The Colombian president supports “the global struggle for the freedom of journalist Julian Assange” – RT in French

Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing president, called on November 22 for the release of the founder of WikiLeaks, still imprisoned in London and threatened with extradition to the United States where he risks ending his days in prison.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro joined calls on November 22 for the release of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks detained in London and accused of spying by the United States. The president, on his Twitter account, says “support the global struggle for the freedom of journalist Julian Assange”, posting a photo of his meeting with two WikiLeaks delegates the day before.

I will ask the president [Joe] Biden with other Latin American presidents for not indicting a journalist just for telling the truth

“I will ask the President [Joe] Biden with other Latin American presidents not to indict a journalist simply for telling the truth,” added Gustavo Petro, the first left-wing president in Colombia’s history. Colombia is traditionally the main ally of the United States in Latin America.

Icelandic journalist Kristinn Hrafnsson, editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, was among the participants in the meeting with the Colombian head of state in Bogota. “Petro fully understands the seriousness of Assange’s situation and the danger to freedom of expression,” Kristinn Hrafnsson told reporters after the meeting.

In July, Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador offered “protection and asylum” to Julian Assange, who is under investigation in the United States for having published more than 700,000 confidential documents on American military activities in 2010. . The 51-year-old Australian faces up to 175 years in prison in the United States if convicted of espionage. The British government has already agreed to his extradition, but Julian Assange has appealed.