Trigger Warning: This article includes discussion of alleged sexual assault, with details.
Russell Brand’s 10-year-and-six-month prison sentence has prompted supporters to launch a petition calling for his release. The petition has collected more than 16,000 signatures since the 51-year-old was sentenced on November 9 after being convicted of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
Petition shared via Russell Brand’s account has over 16K signatures
The Change.org petition was shared on Brand’s profile with the hashtag #FreeRussellBrand. Its description started with a pointed message, “JUSTICE FOR RUSSELL BRAND.” It further read, “We are an independent community of supporters from around the world who believe that justice must always be fair, transparent, and grounded in the rule of law. Following Russell Brand’s convictions at Southwark Crown Court, we are calling for his right to challenge those convictions through lawful appeal procedures to be fully respected.”
The description continued, “Russell Brand has denied the charges. We recognize the seriousness of the offences and the rights and dignity of everyone involved. But we also believe that the right to appeal is a fundamental safeguard of justice.”
The petitioner said the campaign represents concerns about the justice system that extend beyond one individual. The petitioner further clarified that supporters launched the initiative independently, without Brand’s or his legal representatives’ involvement.
However, the post faced backlash from netizens who took to the comments to condemn the petition. One of them wrote, “A jury found him guilty of rape. It appears you don’t understand how the law works.” Another commented, “Hi @Change, is this the type of thing your platform is for, freeing rapists convicted by juries?”
Brand was convicted following a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court. As previously reported, the allegations concerned incidents spanning 2004 to 2009. The charges included grabbing a woman’s breasts at a Soho party in 2004 and sexually assaulting another woman at Choice FM in 2004 or 2005. He was also convicted of raping a woman at his Hampstead home in 2009 and sexually assaulting another woman during a Channel 4 production that year.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
