WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden stated on Wednesday that he is contemplating a request from Australia to cease the longstanding U.S. pursuit of prosecuting Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for releasing a cache of American classified documents.
Australia has been urging the U.S. for years to drop its prosecution against Assange, an Australian citizen who has been resisting U.S. extradition attempts from a U.K. prison. When asked about the request during an official visit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday, Biden responded, “We’re considering it.”
Assange faces 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse for his website’s publication of classified U.S. documents nearly 15 years ago. U.S. prosecutors allege that Assange, aged 52, assisted U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in stealing diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks published, endangering lives.
Australia argues that there is a disparity in the U.S. treatment of Assange and Manning. Former U.S. President Barack Obama commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence to seven years, leading to her release in 2017.
Supporters of Assange claim he is a journalist protected by the First Amendment who exposed U.S. military misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan that was in the public interest. Assange’s wife, Stella Assange, has expressed concerns about his declining health in prison and fears he may die while incarcerated.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed Biden’s remarks on Assange, describing them as encouraging.
WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, in response to Biden’s comments, urged him to halt Assange’s extradition to the U.S., which she deemed politically motivated by his predecessor.
A British court recently ruled that Assange cannot be extradited to the U.S. on espionage charges unless U.S. authorities guarantee that he will not face the death penalty.
AP writer Jill Lawless contributed to this report from London.
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