by Luigi Ippolito
Allegations by family members after news that WikiLeaks founder could be extradited to US: farcical reassurances from Washington
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
LONDON – Stella Moris, wife of Julian Assange, has the shocked expression on her face and the voice broken by emotion: Just over an hour after the announcement of the London government’s decision to extradite the WikiLeaks founder, she stands in front of the British capital’s journalist , flanked by attorney Jennifer Robinson.
Stella was also Assange’s lawyer, and the two entered into a relationship during the long months he spent as a refugee in the Ecuadorian embassy in London: a relationship that produced two children and that culminated in the wedding last March, although they have since was imprisoned for three years in Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison. “This is not the end of the story – announces Stella – we will fight, we will use every legal avenue, I will fight awake every hour until Julian is free, until justice is done.”
Lawyer Jennifer Robinson states that not only will they continue to appeal to UK courts and the European Court of Justice, but they will also urge the Biden government to drop the case and the Australian government to intervene (Assange is actually a citizen of this village) .
Stella denounces the fact that the British government’s decision was based on assurances from the United States about the treatment of Assange, which Amnesty International has defined as a “farce”: and that her fight is based on later revelations regarding the CIA’s attempts will assassinate Assange.
«Our resolve has doubled in the face of a decision that is a farce – says Stella -. I have no words to express what it is like to see the British trial being used to prolong Julian’s suffering. It is the pursuit of an alien power seeking revenge, an alien power that has committed crimes that Julian has brought to light. He did nothing wrong, he did what any self-respecting journalist should do ».
His wife expects action from Australia’s new Labor-led government: “This is a political case – he says – that needs to be resolved at the highest level. Let’s stop pretending that there is no legality, there is only illegality on the part of powerful actors ».
But there is hope that the case launched by the Trump administration will be dropped by Biden: “It’s not a monolithic government – comments Stella – there are those who understand the implications for press freedom.” Indeed, according to his wife, ” we must stop treating their case as sui generis: it is about freedom of the press, not just about Assange, but about all journalists.”
And it is a case that has immense private implications for Stella: “I see no point in revealing it to our children – he admits – when we visit him we try to make the best of it, we enjoy this time “. But the fears are great: “His health is deteriorating from day to day. Julian wants to live with me and his children but if he were extradited the conditions he would be in would be so oppressive that they would lead to suicide. It’s not just a mental health issue, they lead a person to suicide ».
June 17, 2022 (change June 18, 2022 | 07:04)
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