WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s final appeal against extradition to the United States has been heard in London. The hearing ended on Wednesday, but the High Court is not expected to rule until 5 March at the earliest.
Assange, who has been fighting a decade-long battle against extradition, is charged in the US with leaking classified documents on US military and diplomatic activities, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. The hearing, which began on Tuesday, took place without Assange present, his legal team said he was unable to attend due to health problems.
At the end of the session, the two presiding judges reserved their decision without setting a date.
If the appeal is rejected, Assange’s legal battle could take a new turn. According to his wife, Stella Assange, the WikiLeaks founder plans to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in an attempt to have the extradition suspended. However, there are fears that the UK could expedite Assange’s transfer out of the ECHR’s jurisdiction before an injunction could be issued.
Throughout the legal process, Assange’s defence has argued that the charges against him are politically motivated and that extradition to the US could seriously endanger his health and life. Assange has spent the last 12 years in detention in the UK – seven years as an asylum seeker in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and the subsequent five years in a maximum security prison.
The case against Assange in the US, where he faces up to 175 years in prison, has become emblematic of the ongoing debate about press freedom and the rights of publishers and whistleblowers.
It is the first case of a publisher being prosecuted under the US Espionage Act, and has raised major concerns among free speech and human rights advocates around the world.
