The extradition of Wikileaks founder Assange to the US is getting closer. The British government has now released him. The Australian faces up to 175 years in prison. But the matter is still not decided.
Serious setback for Julian Assange: After years of back and forth, Great Britain approved the extradition of the Wikileaks founder to the USA.
The conservative Home Secretary Priti Patel signed a corresponding order, as announced by her ministry in London. The founder of the disclosure platform has been fighting a possible transfer to the United States for more than ten years. The 50-year-old has been in prison in London since 2019. Although he is not convicted, his risk of absconding is considered high. Wikileaks announced that it would go back to court.
The US judiciary wants to put Assange on trial for allegations of espionage. The Australian faces up to 175 years in prison if convicted. He is accused of having stolen and published secret material from US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan together with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, thereby endangering the lives of US informants. His lawyers argue that no one was harmed at all. Supporters see Assange as a courageous journalist who brought war crimes to light and who should now be made an example of.
14 days to appeal
A Home Office spokesman justified the decision by saying: “British courts have not found in this case that it would be repressive, unfair or an abuse of process to extradite Mr Assange.” His basic rights – including the rights to due process and freedom of expression – are not affected. Assange now has two weeks to appeal. Those around him fear he will be placed in solitary confinement and not receive a fair trial, despite assurances to the contrary from Washington.
Wikileaks spoke of a “black day for press freedom and British democracy”. Patel made himself an accomplice to the United States, which wanted to make investigative journalism a crime. The platform even accuses US intelligence agencies of being involved in a plot to assassinate Assange. The legal dispute over extradition has dragged on for years. At the end of last year, the High Court lifted an extradition ban due to the risk of suicide. After the Supreme Court rejected an appeal against it, it was now the turn of the Home Secretary.
In a maximum security prison since 2019
Assange has been held in Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison since his arrest in April 2019. Before that, he had evaded the law enforcement authorities for several years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. They had initially sought him in Sweden because of allegations of rape. However, these allegations were later dropped for lack of evidence.
It is still unclear whether the 50-year-old will actually be extradited. According to his supporters, legal recourse has not yet been exhausted. “We will take legal action. The next appeal will be before the High Court. We will fight louder and shout louder on the streets,” the WikiLeaks statement said.
The federal government also pointed out that the decision to extradite is still contestable. Deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said in Berlin: “According to the current state of knowledge, there is probably another legal route possible.” This will be “observed very closely”.
“A devastating signal for freedom of the press”
The human rights policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, Peter Heidt, was surprised “that the British government saw no reasons against Assange’s extradition to the USA”. Failure to extradite would have been “a strong sign of freedom of the press,” he said, according to a statement. However, he also emphasized that Great Britain and the United States of America are constitutional states.
The newly founded writers’ association PEN Berlin, which had made Assange an honorary member, called on the government to go further: “We urgently request the federal government to work for his immediate release and to offer him political asylum,” it said in a statement. According to the association, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock campaigned for this as a member of the opposition last year.
The organization Reporters Without Borders spoke of a “devastating signal for freedom of the press”. The German Association of Journalists called on the United States to drop the charges. If President Joe Biden denounces Russian war crimes in Ukraine, he should not take extreme legal action against the investigators of American war crimes.
Source: Stern
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
