US Gov't Facing Renewed Push to Drop Charges Against WikiLeaks Founder Assange, Reports Say

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The administration of US President Joe Biden has been under pressure for the inconsistency between its backing of a new free press policy and the continuous persecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, British media reported on Monday

The pressure to drop charges against the WikiLeaks founder is coming both from within the US and from abroad, from government officials, major media and human rights organizations.

Late in November, five major media companies published an open letter, saying that Assange's indictment "sets a dangerous precedent" and may undermine the First Amendment to the US constitution, which ensures that journalists are protected in their right to disseminate information to the public.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said late in November that it was time that this matter be brought to a close, and Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva demanded an end to what he called the "unjust imprisonment" of Assange after a meeting with WikiLeaks editors, as cited in the report.

US Justice Department officials have not yet disclosed the possible directions Assange's prosecution may take, while the latter reportedly continues to appeal his extradition to the US, the report said.

The internal justice department regulations announced by US Attorney General Merrick Garland in October, which ban the use of records seizures and other investigative steps against media outlets "acting within the scope of news gathering," may turn out a critical factor, the report said.

Earlier in December, Assange reportedly applied to the European Court of Human Rights to challenge his extradition to the United States from the United Kingdom, where he is being held at a maximum security prison.

Assange was apprehended in London in April 2019 on a US arrest warrant and faces extradition to the United States and a sentence of up to 175 years in a maximum security prison if convicted of espionage.

The 51-year-old Australian, wanted by the US government on charges of disclosing classified information and violating the Espionage Act, took refuge at the Ecuadorian Embassy from June 2012 until his arrest in April 2019, after which his extradition hearings began.