[Peace] Let's all go visit Julian in the clink

[Robert Naiman]

https://www.facebook.com/robert.naiman/posts/10158171605082656

I had an idea - "*ow, don't hurt yourself!*" - for a small thing I could
try to do to help Julian. I could try to go visit him, do a "wellness
check." Of course, they don't have to allow it, I'm not "immediate family."
But then I could try to make a fuss out of the fact that I'm not being
allowed to visit him. I could gather some London masses together, we could
do a "surprise inspection" of the prison, like UN inspectors looking for
Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Hi, we're here from Global Civil Society
and the International Community, we just wanted to make sure that our
friend Julian is being treated ok in your prison. Is he getting enough to
eat? Has he seen a doctor? Is he getting exercise, sunlight? Does he have
interesting reading material? Does he have visitors? You're not keeping him
in solitary confinement, are you? Because as we all know, that's "torture."
Even if they're trying to isolate him, if we made a big enough show, I
think he would find out that we came to visit him, which would be like
visiting him. "Lafayette, we are here." Word travels in a prison; I was in
prison twice. I figure, I have to go to Europe in early July anyway; I
might as well pop by London using my blue passport and try to stir the pot,
"fan the flames of discontent." And if the British authorities get wind of
my plan and detain me in the airport - well, that wouldn't be the first
time I was ever detained in an airport. The longer they detained me, the
more it would bring attention to the ever-expanding crackdown on the
protections of the First Amendment. Look, I'm a U.S. citizen, born in
Arkansas. My uncle was a U.S. Congressman and Bush's Secretary of
Agriculture. And here I am, detained in Britain without just cause, no
charge, no appearance before a judge, in Britain, home of the *Magna Carta*,
birthplace of *habeas corpus*, all because I tried to visit my friend
Julian in the clink, just to see if he's ok. What's wrong with this
picture? This is democracy? This is human rights? This is the rule of law?

===

Robert Reuel Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
(202) 448-2898 x1
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