On Wednesday US government lawyers told a London court that why they think Julian Assange should face espionage charges in the US in response to his defense’s last-ditch bid to block the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder.
Assange’s lawyers told the High Court to give him a fresh appeal. For the last five years he has kept in British high-security prison because of the last legal roll of the dice in a long-running legal saga.
The 52-year-old Australian has been charged with 17 counts of espionage and one count of computer misuse for his website’s release of classified US documents nearly 15 years ago. American prosecutors said WikiLeaks later revealed that Assange helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal military files and diplomatic cables, putting her life at risk.
Assange is being prosecuted “because he is alleged to have committed a serious criminal offence,” US lawyers argued in written submissions.
Assange’s actions “threatened harm to national security and US strategic interests” and put those named in the document — including Iraqis and Afghans who aided U.S. forces — at risk of “serious bodily harm,” said attorney James Lewis.
However, Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist to his supporters who exposed U.S. military injustice in Iraq and Afghanistan.
They contend that he won’t get a fair trial in the US because the prosecution is politically motivated.
On Tuesday on the first day of the hearing the lawyers of Assange’s argued that the authorities of the America are seeking to punish Assange for WikiLeaks’ “exposure of criminality on the part of the U.S. government on an unprecedented scale,” including torture and killings.
Assange could “defy justice” if extradited to the US, lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said.
Assange’s lawyers said that he could face up to 175 years in prison if convicted, though the authorities America have said the sentence is likely to be much shorter.
During more than ten years of legal battles, Assange’s family and supporters claim that his physical and mental health have suffered. He has spent seven years in self-exile at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and the last five years in a high-security prison outside of the British capital.
Assange was not in court on Tuesday because of his illness, his lawyer said. Julian had wanted to attend, but was “not in good condition.” Stella Assange, his wife, said.
Last week that his health has deteriorated during years of confinement and “if he’s extradited, he will die.” Stella Assange, who married the WikiLeaks founder in prison in 2022 — said.
For a second day on Wednesday, supporters gathered outside the neo-Gothic High Court building, waving signs that read “Free Julian Assange” and yelling,” there is only one decision – no extradition.”
Julian Assange‘s legal problems started in 2010 when Sweden requested that he be detained in London so that it could question him regarding claims of rape and sexual assault made by two women. Assange ran away from custody in 2012 and took up residence in the Ecuadorian Embassy.
Assange’s relationship with his hosts eventually got worse, and in April 2019, he was forced to leave the embassy. After he violated his bail in 2012,
British authorities detained and imprisoned him right away. Due to the passage of time, Sweden ended its investigation into sexual crimes in November 2019.
A judge of UK district court rejected the United States’ request for extradition in 2021, claiming that Assange would probably commit suicide if imprisoned
in a harsh American environment. After receiving guarantees from the United States regarding his care, higher courts reversed that ruling. In June 2022, the
British government issued an extradition decree.
Assange can request that the European Court of Human Rights block his extradition if judges Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson rule against him. However, supporters are concerned that since the British government has already signed an extradition order, Assange may be flown to the United States before that happens.
Assange should be permitted to return to his native country, the Australian parliament demanded last week.
At the conclusion of the hearing on Wednesday, the two justices could deliver a verdict, but it’s more likely that they will deliberate for a few weeks before making a choice.
