Assange risks a long prison sentence for the revelations on his WikiLeaks portal.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday repudiated the decision of the British Justice, which opens the doors to the extradition to the United States of Julian Assange, who risks a long prison sentence for the revelations of his WikiLeaks portal, which exposed abuses of the US in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We are convinced that Julian Assange has been a target for his contribution to journalism. We support him for the dangerous implications that this case may have in the world, for the future of journalism and press freedom,” said the Secretary General of RSF, Christophe Deloire, in a statement.
For Deloire, “it is time to put an end to this persecution that lasts more than a decade. We must release Julian Assange.”
After having denied extradition on the grounds of suicide, the London Court of Appeal has concluded that the US Government offers sufficient guarantees that the activist will receive adequate treatment to protect his mental health.
The 50-year-old founder of WikiLeaks will continue to be detained in the London high-security prison of Belmarsh, where he is serving pre-trial detention until the end of this process, which can still be appealed by the defense. Before that, he had been a refugee in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for seven years.
The United States demands the Australian to try him for 18 crimes of espionage and computer intrusion after the revelations of its WikiLeaks portal.
According to the defense, the charges, which it says can carry up to 175 years in prison, are politically motivated and, if they end in conviction, it would be a catastrophic precedent for press freedom. (I)
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