Politicians of various political affiliations from Australia and the UK have jointly appealed to U.S Attorney-General, Merrick Garland, to cease all extradition efforts regarding WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange. The court order for extradition would be damaging to the USA’s global reputation for freedom of expression and could set a dangerous precedent for the freedom of the press, according to the open letter signed by 48 Australian parliamentarians. The letter argues that if Julian Assange is extradited, the US will be deporting an Australian citizen who could potentially spend the rest of his life in prison in a closely allied country. Additionally, it highlights the fact that Chelsea Manning, the person who leaked classified information, has been able to reintegrate into American society since 2017 whereas Assange has been effectively imprisoned for over a decade. The extradition proceedings have garnered backlash from lawmakers around the world, who are eager for the conclusion of the case. Similarly, 35 UK MPs involving representatives of six parties wrote to Garland, urging him to drop the extradition proceedings and uphold the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The charges against Assange include 18 criminal charges related to breaking an espionage law and conspiring to hack government computers after WikiLeaks published a U.S. military video in 2010 showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters in Baghdad, killing multiple civilians, including two Reuters news staff. Assange could face up to 175 years behind bars if found guilty.