U.S., European media outlets urge end to prosecution of Julian Assange
Supporters of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange outside Westminster Magistrates court In London, on April 20, 2022. (Alastair Grant / AP)
WASHINGTON -
The United States should end its prosecution of Julian Assange, leading media outlets from the United States and Europe that had collaborated with the WikiLeaks founder said on Monday, citing press freedom concerns.
"This indictment sets a dangerous precedent, and threatens to undermine America's First Amendment and the freedom of the press," editors and publishers of the Guardian, the New York Times, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, and El País said in an open letter.
Assange is wanted by U.S. authorities on 18 counts, including a spying charge, related to WikiLeaks' release of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables. His supporters say he is an anti-establishment hero who has been victimized because he exposed U.S. wrongdoing, including in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Monday marked twelve years since those media outlets collaborated to release excerpts from over 250,000 documents obtained by Assange in the so-called "Cablegate" leak.
The material was leaked to WikiLeaks by the then American soldier Chelsea Manning and revealed the inner workings of U.S. diplomacy around the globe. The documents exposed "corruption, diplomatic scandals and spy affairs on an international scale," the letter said.
In August, a group of journalists and lawyers sued the CIA and its former director Mike Pompeo over allegations the intelligence agency spied on them when they visited Assange during his stay in Ecuador's embassy in London.
Assange spent seven years in the embassy before being dragged out and jailed in 2019 for breaching bail conditions. He has remained in prison in London while his extradition case is decided. If extradited to the United States, he faces a sentence of up to 175 years in an American maximum security prison.
His legal team has appealed to the High Court in London to block his extradition in a legal battle that has dragged on for more than a decade.
"Publishing is not a crime," the media outlets said in their letter on Monday.
Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Oldest preserved vertebrate brain found in 319-million-year-old fish fossil
The oldest preserved vertebrate brain has been found in a 319-million-year-old fossilized fish skull that was removed from an English coal mine over a century ago.
Jury clears Musk of wrongdoing related to 2018 Tesla tweets
A jury on Friday decided Elon Musk didn't deceive investors with his 2018 tweets about electric automaker Tesla.
Freeland touts opportunities of U.S. Inflation Reduction Act at ministers' meeting
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is hosting an in-person meeting Friday with the provincial and territorial finance ministers in Toronto to discuss issues including the current economic environment and the transition to a clean economy.
Ottawa tight-lipped on details as Canada, U.S. call out China over balloon
Canada announced that it had called China's ambassador onto the carpet as Ottawa and Washington expressed their disapproval Friday over a high-altitude balloon found to have been hovering over sensitive sites in the United States.
Liberals withdraw bill's assault-style firearm definition, promise more consultation
The federal Liberals have withdrawn an amendment to their gun bill aimed at enshrining a definition of banned assault-style firearms, citing 'legitimate concerns' about the need for more consultation on the measure.
Federal department fires 49 employees for claiming CERB while employed
A federal government department has fired 49 employees who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit while they were employed.
Canadian COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Medicago Inc. shutting down
Medicago Inc., the Quebec-based drug manufacturer of a Canadian COVID-19 vaccine and other plant-based drugs, is being shut down by parent company Mitsubishi Chemical Group.
White-tailed deer harbouring COVID-19 variants thought to be nearly extinct in humans: study
White-tailed deer may be a reservoir for COVID-19 variants of concern including Alpha, Delta and Gamma, according to new research out of Cornell University that raises questions about whether deer could re-introduce nearly extinct variants back into the human population.
First-year university student from northern Ontario wins $48M in lottery, making history
Canada's newest millionaire, an 18-year-old university freshman from northern Ontario, has achieved a lot of firsts with a recent lottery win. Here is her story.
Canada
-
Ottawa tight-lipped on details as Canada, U.S. call out China over balloon
Canada announced that it had called China's ambassador onto the carpet as Ottawa and Washington expressed their disapproval Friday over a high-altitude balloon found to have been hovering over sensitive sites in the United States.
-
Federal department fires 49 employees for claiming CERB while employed
A federal government department has fired 49 employees who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit while they were employed.
