October 2, 2024 — The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution stating that Julian Assange was prosecuted and detained in the United Kingdom as a political prisoner.
Following Assange’s address on October 1, when he testified before the Legal and Human Rights Committee of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly about his prosecution, detention and imprisonment, PACE approved a resolution declaring Assange a political prisoner.
The resolution was based on the report by the general rapporteur for political prisoners Þórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir, and was adopted in the plenary session of PACE by a vote of 88-13.
The resolution urged the United States to reform the Espionage Act and “exclude the application of the Espionage Act to publishers, journalists and whistleblowers,” especially those who try to inform the public about war crimes, torture, and illegal surveillance.