London – lawyer for Julian Assange The WikiLeaks founder on Tuesday launched his final appeal in a British court against plans to extradite him to the US to face espionage charges related to government secrets disclosed on his website. Assange, who has been in London jail for almost five years, used WikiLeaks Publish large numbers of confidential documents and other materials, some of which relate to war and espionage, arguing that the public has a legitimate right and need to have information.
The 52-year-old Australian journalist and activist has been fighting a US extradition effort for more than a decade. On Tuesday, his lawyers launched the last legal effort available to him under the British justice system. They are asking two judges of the London High Court to allow Assange to hear a new appeal against the British government 2022 decision that he can be legally extradited to America
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Assange’s wife Stella came to the court on Tuesday with a large group of supporters and demanded her husband’s immediate release.
As the hearing began, one of Assange’s lawyers, Ed Fitzgerald, told the court that the WikiLeaks founder was not attending Tuesday’s hearing because he was feeling unwell. One of the judges clarified that they were invited to participate in person or via video link. Fitzgerald did not provide any further information about Assange’s health.
What is this hearing about?
If the judge grants Assange the right to launch a new appeal, it would allow him to ask the European Court of Human Rights to block extradition. If the appeal is rejected – and possibly even if the court rules in his favor – he is likely to be put on a plane to face US courts, since the extradition order was signed almost a year and a half ago.
High Court judges Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson are expected to take several weeks to consider their decision, but the hearing is due to take place over two days, so a ruling could be made as soon as Wednesday.
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What are the charges against Assange in America?
In 2019, a federal grand jury in Virginia Assange faces 18 charges On the publication of classified documents in 2010. The charges include 17 counts of espionage and one count of computer intrusion.
In a statement, the US Justice Department said Assange was involved in the actions of former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in “unlawfully obtaining and disclosing classified documents related to national defense”.
One of WikiLeaks’ most controversial publications was video of a 2007 US military helicopter strike in Baghdad that killed 11 people.
What punishment could Assange face if found guilty?
According to the Justice Department, Assange faces up to 10 years in prison on each count of espionage and up to five years in prison for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.
If convicted of all charges, he could face a total of 175 years in prison, although the sentence is likely to be reduced.
What do Assange’s supporters say?
The fight to stop Assange’s extradition to the US has been linked by many of his supporters to the fight for press freedom and the right to a fair trial. The Guardian newspaper argued in its editorial section this week that journalists need whistleblowers like Assange, especially on matters of national security.
Rebecca Vincent, campaigns director for the group Reporters Without Borders, said in a statement that even if this final appeal is rejected, “it remains within the power of the U.S. government to end this judicial tragedy by tossing out the 13-year-old case.” Assange and stop this endless harassment. No one should have to face this kind of treatment for publishing information in the public interest. It’s time to protect journalism, freedom of the press and all of our rights to know.”
Assange’s physical and mental well-being have also been questioned.
Amnesty International has said that if Assange is extradited, he would be “at risk of serious human rights violations, including possible detention conditions that would amount to torture and other ill-treatment.”
“No single court case could have more at stake than Julian’s case,” Stella Assange said in a statement released Monday. He called on supporters to protest in front of the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Tuesday and Wednesday. When the appeal is going to be heard. “Journalists must have the right to report the facts that governments and corporations want to hide, otherwise a truly free press is impossible.”
In an interview with the BBC, she said that her husband would not survive extradition to the US due to his physical and mental weakness.
“This case will decide whether he lives or dies,” he told CBS News partner network.
What was Assange arrested for in Britain?
In 2012, Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he was facing investigation over sexual assault allegations. that investigation later removed And no charges were ever filed.
After Assange spent nearly seven years in the embassy, ​​Ecuador revoked his asylum status in 2019, after the Central American country’s president said his government had “reached its limits”. Mr. Assange’s behavior,
Assange was formally arrested by London’s Metropolitan Police as he left the embassy in 2012 after failing to surrender to court on a warrant, and has remained in custody since.
