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London (dpa) - Shortly before the court decision on an extradition of Julian Assange to the USA, the organization Reporters Without Borders demanded the immediate release of the Wikileaks founder.
"The US indictment against Julian Assange is clearly politically motivated," said managing director Christian Mihr on Friday.
"The US wants to set an example and have a deterrent effect on media professionals all over the world."
This Monday (January 4th) a court in London will decide on the extradition.
"If the US is successful with its extradition request and brings Assange to justice, the same fate threatens every journalist worldwide who publish secret information of public interest," said Mihr.
"This is where the future of journalism and freedom of the press worldwide is at stake."
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The US judiciary has accused the native Australian Assange of stealing and publishing secret material from US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan together with whistleblower Chelsea Manning - known as Bradley Manning before a sex reassignment.
The 49-year-old has put the lives of US informants in danger, is the allegation.
His supporters, however, see him as an investigative journalist who has brought war crimes to light.
For years, Assange had evaded arrest by escaping to the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
In the US, if convicted, he faces a sentence of up to 175 years.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210101-99-868204 / 2