US ‘considering’ dropping Julian Assange prosecution, Joe Biden says

The US is considering dropping its prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Joe Biden has said.

Mr Assange, 52, is being held in Belmarsh prison after he was removed from the Ecuadorian embassy in 2019.

The WikiLeaks founder faces prosecution in the US over an alleged conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information following the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

The Australian government has pressured the US to return Mr Assange back to his home country and in February, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese backed a motion calling for the return of the WikiLeaks founder to Australia.

When asked about the request by reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Mr Biden responded that his administration was “considering it”.

Thursday will mark the five-year anniversary since Mr Assange was taken to Belmarsh prison. The 52-year-old is currently locked in a legal battle as to whether he can be extradited to the United States.

During a two-day court hearing in February, lawyers for Mr Assange asked for the go-ahead to bring an appeal against his extradition.

In a judgement, Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Johnson dismissed most of Assange’s legal arguments but said unless assurances were given by the US, he would be able to bring an appeal on three grounds.

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Mr Assange’s wife Stella called the judges’ decisions to delay their ruling over whether the WikiLeaks founder can bring a final UK appeal against extradition as “utterly bizarre” with the court “tying itself in knots”.

The judges said the US authorities had three weeks to give assurances, with a final hearing potentially taking place in late May.

In a January 2021 ruling, then-district judge Vanessa Baraitser said that Mr Assange should not be sent to the US, citing a real and “oppressive” risk of suicide, while ruling against him on all other issues.

During a two-day hearing in February, lawyers for the 52-year-old asked for the go-ahead to challenge the original judge’s dismissal of other parts of Mr Assange’s case to prevent his extradition.

Mr Assange’s legal team has argued that the US’s prosecution would be retribution for his political opinions, meaning it would be unlawful to extradite him under UK law.

Lawyers for the US government have said plans to extradite and prosecute Mr Assange are based on his alleged actions, not his political opinions.