Julian Assange

Julien Assange passage

The first amendment of the constitution makes sure to guarantee freedom of speech to all Americans. The persecution of Julian Assage and Edward Snowden is proof that this amendment is under attack. Assange, the founder of wikileaks, had released classified military documents in 2010, thus angering some in the government who would rather have that information kept secret. This caused the government to search for reasons to charge Assange. 

In May 2019, Assange was charged on 17 counts of violating the espionage act, as well as another for hacking. This is a dangerous precedent for free speech, as it makes clear that the protection of the first amendment has its limits. While the government claims that Assange is not a journalist, this governmental overreach is especially concerning for the press. While wikileaks isn’t a traditional media source, it should absolutely be guaranteed the same protections as those in the press.   

A British court has found that the USA for now, will be unable to extradite Assange from British prison, however the government will appeal. Assange badly wants to avoid trial in America, as the punishment could be up to 135 years in prison. With this precedent, journalists everywhere could be charged under the espionage act just for doing their civic duty.

 Many people had been hoping that Donald Trump would pardon Assange, however that did not come into fruition, and it is doubted that Joe Biden will not, as wikileaks leaked classified emails by democrat Hillary Clinton, who many think lost the election because of this leak. However these things have nothing to do with each other, which proved the political implications of this situation. The government clearly believes that anyone who would interfere with their power must be arrested.

Assange

The case of Edward Snowden is not dissimilar to that of Assange, as he also has been charged with espionage. The former CIA operative released classified information about surveillance on American citizens the NSA was operating under the guise of the Patriot Act. For alerting to the American public what the government was charged with two counts of espionage. This display of shutting down a whistleblower has very dangerous effects, as less people will be willing to stand up and announce illegal activities by the government, for they will fear the consequences. Fortunately for Snowden, he has been granted residency in Russia. He would like to return to the United States, but cannot return without being arrested.  

It is a national disgrace that neither Julian Assange or Edward Snowden were pardoned. Both of these men are American heroes, fighting for the American citizens right to information, and yet both men are currently being persecuted for their heroism.