Assange's extradition case returns to UK court

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has been in prison since 2019. maximum security prison in south-east London while his lawyers fight a US extradition order. Now, this particular battle may be coming to an end.

Mr Assange's case returns to a British court on Tuesday and Wednesday for a two-day hearing that will determine whether he has exhausted his right to appeal in Britain and whether he could be a step closer to being sent to the United States.

In America, Assange, 52, faces charges under the Espionage Act of 1917, which could lead to up to 175 years in prison, his lawyers say, although lawyers for the United States government have previously said he is likely to be convicted sentenced to four to six years. Here's what you need to know about the long legal battle over his extradition and what might happen next.

Assange has been in a British prison for almost five years. That's why.

The US charges against Mr Assange stem from events in 2010, when WikiLeaks released tens of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents released by Chelsea Manning, an Army intelligence analyst.

The files exposed covert diplomatic deals and included revelations about civilian deaths in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In May 2019, during Trump's presidency, the US Department of Justice charged Mr. Assange with violation of the Espionage Act by collecting and publishing secret government information, allegations that raise profound First Amendment questions. (The Obama administration had was considering the indictment of Mr. Assange but decided to refuse because of the threat to the freedom of the press.)

While Mr Assange has for years fought efforts to extradite him from the UK to face US charges, his life in limbo in London stretches even further.

In June 2012, Mr. Assange entered the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced an investigation into unrelated allegations of sexual harassment and rape that were later dropped. He stayed at the embassy for the next seven years.

Assange's team says the hearing is the “beginning of the end” of extradition problems in British courts.

An extradition order for Assange was initially rejected by a British judge in January 2021 ruled that Assange was at risk of suicide if sent to an American prison. The decision was later overturned by the UK High Court following assurances from US officials about his treatment. Priti Patel, then UK Home Secretary, approved extradition request in 2022.

But the legal challenges continued. Mr. Assange's legal team had a previous request to appeal Ms. Patel's order rejected by a single judge. Two High Court judges will now hear his latest appeal in a British court.

Mr Assange's legal team will present their case on Tuesday, followed by the US Justice Department's legal team. The judges will then consider the case – which could take hours, days or weeks – before announcing their decision.

And there are several possible outcomes. Judges could allow Mr Assange to appeal his extradition order, in which case a full appeal hearing would be scheduled, opening the door to a new decision on his extradition.

Or, if Mr Assange's appeal is rejected, he could be quickly put on a plane bound for the United States, his legal team said. But his lawyers have vowed to challenge his extradition at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

In theory, this could block his extradition from the UK until the case is heard in Strasbourg, because the UK is bound by the court's decision as a signatory to the agreement. European Convention on Human Rights.

The process took a toll on Mr. Assange's health. And human rights groups have expressed concerns about what will happen next.

Stella AssangeMr Assange's wife, told a press briefing last week that her husband, who suffers from depression, had aged prematurely during his years in prison and she feared for his mental and physical health.

“His life is in danger every day he is in prison and if he is extradited he will die,” she said. The couple, who began their relationship while Mr Assange was living in the Ecuadorian embassy, ​​have two children and regularly visit Mr Assange in prison.

“Julian and I protect children. Frankly, they don't know,” Ms. Assange said of the accusation against him. “And I don't think it's fair of them to know what's going on.”

Alice Jill Edwards, the United Nations special rapporteur on torture, called on Britain to halt Mr Assange's extradition, citing fears that he would be at risk of treatment amounting to torture or other forms of punishment if extradited. In the statement Earlier this month, she pointed to the risk that he could face “prolonged solitary confinement despite his unstable mental health and a potentially disproportionate sentence”.

The Australian government has also called for Assange, an Australian citizen, to be sent back to his home country where parliament sits last week accepted the summons motion for his release. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he discussed the issue in a meeting last fall with President Biden, and on Thursday Mr Albanese told the Australian parliament that “it is appropriate for us to express our very strong view that these countries should accept attention is necessary for this to be done.”

Human rights groups like Amnesty International and press freedom advocates, including Reporters Without Borders, have long called on the US to drop the charges against Mr Assange and reverse the extradition order.

Rebecca Vincent, director of international campaigns for Reporters Without Borders, said in a statement ahead of the hearing that the US could reject the extradition request or consider Assange's time in Belmarsh prison served.

“None of this is inevitable,” Ms. Vincent said in a statement before the hearing. “No one should face this treatment for publishing information in the public interest.”