MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th April, 2019) The Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media told Sputnik on Thursday that it would closely follow the situation around WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, arrested earlier in the day, so that journalists were not prosecuted in connection with the activities of the whistleblowing website.
The UK police arrested Assange earlier on Thursday in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he had been residing since 2012 fearing extradition, after Ecuador had withdrawn asylum that it had earlier granted to Assange. The arrest was made on behalf of the US authorities, wanting Assange jailed for the release of classified information. A UK court ruled that Assange should remain in custody, with the next hearing scheduled for May 2.
"The Office has not intervened in this case in the past. We will follow it paying close attention that journalists are not prosecuted in relation to WikiLeaks," the office said.
Assange gained fame after WikiLeaks published a huge trove of leaked files, including those referring to US military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and conditions in US-run Guantanamo detention camp.
