Biden administration will appeal for Assange extradition

The Biden administration will continue to pursue the extradition and persecution of Julian Assange under the Espionage Act. While this story has not been in the focus of main stream reporting, it deserves everyone’s attention. Mr. Assange has effectively been a prisoner for many years without a conviction. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture had previously testified that his treatment constitutes torture. On January 4, a UK court has rejected his extradition solely on the grounds of his mental health, but refused to grant him bail or house arrest pending appeals, so that he remains incarcerated at the Belmarsh maximum security prison in London. The charges raised against him by the US government consitute activities that many journalists engage in rountinely. His conviction in a secret United States court as a non-US citizen would set a dangerous precedent and would consitute a serious blow to international freedom of the press. Kevin Gosztola writes about this on Shadowproof.