The U.S. has responded to the UK High Court’s request for “satisfactory assurances” that Julian Assange will be able to rely on First Amendment free speech rights and that he won’t be subject to the death penalty if he is extradited.
Washington’s assurance letter has done little to comfort supporters of the WikiLeaks founder, who is wanted for releasing information that the U.S. would much rather have been kept under wraps.
Stella, his wife, attacked the administration of Joe Biden—who just a week ago rather unconvincingly said he was “considering” dropping the prosecution against Assange—for issuing “blatant weasel words” regarding Julian’s access to First Amendment rights. The document states only that Assange “will have the ability to raise and seek to rely upon” this free speech protection (emphasis added). Hardly encouraging.
She added that along with this “non-assurance,” the U.S. has merely given “a standard assurance in relation to the death penalty.”
Stella said:
The diplomatic note does nothing to relieve our family’s extreme distress about [Julian’s] future—his grim expectation of spending the rest of his life in isolation in [a] U.S. prison for publishing award-winning journalism.
The Biden Administration must drop this dangerous prosecution before it is too late.
British journalist Peter Hitchens, who has been one of Assange’s few supporters in the UK media, despite admitting that he has “no time” for the figure, agreed that the U.S. document does not appear to offer “much reassurance.” He added:
Where are the notable voices, in media, politics, the Churches and the Law, raised in defence of Julian Assange? Far too few.
A further hearing will now be held on May 20th to determine whether Assange will be able to pursue his appeal against extradition at a full hearing.
