Tuesday was the first of two days of hearings on the extradition of Julian Assange to the US. The lawyers of the founder of Wikileaks have presented their arguments to the court in London. Assange’s wife Stella also attended the hearing.
She thanked hundreds of supporters who gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London. “Julian needs his freedom, and we all need the truth,” Stella Assange shouted to the people. Assange’s supporters also demonstrated elsewhere. In Vienna, for example, a demonstration was planned for the afternoon.
Lawyers: “Normal journalistic work”
The 52-year-old, who has been in London’s high-security Belmarsh prison for almost five years, was unable to attend the trial himself for health reasons. His lawyers sometimes argued that Assange was being prosecuted for “normal journalistic activities, obtaining and publishing classified information,” the contents of which were true and clearly of great public interest. He is a political prisoner and extradition is therefore prohibited in the US-Britain agreement.
Here you can see a summary of the events.
Arguments from the American side on Wednesday
Counterarguments from the American side will follow on Wednesday. The US government wants to try the Australian on espionage charges. If convicted there, he could face a maximum prison sentence of 175 years. Assange is accused of stealing and publishing classified material from US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, together with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, endangering the lives of informants.
It was not clear until recently when exactly the appeal would be decided. In any case, she is not expected immediately on Wednesday. Stella Assange fears that the US government ‘discussed and made concrete plans to kill Julian, which have been set aside by the British courts.’ His case “criminalizes not only the journalistic process, but also the public’s right to information.”
Australian government for release
Before his arrest in April 2019, Assange had holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for several years to avoid law enforcement. The Australian government is now campaigning for the release of its citizen.
Source: Krone
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