6년 동안 런던 주재 에콰도르 대사관에서 지내고 있는 줄리안 어산지가 위키리크스의 편집장 자리를 넘겨줬다. 편집장 자리는 아이슬랜드 출신의 56세 탐사보도 전문가 크리스틴 크라픈손으로 대체됐다.

위키리크스는 27일(현지시간) 성명을 통해 "어산지는 6개월 동안 에콰도르 대사관에 구금되어 (변호인들을 제외한) 외부와의 소통이 차단된 채 강제 송환될 상황에 처해 있어, 그가 크리스틴 크라픈손을 위키리크스의 편집장으로 임명했다. 어산지의 위키리크스 설립자 지위는 유지될 것"이라고 발표했다.

인터넷 접속과 그 외 통신 수단을 차단당한 채 살고 있는 어산지에 대한 조치를 비난해온 크라픈손이 기꺼이 새 자리를 맡았다고 한다.

영국 솔즈버리에서 전 러시아 스파이 스크리팔 부녀에 대한 독살 미수 사건이 일어난 뒤, 어산지는 영국이 러시아에 대한 선전 전쟁을 준비 중이라고 트위터에 글을 올렸고, 이후 에콰도르 대사관은 지난 3월 어산지를 외부와 단절시켰다.

어산지는 보석 위반으로 영국의 체포영장이 내려진 상태이며, 스웨덴에서 성폭행 혐의로 기소된 바 있으나 결국 취하됐다.

또한 그는 미국 당국이 그를 국가안보국의 기밀 정보 공개 혐의로 고발함에 따라 미국으로 송환될 수 위기에 처해 있다.

그런데 최근 레닌 모레노 에콰도르 대통령이 영국과 함께 어산지가 머지않아 대사관을 떠날 수 있도록 하는 법적 해결방법을 논의 중이며, 어산지의 변호단도 이에 대해 인식하고 있다고 언급했다. 모레노 대통령은 에콰도르 정부에서 어산지의 권리를 보호할 수 있는 방법을 찾을 것이라고 말했다.

지난주 어산지의 변호단은 어산지가 미국으로 송환되지 않는다는 것을 영국 정부가 보장한다면 문제가 바로 해결될 수 있다고 말했다. 변호인 제니퍼 로빈슨은 바르셀로나에서의 회담에서 어산지가 피소되지도 않았는데 거의 8년 동안 자유가 규제된 상황에 처해왔다고 말했다.

그는 "정치적인 문제들 때문에 어떻게 해결될 지 알 수 없다. 그러나 해결법은 간단하다. 우리는 이 상황을 바꾸기 위해 영국에서, 유엔에서 모든 법적인 방법을 이용했다. 미국으로의 송환이 항상 문제이다. 영국이 송환되지 않도록 보장해준다면, 문제는 내일이라도 해결될 수 있다"고 말했다.

어산지는 통신이 단절되기 전까지, 지속적으로 소셜미디어를 통해 도발적인 발언들을 하고 있었다. 그는 항상 자신은 언론의 자유에 대한 권리를 행사하고 있을 뿐이고 권력있는 정치인들을 감시하는 것이 중요하다고 주장해왔다.

[위키리크스한국=최정미 기자]

Jullian Assange has stepped down as editor of WikiLeaks

The whistleblower, who has lived inside the Ecudorian Embassy in London for six years, will continue as the site’s publisher.

Assange, 47 will be replaced by Kristinn Hrafnsson who is an Icelandic investigative journalist.

In a statement, WikiLeaks said, “Due to extraordinary circumstances where Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks has been held incommunicado (except visits by lawyers) for six months while arbitrarily detained in the Ecuadorean embassy, Mr Assange has appointed Kristinn Hrafnsson Editor-in-Chief of WikiLeaks. Mr Assange will continue to be the publisher of WikiLeaks.”

Hrafnsson, 56, has slammed the treatment off his predecessor, who has continued to be denied access to the internet and other forms of communication, however he welcomed his new responsibility.

Assange also faces an arrest warrant in the UK after skipping a bail payment.

He was also accused of sexual assault in Sweden, however the charges have since been dropped.

The whistleblower also fears being extradited to the US where authorities have spoken about prosecuting him for publishing classified information from the National Security Agency.

The Ecuadorean Embassy cut off Assange’s communications to the outside world in March after he tweeted Britain was readying itself for a “propaganda war” against Russia following the Salisbury poisoning of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal.

However, Ecuador’s president Lenín Moreno recently declared that both his country and Britain were working on a legal solution for Assange to allow him to leave the embassy in “the medium term.”

Before he was stopped communicating online, Assange continued making provocative statements via social media.

Assange has always argued that he was only exercising his right to free speech and that monitoring power politicians was important.

ECUADOR’S president says his country and the UK are working on a legal solution for Julian Assange that would allow the Wikileaks founder to leave the Ecuadorean Embassy in London in “the medium term.”

President Lenin Moreno told The Associated Press that Assange’s lawyers are aware of the negotiations.

He declined to provide more details because of the sensitivity of the case.

Assange, 47, has been holed up in the embassy for more than six years.

The famous whistleblower and computer engineer faces an arrest warrant in the UK and fears he could be extradited to the US, where high-level officials have spoken about prosecuting him for stealing classified information.

Moreno says his country will seek to protect Assange’s rights.

Meanwhile, WikiLeaks has named one-time spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson as its new editor-in-chief but the ramifications of the move are unclear.

The organisation was founded and has been led for more than a decade by Assange.

WikiLeaks tweeted that Assange will stay on as the group’s “publisher.”

Assange had his communications cut in March by Ecuador’s new president, and Wednesday’s statement said he remained “incommunicado.”

WikiLeaks’ job titles have proven fluid over the years.

Assange has variously described himself as the group’s spokesman, publisher and editor. Hrafnsson told The Associated Press that it “remains to be seen” whether the change in responsibility would be permanent or temporary.

He hung up when asked further questions, saying he was busy cooking dinner.

Last week a member of Assange’s legal team said the impasse over the WikiLeaks founder could be resolved immediately if the UK Government gave an assurance he would not be extradited to the United States.

Jennifer Robinson told a conference in Barcelona that Assange had been under some form of restrictions on his liberty for almost eight years without ever being charged.

Robinson said: “It is difficult to see how this is going to be resolved because of the politics, though the solution is simple.

“We have used every legal avenue available to us, in the UK and at the UN, to challenge this situation.

“This is and has always been about the risk of US extradition. This case could be resolved tomorrow if the UK would give this assurance.”

Speaking at the World Ethical Data Forum, she added: “For more than eight years we have been fighting a number of landmark cases, in multiple jurisdictions, to protect something we thought was sancrosanct, that perhaps too many have taken for granted: the right to freedom of speech and the freedom of publishers to publish information in the public interest.”

These included the ongoing criminal investigation in the US, which she said was of “unprecedented size and scale”, and the risk of US extradition for Mr Assange, especially as the current US Attorney-General has said prosecuting him was a “priority”.

6677sky@naver.com