Assange's lawyer Barry Pollack to fight Maduro's US narcotics charges [View all]

Source: Reuters

January 5, 2026 2:26 PM EST Updated 2 hours ago


WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Barry Pollack — the Washington lawyer who represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — will defend toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a U.S. drug case that could test immunity claims for foreign leaders and the legality of his capture.

Pollack appeared with Maduro on Monday as he pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court days after Maduro and his wife were seized in a U.S. military raid. Defending Assange gave Pollack a taste of cases steeped in global intrigue and with consequences for America’s standing in the world. The case tested whether U.S. law could criminalize the publishing of sensitive information.

POLLACK NEGOTIATED ASSANGE RELEASE DEAL

Assange faced U.S. Espionage Act charges for WikiLeaks’ mass release of secret U.S. documents, including diplomatic cables and accounts of military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After months of negotiations, he pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified defense information. The unusual 2024 deal Pollack struck let Assange walk out of a British prison, enter his plea in the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands before returning to his native Australia.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/assanges-lawyer-barry-pollack-fight-maduros-us-narcotics-charges-2026-01-05/