The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe considered this Wednesday that The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has been a political prisoner and asked the United States to modify the Espionage Law to no longer use it against journalists or whistleblowers.
According to the criteria of
“The Assembly considers that the disproportionately harsh charges brought by the United States against Julian Assange under the Espionage Act, exposing him to a de facto risk of life imprisonment, (…) justify the designation of Mr. Assange as a political prisoner” , includes the text of the resolution that the body approved today by 88 votes in favor, 13 against and 20 abstentions.
The institution stated that “the United States’ incorrect use of the Espionage Act of 1917 to prosecute” the Australian “has caused a dangerous chilling effect, deterring editors, journalists and whistleblowers from reporting on government misconduct.”
For this reason, he asked the US – which is not part of the Council of Europe but is an observer country – to “urgently reform” it so that it is not applied against editors, journalists and whistleblowers, but rather against “the malicious attempt to harm the national security” of the State.
And it called on him to carry out “thorough, impartial and transparent investigations into alleged war crimes and human rights violations revealed by WikiLeakas and Mr. Assange, so that those responsible are held accountable.
The Assembly considers that the severe charges brought by the United States against Julian Assange under the Espionage Act (…) justify the designation of Mr. Assange as a political prisoner.
He also asked him to “cooperate in good faith” with the Spanish judicial authorities who are investigating the alleged espionage that the CIA committed against Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London through the security company UC Global, directed by former Spanish military man David Morales.
The resolution also regretted that The United Kingdom “failed to effectively protect Assange’s freedom of expression”, having imprisoned him for five years in the maximum security prison of Belmarsh (United Kingdom) and asked him to “urgently review” his extradition laws to prevent the delivery of “individuals wanted for crimes of a political nature.”
The fact that the Assembly of the Council of Europe was going to vote today on this resolution that considers him a political prisoner, was what motivated Assange yesterday to break his silence after being released last June, after an agreement with justice of the United States in which he pleaded guilty to violating the Espionage Act.
Yesterday, however, the Australian pointed out that if he has been able to leave prison it is not because “the system has worked”, but because he pleaded guilty “to having done journalism.”
#Council #Europe #considers #WikiLeaks #founder #Julian #Assange #political #prisoner