“By disseminating the materials in an
unredacted form, he likely put people —
human rights activists, journalists, advocates,
religious leaders, dissidents and their families
— at risk of serious harm, torture or even
death,” the lawyer said.
Lewis said some informants and others
who had been assisting the Americans had
to be relocated after the leak, and others
“subsequently disappeared.”
While acknowledging that U.S. authorities
could not prove that anyone had been
killed, Lewis said WikiLeaks’ information had
helped America’s enemies.Documents from
WikiLeaks were found in al-Qaida leader
Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan
after he was killed in a U.S. attack, the
lawyer said.
Assange’s lawyers argued that the U.S. charges
— which carry a maximum sentence of 175
years in prison — are a politically motivated
abuse of power.
Fitzgerald said Assange was suffering as a
result of the “declaration of war on leakers and
journalists” by President Donald Trump.
“Julian Assange has been made an example of,”
Fitzgerald said. “He was the obvious symbol of
all that Trump condemned.”
Fitzgerald said his client had been subjected to a
long campaign of U.S. intrusion and harassment.
The lawyer accused the U.S. intelligence services
of directing a private security firm to spy on
Assange while he was living inside the Ecuadorian
Embassy in London and said American authorities
had pressured the south American country to
withdraw his political asylum.