Julian Assangefounder of WikiLeakshas requested this Friday to the High Court of London to resort to his extradition to the USA, where the Justice is persecuting him for espionage crimes. The organization leaked in 2010 the failure of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with records on the systematic use of torture or the number of deaths. This and other revelations led to several international scandals for the Pentagon and the White House.
Of Australian origin, Assange remains in the Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison, London. On June 17, the British Home Secretary, Pritti Patel, signed the order to extradite him to the United States. The activist will turn 51 next Sunday, July 3.
Paul Goldspring of the Westminster Magistrates Courthad issued on April 20 an order for the UK government consider handing Assange over to US courts. The North American country claims the journalist for 18 crimes of computer intrusion and espionage, as a result of WikiLeaks leaks. Assange could face up to 175 years in prison.
The activist’s wife Stella Morisand multiple supporters of the organization have protested this Friday in front of the headquarters of the British Home Officeknown as office, to intensify calls for Assange’s freedom, since the building is in the heart of London.
Support from Amnesty International
Amnesty International is running a signature campaign to stop the extradition of the journalist. The NGO believes that moving him to USA would imply seriously exposing him “to suffering human rights violations“, which could reach “torture or ill-treatment”.
“Putting Assange on trial is a clear attempt to intimidate other media professionals who denounce and make public the dirty laundry of governments. And we have a right to know,” the organization states on its website.
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