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Russia calls on international organizations to continue helping Assange

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reminded that the majority of human rights organizations had condemned the journalist’s treatment

MOSCOW, September 23. /TASS/. Russia is calling on international agencies, human rights organizations and the journalist community to continue helping save the life of Wikileaks creator Julian Assange, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

She reminded that the majority of human rights organizations had condemned the journalist’s treatment. "Professional community is united in the opinion that the inhumane treatment of the WikiLeaks head concerns every reporter and undermines the future of investigative journalism," the diplomat said. "We are calling on international agencies, human rights organizations and the professional community to continue making every effort to save the life of Julian Assange and protect his dignity."

Read also

Russian Union of Journalists awards its Solidarity prize to Julian Assange

Julian Assange founded the WikiLeaks portal in 2006 to publish classified information about the activities of a number of governments, including that of the United States. After harassment charges had been brought against him in Sweden in 2012, Assange sought refuge in London's Ecuadorian Embassy to escape extradition. In April 2019, Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno withdrew his asylum and Assange was arrested by the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police over his failure to appear in court in London in 2012, as well as on a 2018 extradition request from Washington.

If extradited to the United States and found guilty on all charges, Assange could face up to 175 years in prison.

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Julian Assange Maria Zakharova

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