The Briefing Room
General Category => Politics/Government => Topic started by: mystery-ak on April 10, 2024, 04:44:42 pm
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Biden ‘considering’ ending prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
By
Christian Datoc
April 10, 2024 12:02 pm
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President Joe Biden is weighing ending the yearslong prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange stemming from his 2010 publication of classified United States Army intelligence.
Assange is being held by the authorities in the United Kingdom. A U.K. judge ruled in March that Assange cannot be extradited to the U.S. without guarantees that he will not receive a death sentence.
Biden hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House on Wednesday for a state visit, in which he was asked by reporters about the case.
“We’re considering it,” Biden said when asked about Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s request that the president end the prosecution of Assange, an Australian citizen.
The White House has largely avoided commenting on the charges against Assange, which include violations of the Espionage Act and conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.
In 2010, Assange published footage of U.S. airstrikes in Baghdad, Iraq, diplomatic cables, and classified communications from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, all provided by former U.S. Army intelligence officer Chelsea Manning.
more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/2960833/biden-considering-ending-prosecution-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange/