On Wednesday, American President, Joe Biden, confirmed that he is contemplating over an appeal from Australia to halt the legal proceedings against the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, known for disclosing a vast number of confidentially classified U.S documents. Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, supported a proposal in the lower house of Parliament earlier in February, urging for Mr Assange’s repatriation to his homeland, Australia.
American authorities are presently seeking to extradite Mr Assange from the UK to the U.S on grounds of criminal charges. The American President, responding to a journalist’s inquiry regarding this demand from Australia, stated, “We are considering it.”
Following his remark, Mr Assange’s wife, through a post on a social media platform, addressed Mr Biden, and referenced his comment urging him to “Do the right thing. Drop the charges.”
In March, Mr Assange’s extradition was stalled after the high court in London required the United States to ensure that he would not be subjected to capital punishment. U.S legal prosecutors are pursuing to arraign Mr Assange on 18 charges, of which all but one fall under the Espionage Act, due to WikiLeak’s disclosure of secretly classified American military archives and diplomatic cables.
After getting approval for Mr Assange’s extradition from Britain last year, his attorneys attempted in February a final bid in the English courts to contest that verdict.