Michelle Bachelet warns extradition of Julian Assange will affect press freedom

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said today that possible extradition and prosecution in USA Julian Assange raises concerns about how this will affect freedom of the press, investigative journalism and whistleblowing.

Bachelet received last Thursday, August 25, at his office in Geneva, the wife of the founder of Wikileaks, Stella Assange, as well as his lawyers Baltasar Garzon and Aitor Martinez, who briefed him on the situation of the activist, who has been in a British maximum security prison since 2019.

In comments to EFE on the case, the High Commissioner stressed the importance of respecting human rights Assange“in particular the right to a fair trial and due process of law”, and assured that his body would be watching closely what was happening.

Bachelet aware of Assange’s health problems

Also, the former President of Chile indicated that she is aware of health problems. Assangeto whom USA He is demanding that he be prosecuted for 18 crimes of espionage and computer penetration, for publishing tens of thousands of classified documents on his Wikileaks portal related to, among other things, the war in Iraq, the invasion of Afghanistan and the Guantanamo prison.

His defenders claim that this is a matter of political persecution and that he could receive a life sentence.

The largest disclosures of US intelligence secrets occurred between 2010 and 2011, after which Assange – an Australian citizen – began to be persecuted by the justice system, as a result of which he sought asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he was imprisoned from 2012 until his arrest in 2019.

Bachelet He argued that there are fears for the physical and mental health of the journalist, who is awaiting the final decision of the British court on his extradition, which was approved in mid-June by the British Home Office.

According to information released by the campaign Do not extradite Assangehis wife exposed Bachelet “fragile health condition” he is going through and referred to medical reports confirming the risk that Assange dies in prison, and this extradition could put his own life at risk.

(As reported by EFE)

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