Julian Assange appeals extradition

February 22, 2024
Issue 
'One of the best ways to achieve justice is to expose injustice'
'One of the best ways to achieve justice is to expose injustice'. Photo: Kamala Emanuel

Thousands marched from the Royal Courts of Justice to the British prime ministers' Downing Street office on February 21 to protest the extradition of Julian Assange to danger in the United States.

Assange's legal team is seeking approval from the court to聽appeal an earlier court decision to extradite Assange to the US.

Assange is the founder of WikiLeaks which exposed numerous US war crimes, including 鈥溾 which showed US soldiers deliberately and callously murdering unarmed Iraqi civilians and journalists.

If extradited to the US, Assange faces prosecution under the anti-democratic Espionage Act and could face 175 years in prison.

US government lawyers to Assange's case on February 22, denying that their proposed prosecution is 鈥減olitically motivated鈥. They also that he 鈥減ut lives at risk鈥 despite the fact that they聽presented no evidence of harm.

The day before, Stella Assange spoke outside the court telling protesters that the 鈥淯nited States is abusing its legal system to hound and prosecute and intimidate all of you鈥.

鈥淚t's about the public's right to know,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t's about the right to be able to speak freely without being put in prison and hounded and terrorised by the state.鈥

She also referred to the now revealed attempts by the US聽to kill Assange while he was in refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Assange's legal team also presented evidence of this.

Julian was too ill to attend the court hearing, even by video link. Rebecca Vincent from Reporters Without Borders supporters outside the court that when she last saw him in jail on January 16 he was 鈥渦nwell and in pain鈥.

Kamala Emanuel Assange's circumstances as 鈥減retty grim鈥 saying that supporters outside the court were saying that 鈥渉e's so unwell that they're killing him鈥.

She reported聽the court room only had 15 seats for聽the public. Journalists were given access to another room with no tables for laptops, no internet and inadequate sound, making it extremely difficult to make out what was going on.

She described the drawn-out process as a 鈥渇arce鈥 and a 鈥渢ortuous, unfair, unjust arbitrary process鈥.

鈥淚f there were any such thing as justice, this hearing would have been over long ago.鈥

Hundreds kept vigil outside the court, over two days. A number of union banners were also on show. Emanuel reported that a large number of professional journalists joined the February 21 march to Downing Street.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie travelled to London, on behalf of the Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group, on February 21 to 鈥渃onvey the very strong belief from the Australian community that enough is enough鈥.

The week before, the parliament passed his聽motion calling on Britain聽and the US governments to let Assange return home.

鈥淭his vote, supported by the Australian prime minister and his cabinet, marked an unprecedented show of political support for Mr Assange by the Australian Parliament and echoes the sentiment in the Australian community that this has gone on for too long,鈥 he said in a media statement from London.

Despite the parliamentary vote, Anthony聽Albanese could have done a lot more to secure Assange's release.

The court is not expected to issue a聽determination before March.

nomorelies21-2-24bykamalaemanuel-web.jpg

No more lies!
No more lies! Photo: Kamala Emanuel

freedomforassange21-2-24bykamalaemanuel-web.jpg

Freedom for Assange
Freedom for Assange. Photo: Kamala Emanuel

freeassangearrestcriminals21-2-24bykamalaemanuel-web.jpg

Free Assange, arrest the criminals he exposed
Free Assange, arrest the criminals he exposed. Photo: Kamala Emanuel

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