NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden was Courage’s first beneficiary and an inspiration for our inception. Snowden exposed massive surveillance on U.S. citizens by the NSA and facilitated by major telecoms, passing classified documents to journalists at the Washington Post and The Guardian in 2013. Indicted under the draconian Espionage Act, Snowden remains in exile in Russia. The charges against him should be dropped immediately.
The Guardian published the first of Edward Snowden’s revelations five years ago today. The contribution of Courage’s first beneficiary to the public record has been enormous – and long may it continue! You can explore the archive with our Snowden Doc Search
Laura Poitras’ film depicts Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing, courage, and escape to asylum, but it also demonstrates the dangerous gap in protections for whistleblowers
In an op-ed for Philadelpha magazine, Edward Snowden’s father writes that “I do not believe that my son can find justice or safety on American soil for years”
Laura Poitras’ acclaimed documentary shows the human cost of whistleblowing without obscuring Edward Snowden’s message, and viewers come away realising how sorely needed whistleblower protections truly are
An international coalition of more than fifty actors, musicians and intellectuals announce their support for Edward Snowden, WikiLeaks, whistleblowers and publishers
Courage Advisory Board member Ray McGovern recounts his experience meeting Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, other fellow whistleblowers, and seeing the acclaimed documentary Citizenfour
Courage Acting Director Sarah Harrison says: “Although the US government has lost this round, let us not forget the stakes – last year whistleblower Chelsea Manning was sentenced to 35 years in a US military prison and the Grand Jury against both WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden continues”
Letters are being distributed by three elected representatives – Senator Ron Wyden in the US, Hans Christian Ströbele MP in Germany and Caroline Lucas MP in the UK – that they were hand-delivered to on Friday
As Edward Snowden’s temporary asylum expires in Russia and he applies for a renewal, Courage delivers letters to German, UK and US governments on behalf of his supporters calling for his protection
Civil liberties and privacy groups weigh in on the new bill that would limit the NSA’s spying powers, showing the legislative impact of Snowden’s revelations
Australia introduces a legislative proposal that evokes the US’s Espionage Act, stokes unfounded fears and criminalises journalism in line with a crackdown on whistleblowing
“Those who disclose human rights violations should be protected: we need them,” says Navi Pillay, the UN’s top human rights official, as she issues new report on surveillance and privacy
Hillary Clinton and State Secretary John Kerry have called on Snowden to return to the United States. Courage Advisory Board member and attorney Kevin Zeese explains why abusive US laws would imprison the whistleblower and deny him his basic rights.
Courage’s Acting Director Sarah Harrison tells Democracy Now! why the Courage Foundation is needed to defend Edward Snowden and Snowdens-to-come, and why she decided to escort the NSA whistleblower from Hong Kong to Moscow.
Edward Snowden’s German lawyer, Wolfgang Kaleck, spoke to Democracy Now! on Monday about the whistleblower’s fears of returning to the United States, Snowden’s most important release, and the German government canceling its contract with Verizon in the wake of NSA revelations.
Full transcript of Edward Snowden’s second appearance at the Council of Europe, discussing the need for new mechanisms that ensure the protection of truthtellers on an international level
Marking the official launch of the Courage Foundation and the one year anniversary of the revelations on mass surveillance, members of the Courage Advisory Board demonstrate the many ways people can Stand With Snowden
Edward Snowden’s lawyer in Germany, explains the threats to his client, the politicisation of his case and the ongoing legal work to protect him that the Courage Foundation supports
Truthtellers should be protected, not persecuted or prosecuted. Here’s how we can send a loud and clear message to leaders around the world that their citizens want a safe haven for Edward Snowden.
Press release: announcing the launch of the Courage Foundation, which hosts Edward Snowden’s official defence fund, and our first campaign in Berlin on Wednesday, 11th June
To mark the one-year anniversary of NSA revelations, several privacy and whistleblower groups have taken a look back at what we’ve learned since Edward Snowden blew the whistle on mass surveillance
Pentagon Papers-whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg defended Edward Snowden from the Defense Secretary’s claim that he’s “cowardly” for not returning to the United States.
In a 40 minute interview broadcast by NBC on Wednesday 28 June, Edward Snowden was asked about his career history, his life in Russia, the NSA’s capabilities and the possibilty of him ever returning to the United States.
Visit the official support site for NSA-whistleblower Edward Snowden to stay up to date on each new revelation and to learn more about how you can help his cause.
