IPPNW press release from 03.05.2022

Nobel Peace Prize winning organization demands release of Julian Assange

World Press Freedom Day

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization called for the release of Julian Assange at its annual congress in Hamburg over the weekend. As editor-in-chief of Wikileaks and through the publication of whistleblower information on serious war crimes, Julian Assange had the greatest peace policy significance. Already in 2019, Northern Ireland’s Mairead Corrigan nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. This year, more nominations have been added. The German IPPNW section supports Julian Assange’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Under health-threatening conditions, Julian Assange has been sitting in the British maximum security prison in Belmarsh near London for more than two years. If his extradition and charge of “conspiracy” (publication of Pentagon documents), demanded by the U.S. and approved by Britain’s Westminster Magistrates Court on April 20, 2022, were carried out, he would face 175 years in prison. “This would also be a severe blow to the peace movement and would have a massive deterrent effect on publicists and journalists to make war crimes public – especially since it is unclear whether the indictment could not be extended after extradition and Assange could face the death penalty,” reads a resolution passed at the IPPNW annual congress in Hamburg.

Contact:
Angelika Wilmen (IPPNW), Tel. 030 698 074 13, Email: wilmen@ippnw.de