GUEST BLOG: Suzie Dawson – NOT IN MY NAME: ACADEMICS PUBLICLY ATTACKING UN TORTURE RAPPORTEUR

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I am a survivor of rape, gang rape and the abusive police process I was subjected to when I reported it and I am fed up with watching sexual violence being used as a cover for political attacks on Julian Assange, his colleagues and his supporters.

I am not alone. Numerous other survivors have reached out to me tonight expressing the same sentiment and we deserve to be heard.

Today, members of what is supposedly a women’s advocacy group published an open letter addressed to UN top brass, from the Secretary-General on down, complaining about an article written by UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer and attempting to call into question his suitability for his role.

Melzer has recently transformed the debate around 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Julian Assange’s situation by formally finding that Assange is a victim of state-sponsored (and publicly perpetuated) psychological torture.

The content of the open letter undermining Melzer is founded on a premise of advocating for and protecting the rights of women and of survivors of sexual violence. Yet when I self-identified as a survivor in tweets to the organisers of the open letter and dissented against their opinions, they belittled me and were dismissive of my arguments.

Yes, the very women who should have been most sincere about unpacking the experiences and feelings of a survivor of sexual assault could not muster a single shred of empathy for me, nor did they express even the mildest concern for my wellbeing or safety, despite my clearly having been triggered by the conversation.

The very women who complained in their open letter against Melzer, of “insensitivity to victims of sexual assault” and “..a profound lack of understanding…” were themselves apparently incapable of demonstrating any sensitivity or understanding when dealing directly with a survivor.

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And it is thus, the issue. Too often the theory that is advanced that “we must support victims!” and “we must centre the voices of women and survivors!” doesn’t match the practice. Despite being self-styled advocates, academics and lawyers, they were simply too wrapped up in themselves to have the time of day for a lowly survivor of sexual assault who was outside of their clique. They  weren’t considerate of my right to my own opinions and weren’t prepared to consider them.

I can’t help but notice that their attitudes stand in stark contrast to that of Melzer himself. Standing in the harsh light of their accusations, he handled himself with poise, grace and more – with willingness to engage, receptiveness to their arguments, and with a concerted focus on bettering outcomes for survivors.

He even thanked them.

Twice.

The reactions of those same women to my (and others) inquiries couldn’t have been any different from Melzer’s reaction. Instead of welcoming our input or engaging in constructive dialogue, they defaulted to posturing themselves as the victims, proclaiming on social media that they were being attacked. While continually boasting of having added further signatories to their attempt to undermine Melzer’s career.

Sadly, Melzer is not a lone target of the tactic of organised mass signings of an open letter being employed against him. WikiLeaks PR Consultant Trevor Fitzgibbon was the subject of an open letter signed by 72 progressive organisations decrying him as a serial abuser of women. Their lobbying efforts against him brought down his successful business and destroyed his career and his marriage, prior to him being cleared of all charges after lengthy investigations by authorities. Fitzgibbon subsequently won a defamation case against his primary accuser, after revelations of her private text message communications with him (available on the court record) made it clear that he had never raped her. His accuser has now retracted her accusations.

Likewise the activism career of WikiLeaks advocate Jacob Appelbaum was destroyed by similar tactics. Open letters were used to de-platform him at major tech conferences and hackerspaces, including one he co-founded. The public shaming campaign against him eventually boiled down to a sole complainant of sexual assault – by a person who has since gone on to make extremely dubious allegations against two other high profile members of the tech industry and is likewise now facing defamation proceedings as a result.

As a survivor of rape, it is gutting to have to continually watch people who profess to act in defence of women attack and destroy good men in the name of protecting survivors. I can not simply sit by and allow rape to continue to be weaponised for political gain.

Therefore I am writing my own open letter in response to that penned by Melzer’s critics, both in direct response to the substance (or lack thereof) of their claims, and to draw a line. A line that says, if you take this man down, it will not be in our name.

If academics read this response and are principled and brave enough to co-sign it, that is great. However I am most interested in platforming and amplifying the voices of regular people, many of whom will also inevitably be fellow survivors, who too often are the forgotten or silent majority, while the circus of these tar-and-feather public shaming campaigns continues unabated.

