Twitter locked the official account of WikiLeaks just days before Julian Assange’s extradition hearing, only unlocking it after WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson sparked a mass appeal on the platform.
Reclaim the Net reports that the account of WikiLeaks was locked according to WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson. Hrafnsson noted via his personal account that the WikiLeaks account was locked “shortly before Assange extradition hearing.” Hrafnsson’s tweet can be seen below:
WikiLeaks twitter account has been locked, shortly before Assange extradition hearing. All attempts to get it reopened via regular channels have been unsuccessful. It has been impossible to reach a human at twitter to resolve the issue. Can someone fix this?@twittersupport @jack
— Kristinn Hrafnsson (@khrafnsson) February 17, 2020
A source with knowledge of the matter told Breitbart News that the account was locked based on indicators that it had been”compromised.” According to Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks was unable to contact anyone at the social media firm. about the problem.
Twitter users expressed their belief that Assange and WikiLeaks are both being targeted:
There is a clear pattern of this illegal conduct against @wikileaks & #Assange supporters.#JulianAssange is on @coe protected list.
Art 19 UDHR is still in force.
Twitter, pls provide reasons for #censorship#GDPR
Cc @davidakaye @EUGDPRCompliant @DataObservatory @coe @Unity4J pic.twitter.com/v2gex1PHcn— Katya's Compass ⚖ (@Katya_Compass) February 17, 2020
Assange is set to have an extradition hearing in the U.K. next week which could result in him being extradited to the United States to face charges. The extradition hearing has been the subject of protests which condemn the hearing as a breach of press freedoms.
Shortly after Hrafnsson’s tweet was spread across the platform, WikiLeaks found its Twitter account unlocked:
Thanks to @twitter for not long after @wikileaks Editor-in-chief @khrafnsson's tweet resoving said issue.
Julian Assange's Extradition hearing begins next week — 24 February – the future of the free press literally stands in the balance https://t.co/hAzgxObjrw
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) February 18, 2020
Breitbart News will continue to report on Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com
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