WorldcrunchPeter Greste is a professor of Journalism and Communications at Macquarie University and a former journalist and foreign correspondent who spent 25 years working for the BBC, Reuters and Al Jazeera. Greste was arrested in Cairo while working for Al Jazeera, and charged with terrorism offences. He was released after more than 400 days in prison. Greste has since become a vocal campaigner and advocate for media freedom.
In the release of 26 people from seven countries, freedom for those unjustly imprisoned is great news. But this case, which included the freeing of the Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich and Radio Free Europe journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, could also set up an international precedent: journalists can be used as geopolitical bargaining chips.
After spending the past five years in prison in the UK and nearly 15 years battling for his freedom, the founder of WikiLeaks is set to be released. Nonetheless, his case sends a terrifying message to any sources sitting on evidence of abuses by the government and its agencies.