Trevor Timm talks about the inhumane and potentially life-threatening conditions Julian Assange is being held in as he awaits trial for violations of the Espionage Act. Apart from his treatment, which a UN representative has said is akin to psychological torture, the legality of the charges under international law are highly questionable, since Assange is not a U.S. citizen, but is being prosecuted under an American law. Timm warns that this indictment sets up an incredibly dangerous standard for all journalists, regardless of someone’s personal feelings about Assange as a man. The power to prosecute the publishers of information that may have been obtained illegally puts just about every national security and foreign policy journalist at risk.
Discussed on the show:
- “Julian Assange’s life is ‘being put at risk’ by the conditions he is being held in, UN expert says” (Daily Mail)
- Espionage Act
- Pentagon Papers
Trevor Timm is a co-founder and the executive director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation. He is a journalist, activist, and lawyer whose writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Guardian, USA Today, The Atlantic, and many others. Follow him on Twitter @trevortimm.
This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.
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Scott Horton is director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of Antiwar.com, host of Antiwar Radio on Pacifica, 90.7 FM KPFK in Los Angeles, California and podcasts the Scott Horton Show from this website. He’s the author of the 2017 book, Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan. Visit https://scotthorton.org