Protesters gather outside the court in central London. They hold placards with the message that Julian Assange should be “freed”. Also present outside the court is Assange’s wife, Stella Assange.
– We have two big days ahead of us… Julian needs his freedom and we need the truth, Stella Assange said during a short speech before the hearing, reports BBC.
Last appeal
In the past, the UK Home Secretary has decided on extradition to the USA after a complicated legal process. In the US, he is suspected of espionage when his site Wikileaks published classified documents from the war in Iraq.
Assange himself is not present during the hearing as he is not feeling well, the BBC reports. He is represented by his lawyers, who plead for his release and say there is a risk of an unfair sentence in the United States.
According to Christoffer Wong, university lecturer in criminal law and criminal procedure law at Lund University, there is nothing to prevent deportation.
– I am of the opinion that it has already been proven that there is no legal obstacle to extradition to the United States.
– A political decision has been made which means that the US request is granted.
The European Court of Justice last chance
The hearing in the British court will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday and a decision may come during those days.
In the event that Assange’s appeal is denied, there are no other bodies in the UK to take the case to. Assange’s only hope then lies with the European Court of Human Rights to block the deportation.
Some of his supporters worry, however, that he may be on a plane to the United States before the European Court has time to act.