Julian Assange, the imprisoned WikiLeaks founder, may see a glimmer of hope in his ongoing legal battle as President Joe Biden confirmed that the U.S. is considering dropping the charges against him.
Stella Assange, Julian’s wife, expressed cautious optimism about the recent developments, stating that her husband’s legal case “could be moving in the right direction.” She emphasized that the indictment against Assange was a remnant of the Trump administration and that Biden should have dropped it from the very beginning.
This news comes as a potential lifeline for Assange, who has been languishing in London’s high-security Belmarsh prison for five years, with his health reportedly deteriorating.
Supporters of Assange rallied in several cities on the fifth anniversary of his incarceration, demanding his release. The urgency of their calls is underscored by his wife’s declaration that he may die in prison if action is not taken.
The Australian government has been advocating for Assange, an Australian citizen, to be allowed to return home rather than face extradition to the U.S. on espionage charges. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed Biden’s comments, stating that Assange has already paid a significant price and that “enough is enough.”
Assange has been indicted on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse related to WikiLeaks’ publication of classified U.S. documents nearly 15 years ago. His supporters maintain that he is a journalist who exposed state secrets regarding the amount of collateral damage in the Iraq War. Critics say he leaked these documents only selectively and that he neglected to redact sensitive information, like credit card numbers.
The disparity in treatment between Assange and Chelsea Manning, the U.S. Army intelligence analyst who provided the classified documents to WikiLeaks, has been a point of contention. Manning’s 35-year sentence was commuted to seven years by then-President Barack Obama, allowing for her release in 2017.
Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief, visited Assange in Belmarsh Prison and reported that while the WikiLeaks founder was “resilient,” he is “not in a good state.”
“What keeps him alive is his family and the tremendous support on the outside,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.