Assange’s last chance to cancel the extradition order to the United States

This Tuesday is the last chance for the 52-year-old Assange, the founder of the whistleblower website “WikiLeaks”, to withdraw his extradition order to the United States for the crime of revealing confidential Pentagon documents about the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. to the United States. His lawyers say that this case has political motives and has caused the concern of journalists around the world.

The founder of WikiLeaks is wanted in the United States for publishing hundreds of thousands of leaked documents related to the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Assange spent nearly five years in Belmarsh prison in England.

Wikileaks documents show how the US military killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents during the war in Afghanistan. The leaked files from the Iraq war also show that 66,000 civilians were killed by Iraqi forces and prisoners were tortured.

If Assange is extradited and tried in the United States, he faces 18 different charges related to “espionage” and “disclosure of classified documents” and may be sentenced to 175 years in prison.

Priti Patel, the former British Home Minister, issued a decree in June 1401, agreeing to extradite Assange to America. A spokesman for the British Home Office said at the time: “Under the Extradition Act 2003, the Home Secretary must sign an extradition order if there is no reason to prevent it from being issued.” This spokesperson claimed that according to the British judicial system, Assange’s extradition does not contradict human rights laws.

Now the London High Court is the last chance for him. Stella Assange, his wife, stated that if her husband’s case fails in the London court, she will ask the European Court of Human Rights to stop the extradition order of Julian Assange. He warned that if his wife was transferred to the United States, his life would be in danger.

This is while US President Joe Biden is facing constant pressure, both domestically and internationally, to drop Assange’s 18-count indictment in a federal court in Virginia, which was filed under Donald Trump. /p>

England is under a lot of pressure from human rights organizations and public opinion to cancel Assange’s extradition order. In a letter to the British Home Secretary, the European Union Human Rights Commissioner recently warned that the extradition of the founder of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks would have a terrible impact on media freedom and could ultimately disrupt the press in its role as a provider of information and a public watchdog in democratic societies. .

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters have gathered in front of the London High Court since this morning (Tuesday) and are chanting slogans against the extradition of WikiLeaks founder to America. According to reports, Assange did not appear in court due to physical problems.

His lawyers say that he has mental health problems and if he is transferred to the United States, there is a risk that he will commit suicide.

Source: IRNA