Supporters held solidarity vigils in support of the imprisoned private Bradley Manning and the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, outside the U.S and Ecuador embassy in London on Monday, 16th July 2012. Organized by Veterans for peace in UK, rally started from Bond Street at 3pm and ended at Knightsbridge in front of Ecuadoran embassy at 4:30pm. From Australia to Germany to USA, these rallies have become sufficiently well organized and have given the Manning and Assange movement some momentum.

The message to the American government was clear and reinforced in blunt precision as protesters gathered outside the U.S embassy in Bond street to observe the silent vigil for Manning.

Former American soldier, 24 year old Bradley Manning appeared in US court in Ft. Meade, Maryland this week. Manning was arrested in Baghdad on 29th May 2010, for providing whistle blowing website Wikileaks with classified secret documents on US government. For the past two years, human rights organizations have been highlighting the plight of Manning in U.S. cells. UN Torture Chief Juan Mendez’s investigating report for UN special rapporteur on torture states that “I believe Bradley Manning was subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in the excessive and prolonged isolation he was put in during the eight months he was in Quantico.”

According to Manning’s Defense Lawyer David Coombs ‘aiding the enemy’ charge is stricter against US soldiers than it would be against terrorists. According to Coombs: “It defies all logic to think that a terrorist would fare better in an American court for aiding the enemy than a US soldier would.”

The peaceful protesters made their way across to Knightsbridge to the Ecuadorian Embassy, encouraging others to join in.

Born in Queensland, Australia, Assange has been at the centre of media firestorm for past several months now. Since last year, London has become a central hub for Assange campaigns and this movement has grown into an unstoppable force. Assange faces threat of extradition to the U.S. on the charges of espionage for publishing 250,000 classified diplomatic documents. After losing an appeal for asylum in UK Supreme Court, Assange has sought political asylum in an Ecuadoran embassy in London. Other problems also persist for Assange, Swedish authorities want him in Swedish court over sexual molestation and rape charges.

In an interview with Sydney Morning Herald the head of the US Senate’s intelligence oversight committee, California Democrat Dianne Feinstein said, “I believe that Julian Assange has knowingly obtained and disseminated classified information which could cause injury to the United States … He has caused serious harm to US national security and should be prosecuted accordingly.”

Former SAS soldier Ben Griffin spoke exclusively to The Toonari Post about 16th July rally outside the Ecuadoran embassy.

Toonari Post (TP): What is the political and social message of today’s rally?

Ben Griffin (BG): So today, private Bradley Manning who is accused of leaking, and the information to wikileaks that reveals war crimes committed by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan, today he is facing a pre motion hearing in the United States and every time that Manning has been taken before the court, we have held a silent vigil outside the U.S. embassy and in the meantime Julliane Assange has sought the asylum in the Ecuadoran embassy and we have been holding a daily vigil outside this embassy in support of the Ecuadorian people in the hope that they will grant him asylum and so today we combined the two things to have our silent vigil outside the embassy and a protest down here to also support Julliane Assange.

TP: Please tell us more about Veteran for Peace’s role in the mobilization process and the composition of today’s protest?

BG: well what we have here is a group of people who are all concerned about Bradley Manning and Julliane Assange and we have all come from different organizations. There are many other organizations represented here and it just so happens that on this specific occasion I have taken the lead through veterans for peace in organizing this but as i say we have Italian friends of Bradley manning, we have got the London Catholic worker, and we have got UK friends of wikileaks, so there is lots of other organization, so it just happens that veterans for peace just took the lead on this occasion, but it is a multi organization event.

TP: What message of support do you have for supporters and activists of Manning and Assange across the world?

BG: Right, I mean it is important that, even in the case of Manning its important, even though, he is being held in the United States, and we all can do small things in our country to get the awareness of his issue out in the public domain. So whether you are in London, in Australia, in Russia, in Africa, we can all go out on the streets, in solidarity for Manning on the days he’s in court in America. And as far as Assange is concerned, we could do similar things, we may not be able to go out on streets, there may not be something happening in your areas, but you can either go on internet, and spread information on internet, and so what we are looking for is people to do what they can, you may not be able to go out on streets, but you can do something on the internet.

