Julian Assange Has Been a Political Prisoner: Council of Europe
Julian Assange, Oct. 2, 2024. X/ @wikileaks
October 2, 2024 Hour: 7:57 am
The improper use of the 1917 Espionage Act has discouraged journalists from reporting on governmental misconduct.
On Wednesday, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe declared that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been a political prisoner and urged the United States to amend its Espionage Act to prevent its future use against journalists or whistleblowers.
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“The Assembly considers that the disproportionately severe charges brought by the United States against Julian Assange under the Espionage Act, exposing him to a de facto risk of life imprisonment… justify the designation of Mr. Assange as a political prisoner,” states the resolution approved with 88 votes in favor, 13 against, and 20 abstentions.
“The improper use of the 1917 Espionage Act by the United States to prosecute” the Australian “has caused a dangerous chilling effect, discouraging editors, journalists, and whistleblowers from reporting on governmental misconduct,” it added.
Therefore, the Council of Europe called on the U.S. to “urgently reform” the Espionage Act so that it applies only to “malicious attempts to harm the national security” of the state, and not to editors, journalists, and whistleblowers.
It also urged the U.S. to conduct “thorough, impartial, and transparent investigations into alleged war crimes and human rights violations revealed by WikiLeaks and Mr. Assange, so that those responsible are held accountable.”
The Council of Europe also called on the U.S. to “cooperate in good faith” with Spanish judicial authorities investigating the alleged spying that the CIA carried out against Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London through the security company UC Global, led by former Spanish military officer David Morales.
The resolution further expressed regret that the United Kingdom “failed to effectively protect freedom of expression” for Assange, having imprisoned him for five years in the maximum-security Belmarsh Prison (United Kingdom), and urged it to “urgently review” its extradition laws to prevent the handover of “individuals sought for political crimes.”
On Tuesday, Assange broke his silence, which he had maintained since June, following an agreement with U.S. authorities in which he pleaded guilty to violating the Espionage Act. The Australian journalist noted that his release from prison was not because “the system worked,” but because he pleaded guilty to “having done journalism.”
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
