London’s High Court will again hear the extradition of the jailed Wikileaks founder this Monday Julian Assange to the USA. A hearing is scheduled for 11:30 am (CEST), which is expected to last two to three hours. The 52-year-old indigenous Australian’s supporters held a rally in front of the courthouse in the city center British capital called.
The US government wants to try Assange on espionage charges. According to his supporters, he faces a prison sentence of up to 175 years. The Washington government accuses him of stealing and publishing classified material from US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, endangering the lives of US informants. Assange’s supporters see the prosecution as an act of retaliation USAbecause the publications exposed alleged war crimes.
If the court upholds the appeal, the years-long legal wrangling is likely to continue. If rejected, Assange faces immediate rejection delivery. At least inside Great Britain The legal procedure would then be exhausted. Assange’s team wants to appeal this case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. But it is uncertain whether he will issue a preliminary injunction to halt the extradition and whether Britain will comply.
Monday’s content concerns whether Assange, as a foreign citizen, can invoke the right to freedom of expression in the US and whether he risks the death penalty. The judges initially postponed the decision on the appeal during a two-day hearing in late March and asked the US for guarantees. The question now is whether these guarantees are sufficient or whether an appeal hearing will take place.
Assange’s wife Stella fears for his life if he is extradited due to the expected harsh prison conditions in the US and her husband’s unstable psyche. The risk of suicide was also why a judge initially denied the extradition. But the decision was later reversed. The British government agreed to his extradition. According to Stella Assange, it is conceivable that the court will immediately decide on the content of the appeal this Monday.
Australia calls for Assange’s release
In addition to a possible appeal process, Assange’s supporters will likely pin their hopes primarily on a political solution. The Australian government is now campaigning for the release of its citizen. The Australian parliament recently passed a resolution calling on the US and Britain to stop prosecuting Assange. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the case had gone on too long.
US President Joe Biden recently gave Assange supporters some hope. When asked whether Australia’s demand to end criminal prosecutions would be explored, he said: “We are considering it.” The Albanians called the statement “encouraging.”
Assange has been in London’s Belmarsh prison for almost five years. Before his arrest in April 2019, he had evaded law enforcement authorities in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for years. They initially targeted him over rape allegations in Sweden. However, these charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence. He is now in prison without a conviction. Numerous human rights organizations, journalists’ associations, artists and politicians are calling for Assange’s immediate release.
London’s High Court will again hear the extradition of the jailed Wikileaks founder this Monday Julian Assange to the USA. A hearing is scheduled for 11:30 am (CEST), which is expected to last two to three hours. The 52-year-old indigenous Australian’s supporters held a rally in front of the courthouse in the city center British capital called.
The US government wants to try Assange on espionage charges. According to his supporters, he faces a prison sentence of up to 175 years. The Washington government accuses him of stealing and publishing classified material from US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, endangering the lives of US informants. Assange’s supporters see the prosecution as an act of retaliation USAbecause the publications exposed alleged war crimes.