It is only by speaking out that we can stop them. And it is way past time.

Not In My Name: Open letter in response to the open letter by purported women’s advocates attacking the credibility of UN Special Rapporteur for Torture Nils Melzer

To: Ms Michelle Bachelet Jeria, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Ms Kate Gilmore, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights; Coordination Committee of UN Special Procedures (chair Ms Anita Ramasastry, Mr Victor Madrigal-Borloz, Mr Javaid Rehman, Ms Leigh Toomey, Mr Clément Voulé and Mr Dainius Puras)

On 1st July 2019 an open letter was penned to your excellencies that has so far been co-signed by 150+ people who identify themselves as “practitioners and scholars in international law and human rights”.

The authors of the article assert:

  • They “are deeply disturbed by the way [Melzer] approaches the allegations of sexual assault in this case.”
  • that Melzer’s “tone is unbecoming of a UN mandate holder
  • that Melzer “dismisses the allegations on the basis that they do not “have the ring of rape in any language other than Swedish”. Mr Melzer’s statement is incorrect.”
  • that Melzer “grossly misunderstands the realities and legalities of sexual assault when he dismisses the allegations against Mr Assange on the basis that they “do not involve any violence”.
  • that “Allegations against powerful or high-profile men such as Julian Assange are routinely dismissed as attention-seeking or part of a conspiracy to bring them down. Mr Melzer’s “op ed” perpetuates this dangerous narrative

They concede:

  • that Melzer’s “overarching argument may merit attention
  • that in their arguments, they will be “leaving aside whether this is an accurate summary of the events of the case”
  • that “Mr Assange has fundamental rights to freedom from torture, a presumption of innocence, and a fair trial.

The crux of the assertions of the authors of the open letter hinge upon a portion of an interview Melzer gave to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges on his show On Contact. They quote Melzer as having said:

“I think it is also important to point out what is called a “rape” allegation is not by any stretch what would be called “rape” in English or any other language other than Swedish, and I know what I’m talking about because I do speak Swedish. What this “rape” allegation refers to is an offence that doesn’t involve any violence (…) [Assange] is being accused of having ripped a condom during consensual intercourse (…) this is something no one will ever be able to prove.”

But here is what Melzer actually said word for word:

I think it is important also to point out that what is called a rape allegation is not by any stretch what would be called rape in English or any other language than Swedish in the world and I know what I’m talking about because I do speak Swedish. So, what this rape allegation refers to, an offence, that doesn’t involve any violence.” 

In the interview, Melzer stresses the words “an offence”. This can be heard precisely at 10:57 in the interview. It is the offence itself, stipulated in the Swedish law books, that was specifically designed for when violence was not used in the course of the action.

The English translation of the law is insufficient to explain the precise wording of the definition of the charge. The original Swedish law text makes implicitly clear that it applies only to instances of lessened violence than a forced penetration. That is why it is usually reported in English-language media as “lesser rape”. In the Swedish language, the implied lessening of the level of violence is even more pronounced. Which is why Melzer was explaining that he is fluent in Swedish. Because of that, he was able to interpret the full meaning of the wording of the laws, and therefore the nature of the allegations, in a way in which English speakers cannot.

Therefore the accusation that Melzer was trying to depict rape as a non-violent act is completely false. This invalidates the core premise of the original Open Letter of complaint against Melzer.

Melzer was simply describing an offence as it existed in 2010 on the Swedish law books. That law has since been changed in 2018. The 2018 interpretation appears to be closer to what the authors of the Open Letter wish to ascribe; however it simply was not relevant to Melzer’s credible and learned assessment of the original 2010 offence invoked against Assange.

The signatories to the Open Letter are signing it on the understanding that it contains an accurate depiction of Melzer’s actions. However, as evidenced above, the letter does not. Therefore it is a fundamentally flawed document, a misuse of the network being employed to amass signatures, a potential risk to the academic reputations of the signatories and a disservice to those on whose behalf it seeks to advocate.

Although the above sufficiently nullifies the allegations of professional impropriety falsely levelled at Melzer there is another issue which I wish to briefly cover off.

The open letter seeks to posture itself as being unbiased and objective, as well as to distance itself from any potential debate about the specifics of Assange’s case. Despite the fact that Melzer’s cited commentary was entirely specific to Assange’s case.

