Julian Assange will not be extradited to the USA for the time being. The British High Court has ruled that the Wikileaks founder can appeal against a British order to extradite him to the US if the US and Britain do not provide adequate assurances. The final decision on his appeal is expected to be made in May.
The activist has been resisting the threat of expulsion for years. The British government agreed to the extradition, and Assange has since taken legal action against the decision. He has been in a maximum security prison in London since 2019.
In the USA, the government wants to put him on trial on espionage charges. According to his supporters, he faces up to 175 years in prison. Washington accuses him of stealing and publishing secret material from US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, thereby endangering the lives of US informants.
Assange, however, faces criminal prosecution for his journalistic activities. His supporters warn of a dangerous precedent that could have serious consequences for investigative journalism.
Both sides presented their arguments at a hearing in February. Assange’s lawyers argued, among other things, that the Australian was being persecuted for political reasons and should therefore not be extradited. The US justice lawyers pointed out the negative consequences of the publication of many thousands of secret documents by Wikileaks.
Assange’s wife and lawyer Stella as well as the whistleblower’s supporters repeatedly cite his health as an argument. Because of the expected harsh prison conditions in the USA and her husband’s unstable psyche, Stella Assange fears for her husband’s life. The risk of suicide was also the reason why a judge initially rejected extradition. Journalists’ associations, human rights organizations and politicians also campaign for him. The Australian government is now pushing for an end to the prosecution.