The US government has brought further charges against Julian Assange now that he is prison in London. These charges, under the Espionage Act, cover his dealings with Chelsea Manning in 2010 and 2011, when Ms Manning was still serving in the US army. After she had sent him some files for her own reasons, Mr Assange, according to the indictment, urged Ms Manning to get hold of and pass over further classified documents, which WikiLeaks published almost unredacted. The Guardian disapproved of the mass publication of unredacted documents at the time, and broke with Mr Assange over the issue. But whether or not the documents should have been published, their publication should not be punished by the American justice system, which could impose a cumulative sentence of 180 years on the latest charges.
Mr Assange is an unattractive character who has quarrelled with almost all his former supporters. Few will be enthusiastic about defending him. Yet he must be defended against this extradition request because the indictments against him threaten to damage freedom and democracy in both Britain and the US.
Continue reading...from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2VN9TSr
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