and freedom of information by sponsoring Julian Assange for the Nobel prize for freedom of the press: Google: Avaaz.org Julian Assange for Nobel prize “Freedom of the Press” and vote!
PLEASE HELP PROMOTE THIS LINK.