Assange Countdown to Freedom

John Shipton, the father of persecuted journalist Julian Assange , continues his fierce and fearless advocacy in defense of his son. Mr Shipton blasts the UK and US governments for the abominable, torturous treatment of the Wikileaks founder and laments the ominous , kafkaedque show trial that has dragged on for more than 2 years. Rebecca Vincent is the Director of International Campaigns for Reporters Without Borders, known internationally as Reporters sans frontières (RSF), which works to promote and defend press freedom around the world. She is an American-British human rights campaigner, writer and former diplomat with an expertise in freedom of expression. Rebecca has coordinated a number of high profile international human rights campaigns. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, holds an MA in Human Rights from University College London and has published widely.

On the eve of the preliminary hearing of the US' appeal in a UK High re Assange, Professor Nils Melzer, the esteemed UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, returns to Countdown for an informative and lively discussion revolving around the upcoming English version of his critically acclaimed blockbuster bestseller The Trial of Julian Assange. Prof. Melzer spends the last portion of the interview analyzing, dissecting and speculating on the lower court's narrow decision not to extradite Assange and what it may auger during the appeals process. Prof. Nils Melzer is theHuman Rights Chairof the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. He is also Professor of International Law at the University of Glasgow. On 1 November 2016, he took up the function of UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Prof. Melzer has served for 12 years with the International Committee of the Red Cross as a Legal Adviser, Delegate and Deputy Head of Delegation in various zones of conflict and violence. After leaving the ICRC in 2011, he held academic positions as Research Director of the Swiss Competence Centre on Human Rights (University of Zürich), as Swiss Chair for International Humanitarian Law (Geneva Academy) and as Senior Fellow for Emerging Security Challenges (Geneva Centre for Security Policy), and has represented civil society in the Steering Committee of the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers. In the course of his career, Prof. Melzer has also served as Senior Security Policy Adviser to the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, has carried out advisory mandates for influential institutions such as the United Nations, the European Union, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss Federal Department of Defense, and has regularly been invited to provide expert testimonies, including to the UN First Committee, the UN CCW, the UNSG Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, and various Parliamentary Commissions of the European Union, Germany and Switzerland. Prof. Melzer has authored award-winning and widely translated books, including: "Targeted Killing in International Law" (Oxford, 2008, Guggenheim Prize 2009), the ICRC's "Interpretive Guidance on the Notion of Direct Participation in Hostilities" (2009) and the ICRC's official handbook "International Humanitarian Law - a Comprehensive Introduction" (2016), as well as numerous other publications in the field of international law. In view of his expertise in new technologies, Prof. Melzer has been mandated by the EU Parliament to author a legal and policy study on "Human Rights Implications of the Usage of Drones and Robots in Warfare" (2013) and has also co-authored the NATO CCDCOE "Tallinn Manual on the International Law applicable to Cyber Warfare" (Cambridge, 2013), and the NATO MCDC "Policy Guidance Autonomy in Defence Systems", (NATO ACT, 2014). Throughout his career, Prof. Melzer has fought to preserve human dignity and the rule of law through the relentless promotion, reaffirmation and clarification of international legal standards offering protection to those exposed to armed conflicts and other situations of violence.

Thomas Drakeis a former senior executive at the National Security Agency, where he blew the whistle on massive multi-billion dollar fraud, the widespread violations of the rights of citizens through secret mass surveillance programs after 9/11, and critical 9/11 intelligence failures. In 2010, he was charged under the draconian Espionage Act for his oath to support and defend the US Constitution. In 2011, the government’s case against him collapsed and he went free in a plea deal. He is featured in the “Silenced” documentary as well as the US PBS Frontline special “The United States of Secrets”. In 2017, Drake received his PhD in public policy and administration. His dissertation “Eyewitness to History in Devolution of Democracy and Constitutional Rights Following 9/11” focused on the centrality of the post-9/11 security driven world and the price paid by those who speak truth about the abuse of power and the erosion of our rights and freedoms. He speaks widely on privacy and security issues and the critical need to protect our inalienable human rights. Mr. Drake has a varied career background that includes teaching, information technology, systems and software engineering, code analysis and military and intelligence experience. He is now dedicated to the defense of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Courageous former British Ambassador (and about-to-be-jailed whistleblower) Craig Murray grants a rare interview in order to expose the shocking insider cheating and twisting of British and US law being used to silence and perhaps even kill Julian Assange by keeping him locked up in grim Belmarsh prison while he waits for the British High Court to rule on whether or not to extradite him to the United States, where he would face a kangaroo court trial and almost certain imprisonment for the rest of his life.

John Pilger, the award winning filmmaker/author/journalist , looks back at the last 10 years of captivity of political prisoner Julian Assange on the wikleakeaks founder's 50th birthday—spent for the 3 straight year in isolation inside a small, dank cell in the notorious and squalid Belmarsh "dungeon." Pilger, a longtime close friend and fervent, tireless defender of Mr. Assange, looks back at the persecuted journalist's moral commitment to truth transparency. Pilger, whose 61 documentaries are archived in the British Library, bemoans the toll the past 2 years of confinement have had Mr. Assange and his family. Pilger also excoriates the Biden administration for appealing the UK court's decision to deny the Trump DOJ extradition request and describes the "Assange Effect,” which has prompted other so-called democratic governments, notably the UK and Australian suppress free speech and press. "If Assange is extradited to the US, it will be the end of democracy..this is the most important case of the 21st century...we must do everything we can to prevent this from happening,” Pilger concludes ominously.