The lawyer of Julian Assange defended freedom of information on Tuesday in the trial London by the last resort of the founder of WikiLeaks to avoid extradition USAwhere he is accused of espionage.
Edward FitzgeraldAssange's lawyer also spoke of “political motives” in the extradition request, which would have to be decided by a trial that began without the presence of Assange, who felt uncomfortable and could not attend the trial, according to his lawyer.
LOOK HERE: Assange is ill and absent from a crucial hearing to prevent his extradition to the US.
Two judges will consider Assange's final appeal against his surrender in a hearing that ends on Wednesday USAwho wants to convict him for the massive disclosure of confidential documents.
“My client is being prosecuted for engaging in an ordinary journalistic practice of obtaining and publishing classified information, true information and obvious and important public interest,” Fitzgerald told the court Supreme Court, London.
Another lawyer for his defense, Mark SummersAccording to an article in , he spoke of an American plan Yahoo News of 2021, of killing or kidnapping Julian Assange in 2017.
The US government's lawyer will defend the reasons for the extradition request in his written conclusions on Wednesday James Lewis accuses Julian Assange of “attacking strategic and national security interests” and “endangering the lives of individuals.”
In statements made to Britain's BBC on Monday, his wife said, Stella AssangeShe had said that if her husband lost that hearing, he “will no longer have the opportunity to appeal.” Great Britain.
However, Assange still has one last resort European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), its supporters noted in December.
If Assange is successful on Wednesday, he would face another hearing in the UK at a date to be determined, at which he would have to confirm that he will not be extradited.
In the days before the trial, his wife had warned about the 52-year-old Australian's fragile health.
MORE INFORMATION: Julian Assange “will die” if he is extradited from the UK to the US, his wife warns
“His health is deteriorating both physically and mentally. “His life is in danger every day in prison and if he is extradited he will die,” he said Thursday.
Then go Reporters Without Borders (RSF) visited him in prison in January Belmarsheast of London, where he has lived for almost five years, and said on Tuesday that Assange was ill and had broken a rib due to excessive coughing.
“This highlights the risks to his physical and mental health that exist under his current detention conditions and which would worsen if he were extradited,” the NGO said.
Imprisoned since 2019
Assange is accused in the US of having published more than 700,000 confidential documents about the North American country's military and diplomatic activities since 2010, particularly in Iraq And Afghanistan.
If extradited, he could face up to 175 years in prison in the USA.
The founder of WikiLeaks He was arrested by British police in 2019 after being held in the London embassy for seven years Ecuador in London, where he sought refuge to avoid extradition on sexual assault charges SwedenCharges that were later dropped.
In January 2021, a British court initially rejected the US extradition request.
The North American appeal led to the British judiciary annulling the first decision in December 2021, paving the way for his extradition.
SEE ALSO: A British judge rejects Assange's appeal against his extradition to the US
Assange's appeal was unsuccessful and in April 2022 a British court approved the extradition, which was accepted by the British government two months later.
UN report
In early February, the UN special rapporteur on torture, an Australian lawyer, said Alice Jill EdwardsHe called on the British government to “suspend the impending extradition of Julian Assange.”
“He has a long-standing history of periodic depressive disorder and is at risk of suicide,” Edwards said.