Assange went beyond jounralism and should face espionage charges in the U.S., government lawyers say
PBS NewsHourMar 05
UK High Court: Assange Can Appeal Extradition Again
Above: Campaigners and supporters of WikiLeaks founder, Australian Julian Assange take part in a demonstration demanding freedom for Julian Assange on May 20, 2024 at Piazza dei Mercanti in Milan, Italy. Image copyright: Emanuele Cremaschi/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The UK's High Court on Monday allowed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to appeal his extradition to the US again. Assange, who's Australian-born, had argued that due to his status as a foreign national, he may not be given free speech rights in a trial in the US.
While the US has promised that Assange would be protected by the country's First Amendment rights, the court ruled that Washington's pledge was not good enough.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
While Julian Assange has been persecuted from abroad by the US government for years, this election year may put him in a bigger spotlight than ever. Both presidential candidates now have a history of indicting the Australian journalist, which puts Biden in a tough spot. As young voters are already tired of Biden's support of Israel's actions in Gaza, putting a freedom fighter in prison would only further fuel the flames of dissent.
Pro-establishment narrative
Assange wasn't just a journalist, nor were his leaks limited to showing video footage of improper military tactics. What he did was encourage an active-duty soldier to hack into US military systems, after which Assange leaked hundreds of thousands of unredacted documents, including the names of US intelligence sources. He put people's lives in danger and deserves to face trial for his actions.