(PatriotWise.com) — A book that provides new details on US officials colluding against Julian Assange has been published. Guilty of Journalism: The Political Case Against Julian Assange, by Kevin Gosztola, claims that state agents conspired to punish Assange for revealing information about US military action in Iraq on his website Wikileaks.
Chelsea Manning, a former US soldier, provided the material to Assange. Manning was jailed for 35 years under the Espionage Act for leaking classified information.
Gosztola said, “Under the Espionage Act, one does not have the ability to make a public interest defense. We have seen what that means for whistleblowers. They are blocked from describing in court why they did what they did.”
The author described how the CIA, under the direction of Mike Pompeo, discussed killing Assange, either by poisoning or kidnapping. He said Congress should now review the case and place the actions of the CIA under a microscope.
In 2012, Assange, who was wanted on assault charges in Sweden, sought political asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He remained there until 2019, when Ecuador’s ambassador to the UK revoked his asylum claim. He was immediately arrested by London’s Metropolitan Police. Foreign Minister José Valencia said Mr. Assange had threatened that there would be devastating consequences if he were detained.
Judge Deborah Taylor sent Assange to prison and said he had cost the British taxpayer more than $20 million in his attempt to avoid justice.
Last December, a group of publications produced a joint open letter to the Biden administration saying the US indictment of Assange threatened journalistic freedom and should be revoked. The call was echoed by Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, who said Assange was a victim of injustice. Simultaneously, a meeting took place in Assange’s native Australia, where officials appealed with US representatives for his release.
Assange remains a divisive figure with some seeing him as a hero for freedom, while others say he is a threat to security. He continues to fight extradition to the US from Britain.
Copyright 2023, PatriotWise.com
