United Kingdom

“There are many ways in which protection of freedom of expression in the UK can be improved but a law of this kind is not one of them. Instead of promoting expression, the broad remit of this proposed law would have the effect of policing speech at universities, and it should be scrapped.”

The judge ruled against Assange’s release, stating that he had an “incentive to abscond,” and “as a matter of fairness” she needed to give the US government the chance to pursue an appeal, which it has indicated it intends to do.

Extradition proceedings against Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange are set to conclude on 4 January, when a decision is expected. RSF again condemns the targeting of Assange for his contributions to journalism and calls for his immediate release.

“We are alarmed by reports of a rapid increase in Covid infections at Belmarsh prison, resulting in Julian Assange being held in de facto solitary confinement. His physical and mental health history leaves him highly vulnerable, and it is clearly unsafe for him to be detained in these conditions.”

Faced with the challenges of COVID-19 and Brexit, the UK government has responded by trying to override democratic checks on executive power.

“If you criminalise news gathering, you are criminalising journalism. It is a moral duty for journalists to protect sources. Many have gone to jail to protect that principle.”

After a highly criticised trial based on forced confessions, the country’s highest court upholds death sentences for tortured pro-democracy activists Mohamed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa.

In the run-up to the resumption of Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange’s US extradition trial in September, and to mark his birthday on 3rd July, Reporters Without Borders has worked with The Courage Foundation on this open letter to the UK government detailing extensive concerns about his treatment and continued persecution. We call on the UK government to uphold its commitment to press freedom in its own country.

“The superseding indictment is the latest in a long series of moves by the US government to manipulate legal loopholes in their targeting of Julian Assange, to undermine his defence, and to divert public attention from the extremely serious press freedom implications of his case.”

“Reports that the government might abandon plans to reform the Gender Recognition Act and that it might explicitly exclude transgender women from ‘women-only’ spaces would undermine the UK’s leadership on LGBTQI+ issues globally.”

The UK government’s dismissal of accurate news reporting as “false” news by “campaigning newspapers”, and its refusal to allow questions from certain outlets has been accompanied by aggressive online attacks on independent press and the hashtag #ScumMedia trending on Twitter.

“We were not surprised by the prosecution’s argument, which again confirmed the lack of evidence for the charges against Assange. This week’s hearing confirmed our belief that he has been targeted for his contributions to public interest reporting.”

Two months before Assange’s extradition hearing, RSF calls on the US to drop its Espionage Act charges against him, and for the Wikileaks publisher to be released on grounds that his health has seriously deteriorated whilst in detention.

ARTICLE 19 also calls on the UK court to reject Assange’s extradition to the US, where he faces charges that relate to the publication of Wikileaks material; if found guilty, he could face up to 175 years in prison.

The groups consider Banks’s case to be an example of a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP), as it is vexatious in nature and intended to silence Cadwalladr’s investigative journalism.

At a meeting at the European Parliament in Brussels, IFEX member the IFJ pledged its support to the campaign to prevent the extradition of Julian Assange, saying his arrest constituted an attack on freedom of the press.