The two High Court judges in London have withdrawn to deliberate and will deliver their ruling soon, at an unspecified date.
The extradition of Julian Assange to the United States it stays pending deliberation, after completing the hearings at the High Court in London. The two judges in charge of the Wikileaks founder’s case will announce their ruling soon, on a date they did not specify. They must decide whether to allow Assange to appeal again in the UK, or whether the extradition approved by the British government can be triggered in 2022.
Both the British Public Prosecution Service, which represents the US government, and the Australian journalist’s defense team made their arguments during two days of hearings.
The United States is demanding his extradition to face charges espionage and computer intrusionfollowing the revelations of Assange’s leak portal about US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Assange’s defense in turn asked the court for permission to appeal the extradition order, arguing that it would violate the treaty between the two countries because it crimes of a political nature and against their freedom of expressionin addition to the fact that they can carry the death penalty.
Among the defense arguments is the discovery of a CIA plot to kidnap or kill his client as he took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, which would demonstrate the political motivation of the case.
For the United States, these are criminal offenses included in the American Espionage Act. It accuses Assange of conspiring with Chelsea Manning, a former US soldier, to illegally obtain and disseminate classified military information, endangering “numerous innocent US informants” in countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, China, Iran and Syria brought.
At the end of the final session of the hearing, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) campaign spokesperson said, Rebecca Vincenthas said that “the fact remains that WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of the leaked classified documents exposed information that was in the public interest and served journalism around the world.”
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
