I am not a fan of Assange, who, even if he’s not a Russian asset, certainly behaved like one for more than a decade. But I’m still glad his case is over.
Julian Assange—the founder of WikiLeaks, who has spent the past five years in a British prison awaiting possible extradition to the U.S. for trial under the Espionage Act—will at lastof Assange, who, even if he is not a Russia n asset, has certainly behaved like one for more than a decade. Some of his leaks have almost certainly resulted in the deaths of American agents and allies; others have disclosed CIA hacking techniques for the benefit of U.S.
Specifically, he received classified documents from then–Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning and put them out on the WikiLeaks website for the public to consume. Assange is not, by most standards, a journalist. But what he did in this case was nothing different from what many journalists do routinely. Not only that, but disclosure of some of Manning’s documents was definitely in the public interest.That is why it’s a good thing the Assange case is over.
As is, righteous cause for paranoia hasn’t totally disappeared. The Assange case is over because he agreed to plead guilty to one of the 19 charges, and in turn, a judge agreed to consider the defendant’s five years in a British jail—much of it in isolation—as time served. In other words, history will still record that someone doing what journalists do was prosecuted under the Espionage Act. And this sort of prosecution could, under harsher circumstances, happen again.
Assange, age 52, will now return to his native country of Australia, where he will live with his wife and two small sons. He has stayed mum on whether he will revive WikiLeaks or what else he might do. Intelligence services of several countries still see him as a potential asset or danger. His steps, whatever they may be, will not go
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
It's Love Or Hate (Or Love And Hate) Jacaranda Tree Time Of Year AgainThese trees, like most things, are not native to Los Angeles.
Read more »
Brent Key Brings the 'Hate' Back to Clean, Old-Fashioned HateThe Georgia Tech head coach made his feelings clear on the narrow loss to Georgia last year.
Read more »
Even as Julian Assange's Release Celebrated, Deep Worries Remain for Press FreedomJessica Corbett is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.
Read more »
2024 Elections: Should I even vote when I don't even like the candidates?Why should I vote? Does it make a difference? What if I don't like the choice of candidates?
Read more »
In a Victory for Assange and First Amendment, UK Court Grants Right to AppealFrom the First Amendment to the European Convention on Human Rights, Assange’s defense relies on freedom of expression.
Read more »
Trump ‘seriously considering’ pardoning Julian AssangeFormer President Donald Trump suggested he would pardon Julian Assange, the activist behind Wikileaks.
Read more »