As Julian Assange fights to avoid extradition to the United States, a crucial legal battle is unfolding at the High Court in London. This fight could well be his last chance to stay out of American bars, where he faces a life sentence on espionage charges.
The founder of WikiLeaks, aged 52, finds himself at a decisive turning point in his legal battle, with the last cartridge before the British justice system being the request for permission to appeal against his extradition. If the court’s decision is against Assange, his extradition could occur within 28 days. However, his legal team is also considering appealing to the European Court of Human Rights to intervene by suspending the extradition process.
The charges against Assange by American authorities date back to 2010, during the release of classified documents and diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks. These acts now earn him 18 charges carrying penalties of up to 175 years in prison.
The trajectory of Julian Assange, born in Australia in 1971, is marked by his commitment to press freedom and government transparency. To his supporters, he embodies the defender of free speech, while his detractors portray him as a narcissist.
His legal fight began in 2010 with the WikiLeaks revelations on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. After taking refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for seven years, Assange was finally arrested in 2019 and has been incarcerated at Belmarsh high security prison ever since.
At the heart of his defense arguments is the political nature of the US prosecution of Assange. The WikiLeaks founder’s legal team argues that his extradition would contravene an extradition treaty signed between the United States and the United Kingdom in 2003, which prohibits extradition for political reasons.
With his fragile health, Julian Assange was unable to attend the hearing, but his lawyers vigorously argued in favor of his case, asserting that the American prosecutions are a form of state retaliation against freedom of expression.
In this fight against extradition, the outcome of this last legal appeal will determine the fate of Julian Assange, controversial icon of investigative journalism and the fight for transparency.