The Importance of Julian Assange's Legal Battle: Insights from Alan Rusbridger

Alan Rusbridger, the editor of UK political monthly Prospect Magazine and former editor-in-chief of the Guardian from 1995 to 2015, shares his personal views in this commentary. For more insightful opinions, visit CNN Opinion.

Picture this scenario: A dedicated American journalist, let's call her Gillian, is diligently investigating India's nuclear weapons program. However, she faces a major obstacle - the Indian Official Secrets Act of 1923. Despite being based in London, Gillian encounters backlash from the Indian government when she eventually publishes her story.

Alan Rusbridger

Alan Rusbridger

Gillian is being targeted to set an example for other journalists. The Indian government is seeking her extradition to face trial in Delhi, where she could potentially receive a jail sentence of up to 10 years.

London won't hand Gillian over. Washington won't just sit back and let an American journalist stay in an Indian jail. If you think that's going to happen, you're dreaming. Journalists worldwide would be furious. The UK and US governments would work behind the scenes to resolve the situation.

Now, let's shift our focus from Gillian to Julian.

Julian is an Australian "journalist" residing in London. However, he is not interested in revealing Indian state secrets but rather American ones. The Americans eventually become furious and warn of extraditing and imprisoning him. Surprisingly, Julian responds with a nonchalant disapproval instead of a furious outcry.

The key hint lies in the quotation marks around "journalist." In my opinion, Julian Assange can be seen as a journalist in certain aspects. He is also known as a publisher, entrepreneur, activist, whistleblower, information anarchist, and hacker. Many of these modern internet warriors share similar traits.

During our collaboration, when I was the editor of The Guardian and he was the editor of WikiLeaks, we worked on a series of revolutionary stories that were undeniably journalistic.

Many journalists do not consider Assange to be a traditional "journalist," and they fail to see the connection between his fate and their own. However, I believe this is a misconception. This week, Assange's future will be determined as judges in the UK High Court review final arguments from both sides regarding his extradition to the US. If extradited, he could potentially be incarcerated in a high-security prison for an extended period of time.

Demonstrators come together at the Place de la Republique in Paris to show their support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. This gathering takes place on the same day that Assange is appealing in a British court against his extradition to the US, on February 20, 2024.

Demonstrators gather in support of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the Place de la Republique in Paris, on the day Assange appeals in a British court against his extradition to the US, February 20, 2024.

I first met Assange in 2007 when he was living in Kenya and exploring how the internet could be used by dissidents and whistleblowers to share important, albeit sensitive, information. At that time, he was not widely known online.

Back in January 2010, Hillary Clinton, who was the secretary of state at the time, expressed excitement about the potential of the internet to shake up power dynamics. She referred to it as “a new nervous system for the planet.”

Clinton highlighted the emergence of underground digital publishing, which she likened to “the samizdat of our day.” This new form of communication was promoting transparency and challenging the oppressive and corrupt systems in place worldwide. However, she also cautioned that authoritarian governments, such as Iran, were cracking down on individuals who dared to speak out using these digital tools.

Clinton soon discovered that the new samizdat publishing system was completely uncontrollable, even by her own government.

The impact of Assange's cause may be uncertain in the future, but it is one that should unite journalists in solidarity.

Alan Rusbridger

Alan Rusbridger, along with a few other well-known news organizations like The New York Times, El País, Le Monde, and Der Spiegel, collaborated with Assange on the release of a large amount of documents gathered by Chelsea Manning during her time in the US Army.

Assange's supporters acknowledge that working with him can be challenging, but despite the bumps along the way, we were able to produce valuable journalism together.

As Sarah Ellison noted in Vanity Fair, the collaboration with Assange has yielded extraordinary results. The leaks have been extensive, detailed, and accurate, making it one of the most significant journalistic scoops in the past three decades.

Clinton and the prosecuting authorities did not agree with Manning's actions. As a result, Manning was sent to jail and Assange went into a form of exile. Despite this, the US government showed some understanding of the situation. In one of his final acts as President, Barack Obama commuted Manning's prison sentence, allowing her to serve only seven years of her original 35-year sentence.

TOPSHOT - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gestures from the window of a prison van as he is driven out of Southwark Crown Court in London on May 1, 2019, after having been sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for breaching his bail conditions in 2012. - A British judge on Wednesday sentenced WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to 50 weeks in prison for breaching his bail conditions in 2012. Assange took refuge in Ecuador's London embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden and was only arrested last month after Ecuador withdrew his asylum status. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was seen gesturing from the window of a prison van as he was driven out of Southwark Crown Court in London on May 1, 2019. He had been sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for breaking his bail conditions in 2012. A British judge handed down the sentence, as Assange had sought refuge in Ecuador's London embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden. He was arrested last month after Ecuador revoked his asylum status. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

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I still think it was important to share information about the deaths of civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the American authorities ignoring reports of torture and murder by Iraqi allies in 2009.

Any major news outlet would have been eager to release the 2010 "collateral murder" video showing an Apache helicopter killing twelve innocent individuals, including two Reuters journalists.

Assange went beyond his mainstream news partners by publishing extensive information through WikiLeaks. Although he lost sympathy due to his involvement in the release of emails stolen from the DNC and Clinton's campaign chair John Podesta in 2016, it is important to note that he is not being pursued for these specific leaks. Instead, at 52 years old, Assange faces extradition attempts for "espionage" after spending nearly five years in a high-security prison in the UK. This move appears to be a delayed effort to punish whistleblowers and deter journalists, both traditional and non-traditional, from investigating sensitive matters.

More than 50 years ago, the US Supreme Court made history by rejecting Richard Nixon's attempts to stop The Washington Post and The New York Times from publishing the Pentagon Papers.

Daniel Ellsberg, often compared to Chelsea Manning or Edward Snowden, was seen as a hero for revealing a hidden truth about the Vietnam War before his passing last year.

Daniel Ellsberg, co-defendant in the Pentagon Papers case, talks to media outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles, April 28, 1973.

Daniel Ellsberg, co-defendant in the Pentagon Papers case, talks to media outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles, April 28, 1973.

Assange's legacy remains uncertain, but his cause should rally journalists to support it. The importance of the Pentagon Papers case serves as a reminder that such precedents can be overturned.

The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told President Joe Biden, “enough is enough.” I hope the UK courts, who are about to hear the latest case, agree.

Editor's P/S:

The article highlights the precarious situation of Julian Assange, an Australian journalist facing extradition to the US for espionage charges. Author Alan Rusbridger argues that Assange's case should concern all journalists, as it represents an attack on press freedom and the right to expose government secrets.

Rusbridger draws parallels between Assange and traditional journalists, emphasizing that despite Assange's unconventional approach, his work has had a profound impact on journalism. He cites the collaboration between WikiLeaks and major news organizations like The Guardian, which resulted in the publication of sensitive documents exposing government wrongdoing. Rusbridger believes that Assange's extradition would set a dangerous precedent, deterring journalists from investigating and publishing important information that could hold governments accountable.