Brussels, May 18 (RHC)-- In a letter, published on Wednesday, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, called on UK Home Secretary Priti Patel not to extradite Julian Assange.

Writing in view of the impending decision on Assange’s extradition, the Commissioner noted that the wider human rights implications of doing so had not yet been adequately considered in the extradition proceedings.  She particularly highlighted that the indictment by the United States against  Julian Assange raised important questions about the protection of those that publish classified information in the public interest, including information that exposes human rights violations. 

The European commissioner for human rights concluded that allowing Assange’s extradition on this basis would have a chilling effect on media freedom, and could ultimately hamper the press in performing its task as purveyor of information and public watchdog in democratic societies.