The journalist is in prison and awaiting a British decision on requests from the US, which accuses him of revealing state secrets
The High Court of London authorized journalist Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, to appeal against his extradition to the United States. This Monday’s decision (May 20, 2024) was taken after the British judges concluded that the US allegations were not sufficient.
This was considered a victory in the journalist’s long legal battle. If extradited, Assange could be sentenced to 175 years in prison in the United States for leaking confidential documents from the country.
The journalist was confined in asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London from 2012 to 2019. Since then, he has been imprisoned in the United Kingdom.
The journalist’s defense accuses the US authorities of wanting to punish him for “exposing criminality by the US government on an unprecedented scale”, including torture and murder. It says there is “real risk” from the journalist “suffer a flagrant denial of justice” if shipped to the USA.
UNDERSTAND THE CASE
Julian Assange, 52, founded the site WikiLeaks in 2006. Starting in 2010, the Australian began publishing confidential information about the US. The North American government estimates that there were 700,000 documents.
The material, published in WikiLeaks and in other vehicles, such as The Guardian It is The New York Times, contained data on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and other diplomatic and military operations information. They also reported information about the air attack on Baghdad (Iraq) in July 2007. Part of the documents were about alleged abuses committed by the US Armed Forces.
Julian Assange was arrested in London in 2019, in the high-security Belmarsh prison, after spending 7 years sheltered in the Ecuadorian embassy. He was trying to avoid being arrested and extradited to Sweden, a country where he was accused of 2 cases of rape. The investigation was later archived.
The leaks exposed human rights abuses and spying on leaders of other countries.
O Power360 separated the main events regarding the case of the founder of WikiLeaks.
Here is the chronology:
- 2006: Assange founds the WikiLeaks and begins publishing classified information and news leaks from anonymous sources;
- August 2010: A Swedish prosecutor issues an arrest warrant after two Swedish women accuse Assange of rape and sexual abuse in separate allegations;
- November 2010: WikiLeaks begins releasing diplomatic cables acquired from an anonymous source, prompting the US Department of Justice to open an investigation. The source is later discovered to be Chelsea Manning. Sweden also issues an international arrest warrant for Assange;
- December 2010: The Australian surrenders to the British police. The courts consider that he must post bail;
- May 2012: British Supreme Court rules in favor of Assange’s return to Sweden, but his lawyers ask for a delay;
- August 2012: Assange is granted asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, which cites concerns about human rights abuses if he is extradited. The journalist entered the embassy for the first time in June 2012;
- August 2015: Swedish prosecutors drop sexual abuse charges against Assange after they ran out of time to question him, but he still faces a rape charge;
- February 2016: The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concludes that Assange was “arbitrarily detained” by Sweden and the United Kingdom since December 2010 and calls on both governments to end their “deprivation of liberty”;
- October 2016: Ecuador’s government says it cut off Assange’s internet due to the release of hacked emails by WikiLeaks during the 2016 election – later revealed to be part of Russian government interference on behalf of then-candidate Donald Trump. Assange announced in December that his internet connection had been restored;
- April 2017: former director of the CIA (US Central Intelligence Agency) Mike Pompeo describes the WikiLeaks as a “non-state hostile intelligence service” that constitutes a threat to the national security of the United States;
- May 2017: Swedish prosecutors close 7-year investigation into rape allegation against Assange;
- December 2017: Ecuador grants citizenship to Assange in a failed attempt to give him diplomatic immunity;
- February 2018: British judge Emma Arbuthnot says the country will not drop charges against Assange after he cheated on bail in 2012 by seeking asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy;
- April 2019: a week before Assange was arrested, the Ecuadorian president says he “He violated the agreement we made with him and his lawyer many times”. The information is from Washington Post;
- April 11, 2019: Assange is arrested on a US extradition warrant after Ecuador withdraws its offer of asylum. He is found guilty of not paying bail determined by the British Court;
- May 1, 2019: Assange was sentenced to almost 1 year in prison in the United Kingdom;
- May 23, 2019: US charges journalist under Espionage Act. He was indicted on 18 counts. The case raises questions about the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of expression in the US;
- June 11, 2019: US files extradition request against Assange. Request was rejected in January 2021 due to the risk of the Australian committing suicide;
- October 28, 2021: USA tries again to extradite Julian Assange. The US government has denied that his mental health is fragile to the point that he cannot resist the US judicial system;
- April 20, 2022: British court issues extradition order for Assange to the USA;
- June 17, 2022: United Kingdom approves extradition of journalist to the USA;
- June 6, 2023: UK Supreme Court rejects the last appeal presented by the journalist;
- June 13, 2023: Assange’s defense files appeal against extradition;
- February 14, 2024: Australian Parliament calls for Assange to be allowed to return to his homeland;
- March 26, 2024: UK Supreme Court decides on extradition, but accepts Assange’s appeal and asks the US for more information;
- April 16, 2024: US sends information requested by UK Supreme Court.
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