UK: Labour Party calls on May to stop extradition of Assange

The Labour Party of UK has called on the UK Prime Minister Theresa May to stop the extradition of the WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange to the US. Assange has been charged in the US with various offences which are related to his work along with Chelsea Manning. The activist from Australia was earlier by the British police and was forcibly removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London after his application of asylum was revoked thereby putting an end to six years of chasing.

Assange faces five-year jail term as per the prosecutors of US as he has been convicted of “conspiracy to commit computer intrusion”. It is expected that more charges will be brought against him soon. He was also found guilty of a violation of the terms of his bail by a UK court as he had fled to the embassy in 2012. He will also be sentenced at a later time.

Diane Abbott, who is the shadow Home Secretary, has urged the Prime Minister Theresa May to intervene in the case in a way she had done in the case of a British hacker Gary McKinnon. May had rejected the extradition request of McKinnon on medical grounds in 2012.  McKinnon was also charged by the US on charges of hacking the military computers of US and faced up to 70 years in prison but was stated by the doctors that he stands the risk of suicide. It was later that May had rejected the extradition request on grounds of human rights. The Labour Party was of the view that the same clause also applies in case of Assange.

May has expressed no desire to intervene in the matter especially against the wishes of the US. She had, in fact, welcomed his arrest and also accused the Labour Party of siding with a man who had not only undermined the UK but many of its allies and the values on which the UK is standing.