- Sputnik International, 1920
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

UK, US Officials Pressured Journalist to Comply With Assange Prosecution Effort

© NIKLAS HALLE'NSupporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, hold placards outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on December 10, 2021.
Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, hold placards outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on December 10, 2021. - Sputnik International, 1920, 05.07.2023
Subscribe
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Justice Department is undertaking a pressure campaign against journalists in an effort to bolster its criminal prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, media reported on Wednesday.
The Justice Department and FBI have used “vague threats and pressure tactics” in an attempt to gain compliance with journalists, reporter James Ball said, citing his own experience being pressured by government officials.
Ball briefly worked and lived with Assange, who is imprisoned in the UK and faces the possibility of extradition to the United States for allegedly violating the Espionage Act.
In 2013, Ball published an article critical of WikiLeaks, its handling of US State Department cables, and its relationship with writer Israel Shamir. The US government sought to make official claims made in the article by convincing Ball to provide testimony on the matter, the report said.
British newspapers for sale in Lisbon, Portugal - Sputnik International, 1920, 26.06.2023
Analysis
'Journalism is Not a Crime': Experts Lambast EU Media Freedom Act
UK law enforcement officials contacted Ball in 2021 and told his lawyer during a meeting that they work closely with US intelligence agencies and alleged that “James Ball” is not a real identity, the report said.
Ball said he burst out in laughter at the shock and affirmed that James Ball is his legitimate and unchanged birth name.
A US Justice Department prosecutor later contacted Ball’s lawyers and alleged that Shamir had stated Ball provided him with cables on “the Jews,” the report said.
Upon seeing those words from Shamir, I cannot help but ask whether Mr. Ball would reconsider his decision about speaking to the investigators, even if only just to respond to Shamir’s allegations,” the report quoted the prosecutor as saying.
Ball declined the US Justice Department’s request and his lawyers advised him not to visit the US, where he could be more easily subpoenaed or arrested, or talk publicly about the situation, the report said.
Three other journalists who previously worked with Assange have since been contacted by law enforcement, the report said, adding that all of them have made clear their intention not to cooperate.
David Morales owner and director of UC Global - Sputnik International, 1920, 05.06.2023
World
'CIA' 250 GB Folder Revealed During UC Global Case, Reports Media
In other words, I wasn’t the only one worried about the ‘voluntary’ request I had received,” Ball said in the report. “The two years spent not traveling to the US, on legal advice, has stifled stories I would otherwise have written for US outlets. I had a credible fear of prosecution.”
The Justice Department’s actions are endangering the media’s constitutional rights, the report said. Ball calls on the Biden administration to explain its handling of the Assange case and why it is worth stifling journalistic efforts, according to the report.
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала