The final hearing in which WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may challenge his extradition to the United States on charges of publishing classified US military documents began on Tuesday morning at Britain’s High Court in London.
Members of the European Parliament are the latest to call on Britain to halt Mr Assange’s extradition and release him from detention. A final appeal to two judges seeking to block Assange’s extradition is scheduled to be heard on Tuesday and Wednesday, but a victory in court this week could lead to a full appeal hearing in the future. If, after exhausting all legal appeals, Assange is extradited to the United States, he will stand trial there. Alexandria, Virginia; He could be sentenced to up to 175 years in a maximum-security prison in the United States.
Supporters in London, Washington DC and cities around the world will hold rallies calling for Assange’s freedom on Tuesday.
In a letter on Monday, 46 MEPs called on the UK Home Secretary James Cleverley to “ensure the protection and security of Julian Assange, release him from prison and prevent his extradition”, saying press freedom is important. He emphasized that. And the public’s right to information is at stake.
Australian lawmaker pens letter asking UK government to halt extradition of Julian Assange to US due to health concerns
The final hearing in which WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may challenge his extradition to the United States on charges of publishing classified US military documents began on Tuesday morning at Britain’s High Court in London. (Getty Images)
“By being at the forefront of investigative reporting, Julian Assange has participated in the system of press freedom that is essential to every democracy,” the letter said. “His work through WikiLeaks has enabled him to expose some of the most serious acts of government corruption, including war crimes and human rights abuses.”
Assange, 52, faces 17 charges under the Espionage Act for allegedly receiving, possessing and transmitting classified information to the public and one charge alleging conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. .
The charges stem from WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of leaked cables by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning detailing war crimes committed by the U.S. government in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. , initiated by the Trump administration’s Justice Department. The document also exposes cases of CIA torture and coercion.
WikiLeaks’ “collateral murder” video, which showed U.S. forces shooting civilians in Iraq, including two Reuters reporters, was also released 14 years ago.
Commissioners said Australian publishers were “currently the target of a legal attack that sets a precedent for democratic governments to criminalize the publication of truthful information” and that the charges against him were “an undeniable threat to the press”. “This raises serious concerns about the wider implications.” Freedom and the practice of investigative reporting. ”
“If the United States succeeds in extraditing Assange, the definition of investigative reporting will be redefined,” the members explained. “It would expand the reach of justice internationally and apply to non-U.S. citizens without expanding First Amendment rights.”
Assange has been held in London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison since April 11, 2019, when he was expelled from the Ecuadorian embassy for breaching his bail conditions. He had applied 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.
While he was at the embassy, the spying on Assange and his lawyer was exposed to the CIA. A judge recently ruled that a lawsuit filed against the CIA for spying on visitors can proceed.
In 2013, the Obama administration decided not to prosecute Assange over WikiLeaks’ 2010 release of classified cables. This is because journalists at major news organizations who published the same material also needed to be prosecuted, and this is known as the “New York Times problem.” In January 2017, former President Barack Obama commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence for violating the Espionage Act to seven years, and Manning, who had been in prison since 2010, was released later that year.
UK High Court sets final appeal date for Julian Assange over US extradition
If extradited, Assange could be sentenced to up to 175 years in a maximum-security prison in the United States. (Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
The Justice Department under former President Donald Trump later moved to indict Assange under the Espionage Act, and the Biden administration continues to prosecute him.
A British district judge rejected a U.S. extradition request in 2021 on the grounds that Assange was likely to commit suicide if held in harsh prison conditions in the United States. The High Court later overturned this decision after receiving assurances from the United States about his treatment, and the British government signed an extradition order in June 2022.
“A district judge initially refused to extradite him on the grounds that his life would be at risk from facing harsh isolation conditions in a US prison,” the letter from MEPs said. “The ruling was only overturned on appeal after the United States offered conditional guarantees, but Amnesty International called it “seriously flawed” and said “the United States does not have the right to change its mind at any time.” “The fact that we have reservations means that these guarantees are not worth the paper.” is what it reads. ”
When discussing Assange’s case earlier this month, Alice Gilles Edwards, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, said: “Despite his precarious mental health, he was kept in solitary confinement for long periods of time, potentially The risk of receiving a disproportionate sentence raises questions such as: Mr. Assange’s extradition to the United States would be consistent with the United Kingdom’s international human rights obligations under, inter alia, article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and article 3 of the United Nations Convention against Torture and the European Convention, respectively. right. About human rights. ”
The letter from MEPs said: “The UK authorities must match the seriousness of Mr. Assange’s situation with an appropriate level of protection, in line with the demands of the UN rapporteur’s recent statement on torture.” it is written like this.
Bipartisan Congressional resolution calls on US officials to drop charges against Assange
Last month, a group of Australian parliamentarians wrote to British Home Secretary James Cleverley, calling on Mr Assange to halt his extradition to the US, citing concerns for his safety and well-being, and instead asking the British government to stop Mr Assange’s persecution. called for an independent assessment of the risks.
Assange’s British lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, previously said she feared Assange “would not survive if extradited to the United States.” His wife, Stella, told reporters last week that Assange’s life was in danger every day if he remained in prison and that she believed Assange “would not survive if extradited to the United States.” said. He will die if he is handed over.
Last year, U.S. and Australian lawmakers launched multiple initiatives to demand Assange’s release, including an overwhelming response by the Australian parliament to ask the U.S. and British governments to stop prosecuting Assange. This includes last week’s vote, which was supported by a majority.
“Regardless of people’s position, this cannot continue forever,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament.
Mr Assange’s supporters will hold rallies for his freedom on Tuesday in London, Washington DC and cities around the world. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
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. . U.S. prosecutors and Assange’s critics argue that WikiLeaks’ release of classified material endangers the lives of U.S. allies, but there is no evidence that anyone was put at risk by releasing the documents. There isn’t.
In 2022, editors and publishers of US and European news organizations who helped publish excerpts from more than 250,000 documents obtained by Assange in the Cablegate leak – The Guardian, The New York Times, Le Monde , Der Spiegel, El Pais – wrote an open letter He called on the US to drop the charges against Assange.
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Under the Trump administration, the CIA was said to have plotted to kill Assange over the release of the agency’s secret hacking tools known as Vault 7, which were leaked to WikiLeaks, Yahoo reported in 2021. The agency said the breach was the “largest data loss” in CIA history. ”
The CIA was said to have followed orders from then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo to discuss the plot to assassinate Assange in London at the “highest levels” of the administration and to produce “sketches” and “options” for the killing. Yahoo reported that authorities were also planning to kidnap and extradite Assange and had made a political decision to prosecute him.
WikiLeaks also released internal communications between the Democratic National Committee and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016, revealing the DNC’s efforts to boost Clinton in that year’s Democratic primaries. .
