Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s case may have ‘chilling effect’ on press freedom, say observers

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrives at a United States District Court in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, US on Jun 26, 2024. following a years-long legal saga, but his guilty plea may have a “chilling effect” on press freedom, observers said on Wednesday .

On Wednesday, he received a court-imposed 62-month time-served sentence in Northern Mariana Islands, a Pacific US territory. The sentence reflected the time he had been detained in a high-security prison in the United Kingdom as a result of his US charges. “ would set an extraordinary precedent where the US could go after non-citizens under that Act, while simultaneously denying them the protections of US law, particularly First Amendment protections,” she said.

“The charge is still significant … It means that outside the United States, publishers are not really safe. Outside the United States, journalists and outlets are not necessarily safe,” he said. Another reason could have been operational details that the US’ Central Intelligence Agency would never have wanted to see in court, he said.The indictment unsealed by the Trump administration was an unprecedented use of the 1917 Espionage Act that has the potential to – as in this case – criminalise journalistic activity, said Dr Shortis.

The Act was not intended for this purpose, said Dr Kampmark, noting that it was passed in 1917, just as the US was entering World War I.

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