[Video] Stella Assange and Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir on Protecting Journalists Who Expose Injustice
WebM: Stella Assange and Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir on protecting journalists who expose injustice
THE official PACE TV channel released (only to Google's YouTube) this video (WebM) of Julian Assange's wife and Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir, a key political ally of his. Days ago she spoke in his support at the big auditorium, where "[t]he Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly has voted to confirm that Julian Assange was held as a political prisoner.".
Stella (the wife) says her husband received an invitation from the committee (PACE) while he still undergoes recovery. It was "extremely important" to speak about it, according to Stella, paraphrasing the husband. She explains the situation in the context of journalism and investigations. She stutters a bit, but the message is clear and coherent nonetheless.
Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir explains her report and what she looked into. She says her voice is hoarse for health reasons. She says the Assange situation (imprisonment, threats of assassination etc.) has "dangerous chilling effect" for freedom of the press. "Transnational repression" is a common phrase that they use (quite a lot lately!) in relation to "state secrets" and all sorts of crimes. She wants the US to revise the law to permit journalism and amend extradition laws to not threaten journalists anymore. The precedent, they argue, is already dangerous.
Towards the end Stella says the meeting is important because of how the situation was "resolved" (not really justice). Her husband now "qualifies as a political prisoner", she says, at least in the eyes of European political figures (maybe not all of them). What happens next matters most, especially with the adoption of resolutions. █