“Palestinian journalists filming the Israeli bombing of civilian neighborhoods” by Osps7 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reporters covering the ongoing assault of Gaza and Lebanon are under unprecedented attack. The Israeli military has killed more journalists in Palestine than in any previous war. Press freedom groups are speaking out.
The Courage Foundation has helped organize a coalition of news outlets, press freedom groups, and more than 100 journalists to coauthor a letter to the U.S. State Department, condemning U.S. complicity in the Israeli killing of Palestinian journalists covering the ongoing assault in Gaza and Lebanon. The U.S. must immediately cease sending weapons to Israel in light of the country’s widespread killing of Palestinian reporters and refusing entry to foreign press, a clear attempt to shield their actions from public scrutiny.
A roundup of news coverage of the letter we sent to US State Sec. Antony Blinken, urging an immediate US arms embargo on Israel, in solidarity with journalists under attack in Palestine. Plus, a new op-ed from our executive director
The following letter has been sent to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken by a coalition of journalists and press freedom advocates in solidarity with their colleagues facing targeted killings in Palestine.
The Courage Foundation has partnered with Defending Rights & Dissent and RootsAction to organize a coalition of journalists and press freedom advocates in solidarity with Palestinian journalists under assault in Gaza.
A project of the Courage Foundation, the Assange Defense Committee is a national coalition which fought to free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Comprising human rights defenders, press freedom advocates, civil liberties lawyers, and supporters across the United States, Assange Defense organized public rallies, provides essential resources, and raises awareness about the unprecedented prosecution against Julian Assange and the threat it posed to the freedom of the press around the world.
In supporting journalists’ right to publish, the Assange Defense Committee upholds the public’s right to know what its government is doing in its name.
Since its inception, the Committee has advocated for Julian Assange’s immediate release, charges to be dropped, safe passage to the secure location of his choosing, and compensation for the psychological torture and arbitrary detention he has endured.
For all the latest Assange news, including extradition hearing coverage, past campaign events, and Assange Defense press releases check out AssangeDefense.org/News
A United States judge dismissed a lawsuit against the CIA and former CIA director Mike Pompeo for their alleged role in spying on American attorneys and journalists who visited WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during his asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Judge John Koeltl of the Southern District of New York ruled that “the… Read more: CIA wins the Dismissal of a Lawsuit Against Alleged Spying On Assange Visitors
Addressing the public for the first time since before his arrest in 2019, Julian Assange spoke today before the Legal and Human Rights Committee of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly about his prosecution, detention and imprisonment.
On Tuesday, October 1, Julian Assange will give testimony before the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, ahead of a full plenary debate on this topic the following day. The hearing, which is open to the press, will be livestreamed.
We carried out just about every action we could think of as we tried to spread the word and communicate the importance of this case. We rallied in the streets, hosted panel discussions, called our representatives, wrote op-eds, shared blog posts, produced videos, created artworks — if there’s a method to communicate, you can bet an Assange activist used it to shout loud and clear, ‘Free Assange!’
Julian has reached a plea deal for time served and has been released from Belmarsh Prison on June 24, 2024, after 1901 days unjustly detained (and a dozen years persecuted) for his journalism. He flew to Bangkok and then to Saipan Island, a U.S. overseas territory, where a hearing to formalize the plea deal took place, finally landing in Canberra, in the evening of June 26.
Upon his release from Belmarsh prison on June 24th, following a plea deal agreement with the US government, Julian Assange boarded a plane to Bangkok and then to Saipan Island, a US overseas territory, where a hearing to formalize the plea deal took place.
Julian Assange has been released from Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of 24 June, after having spent 1901 days there. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and was released at Stansted airport during the afternoon, where he boarded a plane and departed the UK.
The much-anticipated auction of NFT collection ‘Censored’, a collaboration between political prisoner Julian Assange and renowned artist Pak will launch today, the same day set by the UK Supreme Court for Julian Assange to file his application to appeal against US extradition.
The art collection titled ‘Censored’ will be unveiled shortly in time for the auction on February 7th. ‘Censored’ is shrouded in mystery and is set to make NFT history.
“We urge you to drop the appeal of the decision by Judge Vanessa Baraitser of the Westminster Magistrates’ Court to reject the Trump administration’s extradition request. We also urge you to dismiss the underlying indictment.”
