Julian Assange’s wife, Stella Assange, claims that her husband is facing “enormous pressure” as he awaits a ruling on his right to appeal against his extradition to the US. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said the decision on Monday would be a crucial moment in the Wikileaks founder’s long legal battle. In the event that the High Court rules against him, the 52-year-old could be on a plane to the US within a day.
Assange would then turn to the European Court of Human Rights where he would seek an emergency injunction as a final bid to halt his extradition. US authorities maintain that his publication of thousands of classified documents endangered lives. Assange’s lawyers, however, argue that the case against him is politically motivated. Priti Patel, then-home secretary, signed Assange’s extradition order back in 2022. However, in February 2024, he returned to the High Court to request leave to appeal.
During Monday’s hearing, judges will rule on whether or not adequate assurances have been provided by the US on what would happen to Assange were he to be extradited. At a previous hearing in March, the US was given a period of additional time to provide these assurances on three key points: first, that the US Constitution’s First Amendment would be applied; second, that his Australian nationality would not be held against him; and finally, that he would not face capital punishment if convicted of other crimes.
At present, Assange is not charged with any crimes carrying the death penalty in the US. However, his lawyers are concerned that he could face additional charges after extradition. Last month, judges confirmed that the US had provided assurances. Both sides’ legal teams are set to present arguments concerning these issues during Monday’s hearing.
If the court rules in favour of the US, Assange’s final request to appeal in the UK will be denied, effectively ending all legal avenues for him in that country. Should the decision go the other way, Assange would be able to appeal in the High Court on a future date, meaning he will remain in the UK a while longer.
Assange has avoided extradition from the UK for over a decade since his Wikileaks website published thousands of confidential US documents in 2010 and 2011. The US authorities dubbed the leaks as “one of the largest exposures of classified information in American history”. The leaked documents suggested that US military forces had killed civilians during the war in Afghanistan, among other information. Saulsmoore, an activist who traveled from Nottinghamshire, was amongst dozens gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice to support Assange. She said the case had reached a “crunch point.”
Stella Assange told the BBC that she has not told her two children, who she had with the Wikileaks founder and married in Belmarsh Prison in 2022, that their father is at risk of being extradited. “They don’t understand the concept of extradition or that their father might be taken away from them,” she said. “So I just tell them that we’re fighting to free him, and we make plans about what we’ll do when he’s free.”
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More