-
Airlines ask Supreme Court to hear case on passenger bill of rights
A group of airlines is asking the Supreme Court of Canada to hear their case after a lower court largely upheld the validity of Canada's air passenger bill of rights.
-
Most of southern Ontario, parts of northern Ontario under extreme cold warning
A large swath of Ontario was under an extreme cold warning on Friday as a polar air mass with biting wind chills made its way across the province.
-
Canadian COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Medicago Inc. shutting down
Medicago Inc., the Quebec-based drug manufacturer of a Canadian COVID-19 vaccine and other plant-based drugs, is being shut down by parent company Mitsubishi Chemical Group.
-
First-year university student from northern Ontario wins $48M in lottery, making history
Canada's newest millionaire, an 18-year-old university freshman from northern Ontario, has achieved a lot of firsts with a recent lottery win. Here is her story.
World
-
G7, Europe reach deal for price cap on Russian diesel
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Friday that industrialized countries in the Group of Seven are imposing a price cap on refined Russian oil products such as diesel and kerosene, as part of a coalition that includes Australia and a tentative agreement from the European Union.
-
U.S. Secretary Blinken postpones China trip following balloon discovery
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a planned high-stakes weekend diplomatic trip to China as the Biden administration weighs a broader response to the discovery of a high-altitude Chinese balloon flying over sensitive sites in the western United States, U.S. officials said Friday.
-
China: Balloon over U.S. skies is for research, wind pushed it
China said Friday that a balloon spotted over American airspace was used for weather research and was blown off course, despite U.S. suspicion it was spying. The discovery further strained already tense relations between Beijing and Washington.
-
Licenses suspended for 2 fired EMTs in Tyre Nichols death
A Tennessee board on Friday suspended the emergency medical technician licenses of two former Memphis Fire Department employees for failing to render critical care to Tyre Nichols after he took a beating from police that ultimately killed him.
-
Escaping the Taliban: CTV News' Genevieve Beauchemin meets Afghan refugees left in limbo in Pakistan
Lives were 'shattered' when Kabul fell into Taliban hands, and thousands remain in limbo, unable to return to Afghanistan. CTV News' Genevieve Beauchemin recalls her visit to makeshift refugee camps set up in Pakistani parks, and the stories she heard during that time.
-
Italian mob suspect held in France after 16 years on the run
Police in southeastern France have arrested a convicted murderer linked to Italy's most powerful organized crime group, the 'ndrangheta, who was on the run for 16 years, Interpol and Italian police said on Thursday.
Politics
-
Freeland touts opportunities of U.S. Inflation Reduction Act at ministers' meeting
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is hosting an in-person meeting Friday with the provincial and territorial finance ministers in Toronto to discuss issues including the current economic environment and the transition to a clean economy.
-
Liberals withdraw bill's assault-style firearm definition, promise more consultation
The federal Liberals have withdrawn an amendment to their gun bill aimed at enshrining a definition of banned assault-style firearms, citing 'legitimate concerns' about the need for more consultation on the measure.
-
Federal department fires 49 employees for claiming CERB while employed
A federal government department has fired 49 employees who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit while they were employed.
Health
-
Would you pay $300 a year for quick access to a nurse? Dealing with demand, Ontario doctors get creative
Paid subscriptions to on-demand care are among the many strategies primary health-care providers in Ontario are adopting in order to meet increased demand for access to doctors in the past year, while also managing staffing shortages.
-
Ontario in full support of feds' national health-care data push
Ontario fully supports the federal government's push to make health-care funding contingent on data reporting, the province said Thursday as it announced a plan to boost access to primary care doctors.
-
White-tailed deer harbouring COVID-19 variants thought to be nearly extinct in humans: study
White-tailed deer may be a reservoir for COVID-19 variants of concern including Alpha, Delta and Gamma, according to new research out of Cornell University that raises questions about whether deer could re-introduce nearly extinct variants back into the human population.
