A hearing for WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange to appeal his extradition to the US will be held next month on July 9 and July 10, British court officials announced on Tuesday.
Assange, an Australian citizen, has been granted the chance to appeal his extradition on the grounds that he may not have the same First Amendment protections as an American citizen.
Assange faces up to 175 years in prison and has been indicted with 17 counts under the Espionage Act and one charge for conspiracy to commit a computer intrusion for obtaining and publishing documents from a source, a standard journalistic practice. If he is convicted, it would have grave implications for press freedom in the US and around the world.
The charges stem from documents WikiLeaks published in 2010 and 2011 related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 2019, Assange has been held in London’s Belmarsh Prison on no charges as his legal team has fought the extradition, and his health has been deteriorating. Family members fear extradition would mean his death.
WikiLeaks has been asking Americans to put pressure on the Biden administration to stop its pursuit of Assange by contacting their House representatives and telling them to support H.Res.934, a bill introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) that calls for the US to drop the charges against Assange.
Last week, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-NY) became the 12th cosponsor of the legislation, demonstrating that the pressure is working.
Click here to find your representative, or call the House switchboard operator at (202) 224-3121. Click here to send an email to your representative. Tell them to support the resolution to protect the First Amendment and press freedom.
Freedom of the Press is centrifugal to our judicial processes and indeed to our democracy. Where might we be without such tenants in our processes?…. Nowhere, indeed.
With Freedom of Press comes responsibilities.
"With Freedom of Press comes responsibilities."
Yes, journalists should uncover the misdeeds of governments. Julian Assange is one of the few journalist who takes that responsibility seriously.
The idea of the First Amendment was for the Governed to sensor the Governors. Not the other way around.
Assange is a hero and should be treated as such.
Last week, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-NY) became the 12th cosponsor of the legislation, demonstrating that the pressure is working.
That resolution was introduced some time ago. The pressure isn't working nearly well enough. And what took Jayapal so long to get on board?
Timidity? Cowardice? Perhaps Jayapal is actually nothing more than just another US politician.
Yep. Their noses know which way the wind blows. Opportunists first class.
"Assange has been held in London’s Belmarsh Prison on no charges " Did I missed something? Was he not indicted on 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act? Was he not convicted of bail jumping in England?
He is not a citizen of the U.S.. He has never been in the employ of any U.S. institution. He has never held any office in the U.S. The Espionage Act is in no way applicable to Mr. Assange.
It's disgusting the way the US and UK are playing a cruel game of cat and mouse with this long suffering whistleblower.
I refer Assange as being a revealer.
I'm sure we will find a way to get at what is left of a human being who had the sheer courage to reveal the truth about these morally corrupt actors who continue to pursue him for revealing their ongoing execution of war crimes as they in turn continue their pursuit of destabilization of countries all over the planet in their pursuit of hegemony.
Will the CIA kill him before that begins? It was Mr. Drumpf who broached the idea of the CIA abducting him then killing him.