Unfortunately, even the most rudimentary research has unearthed that the primary organisers of the open letter have, in public, been far from unbiased towards Assange.

Out of respect, I will not name names at this point, as the purpose of this letter is not to engage in public shaming, however I am in possession of screenshots of multiple past statements published by the top proponents, organisers and signatories of the open letter making false, defamatory and biased statements about Julian Assange from their professional social media profiles and platforms.

Those statements echo some of the precise wording exhibited by state actors who have ultimately been responsible for the psychological torture of Assange that Melzer exposed.

Likewise, there is evidence of direct ties between the authors of the letter and some of the most voracious and defamatory critics of Assange that exist in the mainstream media sphere. The biases are deep and the relationships clear for all to see, with a few simple keyword searches.

It needs to be recognised and understood, that when Melzer exposed the public “mobbing” and psychological torture of Assange, that many professional human rights and legal advocates who had failed to act on Assange’s behalf or in solidarity with his plight across a number of years, themselves became tacitly implicated in his persecution. Whether it be because they had fallen victim to malicious mainstream reporting about his case, or whether it was due to their own ties to the states that have been and are actively persecuting him, they have been shown in action to have not lived up to their professed principles. That hypocrisy is publicly embarrassing. There are many professionals who would project themselves as being against torture, who have one way or another in this case, become complicit in it. Whether deliberately, or by their silence.

The correct action would be of course for them to acknowledge their error, atone for it and pick up the baton that Melzer has bravely carried thus far. Not to attack Melzer, undermine him, shame him, use social media to “mob” him as Assange was subjected to for so many years,  or seek to distract from the severity of the implications of Melzer’s findings.

It was bad enough that a publisher went most of a decade being tortured in the heart of a major Western capital city with so few in the professional class daring to speak against it. Let us not see those same tactics now be allowed to be wielded against a UN Special Rapporteur too. We cannot allow those who, be it purposefully or inadvertently, contributed to the torture of a publisher, become the public prosecutors of the Special Rapporteur who exposed the torture.

What Melzer has done, in thoroughly researching in minute detail the case of Julian Assange, is historic and lends great credence and weight to the reputation of the United Nations as a whole. I know of many who had frankly lost faith in the organisation, only to have it restored by Melzer’s courage, tenacity and attention to detail. His is a significant achievement, undertaken in good conscience and in the face of overwhelmingly powerful and hostile forces, and for that he should be rewarded and not punished.

My 2018, 24,000-word research tome about the Assange case, called Being Julian Assange was read by over 140,000 people on this website alone, not including the multiple other locations and countries in which it was republished. In that piece, which was tweeted by Julian Assange shortly before he was silenced, as well as by WikiLeaks, Christine Assange and countless others, I wrote an important piece of testimony, about what it feels like as a survivor to watch the allegations against Julian Assange bandied about as “rape” all these years. I feel compelled to quote it in full:

The apparent inability of self-styled defenders of women to differentiate between the physical and deliberate violence of actual rape, such as Bill Clinton’s rape of Juanita Broderick, compared to disagreements over condoms or in the case of Appelbaum, non-consensual back-washing, kissing someone in a bar, propositioning someone or making bad jokes, undermines and is frankly depressing to, those of us who are survivors.

Sexually harmful behaviours and other aspects of rape culture can and should be denounced and deplored, without having to equate it to rape. The proclivity of the liberal set for doing so waters down and diminishes the experience of rape victims, and the seriousness of it. It seems to be yet another function of privilege, to bandy about terms such as “rape”, “rapist”, and “serial rapist” without understanding the repercussions of doing so.

Rape is an assault on all five senses. For a protracted period of time thereafter, it renders you almost unable to live inside your body, to live inside your life. Unable to preserve your sensory perceptions or restore them to how they functioned before the rape.

To falsely describe sexually problematic behaviour common amongst the entire population as “rape” belittles and undermines survivors, as does unfairly expanding the definition of what constitutes a rapist, or branding every man a rapist by affiliation. Doing so causes many men who are not rapists to recoil from confronting what does need to change. It dissuades them from meaningfully engaging on legitimate issues. It encourages an inevitable and counterproductive backlash, that needn’t have occurred.”

