WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s last appeal against US extradition will be heard by the UK High Court

Tuesday marks the start of Julian Assange’s last UK appeal against being extradited to the United States to stand prosecution for publishing classified military and diplomatic materials, before the High Court in London.

The 52-year-old Australian citizen is wanted by Washington for extradition after he was charged there many times between 2018 and 2020 in relation to the 2010 release of documents by WikiLeaks on US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The protracted legal battle in British courts is finally coming to an end after Assange lost a series of verdicts in recent years.

before the event that his two-day appeal attempt this week, which is scheduled to start on Tuesday at 10:30 am (1030 GMT), is successful, he will have another opportunity to present his case before a London court. A complete hearing date will be scheduled.

Even though Assange’s team has said they would appeal to European courts, if he loses, he will have used up all of his UK appeals and will begin the extradition process.

Stella Assange, his wife, has threatened to kill him if he is extradited to the United States and has said that he would approach the European Court of Human Rights to temporarily suspend the extradition process if necessary.

She said on Monday on BBC radio that “tomorrow and the day after will determine whether he lives or dies essentially, and he’s physically and mentally obviously in a very difficult place.”

Foreign and domestic pressure has mounted on US President Joe Biden to dismiss the 18-count charge against Julian Assange that was brought by his predecessor, Donald Trump, and is now pending in federal court in Virginia.

Prominent media entities, defenders of press freedom, and the Australian parliament are among those objecting to the 1917 Espionage Act prosecution—which has never been used—for the publication of secret material.

“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”
However, the case has been upheld by Washington, claiming that Assange and other WikiLeaks employees enlisted the help of hackers and made agreements with them to carry out “one of the largest compromises of classified information” in US history.

After spending seven years hiding out at Ecuador’s London embassy, Assange was apprehended and is now being held at the highly secure Belmarsh Prison in southeast London as of April 2019.

He left the country to escape being extradited to Sweden, where he was accused of sexual assault but the charges were eventually withdrawn.

After the US promised not to put him in its most severe jail, “ADX Florence,” the High Court overturned its judgment to deny his extradition in 2021 on appeal.

Additionally, it promised not to put him under the strict “Special Administrative Measures” regime.

The UK Supreme Court denied Assange’s request to appeal in March 2022, stating that he had not successfully shown a “ribald point of law.”

After many months, former interior minister Priti Patel officially approved his extradition; however, Assange is now requesting authorization to examine both that judgment and the 2021 appeal ruling.

Should he be found guilty in the US, his maximum prison term would be 175 years.

The main editor of WikiLeaks, Kristinn Hrafnsson, said reporters last week that the US commitments were “not worth the paper they are written on” due to certain restrictions.

The day before, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “Enough is enough,” criticizing the years-long judicial pursuit of Assange.

It happened after the nation’s parliament approved a resolution demanding that his prosecution be stopped.

With his spouse Stella, a lawyer he met while she was working on his case, Assange is parents to two children.