Bachelet, concerned about the impact of the Assange case on press freedom

GINEVA, 27 Aug 2022 (AFP) -The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bacheletwarned on Saturday that the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to stand trial for espionage in the United States could have a “chilling effect” on investigative journalism.

Assange, detained since 2019 in a high-security prison in Belmarsh, near London, filed an appeal against the extradition order approved by the British government.

The 51-year-old Australian can be sentenced in the United States to 175 years in prison for having disclosed in 2010 on his WikiLeaks site more than 700,000 confidential documents on US military activities, especially in Irak y Afghanistan.

“I am aware of the health problems that Assange has suffered during his detention and I continue to be concerned about his physical and mental well-being,” Bachelet said in a statement, after meeting Thursday with the accused’s wife and lawyers.

“The possible extradition and prosecution of Assange raises concerns about freedom of the press and about the possible chilling effect on investigative journalism and on alert launchers,” said the former Chilean president.

“In these circumstances, I would like to stress the importance of ensuring respect for Assange’s human rights and in particular the right to a fair trial and due process guarantees,” he added.

“My office will continue to closely follow the Assange case,” stressed Bachelet, who announced in June that she did not aspire to a new mandate as head of Human Rights at the UN and hopes that a successor will be appointed.

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