On the 4th anniversary of Assange’s arrest and years spent in the high security prison in England called Belmarsh, this video is a clip of a longer Glenn Greenwald video on his show System Update.

To Twin Citians: The film Ithaka featuring John Shipton, father of Julian Assange, will be shown at St. Joan of Arc church, Minneapolis, at 6:15 on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. This moving film covers two aspects of the international effort to free Julian Assange. First, it features John Shipton’s moving journey to save his son, along with Stella, Assange’s wife and mother of their two children. Second, the film raises the essential need for freedom of speech and press freedom enshrined in the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution, the role of the journalist in truth-telling, and how the extradition to the U.S. and subsequent trial of Assange would affect press freedom worldwide.

St, Joan of Arc Church Community, Hospitality Hall, 4537 3rd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419, 6:15 pm Weds. May 31, 2023

To out-of-towners: Google ‘Bullfrog films Assange’ for information on community showings.

Glenn Greenwald, SPECIAL EPISODE: The Real Story of Julian Assange, on the 4-Year Anniversary of His Imprisonment

Editor’s Comments, Rise Up Times

First there is the human interest side of the story re Assange, how he was tortured for publishing he truth on WikiLeaks about the collateral damage to civilians from U.S. drone strikes and for other crimes against humanity. The story about his family’s campaign to get him released as told by Assange’s wife and his father in the film Ithaka, now released for showing in the U.S. and for general viewing. is available from Bullfrog films. The U.S. is still trying to bring Assange to the U.S.  for trial under the Espionage Act even though he is not a U.S. citizen. He is in fact Australian.

The second side regarding the trial of Assange is about freedom of speech and the press, which is also on trial. If Assange is tried in the U.S. and found guilty, freedom of the press will threaten journalists worldwide. It is ironic that those who try to criminalize him and his journalism think they can try him in the U.S. courts even though he is not a U.S. citizen, because if they can do that, doesn’t that mean he should also be protected by U.S. Constitution Bill of Rights that enshrines Freedon of Speech and Freedom of the Press? Although the legal intricacies around this case are very complicated with lawyers on both sides going back and forth, in some ways it is quite simple: Assange should not be persecuted (as he has been and still is being) or prosecuted, as they want to do, for telling the truth. To convict him would be a betrayal of those U.S. core values everyone is so fond of talking about, in this case straight out of the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution.

Donate an sign the petition to free Assange: https://dontextraditeassange.com/

This is a clip from our show SYSTEM UPDATE, now airing every weeknight at 7pm ET on Rumble. You can watch the full episode for FREE here: https://rumble.com/v2i8vle-system-update-71.htmlhttps://rumble.com/v2i8vle-system-upd…

Now available as a podcast! Find full episodes here: https://linktr.ee/systemupdate_

Rise Up Times publishes articles and information about issues that affect our lives daily and are a basis for action. A gift of  any amount  makes it possible to continue to bring you stories, actions, and events as well as thoughtful reflections and analyses.

Independent media is essential in these Rise Up Times. Your support makes Rise Up Times, Media for Justice and Peace possible. Please donate today.