After years of legal wrangling, the British government authorizes the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States. The Wikileaks founder could be sentenced to 175 years in prison for allegations of espionage. Now the whistleblower wants to defend himself against the decision before the High Court in London.
The imprisoned Wikileaks founder Julian Assange wants to take further legal action against his extradition to the USA and has filed an appeal. The High Court in London confirmed receipt of such an application to the BBC, as the broadcaster reported. Several dozen people demonstrated again in front of the Home Office in London against the planned extradition. Among them was Assange’s wife Stella.
Two weeks ago, after years of legal wrangling, the British government approved the extradition of the Wikileaks founder to the United States. The 50-year-old has been in Belmarsh high-security prison near London since 2019. Although he has not been convicted, the risk of absconding is considered high. He had previously lived in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for seven years, thereby escaping British justice.
The US judiciary wants to put Assange on trial for allegations of espionage. The 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.
Assange’s lawyers argue that no one was harmed. Supporters see him as a courageous journalist who brought war crimes to light and who should now be made an example of. The British government’s decision to extradite Assange to the United States represents a “blatant violation of human rights,” criticized an international alliance of journalists’ unions. The deputy head of the German Association of Journalists, Mika Beuster, also warned that the approval had “created a dangerous precedent for freedom of the press”. The unions must “go into the line of fire to protect this fundamental right”.
