President Joe Biden said today while walking around the White House with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that he is considering dropping the prosecution of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
The U.S. has sought the extradition of Assange for time now. The controversial journalist is currently being held in prison in the United Kingdom. The US has charged Assange with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and 17 other counts.
U.S. prosecutors are seeking to put Assange on trial on 18 counts, all bar one under the Espionage Act, over WikiLeaks’ release of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables.
A recent request to extradite Assange to the United States in late March was put on hold by London’s high court, which stated that the United States must provide assurances that Assange will not be put to death after his extradition.
The President was asked to comment on Australia’s request that the United States drop its charges against Assange. President Joe Biden responded by saying that he is considering dropping the prosecution of Assange.
“We’re considering it,” Biden said as he walked with Fumio Kishida. See a clip of Biden making that statement at the White House today below,
Biden says he is 'considering' dropping prosecution of Julian Assange.
— Slingshot News (@NewsSlingshot) April 11, 2024
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In 2022 polls found that 40% of Americans support Julian Assange being extradited to the United States while just 21% do not support his extradition. Journalistically, Assange has expoes some of the largest stories of our time.
To think that he could be charged, or even sentenced to death for practicing journalism is a sad condemnation of the times in which we are living. In a just world, every man is free to speak the truth that he discovers.
We should always aim for a just world, where possible, and in the case of Assange, punishment, especially doled out by the United States, whose very founding document prohibits government interference in matters of speech, is reprehensible and illegal.
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