JAKARTA - A group of journalists and lawyers are suing the CIA and its former director Mike Pompeo, over accusations of spying on them while visiting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, England.
The lawsuit says the CIA under Pompeo violated the privacy rights of journalists and lawyers. The plaintiffs include journalists Charles Glass and John Goetz, as well as lawyers Margaret Kunstler and Deborah Hrbek, who have represented Assange.
"The United States Constitution protects American citizens from the reach of the US Government, even when the activity takes place in foreign embassies in a foreign country," said Richard Roth, the lead attorney representing the plaintiffs.
Monday's lawsuit was filed in US District Court for the Southern District of New York. It says journalists and lawyers are asked to submit their electronic devices to Undercover Global SL
The last name was a private company which at the time was guarding the security of the embassy. The lawsuit alleges that the company allegedly copied information on the information device, including communications with Assange, and handed it over to the CIA, citing VOA.
Not only that, the company is also said to have installed microphones around the embassy, sending voice and video recordings from security surveillance camera recordings to the CIA.
The CIA declined to comment on the lawsuit. Meanwhile, neither Mike Pompeo nor Undercover Global SL could immediately be reached for comment.
Assange has appealed to the High Court in London to block his extradition to the United States to face criminal charges in a legal battle that has dragged on for more than a decade.
He spent about seven years at the embassy, before being dragged out and jailed in 2019. Assange is wanted by US authorities on 18 counts, including espionage, related to the WikiLeaks release of classified US military records and diplomatic cables.
His supporters say he is an anti-establishment hero who has become a victim, because he exposed US wrongdoing in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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