The Forum on Communication for the Integration of Our America expresses emphatic rejection of the arrest of journalist Julian Assange by the UK police and demands his immediate release so that, in full use of his rights, he can choose where in the world he wants to go.

We denounce the joint responsibility of the United States, Great Britain and Ecuador in this flagrant violation of Human Rights and International Law. The Right of Asylum is a universal mandate enshrined among the highest precepts of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Under the pretext of alleged infractions to the restrictions imposed by the government of Lenin Moreno on Mr. Assange's residency at the Embassy of Ecuador in London, the Ecuadorian State has expelled the person whom they had a commitment to protect. Thus, they have infringed legal guarantees and stained the international prestige of the country with regard to their respect for international human rights conventions.

The persecution against Mr. Assange also means persecution against freedom of investigation and an informed citizenry. This endangers every courageous journalist and communicator who dares to reveal the criminality that underlies, to a large extent, the decadent pseudo-democratic structure. The governments that persecute Mr. Assange are those that fear that the truth will come to light.

Julian Assange has not committed any crime. He has fulfilled the journalistic duty of informing the world about the indecency of those who daily conspire against democracy throughout the world. The work of Assange and Wikileaks is of great moral stature and ethical value, since it denounced the atrocities of the US worldwide, the manipulation, the lies, the backstage intrigues and the spying practices on a global scale.

Meanwhile, large Internet companies mine and sell data of millions of people every day, without any State denouncing them for espionage or violation of the right to privacy.

As a grouping of communicators and social movements in Latin America and the Caribbean, we express our solidarity with Julian Assange and our commitment to join efforts to achieve his freedom.

FORUM ON COMMUNICATION FOR THE INTEGRATION OF OUR AMERICAS