This reflects a broad societal trend to blur the lines of what rape is, to expand its definition by using terms like “rapey“, a term often invoked in relation to Assange. I addressed the use of that term also.

“The term “rapey” is itself, offensive. With its use, the definition of rape is being willfully expanded into borderline meaninglessness and obscurity. As if there can be “racisty” or “sexisty” or “homophobicy”. There cannot. Rape is an absolute, and a serious crime against humanity. The term should not be callously invoked; watered down for the social convenience of he or she exercising the privilege inherently wielded when bastardising the language of the violated.”

Given that the eyes of many who believe themselves to be defenders of women are likely to read this letter, I felt it important to highlight those passages. Because foremost in the minds of those who advocate for survivors must be a concerted effort to understand how we feel, our wish to preserve the words which describe our experiences, and to retain ownership of them much as any marginalised or vulnerable group does with language used to describe them. Rape is a word that should be used with respect for the price those of us who have experienced it paid. It should never be callously bandied about, its definition should never be allowed to become meaningless, and the accusation of it should never, ever be used as a political weapon.

It is possible that in his research, Melzer read the above quoted passages and was affected by them. If so, I am grateful, and if not, I know that others were and will be.

But if Melzer is to now have rotten fruit thrown at him in the town square for breaking taboos to defend a victim of torture who others did not, then it will not be in my name.

Authored by: Suzie Dawson

Co-Signed By:

SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT WHO CLAIM THEIR RIGHT TO BE RECOGNISED AS SUCH AND HAVE THEIR VOICES HEARD:

