Trevor Timm talks about the inhumane and potentially life-threatening conditions Julian Assange is being held in as he awaits trial for violations of the Espionage Act. Apart from his treatment, which a UN representative has said is akin to psychological torture, the legality of the charges under international law are highly questionable, since Assange is not a U.S. citizen, but is being prosecuted under an American law. Timm warns that this indictment sets up an incredibly dangerous standard for all journalists, regardless of someone’s personal feelings about Assange as a man. The power to prosecute the publishers of information that may have been obtained illegally puts just about every national security and foreign policy journalist at risk.

Discussed on the show:

“Julian Assange’s life is ‘being put at risk’ by the conditions he is being held in, UN expert says” (Daily Mail)Espionage ActPentagon Papers

Trevor Timm is a co-founder and the executive director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation. He is a journalist, activist, and lawyer whose writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Guardian, USA Today, The Atlantic, and many others. Follow him on Twitter @trevortimm.

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