Edward Snowden pleads Donald Trump to 'free Julian Assange' before leaving White House

Former CIA employee and whistleblower Edward Snowden on December 4 pleaded the outgoing US President Donald Trump to “free Julian Assange” who still remains in a high-security UK prison awaiting judge’s decision if he can be sent to the United States to face espionage charges. Saying that only Trump can ‘save him’, Snowden vouched for the WikiLeaks founder to be freed if Trump wishes to grant “only one” act of clemency. Snowden’s plea on Twitter came at the time Assange’s partner, Stella Morris appeals US President to pardon him.

Morris even expressed her gratitude towards the US whistleblower has been living in Russia since 2013. Just last month, Snowden had also informed about applying for US-Russia dual citizenship as he and his wife are expecting a baby.

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Julian Assange to get UK court’s verdict on Jan 4

While Stella Morris is ‘begging’ Trump to free Julian Assange before Christmas, the 49-year-old who has already attended four weeks of an extradition hearing at the London Central Criminal Court in September and October is et to get the verdict on January 4, 2021. The prosecutors in the United States have charged Assange with 17 espionage charges along with one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of the confidential US military documents nearly a decade ago. These charges, in totality, carry 175 years in prison. 

However, Assange’s supporters and his defence team have argued that the profession of the 49-year-old is journalism and he is entitled to the First Amendment protections for publishing the leaked documents that exposed the wrongdoings committed by the American troops. According to Assange’s team, the conditions he would face in the US prison would violate his human rights. 

Julian Assange received support from Edward Snowden who in June 2013 himself has revealed thousands of classified documents that proved the United States government was spying on its citizens. Snowden was working with National Security Agency (NSA) after his short stint with CIA and Dell, left the United States for Hong Kong after resigning from his position as a computer security consultant in May 2013. US government has already revoked Snowden’s passport and the Department of Justice has unsealed the charges of Espionage Act violation along with theft of government property. 

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