London: WikiLeaks founder promises that the US government Julian Assange He will not be subjected to harsh prison conditions if extradited to face US justice, which is not enough to allay concerns about his fragile mental health and high risk of suicide. A lawyer who argued on Thursday.
Assange’s lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said during a two-day hearing in the UK High Court that the Australian is mentally ill enough to be extradited to the United States to not face trial on espionage charges.
The United States government is seeking to overturn an earlier ruling by a lower British court that denied a US request for extradition Assange On the publication of secret US military documents by WikiLeaks a decade ago. District Judge Vanessa Baratser ruled that Assange was likely to kill himself under harsh US prison conditions.
On Wednesday, a US government lawyer said US officials have promised that Assange will not be held in a top-security “Supermax” prison before trial, or subjected to strict isolation conditions. He also said that if convicted, Assange would be allowed to serve his sentence in his home country of Australia.
But Fitzgerald argued that the US assurances were all “warning, vague, or simply ineffective.” They said they do not remove the risk of Assange being detained in extreme isolation in the US in the long run, and that the risk of killing himself if Assange is extradited remains high, he said.
“It is perfectly reasonable to consider it repressive to extradite a mentally challenged person as his extradition is likely to lead to his death,” he said. He said judges must use their power “to protect people from extradition to a foreign state where we have no control over what will be done to them.”
Fitzgerald also said in a written statement that the assurance that Assange would be transferred to an Australian prison was “futile” if convicted. He argued that Australia has not indicated its consent, and the process could take a decade or more.
US prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer abuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison, although a US government lawyer said Wednesday that the sentence could be much less.
Assange, 50, is currently being held in London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison. He did not attend the hearing on Thursday, although he appeared several times through video link on Wednesday.
The hearing was the latest in Assange’s long-running battle to fight extradition to U.S. prosecutors after Assange illegally helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal confidential diplomatic cables and military files, which later Published by WikiLeaks.
Assange’s lawyers argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to the First Amendment of speech protection for publishing documents exposing US military wrongdoings in Iraq and Afghanistan. His supporters also argue that the prosecution case was politically motivated.
Ahead of the hearing, around 80 supporters staged a noisy rally outside a London court, playing music and chanting “Free Julian Assange!” Slogan.
Former leader of Britain’s opposition Labor Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said outside the court that Assange had told the truth about Afghanistan and Iraq, and that he should not be deported to the US “under no circumstances”.
Corbyn told reporters, “He has committed no crime and is in a maximum security prison…” In a different country he would be revered as a whistleblower who told the truth about the dangers we all face. facing the dangers that the whole world is facing.”
Two-day hearing in front of two judges, including the Lord Chief Justice, the senior-most judge of England Ian Burnett, expiring on Thursday but a decision is not expected for the week. The losing side can attempt to appeal to the UK Supreme Court.
Assange has been held in a high-security prison since being arrested in April 2019 for not granting bail during a separate legal battle. He previously spent seven years in Ecuador’s London embassy, where he sought asylum to avoid extradition to Sweden to face charges of rape and sexual assault in 2012.
Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigation in November 2019 because so much time had passed. The judge blocking the extradition in January ordered that he must remain in custody during any US appeals.
Assange’s lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said during a two-day hearing in the UK High Court that the Australian is mentally ill enough to be extradited to the United States to not face trial on espionage charges.
The United States government is seeking to overturn an earlier ruling by a lower British court that denied a US request for extradition Assange On the publication of secret US military documents by WikiLeaks a decade ago. District Judge Vanessa Baratser ruled that Assange was likely to kill himself under harsh US prison conditions.
On Wednesday, a US government lawyer said US officials have promised that Assange will not be held in a top-security “Supermax” prison before trial, or subjected to strict isolation conditions. He also said that if convicted, Assange would be allowed to serve his sentence in his home country of Australia.
But Fitzgerald argued that the US assurances were all “warning, vague, or simply ineffective.” They said they do not remove the risk of Assange being detained in extreme isolation in the US in the long run, and that the risk of killing himself if Assange is extradited remains high, he said.
“It is perfectly reasonable to consider it repressive to extradite a mentally challenged person as his extradition is likely to lead to his death,” he said. He said judges must use their power “to protect people from extradition to a foreign state where we have no control over what will be done to them.”
Fitzgerald also said in a written statement that the assurance that Assange would be transferred to an Australian prison was “futile” if convicted. He argued that Australia has not indicated its consent, and the process could take a decade or more.
US prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer abuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison, although a US government lawyer said Wednesday that the sentence could be much less.
Assange, 50, is currently being held in London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison. He did not attend the hearing on Thursday, although he appeared several times through video link on Wednesday.
The hearing was the latest in Assange’s long-running battle to fight extradition to U.S. prosecutors after Assange illegally helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal confidential diplomatic cables and military files, which later Published by WikiLeaks.
Assange’s lawyers argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to the First Amendment of speech protection for publishing documents exposing US military wrongdoings in Iraq and Afghanistan. His supporters also argue that the prosecution case was politically motivated.
Ahead of the hearing, around 80 supporters staged a noisy rally outside a London court, playing music and chanting “Free Julian Assange!” Slogan.
Former leader of Britain’s opposition Labor Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said outside the court that Assange had told the truth about Afghanistan and Iraq, and that he should not be deported to the US “under no circumstances”.
Corbyn told reporters, “He has committed no crime and is in a maximum security prison…” In a different country he would be revered as a whistleblower who told the truth about the dangers we all face. facing the dangers that the whole world is facing.”
Two-day hearing in front of two judges, including the Lord Chief Justice, the senior-most judge of England Ian Burnett, expiring on Thursday but a decision is not expected for the week. The losing side can attempt to appeal to the UK Supreme Court.
Assange has been held in a high-security prison since being arrested in April 2019 for not granting bail during a separate legal battle. He previously spent seven years in Ecuador’s London embassy, where he sought asylum to avoid extradition to Sweden to face charges of rape and sexual assault in 2012.
Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigation in November 2019 because so much time had passed. The judge blocking the extradition in January ordered that he must remain in custody during any US appeals.
.