Assange to receive final extradition verdict in UK court Monday
3 Min Read
London will witness two judges at the High Court rule on whether they are satisfied by US assurances that Assange would not face the death penalty and could rely on the First Amendment right to free speech if he were to stand in a US trial for spying.
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Activists marking five years since the arrest of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange demonstrate outside Belmarsh Prison in London, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP)
WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange faces a fateful decision on Monday as a verdict is awaited by a British court to rule on whether he is to be extradited to the United States after 13 years of legal battles and detentions.
London will witness two judges at the High Court rule on whether they are satisfied by US assurances that Assange would not face the death penalty and could rely on the First Amendment right to free speech if he were to stand in a US trial for spying.
A statement from his legal team says he could either fly out within 24 hours of the decision, be released from prison, or his case could still be postponed and dragged down for another set of legal delays.
"I have the sense that anything could happen at this stage," his wife Stella said this week. "Julian could be extradited, or he could be freed." She relayed on behalf of her husband his hope to be in court on Monday.
The US submitted assurances to the London High Court were dismissed by Assange's wife, who dubbed them as mere "weasel words".
Assurances or deceit?
In late March, Assange was given the chance to fight against extradition only if the US was not able to provide additional "satisfactory assurances" regarding the WikiLeaks founder's ability to invoke the protections of the First Amendment of the US Constitution and his potential exposure to the death penalty.
This includes assurances “that the applicant [Assange] is permitted to rely on the first amendment, that the applicant is not prejudiced at trial, including sentence, by reason of his nationality, that he is afforded the same first amendment [free speech] protections as a United States citizen, and that the death penalty is not imposed."
In this context, the US assurances stated that Assange is not being prosecuted because of nationality, that he can seek the First Amendment but only under the authority of US courts, and that the death penalty would not be sought by the US or imposed on Assange.
Read more: Assange's wife: Extradition hearing 'a matter of life and death'
If the London court found the assurances sufficient, then Assange would have no choice but to be extradited to the US. Then, his only hope would be reliance on human rights organization's intervention.
BREAKING:
— Stella Assange #FreeAssangeNOW (@Stella_Assange) April 16, 2024
“The United States has issued a non-assurance in relation to the First Amendment, and a standard assurance in relation to the death penalty. It makes no undertaking to withdraw the prosecution's previous assertion that Julian has no First Amendment rights because he… pic.twitter.com/lu7bkw0M5u
