Julian Assange: 'I Plead Guilty to Journalism'.

The article focuses on Julian Assange's October 1, 2024 testimony before the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) following his release from Belmarsh Prison. Assange described his imprisonment as a consequence of "pleading guilty to journalism," highlighting the U.S. application of its Espionage Act extraterritorially and its claim that free speech protections under the First Amendment apply only to U.S. citizens. PACE subsequently recognized Assange as a political prisoner and called on the United States to reform its Espionage Act to protect journalists and whistleblowers. Assange emphasized the importance of freedom of information to hold power accountable and warned against the dangers of transnational repression.