- Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is allowed to appeal against his threatened extradition to the USA.
- This was decided by the London High Court.
- An immediate transfer of the 52-year-old to the USA has initially been averted.
The US government wants to put the Australian-born man on trial on espionage charges. According to his supporters, he faces up to 175 years in prison.
Assange’s lawyers had previously convinced the judges in a hearing that lasted almost two hours that the Australian would be allowed to present his arguments in a full appeal process.
Assange’s team was relieved. “This is a victory,” said current Wikileaks boss Kristinn Hrafnsson to the German Press Agency after the verdict. Numerous Assange supporters cheered outside the court, and his lawyers hugged each other in the courtroom. They had previously convinced the judges in a hearing lasting almost two hours that the Australian should be allowed to present his arguments in a full appeal process. A date for this has not yet been set, but commentators believe it will probably take several months.
Assurances from the USA do not convince the court
The main issue was whether Assange, as a foreign citizen, could invoke the right to freedom of expression in the USA. The judges initially postponed the decision at the end of March and demanded assurances from the USA. However, these initially did not convince the court.
Assange’s team warns that the Wikileaks founder’s health is poor. That is why he did not personally attend the court hearing. His wife Stella had expressed the fear that if his appeal was rejected, he could immediately be put on a plane to the USA. Then he might take his own life, she warned.
“The United States should recognize the situation and close this case now. Now is the right time to do it,” Stella Assange told reporters in the British capital. “Just stop this shameful attack on journalists, the press and the public that has been going on for 14 years.”
Hope for a political solution
In addition to the appeal process that is now pending, Assange’s supporters are likely to place their hopes primarily on a political solution. The Australian government is now campaigning for the release of its citizen. The Australian Parliament recently passed a resolution calling on the US and the UK to stop prosecuting Assange. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized that the matter had been dragging on for too long.
US President Joe Biden recently sparked some hope. When asked whether the US wanted to consider an Australian request to stop prosecution against Assange, he said: “We are considering it.” Albanese called the statement “encouraging.”