Pamela Anderson continues to stand by another, much different blond bombshell, Julian Assange, calling him “a hero” and urging his release.
“It’s crazy that Julian is still being held as a political prisoner — after the UN has stated (and recently for a second time) that there is no reason for his detention and has ordered that the UK and Sweden release him,” the former “Baywatch” beauty said of the WikiLeaks editor-in-chief in a statement obtained by TheWrap that included a link to the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner’s statement on Assange.
“He is a hero,” Anderson says of Assange. “One day everyone will realize. But until now, this man has missed 7 Christmases with his children and is kept in difficult and tremendously stressful conditions — while doing us all a great service. Everyone in the world has benefited because of WikiLeaks — he has sacrificed so much — to simply share the truth.”
Anderson and Assange broke bread together when they shared a vegan lunch in October, and she visited him again last month at his current home at the Embassy of Ecuador in London. Assange is free to leave the embassy, but fears that he will be extradited to Sweden where there is an arrest warrant for him concerning rape allegations, even though he has not been formally charged.
Aside from that, Swedish authorities could try to extradite him to the U.S., where Assange is believed to fear being put on trial for espionage related to WikiLeaks, which has published numerous classified documents, including diplomatic cables, secret files from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and private emails from a close Hillary Clinton confidant, John Podesta.
But Anderson said there’s no distinction between Assange and other members of the media, and he should be protected by First Amendment rights.
“Julian is an editor and a publisher,” she said in the statement. “There are laws in place to protect him. But they are not being applied. He still cannot leave the Embassy of Ecuador in London while elaborate plots against him and made up sexual allegations could result in him being extradited to the US — where he would not be treated fairly — because of his exposure of truths.”
Anderson also called for Assange to be granted a presidential pardon.
“He should be pardoned and protected when set free,” she said. “Along with Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning.”