The fate of the WikiLeaks founder will also seal the fate of media independence
The fact that Julian Assange did not board a plane to be sent to a US maximum security prison this week is a relief to his supporters. But the struggle is not over, as he is still being held for almost five years in squalid conditions in London’s Belmars prison (more than the seven years he was incarcerated in the Ecuadorian embassy). The battle for his justice is now more urgent than ever, as if the pioneer of modern investigative journalism is finally left to rot behind bars, not only his own fate is sealed but that of media independence as well.
A British court has given the WikiLeaks founder the right to a final appeal against his extradition to the US. If he fails, he faces up to 175 years in prison. Assange is accused by the US of espionage for publishing classified documents exposing the US military’s crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the disclosure of information in the public interest is a cornerstone of media freedom, and it is precisely this freedom that is being prosecuted along with Assange by criminalizing established journalistic practices.
They asked for assurances
In practical terms, the brief reprieve Assange received means the court decided to wait a little longer before making a final decision on his fate. He is delaying his decision because he has asked the US government to provide specific “assurances”. In particular, it must be certified that if Assange is tried in the US, he will be treated as a citizen of the country and not as a foreigner, that he will be guaranteed the protection of his right to free speech under the first amendment of the constitution and that he will not be given the death penalty penalty. If the US fails to provide such assurances, the justices will reconvene and grant a full appeal hearing. But if Washington satisfies the court, then the extradition will go ahead. All this will be discussed at the hearing on May 20.
From childhood to suffering…
The 52-year-old Australian has had problems with the law in the past. He has been active since his teenage years on the internet with other young hackers, and in 1991 he founded the organization Parent Inquiry into Child Protection to fight domestic corruption and used the Australian Freedom of Information Act to record government meetings. The project was even described as a first rehearsal for the later operation of WikiLeaks in 2006.
In May 2010 his Australian passport was revoked and he asked to stay in Sweden. And while the big WikiLeaks revelations began to explode like bombs, in August 2010 an investigation was launched against him in Sweden on charges of raping one woman and molesting a second. The arrest warrant was withdrawn as there was insufficient evidence that he had committed the offenses and many believe that Assange was the victim of a smear campaign. But the case was reopened two months later, in October, and the Swedish government denied him a residence and work permit.
He was eventually arrested by British police on 11 April 2019 after his immunity was waived by the Ecuadorian government. Despite Assange’s legal woes, WikiLeaks is still “alive”, yet has not published a new report since 2021.
The revelations
The reason he was targeted by the Americans, who continued to press for his extradition, is that over a period of one year, in 2010-11, through WikiLeaks, Assange released some of the most explosive revelations of war crimes and violations of of human rights in US history. The infamous “Collateral Murder” video reportedly provided evidence of the massacre of 18 civilians in Iraq by an Apache attack helicopter crew, including journalists and reporters.
The “Afghanistan and Iraq War Diaries” describe the cover-up of the killing of tens of thousands of civilians and the widespread use of torture. Additionally, US State Department records allegedly demonstrate Washington’s involvement in military coups and support for human rights abuses by authoritarian governments around the world. Additionally, the Guantanamo Base files are said to provide evidence of the United States’ illegal practices and torture of detainees there.
High impact spills
For many the impact of the reports leaked via WikiLeaks was enormous, helping to fuel anti-war sentiment around the world. In fact, Assange and WikiLeaks are also said to have helped Edward Snowden – who in 2013 published classified information from the US intelligence agency NSA about the mass surveillance programs of citizens by the US and British governments – to seek asylum in Iceland before fleeing to Russia .
Read also: Julian Assange: On May 20 the final verdict on his fate – Danger to Freedom of the Press
First victory for Assange: US court seeks assurances on his life – He was granted the right to appeal against extradition
Struggle for Julian Assange: On Tuesday the decision on his extradition to the USA – Freedom of the media is at risk
Julian Assange: Appealing against his extradition to the US – ‘Last chance’
Julian Assange: ‘He will die if extradited’ – His wife’s appeal
Julian Assange: UN special rapporteur calls for the extradition of the Wikileaks founder to the US not to proceed
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