For years, the US has sought the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Assange, accusing him of espionage and leaking secrets. But now, according to President Biden, Australia's request to end the case is being examined.
In the Julian Assange case, the US wants to investigate Australia's request to stop prosecuting the jailed WikiLeaks founder, according to US President Joe Biden. “We're thinking about it,” Biden said in response to a question at the White House. He did not provide any further information. Assange's lawyer, however, found the US president's statements very encouraging.
The US accuses the Australian of stealing and releasing classified documents and other classified documents from military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with whistleblower Chelsea Manning. Therefore, they are calling for the extradition of the 52-year-old to Great Britain, where Assange has been imprisoned since 2019. However, this was recently banned by the London High Court. Australia, on the other hand, has been appealing to the US for years to drop charges against its citizen.
Assange escaped from extended house arrest to the Ecuadorian embassy in London on June 19, 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden – and from there to the United States. Seven years later, on April 11, 2019, he was arrested by London police at the request of the Ecuadorian ambassador.
Supporters see Assange Investigative journalists
Assange is seen by his supporters as an investigative journalist who exposed wrongdoing by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan and should be protected by the freedom of speech and press guaranteed by the US Constitution.
Assange's wife, Stella Assange, had said she was persecuted because her husband had exposed the true cost of human life and called for war. She said her husband's health continued to deteriorate in prison and she feared he would die behind bars. London's High Court ruled in March that Assange could not be extradited unless US officials guaranteed he would not face the death penalty.
Amnesty International warns of “catastrophic paradigm”.
Human rights group Amnesty International again called for Assange's release on the anniversary of his arrest. “Julian Assange dared to bring to light alleged revelations about US war crimes. It is unacceptable that so many years of his life were stolen from him,” said Secretary General Agnes Callamard.
Amnesty warned that if Assange were extradited to the US, he would face severe ill-treatment, including prolonged solitary confinement. The organization warned of a “catastrophic precedent” for global media freedom. Amnesty demanded that the US drop all charges against Assange.
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