Prosecution of Julian Assange on Collision Course With 1st Amendment, Free Speech Advocate Says

The British High Court’s pending ruling may result in an extradition, trial, and conviction, with implications for other journalists and publishers.

Demonstrators hold banners during a rally in support of Julian Assange in front of the U.S Embassy in Berlin, on Feb. 20, 2024. Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo

If Britain’s High Court decides to deny WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a new appeal and allows his extradition to the United States to proceed, Mr. Assange would face prosecution for collecting and publishing documents related to the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, among other sensitive subjects. Experts on the First Amendment and digital publishing have told The Epoch Times that journalists around the world may find themselves operating with far less freedom as a result.

Last week, the court heard two days of arguments from U.S. government lawyers and Mr. Assange’s defense team before declaring that it would not issue a final judgment right away.