OP 03 October, 2024 - 05:53 PM
A British court has decided not to extradite the WikiLeaks founder to the United States due to the risk of suicide. Washington has appealed. In the United States, Julian Assange faces up to 175 years in prison.
On Wednesday, August 11, preliminary hearings began in the United Kingdom on the US appeal against London's refusal to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to Washington. Supporters of the 50-year-old Australian held a rally outside the court in the British capital, calling for his release. Assange himself appeared in court for the first time in more than 6 months.
In early January, a London court refused to extradite him to the United States, explaining that if extradited, the risk of Assange committing suicide would increase significantly. That same month, the court refused to release the Australian on bail. In the United States, the WikiLeaks founder is accused of "the largest theft of classified information in the country's history." If convicted, he faces up to 175 years in prison.
According to Washington, Assange helped American soldier Bradley Manning (who later changed his gender and became Chelsea Manning) gain access to classified materials related to US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a result of the publication of these materials on WikiLeaks, a number of crimes committed by American soldiers in the Middle East became known to the public.
Assange's arrest in the Ecuadorian embassy
In 2012, Julian Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, fearing arrest under a European warrant issued by Sweden on the basis of an opened rape case. The WikiLeaks founder believed that Sweden could extradite him to the United States. Later, Swedish justice authorities dropped the preliminary investigation against the whistleblower.
In April 2019, British police arrested Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy. The South American state deprived the WikiLeaks founder of asylum, citing violations of international conventions. In July 2021, a court in Ecuador stripped Assange of that country's citizenship.
On Wednesday, August 11, preliminary hearings began in the United Kingdom on the US appeal against London's refusal to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to Washington. Supporters of the 50-year-old Australian held a rally outside the court in the British capital, calling for his release. Assange himself appeared in court for the first time in more than 6 months.
In early January, a London court refused to extradite him to the United States, explaining that if extradited, the risk of Assange committing suicide would increase significantly. That same month, the court refused to release the Australian on bail. In the United States, the WikiLeaks founder is accused of "the largest theft of classified information in the country's history." If convicted, he faces up to 175 years in prison.
According to Washington, Assange helped American soldier Bradley Manning (who later changed his gender and became Chelsea Manning) gain access to classified materials related to US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a result of the publication of these materials on WikiLeaks, a number of crimes committed by American soldiers in the Middle East became known to the public.
Assange's arrest in the Ecuadorian embassy
In 2012, Julian Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, fearing arrest under a European warrant issued by Sweden on the basis of an opened rape case. The WikiLeaks founder believed that Sweden could extradite him to the United States. Later, Swedish justice authorities dropped the preliminary investigation against the whistleblower.
In April 2019, British police arrested Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy. The South American state deprived the WikiLeaks founder of asylum, citing violations of international conventions. In July 2021, a court in Ecuador stripped Assange of that country's citizenship.
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