A member of our Australian affiliate, the Media Entertainments and Arts Alliance, and a holder of the IFJ International Press Card, Assange has become a symbol for the profession worldwide.
The case against him is historic because, for the first time, the US government is invoking espionage charges against a publisher for publishing truthful information, including on the US military blunder of 12 July 2007 in Baghdad during the war in Iraq, which resulted in the deaths of 12 civilians, including two children and two Reuters journalists, Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldin.
Through the case of Julian Assange, the IFJ defends freedom of expression, press freedom and the right to know. Assange should be released immediately.
Anthony Bellanger
IFJ General Secretary