Editorials

The Irish Times view on the release of Julian Assange: free at last, but at a price

Press freedom campaigners point out that it was the first time in the history of the Espionage Act that the US has obtained such a conviction, posing a threat to investigative journalism

A screen grab taken from the X account of Wikileaks of Julian Assange arriving in Bangkok, Thailand, following his release from prison. (Photo @WikiLeaks/PA Wire)
A screen grab taken from the X account of Wikileaks of Julian Assange arriving in Bangkok, Thailand, following his release from prison. (Photo @WikiLeaks/PA Wire)
Tue Jun 25 2024 - 20:05

Relief among his many supporters internationally at the deal at last freeing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to return to his native Australia will be tempered by concerns that his formal conviction may yet have a prolonged impact on restricting investigative and national security journalism in the US.

Assange has agreed a plea deal with the US authorities, following an extraordinary 15-year legal battle in exile, some spent in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, some in the city’s Belmarsh jail. This will see him plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to obtain and disseminate classified information linked to US national defence.

Under the deal, he appeared before a court in the Mariana Islands, a Pacific US commonwealth late yesterday. Due to his long period in jail in the UK, he will not spend any more time behind bars. He is likely to subsequently seek a pardon from the US president.

Seen by many as a champion of transparency and exposer of state wrongdoing – the ultimate whistleblower – the maverick Assange’s “offence” consisted in the publication online in 2010 of millions of pages of military incident logs and about 250,000 diplomatic cables from US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. They were leaked by army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning who served seven years of a 35-year sentence, before being released by president Barack Obama.

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The US authorities insisted that the leaks jeopardised the lives of those who worked with them on the ground in both countries, allegations vigorously contested by Assange. Assange’s release came after Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese suggested that US prosecutors needed to conclude the case, and President Biden signalled that he was open to a rapid resolution.

Press freedom groups say that he deserved the same US constitution first amendment protections afforded to journalists. They point out that it was the first time in the history of the Espionage Act that the US has obtained such a conviction, posing a threat to investigative journalism and to press freedom.