Sign the petition: Release alleged source Courtney Williams

Another courageous whistleblower has been charged under the Espionage Act.

Courtney Williams is a U.S. Army veteran who spoke out about the gender discrimination and sexual harassment she endured as a contractor working with a “special military unit” at the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina. Williams’ disclosures informed the reporting by investigative journalist Seth Harp in his book exposing widespread corruption and abuse at the base, The Fort Bragg Cartel.

Now months after the book’s publication, Williams has been charged under the Espionage Act for allegedly revealing classified information. 

Last week, Defending Rights & Dissent led a coalition of more than two dozen rights groups, whistleblowers, journalists, and press freedom advocates, including PEN America, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Freedom of the Press Foundation, in writing an open letter calling for Williams’ release.

And now we’ve launched a new petition with Drop Site News so you can show your support too, calling on the Department of Justice to drop the charges against Williams immediately. The petition explains,

The Espionage Act is one of the most abusive laws in the U.S. legal code. The World War I-era law has been used for over a century to silence dissent and punish political adversaries. In the modern era, the Act has been the go-to weapon of choice to persecute whistleblowers, casting their conscientious objections as traitorous spying.

The charges against Williams are a blatant attempt to retaliate against her for speaking out, and to intimidate Harp, who has himself been threatened with Espionage Act charges for his national security reporting.

They’re also an affront to your right to know. Every prosecution of a whistleblower is an effort to shield the government from transparency and accountability, and to keep their abuses hidden from public view.

The petition concludes,

We stand in solidarity with Courtney Williams and all whistleblowers who share truthful information in the public interest. The charges against Williams must be dropped immediately.

Stand up for whistleblowers, for the freedom of the press, and for your right to know.

Sign the petition to drop all charges against Courtney Williams today!