Pamela Anderson reacts to Julian Assange extradition rejection with message of hope: 'The fight is not over'
The 'Baywatch' star has been a supportive friend to Assange for years
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pamela Anderson reacted to the news that the United States' request to extradite her friend Julian Assange, who is imprisoned in London, has been denied.
A British judge on Monday denied the request to extradite the WikiLeaks founder, arguing that he is likely to commit suicide if sent overseas to face espionage charges. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser also called such a move "oppressive" because of Assange's mental health – but the U.S. government has said it will appeal the decision.
Anderson, who has been an outspoken proponent for Assange in recent years, took to Twitter to share a message of hope for other supporters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"A special sunrise for my dear friend #JulianAssange - (not to be extradited) stay tuned, the fight is not over - but, a hopeful moment to breathe in- I can only imagine Julian (in court, still in that mask), taking that breath.. #humanrights #freespeech #pardonassange," she wrote.
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The message captioned a video shared by the model and actress the appears to be taken at sunset on a tranquil beach.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This isn’t the first time that the star has called for Assange to receive a pardon. Last month the "Baywatch" actress, 53, made an attempt to get President Trump's attention by posting a photo of herself in a bikini while holding a sign that read, "Bring Julian Assange Home Australia."
A second sign read, "I am Julian Assange. #FreeAssange."
"@POTUS please #pardonjulianassange," she tweeted at the time.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of leaked military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.
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Lawyers for the 49-year-old Australian argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech for publishing leaked documents that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pamela Anderson reacted to the news that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will not be extradited to the United States. (Reuters)
Assange’s legal troubles began in 2010, when he was arrested in London at the request of Sweden, which wanted to question him about allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two women. In 2012, to avoid being sent to Sweden, Assange sought refuge inside the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he was beyond the reach of U.K. and Swedish authorities — but also effectively a prisoner, unable to leave the tiny diplomatic mission in London’s Knightsbridge area.
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The relationship between Assange and his hosts eventually soured, and he was evicted from the embassy in April 2019.
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Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 due to the statute of limitations, but Assange remains in London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison.
Fox News’ Greg Norman and the Associated Press contributed to this report.