meduzot on Nostr: Apart from Assange getting his freedom it's a terrible outcome. Getting a guilty plea ...
Apart from Assange getting his freedom it's a terrible outcome. Getting a guilty plea sets a clear precedent: whistleblowers deserve no protections and will be punished. An important check on state power has been eviscerated.
In the end, the case against Assange was legally flimsy – first treason, then espionage despite him not being an American citizen – because it was ultimately based on revenge. The files he leaked exposed the US government as a liar, double-crosser of its allies, and war criminal. So the true purpose of the case was to destroy his life and intimidate all journalists from ever publishing unfavorable information again. And the inability for the media to hold government accountable is surely a foundation for tyranny.
In the end, the case against Assange was legally flimsy – first treason, then espionage despite him not being an American citizen – because it was ultimately based on revenge. The files he leaked exposed the US government as a liar, double-crosser of its allies, and war criminal. So the true purpose of the case was to destroy his life and intimidate all journalists from ever publishing unfavorable information again. And the inability for the media to hold government accountable is surely a foundation for tyranny.