Michael Moore, Oliver Stone Defend Julian Assange In New Op-Ed

Michael Moore and Oliver Stone recently penned an op-ed in support of Julian Assange and the Ecuadorean government for the New York Times.

The two Academy Award-winning filmmakers praised the Ecuadorean government’s decision to give the WikiLeaks founder asylum and congratulated Assange on his accomplishments through the whistle-blowing organization.

The filmmakers write:

“We have spent our careers as filmmakers making the case that the news media in the United States often fail to inform Americans about the uglier actions of our own government…. We therefore have been deeply grateful for the accomplishments of WikiLeaks, and applaud Ecuador’s decision.”

Moore and Stone argue that the case surrounding Julian Assange is about more than just one person’s actions. If Assange were to be extradited to the United States, according to Moore and Stone, the American government would be setting a dangerous precedent that could destroy journalism.

Moore and Stone write:

“Mr. Assange is not an American citizen, and none of his actions have taken place on American soil. If the United States can prosecute a journalist in these circumstances, the governments of Russia or China could, by the same logic, demand that foreign reporters anywhere on earth be extradited for violating their laws. The setting of such a precedent should deeply concern everyone, admirers of WikiLeaks or not.”

Assange was officially granted asylum in Ecuador on Thursday despite the threat from the British government.

Assange, who has been at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since June, called on President Obama to “end the witch hunt” against WikiLeaks.

Assange said:

“I ask President Obama to do the right thing. The United States must renounce its witch hunt against WikiLeaks. The United States must dissolve its FBI investigation. The United States must vow that it will not seek to prosecute our staff or our supporters.”

What do you think about Michael Moore and Oliver Stone’s op-ed? Did Ecuador make the right decision by granting Julian Assange asylum?