GENOA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th April, 2019) Lawyer communities from all over the world are outraged by the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Micol Savia, the permanent representative of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) to the United Nations in Geneva, told Sputnik.
Assange was arrested in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London earlier in the day as Ecuador had withdrawn asylum it had granted to the WikiLeaks founder. The UK police confirmed that the arrest had been made "on behalf of the United States authorities." The US Department of Justice said Thursday it was charging Assange with conspiracy related to a 2010 release of stolen documents provided by former US army soldier Chelsea Manning. According to the UK court, the United States has until June 12 to submit all the papers necessary for extradition.
"We will follow closely all developments. Of course we will issue statements calling on the UK authorities not to extradite Mr. Assange and to protect his fundamental rights. Since his arrest few hours ago I received so many calls from lawyers all around the world asking the same: what can we do? The lawyers' community around the world is outraged by the Ecuadorian decision to withdraw asylum and to hand over Assange to British authorities," Savia said.
Savia argued that Assange's arrest would pose a serious threat to the freedom of the press.
"Any attempts to prosecute Julian Assange on account of his publishing activities set a dangerous precedent against the freedom of the press throughout the world ... Julian Assange's arrest will definitely have a chilling effect on the press coverage of issues of great public interest ... JA's arrest poses a serious threat to press freedom and the news-gathering process. By affirming through prosecutions that leaks of classified documents to the press is espionage or 'aiding the enemy', the US administration jeopardizes the press coverage of issue of great public interest, undermining the crucial role of the press in the clarification of human rights violations," Savia said.
The association representative stressed that whistleblowers played a key role in "promoting human rights and democracy and upholding the rule of law."
"They represent a crucial source of information. Their disclosures provide an unique opportunity to strengthen legal and political accountability for abuses that otherwise would remain undetected due to the increasing use and abuse of secrecy to cover unlawful government policies," Savia said.
The permanent representative added that it was "extraordinary and dangerous for the Trump administration to claim that it has the right to prosecute publishers in Europe, publishing from Europe."
"This precedent could clearly be used to shut down critical reporting worldwide ... JA's arrest and persecution is a clear attempt to intimidate the press into silence and backing off from its crucial work in the clarification of human rights violations. Access to information is an essential tool for the public's participation in public affairs and accountability. States must refrain from undue restrictions to the people's right to know and must protect individuals and organizations that make such access possible," Savia said.
The UK court found Assange guilty of breaching bail conditions and kept him in custody. Assange, meanwhile, pleaded not guilty to failure to surrender.
Assange has gained worldwide fame after WikiLeaks released a large number of files, including some on US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and other sensitive documents.
Since 2012, Assange had been residing in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced a probe over allegations of sexual offenses. Assange denied those allegations and called them politically motivated. While the Swedish police dropped the investigation in 2017, Assange was still wary of being extradited to the United States.
