Lula da Silva Appeals in Support of Assange
Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, criticized the lack of global efforts to secure the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during his visit to London for the coronation of King Charles III. | Lula expressed his dismay at Assange's four-year confinement in Belmarsh Prison in the UK, stating that it was embarrassing that a journalist who exposed wrongdoing was imprisoned without significant action being taken to free him. ● “We talk about freedom of expression; the guy is in prison because he denounced wrongdoing. And the press doesn’t do anything in defense of this journalist. I can’t understand it,” Lula told reporters. ● Lula, responding to a question about Assange, stated that he had forgotten to discuss this issue with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during his visit but intended to write to him upon his return to Brazil. Lula called for a global press movement to defend the right to expose wrongdoing, emphasizing that Assange had not "denounced anything vulgar" but had exposed state surveillance. He criticized the lack of action by the press to secure the journalist's freedom, stating that it was sad but true.