House Democrats call for DOJ to drop Assange charges

A group of Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday requesting him to drop the 18 charges that have been brought against Julian Assange, the Australian Wikileaks founder.

The Democratic house members argued that these charges could potentially undermine press freedom and the First Amendment, posing an unprecedented and severe threat.

This is a felony case against Assange who was detained in London in 2019 on the US warrant, and faces 17 counts under the Espionage Act, along with one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.

These charges were based on the fact that Assange published various classified and sensitive US documents which were obtained through the leaks of former Army Soldier Chelsea Manning.

The consequences of prosecuting Assange for what is considered to be journalistic activities are not just relating to the legal but would also entail political ramifications.

The Democratic lawmakers including Reps., Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Greg Casar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley, stated that such prosecutions would diminish America’s stance as a defender of values and undermine its moral standing on the world stage.

Amnesty International, the International Federation of Journalists, Global and National news organizations (New York Times, the Guardian, El Pais, Le Monde, and Der Spiegel) have urged the Department of Justice to withdraw the charges against Assange.

Assange is currently being held by the British government in a London prison since his arrest in 2019 for hiding at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London from 2012 to 2019.