UN Human Rights Chief Voices Concern Over Assange Extradition Case, Wikileaks Continues to Raise Large Sums of Crypto

UN Human Rights Chief Voices Concern Over Assange Extradition Case, Wikileaks Continues to Raise Large Sums of Crypto

On Saturday, the human rights chief at the United Nations (UN), Michelle Bachelet, said that the potential extradition of whistleblower Julian Assange raises concerns for the rights of future whistleblowers and investigative journalists. Meanwhile, cryptocurrency supporters have continued to donate to Assange and his legal battle as Wikileaks has amassed hundreds of thousands of dollars in crypto assets since Assange has been held captive in London from 2019. UN Human Rights Chief Says the United States Attempt to Extradite Assange ‘Raises Concerns Relating to Media Freedom’

The United States would like to see Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, extradited to the U.S. for leaking classified information provided by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. When Wikileaks published the video “Collateral Murder,” the Afghanistan war logs, the Iraq war logs, and Cablegate, the U.S. government launched a full-scale criminal investigation against Assange. When the federal authorities unsealed an indictment against Assange, the complaints stemmed from the leaks provided by Manning. Assange is being accused of violating the Espionage Act of 1917.

Assange joins a slew of others who have been charged under the Espionage Act of 1917 including Alexander Berkman, Emma Goldman, Daniel Ellsberg, Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden. While Assange was granted asylum by Ecuador in 2012, seven years later on April 11, 2019, he was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London and has been fighting U.S. extradition ever since. This week, Michelle Bachelet, the UN’s human rights chief, has voiced concerns over extraditing Assange to the United States.

While meeting with Assange’s wife and attorneys, Bachelet said: The potential extradition and prosecution of Mr. Assange raises concerns relating to media freedom and a possible chilling effect on investigative journalism and on the activities of whistleblowers.

One of Assange’s lawyers, Jennifer Robinson, told the press that the case will be forwarded to the European Court of Human Rights. Assange’s lawyers contest that the Wikileaks founder is being “prosecuted and punished for his political opinions.” Following Bachelet’s initial comments, the UN human rights chief said her office will be monitoring the whistleblower’s case.

“In these circumstances, I would like to emphasize the importance of ensuring respect [for] Mr. Assange’s human rights, in particular the right to a fair trial and due process guarantees in this case,” Bachelet told the press. “My office will continue to closely follow Assange’s case.” Wikileaks Raises Hundreds of Thousands in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Bitcoin Cash

Wikileaks has supported cryptocurrencies and accepted bitcoin for donations since 2010. After Assange’s arrest at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, cryptocurrency donations started to pour in and they have continued to this very day. In the past four months alone, Wikileaks has raised 3.480 BTC worth $133,179 using today’s bitcoin exchange rates. The Wikileaks BTC has changed frequently over the last few years.

Data further shows that for roughly 24 months, Wikileaks has collected 228.16 BCH worth close to $100K. Over the last four years, Wikileaks has collected 147.48 ETH worth $145,647 using today’s ether exchange rates. Of course, a large sum of the BTC, BCH, and ETH donated was cashed out at much higher USD values than they are worth today. Furthermore, Wikileaks also accepts donations in litecoin (LTC), zcash (ZEC), and monero (XMR). Tags in this story Alexander Berkman, Arrest, BCH, Bitcoin, bitcoin cash, chelsea manning, Cryptocurrency, Daniel Ellsberg, donations, Ecuador, Edward Snowden, Emma Goldman, Espionage Act of 1917, ETH, Ethereum, extradition, human rights, investigative journalism, Jennifer Robinson, Julian Assange, London, LTC, MasterCard, media freedom, Michelle Bachelet, Paypal, uk, UN’s human rights chief, United States, US, VISA, whistleblower, whistleblowers, Wikileaks, xmr

What do you think about the UN human rights chief saying that the U.S. extraditing Assange could send a chilling blow to media freedom, whistleblowers, and investigative journalism? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. Jamie Redman

Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open-source code, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 5,700 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today. Itau Unibanco Selected by Central Bank of Brazil to Build Real-Pegged Stablecoin Solution NEWS | 5 hours ago Argentinian Province Mendoza Starts Accepting Tax Payments in Crypto NEWS | 12 hours ago

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons, editorial photo credit: London, Britain, October 21, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay Previous articleThe Top Privacy Coins Saw Fewer Percentage Losses Than Most Tokens This Week Next articleItau Unibanco Selected by Central Bank of Brazil to Build Real-Pegged Stablecoin Solution Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article. Read disclaimerShow comments More Popular NewsIn Case You Missed ItArgentinian Securities Regulator Launches Innovation Hub to Discuss Regulated Crypto Investments

The National Securities Commission (CNV), which is the Argentinian securities watchdog, recently launched an innovation hub with the goal of advancing conversations about cryptocurrency and fintech investments. This organization will serve as a link between private entities and the institution, ... read more.Australia to List Bitcoin ETF After 4 Clearinghouse Participants Commit to Meet Stringent Margin Terms Fed"s Bullard Wants to Raise Bank Rate to 3.5% by Year"s End, Hints at 75 Basis Point Rate Hike Digital Ruble ‘Much Needed,’ Russia’s Central Bank Says, Won’t Delay Testing Microbt Reveals Latest Bitcoin Mining Rigs — Machines Produce up to 126 TH/s With Custom 5nm Chip Design