AFP
NOS News•today, 09:41•Changed today, 10:22
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Arjen van der Horst
United Kingdom correspondent
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Meike Wijers
Australia correspondent
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Arjen van der Horst
United Kingdom correspondent
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Meike Wijers
Australia correspondent
The end is approaching for one of the UK’s longest-running legal battles. Today, a two-day hearing begins in the British Supreme Court in which Julian Assange tries to block his extradition to the United States.
It is the last chance saloon for the founder of whistleblower website WikiLeaks. After this, Assange has exhausted his appeal and cannot appeal further in the United Kingdom. The two judges of the High Court must decide whether the British government can extradite Assange to the US. Assange can still appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
Assange has been trying to block his extradition for more than a decade. He first fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he stayed for seven years. He has been in a British cell since 2019.
His family has been involved in efforts to get him released for years. A final major demonstration against Assange’s extradition to the US was held in Melbourne in his native Australia last weekend. Gabriel Shipton, Assange’s half-brother, is concerned. “He tries to pretend for us, to be strong. But he is not invincible,” he says.
Sensitive revelations
Julian Assange (52) gained fame with revelations about the American military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. For example, in 2010 WikiLeaks published a video of American helicopter pilots mowing down unarmed Iraqi civilians, including children and two journalists.
Met Cablegate Assange really came into the crosshairs of the American authorities. WikiLeaks, in collaboration with international media, published the contents of hundreds of thousands of secret official messages from American diplomatic missions around the world.
In 2011, WikiLeaks gave the NOS access to the contents of thousands of official messages from the American embassy in The Hague. They showed, among other things, how Washington put pressure on the Netherlands to extend the mission in Afghanistan. In an interview with the NOS, Assange already expressed his concerns that the American government would prosecute him.
Nieuwsuur made an overview of the case against Assange:
Life imprisonment? The endgame for Julian Assange
However, the first extradition request did not come from America but from Sweden, where two women had accused him of rape and sexual assault. Assange has always denied his guilt. Sweden would eventually drop the criminal investigation.
In 2018 it was announced that the American justice system still wanted to prosecute him. Assange was charged in the US with complicity in hacking government computers and in 2019 another seventeen charges of violating espionage laws were added. If convicted of all charges, he could face a maximum prison sentence of 175 years.
‘It concerns everyone’
Assange’s father, John Shipton, says the case against his son concerns everyone. “It is a global problem: a conviction would be a threat to journalists who inform the public,” he warns. “Also, American influence outside the US is dangerous. They apply their own laws to citizens of other countries.”
The Australian government is also upset about this. Australian Prime Minister Albanese has already spoken to President Biden several times about the matter. Last week, a motion was passed in parliament calling on the US and the United Kingdom to dismiss the case against the Australian. “Whether you worship or loathe Julian Assange, it has gone on long enough. He must be released and come home,” said MP Andrew Wilkie, who tabled the motion.
USGabriel at John Shipton
In London, Stella Assange, the wife of the WikiLeaks leader, has become the face of the campaign to get him released. The campaign receives support from human rights organizations and a large part of the British media. Also the international media that Assange collaborated with in the publication of Cablegatehave in an open letter called on the US government to stop the prosecution of Assange.
Investigative journalist Nick Davies, who worked with WikiLeaks on the publication of Cablegate, calls Assange’s prosecution an “attack on journalism.” Journalists such as Peter Hitchens of the conservative tabloid Daily Mail, who was often very critical of Assange, also expresses his disgust. “We are about to allow the US government to arrest a man in our country who has broken no British law.”
Diplomatic pressure
There is still one way out for Assange. The British Home Secretary can block the extradition on humanitarian grounds. However, the chance of that happening seems slim. Unlike in Australia, there is no major political pressure in the United Kingdom to block the extradition. A petition calling for Assange’s release was signed by only a handful of British parliamentarians.
Assange’s family hopes the Australian government’s diplomatic push can make a difference. The support of the Australian people is good for them, says Gabriel Shipton. “The support in Australia gives us the energy and strength to continue fighting for Julian’s freedom.”
2024-02-20 08:41:27
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