London court authorizes Julian Assange to appeal against extradition to the US

O London High Court of Justice authorized this Monday, 20, that Julian Assangefounder of WikiLeaksfile an appeal against extradition to the USA.

Assange, who could be sentenced to 175 years in prison in the US for leaking 700,000 confidential documents since 2010, faces charges related to American military and diplomatic activities in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The decision came after British judges requested more information from the US government about the case. Assange’s defense must now appeal to avoid extradition and seek trial in the United Kingdom. This appeal is Assange’s last opportunity to avoid being sent to the US.

Leaks Details

Among the leaked materials, a video showed American soldiers executing 18 civilians from a helicopter in Iraq.

Other documents revealed murders of civilians, including journalists, and abuses committed by authorities in the US and other countries.

American officials said the leaks put lives at risk by revealing the identities of military cooperators in the Middle East.

In 2019, the US Department of Justice called the WikiLeaks leaks “one of the largest leaks of classified information in United States history.”

Statements in Court

Assange’s lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, argued that his client is being prosecuted for common journalistic practices of obtaining and publishing confidential information in the public interest.

Clair Dobbin, a lawyer representing the US, argued that Assange published the names of people who acted as sources of information for the United States.

History of Judicial Decisions

In January 2021, a British court initially rejected the US extradition request. However, the American appeal led the British court to overturn this decision in December 2021. In 2022, a new extradition request was denied due to the risk of Assange committing suicide.

Current situation

Julian Assange has been imprisoned in England since 2019, after spending seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He sought refuge to avoid extradition on sexual assault charges in Sweden, which were later dropped.

Before the trial, Assange’s wife, Stella Assange, warned about the WikiLeaks founder’s fragile health, saying that his life is in danger every day he remains in prison and that he will die if extradited.

With information from Reuters