Toby Oliver-Clarke, BA History
Tuesday 22nd of November marked the inaugural ICOP (Influencing Corridors of Power) Conference. The event titled ‘Secret Power: WikiLeaks and its Enemies’, brought together a panel of Journalists, politicians, and lawyers to discuss the current state of the British political landscape and the threat facing a free independent press. The keynote speech was given by Stefania Maurizi, an Investigative Journalist with over 20 years of experience reporting on issues related to state surveillance, government overreach, and institutional corruption. Following a speech that covered the length and breadth of Stefania’s career, the conversation was opened up to the wider panel, an assorted group of experts including John McDonnell MP- Former Shadow Chancellor to the Exchequer, Ewen Macaskill- The Guardian’s Former Defence and Security Correspondent and a Pulitzer Prize Winner, and Estelle Dehon QC, a top flying lawyer who is currently representing Stefania in her case to access classified documents concerning WikiLeaks.
Stefania began by detailing the chance phone call that led to her becoming Wikileaks’s journalist of choice in Italy, and the impact that this would have on the rest of her life. In subsequent years, she has worked to secure the release of thousands of documents relating to Wikileaks, many of which consecutive governments (both American and British) have claimed are held for the protection of National Security. She argues that the job of investigative Journalists has been made increasingly tough by the government’s refusal to abide by established legal and political precedents, primarily, their refusal to respect the issuing of Freedom of Information Requests (FOI). As explained by then Prime Minister Tony Blair, these powers ‘Grant the public access to documents or other data in the possession of a government agency or public authority’. Whilst technically designed for public use, these powers have become a cornerstone of the work of many investigative Journalists including Stefania, who described the powers as a ‘lifeline’.
Following this, the conversation broadened into a debate about the current state of civil liberties, and the avenues through which activists can safeguard these liberties going forward. In recent years, consecutive governments have passed legislation which one could argue has eroded our freedom of speech, assembly, and protest, none more divisive than the Police Crime and Sentencing Bill. The Bill, which was passed under Priti Patel’s tenure as Home Secretary, grants the police extensive new powers to regulate the capacity of protestors to freely assemble. Whilst the government has claimed that the Bill gives the police necessary powers needed to stop disruption, critics have argued that the Bill sets a dangerous precedent regarding civil liberties; Sacha Deshmukh, CEO of Amnesty International, has argued ‘The Policing Bill is of a hugely worrying and widespread attack on human rights from across government’.
In the face of an increasingly discordant political landscape, one would be forgiven for feeling isolated from the processes of power that shape our lives. I put this to John McDonnell, a long-standing MP and former Shadow Chancellor, who argued that the only way forward was to ‘dig in and wage the battle of ideas, join a union, resist, and occupy’. Stefania, the author of the event’s namesake ‘Secret Power’, struck a similar tone. When questioned on whether Journalism was still an attractive career considering the threats faced by many around the world, she answered, ‘No matter the threats and difficulties, I would do it all again, this is a career where you can truly make a difference’.
“hope in this sort of circumstance is a political decision, and one that I maintain”
As of 11 April 2019, Assange is currently a prisoner in HMP Belmarsh. Whilst his future remains uncertain, the main aim of Assange and his campaign is to prevent his extradition to the United States. Senior American politicians, including Mitch McConnel and Sarah Palin, have labelled Assange a ‘high tech terrorist’, calling into question the impartiality of any trial he may face in the States. Those supportive of Assange and Wikileaks have pledged to continue their advocacy on his behalf; Estelle Dehon QC, a senior lawyer who is currently representing Stefania told me, ‘I remain very hopeful, because hope in this sort of circumstance is a political decision and one that I maintain’.
The full set of interviews with the panellists is now available on our social media platforms.
Photo Caption: John McDonnell addresses the ICOP Conference (Credit: Toby Oliver – Clarke)