On February 21, 2024, an impressive demonstration of support for Julian Assange took place outside the High Court in London. The demonstrators came in large numbers to express their solidarity with the founder of WikiLeaks, whose fate is currently pending regarding his extradition to the United States.
Julian Assange, aged 52, is being prosecuted by American justice for having disclosed more than 700,000 confidential documents on American military and diplomatic activities, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. His lawyers tried to convince the High Court judges that the prosecution was political and that extradition would put his life in danger, given his fragile health.
The lawyer representing the US government stressed that Julian Assange published these documents indiscriminately, endangering sources of information for the United States. However, Julian Assange’s lawyer argued that his actions were ordinary journalistic practices aimed at exposing crimes at the state level, protected by British law.
Since his arrest in 2019, Julian Assange has been detained in the high security Belmarsh prison in London. His relatives warned of his physical and mental deterioration, and highlighted the risk of suicide in the event of extradition. Despite calls for the charges to be dropped by US President Joe Biden, the charges remain in force.
This emblematic case highlights the issues linked to press freedom and the protection of whistleblowers. The outcome of this trial will have a major impact on the way whistleblowers are treated internationally, and on the balance between transparency and national security. To be followed closely.
To learn more about the Julian Assange affair, you can consult the following articles:
– “The challenges of the Julian Assange affair”: [link]
– “Press freedom: where are we with the Assange affair?” : [link]
– “Return to the fight for the protection of whistleblowers”: [link]