AFPMural of Assange in Melbourne
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 02:19
President Biden says he is considering a request from Australia to drop the case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Assange has been charged in the United States with, among other things, violating espionage laws. The Australian has been trying to avoid extradition to the US for more than ten years.
Before that, he initially fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he stayed for seven years. He has been in a British cell since 2019.
Australia has been trying for some time to convince Washington to drop the case against Assange. The Australian parliament voted in February in favor of a motion calling for Assange to return to Australia.
Biden was asked about it yesterday during a visit to Washington by Japanese Prime Minister Kishida. “We are considering it,” he said, without elaborating.
‘Enough is enough’
According to US prosecutors, Assange (52) helped then-CIA analyst Chelsea Manning steal diplomatic cables and military documents, which were then released via WikiLeaks. This would have put people in mortal danger.
Australia points out that Manning’s 35-year prison sentence was shortened to 7 years by then-President Obama, prompting her release in 2017. According to Australia, the treatment of Assange by the Americans is disproportionate to the treatment that Manning received.
Australian Prime Minister Albanese calls Biden’s response encouraging. According to Albanese, it is time to put an end to the matter. “Enough is enough,” Albanese said. According to him, Assange has already paid a “substantial price” and there would be no interest in detaining him any longer.
Video the helicopter pilot
Assange’s supporters believe he should be protected as a whistleblower and entitled to the right to freedom of expression. They point out that abuses have come to light via WikiLeaks. For example, the platform published a video of American helicopter pilots shooting dead unarmed Iraqi civilians in Baghdad, including children and two journalists. But WikiLeaks also published, in collaboration with international media, hundreds of thousands of official messages from American diplomatic missions worldwide.
The British High Court postponed a decision on Assange’s extradition to the US at the end of last month. According to the judge, it is unclear what will happen to the whistleblower in the US and whether he will receive a fair trial. As long as that country does not provide guarantees about the treatment of Assange, he will not be extradited. The court also wants to know whether Assange can receive the death penalty.
Nieuwsuur made an overview of the case against Assange:
2024-04-11 00:19:24
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