The court in London has decided: Assange may not be immediately extradited to the US

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Julian Assange has been granted another extension in his application to appeal the threat of extradition to the US. London’s High Court ruled on Tuesday that the Wikileaks founder should not be extradited immediately. The Australian’s request for an appeal could therefore still be granted.

As the judges explained, the appeal was rejected on six out of nine counts. On three other points it depends on whether the US government and the British Home Secretary can provide appropriate guarantees. The judges set a period of three weeks for this.

A final decision will be made at a further hearing on May 20. The question is whether Assange can invoke the right to freedom of expression during a trial in the US and whether he enjoys the same rights as American citizens, that he is not prejudiced because of his citizenship and that the death penalty is not imposed.

Tuesday’s verdict was eagerly awaited after a two-day hearing. Assange’s wife Stella had expressed fears that if the appeal was rejected, he could be immediately put on a plane to the US.

The US government wants to try the Australian on espionage charges. He faces a prison sentence of up to 175 years. The US government accuses him of stealing and publishing classified material about military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, endangering the lives of US informants. However, Assange’s supporters see him as a journalist targeted by the Washington judiciary for exposing US war crimes.

Assange has been in London’s Belmarsh prison for almost five years. Before his arrest in April 2019, he had evaded law enforcement authorities in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for years. They initially targeted him over rape allegations in Sweden. However, these charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence. (SDA)

Source: Blick