Julian Assange files appeal against US extradition
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Wikileaks' founder, who is facing 17 espionage accusations in the US, is being persecuted for his political ideas, according to his attorneys.
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Julian Assange has been in custody since he was arrested in April 2019 at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. (Reuters)
While the UN top human rights official supports the Australian's cause, Julian Assange's attorneys have launched an appeal to stop his extradition to the US.
Assange has been unlawfully charged in the US with 17 counts of "espionage" and one count of computer misuse in connection with WikiLeaks' disclosure of tens of thousands of military and diplomatic documents - whereby Assange exposed the US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan - that whistleblower Chelsea Manning had disclosed.
The maximum sentence for the charges is 175 years in jail.
Julian Assange's lawyer recently cited suicide as a possible outcome if the Australian is extradited to the #US on his espionage charges.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 30, 2021
Here's a timeline of some key dates from Assange’s life.#JulianAssange #FreeAssange pic.twitter.com/FTSGibxwQO
Assange's legal team has "perfected grounds of appeal" against the US and UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, who ordered his extradition in June, in the UK's high court, according to WikiLeaks. Assange’s lawyers argue he is “being prosecuted and punished for his political opinions."
His wife said the prosecution was unlawful. “Overwhelming evidence has emerged proving that the US prosecution against my husband is a criminal abuse,” Stella Assange said on Twitter on Saturday. “The high court judges will now decide whether Julian is given the opportunity to put the case against the US before open court, and in full, at the appeal.”
"Overwhelming evidence has emerged proving that the US prosecution against my husband is a criminal abuse. The High Court judges will now decide whether Julian is given the opportunity to put the case against the US before open court, and in full, at the appeal" - @StellaMoris1 https://t.co/HKAyCaCMV3
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) August 26, 2022
Assange still remains in London's Belmarsh prison, where he has been in detention since April 2019. His extradition was halted by a UK judge last year, but the US government was successful in its appeal to the high court.
The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, has previously said regarding Assange's continued confinement, "enough is enough."
The request was made following a meeting in Geneva between Assange's attorneys and his wife and UN human rights leader Michelle Bachelet.
According to advocacy group the Assange Defence Committee, they described to her the Australian publisher's failing health, which recently included a mini-stroke.
