The UK High Court concluded a two-day hearing on Julian Assange’s appeal against extradition to the US. The judges will announce their decision at a later date. Assange, 52, faces charges of disclosing national defense information. He has been held at Belmarsh Prison since 2019. The US has offered to allow Assange to serve any prison sentence in Australia, his home country.
The UK initially approved his extradition in 2022, which was later blocked due to mental health concerns. Assange was absent from the proceedings due to illness, but his legal team and the US government presented their arguments. The US lawyer, Clair Dobbin, accused Assange of “indiscriminately and knowingly” publishing the names of individuals who acted as sources of information to the US.
Assange’s lawyers referenced a reported US plot to kidnap or kill him in 2021. If the UK High Court rules in his favor, a full appeal hearing will be scheduled, potentially leading to a new decision on his extradition. However, if he loses the case, he could be extradited within weeks unless his legal team obtains an emergency injunction at the European Court of Human Rights.
Despite rain, hundreds of Assange supporters gathered outside the High Court in central London, calling for his freedom and chanting “No extradition!”. The judges’ decision will determine the next steps in the long-running legal battle surrounding the WikiLeaks founder’s extradition to the US.
