In statements to the newspaper Página 12, Lepin expressed her concern about the situation of the cyberactivist, who has remained locked up in the United Kingdom since Ecuador withdrew the political asylum

Buenos Aires, April 9 (RHC)--The United States has secrets that embarrass any government and wants to prosecute Julian Assange for divulging them, the WikiLeaks coordinator in Latin America, Daniela Lepin, denounced in an interview with the Argentinean newspaper Página 12.

In statements to that newspaper, Lepin expressed her concern about the situation of the cyberactivist, who has remained locked up in the United Kingdom since Ecuador withdrew the political asylum granted seven years earlier in 2019 and allowed the police to arrest him at its embassy in London.

In mid-2022, the British government announced its decision to allow his extradition to the United States, and a response to his defense appeal is currently awaited.

The U.S. intends to try him for exposing war crimes committed by its military in Iraq and Afghanistan, and thousands of secret files from its diplomacy.

If tried and found guilty by a court in that nation, Assange could be sentenced to 175 years in prison for 17 charges related to espionage law against him.

According to Lepin, the revelations made by Assange exposed Washington as a human rights violator.

When the cables were released, the thesis put forward by the United States in international political spaces about the alleged existence of chemical weapons in Iraq fell. They made up that movie and made everyone believe it to justify their invasion of that territory, she said.

They abuse it in a very sick way. What happened there and what the prisoners suffered in Guantánamo (naval base in Cuba) are very perverse things. We know who we are up against, the caliber of the enemy, and what he is willing to do, she added.

The Chilean journalist specified that the founder of Wikileaks has not received adequate medical attention for a long time and was among the plans of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States to assassinate him.

On the other hand, she highlighted the actions carried out from Latin America to demand his release, including the issuance of a statement during the 3rd World Forum on Human Rights, which was signed by the Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, and deputy president Cristina Fernandez.

She also highlighted the support received from the heads of state Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Mexico), Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Brazil), and Gustavo Petro (Colombia). (Source: PL)