The U.S. government offered its assurances this week on the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, but that apparently was not enough for his supporters in England.
They demand that he not face the death penalty and be able to rely on First Amendment protections if he is extradited to the U.S. This did not placate Stella, his wife, who took to social media to blast the Biden administration for using “weasel words.”
This news came despite the fact that President Joe Biden indicated last week that he was “considering” ending the U.S. prosecution of Assange.
Assange Extradition update
Julian’s wife–@Stella_Assange–says assurances from Washington do "nothing to relieve our family's extreme distress about his future."@ClarkeMicah–"Where are the notable voices raised in defence of Assange?"@EuroConOfficial https://t.co/64yeyI5iCa
— Michael Curzon (@MichaelCurzon_) April 18, 2024
He currently remains under indictment for the explosive release of a trove of U.S. intelligence that many believe greatly damaged the country. Authorities believe that several human assets lost their lives after his irresponsible actions.
The reassurances offered by the U.S. did not soothe the fears of his supporters. According to the document, he “will have the ability to raise and seek to rely on” First Amendment protections.
Stella Assange called this statement and others a “non-assurance” that did not meet the requirements of the U.K. High Court. She said that the words are “a standard assurance in relation to the death penalty.”
Mrs. Assange added that “the diplomatic note does nothing to relieve our family’s extreme distress about [Julian’s] future — his grim expectation of spending the rest of his life in isolation in [a] U.S. prison for publishing award-winning journalism.”
He faces 17 charges of espionage and another count of computer misuse from the release of the cache of classified materials 15 years ago.
Assange, now 52, assisted former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2010 in stealing top secret files and communications. They were then released on the WikiLeaks site, causing a firestorm of controversy and endangering military operations across the globe.
U.S. officials argued in the British court in February that Assange strayed far beyond the bounds of respectable journalism. Instead of being a whistleblower, he endangered many lives subjected to repressive regimes and war zones.
The High Court ruled last month that Assange could start a fresh appeal against being extradited to the U.S. This could only be avoided if the Biden government offered guarantees concerning the death penalty and his legal defense.
