THE persecution of Julian Assange is about “sowing fear in the hearts of journalists” and intimidating them into avoiding reporting on war crimes, members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) heard today.

Labour MP Richard Burgon told an online members’ event in the run-up to the NUJ’s annual conference that the purpose of hounding Mr Assange was to make journalists made aware of war crimes think: “Do I want to end up like Julian Assange?” before telling the world.

And Stella Assange said the implications for British journalism if the US succeeds in extraditing her husband are chilling.

Because of the “dual criminality” requirements of the extradition treaty between Britain and the US — which mandate that people should not be extradited for activity that would not be illegal here — the US has specified parts of the Official Secrets Act it maintains Mr Assange’s alleged conduct could be said to breach.

“And so through the back door new norms are emerging about how the Official Secrets Act plays out in practice... it hasn’t really been tested in the courts against publishers, against journalists conducting their work, but it is being tested this way,” she explained.

WikiLeaks editor in chief Kristinn Hrafnsson said the prolonged delays themselves — with Mr Assange now having been held on remand in Belmarsh prison for over four years — were a clear sign that the case was political.

But Ms Assange and Mr Burgon said there were signs of international pressure rising, with Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling on the US government to drop the charges and recent letters by US members of Congress and British MPs demanding the same.