Assange Supporters Stage Protest Outside US Department of Justice in Washington

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - Around a hundred protesters gathered outside the US Department of Justice in downtown Washington on Saturday, urging the authorities to drop charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and stop his extradition from the United Kingdom.

On June 17, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition of the 51-year-old Australian journalist to the US, where he is facing a possible sentence of up to 175 years in prison. WikiLeaks called Patel's decision a dark day for press freedom and for British democracy and promised to challenge the order.

The protesters marched around the building, holding a banner saying "Free Assange," and staged a protest in front of the entrance.

One activist, a former analyst and case officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Kiriakou, stressed that the information released by Assange belongs to the American people, who have the right to know what the government does on their behalf.

Another participant, Jeremy "Spike" Cohen, who was the Libertarian party's nominee for the US vice president in 2020, noted that both current and previous US administrations had common views on Assange, as the government is controlled by the military-industrial sector.

Leader of the Doctors for Assange group, Dr Jill Stein, stressed that his possible extradition to the US poses major risks to his life and "the life of our democracy."

Assange is wanted by the US on espionage charges after WikiLeaks published thousands of classified documents that shed light on war crimes committed by American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.