Julian Assange breaks silence at landmark Council of Europe hearing
After maintaining a low profile since his release from prison in June, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has spoken publicly for the first time in an address to a committee hearing of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), reaffirming the dangers his prosecution posed for journalism and press freedom. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomes the PACE hearing and report, and urges the Assembly to pass the accompanying resolution.
In a hearing in Strasbourg, France on 1 October, Assange addressed the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights in the context of the Committee’s report on ‘The detention and conviction of Julian Assange and their chilling effects on human rights.’ Assange gave an introductory statement of 22 minutes, then fielded questions from PACE members for nearly an hour, noting he was tired shortly before concluding. This marked the first time Assange has spoken in public since a plea deal enabled his release from Belmarsh prison at the end of June. Assange is expected to return to Australia to continue his recovery following the hearing.
In his address, Assange emphasised his belief that he had been targeted for journalism. "The fundamental issue is simple: Journalists should not be prosecuted for doing their jobs,” he said. He noted that he had chosen freedom “over unreliable justice,” and stated “I am not free today because the system worked. I am free today after years of incarceration because I pled guilty to journalism.” He warned that journalists remained under threat in Europe, urging PACE to act to ensure that what happened to him can never happen again.
Julian Assange’s address to the Council of Europe was a landmark moment, both for his own case but also for the broader fight to strengthen press freedom protections in Europe. We welcome the Parliamentary Assembly’s report highlighting the chilling effect of Assange’s prosecution, and urge the swift passage of the accompanying resolution. Like much of the international community, the Council of Europe did far too little during Assange’s period of detention. We hope that his statement in the Palais and the damning details of the report will serve as a wake-up call on the need for concrete action to ensure that such a case cannot happen in Europe again.
PACE will conduct a debate in its full plenary session on 2 October and vote on the resolution accompanying the report. RSF has urged its passage in the interest of strengthening protections for press freedom and journalism in the Council of Europe region.
RSF’s Director of Campaigns Rebecca Vincent had previously given oral testimony to the Committee on 26 June, and had met with PACE Rapporteur Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir during her fact-finding mission to London in May. RSF had campaigned vigorously for Assange’s release because of the dangerous implications his prosecution held for journalism and press freedom around the world.
The United Kingdom, a Member State of the Council of Europe, is ranked 23rd out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2024 World Press Freedom Index.
