WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange used what may have been his last resort on Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 February in London, where the Supreme Court was considering a United States appeal against the extradition process. United States. For two days, the justices listened to arguments from his lawyers and American lawyers as protesters gathered outside the British courts. Their decision on whether or not to grant a final appeal hearing in this case is expected in the coming weeks.
The Australian whistleblower spent seven years in seclusion in the Ecuadorian embassy before being arrested by British police in 2019 in connection with rape and sexual assault trials in Sweden, and he has been fighting an extradition request from the United States. He is being prosecuted on American soil because he has distributed hundreds of thousands of secret American documents via his WikiLeaks website since 2010, particularly revealing the high number of victims of the war in Iraq. Publications created in collaboration with numerous international media, including Le Monde.
An endless legal process
The indictment brought by the American courts against Julian Assange is a unique case in the United States since, among other things, he is being prosecuted under the Espionage Act, a very strict law aimed at disclosing classified information, but which lasts until had never happened before, targeted journalists. Mr Assange faces up to 175 years in prison.
This week's hearings were the last ticket the whistleblower's lawyers had to block the extradition request. With a victory, the WikiLeaks founder's camp would have the right to a new appeal hearing to challenge his transfer to the US, after which extradition is still possible. If this happens, Julian Assange can still appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, emphasizes his support committee.
In the first instance, the British judiciary rejected the extradition in January 2021, citing the WikiLeaks founder's mental health and the difficult prison conditions that awaited him on the other side of the Atlantic, but without attacking the content of the lawsuit.
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Almost a year later, this first decision was overturned by the High Court of Justice, relying on a series of guarantees from the American authorities. They promised, among other things, that Mr. Assange would be treated appropriately in custody and not be locked up in the high-security ADX center in Colorado, where inmates are very isolated. The extradition request was then approved by the British courts and then by the then Home Secretary Priti Patel.
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