Yesterday, the British High Court ruled that Julian Assange will not be extradited to the United States—for now, at least—on the grounds that they have not received assurance from the United States that they will not use the death penalty against him. This, in large part, is a temporary victory for Assange, but it is temporary. There is still a risk that he could be extradited to the United States in May. Congress must seize this time to band together and not only halt the extradition of Julian Assange but also drop all the charges brought against him! Free Assange!

Back in February, Julian Assange faced the British High Court, where two judges heard arguments on whether he would be extradited to the United States. Assange presently faces 18 charges, 17 of which stem from the aged and oppressive U.S. Espionage Act of 1917. If convicted, he could face up to 175 years in prison. It was through his platform WikiLeaks that he revealed uncensored, true journalism, which, in turn, led to his imprisonment.

During Assange’s trial, the British High Court pressed the United States as to whether they could provide assurance that the death penalty would not be used against Assange under any circumstance. The United States would not provide said assurance, leading to the British High Court ruling that Assange would not be extradited until May, where Assange can once again appeal his extradition.

The United States needs to end its witch hunt against Assange and drop all charges against him! Simply stopping his extradition over and over again keeps the man imprisoned, a slow death, away from his family, while his health continues to decline. Assange is a crusader of free speech, and halting his extradition is not good enough; he needs to be liberated, and his charges must be dropped!

We at Conservative Daily have said before that the relentless persecution of Assange by the U.S. endangers media freedom, investigative journalism, and the public's right to information, challenging the nation's fundamental values. To accept the persecution of Julian Assange is to accept the idea that all media everywhere must function as propaganda machines of the U.S. government.

HEY YOU!