Several internationally renowned media houses have appealed to the US government to stop prosecuting Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. The open letter, signed by Der Spiegel, Le Monde, El Pais, the New York Times and The Guardian and published on Monday, said the prosecution set a dangerous precedent and threatened to undermine freedom of the press .

Assange is trying to take action against his extradition to the United States - currently with an appeal to the High Court in London. After years of legal wrangling, the British government approved the extradition. The US judiciary wants to put Assange on trial for allegations of espionage. He is accused of having stolen and published secret material from US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, thereby endangering the lives of US informants. Supporters see Assange as a courageous journalist who brought war crimes to light and who should now be made an example of.

Exactly twelve years ago, the media that wrote the open letter published disclosure stories about the confidential news of the US State Department in cooperation with the Wikileaks platform.