A British court could make a final decision on Monday whether to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States over the mass leak of classified American documents, the culmination of 13 years of legal battles and detention.
Two judges at London’s High Court ruled that if Assange, 52, were to go on trial in the United States, he would not face the death penalty and could rely on his First Amendment right to free speech. It will rule on whether the court is satisfied with the guarantee. espionage.
Mr. Assange’s lawyers say the case could become mired in months of legal battles over whether he can board a plane across the Atlantic or be released from prison within 24 hours of the verdict.
“At this stage we feel like anything could happen,” his wife Stella said last week. She said: “Julian may be extradited or released.”
She said she hopes her husband will appear at the important hearing.
WikiLeaks released hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. military documents related to Washington’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the largest security breach of its kind in U.S. military history, along with a series of diplomatic cables.
In April 2010, it released a secret video of a 2007 U.S. helicopter attack that killed 12 people, including two Reuters news staff, in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
U.S. authorities want to put Australian-born Mr. Assange on trial on 18 charges, almost all under the Espionage Act, including that his conduct with WikiLeaks was reckless and endangered national security and that he was an agent. He claims he put his life at risk.
His many supporters around the world have called the prosecution a farce, an attack on journalism and free speech, and revenge for an embarrassment.
Calls for the case to be dropped have ranged from human rights groups and some media outlets to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other political leaders.
Detained since 2010
Assange was first arrested in the UK in 2010 on a Swedish warrant for sex offenses, which was later withdrawn.
Since then, he has been under various conditions of house arrest, confined to the Ecuadorian embassy in London for seven years, and since 2019 held at Belmarsh maximum security prison pending a ruling on his extradition.
“Every day since December 7, 2010, he has been in some form of custody,” said Stella Assange, who was originally part of his defense team and married him in Belmarsh in 2022.
If the High Court rules that extradition can take place, Assange’s legal avenues in the UK will be exhausted and his lawyers will immediately appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, pending a full hearing of his case. He will seek an emergency injunction to prevent his deportation. at a later date.
If, on the other hand, the judge rejects the U.S. motion, he would have permission to appeal the extradition case on three grounds, which may not be heard until next year.
It’s also possible that the judge will decide that Monday’s hearing should consider not only whether an appeal can be filed, but also the nature of the appeal.
If they decide in his favor in that situation, he could be released.
Stella Assange said she would continue to fight for freedom no matter the outcome. If he is released, she plans to follow him to Australia or somewhere safe.
She said all the psychiatric evidence presented in court concluded he was at very serious risk of suicide if he was extradited.
“We live day by day, week by week, decision after decision. This is how we have lived for years,” she told Reuters.
“This is no way to live. It’s so cruel. And I can’t prepare for his extradition – how can I? But if he is extradited, I will do everything I can and we ‘s family will fight for him until he is released.”
