© Peter Nicholls / Reuters
Julian Assange has been confined to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012. It might be nice to get a change of scenery.
The New American has the details.
In a tweet last week, WikiLeaks pointed out that the U.S. government has "decided to close its eight year long grand jury proceedings against @WikiLeaks (expanded in 2017 to cover our series on the CIA)." The WikiLeaks tweet was a reference to a statement made by State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert during a press conference on January 2. Speaking about Iran, Nauert said, "We support a freedom of the press. When a nation clamps down on social media, we ask the question, 'What are you afraid of?' What are you afraid of? We support the people of Iran, and we support their voices being heard."
Even more promising to Assange's plight is the fact that President Trump's lawyers have filed a motion with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia arguing that Assange's publication of the DNC and John Podesta e-mails was protected by the First Amendment even if the e-mails were stolen.
While that motion is specifically geared toward Assange's publication of the DNC and Podesta e-mails, it recognizes WikiLeaks as a valid media organization protected by the First Amendment. WikiLeaks has not always been seen in that light by the powers-that-be in the U.S. government.This would be a major Drain The Swamp achievement. And the left will hate it.
... So, while the powers-that-be in the U.S. government may (at least under the previous administration) have seen Assange and WikiLeaks as enemies, there is little doubt that the service WikiLeaks has provided to the cause of liberty is invaluable.
Now, with Nauert's statement about "freedom of the press," the closing of the grand jury proceedings, and the motion filed by Trump's lawyers, WikiLeaks has received something close to the imprimatur of the U.S. government as a legitimate media organization. By extension, Assange is likewise "redeemed." All of that may add up to Assange being able to finally end his exile and leave the embassy a free man.
We should note that the imprisonment of Assange in London and detention of Snowden in Russia is the new way the neocons use to punish democratic oversight and achieve their aims of domination whilst avoiding publication of their underhand and illegal methods.
How has it continued so long? In the field of international relations I for one will be supporting the UN and no-one else as the proper authority. When evil arises to this level we must consort and unite to oppose it.