Bachelet warns of the impact of the Assange case on press freedom

HC United nations for human rights, Michelle BacheletHe warned on Saturday that the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to stand trial on espionage charges in the United States could have a “frightening effect” on Investigative journalism.

Assange, who has been held since 2019 in a maximum security prison in Belmarsh, near London, has filed an appeal against the extradition order approved by the British government.

The 51-year-old Australian can be judged on United State to 175 years in prison for revealing in 2010 on his WikiLeaks site more than 700,000 classified documents about US military activities, mainly in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Read: 5 facts about Julian Assange, who was offered political asylum by AMLO

“I am aware of the health problems that Assange has suffered while in detention and remain concerned for his physical and mental well-being,” Bachelet said in a statement after meeting Thursday with the accused’s wife and her lawyers.

“Raises the possibility of extradition and trial of Assange.” Press freedom concerns And about the potential impact Intimidation about investigative journalism And about alert launchers,” the former Chilean president highlighted.

“In these circumstances, I would like to stress the importance of ensuring respect for Assange’s human rights, in particular the right to a fair trial and due process guarantees,” he added.

Bachelet stressed that “my office will continue to follow Assange’s case closely,” and announced in June that she was not looking forward to a new mandate as the UN human rights chief and hoped to appoint a successor.

Read: Julian Assange: British justice opens the door to extradition of WikiLeaks founder to the United States