Assange Implores European Parliamentarians To Oppose US Government's 'Transnational Repression'

It was Assange’s first public remarks about the United States Justice Department’s prosecution since his release from the Belmarsh high-security prison in London.

The following article was made possible by paid subscribers of The Dissenter. Become a subscriber and support independent journalism on press freedom.

The rights of journalists and publishers within Europe are “seriously threatened” by “transnational repression,” declared WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. “The criminalization of newsgathering activities is a threat to investigative journalism everywhere.”

Assange further stated, “I was formally convicted by a foreign power for asking for, receiving, and publishing truthful information about that power while I was in Europe. The fundamental issue is simple: Journalists should not be prosecuted for doing their jobs. Journalism is not a crime; it is a pillar of a free and informed society.”

He urged the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s (PACE) Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights to act now to protect journalists, publishers, and others from the attacks on freedom of expression that have fueled a climate of censorship.

It was Assange’s first public remarks since his release from the Belmarsh high-security prison in London, where he was detained for a little more than five years while the United States Justice Department prosecuted him. The world had not heard him speak in this manner for at least six or seven years, and certainly not as a free man. 

Read the full article at The Dissenter.