#Biden says he’s considering Australia’s request to drop prosecution of #Wikileaks founder #Assange
“By dropping the charges against Julian he will be protecting freedom of expression and the rights of #journalists and #publishers globally. We urge him to end this legal process; to free Julian; and to recognize that #journalism is not a crime.” - #KristinnHrafnsson, Wikileaks Editor-in-Chief
April 10, 2024
"President #JoeBiden said Wednesday that he is considering a request from Australia to drop the decade-long U.S. push to prosecute Wikileaks founder #JulianAssange for publishing a trove of American classified documents.
"For years, Australia has called on the U.S. to drop its prosecution against Assange, an Australian citizen who has fought U.S. extradition efforts from prison in the U.K. Asked about the request on Wednesday, as he hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for an official visit, Biden said, 'We’re considering it.'
"Assange has been indicted on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over his website’s publication of a trove of classified U.S. documents almost 15 years ago. American prosecutors allege that Assange, 52, encouraged and helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst #ChelseaManning steal diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks published, putting lives at risk.
"Australia argues there is a disconnect between the U.S. treatment of Assange and #Manning. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017."
Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/biden-australia-assange-wikileaks-2cd31cf5a9983f3523a7c3de72b5078e