On Wednesday, President Joe Biden told a journalist that he was “considering” dropping charges against Julian Assange, the Australian hacker who’s facing a raft of Justice Department indictments. In February, Australia’s parliament passed a measure, with the support of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, calling for the return of the fugitive to his native country.
The 52-year-old WikiLeaks founder has struggled mightily to avoid the Western justice system for over a decade. Beginning in 2012, he sought refuge in Ecuador’s embassy in London, and for the past five years, Assange has been incarcerated in London’s Belmarsh prison, fighting U.S. efforts to extradite him. Two weeks ago, London’s High Court granted Assange yet another delay in extradition, guaranteeing that this protracted legal drama will continue for months if not years more.
