Human rights organisations want the next UK government to seek assurances from the US that it will not pursue journalists publishing classified information
Julian Assange has been released from prison in Britain and will plead guilty to one charge under the Espionage Act, but will avoid serving any additional time in custody.Julian Assange has been released from prison in Britain and will plead guilty to one charge under the Espionage Act, but will avoid serving any additional time in custody.
But Seth Stern, director of advocacy for Freedom of the Press Foundation , said it was “alarming” the plea had been pursued. “The plea deal won’t have the precedential effect of a court ruling, but it will still hang over the heads of national security reporters for years to come,” he said. The timing of the decision, just a week until the UK general election, could indicate that a Labour government could influence its diplomatic allies, said leading human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson KC.
“The US government should make clear that it will not seek to argue again that the first amendment does not protect journalists from other countries,” said Robertson, adding that governments including the UK should lobby for this outcome. “I’d love to see the UK being at the fore of helping to mop up the mess that has been created by this case,” he said.
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