The United States will extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on espionage charges unless U.S. authorities guarantee he will not face the death penalty for his alleged crimes and enjoy First Amendment protections, Britain’s High Court ruled Tuesday. The court ruled that it could not be done.
Judge Victoria Sharp said: “If we cannot obtain a guarantee, we will allow the appeal without further hearing.” “Once warranted, we will give the parties an opportunity to make further submissions before making a final decision on the application for stay of appeal.”
Judges Sharp and Jeremy Johnson said the United States must ensure that Assange, a 52-year-old Australian national, “is entitled to the same First Amendment protections as any American citizen and is not subject to the death penalty.” said.
The ruling gives the United States three weeks to provide assurances that address these grounds. If the United States refuses the bond, the court will grant Assange the right to appeal his extradition on these grounds. However, if a guarantee is granted, a hearing will be held on May 20 to determine whether it is sufficient and a final ruling will be made on whether Assange’s appeal will be allowed. It turns out.
If a British court ultimately rules in favor of extradition to the United States, Assange’s only option would be to adjudicate in court. European Court of Human Rights.
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Julian Assange arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court in the UK on April 11, 2019. A group of lawmakers called for the U.S. charges against him to be dropped. (Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
The judges rejected most of Assange’s appeals, rejecting six of the nine, including the argument that the prosecution was political. The judges rejected his request, saying that although he “acted on political beliefs, that does not mean that his extradition request was based on his political views.” .
“Extradition places him in the lawful custody of U.S. authorities and there is no basis (if one can call it that) for extradition, kidnapping, or assassination,” the ruling said, also avoiding concerns about the suspect. CIA plans to kidnap or kill Assange Meanwhile, he remained hunkered down in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Assange’s lawyer for comment on Tuesday’s ruling.
Mr. Assange is being held at: London’s maximum security Belmarsh prison Since he was expelled from the Ecuadorian Embassy on April 11, 2019 for violating his bail conditions. He had been applying for asylum at the embassy since 2012 to avoid being extradited to Sweden on charges of raping two women. Sweden has not provided any guarantees to protect him from extradition to the United States. The investigation into the sexual assault charges was ultimately closed.
Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton told Fox News Digital: “Julian remains incarcerated in extremely harsh conditions and his physical and mental health is rapidly deteriorating.” “Today’s announcement means that the long and difficult 13-year process to free Julian and return him to Australia will be extended, and we highly recommend that he be extradited to the United States.” Are concerned”
“This situation has been going on long enough. There is no benefit to Julian’s continued imprisonment. We hope that a diplomatic solution can be quickly reached,” he continued.
The Australian publisher faces 17 charges under the Espionage Act for allegedly receiving, possessing and communicating confidential information to the public, as well as one charge alleging conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. There is. If extradited, Assange would stand trial in Alexandria, Virginia, and could face up to 175 years in prison if convicted.
The charges were brought by the Trump administration’s Justice Department over WikiLeaks’ 2010 release of leaked cables by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.
The information detailed war crimes allegedly committed by the U.S. government in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as well as cases in which the CIA was involved in torture and rendition.
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Julian Assange’s lawyers are waging a final legal challenge in the UK to prevent the WikiLeaks founder from being extradited to the US on spying charges. (AP)
The Obama administration decided in 2013 not to prosecute Assange over WikiLeaks’ 2010 release of confidential cables, because it would have required the prosecution of journalists at major news organizations who had published the same material.
President Obama also commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence to seven years in January 2017 for violating the Espionage Act and other crimes, and Manning, who had been imprisoned since 2010, was released later that year.
However, the Justice Department under President Trump has since moved to indict Assange under the Espionage Act, and the Biden administration continues to prosecute him.
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A British District Court judge rejected a U.S. extradition request in 2021 on the grounds that Assange was likely to commit suicide if detained in harsh U.S. prison conditions. The High Court overturned that decision after obtaining assurances from the United States about his treatment.
“My concerns about Julian Assange’s unstable mental state, his ineligibility for extradition, and the likelihood that he will receive a totally disproportionate sentence in the United States have not yet been allayed by the courts.” Counselor Alice Edwards said. The Rapporteur on Torture said in a statement on Tuesday. “It is unfortunate that the court did not comprehensively address Mr. Assange’s possible unjust punishment in the United States of up to 175 years, perhaps more than 30 years, or his continued imprisonment in solitary confinement.” – All of these may amount to inhumane treatment. ”
“It is unfortunate that the court did not comprehensively address Mr. Assange’s possible unjust punishment in the United States of up to 175 years, perhaps more than 30 years, or his continued confinement in solitary confinement.” –These can all amount to inhumane treatment,” she continued.
Stella Assange speaks next to a poster of her husband Julian Assange at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on February 21, 2024. (AP)
The Justice Department and State Department declined to comment to Fox News Digital. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also declined to comment when asked by a reporter about the British High Court’s ruling at a press conference on Tuesday.
Until Assange, no publisher had been charged under the Espionage Act, but many press freedom groups argue that his prosecution sets a dangerous precedent aimed at criminalizing journalism. .
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“We are pleased that Julian Assange will not be extradited today. However, this legal battle is far from over and the threat to journalists and news organizations from the Espionage Act charges against Assange remains.” Freedom Secretary Trevor Timm said. the foundation said in a statement Tuesday. “Assange’s conviction in an American court sets a dangerous precedent that the American government can and will use against journalists of all stripes who expose or shame their own wrongdoings. The Biden administration should seize the opportunity to drop this dangerous lawsuit once and for all.”
Julian’s wife, Stella Assange, called her husband a “political prisoner” and called on the Biden administration to completely drop the “shameful” case against him.
“This case will essentially decide whether he lives or dies,” she told the BBC.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
