Current location:style >>
Hundreds gather in London to protest against Assange's U.S. extradition
style19People 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.“World Wave news portal”。http://saintlucia.claboston.org/content-45b699924.html
Related articles
Brazil replaces injured goalkeeper Ederson in Copa America squad
styleRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil coach Dorival Júnior has replaced injured goalkeeper Ederson with Sao P ...
【style】
Read moreUS navy flies aircraft through the Taiwan Strait a day after US
styleTAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The U.S. 7th Fleet said a Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait on ...
【style】
Read moreActing legend looks unrecognisable as he sports long hair and bushy beard while filming in Dublin
styleAn acting legend looked unrecognisable as he got into character while filming in Dublin on Tuesday.T ...
【style】
Read more
Popular articles
- The government wants to buy their flood
- The wild TRUTH behind 'Mormon face': Former member of ultra
- Guerrero has 2 RBIs as Blue Jays win 5
- AP mock NFL draft 3.0: 8 trades, including 2 in the top 5 highlight AP's final mock draft
- Culture festival showcases integration
- Commentary: Resilience, potential, fundamentals of Chinese economy remain sound
Latest articles
DR MARTIN SCURR: How losing your hearing may cause dementia
MotoGP racing for new momentum in America, with hopes of riding an F1
Alison Hammond's son Aidan follows in his mum's footsteps as he lands HUGE new job
Emily Ratajkowski shares panty
Ben Whishaw lights up the Croisette as he joins his co
Southern California city council gives a key approval for Disneyland expansion plan
LINKS
- Multiple places in C.China’s Henan suspend classes, transportation due to continuous snowfall
- Chinese cyberspace regulator cracks down on illegal online activities
- Art reshapes rural scene in SW China village
- China continues to enhance public medical services
- Former senior Chongqing municipal legislator indicted for bribery
- Earthquake leaves 13 dead in China's Qinghai
- Embroidery cooperative dedicated to inheritance of Kirgiz embroidery in NW China's Xinjiang
- Conference highlights human rights advancement in Xinjiang
- Village operators drive development in Zhejiang's Lin'an district
- Earthquake leaves 13 dead in China's Qinghai