WikiLeaks changed journalism forever. It was all about exposing hypocrisy, corruption and misinformation through leaked 'highly classified' documents that never made it to the public domain on such a large scale. WikiLeaks gave birth to what the Guardian calls 'data journalism' - a plethora of information that have in it hundreds of stories to be told on international relations, terrorism, war, national secrecy, human rights violations- all in public interest.
Julian Assange: WikiLeak's chief
Julian Assange, chief of the whistle blowing website WikiLeaks is in the UK facing charges of sexual assault on two women and facing a possible extradition to Sweden. He is currently attending a London court to appeal against his extradition. Today his lawyers argued that Swedish laws prohibit the public and press to witness sexual assault trials and this means that they do not adhere to UK & European standard of 'fair practices' and hence Assange's trial should not take place in Sweden. Assange has not complained on any human rights violation while in prison in the UK. However, he believes this assault case is politically motivated and a result of his work with WikiLeaks
There is an ongoing legal investigation by the US government into WikiLeak's and Assange's distribution of 'classified' documents. Several US politicians have called for a criminal prosecution of Assange.
According to Amnesty International, 'criminal proceedings aimed at punishing a private person for communicating evidence about human rights violations can never be justified. At the very least, a significant number of the documents released by Wikileaks appear to fall into these categories, so any prosecution based in whole or in part on those particular documents, would be incompatible with freedom of expression'.
Bradley Manning: WikiLeak's 'source'Yet miles away at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, a US soldier Bradley Manning faces 'maximum security' and gross 'human rights violation' for allegedly downloading more than 200,000 secret cables from a defence computer network and leaking a copy of a classified video showing a helicopter gunship attack in Iraq which killed two journalists and a civilian to WikiLeaks. He is also suspected to have leaked the 'sensitive' cables that took the world by storm a few months ago.
However, Manning faces abhorring conditions in a country that claims to stand up for justice and human rights. According to a report in the Guardian, 'Manning also remains on what is known as 'prevention of injury' or POI watch which means guards check him every five minutes and wake him at night if he is not fully visible. He was also placed on full suicide watch, which involved him being stripped to his underwear. When he has visitors, he has to be shackled by hand and foot and be accompanied by two guards at all times'.
Any respite?
For Julian Assange the road is definitely rocky. But Assange's case has several loopholes and he might probably be able to escape from its net. He has also found many high profile supporters in London all willing to raise a voice for him and some willing to pay a million pound bail for him. However, Assange will probably always have to watch his back and be prepared for any eventuality. Assange believes that the US government will take its 'revenge' soon yet he promises to continue his work with WikiLeaks.
However for Bradley Manning, the road ahead seems tougher. Since his arrest in May last year lawyers and campaign groups have protested against his treatment but not much has been done to help him. Now the Amnesty International has urged the UK government to demand better conditions for Manning as he born to a Welsh mother and under the British Nationality Act of 1981, anyone born outside the UK after 1 January 1983 whose mother is a UK citizen by birth, is regarded as 'British by descent'.
Yet hell has no fury like the American scorn and by publishing US secret documents both have definitely made an enemy for life. It waits to be seen how the world which rejoiced reading these 'secret' files now stands up to protect the men responsible for making them public.
