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https://www.techdirt.com/2024/06/25/assange-walks-free-but-press-freedoms-are-still-in-peril/>
"The Julian Assange saga has finally reached its absurd conclusion with a plea
deal. But while Assange may be heading home to Australia, the implications for
press freedom remain as dire as ever. The U.S. government has successfully
criminalized a core function of journalism – working with sources to obtain and
publish information in the public interest. And they’ve opened the door for
future administrations to do the same, all while avoiding the pesky need for an
actual court ruling.
I don’t agree with Julian Assange on much. And going back many years, we’ve
noted how he’s a problematic character in many, many ways. But just being a
problematic person does not mean that we throw basic rights out the window. We
warned all the way back to 2010 that the US should not try to twist laws to
charge him for doing things that basically any investigative journalist does on
a regular basis.
The Obama administration kept looking for ways to charge him, but held back.
Many people pointed out that going after him legally would set a terrible
precedent regarding press and internet freedom. Eventually, after nearly a
decade of investigation, the Trump administration finally had him arrested in
2019. He had already been in the Ecuadorian embassy for years, and they agreed
to hand him over. The past five years have been a grueling fight over potential
extradition to the US."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
