Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s final UK appeal against extradition to the US is on hold as the High Court awaits assurances from American authorities. If convicted in the US, the Australian national is facing a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison. Assange is accused of breaking the law and endangering lives by publishing secret military files. His lawyers contend that the case against him is an act of “state retaliation” for his publication of classified documents that reveal US atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Over the past decade, Assange has been pursued by US and British authorities, who characterise him as a cyber-criminal, terrorist, and spy. Critics contend that the charges against him are politically motivated and pose a significant threat to freedom of the press. Wikileaks, which he founded, is a whistle-blower platform that is responsible for releasing key documents that expose state secrets and corporate misconduct.
Assange has been in and out of court since he was first arrested in the UK in 2010. After Ecuador granted him asylum in 2012, he spent almost seven years living in the country’s embassy in London before being forcibly removed and arrested by UK authorities in 2019. Since then, he has been held in London’s Belmarsh Prison while awaiting extradition. Despite widespread calls for his release, Assange remains in jail as his legal battle continues.
The news that the High Court is demanding assurances from US authorities has been welcomed by Assange’s supporters. Some hope that it signifies a growing recognition of the legal flaws in the extradition case against him. As the struggle over Assange’s fate continues, his supporters and allies remain committed to defending freedom of the press and the right to speak truth to power
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