There’s been much talk about the Julian Assange trial for anyone looking, but not much coverage in the mainstream media.
Anyone even moderately following this case is aware by now that the allegations have been shown to be utterly false or irrelevant, while the burning heart of the matter remains: Should journalists be jailed for exposing U.S. war crimes?
The implications of this are overwhelming for reporters worldwide, and go the heart of democracy and free speech. If Assange is illegally extradited to the U.S. it’s a virtual certainty that he will be sentenced to life imprisonment, 175 years to be specific, for showing the world what various governments and powerful people “behind the scenes” have been doing at the expense of the common person and the planet.
This is, by all bona fide accounts, the most serious journalism case in modern history — if not all history — not to mention of extraordinary importance for the world we face and will leave behind, either with or without the freedoms we supposedly stand for. I encourage Utah leaders to become vocal on this matter, and presidential candidates likewise — only Tulsi Gabbard spoke out as far as I know; she denounces his extradition on the most solid grounds.
Daniel Geery
Salt Lake City