In favour of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, hundreds of protesters formed a human chain outside the British parliament on Saturday, calling on the United States to abandon its effort to extradite him. According to AFP, the chain of demonstrators began in front of the Houses of Parliament, went around the river in front of the famous building, and then crossed Westminster Bridge over the River Thames.
Supporters carried signs that said ‘Free Assange, cease extradition’, ‘Journalism is not a crime,’ and ‘prosecute war crimes, not Assange’ as well as life-size cutouts of Assange in their hands. Former leader of the British opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, was one of them, according to Reuters.
The US has 18 charges against Julian Assange, including one for espionage. By disseminating sensitive military and diplomatic records about the wars in Afghanistan and Iran in 2010, he is believed to have violated the US Espionage Act. Washington accuses him of jeopardising lives, while his defenders say that he is a victim for disclosing misconduct by the US in the two conflicts. If guilty, Assange could spend decades in prison.
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