London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 01, 2025

Assange supporters rally in London, as US prepares new extradition attempt

Assange supporters rally in London, as US prepares new extradition attempt

Supporters of Julian Assange have gathered in London to demand freedom for the jailed WikiLeaks founder. Meanwhile, the US is preparing a fresh legal fight to extradite Assange and try him for espionage.

Crowds of Assange supporters marched to the High Court in London on Saturday, demanding that the US government drop its charges against the publisher.



As columns of protesters held banners aloft, a truck bearing Assange’s image and the message “Journalism is not a crime” drove along the protest route.


Beginning next week, American prosecutors will appeal a British judge’s decision in January to block Assange’s extradition to the US on grounds that his declining mental health, coupled with the austere conditions in an American prison, would leave the WikiLeaks founder at risk of suicide. The Americans were given permission to appeal in August, after the High Court ruled that a psychiatric report on Assange – used to justify blocking his extradition – had been misleading.

Further protests are expected outside the High Court when the appeal kicks off on Wednesday, and as Assange’s supporters marched through London on Saturday, smaller protests took place throughout the UK and Ireland.

Though his extradition to the US has been blocked, Assange remains behind bars in London’s Belmarsh Prison. If extradited and found guilty by a US court, he faces a term of up to 175 years.

However, although Assange is facing espionage charges, he is not accused of stealing or leaking classified documents, only of publishing them. One witness against Assange, an Icelandic WikiLeaks volunteer turned FBI informant named Sigurdur Ingi Thordarson, admitted this summer that Assange never instructed him to carry out any computer hacking, despite earlier testimony to the contrary.

Such charges have never been tested in court before, and Assange’s legal team argue that what he did was no different than what the newspapers who ran the same stories about alleged US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan did. This legal gray area was the reason the Obama administration opted not to charge Assange, as to do so would open these other newspapers up to the same charges.

Despite Obama’s reluctance to charge Assange, a case against the former WikiLeaks chief was opened under the Trump administration and continues under Joe Biden’s stewardship. All the while, Assange’s celebrity supporters, including Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters, have pleaded with American authorities to drop the case.

Assange’s extradition is opposed by nearly all major free speech and human rights activists, as well as press organizations.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
×