The father and brother of Julian Assange on Monday called on the German government to intervene with US President Joe Biden and ask him to drop the criminal charges against the founder of the WikiLeaks website.
“The German government should express its concerns to President Biden in this matter and demand that the persecution be stopped,” Gabriel Sipton, Mr Assange’s brother, told a news conference in Berlin.
The British government announced on Friday that it had signed the extradition order to the United States of Mr. Assange, who is going to appeal. The 50-year-old Australian is being prosecuted by the American authorities for espionage and risks being sentenced to 175 years in prison for leaking hundreds of thousands of confidential and secret diplomatic and military documents.
His family and supporters stress that he is a journalist and a defender of press freedoms and expression.
His father and brother are urging Berlin to exert its influence on NATO and defend their man’s case at the upcoming G7 summit in Bavaria later this month.
“I have always believed that doing nothing is a form of approval, of synergy,” said Assange’s father, John Sipton.
“When you try to talk about press freedom in Russia when you approve of the publication of a journalist and publisher because he did his job, you lose your arguments,” added Gabriel Sipton.
The two members of Julian Assange’s family were scheduled to meet yesterday Monday and today with German parliamentarians, members of a group that supports the founder of WikiLeaks.
However, the representative of the German government, Stephen Hebeistreit, clarified that he does not see any possibility of German political interference in court proceedings in another country.
“The legal process is already underway, I would be skeptical of any political interference,” Mr Hebestraight said during a briefing for the accredited authors, adding, however, that Berlin would continue to monitor the case closely.
Mr Assange has been held for the past three years in the Belmars High Security Prison near London.
The WikiLeaks founder previously spent seven years at the Ecuadorian embassy in the British capital, where he had taken refuge in 2012.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
