Extradition hearings of Julian Assange most important trial in US history

The most important trial in the history of our country started Monday in London, the extradition hearings of Julian Assange. What’s on trial here, is our freedom of speech, our freedom of the press. Not just ours but the press world wide. If Julian Assange loses his case, this could spell the end of these freedoms. Any journalist in any country who tries to expose wrongdoings of the USA could wind up in rotting in solitary, in a supermax prison as Assange is doing right now. Assange doesn’t even live or report in the U.S., but he can be put on trial here. We have a fourth estate, the press, which is supposed to be a watchdog for the American people keeping our government honest. In the past the news outlets of record, the NY Times, Washington Post, Intercept have taken information from leakers and whistleblowers and uncovered many a government crime. Now this will be considered a crime whether printed here or abroad, and can be tried under the espionage act. This crucial turning point in our country is blacked out, silenced, barely mentioned, and by the very press who are most affected by this. People need to be aware of this and speak up, because without a free press, we have fascism.

Charlotte Burns

Palmer