British High Court judges could consent to Julian Assange’s extradition, permit a full appeal, or even free him at a hearing next week. The WikiLeaks founder faces 175 years in prison for publishing classified documents that contained evidence of alleged war crimes, torture, and extrajudicial killings using drones.
Previously, Stella Assange, Julian’s wife, has said assurances from Washington do “nothing to relieve our family’s extreme distress about his future.” Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks’ Editor-in-Chief, described the judicial process as “rigged,” the case as “crooked” and Assange as a victim of “institutional corruption.”
Controversy surrounding the case has also prompted a cross-party group of MPs to call for an inquiry into the role of the UK Crown Prosecution Service in creating such distress.
Key concerns going into Monday’s hearing include:
- The U.S. responded to the UK High Court’s request for “satisfactory assurances” that Assange will be able to rely on First Amendment free speech rights and that he won’t be subject to the death penalty if he is extradited.
- Stella Assange attacked the U.S. administration—whose President Biden in April rather unconvincingly said he was “considering” dropping the prosecution—for using “blatant weasel words” regarding Julian’s access to First Amendment rights. The document states only that Assange “will have the ability to raise and seek to rely upon” this free speech protection (emphasis added).
