The US State Department said this Wednesday (26) that its involvement in resolving the Julian Assange case was very limited. Spokesman Matthew Miller reiterated the American position that the WikiLeaks founder’s actions put lives at risk.
The State Department spokesperson was asked by reporters at a press conference this Wednesday (26) to give examples of harm caused by WikiLeaks disclosures, but did not provide any.
Assange was welcomed to Australia on Wednesday after pleading guilty to violating US espionage law, in a deal that frees him from a 14-year legal battle.
Chief U.S. District Judge Ramona V. Manglona in the U.S. territory of Saipan accepted Assange’s guilty plea on Wednesday. The activist agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal charge, according to records from the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.
While Washington has often called Assange’s actions reckless and claimed they put his agents at risk of harm, the judge noted Wednesday that the United States has failed to identify any personal victims of the prosecution.
Assange’s supporters say he is a hero who was a victim in the case because he exposed wrongdoing and alleged US war crimes, including in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, in the 2010 release of documents.
“The State Department did an extraordinary job when we discovered these cables were going to be published to get people out of danger and take necessary action,” the spokesperson said.
The State Department said the U.S. Department of Justice acted independently in the case and faced no interference from other agencies.
The spokesperson added that there has recently been some limited coordination between the State Department and the Australian government regarding the case.
Australia has advocated the release of Assange, an Australian citizen.
“We have an independent Department of Justice,” said the State Department spokesperson.
“There has been a small coordination role between our embassy and the Australian government in recent days,” added Matthew Miller.
Source: CNN Brasil
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