TP: What is the current update on Assange?

BG: So Julianne Assange is still in the Ecuador embassy. He is still putting his application forward for asylum. He faces very serious threats to his life in the United States, there are numerous American politicians who are calling for his assassination, and execution, this process could take a long time and here is no rush and the Assange has got to put his case forward and Ecuadoran government has to decide whether it’s a case for asylum or not. In the meantime, we all will continue to come here and support Assange and Ecuadoran people.

Toonari post would like to thank Ben Griffin and Steve from Veterans for Peace for their cooperation.

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Susan Benn from the Julian Assange Defense Fund addressed the awaiting crowd and press outside the Ecuador embassy in London in a press release statement from Julian Assange on Friday June 29 at 16:00 BST. Wiki leaks founder Julian Assange has been under house arrest for 570 days now.

According to Miss Benn, Metropolitan Police served Mr Assange with a notice on Thursday, June 28, that he should surrender himself to the Belgravia Police Station by 11:30 on the morning of June 29. Assange has refused to abide by the serving notice of Metropolitan police.

Benn said that this is not a sign of disrespect to police, “under both international and domestic UK law asylum assessments take priority over extradition claims.” In the US and UK, asylum law states that a fugitive seeking political asylum cannot be extradited from the country he is seeking protection in while his application for asylum is being processed by official authorities. He can remain in the country indefinitely while he waits to hear about the status of his asylum claim and can only be removed once his claim and appeal have been rejected by authorities.

Assange applied for political asylum in UK in 2010, but on June 12, Britain’s Supreme Court made a decision to extradite him back to Sweden to face sex and rape charges. His appeal to reopen his extradition case was rejected by the court on June 14. After the court decision, Assange surprised many on June 19 by breaching his bail conditions and entering diplomatic territory of Ecuadorian embassy at Knights Bridge in London to seek political asylum under the UN Human Rights declaration.

There is a mounting pressure on Assange to face charges in Sweden. Earlier in the week, avid supporter and British socialite Jemima Khan urged him to face Swedish court. Australian Jemima Khan is among few names that contributed towards his hefty bail money of £240,000.

Estranged Australian Assange faces issues that are of serious nature and compromise his liberty and the safety of those involved in his wiki leaks stint operation. Assange is wanted by Swedish court over rape, sexual molestation, and coercion charges. Like in the UK and Assange’s homeland Australia, Sweden is also a signatory to US international extradition treaty. Under the treaty, Assange could face extradition from all these countries to face espionage charges in America.

According to Miss Benn, “the US department of justice admitted yesterday that its investigation into WikiLeaks proceeds. It is only a matter of time before US authorities begin extradition proceedings against Julian and other leading members of WikiLeaks on various charges including conspiracy to commit espionage.”

Assange fears that if sent to Sweden to face rape charges, he will be extradited to the U.S., where a grand jury investigation has been opened up against him. Once in the U.S., Assange could possibly face the death penalty over publishing leaked wiki cables in 2010.

Benn said “United States has subjected Julian Assange’s alleged source in this matter, the young soldier Bradley Manning, to conditions amounting to torture.”

Bradley Manning was arrested by the U.S. army in Iraq in May 2010. He is currently awaiting a trial that will begin in September 2012. After his arrest, Manning was placed in solitary confinement in military prison in Quantico, Virginia. Manning’s plight, inhuman treatment and torture have already been highlighted by several Human Rights organizations across the world. According to Amnesty International, “His conditions at Quantico have been a breach of international standards for humane treatment of an untried prisoner.” According to Wikileaks Stratfor emails that the U.S. has issued, a secret closed indictment compels British and Swedish governments to ship Assange to America.

Miss Benn elaborated, “So it is clear that there is a legal process in place which will result in taking Julian to the US, which if allowed to succeed would violate his basic rights.”

Benn said, “Julian will remain in the Embassy under the protection of the Ecuadorian government while evidence for this application is being assembled and processed.”

There is ongoing protest outside Ecuadorian embassy by Assange’s supporters.

Image Courtesy of  dutourdumonde / Shutterstock.com

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