      1. Suzie Dawson, Journalist and activist
      2. Ariyana Love, Journalist and Human Rights defender
      3. Beth Wendy Grundfest-Frigeri, Disabled activist
      4. Grayden Shelley, Artist
      5. Kitty Hundal, Retired, Ontario Civil Liberties Association, Author
      6. Rachel Collins, Housewife
      7. Lilain Duffy, Sociologist
      8. Caitlin Johnstone, Journalist, Poet
      9. Sarah Freeis, Activist, Artist
      10. Sandra Hewett, Unemployed
      11. Halo Benson, Mom
      12. Reverend Elisa Standridge Howell, Minister and Spiritual Advisor
      13. Sarah Jane Brennan, Independent Journalist, Human Rights Activist
      14. Sarah Taylor, Researcher
      15. Caressia Blair, Unemployed
      16. Pema Than, Parent, Scientist
      17. Christine Dopf, M.Sc, Activist
      18. Helena Jennie, College Professor
      19. Raine James, Forklift Operator, Mother
      20. Joanne Maree Le Mura, BA – Community Services, Community Development, Human Rights Advocate
      21. Sharon K. Raum, Retired
      22. Louise Bennet, Media Advisor
      23. Nicki Myers, Musician
      24. Carrie Ellsworth, Student
      25. Meaghan Walker, Researcher, Writer
      26. Teresa Marshall, Massage Therapist
      27. Diane Friedman, Retired Health Professional, Peace Activist, Mother, Grandmother
      28. Hope Kesselring, Writer
      29. Dr. Christine DeCarlo, Disabled Activist
      30. Taurean Benson, Husband and Father
      31. Annabelle Hodge, Mother
      32. Courtney Imholt, Homemaker
      33. Natalie Kerslake, Housewife and Mother, ex-Teacher and Chartered Accountant
      34. Danielle J. Dunkley, Student
      35. Carmen Powers, Grandmother, Activist
      36. Doug, Retired Musician and Teacher
      37. Lily Torres, Engineer, Mother
      38. Tam Brewer, Retired, Activist
      39. Jayne Jackie Brown, Mother, Peace and Human Rights Activist
      40. Carol Watt, Chinese Medicine Practitioner
      41. Nadia N. Kira, Painter, Art Therapist
      42. Bella Magnani, Researcher
      43. Lorese Vera MA., Teacher, Writer, Editor
      44. Joanne Doran, Lecturer of Health Sciences
      45. I. E., Writer
      46. Vivian Kubrick, Composer, Filmmaker
      47. Irene Potashner, Project Coordinator
      48. Kat Irvine, Self-employed
      49. Alice Bergot, Artist
      50. Cleonarda da Venezia, Carer, Artist
      51. Kim McMahon, Student
      52. Patricia Call, Human Rights Activist
      53. V. V. R., Disabled Activist
      54. Eloïse Vanhouteghem, Illustrator
      55. Jill P. Michaels, Retired
      56. Siobhan Cawson Mooney, Musician, Activist
      57. Leslie Stein, Retired
      58. Kyra Moore, M. Ed., Teacher
      59. Wiesje Slot, Activist
      60. Jude Fleming, Human Rights Defender, Writer
      61. Sandra Hill, Researcher/Analyst, Mother, Student
      62. Madeleine Love, Independent Scholar, Senate Candidate (AUS)
      63. Ally Cordingly, Educationalist
      64. Animae Jones, Retired, Activist
      65. Marti Babb, Small Business Owner
      66. Stephanie Marsilia, College Lecturer, Licensed Psychotherapist
      67. Leanne Ramirez, Retired US Military
      68. Shari Nolder, Activist, Artist, Caregiver
      69. Eul Liester, Sales Worker
      70. Melinda McCracken, Retired
      71. Graham Elwood, Political Comedian, Filmmaker
      72. Ann Garrison, Journalist
      73. Dr. Marni Sheppeard, Unemployed Theoretical Physicist
      74. Julie Meyer, College Access Professional
      75. Lauren Ellis, Case Worker, Artist
      76. Cynthia George, Advocate for the Elderly
      77. Rosie Ingram, Mother, Grandmother
      78. Kristin Bright, Truck Driver, Humanitarian
      79. Quinn Petersen, Activist
      80. Deborah Hendry, Educator, Counsellor, PhD Candidate
      81. Hali Cespedes-Chorin, Technical Writer
      82. Susan Neece, Art Therapist
      83. E. Schemer, Artist
      84. Lorraine Tipton, Co-founder, American Mothers Party
      85. Esther Hendriksen, former International Policy Advisor
      86. Martin K. O’Connor, Unemployed
      87. Rosita Allinckx, Activist, Artist
      88. Ken Black, Entrepreneur
      89. Mairi Nicola Morrison, Legal Scholar
      90. Nel Lane, Activist, Writer, Social Justice Advocate
      91. Kylie McCrimmon, Intensive Care Nurse, Mother
      92. Elpo Damianou, ex-UNHCR Congo
      93. Kristine Rael, Piano Teacher
      94. Yvonne Holzmayer, Teacher, Mother
      95. Hamed Pakatchi, Graduate Student
      96. Elise Tak, Artist
      97. Kit Jones, Licensed Psychotherapist/Mental Health Counsellor
      98. M. Mayermiar, Veteran
      99. Sarah K. Freeis, Activist and Media Artist
      100. Johanna Harman, Supporter
      101. Lauren B. Wilson, Disabled Activist, Artist
      102. Pamela Anderson, Activist

     

