Current location:opinions >>
Hundreds gather in London to protest against Assange's U.S. extradition
opinions68154People have gathered around
IntroductionSupporters of Julian Assange are seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17 ...
Supporters of Julian Assange are seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
LONDON, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people gathered in front of the British Home Office on Tuesday to protest against the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, denouncing it as politically motivated and a grave threat to freedom of press.
After Assange waged several rounds of appeal battle spanning months, Britain's Westminster Magistrate's Court issued a formal order in April to extradite him to the United States to face espionage charges.
The case is now at the hands of British Home Secretary Priti Patel, who will decide whether to approve the extradition. Assange's legal team can make submissions before Wednesday to Patel explaining why Assange shouldn't be extradited.
On Tuesday, Assange's wife Stella Assange said on Twitter that a representation had been filed to Patel to block his extradition to the United States.
Assange, 50, is wanted in the United States on allegations of disclosing national defense information following WikiLeaks's publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked military documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars a decade ago, which included an Apache helicopter video footage documenting the U.S. military gunning down Reuters journalists and children in Baghdad's streets in 2007.
"It's very clear that the case is politically motivated because the American authorities are using the espionage act to attempt extradition. And the espionage act has been historically used to suppress American dissidents," Lano Nika, a protester, told Xinhua.
"This case is critical not only for media freedom, but also for institution accountability and personal freedoms," she added.
"We know that media freedom has been eroding and in a precarious state. It is not in a good condition in our Western part of the world and that needs to be turned around. This case illustrates the fragility of media freedom," Kristinn Hrafnsson, editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, told Xinhua.
He said that his team will keep on fighting if Patel signs the extradition, as there're other legal avenues for appeal, including taking this case up to the European Court of Human Rights.
"There are legal avenues but it will take time and enough is enough. He has spent too much time deprived of his liberty and the opportunity to spend time with his wife and his children," he said, noting that Assange's health has been deteriorating after long incarceration.
Assange has been held at south London's high-security Belmarsh Prison since 2019. He married his long-term partner Stella Moris, a lawyer, in the prison in March.
Lawyers for the United States said earlier that Assange would be allowed to transfer to Australia, his home country, to serve any prison sentence he may be given. ■
Supporters of Julian Assange are seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
Supporters of Julian Assange are seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
Julian Assange's wife Stella Assange is seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
Julian Assange's wife Stella Assange is seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
Supporters of Julian Assange are seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
Supporters of Julian Assange are seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
A supporter of Julian Assange is seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
Supporters of Julian Assange are seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
A supporter of Julian Assange is seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
Supporters of Julian Assange are seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
A supporter of Julian Assange is seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
A supporter of Julian Assange is seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
A supporter of Julian Assange is seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
A supporter of Julian Assange is seen in front of the British Home Office in London, Britain, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Global Gaze news portal”。http://nicaragua.lochsaege.com/news-89f099836.html
Related articles
Bella Hadid goes braless in a thigh
opinionsShe is one of America's most recognisable fashion models.And Bella Hadid continued to show why she i ...
【opinions】
Read moreTJ Maxx job applicant really wants to to work at the store
opinionsA man who wanted to work at T.J. Maxx has revealed his utter shock after finding out the salary for ...
【opinions】
Read moreTwo Moscow concert hall attackers enter Türkiye briefly
opinionsTwo members of the Islamic State (IS) group, which has claimed responsibility for carrying out a dea ...
【opinions】
Read more
Popular articles
- Not so Cool Britannia! Noel Gallagher gives damning verdict on Keir Starmer
- PICTURED: Best friends who died alongside student while 'doing high
- Hayao Miyazaki's animated fantasy stays atop Chinese box office
- Doctors thought woman, 77, had cancer... then they discovered she had a brain
- Mohammad Mokhber: Who is Iran’s acting president?
- Chinese boy bands eye global stardom under new deal
Latest articles
Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 26
2 injured in restaurant blast in China's Jiangsu
How a lollipop can help to spot the early signs of mouth cancer
Why the royals are no fans of Buckingham Palace... and what it's really like to live there
Nigella Lawson, 64, reveals she would 'never take Ozempic' as a weight
China to take multiple measures to upgrade basic education: Minister
LINKS
- Tensions simmer near a shoal both China and the Philippines claim — Radio Free Asia
- New Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier has post
- As syphilis cases among US newborns soar, doctors group advises more screening during pregnancy
- US advances review of Nevada lithium mine amid concerns over endangered wildflower
- Bereaved families paid a record £7.5bn inheritance tax last year
- Tommy Robinson is cleared of breaching dispersal order at march against anti
- Suspected 'dine
- I've lived in a bus stop for seven months
- Former MIT researcher who killed Yale graduate student sentenced to 35 years in prison
- Orioles call up another top prospect in OF Heston Kjerstad, who hit 10 HRs in 21 games at Triple