Espionage Act

22 results arranged by date

CPJ, partners send letter calling for US to drop charges against Julian Assange

CPJ joined a coalition of press freedom, civil liberties, and international human rights organizations calling for the United States to drop its charges against Julian Assange.

Read More ›

British Home Secretary approves Assange extradition to the United States

New York, June 17, 2022–In response to British Home Secretary Priti Patel’s decision on Friday to approve a U.S. request to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The extradition of Julian Assange to the United States to face trial on charges under the…

Read More ›

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in London on January 13, 2020. Assange is facing extradition to the United States for his work at Wikileaks. (Reuters/Simon Dawson)

UK Supreme Court refuses Julian Assange appeal request in extradition case

New York, March 14, 2022 — In response to the U.K. Supreme Court’s announcement Monday refusing an appeal by Julian Assange to prevent his extradition to the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are deeply disappointed that the U.K. Supreme Court has denied the latest attempt by WikiLeaks founder…

Read More ›

CPJ cautiously welcomes UK court decision on Assange, says US must now drop charges

New York, January 24, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists cautiously welcomed a British court’s decision on Monday allowing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to apply to appeal against a lower court’s ruling that he could be extradited to face criminal charges in the United States. “We are glad that Julian Assange will be allowed…

Read More ›

Biden and the media: CPJ’s press freedom recommendations

CPJ is concerned that U.S. President Joe Biden has not addressed many of the Obama and Trump-era limitations on press freedom. In ‘Night and Day’, a CPJ special report on the Biden administration’s relationship with the press during its first year in office, former Washington Post executive editor Leonard Downie Jr. found that while some…

Read More ›

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, pictured in a prison van in the U.K. on May 1, 2019. The U.S. has disclosed charges under the Espionage Act against Assange. (AFP/Daniel Leal-Olivas)

UK ruling on extraditing Wikileaks’ Assange ‘seriously damages journalism’

New York, December 10, 2021–The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed deep disappointment at a British court’s decision to uphold the United States Justice Department’s appeal to extradite Julian Assange, which allows the U.S. to continue pursuing the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder, according to news reports.  “On the same day the Nobel Peace Prize…

Read More ›

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in London on January 13, 2020. Assange is facing extradition to the United States for his work at Wikileaks. (Reuters/Simon Dawson)

CPJ welcomes UK decision not to extradite Julian Assange, urges DOJ to drop charges

New York, January 4, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed a British court’s decision to deny the United States’ request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and urged the U.S. Department of Justice to drop all charges against him. “We are heartened that a British court has denied the United States’ request…

Read More ›

CPJ calls on Trump to improve press freedom in US

CPJ writes the White House about actions by the Trump administration that threaten news media and impede the free flow of information on issues of great public interest. We cite specifically regular statements that delegitimize the role of the press; retaliation against journalists for critical coverage; prosecutions that equate leaking classified documents to the press with espionage; the harassment of journalists at U.S. borders; and limitations on access to information.

Read More ›

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in London on January 13, 2020. Assange is facing extradition to the United States for his work at Wikileaks. (Reuters/Simon Dawson)

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face extradition hearing in U.K.

Washington, D.C., February 21, 2020 — The United Kingdom should not extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges in the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Read More ›

Police watch supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange protesting in London on June 14, 2019 before a scheduled court date in his fight against extradition to the United States, where he faces prosecution for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, as well as the Espionage Act. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Tech journalists troubled by Assange computer intrusion charge

The Trump administration’s decision to charge Julian Assange with 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act has generated significant controversy. One legal expert described it as “crossing a “constitutional Rubicon.” CPJ warned that the indictment could be the opening salvo in a broader attack on First Amendment journalistic protections. The 18th charge against Assange–of violating…

Read More ›