British justice studies the US extradition request against Julian Assange

The British justice began to study this Wednesday the appeal presented by USA against the UK’s refusal to extradite the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, claimed by a massive leak of documents.

The 50-year-old Australian decided not to appear by videoconference at the hearing before the High Court of Londonaccording to his attorney, Edward Fitzgerald, for reasons he will explain later.

After seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and two and a half years in the Belmarsh high security prison, the Australian, considered by his followers as a victim of attacks against freedom of expression, took a big step towards his freedom in january.

The British judge Vanessa Baraitser He then rejected Washington’s extradition request on the grounds that there was a risk that Assange commit suicide. In the United States, he faces a sentence of 175 years in prison.

In its appeal, Washington calls into question the reliability of an expert who testified on behalf of Assange.

Indeed, the psychiatrist Michael Kopelman acknowledged that he had deceived justice by “hiding” the fact that his client became a father during his confinement in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

This appeal to the High Court of London, which will last two days, is one of the last appeals of Washington, which, if it fails, could only go to the British Supreme Court.

In the event of victory, it will not be the end of the case, which will be forwarded to another court that must rule on the merits.

“In very bad condition”

Before the start of the hearing, several dozen people gathered in front of the High Court in London to support Assange.

“He did nothing wrong from a legal, ethical or moral point of view”, Sadia Koknie, 40, who was present to support the Australian militant, told AFP.

“He was imprisoned in disgusting conditions (…). He shouldn’t be here and what he experienced is totally ridiculous “added.

Assange, which has the support of numerous press freedom defense organizations, is wanted by the United States for espionage following the publication of some 700,000 secret military and diplomatic documents.

He was arrested by British police in April 2019, after spending seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he took refuge when he was free on bail. He feared extradition to the United States or Sweden, who claimed him for rape, charges that have since been dropped.

According to his partner, Stella Moris, who visited him in jail on Saturday, Assange is “in very bad shape.” “Julian would not survive an extradition, is the conclusion of the magistrate,” he said at a press conference.

“Julian wants to be able to go back to Australia and see his family, his mother, who he hasn’t seen in eight years”, he explained, although he admitted that it will be difficult because “Australia has done nothing to ensure their safety.”

For the editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, Kristinn Hrafnsson, it would be “unthinkable” for the High Court in London to reach a conclusion other than the “confirmation” of the refusal to hand over Assange to Washington.

Assange is the subject of a process launched during the presidency of Donald Trump. Under the presidency of Barack Obama, who had Joe Biden as vice president, the American justice had resigned to act against the founder of WikiLeaks.

But Biden’s election to the White House does not appear to entail the turnaround in the case that Assange supporters expected.

Several organizations for the defense of human rights and freedom of the press, such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders, in mid-October urged the US attorney general to abandon the measures.

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