Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has expressed his concern about the imminent extradition of activist and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the United States.

Through a message on his Twitter account, the South American president said that the arrest of Julian Assange goes against freedom of the press and the defense of democracy.  Lula pointed out that the Australian activist carried out an important work by denouncing the illegitimate actions of one state against another. The Brazilian head of state called to mobilize in defense of Julian Assange.

Julian Assange has been imprisoned in the United Kingdom since April 2019 after being forcibly removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he received aslyum for seven years.

The Wikileaks founder faces 18 criminal charges in the U.S. and will face espionage and treason allegations if he is finally extradited to the United States.