Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

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Friday 24 May 2019
CLASSIFIED INFO Zachary Terwilliger, the U.S.
Continued from Front Attorney in Alexandria, Vir-
Assange's lawyer, Barry Pol- ginia, where the case was
lack, said Thursday that the brought, said Assange was
"unprecedented charges" charged with illegally solic-
against his client imperil "all iting classified information
journalists in their endeavor and not simply publishing
to inform the public about it. He said that though the
actions that have been indictment alleges that
taken by the U.S. govern- he published hundreds of
ment." The Reporters Com- thousands of documents, it
mittee for Freedom of the charges him with disclosing
Press called the case a only a "narrow set of docu-
"dire threat" to media free- ments" related to the identi-
dom, and the American ties of confidential sources.
Civil Liberties Union said it "The indictment alleges
was the first time in history a that Assange knew that his
publisher was charged for publication of these sourc-
disclosing truthful informa- es endangered them," he
tion. said.
But Justice Department Prosecutors sought
officials sought to make throughout the document
clear that they believed to make a distinction be- In this May 16, 2019, file photo. former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning speaks with
Assange's actions weren't tween what Assange did reporters, outside federal court in Alexandria, Va.
those of a journalist, though as the founder and "public Associated Press
they declined to discuss face" of WikiLeaks and the
the policy discussions that work of journalists. her as she delved through Thursday's indictment are Assange's arrest a priority.
led to the indictment. They noted, for example, databases for information. entirely separate from that Attorney General William
"Julian Assange is no jour- that he promoted his site Prosecutors also say the episode. Barr paused for several sec-
nalist," said Assistant Attor- to a convention of Euro- danger wasn't just to the The new Espionage Act onds at his confirmation
ney General John Demers, pean hackers and pub- U.S. government, but to charges go far beyond an hearing when asked if his
the Justice Department's lished a list of the classified people who worked with it. initial indictment against Justice Department would
top national security offi- information he sought as Reports from the wars in Assange made public last ever jail journalists, finally
cial. "No responsible actor "The Most Wanted Leaks Afghanistan and Iraq pub- month that accused him saying there were scenari-
— journalist or otherwise of 2009." They described lished by Assange included of conspiring with Manning os when he could envision
— would purposely publish how Assange worked with the names of Afghans and to crack a Defense Depart- it as a last resort.
the names of individuals Manning to improperly ac- Iraqis who provided infor- ment computer password. A senior Justice Depart-
he or she knew to be con- cess Defense Department mation to American and First Amendment aside, the ment official, who spoke
fidential human sources in computers to gain access coalition forces, while the indictment poses a sec- on condition of anonym-
war zones, exposing them to thousands of pages of diplomatic cables he re- ondary ethical question ity Thursday to discuss the
to the gravest of dangers." material and encouraged leased exposed journalists, for journalists. News orga- prosecution, said the case
religious leaders, human nizations around the world had been "looked at by
rights advocates and dis- widely used the Manning a number of prosecutors"
sidents in repressive coun- material, which provided and prosecutors reached
tries. previously unavailable in- the point "where we be-
Assange said in an August formation about the Guan- lieved we had assembled
2010 interview that it was tanamo Bay detention the best case that we
"regrettable" that sources center, the wars in Iraq and could."
disclosed by WikiLeaks Afghanistan and interna- Assange, 47, is in custody in
could be harmed, accord- tional diplomacy. Many London after being evicted
ing to the indictment. reporters found the docu- from the Ecuadorian Em-
FROM 6-7PM Later, after a State De- ments that he released in- bassy in April. The U.S. is
partment legal adviser in- herently newsworthy. seeking his extradition.
formed him of the risk to "These unprecedented Manning, who was con-
"countless innocent indi- charges demonstrate the victed in military court for
viduals" compromised by gravity of the threat the providing a trove of classi-
the leaks, Assange said criminal prosecution of Ju- fied documents to WikiLe-
he would work with main- lian Assange poses to all aks, is currently in a north-
stream news organizations journalists in their endeavor ern Virginia jail on a civil
to redact the names of to inform the public about contempt charge. Man-
individuals. WikiLeaks did actions that have taken by ning spent two months in
hide some names but then the U.S. government," said the Alexandria Detention
published 250,000 cables Pollack, Assange's lawyer. Center beginning in March
a year later without hid- Justice Department offi- after she refused to testify
ing the identities of people cials mulled charges for As- to a grand jury investigat-
named in the papers. sange following the docu- ing WikiLeaks. Manning has
WikiLeaks played a cen- ments' 2010 publication, said she believes prosecu-
tral role in special counsel but ultimately decided that tors want to question her
Robert Mueller's investiga- it could be hard to justify about the same conduct
tion into possible coordi- charging him with actions for which she was con-
nation between the Trump that more conventional victed at her court-martial.
campaign and Russia, hav- journalists take. She served seven years of
ing published Democratic The posture changed in the a 35-year military sentence
emails that were hacked Trump administration, with before receiving a commu-
by Russian intelligence of- former Attorney General tation from then-President
ficers. The allegations in Jeff Sessions in 2017 calling Barack Obama.q