Five years after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was first imprisoned in a high-security facility in Britain while fighting a US extradition request, the Biden administration has previously said it may drop charges against him. gave the clearest signal.
But Assange's wife said Thursday that her hopes had been dampened by the reality that his extradition case was at a critical juncture.
“It's been five years and he's now closer to extradition than he's ever been,” his wife Stella Assange said in an interview. “These comments from the president are clearly a good sign. We accept that,” he added. That's hopeful. But that doesn't mean we can stop fearing the worst. ”
Asked by reporters on Wednesday about Assange's request to be allowed to return from his native Australia, President Biden said, “We're considering it.” Those three words suggested the United States might not pursue Assange on charges under the Espionage Act over WikiLeaks' release of tens of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents more than a decade ago.
Ms Assange said the timing of the president's statement was notable, coming just days before the deadline for a UK court hearing on her husband's extradition. When Britain's High Court ruled last month that Mr. Assange could not be extradited immediately unless the United States met certain conditions, the judges gave assurances to American prosecutors on the issue of possible treatment in the United States. He gave them until April 16th to provide the information.
A further hearing is scheduled for May 20 in London to decide Assange's fate if Washington offers guarantees including First Amendment rights and protection from the death penalty.
On Thursday, Assange urged the Biden administration to drop the charges against her husband, saying it was “the right thing to do.”
The charges against Assange could carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison, but U.S. lawyers say Assange is likely to be sentenced to four to six years in prison.
In a statement, Rebecca Vincent, head of international campaigns for Reporters Without Borders, which urges Assange's release and advocates for press freedom, said in a statement that although Assange had not been convicted, He said he had already been in prison for five years. crime.
“No matter what you think about Assange, five years is more than enough,” she said. “No one should be treated that way just because they release information in the public interest. As a First Amendment nation, we can and should do better. ”
The charges against Mr. Assange, 52, were filed in 2019, nine years after WikiLeaks released tens of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents, including revelations about civilian deaths in the civil war. – Submitted under the J. Trump administration. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan;
The documents were leaked by Chelsea Manning, an Army intelligence officer who was sentenced to 35 years in prison but was released after seven years after President Barack Obama commuted her sentence.
In 2012, Mr. Assange fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he was investigated for unrelated sexual misconduct and rape charges that were later dropped. He remained there for seven years until Ecuador stopped protecting him and he was immediately arrested for failing to post bail.
A few weeks later, in May 2019, the charges were upgraded in a U.S. indictment accusing him of violating the Espionage Act by soliciting and disclosing classified government information. First Amendment issues. He has been held at Belmarsh Prison in London ever since.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously discussed the incident with President Biden, and in February Australian MPs also supported calls for Assange's release. Hours after Biden's comments this week, Albanese called them “encouraging.”
In a statement to Sky News, the Australian leader said: “I believe this matter must be brought to a close. Mr Assange has already paid a heavy price and enough is enough.” “There is nothing to be gained by Mr. Assange continuing to reincarnate.”
As The Wall Street Journal reported last month, amid speculation that the Justice Department was also considering a plea deal in Assange's case, Assange's lawyer Barry Pollack said in a statement: He said the plea deal was inappropriate for a plea deal. Team to comment. But he said Assange's lawyers have given him “no indication that the Justice Department intends to resolve the case, and the United States remains as determined as ever to pursue all 18 charges against Assange.” We continue to seek his extradition.”
Assange insisted that prosecuting her husband would be a “problem for the press” no matter which administration comes to power after the US presidential election in November, adding: “Unless the administration It's clearly going to be a legacy.” Think long enough to reconsider. ”
“Obviously the prosecution should have dropped this case from day one,” she said. “So it's the right thing to do, but it's a long time coming.”
Ms. Vincent of Reporters Without Borders similarly remained cautiously optimistic. Her organization hopes the Biden administration is “considering a solution to the case that would involve the immediate release of Julian Assange without serving any further time and a halt to the endless extradition process.” said.