[Síguenos ahora también en WhatsApp. Da clic aquí]

Founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assangebroke his silence on Tuesday after being released from a British prison in June, speaking to the Council of Europe in which he once again defended the leak of thousands of classified United States documents, saying it was just “guilty of journalism.”

Assange traveled from his native Australia to Strasbourgfor a symbolic speech in which he recalled his years in the “dungeon” of a maximum security prison in London, where he was held for five years, adding to the other seven he spent as a refugee in the Ecuadorian embassy in the UK. capital.

He said all these years of isolation had “taken a toll” on him, although he was now trying to get his life back on track thanks to an agreement reached with the authorities. US Attorney’s Officewhereby he pleaded guilty to violating the Espionage Act in exchange for North American authorities to complete his time behind bars.

Before Human Rights Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and accompanied by his wife Stella Assangeand director of Wikileaks, Kristinn Hrafnssonstated that if he is now free, it is “because the system worked.” “I pleaded guilty to journalistic activities. I pleaded guilty to obtaining information from sources,” “nothing more,” he said in his speech.

He hopes that his testimony will now at least serve “exposing the weakness of current guarantees” for press freedom to identify other cases that may be “less visible” but affect “equally vulnerable” people. In his case, he believes the United States took “legal retaliation” for “publicizing the truth” about abuses committed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In that sense, he warned of a “dark crossroads” facing freedom of expression around the world, as investigative journalism is “threatened” by laws that he said criminalize information-gathering activities. “The idea is simple: journalists should not be persecuted for doing their job.”– he concluded.

Council of Europe considers Julian Assange a political prisoner

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe considered this Wednesday that Julian Assange is a political prisoner and asked the United States to change the Espionage Act to no longer use it against journalists or whistleblowers.

“The Assembly considers that the disproportionately severe charges brought by the United States against Julian Assange under the Espionage Act, subjecting him to a virtual risk of life imprisonment (…) justifies the designation of Mr. Assange as a political prisoner,” the Assembly said. says the text of the resolution, which the body approved today with 88 votes in favor, 13 against and 20 abstentions.

The agency said the United States’ “misuse of the 1917 Espionage Act to prosecute” the Australian had “caused a dangerous chilling effect, deterring editors, journalists and whistleblowers from reporting government misconduct.”

So he turned to the United States. -which is not a member of the Council of Europe, but is an observer country- that he would “urgently reform” it so that it would not be used against editors, journalists and whistleblowers, but rather against a “malicious attempt to harm the national security” of a state.

And he demanded that he conduct an “exhaustive, impartial and transparent investigation” into the alleged war crimes and human rights abuses exposed by WikiLeaks and Mr Assange, so that those responsible are brought to justice.

It also asked him to “cooperate in good faith” with Spanish judicial authorities who are investigating the case. alleged espionage what the CIA did against Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London through the security company UC Global, which was led by former Spanish military officer David Morales.

The resolution also regrets that the UK “failed to effectively protect Assange’s freedom of expression” by jailing him for five years in prison. Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison (UK) and asked it to “urgently review” its extradition laws to prevent the extradition of “people wanted for crimes of a political nature.”

The fact that the Assembly of the Council of Europe voted in favor of this resolution, which considers it political prisonerThis is what prompted Assange to break his silence yesterday after he was released last June following an agreement with the US justice system in which he pleaded guilty to violating the said espionage law.

(according to information from Europe Press And EFE)