A resolution introduced in the House last month calls for the US to drop the charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who faces up to 175 years in prison if extradited to the US and convicted for journalism that exposed US war crimes.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), expresses “the sense of the House of Representatives that regular journalistic activities, including the obtainment and publication of information, are protected under the First Amendment and that the federal government should drop all charges against and attempts to extradite Julian Assange.”
Assange, who’s been held in London’s Belmarsh Prison since 2019, has a hearing scheduled at the UK High Court on February 20 and 21 to appeal his extradition to the US, which is likely his final chance. Ahead of the hearing, WikiLeaks and Assange’s supporters are asking Americans to contact their House representatives and urge them to support Gosar’s resolution.
Click here to find your representative, or call the House switchboard operator at (202) 224-3121. Tell them to support H.Res. 934 to protect the First Amendment and press freedom.
So far, the resolution has eight co-sponsors: Reps. James McGovern D-MA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Eric Burlison (R-MO), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Clay Higgins (R-LA).
Julian has suffered for years. It would be great if this passed.
He would not be in prison right now if he didn’t jump bail the first time. Once one jumps bail, they don’t get bail on any new charges. That is how it works.
You’re out of your mind. He’d be in a different prison. One in the US.
Sweden dropped those charges.
Sweden didn’t drop any charges because there were never any charges for them to drop.
Yes, sorry I meant Sweden dropped the investigation
This was always a witch hunt, to make Assange the bad guy, instead of focusing on all the filth he exposed and our rotten foreign policies. The majority of our politicians should be in jail, NOT Assange.
Right the hell on Ginah!
Please and yes.
Where are all the Democrats ?
They’re out trying to find a way to get rid of Biden without getting stuck with Kamala.
I consider myself left of democrats, a bit more radical… I find, I don’t have much to choose from at all.
That’s often associated with authoritarianism, anarchism, communism, and Marxism. Definitely not the place for a self called “Peace Activist.”
No wonder you are so f up and side with everything anti US.
You should move to a dictatorship and be “free and happy. ” Lol.
That was so funny DJ! Seriously!
Busy jailing him.
I wish.
I meant jailing Biden.
Please and yes.
Where are all the Democrats ?
Free Assange Now…!
As if your representative would listen to you…!
MTG? Interesting. Now, will it pass? Or is this a stunt?
No it will not pass.
A resolution introduced in the House last month……So far, the resolution has eight co-sponsors.
There should be 8 who didn’t co-sponsor. And then those 8 should be ostracized.
His extradition and US prosecution is being slow-walked because Assange’s incarceration is intended to be his punishment in case he is later exonerated or freed.
That seems like a fair assessment…
His incarceration is due to him skipping bail on his first arrest warrant and a clear risk of him running to hide in another embassy.
Please stop. You look foolish.
All Political Prisoners should be freed, like ‘um or hate ‘um.
Unless is Navalny, in which case it’s ok because we love Putin so much.
Nah DJ,
I don’t love Putin… I love YOU!
Talk about f up responses.
LOL!
careful D, he won’t know what to do and his head might explode
It is a resolution not a bill. Big difference. A bill becomes law and must be executed. A resolution expresses how Congress feels about something, but no action is required. I don’t see it passing.
Julian dodge his rape charges in Sweden by hiding out in the Embassy of Ecuador in London. Now he is trying to dodge his US charges by legal proceedings in London. He likes “exposing” others for their crimes, but he hides from public trials that would expose his crimes.
There were no rape charges in Sweden.
Why do you think Sweden issued an arrest warrant for him? Maybe technically charges were not filed, but they would have been. However, you can not denied that he hid out in the Embassy to avoid being sent to Sweden where he was the prime suspect in sex related crimes.
“Why do you think Sweden issued an arrest warrant for him?”
They CLAIMED that it was because they wanted to question him, which meant that the international arrest warrant was invalid/fraudulent (there is no “technically” about it — charges have to be filed for such warrants).
He offered to be questioned, but not to go to Sweden to be questioned, on the claim that they might render him to the US on bullshit charges. They refused for years. Then when the UK started the process of rendering him to the US on bullshit charges, they suddenly decided that yes, they could just question him in the UK … and then end the “investigation.”
There are a lot of cases where the details lend themselves to multiple interpretations. This is not one of them. The whole thing was complete bullshit from beginning to end.
“international arrest warrant was invalid” It was? The UK judges disagree as he lost all motions to invalidate the arrest warrant. So he simply skip bail and hid in the embassy. These are not the actions of an innocent man wanted for questioning.
And now he wanted in the US and he trying the same tactics of delay. It may or may not work. What we do know that skipping bail the first time insures that he remains in prison while the legal action plays out.
The UK judges ignored the law then, and they continue to ignore it now (the UK/US extradition treaty explicitly excludes political prisoners).
But the claim I was disputing was your reference to non-existent “rape charges.” At no time has Julian Assange been formally charged with any crime in Sweden.
Go lick a boot, quisling.
The world should also join forces to ask for the immediate release of Navalny.
Assange and Navalny should both be free.
Come on, who saying YES?
Assange and Navalny are two completely different cases. Assange about freedom of speech (First Amendment) and reporting warcrimes. Navalny the overthrow of a government, trying (fortunately in vain) to stage a violent coup like the one in Kiev Maidan in 2014. No government wherever in the world will and can tolerate that.
Of course, you won’t support Navalny and bring excuses as to why they are different.
Let me guess, Putin invading and annexing Ukraine is not the same as Netanyahu invading and annexing Gaza. Right?
I’m sure you have excuses for that too because you support Putin but are against Bibi.
Any strong opposition figure to Putin is somehow demonized and labeled as someone trying to overthrow the government.
That’s horsesh!t. Was Boris Nemtsov trying to overthrow Putin too?
The Russian people are to a man al solidly behind President Putin. If not you would have seen something quite differently in Russia. On YouTube you find several westerners, including Americans, who have emigrated to Russia who confirm this. Your daily newspaper is not a very good source on which to rely. The differences between Assange and Navalny are simply indisputable. You evaded that fact which is at the core of the discussion and diverted the discussion making it personal as people who have no argument usually do.
But but but.. you are an empty wagon. You provide zero substance to defend yourself.
You are a declared Putin Lover.
Cannot reason with you.
Yes Putin will go into history as one of the greatest statesman of our time. You will find in time.
I agree.
But it’s still mean to insult him that way.