For Julian Assange, extradition to the United States is ‘dangerously close’ after a UK High Court judge rejected all eight grounds of the Australian publisher’s appeal against the order signed by the then Minister of British interior Priti Patel in June 2022. The Campaign for Assange reports it. The Wikileaks founder’s appeal was decided by a single judge (single court), Judge Swift, who handed down a three-page decision on Tuesday.
According to Assange’s appeal, Minister Patel made a procedural error in deciding to approve an extradition order that violates the specification criterion [secondo il quale non è consentito estradare un individuo per un reato non specificato nella richiesta di estradizione] and because the request itself is in violation of Article 4 of the US-UK Extradition Treaty.
Furthermore, according to the appeal: Julian Assange will be tried and punished for his political views (in violation of Article 81(a) of the Extradition Act); Julian Assange will stand trial despite the fact that his freedom of expression should be protected [dalla legislazione vigente nel Paese di estradizione, ovvero dagli artt. 1 e 14 della Costituzione USA]as prescribed in article 10 [del trattato di estradizione]; the request itself violates the US-UK Extradition Treaty and international law as it focuses on crimes of a political nature; the US government misrepresented the main facts of the case before the British courts; the extradition request and all that it entailed constitute an abusive procedure, (that is, a disproportionate and inappropriate use of legal means for persecution purposes). (continued)
Assange’s legal team has until next Tuesday (June 13) to submit an appeal of up to 20 pages to a two-judge panel, which will convene a hearing open to the public.
“Julian will now file an appeal to be heard before two High Court judges. The reasons for asking for this hearing are clear, solid and just. Julian’s family remains horrified at the latest developments and at the same to all honest people throughout the world are witnessing what is happening with deep concern and alarm”.
“Next Tuesday -Stella Moris Assange specifies- my husband Julian will file a new request to be heard before the High Court. (If the request is accepted,) he will have a public hearing before two new High Court judges. We remain confident that they will have the upper hand and that Julian will not be extradited to the United States, where he will face charges that could lead him to spend the rest of his life in a maximum security prison for publishing truthful information, which revealed war crimes committed by the government of the United States”.
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