Illustrative photo from open sources
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday, April 10, that he is considering Australia's request to stop the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Reuters reports.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who opposes the content founder of Wikileaks in custody, in February supported a parliamentary motion calling for the return of Assange (remember, he is an Australian citizen) to Australia.
"We are considering this issue", &ndash ; Biden told a journalist who asked the president if he had an answer to Australia's request to stop prosecuting Assange.
Assange's lawyer Barry Pollack called Biden's comments encouraging. Three weeks earlier, Pollack said Assange's legal team saw no sign that the US would drop the charges against him.
"I am pleased that President Biden has confirmed that the United States is considering dropping the case against Julian Assange",– Pollack said in an email.
Assange's extradition was suspended in March after London's High Court said the US must provide assurances that he would not face the death penalty. If extradited, Assange faces up to 175 years in a maximum security prison.
Prepared by: Sergei Daga