A UN expert on freedom of expression has called on the US government to drop charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying his possible extradition from Britain to face prosecution in the US poses a danger to investigative journalism. He expressed concern that it would set a precedent.
Irene Khan, the United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of expression, said Mr. Assange’s possible extradition to the United States and subsequent prosecution could have serious implications for freedom of expression. A potential appeal challenging Mr Assange’s extradition concluded last month at Britain’s High Court in London, but Mr Assange did not appear for health reasons.
“The gathering, reporting and dissemination of information, including national security information, when it is in the public interest, is a legitimate act of journalism and should not be treated as a crime,” Khan said in a statement Friday.
Assange, 52, is charged in connection with WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of classified military documents leaked by Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. Assange faces 17 charges under the Espionage Act for allegedly receiving, possessing and communicating classified information to the public and one charge alleging conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.
Julian Assange’s US extradition hearing concludes in London, decision not expected until at least next month
A UN expert on freedom of expression has called on the US government to drop charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. ((AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File))
“I am concerned that the Espionage Act will be applied in this case because the Espionage Act does not protect the release of information in the public interest,” Khan said.
The charges stem from the Trump administration’s Justice Department’s 2010 release by WikiLeaks of leaked cables by Manning detailing war crimes committed by the U.S. government in Iraq, Afghanistan and Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay detention center. It was caused by The document also exposes cases of CIA torture and coercion.
WikiLeaks’ “collateral murder” video, which showed U.S. forces shooting civilians in Iraq, including two Reuters journalists, was also released 14 years ago.
Mr Assange, an Australian, is the first publisher to be indicted by the US government under the Espionage Act, and many press freedom groups say his prosecution is aimed at criminalizing journalism. ing.
“It would set a dangerous precedent that would have a chilling effect on investigative reporting in the United States and perhaps other parts of the world,” Khan said.
Mr. Assange is being held at: London’s maximum security Belmarsh prison Since he was expelled from the Ecuadorian embassy on April 11, 2019 for violating his bail conditions. He had applied for asylum at the embassy since 2012 to avoid being extradited to Sweden on charges of raping two women. Sweden has not provided any guarantees to protect him from extradition to the United States. The investigation into the sexual assault charges was ultimately closed.
A British district judge rejected a U.S. extradition request in 2021 on the grounds that Assange was likely to commit suicide if held in harsh prison conditions in the United States. The High Court later overturned this decision after receiving assurances from the United States about his treatment, and the British government signed an extradition order in June 2022.
The February hearing could be Assange’s final appeal hearing in his bid to block extradition to the United States, but if the judges rule in his favor, a full appeal hearing could be held in the future. There is a possibility that the But if he loses this appeal, Assange’s only options are to European Court of Human Rights.
The judges, who heard arguments during a two-day hearing last month, said it would take time for a verdict in Assange’s case to be reached.
UK High Court hears arguments in Assange’s US extradition case without him present due to health reasons
Irene Khan, the United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of expression, said Mr. Assange’s possible extradition to the United States and subsequent prosecution could have serious implications for freedom of expression. (Getty Images)
If, after exhausting all legal appeals, Assange is extradited to the United States, he will stand trial there. Alexandria, Virginia; He could be sentenced to up to 175 years in a maximum-security prison in the United States. His supporters say he will not receive a fair trial if he is extradited.
“International human rights law provides strong protections for whistleblowers, journalistic sources, and reporting in the public interest,” Khan said. “I call on the United States and the United Kingdom, which profess to uphold the right to freedom of expression, to uphold these international standards in the case of Julian Assange.”
Last month, Alice Gilles Edwards, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, said: called on the British government This is to prevent Assange from being extradited due to concerns that he may be at risk of being subjected to torture or other ill-treatment or punishment.
In January, a group of Australian parliamentarians wrote to British Home Secretary James Cleverley, calling for a halt to Mr Assange’s extradition to the US, citing concerns for his safety and well-being, and instead asking the British government to It called for an independent assessment of the risk of persecution.
Assange’s wife, Stella, said her husband’s life was in danger every day he remained in prison and she believed he would die if extradited to the United States.
Mark Summers, one of Mr. Assange’s lawyers, said at a hearing last month that there was evidence that the Trump administration’s CIA was planning to kidnap or kill Mr. Assange while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy. The president said he was “requesting a detailed explanation.” Option to kill him.”
CIA under the CIA trump administration In 2021, Yahoo reported that Assange was suspected of plotting to kill him over the release of a secret government hacking tool known as Vault 7 that was leaked to WikiLeaks. The agency said the breach was “the largest data loss in CIA history.”
The agency is said to have consulted at the “highest levels” of the administration about the plot to assassinate Assange in London and acted on orders from then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo to produce “sketches” and “options” for the killing. There is. Yahoo reports that the CIA is also planning to kidnap and extradite Assange and has made a political decision to prosecute him.
While he was at the embassy, the spying on Assange and his lawyer was exposed to the CIA. A judge recently ruled that a lawsuit filed against the CIA for spying on visitors can proceed.
European Parliament urges UK to release Assange if possible as final appeal begins against US extradition
Assange faces 17 charges under the Espionage Act for allegedly receiving, possessing and communicating classified information to the public, and one charge alleging conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. (Getty Images)
The Obama administration decided in 2013 not to prosecute Assange over WikiLeaks’ 2010 release of confidential cables, because it also needed to prosecute journalists at major news organizations who published the same material. is known as the “New York Times problem.”Former President Obama too Manning’s 35-year prison sentence commuted Manning, who was sentenced to seven years in prison in January 2017 for violating the Espionage Act and other charges, was released later that year after being imprisoned since 2010.
However, the Justice Department under former President Donald Trump later moved to indict Assange under the Espionage Act, and the Biden administration continues to prosecute him.
Mr Khan urged British authorities not to extradite Mr Assange and the US government to drop charges against the Australian publisher.
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In 2022, editors and publishers of US and European news organizations who helped publish excerpts from more than 250,000 documents obtained by Assange in the Cablegate leak – The Guardian, The New York Times, Le Monde , Der Spiegel, El Pais – wrote an open letter He called on the US to drop the charges against Assange.
Lawmakers in the United States and Australia have also moved to demand Assange’s freedom over the past year, including last month when the Australian parliament overwhelmingly backed a call for the US and British governments to stop prosecuting Assange. The U.S. House of Representatives, which included a vote on the case and a resolution introduced in January, called for his release.