Julian Assange has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. We think he deserves to win. There is an incredibly long list of actions that Julian has taken toward a more peaceful world. As Julian has said, “If wars can be started by lies, peace can be started by truth.” You can make a difference by then encouraging someone who meets the Nobel Committee’s criteria to submit a formal nomination today.
Today, International Human Rights Day, the Courage Foundation partnered with a coalition of European press freedom groups to publish an advertisement in The Times to spread awareness about and condemn Julian Assange’s persecution and prosecution.
Video: On World Press Freedom Day, two Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists and the UK Bureau Director for Reporters without Borders discuss the Trump administration’s indictment of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange and its unprecedented charges of Espionage for the publication of truthful information in the public interest.
As coronavirus containment measures preclude in-person gathering, public campaigning has moved online in a series of webinars focusing on different aspects of WikiLeaks’ impact and Julian Assange’s case
“We feel that Assange, Manning and Snowden have to be recognized for their ‘unprecedented contributions to the pursuit of peace and their immense personal sacrifices to promote peace for all’. With the unveiling of US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq and the global surveillance program of the US secret services, the three have ‘exposed the architecture of war and strengthened the architecture of peace.'”
See here for detailed information on upcoming events in defence of Julian Assange and WIkiLeaks around the world. Get in touch to add your event at courage.contact@couragefound.org
On 30 January 2020, at the National Press Club’s First Amendment Lounge in Washington D.C., a panel of experts discussed the Trump Administration’s indictment of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange and the impact Assange’s extradition and prosecution could have on the freedom of the press.
At a press conference in Mexico City early this year, Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador called for imprisoned Wikileaks journalist Julian Assange to be “pardoned and freed.” President Obrador also called for an end to the “torture” of Assange.
Assange’s defense team outlined the main arguments it will make and witnesses it will call at the full hearing in February. Lawyers announced they will argue that the US-UK Extradition Treaty should not allow Assange’s extradition because it includes an exemption for political offenses.
On 22 September 2019, Julian Assange’s sentence for a bail violation conviction ended, but he was not released from HMP Belmarsh. Beginning today, 23 September, the United Kingdom is detaining Julian solely on behalf of the United States, which requests his extradition and has charged him with 18 counts carrying 175 years in prison for publishing information in the public interest.
“We are giving this year’s award to a man who has the courage to publish the truth and has sacrificed so much as a result.” The award will be presented on September 28th in front of Belmarsh prison in London where Julian Assange is incarcerated.
In a historic win for WikiLeaks and its editor-in-chief Julian Assange a federal judge in New York dismissed a lawsuit by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) over WikiLeaks’ publication of DNC documents in 2016. The case sets an important precedent for freedom of the press.
UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer visited Julian Assange at HMP Belmarsh on 9 May 2019, and has written letters to the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, Ecuador and Sweden to express that he is “gravely concerned” about Assange’s treatment and to urge the latter three governments to ensure Assange is not extradited to the United States.
Courage announces We Are Millions, a massive photo campaign to demonstrate global support for WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange as he fights extradition to the United States, where he would face unprecedented prosecution
The DANNY is “awarded annually to an individual who best emulates [Daniel] Schechter’s practice of combining excellent journalism with social advocacy and activism.”
At Julian Assange’s extradition hearing today at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, which Assange attended via videolink from HMP Belmarsh, the full substantive proceedings were scheduled for five days in February 2020.
“As scholars and citizens concerned with the protection of whistleblowers and a free press, with the ability to hold government to account for such abuses we call for the immediate release of Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning from prison.”
Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno gradually ratcheted up restrictions, surveillance, and threats on Julian Assange over the course of his presidential term to build a pretext for ultimately revoking asylum and inviting British police into Ecuador’s embassy.
Major events leading to Julian Assange’s expulsion from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, starting even before new Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno took office.
“Mr. Assange has been deliberately exposed, for a period of several years, to progressively severe forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the cumulative effects of which can only be described as psychological torture.”
If you’re in the UK, your role in helping Julian Assange is crucial. Write to your MP to let them know that you oppose onward extradition and that Assange’s legal rights must be protected
“The days when I could read and speak and organize to defend myself, my ideals, and my people are over until I am free! Everyone else must take my place.”
“Break the official Australian silence. Stop Julian Assange’s extradition to almost certain long-term imprisonment. Secure his rightful freedom. The Australian Government must intervene now. We call on the civilized world to uphold the true values of peace with justice and to stand up for Julian Assange.”
