THE PRISONER SAYS NO TO BIG BROTHER
John
Pilger invokes George Orwell in calling on his compatriots to stand up
for the freedom of 'a distinguished Australian', the founder and editor
of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, and for 'real journalism of a kind now considered exotic'...
Whenever I visit Julian Assange, we meet in a room he knows too well.
There is a bare table and pictures of Ecuador on the walls. There is a
bookcase where the books never change. The curtains are always drawn and
there is no natural light. The air is still and fetid.
This is Room 101.
Before I enter Room 101, I must surrender my passport and phone. My
pockets and possessions are examined. The food I bring is inspected.
The man who guards Room 101 sits in what looks like an old-fashioned
telephone box. He watches a screen, watching Julian. There are others
unseen, agents of the state, watching and listening.
