Jeremy Hammond is a member of the hacktivist network Anonymous and a gifted computer programer whose case has attracted the attention of activists, civil libertarians and those concerned about the rights of whistleblowers. He is currently spending a decade in prison for allegedly disclosing information about the private intelligence firm Strategic Forecasting, Inc. (Stratfor), revealing that they had been spying on human rights defenders at the behest of corporations and governments. WikiLeaks published these files in partnership with 29 media organisations worldwide as the Global Intelligence Files.
After being threatened with 40 years to life in prison for his brave actions and suffering numerous injustices at the hands of the legal system, Jeremy accepted a non-cooperating plea deal to one count of violating the arcane and draconian Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Despite lodging nearly 265 letters of support calling for leniency, Jeremy was sentenced to ten years, the maximum allowed under his plea agreement.
In September 2019, Jeremy was called in front of a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia. Due to the secretive nature of grand juries, we do not know the exact nature of the grand jury, although it is believed to be the same grand jury that previously called Chelsea Manning to testify. Jeremy refused to cooperate and was found in contempt, effectively pausing his federal sentence mere months before his release from prison. He is currently being housed in Alexandria, Virginia, serving time for contempt, a sentence that will not end until he either cooperates with the grand jury or the life of the grand jury has expired. Since he has made it clear he will never cooperate with the grand jury, we do not know when his release date may be at this time.
Since his arrest in March of 2012, Jeremy has been frequently cut off from his friends and family, and punished with extensive stays in solitary confinement – treatment normally reserved for the most egregious offences. Jeremy did nothing for personal gain and everything in hope of making the world a better place. Please read further to find out how you can support Jeremy.