Julian Assange delivering his speech from the balcony of the Ecoadorian embassy in London in 2016.
(dpa) In the legal tug-of-war over Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, a decision is to be made on Monday as to whether the legal dispute over his extradition to the United States will go to the next instance. The High Court in London wants to announce at 10.45 a.m. (local time) whether it will follow the arguments of Assange’s lawyers who want to go before the British Supreme Court or whether it will prohibit an appeal. In that case, the decision on extradition to the US would be referred to the UK Home Office.
The US judiciary wants to put Assange on trial for allegations of espionage. The native Australian faces up to 175 years in prison if convicted. He is accused of having stolen and published secret material from US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan together with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, thereby endangering the lives of US informants. His supporters, on the other hand, see him as an investigative journalist who brought war crimes to light. The 50-year-old has been held at Belmarsh High Security Prison in London for more than two years.
Earlier this year, a British court barred Assange’s extradition to the United States on grounds of his mental health. However, the USA had doubted the corresponding medical reports, lodged an appeal and was also successful. An appeals court lifted the extradition ban last December. Assange now wants to have this decision reviewed by the Supreme Court.