Julian Assange's partner appeals to Trump to pardon him

Julian Assange's partner appeals to Trump to pardon him

November 27, 2020 — 4.58a



London: Julian Assange's partner, Stella Moris, has tweeted President Donald Trump on Thanksgiving, appealing to him to pardon the WikiLeaks founder.
Moris posted a photo of their two young children on Twitter on Thursday, local time, and wrote: "These are Julian's sons Max and Gabriel. They need their father. Our family needs to be whole again.
"I beg you, please bring him home for Christmas."





Stella Moris
@StellaMoris1

These are Julian's sons Max and Gabriel. They need their father. Our family needs to be whole again. I beg you, please bring him home for Christmas @realDonaldTrump. #PardonAssange #FreeAssangeNOW



6:12 AM · Nov 26, 2020

Assange, 49, remains in a high-security British prison cell as he awaits a judge's decision about whether he can be sent to the US to face espionage charges.
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Moris said he has been confined exclusively to his cell for over a week because of a coronavirus outbreak on his prison block.
On Wednesday, US time, Trump pardoned his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, taking direct aim in the final days of his administration at a Russia investigation he has long insisted was motivated by political bias.
"It is my Great Honor to announce that General Michael T. Flynn has been granted a Full Pardon," Trump tweeted. "Congratulations to @GenFlynn and his wonderful family, I know you will now have a truly fantastic Thanksgiving!"
Flynn is the second Trump associate convicted in the Russia probe to be granted clemency by the President. Trump commuted the sentence of long-time confidant Roger Stone just days before he was to report to prison. It is part of a broader effort to undo the results of an investigation that for years has shadowed his administration and yielded criminal charges against a half-dozen associates.



Julian Assange's partner has called on US President Donald Trump to pardon the WikiLeaks founder.Credit:Bloomberg

Assange attended four weeks of an extradition hearing at London's Central Criminal Court in September and October. The judge overseeing the case said she would deliver her decision on January 4.

US prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks' publication of secret American military documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.
Assange's defense team argues that he is a journalist and entitled to First Amendment protections for publishing leaked documents that exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also say the conditions he would face in a US prison would breach his human rights.
Assange jumped bail in 2012 and sought asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, which ended up becoming his home for seven years before he was evicted and subsequently arrested. He has been in a London prison since April 2019.
AP, with Reuters


https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/julian-assanges-partner-appeals-to-trump-to-pardon-him-20201127-p56iei.html


Thanks to: https://www.theage.com.au