Mexico’s president reiterates that he will continue to defend Julian Assange: «He is a political prisoner».
The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has received this Thursday the father and brother of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange at the National Palace, to whom he has shown his support.
An unacceptable affront to freedom of expression
«I received John and Gabriel Shipton, father and brother, respectively, of Julian Assange, whom we will continue to defend, because he is a political prisoner and his case is an unacceptable offense to freedom of expression,» the Mexican president said through his Twitter profile.
He did not provide further details about the meeting
In addition to showing his support for Assange, López Obrador has not revealed details about the meeting with the family. This is not the first time the Mexican president has met with the detainee’s relatives, who have also spoken out in favor of his release and urged the U.S. government to drop the charges against him.
Assange faces 18 criminal charges in the U.S.
Assange faces 18 criminal charges in the United States and will have to answer for espionage allegations if he is eventually transferred to the U.S. He faces a total of 175 years behind bars, although the U.S. government says he would likely be sentenced to between four and six years. He faces a total of 175 years behind bars, although the U.S. government maintains that he would likely be sentenced to between four and six years.
Incarcerated in the United Kingdom since April 2019.
The activist has been imprisoned in the United Kingdom since April 2019, when he was arrested after almost seven years held in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. The Wikileaks founder initially took refuge in the Embassy to avoid his possible extradition to Sweden, where he was also under investigation, and in the fear that it was a first step towards the United States.
