Julian Assange

In his first appearance after his prolonged detention, Julian Assange speaks during a hearing at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Oct. 1, 2024.

AP Photo/Pascal Bastien

His prosecution is over, but the implications for journalists are alarming.

After pleading guilty to charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, Assange is the first person to be convicted under the Espionage Act for speaking with a source, receiving classified documents, and publishing them. In other words, things that journalists at news outlets do every day.

This is why Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) led a coalition of virtually every major civil liberties and human rights organization in the country to denounce the unprecedented case as a clear and present danger to press freedom.

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Photo Credit: Rainmaker Photo/MediaPunch/IPX via AP