SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden depicted in this street graffiti. (Photo: Lord Jim/flickr/cc)
Snowden Speaks Out for Assange: 'If You Would Deny a Thing to Your Enemy, It Is Not a Right'
"You cannot support the prosecution of a publisher for publishing without narrowing the basic rights every newspaper relies on," says NSA whistleblower
Nov 15, 2018
Following confirmation that the U.S. Department of Justice does have a sealed complaint against Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange--seemingly based on his work exposing the classified secrets of high-level U.S. government institutions and officials--NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden on Friday afternoon spoke out against any arrest or prosecution of the journalist, saying that one "cannot support the prosecution of a publisher for publishing without narrowing the basic rights every newspaper relies on."
Snowden's comments echoed those of other defenders of press freedoms, but carries special weight as someone, like Assange, who has sacrificed his freedom in the name of exposing the secrets of the world's powerful.
Acknowledging that many people have come to "despise" Assange over the years for a variety of reasons, Snowden declared: "If you would deny a thing to your enemy, it is not a right. What do you stand for?"
\u201cIf you would deny a thing to your enemy, it is not a right. What do you stand for?\u201d— Edward Snowden (@Edward Snowden) 1542398041
In a statement by the Freedom of the Press Foundation, where Snowden serves as board president, the group said that prosecuting Assange for the publishing activities of Wikileaks would be a "profound and incredibly dangerous threat" to press freedoms and journalism around the world.
"Whether you like Assange or hate him, the theories used in a potential Espionage Act prosecution would threaten countless reporters at the New York Times, Washington Post, and the many other news outlets that report on government secrets all the time," said Trevor Timm, FTPF's executive director. "While everyone will have to wait and see what the charges detail, it's quite possible core First Amendment principles will be at stake in this case."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Following confirmation that the U.S. Department of Justice does have a sealed complaint against Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange--seemingly based on his work exposing the classified secrets of high-level U.S. government institutions and officials--NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden on Friday afternoon spoke out against any arrest or prosecution of the journalist, saying that one "cannot support the prosecution of a publisher for publishing without narrowing the basic rights every newspaper relies on."
Snowden's comments echoed those of other defenders of press freedoms, but carries special weight as someone, like Assange, who has sacrificed his freedom in the name of exposing the secrets of the world's powerful.
Acknowledging that many people have come to "despise" Assange over the years for a variety of reasons, Snowden declared: "If you would deny a thing to your enemy, it is not a right. What do you stand for?"
\u201cIf you would deny a thing to your enemy, it is not a right. What do you stand for?\u201d— Edward Snowden (@Edward Snowden) 1542398041
In a statement by the Freedom of the Press Foundation, where Snowden serves as board president, the group said that prosecuting Assange for the publishing activities of Wikileaks would be a "profound and incredibly dangerous threat" to press freedoms and journalism around the world.
"Whether you like Assange or hate him, the theories used in a potential Espionage Act prosecution would threaten countless reporters at the New York Times, Washington Post, and the many other news outlets that report on government secrets all the time," said Trevor Timm, FTPF's executive director. "While everyone will have to wait and see what the charges detail, it's quite possible core First Amendment principles will be at stake in this case."
Following confirmation that the U.S. Department of Justice does have a sealed complaint against Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange--seemingly based on his work exposing the classified secrets of high-level U.S. government institutions and officials--NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden on Friday afternoon spoke out against any arrest or prosecution of the journalist, saying that one "cannot support the prosecution of a publisher for publishing without narrowing the basic rights every newspaper relies on."
Snowden's comments echoed those of other defenders of press freedoms, but carries special weight as someone, like Assange, who has sacrificed his freedom in the name of exposing the secrets of the world's powerful.
Acknowledging that many people have come to "despise" Assange over the years for a variety of reasons, Snowden declared: "If you would deny a thing to your enemy, it is not a right. What do you stand for?"
\u201cIf you would deny a thing to your enemy, it is not a right. What do you stand for?\u201d— Edward Snowden (@Edward Snowden) 1542398041
In a statement by the Freedom of the Press Foundation, where Snowden serves as board president, the group said that prosecuting Assange for the publishing activities of Wikileaks would be a "profound and incredibly dangerous threat" to press freedoms and journalism around the world.
"Whether you like Assange or hate him, the theories used in a potential Espionage Act prosecution would threaten countless reporters at the New York Times, Washington Post, and the many other news outlets that report on government secrets all the time," said Trevor Timm, FTPF's executive director. "While everyone will have to wait and see what the charges detail, it's quite possible core First Amendment principles will be at stake in this case."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.