Mon 24 January 2022:
The United Kingdom’s High Court has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can pursue his legal fight against extradition to the United States to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
While Assange was granted permission to appeal by a London court, the case must first be accepted by the Supreme Court before it can proceed.
The judgment is the latest development in Assange’s long fight to avoid facing charges stemming from WikiLeaks’ release of sensitive documents more than a decade ago.
US officials want Australian-born Assange, 50, to stand trial on 18 counts related to WikiLeaks’ revelation of large troves of sensitive US military records and diplomatic cables, which they claim put lives in danger. Assange is presently detained in London awaiting a decision on his extradition.
“Make no mistake, we won today in court,” said Assange’s partner, Stella Moris, with whom he had two children while in the Ecuadorian embassy. “Our fight goes on, and we will fight this until Julian is free.”
The High Court in December overruled a previous court’s decision that Assange should not be extradited due to his frail mental condition, which put him at risk of suicide.
While judges on Monday refused him permission for a direct appeal to the Supreme Court on their decision, they said his case raised an issue of legal importance that he could ask the UK’s top court to rule on.
As a result, the Supreme Court will have to determine whether or not to take up his case. For the time being, the judgement will prevent any extradition from the United Kingdom.
Amnesty International welcomed the decision to allow Assange to appeal to the Supreme Court, but raised concerns about the limited scope allowed by the High Court, which focused on US assurances that the Wikileaks founder would not face severe confinement conditions if extradited.
“Torture and other ill-treatment, including prolonged solitary confinement, are key features of life for many people in US federal prisons, including those imprisoned on charges similar to Assange’s,” Massimo Moratti, Amnesty International’s deputy director for Europe, said in a statement.
“The ban on torture and other ill-treatment is absolute and cannot be upheld by simple promises from a state that it won’t abuse people.”
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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