WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange began what may be his last chance to prevent being extradited from Britain to the US on Tuesday (20/2), after fighting for more than 13 years against authorities in British courts.
US prosecutors are seeking to try Assange, 52, on 18 charges related to classified US military documents and diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks.
They argued that the leak endangered the lives of their agents and that there was no excuse for the crime. Many of Assange's supporters hail him as an anti-establishment hero and a journalist persecuted for exposing US wrongdoing and committing alleged war crimes.
Assange's legal battle began in 2010, and he then spent seven years hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London before being dragged out and jailed in 2019 for breaching bail conditions. Since then he has been held in a maximum security prison in southeast London, and even married there.
Britain finally approved Assange to be extradited to the US in 2022 after a judge initially blocked the decision due to concerns about Assange's mental health as he was at risk of committing suicide if deported.
His lawyers will try to overturn the agreement at a two-day hearing before two judges at London's High Court, in what may be the last chance to prevent his extradition in a British court. His wife, Stella, last week described the effort as a matter of life and death.
His legal team will argue that the charges against Assange are politically motivated and mark an impermissible assault on free speech, as it is the first time a publisher has been charged under the US Espionage Act.
Assange's supporters include Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders, media organizations working with WikiLeaks and Australian politicians, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who last week voted in favor of a motion calling for Assange's return to Australia. (ka/rs)