Former SBS World News journalist journalist Mary Kostakidis condemned the abuses being perpetrated against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and stated that he had only been able to survive years of arbitrary detention because of his “conviction that truth should prevail.”
US authorities accuse Assange, 49, of conspiring to hack government computers and of violating an espionage law in connection with the release of confidential cables by WikiLeaks in 2010-2011.
Kostakidis has previously been outspoken on the defence of civil liberties, defending Assange since the US persecution of the WikiLeaks publisher. In 2011, Kostakidis presented Assange with the Sydney Peace Foundation’s Gold Medal for peace with justice.
In her remarks at London’s Frontline Club, Kostakidis thanked Assange for his “heroic courage” in exposing the truth to the public and described WikiLeaks as an “ingenious website that has shifted the power balance between citizen and the state by exposing what governments really get up to in our name.”
Kostakidis bluntly stated what she believes is real issue: “The US wants to shut down WikiLeaks and criminalise the activity of this publisher.”
“It is appalling that the prosecution bundle of several hundred pages is sent to the witnesses the day before they are to be cross examined—each and every one of them has stated this has been the case,” Kostakidis said to World Socialist Web Site.
“It’s very disappointing that so few mainstream media are following the case.”
Assange has been in a London prison since April 2019. He will have to appear via video link to the courts every 28 days between now and the judge’s ruling.
Assange’s defence team have asked for another four weeks to submit their closing argument to the judge.
