Julian Assange’s wife has called on Joe Biden to “do the right thing” and “drop the charges” as Thursday marks the fifth anniversary of her husband’s imprisonment.
The US president has said he is “considering” a request from Australia, where Assange is from, to drop the prosecution and allow the WikiLeaks founder to return to his country.
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Biden ‘considering’ dropping Assange prosecution
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it an “encouraging statement”.
“I believe this must be brought to a conclusion and that Mr Assange has already paid a significant price and enough is enough,” said Mr Albanese on Thursday.
“There’s nothing to be gained by Mr Assange’s continued incarceration, in my very strong view, and I’ve put that as the view of the Australian government.”
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‘Assange already paid significant price’ says Australian PM
Assange‘s lawyer also called Mr Biden’s remarks “encouraging”, while Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, described them as “significant”.
Speaking to Sky News from Melbourne, Mr Shipton said: “This is a controversial prosecution and I think something that Joe Biden could easily get rid of in an election year.”
He added: “This is seen as a complete scandal around the world. It’s not popular with the electorates in any of the countries, and it could easily be brought to an end.”
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Assange’s brother calls for release
Assange, 52, faces prosecution in the US over an alleged conspiracy, nearly a decade and a half ago, to obtain and disclose national defence information.
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It followed the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
After Britain eventually approved his extradition, Assange’s lawyers in February launched a final bid to block it in the English courts.
His extradition was put on hold in March after the High Court said it wanted more assurances he would not face the death penalty.
A further hearing is due in May.
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10:40
Stella Assange spoke to Sky’s Yalda Hakim in March
WikiLeaks editor Kristinn Hrafnsson, who visited Assange at London’s Belmarsh prison on Thursday, said it was “not too late” to stop the extradition.
After their meeting, he told Sky News that Assange was “delighted” by President Biden’s comments, believing his remarks to be a “positive step”.
The UK government has said Mr Biden’s comments aren’t enough for it to act.
Mr Hrafnsson said he assumes the UK government will “knock on the door” of President Biden for clarity.
“The UK government justifiably wants a definition,” he said.
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Assange ‘delighted’ by Biden remarks
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It comes as supporters prepare to mark five years since Assange was taken to Belmarsh prison, having been dragged out of his refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy.
Events will be held around the world on Thursday as they continue to campaign for his release.
Australian authorities say there is a disconnect between America’s treatment of Assange and US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.
The US accuses Assange of encouraging and helping Manning to steal diplomatic cables and military files which were then published by WikiLeaks, allegedly putting American agents’ lives at risk.
Image: Assange evaded arrest for seven years by living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London
Manning was sentenced to 35 years but Barack Obama cut it to seven years, allowing her to be released in 2017.
Assange’s supporters insist he is a journalist who exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan that was in the public interest, and that he is protected by the First Amendment.
Donald Trump has said he plans to hit Canada with a 35% tariff on imported goods, as he warned of a blanket 15 or 20% hike for most other countries.
In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the US president wrote: “I must mention that the flow of Fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we have with Canada, which has many Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers.”
Mr Trump’s tariffs were allegedly an effort to get Canada to crack down on fentanyl smuggling, and the US president has expressed frustration with Canada’s trade deficit with the US.
In a statement Mr Carney said: “Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses. We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1.”
He added: “Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America. We are committed to continuing to work with the United States to save lives and protect communities in both our countries.”
The higher rates would go into effect on 1 August.
Shortly after Mr Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs on 2 April, there was a huge sell-off on the financial markets. The US president later announced a 90-day negotiating period, during which a 10% baseline tariff would be charged on most imported goods.
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“We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20% or 15%. We’ll work that out now,” he said.
He added: “I think the tariffs have been very well-received. The stock market hit a new high today.”
The US and UK signed a trade deal in June, with the US president calling it “a fair deal for both” and saying it will “produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income”.
Sir Keir Starmer said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, adding: “So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength.”
It comes as Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said a new round of talks between Moscow and Washington on bilateral problems could take place before the end of the summer.
A Palestinian activist who was detained for over three months in a US immigration jail after protesting against Israel is suing Donald Trump’s administration for $20m (£15m) in damages.
Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil have filed a claim against the administration alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his role in campus protests.
He described “plain-clothed agents and unmarked cars” taking him “from one place to another, expecting you just to follow orders and shackled all the time”, which he said was “really scary”.
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Mahmoud Khalil reunites with family after release
Mr Khalil said he was not presented with an arrest warrant and wasn’t told where he was being taken.
He said the detention centre he was taken to was “as far from humane as it could be” and “a place where you have no rights whatsoever”.
“You share a dorm with over 70 men with no privacy, with lights on all the time, with really terrible food. You’re basically being dehumanised at every opportunity. It’s a black hole,” he added.
Mr Khalil said he would also accept an official apology from the Trump administration.
The Trump administration celebrated Mr Khalil’s arrest, promising to deport him and others whose protests against Israel it declared were “pro-terrorist, antisemitic, anti-American activity”.
Mr Khalil said after around 36 hours in captivity he was allowed to speak to his wife, who was pregnant at the time.
“These were very scary hours, I did not know what was happening on the outside. I did not know that my wife was safe,” he said.
Mr Khalil said administration officials had made “absolutely absurd allegations” by saying he as involved in antisemitic activities and supporting Hamas.
“They are weaponising antisemitism, weaponising anti-terrorism in order to stifle speech,” he said. “What I was engaged in is simply opposing a genocide, opposing war crimes, opposing Columbia University’s complicity in the war on Gaza.”
A State Department spokesperson said its actions toward Mr Khalil were fully supported by the law.
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Asked about missing the birth of his son while he was in prison, Mr Khalil said: “I don’t think there’s any word that can describe the agony and the sadness that I went through, to be deprived from such a divine moment, from a moment that my wife and I had always dreamed about.”
Meanwhile, the deportation case against Mr Khalil is continuing to wind its way through the immigration court system.
Donald Trump has praised the Liberian president’s command of English – the West African country’s official language.
The US president reacted with visible surprise to Joseph Boakai’s English-speaking skills during a White House meeting with leaders from the region on Wednesday.
After the Liberian president finished his brief remarks, Mr Trump told him he speaks “such good English” and asked: “Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”
Mr Trump seemed surprised when Mr Boakai laughed and responded he learned in Liberia.
The US president said: “It’s beautiful English.
“I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”
Mr Boakai did not tell Mr Trump that English is the official language of Liberia.
The country was founded in 1822 with the aim of relocating freed African slaves and freeborn black citizens from the US.
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Later asked by a reporter if he’ll visit the continent, Mr Trump said, “At some point, I would like to go to Africa.”
But he added that he’d “have to see what the schedule looks like”.
Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, promised to go to Africa in 2023, but only fulfilled the commitment by visiting Angola in December 2024, just weeks before he left office.