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May 3, 2019

Assange to Fight Extradition to the United States
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Julian Assange has officially begun his fight to avoid extradition to
the United States. The Wiki Leaks founder told a London court Thursday
that he will not voluntarily consent to being extradited to the U.S. to
face charges related to the Chelsea Manning leaks. Speaking by video
link from jail, Assange said, "I do not wish to surrender myself for
extradition for doing journalism that has won many awards and protected
many people." Assange was arrested in April after spending seven years
inside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. After the court hearing,
Assange's lawyer Jennifer Robinson warned that his extradition could put
a massive chill on investigative journalism.

Jennifer Robinson: "Despite what you heard from the prosecutor in the
courtroom today, this case is not about hacking. This case is about a
journalist and a publisher who had conversations with a source about
accessing material, encouraged that source to provide material, and
spoke to that source about how to protect their identity. This is
protected activity that journalists engage in all the time. And any
prosecution and extradition of Mr. Assange for having done so, or
alleged to have done so, will place a massive chill on investigative
journalism the world over."



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