  1. Louise Bracken, Retail Cashier
  2. Niki Konstantinidis, Barrister and Solicitor
  3. Lohan Gunaweera, Visual & Performance Artist, Translator
  4. Dr. Thomas Harvey, Honorary Research Associate in Philosophy, University of Auckland
  5. Clinton David Hohneck, Engineer
  6. Laura Genovese, School Secretary
  7. Marijke Hultzer, Retired journalist
  8. Taylor Hudak, Journalist and activist
  9. Rasmus Sylvester Forsberg Outzen, Intelligence activist
  10. Paula Iasella, Broadway Costume Design/Wardrobe
  11. Paul Neville, Retired
  12. Laura Killian, Unemployed Academic (Science and Engineering), Pirate Party Australia
  13. John Anthony Giles, Retired
  14. William Hogan, Professor
  15. Linda Hagge, Retired University Instructor
  16. Nicholas Woodward, Painter
  17. Stacy O’Neill, Teacher
  18. Mary-Ann Jones, PhD, Retired Scientist
  19. Julie Milicevic, Educator
  20. Vivek Nayak, Data Entry Office Worker
  21. Cassandra Fairbanks, Journalist
  22. Patricia Perlo, IT Business Analyst
  23. Jessie A. Kim, Small Business Owner
  24. Roger Close, Unemployed, Former DJ, Student
  25. Tyler McMillan, Consultant
  26. Lorilee House, Retired Editor
  27. Bruce Turnbull, Pensioner
  28. Deborah Thomas, Hand Therapist
  29. Flavia Westerwelle, Self-emplyed Artist
  30. Kendra Christian, Sales Manager
  31. Michele Cochrane, Retired University Administrator
  32. Clare Smith, Self-employed
  33. Mary Naylor, Retired Teacher, Poet
  34. Jason Brinkman, Retired
  35. Marie Apap, Teacher
  36. Laura Eckert, Artist
  37. Joslyn Erica, Social Worker, Herbalist, Mother
  38. Michelle Wood, Activist, Mother, Naturopath
  39. Concerned Citizen, Portland Activist
  40. Alex Hills, Activist
  41. Marty Cook, Teacher
  42. Chris Lonsdale, Psychologist, Linguist, Educator, Entrepreneur
  43. Lorraine Harvey, Retired
  44. Gordon Dimmack, Independent Journalist
  45. Ann Batiza, PhD., Retired Academic
  46. Chris Leising, Photographer
  47. Daniel Wirt, Medical Doctor
  48. Fabel Arostegi, Teacher
  49. Celia Moore, Carer, Swimming Teacher, Activist
  50. Dave Donnellan, Peace Activist
  51. Dragos Savu, Accountant
  52. Lynne Bon de Veire, Artist
  53. Stephen Boni, Essayist, Editor, Storyteller
  54. Ian Colville, Product Manager
  55. Nic, Retired Mental Health Worker
  56. Lorese Vera, MA, Teacher, Writer
  57. Anna Moras, Executive Assistant
  58. Shaista Salam, Peace Activist
  59. Lucinda Manning, Activist, Archivist, Feminist, Librarian
  60. Noah Baslaw, Student
  61. Kristin Scott, Therapist
  62. Humberto Arturo Reaza Jr., Teacher
  63. Odette Louise Stevens, Artist
  64. Monique Jolie, Unemployed
  65. Rob Trimmer, Security Guard
  66. Nina Cross, Teacher, Writer
  67. Mehdi Taileb, Activist
  68. Shona Davidson, Retired
  69. Tatiana Schild, Mother, Activist
  70. George Szamuely PhD., Author
  71. Charlotte Gracias, Project Manager
  72. Elizabeth Hamilton, Grandmother, Disabled Activist
  73. Somerset Bean, Graphic Designer
  74. Julie Collier, Homemaker
  75. Bradley C. Hughes, former Greens Counsellor and Deputy Mayor,
  76. Randwick, NSW
  77. Judy Driggers, Mother, Grandmother
  78. Pierre Studler, Plumber
  79. John Hayward, Pensioner
  80. Stephen Perrett, Small Business Owner
  81. Christian Larsson, Student
  82. Jose Rivera, Builder
  83. Belinda Curtis, Support Worker, Accomodation Manager
  84. Spring Grace Eselgroth, Copy Editor, Activist
  85. Theodore W. Altmeter, Retired
  86. Elizabeth Mueller, Activist, Researcher
  87. Jenni Hall, Investigative Research and Screenplay Writer
  88. Paula Murphy, Supporter
  89. Jean B. Palmer, Supporter
  90. Serena Ferrario, Unemployed
  91. Francois Guesdon, Unemployed
  92. Jennifer Lyon, Clinical Librarian
  93. Sasha Mitrovich, Retired
  94. Annika Dahlbäck, Acupuncturist
  95. Lissa K. Johnson, Clinical Psychologist
  96. Elizabeth Hawke, Retired
  97. Jean Chevrier, Self-employed
  98. Mike Hurt, Web Developer
  99. Göran Stål, Osteopath
  100. Roseanne Martorana, Physical Therapy Driver, Dog Walker
  101. Tristan Roch-Desparois, Hardware Store Worker
  102. Anna Palczynska, Nurse
  103. Brad Lacke, Freelance Artist
  104. Satu Hiitola, Supporter
  105. W. Hall, Supporter
  106. Christa Oberwalder, Activist
  107. Freyja Inanna, Nurse, Midwife
  108. Michael Inanna, Engineer, Healing Retreat Manager
  109. Eleanor Boyd, Retired Teacher
  110. Claire Lowe, Complimentary Therapist
  111. Jane George, Author, Illustrator
  112. Lyndsey Young, Receptionist
  113. Wilson Mpalweni, Journalist
  114. Juan Rebes, IT Consultant
  115. Dennis Revell, Property Management, Technical Research
  116. Karina Fernandes, Self-employed
  117. Andreas Schwarzmeier, Engineer
  118. Karen Sprowl, Rehabilitation Counsellor, Nurse
  119. Davena Turvey, Retired Actor
  120. Barry J. Fleming, Consulting Director, Technologist, Activist
  121. Tricia Rajabipour, CT Tech
  122. Nozomi Hayase, PhD, Author
  123. Danielle Wood, Artist, Activist
  124. Donna Piranha, Anthropologist, Activist
  125. Elvira Ferreira, Activist
  126. J. Bogoeva, Supporter
  127. Miguel de Sousa Pires, IT Worker
  128. James Miller, Carpenter
  129. Irene Heitsch, Housewife
  130. Sherry Clayton, Musician
  131. Jeanie Schmidt, Nurse, Mother
  132. Pete DeLorenzo, Musician, Restaurant Worker
  133. Vanessa Byrne, Mother, Homemaker
  134. Chris Whitside, Writer, Producer
  135. Donna Moon, Home Healthcare Provider
  136. Tom Pappalardo, Uber Driver
  137. Jon Krampner, Activist, Author
  138. Colin Goodayle, Retired Public Servant
  139. John McEvoy, Journalist
  140. Calvin Benson, Whistleblower Advocate
  141. Cory Twinney, Pharmacist
  142. Yvonne Langlois, Retired Administrator
  143. Frank Hopewell, Network Rail
  144. Desiree Assaad, HR Specialist
  145. David Sutton, Unemployed Engineer
  146. Isabel Oliveira, Supporter
  147. Jenny Trigg, Retired Health Worker
  148. Magnus Mickelsson, Software Developer
  149. Kimera Muwanguzi Anthony, Photographer, Farmer, Small Business Owner
  150. Shannon Shipley, Lead Organizer for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
  151. Arianna Marchionne, Scientist
  152. Bjørnar Simonsen, Sociology Student
  153. Mary Kostakidis, Journalist
  154. Carl Clarke, Human Resources Manager
  155. Michael Fitzgerald, Commercial Real Estate Broker
  156. Fionnuala Hendrick, CEO
  157. Liesbeth Nieuwenweg, Webmaster
  158. Anne Ridgley, Translator
  159. Tresilla Wood, Homemaker
  160. Lauren Richardson, Investor
  161. Maria Mollenkopf, Disabled
  162. Greg L. Bean, Information Systems Architect
  163. Kate Hecimovic, Higher Education Administrator
  164. Patrick Coss, Unemployed
  165. Tom Heron, Recording Engineer, Teacher
  166. Sandra Lewis, Child Carer
  167. Raphael Steele, Engineer
  168. John Mayall, Software Professional
  169. Lorine Brice, Supporter
  170. Andrew Mcguinness, Lecturer
  171. David Macilwain, Independent Writer, Activist
  172. Dane Owen, Supporter
  173. Jim Kavanagh, Former Professor, Political Analyst
  174. Elissar Hanna, Student
  175. Bjørn Danielsen, Systems Architect
  176. Maarten Vos, Student
  177. Tuan Tran, History Teacher
  178. Linda Hanakova, Healthcare Worker
  179. Paul J. Zickler, High School Teacher
  180. Tony Ansell, Sales Worker
  181. André Forsberg, Medical Student
  182. Mary Henning, Filmmaker
  183. Kathleen Cain, Supporter
  184. Sylvia Bennet, Retired Theatre Professional
  185. Zeina Farah, Political Scientist
  186. Sue Worp, Speech Language Pathologist
  187. Kent Kingsley, Self-Employed
  188. Roy David, Writer
  189. Carol Barnes, Former Domestic Abuse Coordinator/Advisor
  190. Alex Tiedemann, Supporter
  191. Jacqui Ham, Musician
  192. Emily E. Hamilton, Cook
  193. Lianne Rowe, Artist, Psychologist
  194. Alex Mazey, Poet, Essayist
  195. Vincent Abinet, Self-Employed, Teacher
  196. Tamara Thomas, Property Manager
  197. Juliet Smith, Teacher, Mother
  198. Brett Smith, Naturopath
  199. Pete Hallpike, English Teacher
  200. Mara Modesto-Wrobel, Retired
  201. Peter Thomas, Team Manager
  202. Teresa Bear, Certified Public Accountant
  203. Mehrzad Mahmoudian-Geller, College Professor
  204. Mark Brooks, Writer, Retired Business Person
  205. Jodi Thomas, Housewife, Former Senior Physiotherapy Assistant
  206. Colleen Whittemore, Retired
  207. Brian Robinson, Retired
  208. Gary M. Lord, Activist
  209. Paul Mansfield, Civil Servant
  210. Dr Lawrence Taylor, Activist, Retired Chiropractor
  211. Fiona Hansen, Supporter
  212. Lisa Cardon, Retired Nurse
  213. Rob Skinner, Supporter
  214. Mara Kupka, Screenwriter, Performer
  215. Fletcher Lenz, Auditor
  216. Manfred Pürro, Software Architect
  217. Cathy Raats, Supporter

