United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said at the weekend that the possible extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the US raises concerns about the free press and may have a “crippling” impact on investigative journalism.
Ms Bachelet explained that she met on Thursday with Mr Assange’s wife and lawyers.
Julian Assange has appealed the British government’s decision to grant his extradition request to the US.
The Australian, 51, faces charges in the US of “espionage” over the release from 2010 through the WikiLeaks website of more than 700,000 confidential and classified US diplomatic and military documents, mostly about the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If convicted by US justice, he risks up to 175 years in prison.
“I am aware of the health problems Mr Assange has faced during his detention and I remain concerned about his physical and mental state,” Ms Bachelet added in a statement.
“The potential extradition of Mr. Assange and his possible prosecution raise concerns about freedom of the press and the potential paralyzing effects on investigative journalism and whistleblower activities,” Ms. Bachelet said.
She underlined the “importance of ensuring the respect of Mr Assange’s human rights, in particular his right to a fair trial” and assured that her services were closely monitoring the case.
Mrs. Bachelet’s term as High Commissioner ends the day after tomorrow, Wednesday.
Julian Assange’s defense committee in the US said there was a meeting in Geneva between Ms Bachelet, Mr Assange’s wife Stella and his lawyers Baltasar Garthon and Aitor Martinez, which lasted more than an hour.
The WikiLeaks founder’s lawyers “highlighted the legal and human rights implications”, while Stella Assange “referred to the consequences of his many years of incarceration on Julian’s health and his family”, according to the committee.
The WikiLeaks founder was arrested by British police in April 2019 after the then Ecuadorian government revoked the political asylum it had granted him allowing him to stay in the country’s embassy for seven years, and was taken to Belmars maximum security prison.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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