Will Biden pardon Julian Assange at Australia’s request?: This is what we know

Julian Assangethe founder of the leak platform WiiLeakshas been in prison for five years UK awaiting a decision on his extradition to U.S. Before that, he spent seven years in asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. When his surrender seemed inevitable, an option emerged that was apparently out of the question: closing his case.

On Wednesday, the president Joe Biden revealed that his government considers dropping espionage charges against Assangewho is an Australian citizen.

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“We are considering it,” he claimed Biden to the press at the White House when asked about the request for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albaneseso that the case against Assange.

US President Joe Biden speaks during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the Rose Garden of the White House, April 10, 2024. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP). (SAUL LOEB/)

In November last year, Albanian said he had conveyed to US representatives his request to close the case against Assangewhile in February this year he supported a motion from his country’s Parliament demanding an end to the legal process and that the founder of WikiLeaks be sent to Australia.

This is the first public comment by the President of the United States on the request for Australia.

Assange52 years old, is accused in U.S in 17 accusations of espionage and one count of computer misuse for posting classified U.S. documents on his website.

US prosecutors allege Assange encouraged and helped US military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks published, putting lives at risk, notes the AP agency.

If found guilty, Assange He could receive a sentence of up to 175 years in prison.

In March this year, Assange He avoided immediate extradition after the High Court in London asked the United States for more guarantees. If the US does not hand them over, he could appeal his extradition at a hearing in May.

In a first reaction, the Prime Minister Albanian said that the comment of Biden it was encouraging.

“I said we rise, in the name of Mr. Assangenational interests Australia, of what that’s enough and that this needs to come to a conclusion and we have raised this at every level of government in every way possible,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“Mr Assange has already paid a significant price. In my opinion, nothing is gained by continuing to imprison Mr. Assange and I expressed this as the opinion of the Australian government,” he added.

In turn, the wife of Assange, Stella Assangedescribed what Biden said as a “good sign” on Thursday.

Stella Moris, wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, leaves the Royal Courts of Justice in London on October 28, 2021. (Photo by Tolga Akmen/AFP). (TOLGA AKMEN/)

“I think it’s a good sign. “It looks like things may finally be heading in the right direction after five years in Belmarsh high security prison and fourteen since losing his freedom,” he said. Stele in an interview with the BBC.

On April 11, 2019, Julian Assange was expelled from the embassy Ecuador In London, where he took refuge in 2012 to avoid being extradited to Swedenwhere he was accused of rape, a case that was later dropped, or U.S.

British police arrested him and he has remained in prison ever since.

Juliano Assange. (AFP).

Assange “He’s not feeling well, he’s very worried,” said his wifewho already said this There is a risk of suicide if he is extradited.

In turn, the editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, Kristinn Hrafnssonexpressed Thursday to the EFE agency his hope that the legal process against Assange will end “in a matter of weeks”.

Hrafnsson He spoke to EFE at the door of the Belmarsh High Security Prisonsoutheast of London, where the founder of WikiLeaks is confined.

“I hope we have a victory in this case very soon. “This could be finalized in a matter of weeks once the formalities are processed and we hope to get there,” he said. Hrafnsson after visiting Assange.

The editor explained that The conditions in which Assange is detained are worse than those convicted of terrorism crimes.

Julian Assange holds a copy of The Guardian newspaper during a press conference in London on July 26, 2010. (Photo by LEON NEAL/AFP). (LEON NEAL/)

In 2006 Julian Assange founded WikiLeaks. He said he opened the portal to challenge Western power structures and defend human rights, seeking “radical transparency and truth.”

In December 2007, WikiLeaks published the Army manual U.S to the soldiers who deal with the prisoners at Camp Delta, Guantanamo, where suspected members of the Al Qaeda terrorist network were taken. This was after the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq as a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

In November 2009, WikiLeaks published 500,000 messages sent during the September 11, 2001 attacks.

On April 5, 2010, the portal published one of the leaks that has most bothered the United States: a confidential military video showing a US Apache helicopter shooting and killing two journalists and several Iraqi civilians in 2007.

An image taken from confidential video recorded by a US military camera from an Apache helicopter and published by Wikileaks. (Photo from Wikileaks.org/AFP).

The US Army said the helicopter crew believed the targets were armed insurgents, not civilians.

In May 2010, the United States Army detained the soldier Chelsea Manning for allegedly leaking American combat videos, including the Apache helicopter attack published on WikiLeaks, and classified State Department files.

Crew She was betrayed by Adrian Lamo, a former hacker who the soldier entrusted with leaking confidential records.

US Army Private First Class Bradley Manning leaves a US military tribunal at Fort Meade, Maryland, on August 20, 2013. Years later, she changed her name to Chelsea Manning. (Photo by SAÚL LOEB/AFP). (SAUL LOEB/)

On July 25, 2010, WikiLeaks published more than 90,000 confidential war-related documents. Afghanistan in what was considered the biggest leak since the Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War. The documents are divided into more than 100 categories and cover everything from the search for Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to the deaths of Afghan civilians as a result of US military actions, according to CNN.

On October 22, 2010, WikiLeaks published nearly 400,000 confidential military documents from the War of Iraqproviding data on how many Iraqi civilians were killed, the role Iran played in supporting Iraqi militants, and many reports of abuses by the Iraqi military and police.

On November 28, 2010, WikiLeaks began publishing about 250,000 leaked State Department cables dating back to 1966. The website said the documents will be released “in stages over the coming months.”

On April 24, 2011, almost 800 classified military documents U.S obtained by WikiLeaks revealed details about the alleged terrorist activities of Al Qaeda members captured and taken to Guantanamo.

On October 24, 2011, WikiLeaks announced that it is temporarily halting its publications to “aggressively raise funds.” Assange said a financial blockade of Bank of America, VISA, MasterCard, PayPal and Western Union cut off 95% of the portal’s revenue.

On February 23, 2012, Manning was formally accused of aiding the enemyimproperly causing the publication of intelligence information on the Internet, transmitting national defense information, and stealing property or public records.

He February 26, 2012, WikiLeaks began publishing five million emails from the private intelligence company Stratfordstarting with a business “glossary” that includes unflattering descriptions of U.S. government agencies.

On February 28, 2013, Manning pleaded guilty to some of the 22 charges against himbut not the most serious: helping the enemy, which carries a life sentence.

On August 21, 2013, A military judge sentenced Chelsea Manning to 35 years in prison.

The then American president, Barack Obama commuted his sentence to seven years, allowing him to be released in 2017.

On March 7, 2017, when Assange He was already in asylum at the Embassy of Ecuador In London, WikiLeaks published thousands of internal CIA documents, including alleged discussions about a secret hacking program and the development of spyware targeting cell phones, smart TVs and computer systems in cars.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange raises his fist before addressing the media on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London on May 19, 2017. (Photo by Justin TALLIS/AFP). (JUSTIN TALLIS/)

It’s a statement, Assange He claimed that the website published the documents as a warning about the risk of proliferation of “cyber weapons”.

On April 20, 2017, US authorities told CNN they are taking steps to seek the arrest of Assange. They announced that they were preparing criminal charges against the founder of WikiLeaks.

The defenders of Assange They say it is protected by First Amendment to the United States Constitutionwhich guarantees freedom of expression.

Source: Elcomercio