Julian Assange verdict: A test case for press freedom

The legal controversies surrounding the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange are now in their second decade and the divisions between his supporters and critics remain as intractable as ever. For some, the Australian national, now 49, is a fearless campaigner for press freedom. For others, he was reckless with classified information, possibly endangering sources. Here is a look back at his long-running battle to avoid trial in the US.

In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly declared May 3 as the World Press Freedom Day. Thirty years after, World Press Freedom Day 2021, senior editors of The Guardian examine the state of the nation in the face of repression, the safety of the practitioners, and evolving technology.

The WikiLeaks founder, who faces charges in the US over a massive leak of classified data, has been engaged to his partner since 2016. The couple hopes to marry in a London prison ahead of his 50th birthday on July 3.

The activists have demanded Assange's release from the UK prison and urged the US to drop the charges against the whistleblower.

The past year was the "worst" for Hong Kong's press freedoms, the city's main journalists' union says. "There are already many knives hanging over journalists' heads," says Ronson Chan, chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, as the union releases its annual report.

Four writers and editors of the online student magazine 'Doxa' are currently under house arrest for criticizing the Russian government. But for the young journalists, accepting censorship is out of the question.

A Russian court has summoned the editor-in-chief of the investigative news site "The Insider" on charges of defamation. Kremlin critics see this as an attack on press freedom.

US authorities under President Joe Biden have not softened their stance on the WikiLeaks founder. Wednesday sees a preliminary hearing in the appeal against a UK ruling not to extradite Assange, who remains in custody.

FRANCE 24 spoke to this year's joint Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa, co-founder of the digital media company Rappler and an outspoken critic of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Asked whether journalism is becoming more dangerous around the world, she told FRANCE 24: "It is more dangerous, it requires more sacrifices, just to do what journalists have always done."

Washington has appealed a ruling that kept WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from being sent to the US, where he faces espionage charges and potentially a lifetime in prison.

The EU strives to promote press freedom around the world, but how free are journalists to report inside the bloc? DW reports from Hungary, Poland and Slovenia.

Thousands of journalists have lost their jobs in Afghanistan over the past few months, with many media outlets ceasing operations due to increasing security and financial challenges.