‘Dark moment for press freedom’: Edward Snowden responds to Assange arrest
Fellow whistleblower Edward Snowden has responded to the arrest of Julian Assange in London, tweeting that the images of Ecuadorian authorities handing him over to UK police were a “dark moment for press freedom.”
In the tweet, Snowden said the images of a publisher of “award-winning journalism” being dragged out of the embassy would “end up in the history books."
Images of Ecuador's ambassador inviting the UK's secret police into the embassy to drag a publisher of--like it or not--award-winning journalism out of the building are going to end up in the history books. Assange's critics may cheer, but this is a dark moment for press freedom. https://t.co/ys1AIdh2FP
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) April 11, 2019
“Assange's critics may cheer, but this is a dark moment for press freedom,” he wrote.
Important background for journalists covering the arrest of Julian #Assange by Ecuador: the United Nations formally ruled his detention to be arbitrary, a violation of human rights. They have repeatedly issued statements calling for him to walk free--including very recently. pic.twitter.com/fr12rYdWUF
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) April 11, 2019
Assange was arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in London on Thursday morning, just days after WikiLeaks had said his removal from the building was imminent following a withdrawal of asylum from Quito.
The whistleblower, who has released hundreds of thousands of authentic documents and diplomatic cables, had been living in exile at the embassy for the last 6 years.
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