May, 11 2015, 03:15pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Andrew Harman, GAP's Communications Director
Phone: (202) 457-0034
Email: AndrewH@whistleblower.org
Nation's Leading Whistleblower Protection and Advocacy Organization Speaks out on Jeffrey Sterling Sentence
Quote from GAP's National Security & Human Rights Director, Jesselyn Radack
WASHINGTON
Today, Jeffrey Sterling was sentenced to 42 months in prison after being convicted of exposing a botched CIA operation to the American people, in which the agency negligently slipped Iran working plans to build a nuclear weapon.
While far less than the astronomical decades-long sentence the Justice Department requested, this sentence still serves a blow to whistleblowers who risk everything to keep Americans informed of wrongdoing by their government. Punishing Sterling not only has a chilling effect on whistleblowers and the press but also highlights major inequalities within the justice system, considering that former CIA Director Gen. Petraeus revealed classified information with no regard for the public interest, and walked away with no jail time at all.
The Government Accountability Project's (GAP) National Security and Human Rights Director, Jesselyn Radack, stated:
"Sterling is the latest casualty in the administration's war on national security whistleblowers. Like the other whistleblowers prosecuted under the Espionage Act, Sterling is guilty of embarrassing the government. This case lays bare the government's rank hypocrisy in the prosecution of leaks. If you're loyal to the truth rather than the national security establishment you'll be bludgeoned."
The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is a 30-year-old nonprofit public interest group that promotes government and corporate accountability by advancing occupational free speech, defending whistleblowers, and empowering citizen activists. We pursue this mission through our Nuclear Safety, International Reform, Corporate Accountability, Food & Drug Safety, and Federal Employee/National Security programs. GAP is the nation's leading whistleblower protection organization.
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