A court in London is set to make a decision on Tuesday regarding whether or not WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will have one last chance to appeal his extradition to the US on espionage charges.

Two judges in the High Court are expected to make a ruling that may bring an end to Assange’s extensive legal battle, or possibly prolong it.

If he is unable to successfully obtain the right to appeal, his legal advisors are concerned that he may be promptly extradited to the U.S. to face charges. However, they intend to petition the European Court of Human Rights to prevent any extradition.

Julian Assange is 52 years old and is facing charges for espionage and computer misuse related to his website’s release of a large amount of confidential U.S. documents nearly 15 years ago. U.S. prosecutors claim that Assange assisted and encouraged Chelsea Manning, a U.S. Army intelligence analyst, in obtaining and leaking diplomatic cables and military files that were then published by WikiLeaks.

Last month, during a hearing that lasted two days, Assange’s legal team asserted that he was a journalist who revealed classified information about U.S. military misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan. They argued that extraditing him to the United States would subject him to a prosecution driven by political motives and greatly endanger his right to a fair trial.

The U.S. government stated that Assange’s actions went well beyond traditional journalistic practices of obtaining information and endangered lives as he attempted to obtain, steal, and publish classified government documents without discrimination.

For the last five years, a computer specialist from Australia has been detained in a high-security prison in Britain.

Assange’s loved ones and allies claim that his physical and emotional well-being have been impacted by over ten years of legal disputes, which involved seeking asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London from 2012 to 2019.

“Julian is a political prisoner and he has to be released,” said Stella Assange, who married the WikiLeaks founder in prison in 2022.

According to Assange’s attorneys, if he is found guilty, he may receive a prison sentence of up to 175 years. However, officials in the United States have stated that the actual length of the sentence is expected to be shorter.

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Source: wral.com