Mexican leader says he asked Trump to exonerate Julian Assange

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday said he asked WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's exoneration and "forgiveness" from former US President Donald Trump.

The request was made in a letter prior to Trump's departure from the White House, but, according to Lopez Obrador, his plea went unanswered.

The Mexican president once again offered political asylum to Assange while asking the US to act "humanely" in Assange's case.

At his daily press conference, Lopez Obrador praised Mexico's foreign policy for asylum seekers, assuring that Assange poses no risk to Mexico if he abides by Mexican laws and does not intervene in foreign affairs.

"Well, we have established our position, and we are willing to offer Assange asylum in Mexico. That is our position. We believe that the United States government must act humanely.

"Assange is ill, and it would be a show of solidarity, of fraternity, to allow him to receive asylum in the country that Assange decided to live in, including Mexico," said Lopez Obrador at the press conference.

In January 2021, Lopez Obrador had offered political asylum to Assange after a UK court denied his extradition to the US. Back then, Obrador praised the court's ruling in favor of Assange.

However, last month saw development on US appeal to extradite Assange after winning against the UK court ruling that prevented Assange's extradition.

The US accuses Assange of espionage after WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of pages of government documents, emails, and other communications, including ones concerning possible war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.