Julian Assange’s defense worked on Tuesday to convince British justice to grant him a last appeal against his extradition to the United States, which accuses him of espionage. Suffering, the founder of Wikileaks was not present in the courtroom.
The first of two days of hearings was held at the High Court in London without the 52-year-old Australian, who “is not feeling well”, said his lawyer Edward Fitzgerald.
As the hearing approached, his supporters warned of the risks weighing on the health and even the life of Julian Assange, prosecuted for a massive leak of documents and imprisoned for 12 years in the United Kingdom – seven years a refugee in the Ecuadorian embassy, then detained for five years in the high security Belmarsh prison in London – in a case erected as a symbol of the threats weighing on press freedom.
Two judges are called upon to rule on whether or not to grant Julian Assange the right to appeal his extradition to the United States, accepted in June 2022 by the British government. If they refuse, his relatives fear that he will be quickly handed over to the United States, putting his life in danger, even if they hope to take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights in time.
On Wednesday, representatives of the American government must present their arguments.
>> Reread: London confirms extradition of Julian Assange to the United States
Support rally
Before the hearing, a crowd chanting “Free Julian Assange” gathered outside the High Court in London. “We don’t know what to expect, but you are here because the world is watching,” said Stella Assange, wife of the Wikileaks founder, calling for continued protests “until Julian is free.”
She told the BBC on Monday that she feared a rapid extradition if Julian Assange did not obtain a last resort, but hoped that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) could be contacted in time to intervene.
>> Images of Stella Assange’s speech before the High Court in London on Tuesday: Stella Assange defends freedom of expression at the final hearing on her husband’s extradition to the United States / News on video / 1 min. / yesterday at 5:41 p.m.
In January 2021, British justice initially ruled in favor of the founder of WikiLeaks. Citing a risk of suicide, judge Vanessa Baraitser refused to give the green light to extradition. But this decision was later reversed.
>> Read also: British justice keeps Julian Assange in detention
In early February, the UN special rapporteur on torture, independent expert Alice Jill Edwards, called on the British government to suspend the extradition procedure, in the name of its international human rights obligations: “Julian Assange has long suffered from periodic depressive disorder. He has been assessed to be at risk for suicide.”
Up to 175 years in prison faced
In an attempt to reassure him about the treatment he would receive, the United States affirmed that he would not be incarcerated at the very high security ADX prison in Florence, Colorado, nicknamed the “Alcatraz of the Rockies” and that he would receive the necessary clinical and psychological care. The Americans had also raised the possibility that he could ask to serve his sentence in Australia.
These guarantees convinced the British justice system, but not the supporters of Julian Assange, who denounce political prosecutions. In recent days, expressions of support have increased for the founder of WikiLeaks, who benefits from the support of numerous journalist organizations.
Julian Assange is currently detained at Belmarsh high security prison in east London. He faces up to 175 years in prison.
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