Freedom fighters of the modern age

When thinking about human rights, many articles come to mind: Article 11; Presumption of innocence or Article 14; Right of asylum, however, most would probably think of freedom of thought, religion and expression. There were many big names who campaigned for this: Nelson Mandela, Shirin Ebadi or Sophie Scholl. But in this report the stories of lesser known ones like Julian Assange and Alexander Navalny are told. You both fight for freedom of expression as the world had to know what was kept from you.

Alexei Navalny, who describes himself as a nationalist democrat, became known through his blog and YouTube channel. The lawyer and politician repeatedly exposed state corruption in Russia. In 2011 he founded the “non-governmental organization”, which was financed by donations and thus kept the investigation going. In October 2012, Navalny was even elected to the head of the newly created Coordination Council. Later, in 2013, he got 27 percent of the vote in Moscow's mayoral election and has been the head of the anti-Putin opposition ever since. A few months later, in July 2013, the rising politician and activist was sentenced to five years in prison on embezzlement charges, but was released again in October of the same year. In the years that followed, he stubbornly fought against corruption. He, a fighter for the good, who did everything to present it in marches and demonstrations, was almost provoked by the state of Russia. Absurd reasons were invented to keep the man from protesting, such as places had to be redeveloped, double bookings and comparisons with Hitler. Nevertheless he did not let himself get rid of until the end. On Thursday, August 20, 2020, Navalny was poisoned with neuroleptics at the airport in Tomsk; he was put into an artificial coma during his treatment in Germany, from which he was only recently brought back on September 7.

Alexei Anatoljewitsch Navalny was and is a victim of the corruption of a world power and that only because he exercised a fundamental human right, the right to freedom of expression and expression!

The founder of WikiLeaks - also known to many as Julian Assange - is an Australian-born journalist and activist who has set himself the task of making the locked documents from war crimes to corruption publicly available. Through this publication of various secret documents of the CIA, such as the war diaries of Afghanistan and the Iraq war, Assange quickly came into the eyes of international intelligence services and entire countries. He showed the people the new and immoral US warfare. In the Iran war, innocents, helpers and children were killed with drones; these war crimes were seen by the soldiers only as amusement. However, on charges of 17 counts with consequences including the death penalty, Assange fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he was granted political asylum in 2012. From 2012-2019 he had to live in a very confined space. Ignorant and in constant fear of what will happen next.

Mental attacks have been used to lure him out of the embassy, ​​including allegations and charges of rape and death threats, including an international arrest warrant.

After the presidential election in Ecuador, Correa's successor Moreno, Julian Assange, revoked his right of asylum in 2019, handed over to the London police and sentenced to fifty weeks in prison on May 1, 2019. However, Assange has to remain in custody pending extradition in order to undergo his trial in the USA.

Violations of human rights happen every day, but not only by individuals, but also precisely planned missions by countries and their politicians, people who should actually know exactly what they stand for!

But the paradox is that people who fight for human rights cannot make use of their human rights themselves. Quote Evelyn Hall: “I reject what you say, but I will defend your right to say it to the death ! ”

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