Sci-Tech
-
With frigid innovation, scientists make a new form of ice
Using a device that might be described as a super-duper cocktail shaker, scientists have fashioned a previously unknown form of ice - one that might exist on our solar system's icy moons - in research that sheds light on water's behaviour under extreme conditions.
-
Oldest preserved vertebrate brain found in 319-million-year-old fish fossil
The oldest preserved vertebrate brain has been found in a 319-million-year-old fossilized fish skull that was removed from an English coal mine over a century ago.
-
China says it successfully cloned 3 highly productive 'super cows'
Chinese scientists have successfully cloned three 'super cows' that can produce an unusually high amount of milk, state media reported, hailing it as a breakthrough for China's dairy industry to reduce its dependence on imported breeds.
Entertainment
-
Q&A: Shania Twain talks rebuilding confidence with new album
Shania Twain's sixth studio album is her first since having open-throat surgery in 2018 to strengthen her vocal muscles after a long battle with Lyme disease. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Twain spoke candidly about the album, which is out Friday, regaining her confidence, singing during throat surgery and preparing for her global upcoming tour, which kicks off April 28.
-
Belgian carnival town celebrates again after COVID hiatus
After a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic that brutally brought one of Europe's oldest Mardi Gras celebrations to a halt -- and the Kerstens to the verge of bankruptcy -- celebrations are back with a vengeance this winter.
-
Conan O'Brien's fascination with Vulcan, Alta., prompts parade marshal invite
A podcast mention of the southern Alberta town of Vulcan, and its embracement of all things Star Trek, has prompted festival officials to invite Conan O'Brien to lead its parade.
Business
-
Yukon prospecting plan approval is quashed by First Nation court victory
A Yukon court has quashed government approval for a mining exploration project, siding with a First Nation that argued there was a failure to properly consult it about the project on its traditional territory.
-
Airlines ask Supreme Court to hear case on passenger bill of rights
A group of airlines is asking the Supreme Court of Canada to hear their case after a lower court largely upheld the validity of Canada's air passenger bill of rights.
-
'Made-in-Canada system' keeps egg supply stable. But is it also keeping prices high?
Canada's egg industry appears to be quietly sidestepping widespread shortages and wildly spiking prices affecting other countries, and some say supply management is to thank.
Lifestyle
-
'Bobi is special': Portuguese pooch breaks record for oldest living dog ever
A Portuguese dog named Bobi has been named the world’s oldest living dog by Guinness World Records, which claims the pooch is also the oldest canine ever recorded.
-
First-year university student from northern Ontario wins $48M in lottery, making history
Canada's newest millionaire, an 18-year-old university freshman from northern Ontario, has achieved a lot of firsts with a recent lottery win. Here is her story.
-
Here's how to keep your kitchen tidy, from a professional home organizer
Home organizing expert demonstrates how to keep your kitchen drawers clean, stack bulky pots and store spices neatly.
Sports
-
'Energy is over the top' for the first 2023 Arctic Winter Games since 2018
The world’s largest international Arctic sporting event is underway in northern Alberta, where athletes compete in unique games significant to the cultural identity of the North.
-
Andreescu through to semifinals at Thailand Open with win over Kostyuk
Canada's Bianca Andreescu advanced to the semifinal of the Thailand Open tennis tournament with a 6-0, 7-6 (3) win over Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk on Friday.
-
Canada's Kingsbury continues torrid pace with World Cup silver in moguls
Canadian moguls star Mikael Kingsbury continued his torrid pace at the World Cup season earning a silver medal on Thursday.
Autos
-
Jury clears Musk of wrongdoing related to 2018 Tesla tweets
A jury on Friday decided Elon Musk didn't deceive investors with his 2018 tweets about electric automaker Tesla.
-
FIA confirms the six F1 engine suppliers for 2026-30 cycle
Formula One's governing body confirmed the six engine providers for the 2026-30 cycle on Friday which aims to use sustainable fuels and greater electric power.
-
Ford returns to Formula One in partnership with Red Bull
Ford will return to Formula One as the engine provider for Red Bull Racing in a partnership announced Friday that begins with immediate technical support this season and engines in 2026.
