Imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will become an honorary citizen of Rome early next year following a vote this week by the local assembly, the city's former mayor Virginia Raggi said Thursday.
Reuters he says:
Assange, 52, has been in London's Belmarsh prison since 2019 and is wanted in the United States for releasing classified US military files and diplomatic cables in 2010.
His supporters see his prosecution as a politically motivated attack on journalism. Washington, on the other hand, says the release of secret documents put the lives of U.S. citizens at riskblueat risk.
The proposal to become a citizen of the Eternal City was spearheaded by Raggi, from the left-wing Five Star Movement, and won cross-party support.
"Ο Assange είναι ένα σύμβολο της ελευθερίας του λόγου που είναι απαραίτητο για κάθε γνήσια democracy", είπε στο Reuters η Raggi, η οποία διηύθυνε το δημαρχείο της Ρώμης από το 2016 μέχρι το 2021.
"Έχει στερηθεί την ελευθερία του εδώ και χρόνια, σε απαίσιες συνθήκες, επειδή έκανε τη work του σαν δημοσιογράφος".
Raggi's proposal was approved on Tuesday, starting a procedure which could be completed by Christmas.
