With a resolution adopted yesterday in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe designated the founder of "Wikileaks" Julian Assange as a political prisoner, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) referred to the serious charges brought by the US against Assange, who faced a possible life sentence, for “what is essentially news gathering and publishing”, it said. in the statement.
PACE called on the US to instead investigate the alleged war crimes and human rights abuses revealed by Assange and "WikiLeaks".
She said the treatment of Assange had a “dangerous deterrent effect” that undermined protections for journalists and whistleblowers around the world.
On Tuesday, Assange was in Strasbourg to address the Council of Europe's Human Rights Committee - his first public appearance since being released from prison following a deal with the US.
Washington accused Assange of stealing and publishing classified material from military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, together with US military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, thereby endangering the lives of US intelligence sources and others.
However, Assange's supporters say he is a brave journalist whose work has exposed war crimes.
Assange fled US authorities and holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for seven years before being arrested in 2019 to be extradited to the US and stand trial.
He was unexpectedly released at the end of June and returned to his native Australia.
PACE also accused British authorities of failing to effectively protect Assange's right to freedom of expression.
Despite the political nature of the charges against Assange, they have subjected him to an unacceptably long period of detention, PACE said.
The Council of Europe, which has 46 member states and is independent from the European Union, has repeatedly reviewed Assange's human rights situation in the past, DPA said.