London – British Prime Minister on the same day Boris Johnson resigns from his postA group of German lawmakers published a manifesto urging Britain to reconsider the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States.
The text, signed by at least 70 members of the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, defends freedom of the press, describes British Home Secretary Priti Patel’s decision as “sad and wrong” and asks Joe Biden to drop the espionage charges.
In June, Patel signed the mandate to send the WikiLeaks founder to stand trial in the United States. Assange is wanted in the country for revealing military documents related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. She could face up to 175 years in prison if found guilty in a US court.
German politicians demand Biden reject Assange’s extradition
The manifesto of the German parliamentarians was approved by representatives of the four political parties, but not by the country’s government.
This differs from the position taken by Mexican President López Obrador. Proposed demolition of the Statue of Liberty this week In the event that Assange is sent to a US prison and dies.
“Journalists should not be harassed or punished for their work. Nowhere” reads the statement made by Germany’s politicians. “Julian Assange must be released immediately on humanitarian grounds in the interests of freedom of the press and his deteriorating health.”
The saga of WikiLeaks’ founder began in 2010, when the site published data and official documents that were kept under the cover of American military actions abroad.
In 2012, Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he stayed for seven years. He was arrested by the British police in 2019 and there was confusion about his extradition.
After two years of legal dispute with the US State Department victory, Patel approved Assange’s extradition in June.
During this time, the journalist’s physical and mental health deteriorated. Family members are concerned about the risk of suicide if isolated in an American prison and have filed a new appeal against the ruling.
Also Read | Assange is applying for a new extradition; Protest bus circling the streets of London
The group of German politicians expressed concern over the “scary impact” of Assange’s extradition and conviction on press freedom and investigative journalism worldwide:
“In our understanding of the law, it is important to protect those who keep secrets. However, there should be no restrictions on freedom of the press.
Assange’s extradition sends a deadly signal to journalists around the world.”
And they directly demanded that the American president take a positive stance towards the journalist:
“We agree with many British MPs in urging the UK government to support freedom of the press and reconsider its decision to extradite Assange to the US.
We also ask US President Joe Biden to avoid extradition.”
Corinna Rueffer of Alliance 90/The Greens lauded the actions of her colleagues and said the Bundestag condemned the “psychological torture” that Assange was subjected to all these years of seclusion.
#petitionsausschuss German Bundestag, psychologische Folter des Journalisten Julian Assange aufs Schärfste. Wir halten den Umgang mit ihm für einen Angriff auf die #Pressure! #art17GG #WikiLeaks pic.twitter.com/w8m57Ljvq6
— Corinna Rüffer (@crueffer) 6 July 2022
However, all these movements in the German parliament did not change the government’s stance on this issue.
German newspaper Deutsche Welle (DW) appealed to the German Foreign Office for comment on the politicians’ manifesto, but the government said there was “no reason to doubt the integrity of the extradition process” being conducted by the UK.
Assange’s 4th Anniversary in Prison Marked by Protests
Following the UK decision, Julian Assange’s lawyers sued. appeal to avoid refund her. The appeal was filed on Friday, days before the journalist spent his fourth birthday in London’s Belmarsh prison.
celebration WikiLeaks founder’s 51st birthday celebrated with protests in different cities of the world and in social networks.
On the anniversary morning, Assange’s wife, Stella, who is part of the defense team, posted a video on Twitter in which the couple appears with their two children, Gabriel and Max, preparing the “lamington”, a typical Australian cake. . , the hometown of the journalist.
Today is Julian’s birthday. He should be with his family. we cooked #lamingtons and sang to him on the phone. He shouldn’t be in jail. He’s not even charged with a crime in the UK. #FreeAssange#HappyBirthdayJulianAssange #Assange49 #HBDJA #savejulian @DEAcampaign pic.twitter.com/jK5aQw91ap
— Stella Assange #FreeAssangeNOW (@StellaMoris1) July 3, 2020
Such pressure from German politicians could help prevent Assange’s appeal from being sent to the United States.
There is an option to ship to service time in Australia, but the government didn’t interfere with that happening either.
Another possibility is to file an application with the European Court of Human Rights, which lawyers expect at a press conference in October. But as the UK is no longer part of the European Union, there is no guarantee that it will consider it.
Despite this, the European Union chose Assange’s side. In May, the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commission made a request to the UK not to extradite the Wikileaks founder.
In the UK, the government’s transition does not mark abrupt changes in the decision to allow extradition. The new prime minister will be elected in an internal election in the Conservative Party by October.
Until then, the current prime minister will be able to stay in office as he wishes, or an interim prime minister will be replaced. In any case, during this transitional period the powers of the government leader are limited and the secretary who signed the extradition remains in office.
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source: Noticias
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