Freedom of speech organizations yesterday welcomed news of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's release from prison in Britain, but said the case against him in the United States still sets a bad precedent for journalism.
As part of a deal that allowed him to return home to Australia, Assange is scheduled to plead guilty today in Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands to a charge of violating the US Espionage Act, after which he will be sentenced to 62 months in prison. already served. This US territory in the Pacific, according to prosecutors, was chosen after Assange objected to traveling to the US and because of its proximity to Australia. In this way, the 14-year legal odyssey ended, in which Julian Assange could have spent decades in prison in the USA.
In 2019, US authorities filed an 18-count indictment against Assange for conspiring with former US military analyst Chelsea Manning to obtain classified information and illegally publish the names of classified sources.
He has spent the last five years in prison in Britain fighting extradition to the United States.
Several human rights groups, leading media organizations and leaders of countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Australia have called for the charges against Assange to be dropped.
His wife Stella, who originally worked on his legal team, said she was delighted at the news of his release but would seek clemency because “the fact that he will plead guilty under the Espionage Act to possessing and disclosing information about national defense is obviously a reason for great concern for journalists in general, and especially for journalists who report on national security".
She also told Reuters that they have launched a campaign to collect money since the flight from London to Saipan for the court hearing and then to Australia will cost about half a million dollars.
Alan Rusbridger, former editor of Britain's Guardian, a newspaper that was among media outlets that cooperated with WikiLeaks and published some of the leaked material, said it was "quite disturbing" that espionage laws were being used to target those who disclosed information that certain States find it inconvenient.
"I'm sorry he's going to plead guilty to the espionage charge because I don't think anyone really thinks what he was doing was espionage," Rusbridger told Reuters. "However, he was in prison for a long time. I hope that's the end of his punishment for what he did."
Rusbridger said Assange is a pioneer of "a new breed of half-activist, half-publisher, half-journalist who use the Internet to incredible effect" and believes the US is intent on trying to prevent others from doing national security stories.
"Therefore, if it is an attempt to suppress reporting on national security, I'm afraid it probably worked," he said.
Dzamil Jafer, executive director of the freedom of speech organization "Knight First Amendment Institute", said that the agreement means that Assange will serve "a five-year prison sentence for activities that journalists do on a daily basis." "It will cast a big shadow on the most important kind of journalism, not only in his country (USA) but also around the world," Jaffer told Reuters.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said the prosecution has serious consequences for journalists and media freedom around the world.
"While we welcome the end of his detention, the US prosecution of Assange has set a damaging legal precedent by opening the way for journalists to be tried under the Espionage Act if they receive classified material from whistleblowers. This should not have happened," the statement said.
Assange's supporters claim he is a hero who was sacrificed for exposing US wrongdoing and alleged war crimes, including those in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Washington views Assange as a ruthless villain who endangered the lives of agents by releasing classified documents - the biggest security breach of its kind in US military history.
"Julian Assange endangered the lives of our soldiers during wartime and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said Mike Pence, who was the US vice president in the Donald Trump administration during the time when Assange was indicted.
"The deal the Biden administration made with Assange is a perversion of justice and a disrespect for the service and sacrifice of the men and women of our Armed Forces and their families," he posted on the X Network.
The Australian government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has asked US President Joe Biden to release Assange, but declined to comment on legal procedures.
"His stay in prison does not gain anything, and we want to bring him home to Australia," Albeneze said in front of the parliament.
Assange's brother Gabriel Shipton said that "the Australian government played a significant role in the last moments". He added that this would not have been possible without the support of a huge number of people who support Assange. "It's almost time for the millions of people who support Julian to have a drink and celebrate," said Shipton, who is in France.
Activists lament that Assange has not been investigated for allegations of sexual assault
Women's rights activists said yesterday that they regretted that Julian Assange had not been questioned over allegations of rape and other sexual crimes that were brought and then dropped against him in Sweden.
"This is a betrayal of the women who reported him and who were not given a chance to legally appeal," said Klara Berglund, head of the Swedish Women's Lobby. "It is a chapter of shame and betrayal that ends with his release," she pointed out. "This is a case that plays out on big political stages, and men's violence against women has incredibly little weight."
One of the women who filed a sexual assault suit against Assange in Sweden, Anna Ardin, welcomed his release. "I didn't have any power, but I'm glad he was released and I hope he can fight for transparency and human rights, without harassing women," she posted on the X network.
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