FILE - Stella Assange, wife of Julian Assange, speaks besides a poster of Julian Assange at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. A London court is due to rule whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can challenge extradition to the United States on espionage charges. Two judges will issue a ruling Tuesday morning in the High Court on whether Assange can make one final appeal in England. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
FILE - Stella Assange, wife of Julian Assange, speaks besides a poster of Julian Assange at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. A London court is due to rule whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can challenge extradition to the United States on espionage charges. Two judges will issue a ruling Tuesday morning in the High Court on whether Assange can make one final appeal in England. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
FALONDON (AP) â A London court is due to rule whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gets one final appeal in England to challenge extradition to the United States on espionage charges.
Two judges are scheduled to issue a judgment Tuesday morning in the High Court that could put an end to Assange's â or extend it further.
If he fails in winning the right to appeal, his legal team fears he could be swiftly sent to the U.S. to face charges, though theyâre likely to ask the European Court of Human Rights to block any transfer.
Assange, 52, has been indicted on 17 and one charge of computer misuse over his websiteâs publication of a trove of classified U.S. documents almost 15 years ago. American prosecutors allege that Assange encouraged and helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks published.
During a , Assangeâs lawyers argued that he was a secrecy-busting journalist who exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sending him to the United States, they said, would expose him to a politically motivated prosecution and risk a âflagrant denial of justice.â
The U.S. government said that Assange's actions went way beyond those of a journalist gathering information and put lives at risk in his bid to solicit, steal and indiscriminately publish classified government documents.
The Australian computer expert has been held in a British high-security prison for the past five years.
Assangeâs family and supporters say his physical and mental health have suffered during including taking refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London from 2012 until 2019.
âJulian is a political prisoner and he has to be released,â said Stella Assange, who in 2022.
Assangeâs lawyers say that he could face up to 175 years in prison if convicted, though American authorities have said the sentence is likely to be much shorter.
The șĂÉ«tv Press. All rights reserved.
Get the latest from șĂÉ«tvNews in your inbox. Select the emails you're interested in below.
Canada is entering a new era of nation-building. From clean-energy corridors and c…
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
