On 4 January 2021, the #UK will decide on the extradition of @wikileaks publisher #JulianAssange to the #USA. It could radically alter the landscape of global media freedoms & undermine the public’s right to information, including evidence of potential war crimes.

The USA has charged #JulianAssange with crimes under its Espionage Act & Computer Fraud and Abuse Act for conduct that journalists & publishers lawfully engage in every day. USA should drop these politically-motivated charges now.

Over 400,000 #Amnesty supporters around the world have signed the petition calling on the USA to drop the charges. It’s not too late to sign!
>>> https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/take-action/julian-assange-usa-justice/

Assange has been held in high-security #Belmarsh prison since April 2019. His ability to consult his lawyers is limited as COVID-19 infections are on the rise across the UK’s prison estate and many detainees are confined to their cells for up to 23 hrs/day.

If extradited to the USA, #Assange will face a real risk of human rights violations: he could be placed in a maximum security prison and subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, including prolonged solitary confinement.

High level US politicians have already claimed in public that #Assange is “guilty”, undermining the presumption of innocence and his right to a fair trial in the US.

Freedom of expression and access to information must be protected. Defend media freedom >>> TAKE ACTION AND RETWEET THIS THREAD!