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Mexican president reiterates asylum offer to WikiLeaks' Assange

04 January 2022 00:29 (UTC +04:00)

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador once again offered asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is currently awaiting his extradition to the United States from the United Kingdom, APA reports citing Sputnik.

In December, the London High Court ruled in favour of the US appeal to extradite Assange, overturning the earlier decision that the whistleblower cannot be extradited to America due to his health issues and the inhumane conditions he might face in the US prison system. The Mexican leader already voiced readiness to grant Assange political asylum in January last year.

"We are ready to offer asylum to Assange. We think that the US government should act humanely. Assange is sick and it would be a show of solidarity, brotherhood to allow him to have asylum in a country, in which Assange will decide to live, including in Mexico," Lopez Obrador said during a press conference broadcast by YouTube.

The whistleblower is wanted by the United States on espionage charges after WikiLeaks published thousands of classified documents that shed light on war crimes committed by American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. If put on trial and convicted in the US, the Australian journalist faces up to 175 years in prison.