Julian Assange has been in hiding for over a decade. For seven years he was held captive in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, refusing to leave for fear of arrest. Finally, he was transferred to Belmarsh prison, where he was held. He spent 23 hours a day in a tiny solitary confinement, facing charges that could carry up to 170 years in a US prison if extradited and convicted. Now, finally and suddenly, he is set to be free.
In a plea deal with the US Department of Justice, 18 charges were reduced to one, his sentence reduced to five years, and any time he spends in prison will be immediately released by the court, meaning he can finally reunite with his family in his native Australia.
But to explain Julian BolgerBut the deal is dangerous for journalists. Michael Safi We are informed that Assange is being charged under the US Espionage Act, which is over 100 years old. If this law is used against people who spread classified information, it could make it easier to use against investigative journalists in the future. Is this a worrying precedent?
Photo: WikiLeaks/AFP/Getty Images
