september 8, 2012

The Curious Case of Julian Assange

The twists and turns in this case illustrate clearly the severe limits to freedom within democracy.
n a matter of just two years, Julian Assange, the journalist who exposed the workings of the United States (US) government and military through WikiLeaks, has emerged as an icon, a courageous path-breaker for many ordinary people worldwide but also a criminal in the eyes of some governments. The dramatic twists and turns in the Assange story, as he ghts to avoid being extradited to the US from a third country (something he believes is a real possibility), are not just gripping but also throw up several important questions around concepts of democracy, free speech and human rights. From the day two years ago, when WikiLeaks uploaded on the internet 2,51,287 US diplomatic cables and military documents that exposed the criminal actions of that country outside its borders, Assange has remained in the spotlight. Except that the attention on him has shifted from the expose that he pulled off to the determination of Sweden to get him extradited to face charges for two cases of alleged sexual assault. Even as he lost the case in the UK against extradition to Sweden, Ecuador has granted Assange asylum. Attention is now riveted on how and whether he can be safely transferred out of the embassy and own to Ecuador. All this also makes a curious kind of theatre. Assange is a journalist who has made it his mission to expose what governments like that of the US do while posing as being democratic and committed to human rights. His success in doing this with one country has placed all countries with secrets to hide on the defensive. Yet, ironically the very countries that claim to be committed to freedom of the press, to democratic values and to human rights see Assange as a threat, while a country like Ecuador, not seen by the west as being committed to the same democratic values, is willing to grant him asylum. To some, Assanges fear of going to Sweden to face charges appears unfounded. They argue that if he is innocent, he should be able to prove it. But Assanges apprehension that once in Sweden he could be extradited to the US is a real one. The Swedish prosecutors have been offered the chance of questioning Assange in the UK, in person or telephonically, but have refused. This refusal is what raises a doubt as Assange has still not been charged with a crime in
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Sweden. In fact, the former Stockholm chief district prosecutor, Sven-Erik Alhem, has been quoted as saying that Sweden does not have a legitimate case to seek Assanges extradition, that it is unreasonable and unprofessional as well as unfair and disproportionate. Signicantly, an organisation called Women Against Rape in the UK that has fought for hundreds of rape victims over three decades believes that Assange is being pursued for reasons other than the rape charges. Like Assange, they think the insistence of the Swedes that he appear in person for questioning in Sweden is part of the plan to extradite him to the US. Why should Assange fear extradition to the US? For one, the world has watched with horror the way the 27-year-old soldier, Bradley Manning, suspected of leaking the documents to Assange, has been treated in the US since his arrest. According to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manning is being held in cruel and inhuman conditions. It is no secret that the US is building up a dossier against Assange. A few weeks ago, Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein stated that Assange should be tried for espionage, a charge that carries with it a life or death sentence. US Vice President Joe Biden calls Assange a hi-tech terrorist. There is little doubt that Assange will face the full might and wrath of the US state and judicial system if he were ever to step into that country. Whether the sexual assault charges are true, exaggerated or cooked up, it is evident that the issue is not just a simple case of Assange going to Sweden to clear his name. Birgitta Jonsdottir, the Icelandic MP who co-produced the video that captured American soldiers shooting civilians from a helicopter in Baghdad which was the rst major leak by WikiLeaks, says Assanges fears of extradition to the US are legitimate. Her Twitter account was hacked into by the US department of justice, and despite assurances from the US government, her government has cautioned her against visiting the US. She believes the US wants to get even with WikiLeaks. How long Assange remains in the Ecuador embassy in London, whether he will ever be able to travel as a free man, whether the power of the US will prevail ultimately and force him to face a court in that country are acts in this drama that 7

september 8, 2012

vol xlviI no 36

EDITORIALS

are yet to unfold. But the episodes so far have sent out a clear message: those wanting to expose the wrongdoings of the worlds most powerful democracy must understand that the state that speaks in the name of freedom is the

ultimate arbiter of what constitutes that right. If ever there was reason to be sceptical about the limits of freedom within a democratic structure, surely the Assange story has been a most dramatic illustration.

september 8, 2012

vol xlviI no 36

EPW

Economic & Political Weekly