Today federal prosecutors unsealed a new, 18-count superseding indictment charging Julian Assange with violating the Espionage Act, the first use of the 1917 law against a publisher.
Three weeks before the U.S. deadline to file its final extradition request for Assange, Ecuadorian officials are travelling to London to allow U.S. prosecutors to help themselves to Assange’s belongings.
Assange: “I won’t surrender myself for extradition for doing journalism that has won many awards and protected many people.” Kristinn Hrafnsson: “The fight has just begun. It will be a long one and a hard one.”
The judge rejected all of the defence’s arguments, dismissed the UN’s ruling that Assange’s detention was arbitrary, and sentenced Assange to nearly the maximum possible sentence allowed
“la AAJ llama a la libertad de Julián Assange; reclama al Reino Unido el respeto de todos los derechos de Assange y a denegar la solicitud de su extradición a los Estados Unidos y llama a las organizaciones de juristas a pronunciarse en el mismo sentido.”
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, Nestlé whistleblower Yasmine Motarjemi and Football Leaks’ Rui Pinto have been jointly awarded for the second annual GUE/NGL prize for ‘Journalists, Whistleblowers and Defenders of the Right to Information.’ Watch video of the award ceremony, in which Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire accepted the prize on Julian’s behalf
International press freedom groups, news outlets, UN representatives, politicians and public figures are speaking out against Julian Assange’s arrest and its implications
Ecuador has unlawfully terminated Julian Assange’s asylum, inviting British police into the Embassy to arrest the publisher. See developments, legal documents, reactions and how to help here
The Embassy’s visitor logs – maintained by Ecuador – show no such visits, since they did not occur. Paul Manafort and Assange have both issued statements unequivocally denying the alleged visits. WikiLeaks is fundraising to sue the Guardian for libel
The forced, arbitrary incommunication imposed on Julian Assange for seven months was the subject of a protective action measure before a court in Quito on 25 and 29 October 2018
Without the protection of the Ecuadorian government, Assange could be open to an extradition request from the United States, which has been investigating WikiLeaks since 2010 and which has threatened to bring unprecedented charges for publishing
Julian Assange has been without internet access for two weeks; now four open letters have been published calling on Ecuador to reconnect his access, and more than 55,000 have signed a petition in support
Warning that “If Julian steps outside the Embassy the UK will arrest him,” Westwood says, “I appeal to the people of Ecuador to continue to protect Julian.”
A Spanish-language open letter, signed by 338 intellectuals from 38 countries, calls on Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno to end the isolation of Julian Assange
The Ecuadorian government says that the suspension is the result of Assange breaking a late 2017 agreement “not to issue messages that supposed an interference in relation to other States.” Sign a petition to end Assange’s isolation
The U.S. Espionage Act of 1917 is the preeminent weapon against truthtellers in the modern era. The World War I law, concocted by Woodrow Wilson to penalize spies, has been used to cast whistleblowers, leakers, and even journalists as agents of espionage.
The Espionage Act carries 10 years in prison for each count and allows for no public interest defense. It’s been used against Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, NSA whistleblowers Edward Snowden and Thomas Drake, Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning, Air Force whistleblower Daniel Hale, CIA whistleblowers Jeffrey Sterling and John Kiriakou, and WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, among many others.
It’s long past time to end the abusive use of the Act to silence dissent and investigative journalism. Courage supports legislative efforts to repeal the Act or reform it to ensure it cannot be used against journalists, whistleblowers, or any other truthtellers exposing crimes, corruption, and wrongdoing in the public interest.
Addressing the public for the first time since before his arrest in 2019, Julian Assange spoke today before the Legal and Human Rights Committee of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly about his prosecution, detention and imprisonment.
On Tuesday, October 1, Julian Assange will give testimony before the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, ahead of a full plenary debate on this topic the following day. The hearing, which is open to the press, will be livestreamed.
Julian Assange has been released from Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of 24 June, after having spent 1901 days there. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and was released at Stansted airport during the afternoon, where he boarded a plane and departed the UK.
“We urge you to drop the appeal of the decision by Judge Vanessa Baraitser of the Westminster Magistrates’ Court to reject the Trump administration’s extradition request. We also urge you to dismiss the underlying indictment.”
Today, International Human Rights Day, the Courage Foundation partnered with a coalition of European press freedom groups to publish an advertisement in The Times to spread awareness about and condemn Julian Assange’s persecution and prosecution.
