US President Joe Biden will announce today that the US Justice Department will drop all charges against WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange. This decision comes on the last day of a 21 day deadline that the UK Court gave to the US to provide assurances for his treatment during any trial and imprisonment, and marks a significant shift in the US government’s approach to the controversial figure.
Assange, who has been detained in Belmarsh Prison in the United Kingdom since 2019, will be released as soon as possible following the announcement.
UPDATE: Well, we were wrong. Joe Biden and the US Justice Department have ignored requests by the Australian Prime Minister and parliament, and free speech advocates worldwide, to drop the charges against Julian Assange. The Justice Depart handed in their homework on the last day stipulated by the UK Court. It seems that the tight alliance assured in AUKUS doesn’t extend beyond Australia becoming the UK & US nuclear waste dumping group.
(Our satirical prediction continued): The decision to drop the charges and extradition request comes after years of legal battles and international controversy surrounding Assange’s role in publishing classified documents. Critics have accused Assange of espionage and endangering national security, while supporters argue that his actions were in the public interest and protected under freedom of the press.
President Biden’s announcement will signal a departure from the aggressive prosecution pursued by the previous administration under Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo. The decision is likely to spark debate over press freedom, government transparency, and the limits of national security interests.
Assange’s legal team and supporters will welcome the news, hailing it as a victory for free speech and journalistic integrity. However, the ramifications of this decision remain to be seen, particularly in the context of ongoing efforts to hold individuals and organizations accountable for the unauthorized disclosure of classified information.
As Julian Assange prepares to leave Belmarsh Prison, the world watches closely, eager to see what the future holds for one of the most polarizing figures in modern journalism.
Biden saves USA from embarrassment
President Biden’s decision to drop the charges against Julian Assange will not only signal a shift in US policy but also spares the nation from the potential embarrassment of holding an espionage trial behind closed doors. Any trial of Julian Assange would likely be a public relations disaster for the US Government, one that Mike Pompeo and President Trump initiated.
With the world’s media constantly replaying the videos and evidence of alleged war crimes that Assange exposed and published through WikiLeaks, such a trial would have undoubtedly drawn intense scrutiny and raised questions about transparency, accountability and, given that President candidates like to boast about free speech, hypocrisy.
By choosing to forego prosecution, President Biden has averted a potentially contentious legal battle that could have further strained US relations with its international allies and sparked debates about government secrecy versus public interest.
With thanks to Peter Kennard for use of his graphic, right.
Our ten page investigation into the death of Reuters camera crew in Iraq.
A quick update on the Julian Assange story
1 The trial of Julian Assange exposes US Rules of Engagement
2 US Military killed two Reuters photographers in Iraq
3 The fix is in: Military investigation into deaths of Reuters staff in Iraq
4 Generals Brookes & Fox meet the Reuters editors
5 Military ignored FOI requests for video of deaths
6 Rules of Engagement between military & civilians
7 Assange: WikiLeaks release Collateral Murder video
8 Definitions, Resources, Transcripts, Apache details
9 Who, what, when and why of the Assange case
10 Wikileaks Collateral Murder video aftermath. Where are they now?
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Our editor used ChatGPT in writing this story.
