Britain's High Court is set to rule Monday on whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can take his fight against US extradition to the UK Supreme Court.
The decision is the latest step in Assange's long battle to avoid being sent to the United States to face espionage charges over WikiLeaks' publication of classified documents more than a decade ago.
Just over a year ago, a district court judge in London rejected a US extradition request on the grounds that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions.
US authorities later provided assurances that the WikiLeaks founder would not face the severely restrictive conditions that his lawyers said would put his physical and mental health at risk.
Last month the High Court overturned the lower court's decision. High Court justices Ian Burnett and Timothy Holroyd said the American promises were enough to guarantee Assange would be treated humanely.
They said the US promises were solemn undertakings, offered by one government to another, which will bind all officials and prosecutors who will deal with the relevant aspects of Mr. Assange's case now and in the future.
Assange's lawyers say those promises can't be trusted, and have sought permission to appeal to Britain's highest court. They argue that the US government's pledge that Assange won't be subjected to extreme conditions is meaningless because it is conditional and could be changed at the discretion of American authorities.
Nick Vamos, a partner at Peters & Peters solicitors in London and a former head of extradition at Britain's Crown Prosecution Service, said it was unlikely that the appeal would be granted. Assange can only take the case to the Supreme Court if the High Court rules that there are matters of general public importance to consider.
Even if the High Court justices reject that argument, the long-running legal saga is unlikely to end immediately. Assange still has other routes of appeal against the extradition decision open to him.
Assange, 50, has been held at the high-security Belmarsh Prison in London since 2019, when he was arrested for skipping bail during a separate legal battle. Before that, he spent seven years holed up inside Ecuador's Embassy in London. Assange sought protection in the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault.
Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed.
American prosecutors say Assange unlawfully helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.
Lawyers for Assange argue that their client shouldn't have been charged because he was acting as a journalist and is protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution that guarantees freedom of the press. They say the documents he published exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
See original here:
UK High Court to rule on Julian Assange bid to prevent US extradition - Business Standard