More than 70 British parliamentarians have signed a letter urging the British government to do everything in its power to allow WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be extradited to Sweden if requested by the Swedish authorities. The letter was sent to the minister in charge and was published on Twitter by Labor MP Stella Krizi.
In their letter, the British parliamentarians ask the Minister of the Interior, Sajid Javid, to give priority to a possible request for his extradition to Sweden.
"We are writing to ask you to do what you can to support an action that will ensure that Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden if the country requests extradition," wrote members of the House of Commons. and the House of Lords. "This will allow the investigation into a rape charge to be completed and, if appropriate, charges to be brought and a trial to be held," they said, adding that they respected Assange's presumption of innocence.
Parliamentarians also stress that the plaintiff should "see justice done" and point out that the rape charge "is subject to a time limit, with its validity expiring in August 2020".
Julian Assange was arrested Thursday morning at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he had sought refuge seven years ago to avoid being arrested by British police, after being charged with rape and sexual assault, which he denies. The case has since been dropped due to a lack of progress in the investigation after three years.
The 47-year-old Australian was also arrested in connection with a request for his extradition from the USA, which consider him a threat to their safety and want to bring him to justice. Assange appeared in court in London on Thursday afternoon and was found guilty of absconding, for which he could be sentenced to one year in prison. The sentence will be announced at a later date. At the same time, the US request for his extradition for cyber piracy will be considered during a hearing on May 2.
- Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ / ΣΜ.