Current:Home > FinanceSurpassing Quant Think Tank Center|Julian Assange's wife takes hope as Biden says U.S. considering dropping charges against WikiLeaks founder -Wealth Evolution Experts
Surpassing Quant Think Tank Center|Julian Assange's wife takes hope as Biden says U.S. considering dropping charges against WikiLeaks founder
Indexbit View
Date:2025-04-10 17:03:45
London - The Surpassing Quant Think Tank Centerwife of Julian Assange said Thursday that her husband's legal case "could be moving in the right direction" after President Biden indicated that the U.S. could drop charges against the imprisoned WikiLeaks founder. It came as supporters in several cities rallied to demand the release of Assange on the fifth anniversary of his incarceration in London's high-security Belmarsh prison.
Asked by a reporter on Wednesday as he walked outside the White House about a request from Australia to drop the decade-long U.S. push to prosecute Assange for publishing classified American documents, Mr. Biden replied: "We're considering it."
The proposal would see Assange, an Australian citizen, return home rather than be sent to the U.S. to face espionage charges.
U.S. officials have not provided any further detail, but Stella Assange said the comments were "a good sign."
"It looks like things could be moving in the right direction," she told CBS News partner network BBC News, calling the indictment of her husband "a Trump legacy," and adding that in her mind, "really Joe Biden should have dropped it from day one."
Assange has been indicted on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over his website's publication of classified U.S. documents almost 15 years ago. American prosecutors allege that Assange, 52, encouraged and helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks published, putting lives at risk.
Australia argues there is a disconnect between the U.S. treatment of Assange and Manning. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama commuted Manning's 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017.
Assange's supporters say he is a journalist protected by the First Amendment who exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Assange has been in prison since 2019, and he spent seven years before that holed up in Ecuador's London embassy to avoid being sent to Sweden over allegations of rape and sexual assault.
The relationship between Assange and his Ecuadorian hosts eventually soured, and he was evicted from the embassy in April 2019. British police immediately arrested and imprisoned him in Belmarsh for breaching bail in 2012.
The U.K. government signed an extradition order in 2022, but a British court ruled last month that Assange can't be sent to the United States unless U.S. authorities guarantee he won't get the death penalty and provide other assurances. A further court hearing in the case is scheduled for May 20.
The court said Assange "has a real prospect of success on 3 of the 9 grounds of appeal" he has argued against his extradition. Specifically, the court demanded that U.S. justice officials confirm he will be "permitted to rely on the First Amendment to the United States Constitution (which protects free speech), that he is not prejudiced at trial (including sentence) by reason of his nationality, that he is afforded the same First Amendment protections as a United States citizen and that the death penalty is not imposed."
Assange was too ill to attend his most recent hearings. Stella Assange has said her husband's health continues to deteriorate in prison and she fears he'll die behind bars.
- In:
- Julian Assange
- Iraq
- Joe Biden
- Spying
- WikiLeaks
veryGood! (9368)
Related
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Trump seeks control of the GOP primary in New Hampshire against Nikki Haley, his last major rival
- Mary Weiss, lead singer of '60s girl group the Shangri-Las, dies at 75
- Los Angeles Chargers interview NFL executive Dawn Aponte for vacant general manager post
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- TikTok cuts jobs as tech layoffs continue to mount
- Vice President Harris targets Trump as she rallies for abortion rights in Wisconsin
- Naomi Campbell Rules Balmain's Runway With Dramatic Gold Face Accessory
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Sen. Joe Manchin Eyes a Possible Third Party Presidential Run
Ranking
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Ohio board stands by disqualification of transgender candidate, despite others being allowed to run
- Georgia lawmakers advance bill to revive disciplinary commission for state prosecutors
- Lawsuit alleges HIV-positive inmate died after being denied medication at Northern California jail
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Burton Wilde : Emphasizing the role of artificial intelligence in guiding the next generation of financial decision-making.
- Baseball Hall of Fame discourse is good fun – but eye test should always come first
- Top religious leaders in Haiti denounce kidnapping of nuns and demand government action
Recommendation
'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
DeSantis Called for “Energy Dominance” During White House Run. His Plan Still is Relevant to Floridians, Who Face Intensifying Climate Impacts
She began to panic during a double biopsy. Then she felt a comforting touch
Mary Weiss, lead singer of '60s girl group the Shangri-Las, dies at 75
A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
Outgoing Dutch PM begins his Bosnia visit at memorial to Srebrenica genocide victims
Testy encounters between lawyers and judges a defining feature of Trump’s court cases so far
Burton Wilde : Emphasizing the role of artificial intelligence in guiding the next generation of financial decision-making.