Assange's wife: Extradition hearing 'a matter of life and death'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Feb 2024 09:35

The High Court in London is scheduled to commence a two-day hearing on Tuesday to determine Julian Assange's fate, and if his application is dismissed, he will have utilized all available legal avenues in Britain.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he sought refuge for several years, in 2017. (AP)

As a pivotal UK court hearing approaches, the wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange expressed pessimism about his chances to prevent extradition to the US in his final attempt.

Speaking with Australian broadcaster SBS News on Sunday, Stella Assange, Julian's wife and lawyer, conveyed a lack of optimism, stating that she doesn't believe "this will go our way."

The High Court in London is scheduled to commence a two-day hearing on Tuesday to determine Assange's fate, and if his application is dismissed, he will have utilized all available legal avenues in Britain.

Assange has been contesting his extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States, where he faces charges related to espionage.

"I don’t have hope that this will go our way. And even if it were to go our way – meaning he’d have leave to appeal and have his arguments heard in full – then it would mean Julian continues in prison," said the lawyer.

Should Assange's appeal be unsuccessful, he retains the option to file an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights to forestall his extradition to the US. Nonetheless, his legal team is concerned that the British government might attempt to transport him by air before such an appeal can be pursued.

"It’s now a matter of life and death for my husband," Assange added.

"Julian will be put in a hole if he is extradited, there is no doubt about that," she said. "He will be put in a hole so far and deep in the ground that I don't think I'll ever see him again,” she added.

'The situation is extremely grave'

This comes shortly after Stella warned, in a meeting organized by the Foreign Press Association, that he could be put on a plane to the US within days if the appeal fails, fearing his death if he is extradited. This is the final chance for Assange to challenge then-former Home Secretary Priti Patel's decision in June 2022 for an extradition.

“The situation is extremely grave. Julian could be on a plane to the United States within days... It is the final hearing if it does not go Julian’s way, there is no possibility to appeal to the Supreme Court or anywhere else in this jurisdiction," his wife said last Friday.

His supporters have raised their voices as well, saying that the impact of the decision on press freedom “cannot be underestimated,” while one artist claimed that he will destroy works by Picasso, Rembrandt, Warhol, and others if Assange dies in prison.

Assange’s request to attend his hearing next week in person to communicate with his lawyers has not been granted yet, according to his wife, who added, “It is part of the greater absurdity of this case that keeps on shocking me”.

She continued that her husband has not spent one day outside of Belmarsh prison for almost five years except for his in-person appearance in court back in 2021.