GNV News, October 4, 2024

On October 2, 2024, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution recognizing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as a “political prisoner.” The Assembly defined political prisoners in 2012 as cases of detention that contravene freedoms guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights, including freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of expression and information, and freedom of assembly and association. The resolution held that the UK government’s treatment of Mr. Assange warrants recognizing him as a political prisoner.

Mr. Assange was indicted in 2019 for violations of the U.S. Espionage Act, but the Assembly argued that the conduct at issue was “essentially news gathering and publishing.” Despite not having been convicted of any of the charges, he was held in solitary confinement for more than five years in a maximum-security prison in the United Kingdom for serious offenders, while his extradition to the United States was under consideration. In June 2024, a plea deal was reached and he was released, and on October 1 he testified before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The adopted resolution also referred to the global impact of Mr. Assange’s treatment, as follows:

“We are deeply concerned that an unprecedented conviction under the Espionage Act would create a dangerous chilling effect and a climate of self-censorship among all journalists, publishers, and others who report on matters essential to the functioning of democratic societies. It would also severely undermine the role of the press and the protection of journalists and whistleblowers around the world.”

Learn more about the persecution of Mr. Assange → “Criminalization of Journalism (GNV Podcast 136)”

Learn more about WikiLeaks → “Criminalization of Journalism? The persecution of WikiLeaks”

Learn more about journalism and leaks → “Information leaks and journalism”

Voting at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) (Photo: Consortium News / YouTube screenshot［Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)］)