Founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, spoke from the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy Friday afternoon following Sweden’s announcement that they were dropping the charges of alleged rape against Assange.
Assange called the development an “important victory” and went on to critique the European Union and decrying the “terrible injustice” that led to his incarceration.
Watch the whole press conference below:
Speaking to journalists from the balcony, Mr Assange said: “Seven years without charge, while my children grew up without me. That is not something I can forgive, it is not something I can forget.
“The inevitable enquiry into what has occurred in this moment of terrible injustice is something that I hope will be just about me and this situation. Because the reality is, detention and extradition without charge has become a feature of the European Union. A feature that has been exploited, yes, in my case, for political reasons, but in other cases has subjected many people to terrible injustice”.
. . .
“This is now how we expect a civilised state to behave. Similarly, extradition without charge is not something we expect from the rule of law in the United Kingdom. It is a measure that was introduced as part of the European Union system to turn the EU into a federation”.
. . .
“The United States, CIA director Pompeo and the US attorney general have said I and other Wikileaks staff have no rights, no first amendment rights, and our arrest is a priority. That’s not acceptable… My legal staff have contacted the UK authorities and we have to engage in a dialogue about what is the best way forward.
You can read the full report here.
