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In response to the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in London, the American Civil Liberties Union\u2019s (ACLU) Ben Wizner released a statement highlighting the serious danger his prosecution would pose for all journalists.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny prosecution by the United States of Mr Assange for WikiLeaks\u2019 publishing operations would be unprecedented and unconstitutional, and would open the door to criminal investigations of other news organizations,\u201d<\/em> he said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Prosecuting Assange wouldn\u2019t only endanger non-American journalists. According to Wizner, this attack on press freedom is a two-way street.<\/p>\n Prosecuting a foreign publisher for violating US secrecy laws would set an especially dangerous precedent for US journalists, who routinely violate foreign secrecy laws to deliver information vital to the public interest.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n As Pulitzer prizewinning journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed<\/a>\u00a0out on Twitter, if the US can arrest and extradite foreigners at will, what prevents other countries from \u201cdoing the same to US journalists who publish secrets about them?\u201d<\/em> he asked.<\/p>\n\n