Famous whistleblowers who shocked the world
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been in some form of confinement for the last 12 years and is currently in a British prison, has been granted the right to appeal his extradition from the UK to the US. The extradition was approved by then-home Secretary Priti Patel in 2022 and Assange's legal team has been fighting it ever since, arguing that his life will be endangered in the States. The British courts had asked the US to provide further assurances that Assange's First Amendment rights will be respected if he is extradited, and that he will not receive the death penalty. On May 20, the High Court in London revealed its decision, stating that the submissions from the US were not sufficient. The date of Assange's appeal is yet to be determined. The Australian publisher and activist rose to international fame in 2010 when WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of classified documents provided by whistleblower Chelsea Manning. That same year, Sweden issued a European arrest warrant for Assange in relation to a sexual assault. He appealed the warrant while the US ramped up their investigation into his involvement with Manning. When his appeal was rejected in 2012, Assange stepped into the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he was granted asylum, to avoid arrest. He famously lived in the embassy for seven years without stepping foot outside the building, such was his fear that he would be extradited to the US and face charges of espionage. When the charges in Sweden were dropped in 2019, Ecuador's government also dropped his asylum status, and he was arrested by British authorities for evading bail for so many years. That was also the year that the US officially indicted Assange for allegedly conspiring with Chelsea Manning. A month later, they added a further 17 espionage charges to his rap sheet. His health has reportedly deteriorated in recent years and his supporters have expressed major concerns for his well-being, stating that he would be in serious danger if he is extradited to the US. “His life is at risk every single day he stays in prison. If he’s extradited, he will die," said his wife, Stella Assange. His lawyers argue that his extradition would only serve as a punishment for political opinions and freedom of speech, violating the European Convention on Human Rights. If Assange faces trial in the US, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. Throughout history, there have been many people who, for one reason or another, released classified information. Known as whistleblowers, they have alerted the public about other individuals, governments, or organizations who were secretly involved in illicit or unethical activities. From Frank Serpico to Edward Snowden, some call these individuals heroes, while others see them as traitors. Want to know more? Then check out this gallery to discover men and women who risked everything in the pursuit of truth.
2024-01-17T16:34:52Z
