The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has appealed to the international community to rally in support of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, who is at risk of extradition to the United States.
Expressing his concerns regarding the likelihood of Assange’s extradition, President Lula turned to Twitter to underscore the significance of Assange’s contributions in bringing to light illicit activities conducted by states against each other.
Lula emphasized that Assange’s arrest directly violates democratic principles and press freedom.
“Assange’s work in exposing unlawful state actions has been crucial. His arrest undermines democracy and the freedom of the press. We all must unite to defend him,” the Brazilian leader posted on his social media platform.
(Stella Assange)
On June 6, the High Court of Justice in London rejected eight points of Assange’s appeal challenging his extradition.
According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an international non-profit organization advocating press freedom, Assange’s defense team has a five-day working window following that date to submit an appeal, not exceeding 20 pages, to a panel of two judges.
This panel will then schedule a public hearing.
Although the defense cannot file additional appeals in the UK, they can continue with the European Court of Human Rights proceedings.
Stella, Assange’s wife, confirmed that the new appeal in London would be filed on June 13.
Assange’s brainchild, WikiLeaks, was established in 2006, but it gained worldwide attention in 2010 when it initiated large-scale leaks of classified government data, including information from the United States.
( For those who forgot why Julian Assange faces up to 175 years in prison – it is most of all for publishing this video)
Since April 2019, Assange has been detained in London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison while facing charges in the US under the Espionage Act.
If found guilty, the founder of WikiLeaks could potentially serve a prison sentence of up to 175 years.
This recent development underscores the need for a comprehensive and globally coordinated effort to protect the freedom of the press and uphold democratic values.
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