WikiLeaks founder Assange faces up to 175 years in US prison on espionage charges. On Monday, the Supreme Court in London ruled that the Australian could appeal against the threatened extradition.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been allowed to appeal his extradition to the US. This was decided by the London High Court on Monday. The WikiLeaks founder, who has been held in a high-security prison in the British capital for years, has not appeared in person for a High Court hearing. However, his wife Stella Assange and his father John Shipton were in the courtroom.
The US government wants to prosecute the Australian-born man on espionage charges. According to his supporters, he could face up to 175 years in prison. Washington accuses him of stealing and releasing classified information from US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan along with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, thereby endangering the lives of US informants. Assange’s supporters, on the other hand, see the prosecution as retaliation by Washington because the publications exposed alleged war crimes.
In addition to an appeals process, Assange’s supporters will place their hopes primarily in a political solution. The Australian government is now campaigning for the release of its citizen. The Australian Parliament recently passed a resolution calling on the United States and Britain to stop prosecuting Assange. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stressed that the issue has been dragging on for too long.
Biden inspires confidence
US President Joe Biden recently offered hope to Assange supporters. Asked whether Australia’s request to end the criminal case would be looked into, he said: “We find it encouraging to Albanese.”
Assange has been in London’s Belmarsh maximum security prison for nearly five years. Before his arrest in April 2019, he eluded law enforcement authorities for years at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. They initially targeted him because of rape allegations in Sweden. However, these charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence. He is now in prison without conviction. Numerous human rights organizations, journalists’ associations, artists and politicians have called for Assange’s immediate release. (APA)