WikiLeaks acted in public interest, says Pentagon Papers' leaker while defending Assange

Daniel Ellsberg, man who leaked Pentagon Papers about Vietnam War, came to defence of Julian Assange on September 16 and said that WikiLeaks h acted in public interest. Assange is fighting to stop being sent to US, where he is charged with conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law over release of confidential cables by WikiLeaks in 2010-2011. 

Ellsberg, while defending 49-year-old WikiLeaks founder, warned that Assange would not get a fair trial in United States and ded that re are echoes of his experience in way he is being treated by US government. 89-year-old told London’s Central Criminal Court via a video link that WikiLeak’s disclosures h shown Americans how y h been misled about US action in Iraq and Afghanistan. He went on to cite a US military video, which showed a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters in Baghd and which was published back in 2010, and said that ‘torture h become normalised’. 

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In his written testimony, Ellsberg said, “ American public needed urgently to know what was being done routinely in ir name, and re was no or way for m to learn it than by unauthorized disclosure”. 

He ded, “I observe closest of similarities to position I faced, where exposure of illegality and criminal acts institutionally and by individuals was intended to be crushed by ministration carrying out those illegalities”. 

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Even though Ellsberg was pressed repeatedly by James Lewis, a lawyer acting on behalf of US government, about consequences of leaking of unredacted documents, 89-year-old said that re was ‘zero evidence’ that actions of Assange and WikiLeaks h led to anyone being harmed. He also said that Assange took great care not to wilfully expose anyone to harm. Furr, he told court that wars in Afghanistan and Iraq h me refugees of millions as well as to death of over one million people. 

Charges against Assange

Assange has been charged with Espionage Act in United States, where he could receive a maximum prison term of 175 years if found guilty. US authorities accuse Assange of publishing a series of confidential war-related cables allegedly provided by US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who was later court-martialed in 2013 over violations of Espionage Act, Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, among or offences.

(Inputs and image: AP) 

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