Group appeals to President Lula to grant Julian Assange political asylum in Brazil
A diverse group comprising scientists, journalists, professors, former ministers, and unionists requests President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to grant political asylum to Australian journalist Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.
Earlier this month, Lula appealed to the international community to rally in support of Assange.
The group, supported by 2,897 individuals, is delivering a letter to President Lula, suggesting that Brazil should lead an international effort to protect Assange in collaboration with other countries.
They cite the example of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who requested political asylum for Assange from the US government in 2022.
President Lula has expressed concern about the potential extradition of Assange to the United States, where he faces espionage charges.
Lula stated on social media that Assange has played a crucial role in exposing illegitimate actions of one state against another, emphasizing the importance of defending democracy and press freedom while calling for collective support in his defense.
Assange recently had his final appeal against extradition rejected by the UK Supreme Court.
As the founder of WikiLeaks, he published approximately 700,000 classified documents related to wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other operations.
The released information was subsequently used by media outlets such as The Guardian and The New York Times to report on alleged abuses by the US Armed Forces.
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