June 10, 2023
In a major setback to
jailed WikiLeaks founder and journalist, Julian Assange, a UK High Court judge
dismissed his appeal against his extradition to the U.S. In a 3-page decision
handed down on Tuesday, June 6, Justice Jonathan Swift of the High Court of Justice
in London rejected all eight grounds of appeal against the extradition order
that was sanctioned by the UK Home Office around a year ago.
Despite the setback,
Assange is expected to file a renewed application challenging Justice Swift’s
decision. According to a statement released by lawyer and Assange’s wife
Stella, the defense will be preparing a renewed application for appeal to be
filed by Tuesday, June 13, challenging the decision before two different High
Court judges in a public hearing. This appeal attempt is the last legal
recourse for Assange who has been fighting against the U.S. extradition attempt
for over three years.
In her statement announcing
the decision to appeal, Stella Assange said that they “remain optimistic that
we will prevail and that Julian will not be extradited to the United States
where he faces charges that could result in him spending the rest of his life
in a maximum security prison for publishing true information that revealed war
crimes committed by the U.S. government.”
Expressing the
disappointment of the family and supporters, Assange’s father John Shipton
said, “Julian’s family watch on, horrified, and all fair-minded people the
world over watch with profound disquiet and alarm.” He added that his son’s
grounds for appeal were “clear, firm and just.”
Years-long legal ordeal
The U.S. extradition plea
was initially rejected by a district court judge in London in January 2021 on
grounds of Assange’s mental health and the risk of suicide and other bodily
harm if he was extradited.
This decision was
overturned by the High Court in London in December that year based on
diplomatic assurances given by the U.S. after the district court’s decision. In
June 2022, the UK Home Office sanctioned the extradition based on the High
Court’s decision.
Assange, who was arrested
and dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in April 2019, has spent four years
without a charge or conviction throughout this litigation period in a
high-security prison in Belmarsh in the outskirts of London.
Rights groups condemn
verdict
The decision by Justice
Swift has raised alarm among press freedom advocates around the world, with
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) pointing out that Assange is now “dangerously
close” to extradition.
“It is absurd that a single
judge can issue a three-page decision that could land Julian Assange in prison
for the rest of his life and permanently impact the climate for journalism
around the world,” said Rebecca Vincent, director of campaigns at RSF, in a
statement released in response to the judge’s decision.
If extradited, Assange will
stand trial before a federal grand jury in the U.S. on 18 charges that carry a
combined prison sentence of 175 years. Of the 18 charges leveled against him,
17 are under the infamous U.S. Espionage Act. The indictment against him,
initiated under the Donald Trump administration and continued under President
Joe Biden, is the first time ever a publisher has been charged under the Act.
“The historical weight of
what happens next cannot be overstated; it is time to put a stop to this
relentless targeting of Assange and act instead to protect journalism and press
freedom,” Vincent added.
In their statement, the RSF
reiterated their demand to President Biden to drop the charges against Assange,
close the case against him, and allow for his release without further delay.
In the dismissed appeal,
Assange’s defense team had raised several issues with the extradition
sanctioned by former UK Home Secretary Priti Patel during the Boris Johnson-led
Conservative government. Among the key grounds raised by the defense was that
if extradited, Assange will face a politically-motivated trial in the U.S., in
violation of the extradition treaty between the two countries.
The defense also raised
matters like Assange’s deteriorating mental and physical health; the fact that
he was being prosecuted for publishing what falls within the ambit of protected
speech; unsafe prison conditions in the US; and also how the U.S. has misrepresented
several facts throughout the course of the extradition trial.
In the meanwhile, calls
have been raised from Assange’s home country of Australia demanding the
intervention of the Labor-led government of Anthony Albanese. Andrew Wilkie, an
independent federal legislator who leads the Parliamentary Julian Assange
group, has reiterated his stand against the extradition.
“Mr Assange is an
Australian citizen and journalist, whose matter should not even be before a
court, as the case has always been an intensely political matter,” Wilkie said
in a statement responding to Justice Swift’s decision.
Enough is enough. The
U.S. must drop the extradition and discontinue these charges immediately. And
the Australian Government must continue to speak up and push for an immediate
end to this matter as Julian’s life is at stake.
Similarly, Green Party
senator Peter Whish-Wilson tweeted that the Australian prime minister “must
pick up the phone today to call Joe Biden and intervene. Julian Assange must
not be extradited to the U.S. where press freedoms will die the minute they
seal the door of his high-security gaol cell.”
Progressives and Assange
supporters in Australia are also mobilizing to protest against the looming
extradition. In Melbourne, a rally has been organized outside the UK consulate,
with Gabriel Shipton, Assange’s brother, expected to address the protesters.
Similar such mobilizations are expected in different parts of the country.
While the Albanese
government has repeatedly expressed concerns about Assange’s case and has
claimed that they are making use of diplomatic channels to secure his release,
the closed-door nature of these diplomatic negotiations have raised concerns
from progressives regarding the government’s dedication on the matter.
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