Cotidianul.ro is honouring Julian Assange for his struggle to defend the freedom of the press and democratic values.
As the planet rotates from 2010 and 2011, we turn our minds to the gesture of professional conscience and human dignity of WikiLeaks, the organization which published authentic documents exposing the duplicitous behavior of some democratic countries to the world. Julian Assange has revolutionized the online media and has made the documents global property. The ordinary citizen has never played a part in political, military and administrative decisions. The queen of the European press „Le Monde” named Assange „Person of the Year.” Cotidianul.ro agrees with the French newspaper and other publications who praise Julian Assange’s professional performance considering it a noble gesture.
To underscore the enormous service to freedom of expression and democratic values, we have created the „Free Dacia.” diploma of honour.We have not called it „Free Romania” because this is the name of a newspaper that bows and scrapes before the Romanian government in Bucharest. Two thousand years ago, Dacia was a huge area covering three to four East European countries today. We are in Europe, a continent where the EU presidency is held by Hungary, a country which has begun to curb the rights to free expression in a way that was not even seen under communism or during the Cold War.
Romania is the only European country where a citizen tried to commit suicide in parliament, shouting „Freedom!” as he fell. Romania is also part of what was Dacia. This is why cotidianul.ro is honouring Julian Assange in an act of solidarity with the most threatened and hunted media person in the world.
By declaring our solidarity with Julian Assange, we want to draw attention to threats to our profession which have reached alarming levels. We make an appeal to professional community and lovers of freedom that the very countries that have fought for or support these values_ which have become vulnerable due to the economic and financial crisis_ are trying to cover up the dangerous
situation the press is in by passing questionable laws that restrict freedom of expression.
Those of us who have lived behind the Iron Curtain know what it means to silence the press! The press is at risk of becoming an illusion of what it is supposed to be, a ghost of a watchdog in our societies! We also know that those who have difficulty understanding democracy, dream of silencing the media.
These people want a mute world where only their voices are heard. The „Free Dacia” diploma of honour for Julian Assange also carries our solidarity for the man Julian Assange. But it is also an appeal to all brothers and fellow free citizens: „Defend freedom of expression!”.
UPDATE:
Ştirea Associated Press despre diploma conferită de cotidianul.ro lui Assange a fost preluată de USA Today dar și de presa franceză şi canadiană ori de the Daily Telegraphprecum şi de site-uri de specialitate despre WikiLeaks.
