7:26 p.m
Assange, final ruling from the UK High Court on extradition to the US tomorrow
Julian Assange he is not in the courtroom. Rumor has it that he broke a rib from coughing. Furthermore, it is hard to deny that after five years of isolation he has been in precarious and poor health for some time. As a result, he did not attend the start of what could be his final trial in Britain. His lawyer, Ed Fitzgerald, indicated at the opening of the hearing this morning that he was unwell and that despite being allowed to attend in person, he remained without permission at Belmarsh maximum security prison in London, where he has been held since 2019 He was undergoing trial and awaiting extradition.
The WikiLeaks co-founder had turned to the English court to appeal against his extradition to the US, where he is wanted for violating the National Espionage Act, the 1917 American espionage law. He is accused of having published around 700,000 confidential documents relating to the military and diplomatic activities of the United States since 2010, particularly war crimes committed by US soldiers during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. And thereby putting many lives in danger. But in all the years of similar incidents, no responsibility has been identified so far, at least according to the news. According to the allegations, he would instead be a spy who should be tried, and as such, if found guilty, he could face up to 175 years in prison in a US penitentiary.
Will the Supreme Court in London extradite Assange to the USA?