"Journalists must be activists for the truth"
Julian Assange 1st October 2024
Julian's testimony
(Clip begins at 1hr 21 with question leading to above quote.)
Video description:
Julian Assange, accompanied by his wife Stella, took part in a parliamentary hearing on his detention and conviction - and their chilling effect on human rights - on 1 October 2024 ahead of a full plenary debate on this topic by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) the following day.
In his first public remarks since his release from detention at Belmarsh Prison in the UK four months ago, Mr Assange told parliamentarians: "I want to be totally clear. I am not free today because the system worked. I am free today because after years of incarceration I pleaded guilty to journalism. I pleaded guilty to seeking information from a source, and I pleaded guilty to informing the public what that information was."
He added: "It’s good to be back. It’s good to be amongst people who – as we say in Australia – who give a damn. It’s good to be amongst friends."
The hearing was organised by the Assembly’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights in the framework of a report on this topic by Thorhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC). Ms Ævarsdóttir is General Rapporteur on Political Prisoners in Europe. Wikileaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson also took part.
In a recent draft resolution, based on Ms Ævarsdóttir's report, the committee expressed deep concern at Mr Assange’s harsh treatment, warned of its “chilling effect” and called on the United States, a Council of Europe observer state, to investigate the alleged war crimes and human rights violations disclosed by him and Wikileaks.
The committee also said it considers that the “disproportionately severe charges” brought against him by the US authorities, as well as the heavy penalties foreseen under the Espionage Act for engaging in acts of journalism, fall within the requirements set out in a 2012 Assembly resolution on the definition of a political prisoner.
On Wednesday 2 October, the Assembly – which brings together parliamentarians from the 46 Council of Europe member states – debated and voted on the committee’s draft resolution. This is their conclusion:
PACE recognises Julian Assange as a ‘political prisoner’ and warns against the chilling effect of his harsh treatment.
From the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) website:
"The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has expressed deep concern at “the disproportionately harsh treatment” faced by Julian Assange and said this has had a “dangerous chilling effect” which undermines the protection of journalists and whistleblowers around the world."
"Approving a resolution based on a report by Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC), the Assembly said Mr Assange’s treatment warranted his designation as a “political prisoner” under a definition it agreed in 2012, citing the severe charges brought against him by the United States of America, exposing him to possible life imprisonment, combined with his conviction under the US Espionage Act “for what was – in essence – newsgathering and publishing”."
read more here
Read the full report by Ms Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir here
and watch Stella Assange and Thorhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir briefly discuss the importance of the Council of Europe resolution here (2 minute video)
