The High Court of London this Monday authorized the Australian journalist Julian Assange to appeal in another future hearing two of the three guarantees offered by the United States about the treatment he would receive if he were extradited to that country. Thus, the British Justice stops Assange’s extradition to the US, where he is accused of several crimes for the dissemination of thousands of secret documents, and allows him to continue appealing in the United Kingdom.
The founder of WikiLeaks had a hearing this Monday to which did not attend for health reasons, according to his lawyer Edward Fitzgerald. The 52-year-old Australian was not present in person at the hearing, but his defense who presented his allegations was.
Assange’s defense had already requested in February challenging most of the case to avoid extradition. However, the judges in charge of the case rejected most of the lawyers’ arguments but did ask the United States to guarantee Assange’s safety.
Assange’s representatives have warned during the hearing that even if the Joe Biden Administration provides guarantees, the US Justice could apply the law “regardless of what the Executive does or says“, according to the British news channel Sky News.
For his part, the representative of the US Government has insisted that the United States Justice “will take due account of this solemn guarantee given by his Government in the course of international relations“. The Government of the United Kingdom already gave the green light to the transfer in June 2022, but Assange, who spent nearly seven years taking refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, has tried to block it in every possible way.
He is charged with violating the American espionage law and risks a sentence of up to 175 years in prison. At the February hearings, the WikiLeak founder’s lawyersThey questioned whether he could receive a fair trial in the United States and claimed that fundamental freedoms are at stake in this process, since Assange’s actions would fall within the scope of journalism and deserve special protection.
Source: Lasexta
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