WikiLeaks founder Assange faces his last legal roll of the dice in Britain to avoid US extradition
LONDON (AP) — Julian Assange’s attorneys opened a ultimate U.Okay. authorized problem Tuesday to cease the WikiLeaks founder from being despatched to the USA to face spying fees, arguing that American authorities are searching for to punish him for exposing critical legal acts by the U.S. authorities.
Lawyer Edward Fitzgerald mentioned Assange could “undergo a flagrant denial of justice” if he’s despatched to the U.S. At a two-day Excessive Court docket listening to, Assange’s attorneys are asking judges to grant a brand new attraction, his final authorized roll of the cube in Britain.
Assange himself was not in court docket. Decide Victoria Sharp mentioned he was granted permission to come back from Belmarsh Jail for the listening to, however had chosen to not attend. Fitzgerald mentioned the 52-year-old Australian was unwell.
Stella Assange, his spouse, mentioned Julian had needed to attend, however that his well being was “not in good situation.”
“He was sick over Christmas, he’s had a cough since then,” she instructed The Related Press. She mentioned The WikiLeaks founder was following proceedings by means of his attorneys.
Assange’s household and supporters say his bodily and psychological well being have suffered throughout greater than a decade of authorized battles, together with seven years in self-exile within the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and the final 5 years within the high-security jail on the outskirts of the British capital.
He has been indicted on 17 fees of espionage and one cost of laptop misuse over his web site’s publication of categorised U.S. paperwork nearly 15 years in the past. American prosecutors say Assange helped U.S. Military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal diplomatic cables and navy recordsdata that WikiLeaks later printed, placing lives in danger.
To his supporters, Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist who uncovered U.S. navy wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. They argue that the prosecution is politically motivated and he gained’t get a good trial within the U.S.
Tons of of supporters holding “Free Julian Assange” indicators and chanting “there is just one choice – no extradition” held a loud protest outdoors the neo-Gothic Excessive Court docket in London. Rallies had been additionally held in cities all over the world, together with Rome, Brussels and Berlin.
“If Julian Assange is efficiently extradited to the U.S., journalists the world over are going to have to observe their again,” mentioned Simon Crowther, authorized advisor to human rights group Amnesty Worldwide.
Stella Assange instructed the group the case was about “the fitting to have the ability to communicate freely with out being put in jail and hounded and terrorized by the state.”
Referring to the Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny, who died in jail final week, she mentioned: “What occurred to Navalny can occur to Julian, and can occur to Julian if he’s extradited.”
Stella Assange, who married the WikiLeaks founder in jail in 2022 — mentioned final week that his well being has deteriorated throughout years of confinement and “if he’s extradited, he’ll die.”
If the judges rule in opposition to Assange, he can ask the European Court docket of Human Rights to dam his extradition — although supporters fear he might be placed on a aircraft to the U.S. earlier than that occurs, as a result of the British authorities has already signed an extradition order.
Assange’s attorneys say he might resist 175 years in jail if convicted, although American authorities have mentioned the sentence is more likely to be a lot shorter.
Whereas a number of of Assange’s arguments in opposition to extradition have already been rejected by British courts, his attorneys try to make new factors to safe an attraction.
Assange’s attorneys argued that the prosecution is politically motivated retaliation for WikiLeaks’ “publicity of criminality on the a part of the U.S. authorities on an unprecedented scale,” together with torture and killings.
“The U.S. was ready to go to any lengths (together with misusing its personal legal justice system) to maintain impunity for U.S. officers in respect of the torture/struggle crimes dedicated in its notorious ‘struggle on terror,’ and to suppress these actors and courts prepared and ready to attempt to carry these crimes to account,” Assange’s attorneys mentioned in written arguments. “Mr. Assange was a type of targets.”
Assange’s attorneys additionally need judges to rethink allegations that the CIA developed plans to kidnap or kill Assange whereas he was within the Ecuadorian Embassy. A lower-court choose has dismissed the claims, however Assange legal professional Mark Summers mentioned Tuesday that there’s proof “the plot was actual.”
“There was a plot to kidnap Mr. Assange, to rendition him to America, or else straightforwardly homicide him,” he claimed.
Fitzgerald added that “there’s a actual chance of the return of a Trump administration” ready to think about “extrajudicial assault, or worse” in opposition to Assange.
Legal professionals for the U.S. authorities will set out their case on Wednesday. James Lewis, representing the U.S., mentioned Assange was being prosecuted “as a result of he’s alleged to have dedicated critical legal offences.”
He argued in written submissions that Assange’s actions “threatened injury to the strategic and nationwide safety pursuits of the USA” and put people named within the paperwork — together with Iraqis and Afghans who had helped U.S. forces — prone to “critical bodily hurt.”
Assange’s authorized troubles started in 2010, when he was arrested in London on the request of Sweden, which needed to query him about allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two girls. In 2012, Assange jumped bail and sought refuge contained in the Ecuadorian Embassy.
The connection between Assange and his hosts ultimately soured, and he was evicted from the embassy in April 2019. British police instantly arrested and imprisoned him for breaching bail in 2012. Sweden dropped the intercourse crimes investigations in November 2019 as a result of a lot time had elapsed.
A U.Okay. district court docket choose rejected the U.S. extradition request in 2021 on the grounds that Assange was more likely to kill himself if held below harsh U.S. jail circumstances. Larger courts overturned that call after getting assurances from the U.S. about his remedy. The British authorities signed an extradition order in June 2022.
In the meantime, the Australian parliament final week referred to as for Assange to be allowed to return to his homeland.
The judges, Sharp and Jeremy Johnson, might ship a verdict on the finish of the listening to on Wednesday, however they’re extra more likely to take a number of weeks to think about their choice.
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Related Press video journalists Kwiyeon Ha and Jo Kearney contributed to this report.