For US, freedom a tool to wield for its hegemony

After a long legal wrangle, a London court issued a formal extradition order for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a hearing on Wednesday, leaving UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to "rubber-stamp" his transfer to the United States, where he is set to be tried under the Espionage Act.

Although Assange is still able to appeal the decision, the possibility of overthrowing it is slim.

He is wanted in the US on at least 18 criminal charges after WikiLeaks published large amounts of classified files and diplomatic cables in 2010. And if convicted, he might face up to more than 100 years in prison.

Assange's supporters hope the home secretary will recognize her "huge responsibility" to stand up for free speech, journalism and democracy and release Assange, as former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said, "he has done no more than tell the world about military planning, military policies and the horrors of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and I think he deserves to be thanked".

After more than 12 years, the US still sees Assange as a thorn in its side, because he has made the country lose face with the leaks, even if many of the exposures are conducive to the world knowing the truth, and seeing through the US tricks.

That the US administration refuses to take off its gloves to Assange after three presidents shows the true color of the country's "protection" of freedom of speech, democracy and human rights, which are nothing but a hypocritical pretext for it to intervene in other countries' domestic affairs and attack the regimes that refuse to kowtow to its hegemony.

With the help of its cronies such as the United Kingdom, the US thinks it can imprison any person on Earth just for exposing its wrongdoings, which tramples on human rights, the norms of the international community and international laws.

The freedom of the US reveals its true face as a tool of hegemony.