This new appeal focused on both the extradition order as well as the court decision determining whether or not the journalist would be fair tried in the US.
Julian Assange has filed two new appeals to contest his extradition to the US, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing the journalist’s legal team. These appeals were filed with the UK’s high court Thursday morning, just one day before the deadline for challenging Assange’s extradition.
The appeals have reportedly targeted both the order to extradite the WikiLeaks founder, approved by British Home Secretary Priti Patel on June 17, as well as elements of a last year’s court ruling that largely revolved around establishing whether Assange would get a fair trial in the US or not. Details of the appeals are not public.
While Assange is in maximum security Belmarsh Prison (south-eastern London), he was taken into custody when the UK started considering his extradition. Before the Belmarsh imprisonment, Assange spent around seven years holed up at Ecuador’s embassy in London as the UK refused him a safe passage out of the country. Assange was expelled from the mission by British police after Ecuador nullified Assange’s asylum in April 2019.
An initial refusal by a British court to hand Assange over to the US was based on fears that Assange would face inhumane treatment at US prisons or even death. The decision was successfully appealed by Washington, which managed to convince British judges that the journalist will be treated humanely, providing the UK assurances that the Australian’s rights would be observed.
Assange was a US target since 2010 when WikiLeaks revealed a treasure trove classified documents detailing war crimes committed during the US wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. He has since been accused of conspiring to hack Pentagon computers and is charged under America’s 1917 Espionage Act over publication of classified materials. A sentence of up to 175 Years is being served against the journalist.
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