Fight against extradition
Reprieve for Assange: Wikileaks founder can still hope for an appeal
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, seen here in front of the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2017, must continue to wait for a decision on an appeal in his case
© Frank Augstein / AP / DPA
Small success for Julian Assange in the fight against extradition to the USA: At a hearing, two judges demanded further guarantees from the USA and Great Britain. If these are not guaranteed, the Wikileaks founder can appeal.
In the Julian Assange case, the British judiciary postponed its decision on a final appeal for the Wikileaks founder on Tuesday and demanded new guarantees from the USA.
Two judges at London’s High Court gave U.S. government lawyers three weeks to ensure “satisfactorily” that Assange would be protected by free speech laws if tried in the U.S. and that he would not face the death penalty threaten. Accordingly, the Australian’s application for an appeal could still be granted.
The USA has been demanding the extradition of the Australian imprisoned in Great Britain for years and wants to put him on trial for the mass publication of secret documents on the Wikileaks platform.
Judge in London: Extradition should be clarified at the end of May
As the British judges explained, the appeal was rejected on six out of nine points. On three other points it depends on whether the US government and the British Home Secretary can provide appropriate guarantees. A final decision is expected to be made based on a further hearing on May 20. The question is whether Assange can invoke the right to freedom of expression during a trial in the USA and whether he enjoys the same rights as US citizens, whether he is not prejudged because of his citizenship and whether the death penalty will not be imposed.
The verdict on Tuesday, after a two-day hearing, was eagerly awaited. Assange’s wife Stella had expressed fears that if his appeal was rejected, he could immediately be put on a plane to the USA.
Julian Assange faces 175 years in prison in the USA
The US government wants to put the Australian on trial on espionage charges. He faces up to 175 years in prison. The US government accuses him of stealing and publishing secret material from military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, thereby endangering the lives of US informants. Assange’s supporters, however, see him as a journalist who has been targeted by the Washington judiciary for exposing US war crimes. In February, Assange’s and Washington’s lawyers presented their arguments in a two-day hearing in court. Assange’s lawyers had spoken of “political” allegations. Your client is being prosecuted for “the usual journalistic practice of obtaining and publishing classified information.”
Assange has been in London’s Belmarsh maximum security prison for almost five years. Before his arrest in April 2019, he had evaded law enforcement authorities for several years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. They initially targeted him because of rape allegations in Sweden. However, these allegations were later dropped due to lack of evidence.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated several times.