Julian Assange granted permission to appeal US extradition

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After a long day of suspense, Wikileaks founder and journalist Julian Assange was granted permission to appeal his extradition to the United States, where he can face up to an indefinite 175 years in prison. 

Assange has publicized 500,000 secret military files that expose Washington's war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

In December 2021, the High Court in London reversed the lower court's decision not to send Assange to the US on the count that the journalist is at risk of suicide. However, lawyers advocating for Assange's case are challenging that. 

The lawyers, consequentially, argued that the country's highest court should rule on "points of law of general public importance." 

Judges Ian Burnett and Timothy Holroyde, in a written ruling, said, "The respondent's application to certify a point of law is granted." 

Burnett and Holroyde were not granting Assange appeal itself, but rather ruled him the right to do it himself at the Supreme Court. It is then up to the Supreme Court to take the case or not. 

Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks editor, said the ruling was a "partial victory" deeming the US actions against Assange a "blatant terrorist attack on press freedom worldwide."

Stella Moris, Assange's fiancee and mother of 2 of his children, expressed relief after the ruling. 

"What happened in court today is precisely what we wanted to happen," Moris expressed. "The situation now is that the Supreme Court has to decide whether it will hear the appeal. But make no mistake, we won today in court."

"If there were justice, the crimes that Julian exposed –- war crimes, the killing of innocent civilians -– would not be impugned."

"Our fight goes on. We will fight this until Julian's free."

An insult to peace and human rights

Crowds of people gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London embracing the ruling. 

"10 years enough. Free Assange now," said Sue Barnett, 61, who was standing outside the court. "We were all fearing the worst."

Assange has been held at Belamarsh's high-security prison since 2019, spending 7 years at the Ecuadorian Embassy before. 

Stella Moris said that Assange was held longer in Belmarsh than most prisoners who were convicted of violent crimes. 

Thousands of anti-war and peace activists on Friday signed a petition, calling for his immediate release. 

The director of the Courage Foundation, Nathan Fuller, said, "While the Biden administration is confronting US adversaries over their press freedom shortcomings, it should address its own hypocrisy."

Fuller continued to say that "locking up Julian Assange for exposing the truth about US wars is an insult to all those struggling for peace and human rights."