Thursday, December 23, 2021
Fight against extradition
Assange’s attorneys prepare appeal
Julian Assange is facing extradition to the United States, according to a British court. But the 50-year-old’s lawyers want to challenge the verdict. According to an earlier ruling, extradition had already been banned once in the United States.
Julian Assange’s lawyers have taken the first steps to appeal the decision of a British court on the possible extradition of the Wikileaks founder to the United States. “We believe that this motion addresses serious and important legal issues of broader public concern,” said a defense attorney’s statement reported by the PA news agency.
A few weeks ago, an appeals court in London lifted the extradition ban on the Wikileaks founder to the USA. His fiancée Stella Moris and the defense lawyers are now hoping to get the go-ahead for the case to go to the Supreme Court – the UK’s highest court. A decision is expected in January at the earliest.
The US judiciary wants to bring Assange to trial on allegations of espionage. The native Australian faces up to 175 years imprisonment if convicted. He is accused of stealing and publishing secret material from US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan together with whistleblower Chelsea Manning. He put the lives of US informants in danger. His supporters, however, see him as an investigative journalist who brought war crimes to light.
According to an earlier ruling, the extradition of the 50-year-old had been prohibited, taking into account his mental and health condition and the expected prison conditions in the USA. Washington had challenged this decision – and was right. The assurances given by the US in the meantime are sufficient to dispel concerns about Assange’s health, the judge said on Friday. The 50-year-old has been in London’s maximum security prison, Belmarsh, for more than two years.