Award-wining Sri Lankan film director Prasanna Vithanage and popular tele-drama script writer and author Aruna Premarathne have issued statements supporting the ICFI’s campaign for the freedom of WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange.
Vithanage’s films include Death on a Full Moon Day (Purahanda Kaluwara) [1997], August Sun (Ira Madiyama) [2003] and With You, Without You (Oba Nathuwa, Oba Ekka), [2013] which deal with the Sri Lankan government’s 30-year civil war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Statement by Prasanna Vithanage:
I endorse and fully support the call issued by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) and the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site for urgent action to be taken around the world to defend WikiLeaks’ editor Julian Assange.
Reckless imperialist powers, led by the US, are increasingly dragging the world towards a nuclear war, which will bring incalculable devastation to mankind as a whole. The ferocious attacks on fundamental democratic rights by the imperialist powers and their client capitalist states all over the world, and in the South Asian region in particular, go hand-in-hand with these war preparations.
As we know, truth is the first casualty of war. What WikiLeaks does is tell the truth to the world. WikiLeaks and Assange have exposed the lies and crimes of the imperialist powers, including the US. It is for this that Julian Assange is facing immense dangers that could end with his extradition to the United States to face concocted charges of espionage.
In solidarity with the World Socialist Web Site, I demand that the Australian government extend to Assange the rights that should be available to him as a citizen of that country and guarantee his protection from any possible indictment and extradition to the US.
I call on workers and youth all over the world to promote, publicise and participate in the international initiatives in defense of Julian Assange.
Statement by Aruna Premarathne:
I vehemently oppose and denounce the repressive actions taken against WikiLeaks’ editor Julian Assange by the world’s major powers, led by the United States.
The American government is ready to prosecute Assange because he has attempted to defend people’s basic democratic rights. The American government is boasting about its accusations against Assange. This exposes the nakedness of American “democracy.” In publishing secret government documents, the WikiLeaks’ editor has bravely exposed how human lives and individual freedoms are ruthlessly violated by the state machineries of the capitalist social and economic system.
Through the publication of WikiLeaks cables, he exposed the truth about the wars which have been launched in the name of defending democracy, and how the people are repressed under the guise of eradicating “terrorism,” to the astonishment of the whole world.
Only those who are anti-democratic or against humanity could say what Julian did is a crime. Therefore, all those who aspire for a society that cherishes individual freedom and democratic rights should come forward to oppose and condemn the repressive measures taken against Julian Assange.