Hacking Justice + Panel: National Security VS Freedom of Expression

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 Cinemaattic is delighted to announce that Homage to Catalonia – Scotland’s Catalan Film Festival’s opening film will be the UK premiere of HACKING JUSTICE, documentary directed by Clara Lopez Rubio and Juan Pancorbo.  The film will have its UK premiere on Wednesday 27th September at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh and is expected that both directors travel from Berlin to attend along Wikileaks legal adviser Renata Avila. The special screening will be followed by a panel discussion with human rights and legal experts on the theme of “National Security vs Freedom of Information“.

The festival will open with the UK premiere of the catalan – german co-production ’Hacking Justice’, documentary following the legal defence led by Judge Baltasar Garzon to demonstrate the innocence of Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange. Garzon, prominent figure in the defence of universal human rights has investigated crimes and abuses in countries such as Chile, Chad and Argentina.


Supported by Goethe Institute Scotland and Institut Ramon Llull, Cinemaattic has confirmed the presence of the directors Clara Lopez Rubio and Juan Pancorbo. To better contextualise Assange’s legal process Cinemaattic have also invited Renata Avila, Guatemalan human rights lawyer specialised in Intellectual Property and Technology. She’s been advising WikiLeaks and Julian Assange under the direction of Baltasar Garzón and will be joined by law Human Rights and Legal experts from University of Edinburgh. Among the highlights of this years’ edition will be the UK premiere of the Catalan – German co production ’Hacking Justice’, documentary following the legal defence led by Judge Baltasar Garzon fighting to demonstrate the innocence of Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange.

Two rebels, two hackers, two twenty first century don Quixotes: the champion of transparency for the powerful and the hacker for justice, united against the world’s most powerful state in a case which is not over yet.

‘Hacking Justice’, produced by Mediapro and Inselfilm Berlin premiered at DocsBarcelona last June, now arrives for first time to UK. The film will be followed by a panel discussion on the balance between national security and freedom of expression.

Thanks to their exclusive access to Ecuador’s embassy in London, director Clara López Rubio and journalist Juan Pancorbo were able to explain the efforts of Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón, who tried to make Sweden withdraw its international order of arrest against WikiLeaks’ founder, Julian Assange. 

“In a way, both Julian and Baltasar are hackers. They both investigated for hacks in the system, one in the market of information the ther in the legal tricks to bring sictatoships accountable to universal law“

“Baltasar Garzon has indicted Augusto Pinochet, Osama bin Laden, Bush administration officials. He decided to take the case of Julian Assange…”

PANEL DISCUSSION. National Security VS Freedom of Expression

Cinemaattic has confirmed the attendance of the directors and part of the Wikileaks legal team. They will take part in a panel debate after the film on the contesting debate between National Security vs Freedom of Information with Human Rights and Legal experts from University of Edinburgh. Amongst them,

Renata Avila, is the Senior Digital Rights Advisor for the World Wide Web Foundation. She is a Guatemalan human rights lawyer and digital rights advocate. Specialising in Intellectual Property and Technology, she works in the intersection between human rights, information, technological change and the power disparities between the Global North and South. A Courage Foundation trustee and human rights lawyer.  She’s been advising WikiLeaks and Julian Assange under the direction of Baltasar Garzón, on human rights grounds.

Dimitros Kagiaros, He has taught on constitutional law, administrative law and human rights law courses at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Hull. He was awarded his PhD for his thesis ‘Whistle-blowing and democratic governance: Public Interest limitations in Security and Intelligence’ in 2015.

The final pannel to be announced here soon

This screening is supported by The Goethe Institut Glasgow. The Goethe-Institut is Germany’s official cultural institute abroad. 

Homage to Catalonia is Scotland’s Catalan Film Festival and is supported by Institut Ramon LlullCentre Catala d’Escocia and Estrella Damm.

Venue: Scottish Storytelling Centre

Date: Wednesday 27th of September at 6:30pm

cost: £8.50

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