As the crisis over Julian Assange continues to mount, the fifth online vigil for Assange will be held on Saturday, to be broadcast live by Consortium News.

The isolation of Julian Assange, publisher of WikiLeaks, continues unabated as his lawyers and the former president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, warn of deepening crisis for the imperiled asylee. These warnings come on the heel of the appointment of renowned Icelandic journalist Kristinn Hrafnsson as the new editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks – itself an indication of the dire circumstances at hand.

Assange’s most high-profile supporters are mobilizing for the fifth #Unity4J online vigil on Saturday in solidarity with the silenced journalist. Guests will include the CIA anti-torture whistleblower John Kiriakou, ex-U.S. House of Representatives member Cynthia McKinney, progressive comedian Graham Elwood and ACLU Board member and Radio Host Garland Nixon.

Past vigils in support of this political prisoner have been a great success, drawing in hundreds of thousands of viewers, with the support of the official Julian Assange and WikiLeaks social media accounts, as well as Julian’s mother, Christine Assange.

The vigil will commence Saturday, October 6 at 10:00am EST (7:00am PST), and will run until 11:00pm EST (8:00pm PST). The #Unity4J movement invites all supporters of free speech, press freedom and human rights to participate in the historic event. Organizer Suzie Dawson said:

“The astounding pace at which this solidarity movement for Julian Assange has grown is indicative of the universal respect and empathy for this generation’s greatest publisher. The greater the jeopardy he is placed in by the powers that persecute him, the more motivated and active his everyday supporters and defenders become. Every supporter who rises to protect him, brings our collective hope of justice and freedom one step closer.”

Livestream will be accessible at: https://unity4j.com/stream and on Consortium News. The official website: https://unity4j.com Official Twitter: @Unity4J Event hashtag: #Unity4J WikiLeaks Legal Defense Fund: https://iamwikileaks.org/donate WikiLeaks support website: https://justice4assange.com Courage Foundation: https://couragefound.org

Credible accounts for Julian Assange updates: https://twitter.com/suzi3d/lists/assange-updates

MEDIA INQUIRIES: Media inquiries and interview requests should be made to Suzie Dawson, via DM on Twitter: @Suzi3D, or by emailing info@unity4j.com .

For more background on the recent escalation of grave threats to Julian Assange’s life and liberty, we recommend reading the following articles:

Courage Foundation: Assange’s Protection from US Extradition “in Jeopardy”,

Inter-American Court Decision Regarding Asylum Rights

United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s decision regarding Assange’s Plight

Getting Assange: The Untold Story

Access to Medical Care, a Human Right, Must Also be Guaranteed to Julian Assange