Video: On World Press Freedom Day, two Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists and the UK Bureau Director for Reporters without Borders discuss the Trump administration’s indictment of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange and its unprecedented charges of Espionage for the publication of truthful information in the public interest.
On 30 January 2020, at the National Press Club’s First Amendment Lounge in Washington D.C., a panel of experts discussed the Trump Administration’s indictment of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange and the impact Assange’s extradition and prosecution could have on the freedom of the press.
Assange’s defense team outlined the main arguments it will make and witnesses it will call at the full hearing in February. Lawyers announced they will argue that the US-UK Extradition Treaty should not allow Assange’s extradition because it includes an exemption for political offenses.
On 22 September 2019, Julian Assange’s sentence for a bail violation conviction ended, but he was not released from HMP Belmarsh. Beginning today, 23 September, the United Kingdom is detaining Julian solely on behalf of the United States, which requests his extradition and has charged him with 18 counts carrying 175 years in prison for publishing information in the public interest.
At Julian Assange’s extradition hearing today at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, which Assange attended via videolink from HMP Belmarsh, the full substantive proceedings were scheduled for five days in February 2020.
“As scholars and citizens concerned with the protection of whistleblowers and a free press, with the ability to hold government to account for such abuses we call for the immediate release of Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning from prison.”
Today federal prosecutors unsealed a new, 18-count superseding indictment charging Julian Assange with violating the Espionage Act, the first use of the 1917 law against a publisher.
Assange: “I won’t surrender myself for extradition for doing journalism that has won many awards and protected many people.” Kristinn Hrafnsson: “The fight has just begun. It will be a long one and a hard one.”
The Intercept sheds light on what Stephen Kim endured as he faced Espionage Act charges for speaking to Fox News reporter James Rosen, with an in-depth report and video interviews
Government lawyers used a few brief phone calls and a deleted email to prosecute the former CIA official for espionage for allegedly disclosing classified information; convicted of 9 counts, Sterling’s sentencing case is scheduled for 24 April
Daniel Hale is a former Air Force and NSA intelligence analyst who served nearly four years in prison for passing classified U.S. military documents to reporters at The Intercept. In 2015, The Intercept published The Drone Papers, giving the public an unvarnished window into the incredibly secretive U.S. remote assassination program, including how it selects targets to kill and how the government “masks the true number of civilians killed in drone strikes by categorizing unidentified people killed in a strike as enemies, even if they were not the intended targets.”
The first to receive the International Ellsberg Whistleblower Award will be Courage Foundation beneficiary Daniel Hale, former Air Force and NSA intelligence analyst who revealed the clandestine drone assassination program of the Obama administration.
Drone whistleblower Daniel Hale was finally released from prison last month, having served 33 of the 45 months he was sentenced, most of which was spent in the incredibly restrictive Communications Management Unit at F.C. Marion.
Hale is serving out his 45-month sentence for revealing the clandestine drone assassination program. He is held in a Communications Management Unit. His release date is 5 July 2024.
Click these images to sign petitions from CodePink and Defending Rights & Dissent, calling on the Biden administration to free whistleblower Daniel Hale.
Hale is a former Air Force and NSA intelligence analyst who is serving nearly a four-year prison sentence for passing classified U.S. military documents to reporters at The Intercept.
Whistleblower Daniel Hale was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison today, for disclosing government documents on the U.S. military’s drone program to a journalist. The sentence—three years and nine months—includes his time served during court proceedings and will be followed by three years of supervised release.
The sentencing hearing for whistleblower and former Air Force intelligence analyst Daniel Hale is scheduled for July 27th at 9am in Alexandria, VA. In 2014, Hale disclosed documents to The Intercept’s Jeremy Scahill, exposing the inner workings of the U.S. military’s secret drone assassination program.
Daniel Hale, formerly with the U.S. Air Force and then with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, blew the whistle on the United States’ drone assassination program, providing documentary evidence that the U.S. was killing civilians in Afghanistan whom it posthumously claimed were combatants. Charged with five counts under the Espionage Act and facing 50 years in… Read more: Daniel Hale explains his motives ahead of sentencing
Hale disclosed documents shedding new light on the U.S.’s secret remote assassination program, including how the Obama administration decided who to place on its “kill lists,” internal criticisms of the program, and accounts of civilian casualties.
The unnamed source disclosed documents detailing the Obama Administration’s drone assassination programme, the Intercept reveals in an eight-part series
