Russia called Britain’s judiciary a “farce” Tuesday over its treatment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who must wait weeks to learn if he can appeal against extradition to the United States.
The 52-year-old, who has been held in a London prison since 2019, is wanted by the United States over his role in the publication of classified documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The entire justice system of the [United] Kingdom has become a farce — a mockery in front of the world,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.
She said Assange had “devoted his life to uncovering the secrets of a conglomerate of British and American intelligence agencies” and had become a “victim” of the U.K. legal system.
The U.S. has indicted Assange multiple times between 2018 and 2020 on charges criticized by campaign groups, including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders.
Russia often points to the Assange case to deflect criticism of its own judiciary, which rights groups say has been weaponized against dissent.