In a vote of 88 votes in favour, 13 against and 20 abstentions, the Council of Europe today voted to adopt the Resolution based on the report “The detention and conviction of Julian Assange and their chilling effects on human rights” by rapporteur Ms Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir. They confirmed that Julian Assange has been held as a political prisoner. The Council further supported Assange with strong statements objecting to how he was mistreated and why it was wrong for journalism and freedom of speech as a whole.
The debate occurred today Oct 2, 2024, and the vote to adopt the Resolution based on Sunna’s report on “The detention and conviction of Julian Assange and their chilling effects on human rights” Read Sunna’s report here. There was commentary by members concerning the transnational overreach of the US and the chilling effects it has had on journalism while an innocent man, Julian Assange has been targeted and tortured for publishing the truth in a disproportionately harsh way.
The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly voted to confirm that Julian Assange was held as a political prisoner.
This Xthread by WikiLeaks summarizes everything.
Some comments from members of the Council.
“The watchdog role of the press guarantees that democracy underpinned by the rule of law operates effectively. This role of the press is particularly important in the light of the brutality of current armed conflicts and the growing number and growing seriousness of acts of transnational repression. If public institutions are not able to respond effectively and appropriately to abuse, the role of the press and of whistleblowers becomes crucial. WikiLeaks publications, for example, have confirmed the existence of secret prisons as well as secret and illegal kidnapping and transfers of prisoners carried out by the United States on European territory” – Ms Anna-Kristiina Mikkonen, Finland #Assange
“This must be a wakeup call, the Assange case must truly be a wakeup call for the future in the face of the suppression of political freedoms for European citizens… The unfair treatment of Julian Assange is shocking. This is an obstacle to the defence of human rights and especially media freedom and freedom of information”” – Mr Constantinos Efstathiou, Cyprus
“Julian Assange was instrumentalised in order to create a climate of fear, creating a chilling effect on the media to silence them. The harsh and disproportionate treatment of Julian Assange reveals how dysfunctional our democratic institutions are and the practices of some governments which are unacceptable especially when their interests are threatened by the revelation of the truth. Revealing the truth should not be prosecuted on the pretext of national security. On the contrary, we must protect such whistleblowing of secret information. First of all through self-regulation and according to the principle of responsibility and transparency. In Assange’s case, all of this has been instrumentalised for repressive purposes against the principles of the rule of law” – Mr Constantinos Efstathiou, Cyprus
“Today, similar laws to the [US] Espionage Act are being prepared in many countries. These laws target journalists, but also civil society activism, freedom of association and even diplomatic activity. Public rumours of this type of law have a chilling effect. I know associations in Turkey that have stopped their activities because of this.” – Ms Gökçe Gökçen, Türkiye #Assange
“It’s essential that we ensure that journalists be in a position to disseminate news and information while protecting their sources and their readers. That’s very important if the world is to remain informed” – Mr Christophe Brico, Monaco #Assange
“This [Assange] case tests our collective commitment to human rights and press freedom. If we tolerate the persecution of those who reveal the truth we undermine the very foundations of pluralistic democratic society. The core values of our organisation oblige us to stand firmly in defence of justice, transparency, the rule of law and human rights” – Vladimir Vardanyan, National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
“It’s our job to ensure that people who want to divulge what is going on have our support. The deterrence value of Julian Assange having spent all of those years in solitary confinement is enormous. So it is essential that we do our best to guarantee the space so that whistleblowers and journalists can divulge information of this type” – Ms Petra Bayr, Austria
“Freedom of expression and press freedom are two of the foundations of the free society… What I do regret is that [Julian Assange’s] release wasn’t underpinned by a legal verdict. I think it would have been very important to have some kind of legal ruling which would have provided greater legal certainty to people who dare denounce illegal action. Without a ruling from either the UK courts or the European Court of Human Rights, this does leave something of a void. Which means that there’s justified fear that such goings on can continue and that journalists won’t necessarily benefit from protection” – Ms Petra Bayr, Austria
“I would also like to thank Julian Assange, not only for the courage he has shown over the years, but also for the fact that just three months after his release he has found his way to us here in the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly. I think that underlines the importance of the work the Council has been doing when it comes to defending press freedom when it is under threat” – Ms Petra Bayr, Austria
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This is an historic event because Julian Assange is widely considered the greatest journalist of our time and we all share the fight to speak and publish the truth freely. This is a worldwide concern and we must support journalists to be watchdogs for governments and politicians to keep them honest. We as a worldwide community need journalists to feel safe to do their jobs and not be intimidated into self-censoring due to the chilling effect that has occurred due to the Assange Case. We have to stand up as a people to support journalists who are willing to do investigative journalism and publish the truth along with evidence of the facts of the story. This is an important moment in history and we must stand for what is right.
“And please let us reject in the strongest terms, this attempt to deny that Julian’s incarceration and torture were not politically motivated. The dogs in the streets know that Julian’s case is all about politics.”
-Senator Paul Gavan of Ireland
This interview with Stella Assange: https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2024/10/04/stella-assange-in-strasbourg-so-that-a-new-assange-case-wont-happen-again/7717843/
“What’s next? Well, I think what’s next is really that we focus on Julian’s recovery and on getting used to being free again. That is our priority. I think Julian is trying to catch up with the world.” -Stella Assange
Love to all who worked so hard to see Julian Assange free and the truth upheld. <3