There was a big turnout at Sydney University鈥檚 Great Hall on March 4 for the fifth hearing of the Belmarsh Tribunal into the persecution of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
Powerful testimonies were made from a range of journalists, politicians, lawyers and intellectuals, including former ABC聽7.30聽host Kerry O鈥橞rien, Jennifer Robinson, Bernard Collaery, Progressive International founder Yanis Varoufakis, Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Afghanistan war crimes whistleblower David McBride and Kellie Tranter.
Parliamentarians from across the political spectrum called for Assange鈥檚 release: Greens Senator David Shoebridge, former Labor New South Wales Premier Bob Carr, Labor MP Josh Wilson and Liberal MP Bridget Archer.
One of the most moving testimonies came from Dean Yates, former Reuters Iraq bureau chief. Two of his Iraqi staff, photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen and driver Saeed Chmagh, were shot dead by a United States Apache helicopter on July 12, 2007, in Baghdad, along with other innocent聽civilians.
This war crime was captured in a secret military聽聽and leaked to Wikileaks by US army whistleblower Chelsea Manning.
The publication of this shocking video footage, now titled聽, was the main reason why Assange is being persecuted, Yates said, yet it is not mentioned in the charges.
Assange is, however, charged with publishing the US military鈥檚 rules of engagement in Iraq, Yates added, 鈥渢he same rules which make this killing a war crime鈥.
Assange, who has been聽imprisoned on remand for nearly four years in Britain鈥檚 notorious high-security Belmarsh Prison, is facing deportation to the US where he faces charges under that country鈥檚聽Espionage Act 1917,聽which could impose a cumulative jail term of 175 years.
The Belmarsh Tribunal 鈥 inspired by the 1966 Bertrand Russell War Crimes Tribunal, which collected testimonies on US war crimes in Vietnam 鈥 was initiated by the Progressive International in 2020.
It has previously convened hearings, first virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic, then in London, New York City and聽Washington DC.
The Sydney hearing called on Prime Minister聽Anthony Albanese to deliver on his election promise and demand that the US abandon its persecution of Assange when he meets US President Joe Biden later this month.
[A video recording of the Sydney Belmarsh Tribunal hearing can be watched聽.]