Veranstaltung

In this talk, Stark will give an overview of the legal and political state of play in the Assange case. He will outline both possible consequences of what could happen if we fail to win Assange's freedom but also the political motive behind his prosecution. Stark also will describe from an insider’s perspective the tense relationship between traditional media and Wikileaks, in particular the person of Julian Assange.

Holger Stark initiated an open letter from Wikileaks partner media at the end of November 2022. In it, the New York Times, the Guardian, Der Spiegel, Le Monde and El País call on the US government to stop prosecuting Assange. The indictment by the USA represents a dangerous precedent for freedom of expression and freedom of the press, write the editors-in-chief and publishers: "Journalism" is "not a crime".

Stark covered the Wikileaks publications for Der Spiegel in 2010. On one hand, the media partners did business with Wikileaks, on the other hand, they claimed that Assange’s faith was none of their business. Stark says he „had the impression that something simply had to happen."