Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News announced that he visited Belmarsh Prison to meet journalist Julian Assange, who is currently facing extradition to the United States on charges related to the Espionage Act.
In a post on X, where Carlson now airs his show, he shared a photo from his visit, sparking renewed attention on Assange’s legal battles and the bipartisan calls for his release. “Visiting Julian Assange at Belmarsh Prison this morning,” Tucker Carlson wrote along with the image of the two.
The well-known WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, has been imprisoned since 2019 on a long list of charges that include receiving, possessing, and disclosing classified material to the public Assange might spend more than a century in prison if found guilty. His involvement in the WikiLeaks publication of classified government documents is the basis for the charges.
A case that attracted attention from around the world
There have been calls from both political parties to drop the charges against Assange in light of the case’s international attention. Lawmakers from Australia also travelled to Washington, D.C., to support him. Furthermore, this month, Reps. James McGovern and Thomas Massie wrote to President Joe Biden pleading with him to reevaluate the charges against Assange.
Julian Assange’s legal saga began in 2012 when he sought political asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London while on bail, in an attempt to avoid extradition to Sweden and potential extradition to the United States. In April 2019, Ecuador revoked his asylum, leading to his arrest by the London Metropolitan Police.
Subsequently, the United States unveiled a sealed 2018 indictment against Assange, charging him with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion related to his collaboration with Chelsea Manning and WikiLeaks. Additional espionage charges were added in May 2019, bringing the total number of federal charges against Assange to 18.
In June 2020, a new indictment was filed, alleging that Assange had been attempting to recruit hackers and system administrators at conferences worldwide. It also accused him of conspiring with hackers, including members of groups like LulzSec and Anonymous. The indictment outlined Assange’s role in helping Edward Snowden flee the United States and exploiting vulnerabilities to access and publish Congressional Research Service reports.
The other side of the coin
While the allegations say one story, the supporters of Assange argue that he is a journalist who published leaked information that exposed government misconduct. Some American journalism institutions and bipartisan politicians have supported his arrest and indictment, while press freedom organisations have condemned it.
The recent decision by the High Court of Justice in December 2021 ruled that Assange could be extradited to the United States, intensifying the legal battle and prompting figures like Tucker Carlson to visit him in prison. As the extradition proceedings continue, the case remains a focal point for discussions on free press, government transparency, and whistleblowers’ rights.
FAQs:
What exactly did Julian Assange do?
He became involved in the hacker community and was convicted of hacking in 1996. Following the establishment of WikiLeaks, Assange was its editor when it published the Bank Julius Baer documents, footage of the 2008 Tibetan unrest, and a report on political killings in Kenya with The Sunday Times.
Why is Julian Assange still in Belmarsh?
Assange, an Australian citizen, remains at Belmarsh as he fights a US attempt to extradite him to face charges in connection with the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars as well as diplomatic cables.
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