Written by Suzie Dawson

Twitter: @Suzi3D

Official Website: Suzi3d.com

Journalists who write truth pay a high price to do so. If you respect and value this work, please consider supporting Suzie’s efforts  via donation. To support the incredible work that WikiLeaks does please donate to WikiLeaks here. To contribute to Julian Assange’s legal defence fund click here. Or donate to help the Courage Foundation save the lives of whistleblowers. Thank you!

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15 COMMENTS

    • But all those woman who put there name to it. I know a lot of guys who call Assange rapey man. Are you, like them, rape victims or nah?

    • @Doc Horroday – what are you hoping to achieve with your comment?

      You’re half right in that this issue is not about Julian, but that’s because it’s really about speaking truth to power, about having a functional and free press, and about bullying.

      By making your comment you are effectively siding with the bullies who are using this issue to destroy press freedoms. Is that really what you meant to do or was it just a gut reaction to being confronted by a strong and outspoken women?

      If I were you I’d be trying to get that comment deleted.

  1. I think you can discount the last two random commenters. Anyone who calls himself Horrorday is very random, and Sam is a seeker after truth who sounds a bit confused.

    As for me, I am very thrilled that you have come forward Suzie and with all those other great women who have fronted up. Scandal and innuendo and passing judgment on someone who has showed up embarrassing political revelations, which is now sidelined because of a supposed sexual misdemeanour, that’s just dirty politics.

    Some Asian countries have politicians who use sexual misbehaviour as a reason to give their rival a bad name, even put in prison. Julian Assange deserves better than to be treated in such a way.

  2. Great article. Also hate the way that suffering has become the domain of the woke. So that a rape survivor who doesn’t agree with the self serving official power woke view on rape, then gets abused by the woke…

    and truth seekers like Assange (for all their faults) are hunted down by power interests on the basis of possible very small scale (if even true) while other sexual abuse allegations are tolerated and minimised for decades because the man is more powerful and works with power interests and has political and wealthy friends…

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/08/jeffrey-epstein-sex-abuse-allegations-started-2005-explained

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Weinstein

    https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/bill-cosby-sentencing/index.html

  3. Thanks so much for all you do, Suzie — I just today went and read your 2018 article “Being Julian Assange.” Very disturbing, but also quite predictable.

  4. Assange will spend the rest of his life in a supermax prison…..in some hell hole in middle America.

    Reason:-

    Seth Rich. That little lie from the Aussie rapist is reason enough!

    • Woke people only know about Julian Assange and Bradley Manning through carefully crafted U.S State Department press releases.

      The woke of course, care deeply for the safety and security of deep state personal.

      Journalism, while being suspiciously empty of content about the U.S government deliberately ignore Chelsea Manning as being in cohorts with foreign traitors.

      But you are correct. Julian will probably spend the rest of his life in a super max.

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