"If Mr. Assange is extradited to the United States, the consequences will reverberate for years around the world. Mr. Assange is not an American citizen, and none of his actions have taken place on American soil. If the United States can prosecute a journalist in these circumstances, the governments of Russia or China could, by the same logic, demand that foreign reporters anywhere on earth be extradited for violating their laws. The setting of such a precedent should deeply concern everyone, admirers of WikiLeaks or not."





Dear friends,I'm a GetUp member. I am also a journalist who has engaged with international affairs for decades. That's why, as a matter of principle, I am greatly disturbed by what's happening to Julian Assange. It overturns centuries of historic and legal precedent protecting freedom of the press, and exposes journalists around the world to the vengeance and tyranny of governments anywhere.This point was made in the Editorial Opinion pages of the New York Times :As an Australian citizen, and the head of an Australian-based online media organisation, Mr. Assange is entitled to the same rights and protection under freedom of the press that any journalist or publisher requires in order to do their job; without fear that if they expose the truth, they risk being sentenced to the death penalty. They are providing an essential service - empowering us by exposing what governments get up to in our name. We in turn must defend them.The information Wikileaks has released revealed serious wrongdoing, from the killing of Reuters news reporters and Iraqi civilians, including children, to corruption that so outraged nations of people it helped spark the Arab Spring. Media outlets around the world also published this information, but their editors' safety is not at risk; only that of an Australian whose organisation has delivered a secure way for whistleblowers to upload material anonymously.Thanks for being part of this,Mary Kostakidis, journalist and GetUp member.