US charges Assange, says he published secret documents

Washington, May 24 

In a case with significant First Amendment implications, the US filed new charges on Thursday against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, accusing him of violating the Espionage Act by publishing secret documents containing the names of confidential military and diplomatic sources.

The Justice Department’s 18-count superseding indictment alleges Assange directed former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in one of the largest compromises of classified information in US history. 

It says the WikiLeaks founder, currently in custody in London , damaged national security by publishing documents that harmed US and its allies and aided adversaries.

The case comes amid a Justice Department crackdown on national security leaks and raised immediate fear among news media advocates that Assange’s actions — including soliciting and publishing classified information — are indistinguishable from what traditional journalists do on a daily basis.  — AP