French Court rejects Julian Assange's request for asylum

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Sep 2023 08:35
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In March, the Robin des Lois association called on France to "use all means" to allow Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to apply for political asylum.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange greets supporters on May 19, 2017, outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

French media reported on Tuesday, citing the court ruling, that France has denied asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is currently serving a prison sentence in the UK.

According to AFP, the Creteil court ruled that the conditions restricting Assange's freedom do not allow an exception to the French law requiring asylum seekers to be physically present in France or the EU.

In March, the Robin des Lois association called on France to "use all means" to allow Assange to apply for political asylum, despite the rule that asylum seekers must be physically present in France or the EU.

The association said it would not appeal the court's decision; however, it urged the French Justice Minister and Assange's former lawyer to "take up the matter."

In July, lawmakers from France's left-wing political alliance, the New Ecologic and Social People's Union (Nupes), proposed a resolution calling on the French government to grant political asylum to Assange.

Julian Assange has been detained at London's Belmarsh Prison for the past four years, fighting extradition to the US on espionage charges for leaking classified US military documents that revealed war crimes committed by the US in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He has been in poor health and could face up to 175 years in prison if convicted in the US.