[1]https://defend.wikileaks.org/2020/07/03/rights-groups-call-on-uk-to-
   free-julian-assange/

40+ Rights Groups Call on UK to Free Julian Assange

   WikiLeaks publisher turns 49 in prison, facing U.S. extradition

   Dozens of press freedom, human rights, and privacy rights organizations
   across five continents have [2]co-signed an open letter to the U.K.
   government, calling for the immediate release of imprisoned WikiLeaks
   founder Julian Assange. The publisher, who turns 49 years old today in
   HMP Belmarsh, is facing extradition to the United States where he has
   been indicted under the Espionage Act for WikiLeaks’ 2010-11
   publications of the Iraq War Logs, the Afghan War Diaries, and State
   Department cables. If convicted, Mr Assange would face up to 175 years
   in prison, “tantamount to a death sentence.”

   The co-signers write,

     “This [indictment] is an unprecedented escalation of an already
     disturbing assault on journalism in the US, where President Donald
     Trump has referred to the news media as the ‘enemy of the people’.
     Whereas previous presidents have prosecuted whistleblowers and other
     journalistic sources under the Espionage Act for leaking classified
     information, the Trump Administration has taken the further step of
     going after the publisher.”

   Seventeen of the 18 charges against Mr Assange are under the 1917
   Espionage Act, marking the U.S.’s first-ever attempt to prosecute the
   publication of truthful information in a fundamental test of the First
   Amendment’s protection of press freedoms. Mr Assange has also been
   charged with conspiring to violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act,
   which uses language similar to the Espionage Act.

   Reporters without Borders, PEN International, ARTICLE19, the
   International Federation of Journalists, and the National Union of
   Journalists are among the 40 rights groups who have signed on to the
   letter, initiated by the Courage Foundation, a whistleblower support
   network which campaigns for Mr Assange’s freedom and the public’s right
   to know.

   Carles Torner, Executive Director of PEN International, said:

   “This indictment effectively opens the door to criminalising activities
   that are vital to many investigative journalists who write about
   national security matters. Beyond the case itself, we are concerned
   that the mere fact that Assange now risks extradition and potentially
   decades behind bars if convicted in the USA has a chilling effect on
   critical journalism, which is essential for exposing the truth about
   crimes committed by governments.”

   [end of partial quote]

   Jim Bell's comments follow:

   Yes, I am aware of how controversial Julian Assange is on the
   Cypherpunks list.   My position is, 'Any leak that some government,
   somewhere, doesn't like is very likely to be a good leak.'

References

   1. https://defend.wikileaks.org/2020/07/03/rights-groups-call-on-uk-to-free-julian-assange/
   2. https://defend.wikileaks.org/2020/07/03/open-letter-calling-for-the-release-of-wikileaks-publisher-julian-assange/