20-02-24, 05:52
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#53
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re: Julian Assange; Biden Considering Dropping Charges After Australian Call
Julian Assange: Court Considers Last-Ditch Bid to Fight US Extradition
Two-day hearing will weigh up whether WikiLeaks founder can be granted leave to appeal against 2022 decision
The Guardian 20 FEB 2024
Julian Assanges’ moment of truth has arrived – and the stakes are high
Lawyers for the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, will begin a last-ditch attempt on Tuesday to fight his extradition to the US where he could face life in prison if convicted of spying charges.
A two-day hearing in the high court will consider whether Australian-born Assange, who has been held in Belmarsh prison for almost five years, can be granted leave to appeal against an extradition decision made in 2022 by the then home secretary, Priti Patel.
Assange’s supporters say that if the court refuses, it would clear the way for him to be flown to US amid fears for his deteriorating health.
Assange has requested to appear in court in person but is expected to appear via video link from Belmarsh.
His wife, Stella Assange, said: “His life is at risk every single day he stays in prison. If he’s extradited, he will die.”
Speaking at a briefing on the appeal last week, she added: “It is the final hearing, if it does not got Julian’s way, there’s no possibility to appeal to the supreme court or anywhere in this jurisdiction.”
Under US proceedings revived during Donald Trump’s presidency, Assange faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse for his alleged role in obtaining and disclosing classified material.
Assange’s lawyers will argue that his extradition would amount to punishment for political opinions. They are also expected to claim that the decision would violate the European convention on human rights, including his right to free speech.
Disclosures by WikiLeaks exposed details of US activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, and included video footage of a helicopter attack by US forces that killed 11 people including two Reuters journalists.
His lawyers say that if convicted of the US charges he could receive a prison term of up to 175 years. Earlier this month, in a separate case, Joshua Schulte, a former CIA officer, was imprisoned for 40 years for passing classified material to WikiLeaks.
Assange is accused of conspiring with the US army whistleblower Chelsea Manning to hack into a Pentagon computer and of releasing secret diplomatic cables and military files.
Manning had her sentence commuted by Barack Obama and was released after seven years in prison.
In 2012, Assange was granted political asylum by Ecuador after the courts ruled he should be extradited to Sweden as part of a rape investigation that was later dropped.
He was arrested in 2019 when Ecuador’s government withdrew his asylum status. He was then jailed for skipping bail when he first took shelter inside the embassy.
He has been held in Belmarsh while the extradition battle with the US continues.
A judge in London initially blocked Assange’s transfer to the US on the grounds that he was likely to kill himself if held in harsh American prison conditions. A subsequent court cleared the way for the move after the US authorities provided assurances over his treatment.
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