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Scholz Speaks Up Against Assange's Extradition to US Due to Prosecution Threat

© AFP 2023 / JOHN THYSProtesters hold a sign to support WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in front of the EU British Embassy in Brussels on December 07, 2020
Protesters hold a sign to support WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in front of the EU British Embassy in Brussels on December 07, 2020 - Sputnik International, 1920, 04.03.2024
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - UK courts providing protection to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange would be a positive step as he could face criminal prosecution for disclosure of state secrets if he is extradited to the United States, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday.
"I am of the opinion that it would be good if the UK courts gave him the necessary protection, because he should expect prosecution in the US, taking into account the fact he disclosed US state secrets," Scholz was quoted as saying by the German broadcaster Tagesschau.
In February, a UK court held hearings to consider the US extradition request for Assange. Judges Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson said they would issue their ruling later. Later, Wikileaks said that Assange will have his last chance to prevent his extradition to the US at a hearing in a UK court in March.

Assange, an Australian citizen, was transferred to London's high-security Belmarsh prison in April 2019 on bail breach charges. In the US, he faces prosecution under the Espionage Act for obtaining classified information and disclosing it in the public domain. If convicted, the WikiLeaks founder could face 175 years in prison.

A police officer stands in front of the banner with a photo of Julian Assange near the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London - Sputnik International, 1920, 22.02.2024
Analysis
US ‘Always Planned’ For Assange to Die in Prison
One of the last means of preventing his transfer to the US may be an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. Assange lost his previous appeal at the UK High Court last June.
WikiLeaks was founded by Assange in 2006 but rose to prominence in 2010 when it began publishing large-scale leaks of classified government information, including from the US.
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