Be clear on this: Assange is a political prisoner, held for and charged with committing … journalism.
He exposed war crimes committed by US government forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as other illegal schemes such as then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s attempts to have UN diplomats’ offices bugged.
The US government hates having its crimes exposed and, First Amendment be damned, tries to make examples out of those who dare display its dirty laundry.
While Assange obviously has more skin in the game than anyone else in this particular case, he’s not the real target. The real target is the next journalist who catches the US government acting illegally. The goal is to make that journalist think twice before telling you about it.
-- Thomas Knapp, "Free Assange? Yes, But That’s Not Nearly Enough." (ANTIWAR.COM).