Why the U.S. should drop charges against Julian Assange

Court sketch from the trial where, earlier this month, a UK judge refused to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the United States. Source.

Earlier this month, UK District Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected the extradition of Assange, arguing Assange’s mental health would likely further deteriorate under the conditions of a U.S. prison. The poor conditions of a U.S. prison were important grounds in the case, highlighted by both Assange’s supporters as well as being mentioned by the ruling of the Judge. This pertains to a much larger issue faced in the U.S. regarding the dehumanizing conditions inmates are kept in, so much so that inmates are driven to suicide.

After leaking thousands of military and diplomatic documents highlighting U.S. wrongdoings in Iraq and Afghanistan, Assange has been charged by the U.S. with espionage resulting in a maximum sentence of one hundred and seventy five years in prison. Not only are the charges a flagrant violation of international human rights, they bring to debate the unlivable and dehumanizing conditions of the U.S. prison system, which for Assange could drive him to suicide.

Assange's lawyers argue Assange was well within his human and civil rights to share such documents, particularly as he should be protected by the First Amendment and freedom of speech laws. His supporters also highlight how the U.S. charges are unfair and disproportionate, and that if he was extradited to the U.S., Assange would likely be placed in “draconian and inhumane conditions.” 

Despite the ruling to not extradite Assange to the U.S., he has been refused bail and remains imprisoned at Belmarsh prison in south east London. Assange’s partner, Stella Morris, with whom Assange has two children, is urging the U.S. to drop charges against her husband so he can return as a free man to his family. The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said that if Assange wins his case, he will be free to return to Australia.

Born in Australia, Assange came into international attention in 2010 after the documents he leaked included a Baghdad airstrike Collateral Murder video, the Afghnaistan war logs, the Iraq war logs, and CableGate. Assange was granted political asylum by Ecuador in 2012 and lived in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for close to a decade, In 2019, Assange was accused of violating the terms of his political asylum and the Metropolitan police of the UK were invited into the Ecuadorian embassy to remove Assange. Since then Assange has been on trial.

The decision to not extradite Assange to the U.S. is significant and divisive. The information that was leaked was sensitive and showed the U.S. in a negative light due to the wrongdoings in both Iraq and Afghanistan. However, in a democracy, freedom of speech and information should be protected. Assange is not a criminal. He is being punished for creating transparency between citizens and bureaucracy. In the name of human rights, democracy, and freedom of speech, Julian Assange needs to be freed.