Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen correspondent to southern Lebanon: Israeli warplanes launched a raid on the Ksar Zaatar neighborhood in western Nabatieh.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The tower destroyed by the Israeli occupation in Gaza includes media offices, including Al Mayadeen's bureau.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: Four fetuses and three premature babies died at Nasser Medical Complex due to malnutrition
Lebanese Ministry of Health: One person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a car in the town of Burj Qalawieh, south Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: The first ship of the Maghreb fleet delivering aid to break the siege on Gaza departs from the port of Gammarth in Tunisia.
Channel 12: Airspace closed at Ramon Airport due to fears of drone infiltration
IOF Spokesperson: Sirens sounded over an aircraft infiltration in the Bir Ora area, and details are being examined
Drone infiltration sirens sound north of the Gulf of Aqaba
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out five extremely violent raids on the western areas of Gaza City
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out major bombings in the Gaza Strip, the most violent since October 7

PACE declares Julian Assange a political prisoner, criticizes US, UK

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 2 Oct 2024 23:03
3 Min Read

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) officially recognized Julian Assange as a political prisoner, criticizing the US for prosecuting him to conceal state misconduct and condemning the UK for failing to protect his freedom of expression and right to liberty.

Listen
  • x
  • Wikileaks founder Julian Assange attends the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, eastern France, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Pascal Bastien)
    Wikileaks founder Julian Assange attends the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, eastern France, Tuesday, October 1, 2024. (AP)

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), comprising lawmakers from 46 European countries, officially recognized WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as a political prisoner on Wednesday, following his testimony the previous day regarding his treatment by US and UK authorities.

"The Assembly determined that Mr. Assange’s treatment justified his designation as a 'political prisoner' under a definition agreed in 2012, citing the severe charges brought against him by the US, which expose him to the possibility of life imprisonment, combined with his conviction under the US Espionage Act 'for what was – in essence – newsgathering and publishing,'" read the statement.

The resolution passed with a vote of 88 in favor, 13 against, and 20 abstentions, with most of the opposition coming from lawmakers in the UK and Poland.

Read more: Assange plea deal was the result of imminent US extradition failure

PACE criticized the US for failing to investigate the war crimes and human rights violations revealed by WikiLeaks, suggesting that Assange's prosecution appeared to be aimed at concealing state misconduct rather than protecting national security.

The assembly also condemned the UK for failing to safeguard Assange’s freedom of expression and right to liberty, subjecting him to prolonged detention in a high-security prison despite the political nature of the charges against him.

'I pleaded guilty to journalism'

On Tuesday, Assange testified before PACE's legal affairs and human rights committee in Strasbourg, marking his first public appearance since his release from a London prison on June 25.

Related News

Maduro warns of threats, urges 'battle for truth' to defend Venezuela

Rubio bill sparks fears of passport revocations over speech

He revealed that part of his plea deal with the US included a condition preventing him from filing a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights to challenge the verdict.

Assange told the Council of Europe rights body during his first public comments since his release, held at its Strasbourg headquarters, "I am not free today because the system worked. I am free today after years of incarceration because I pleaded guilty to journalism." 

He remarked, "I eventually chose freedom over unrealizable justice... justice for me is now precluded," highlighting that he had faced a potential 175-year prison sentence.

Speaking calmly and accompanied by his wife Stella, who campaigned for his release, Assange emphasized, "Journalism is not a crime; it is a pillar of a free and informed society."

He stressed, "The fundamental issue is simple. Journalists should not be prosecuted for doing their jobs."

The cache of confidential documents released by WikiLeaks contained candid US State Department assessments of foreign leaders, reports of extrajudicial killings, and intelligence operations against allies.

Assange argued that his case sheds light on "how powerful intelligence organizations engage in transnational repression" against their adversaries, warning that this "cannot become the norm here."

Read more: Georges Abdallah campaign salutes Assange, calls for former's release

Earlier in June, a US judge sentenced WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to time served, with no supervised release, following his guilty plea to a charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information related to the national defense of the United States.

Assange had been imprisoned in the high-security Belmarsh prison in London since April 2019 after British police were allowed to raid the Ecuadorian Embassy where he had secured asylum since 2012. 

  • United States
  • Political prisoners
  • Freedom of Speech
  • United Kingdom
  • WikiLeaks
  • PACE
  • Julian Assange

Most Read

The damaged building in the Katara neighborhood, Doha, Qatar, September 9, 2025 (Social media)

Hamas delegation survives Israeli assassination attempt in Qatar

  • Politics
  • 9 Sep 2025
Pro-"Israel" conservative Charlie Kirk shot during Utah speech

American far-right activist Charlie Kirk shot dead during Utah speech

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025
A screengrab from the ad played on Fox News. (X Screengrab)

Fox airs ad warning Trump not to let Netanyahu 'play' him on Gaza

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Australia warned of deadly climate risks in landmark report
Environment

Millions at risk from rising seas, extreme heat in Australia: Report

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un inspects a new weapons factory in undisclosed location, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, August 31, 2025 (AP)
Politics

DPRK defies US, says nuclear state status 'permanently enshrined'

Soldier F faces trial over bloody Sunday killings after 53 years
Miscellaneous

British Soldier F faces trial over Bloody Sunday killings after 53 yrs

Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate at the University of Sydney to protest the Israel Hamas war, Wednesday, April 24, 2024 (AP)
Politics

Protest outside ABC decries media silence on Gaza journalist killings

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS