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Related: About this forum"I Pled Guilty to Journalism": WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Speaks Publicly After Prison Release
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange spoke publicly today for the first time since he was released in June from a London prison. Assange addressed the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in France about his 14-year legal saga after publishing evidence of U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. Assange was freed after pleading guilty to a U.S. charge of obtaining and disclosing national security material. Democracy Now! broadcasts the first time the world has heard Julian Assange's voice since he was arrested in 2019. "I eventually chose freedom over unrealizable justice after being detained for years and facing a 175-year sentence with no effective remedy," says Assange. "I am not free today because the system worked. I am free today, after years of incarceration, because I pled guilty to journalism."
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.
Bev54
(11,686 posts)He was never a journalist, he was supposed to be the middleman to disseminate information provided to him, instead he pushed people what to go after and how.
Gaugamela
(2,560 posts)ificandream
(10,266 posts)He's just mouthing the word "journalism" in hopes some lamebrains out there will bite the apple. But Wikileaks was not and never will be journalism.
Oopsie Daisy
(4,283 posts)He's no journalist! He's no victim, no martyr. He's now playing the pity-card... poor me... boo-hoo!
There's a reason that we have laws in place to protect (prevent) unauthorized disclosure of information. It's illegal and punishable. Exposing military and diplomatic secrets can jeopardize the safety of individuals, including sources, informants, and military personnel.
The wholesale disclosure of sensitive information can compromise ongoing military operations. Also diplomatic operations. It can disrupt intelligence-gathering efforts. It can get assets and informants killed. It totally undermines national security strategies.
And, of course, leave it to "Democracy Now!" to present his comments in full, without any explanation of what he did and the consequences of his actions and the reasons he he was jailed. They were noticeably and obviously silent when it comes to presenting all the information. They're perfectly happy with just presenting one side and portraying him as a victim.
What he did, and what he advocates, leads harm and loss of life. What he did benefits nations and governments who are hostile to the United States. So, naturally "Democracy Now!" is singing his praises and giving him free, unchallenged air-time to promote his agenda.
He's a traitor, guilty of espionage. Not a journalist, not a whistleblower. That SOB deserved to serve all 175 years.
PortTack
(34,180 posts)delisen
(6,359 posts)Masquerading as Free Speech Advocate.