02/19/2024 9:47 pm (current 02/19/2024 9:50 pm)
WikiLeaks founder's court hearing in London ©APA/AFP
Julian Assange hopes to have one last chance to fight his extradition to the US at a hearing in London this Tuesday and Wednesday. If the Wikileaks founder's appeal request is not granted, legal remedies in Britain would be exhausted. The US Department of Justice wants to put him on trial in the US on espionage charges. If he is convicted in the US, Assange could face up to 175 years in prison.
It was initially unclear when exactly a decision would be made on the appeal. However, Assange's wife Stella fears the 52-year-old could be put on a plane bound for the United States within days, she told journalists in London last week.
If his appeal in London was rejected, Assange's only option would be to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. Stella Assange announced that her team would immediately file a request for an injunction to prevent immediate extradition. However, there are concerns that the British government may ignore such an order.
The legal tug of war over Assange has been going on for years. The US government accuses Assange of having, together with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, stolen and published secret material from US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, thus endangering the lives of US informants. Supporters see Assange as a journalist who exposed war crimes. The Australian has been in Belmarsh maximum security prison in London since his arrest in April 2019.