Stella Assange urges British government not to extradite Julian
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Priti Patel and Boris Johnson could make a change if they intend to.
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Stella Assange urges the British government not to extradite Julian
Stella Assange urged the British government on Saturday not to sign her husband's extradition order to the US, stressing that Julian's fate will have repercussions in Europe.
On Wednesday, a UK court issued a formal order to extradite Julian Assange to face trial in the United States for publicizing 500,000 secret military files which expose US crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, and beyond.
The founder of Wikileaks can face up to 175 years in prison if extradited.
UK 🇬🇧
— NielsenNews (@NielsenNews) April 22, 2022
Stella Assange
to
Boris Johnson:
"Don’t Extradite Julian to the Country
that Conspired to Murder Him"
"They can stop it today. They can do the right thing and enforce article four of the US-UK extradition treaty#FreeAssange pic.twitter.com/YZysTvEeRj
Priti Patel, the British home secretary, will have to sign on the extradition in order to go through. Assange as of recent could not appeal the extradition.
"This is a political case, it has always been a political case," Stella Assange told AFP on the margins of a demonstration in support of her husband in Brussels. "The trick that has been played by the various governments the UK Government, the Australian Government, the US government, is to say it's before the courts," she added
"Now that the UK courts have issued the extradition order, there is no excuse. It is squarely in the political domain."
Wednesday's ruling, in which UK's Westminster Magistrate's Court ordered the extradition of Assange to the United States, is not only a death sentence but also a fatal blow to free speech and journalism.
Assange's lawyers have until May 18 to make any representations to Patel.
Assange Lawyers Warn of Suicide if Extradited
A defense lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange argued that US promises that Assange would not be subjected to harsh prison conditions if extradited were not enough to address concerns regarding his fragile mental health and high risk of suicide.
Assange's lawyer said the Australian was "too mentally ill" to be extradited to the US in light of his trial on "espionage charges."
During a two-day hearing at Britain’s High Court last October, the lawyer said new data does not justify reconsidering the refusal to extradite Assange.
A US government lawyer said US authorities promised Assange would not be held in a top-security prison ahead of trial, nor would he be subjected to strict isolation conditions. The lawyer also explained that, if convicted, the Australian would be allowed to serve his sentence in his home country.
Fitzgerald, Assange's lawyer, argued that US 'assurances' were all "caveated, vague, or simply ineffective." He explained that they do not remove the risk of his detention in extreme isolation in the US in the long term. The risk of Assange killing himself remained substantial if he was extradited, he said.
"It is perfectly reasonable to find it oppressive to extradite a mentally disordered person because his extradition is likely to result in his death," he said. Fitzgerald also called on judges to use their power to protect people from extradition to a foreign state where "we have no control over what will be done to them."
The United States has indicted the 50-year-old on 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks' publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents. He could face up to 175 years in prison.
