Julian Assange can be extradited to US to face espionage charges, court rules

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EnterpriseSovereign
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Re: Julian Assange can be extradited to US to face espionage charges, court rules

Post by EnterpriseSovereign »

UK court approves extradition of Julian Assange to US.
A court has formally approved the extradition of Julian Assange to the US on espionage charges, in what will ultimately be a decision for the UK home secretary, Priti Patel.

The Wikileaks co-founder, who has the right of appeal, appeared by videolink during the Westminster magistrates court hearing, which one of his barristers described as a “brief but significant moment in the case”.

Mark Summers QC, for Assange, told the chief magistrate that he had no option but to send the case to the home secretary. It was not open, at this point, for Assange’s team to raise fresh evidence but there had been “fresh developments”, he added.

Summers said “serious submissions” would be made to the home secretary regarding US sentencing and conditions.

The brief hearing was taking place after the supreme court last month refused Assange’s appeal against his extradition. He had sought to challenge a judgment by the high court in December that ruled he could be extradited after assurances from the US authorities with regard to his prison conditions there.

An extradition order was issued by the chief magistrate, Paul Goldspring, during the seven-minute hearing.

Goldspring told Assange: “In layman’s terms, I am duty bound to send your case to the secretary of state for a decision.”

As well as being able to make submissions to Patel, Assange’s lawyers can also access other routes to fight his extradition. This could include mounting a challenge on other issues of law raised at first instance on which he lost and have not yet been subject to appeal.

Assange, wearing a jacket and tie, appeared via a video link from Belmarsh prison, where he was married last month to his partner, Stella Moris, and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.

Moris was in the public gallery at Westminster magistrates court, where a large crowd of supporters gathered outside, including the former Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

Corbyn said he hoped the home secretary would recognise her “huge responsibility” to stand up for free speech, journalism and democracy and release Assange.

“He has done no more than tell the world about military planning, military policies and the horrors of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and I think he deserves to be thanked,” he told reporters.
Let's hope Priti does something right for once and doesn't drag her feet on this one.
Crazedwraith
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Re: Julian Assange can be extradited to US to face espionage charges, court rules

Post by Crazedwraith »

The BBC wrote: Julian Assange can be extradited, says UK home secretary

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition to the US has been approved by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Mr Assange has 14 days to appeal over the decision, the Home Office said.

It said the courts found extradition would not be "incompatible with his human rights" and that while in the US "he will be treated appropriately".

Mr Assange is wanted by the American authorities over documents leaked in 2010 and 2011, which the US says broke the law and endangered lives.

The Wikileaks documents related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The Australian is being held at Belmarsh prison in London after mounting a lengthy battle to avoid being extradited.

Extradition allows one country to ask another to hand over a suspect to face trial.

Responding to the home secretary's order, Wikileaks confirmed it would appeal against her decision.

Mr Assange's wife, Stella, said her husband had done "nothing wrong" and "he has committed no crime".

"He is a journalist and a publisher, and he is being punished for doing his job," she said.

Media company Wikileaks is a whistle-blowing platform that publishes classified material provided by anonymous sources.

In May 2019, while serving a jail sentence in the UK for breaching bail, the US justice department filed 17 charges against Mr Assange for violating the Espionage Act - alleging that material obtained by Wikileaks endangered lives.

Mr Assange's legal team claimed classified documents published by Wikileaks, which related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, exposed US wrongdoing and were in the public interest.

Those documents revealed how the US military had killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents during the war in Afghanistan, while leaked Iraq war files showed 66,000 civilians had been killed, and prisoners tortured, by Iraqi forces.

Mr Assange has been in prison since he was removed from the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2019 and arrested by British police, after Ecuador withdrew his asylum status.

He sought asylum in 2012 in the embassy, fearing US prosecution, and stayed there for seven years. He claimed he was a victim of human rights abuses and would face a life sentence if extradited.

The Supreme Court ruled in March that Mr Assange's case raised no legal questions over assurances the US had given to the UK about how he was likely to be treated.

Previously UK judges blocked his extradition because of concerns about his mental health.
Amnesty International said enabling the extradition to take place "would put him at great risk and sends a chilling message to journalists".

"Diplomatic assurances provided by the US that Assange will not be kept in solitary confinement cannot be taken on face value given previous history," general secretary Agnes Callamard said.

Former government minister David Davis said he did not believe Mr Assange would have a fair trial in the US.

"This extradition treaty needs to be rewritten to give British and American citizens identical rights, unlike now," he said.

A Home Office spokesperson said under the Extradition Act 2003 the secretary of state "must sign" an extradition order if there were "no grounds to prohibit the order being made".

"The UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr Assange," the Home Office added.
Of course she did. I'm surprised her ruling can be appealed even further tbh after the many court hearings it's already had.
EnterpriseSovereign
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Re: Julian Assange can be extradited to US to face espionage charges, court rules

Post by EnterpriseSovereign »

Crazedwraith wrote: 2022-06-17 08:08am
The BBC wrote: Julian Assange can be extradited, says UK home secretary

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition to the US has been approved by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Mr Assange has 14 days to appeal over the decision, the Home Office said.

It said the courts found extradition would not be "incompatible with his human rights" and that while in the US "he will be treated appropriately".

Mr Assange is wanted by the American authorities over documents leaked in 2010 and 2011, which the US says broke the law and endangered lives.

The Wikileaks documents related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The Australian is being held at Belmarsh prison in London after mounting a lengthy battle to avoid being extradited.

Extradition allows one country to ask another to hand over a suspect to face trial.

Responding to the home secretary's order, Wikileaks confirmed it would appeal against her decision.

Mr Assange's wife, Stella, said her husband had done "nothing wrong" and "he has committed no crime".

"He is a journalist and a publisher, and he is being punished for doing his job," she said.

Media company Wikileaks is a whistle-blowing platform that publishes classified material provided by anonymous sources.

In May 2019, while serving a jail sentence in the UK for breaching bail, the US justice department filed 17 charges against Mr Assange for violating the Espionage Act - alleging that material obtained by Wikileaks endangered lives.

Mr Assange's legal team claimed classified documents published by Wikileaks, which related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, exposed US wrongdoing and were in the public interest.

Those documents revealed how the US military had killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents during the war in Afghanistan, while leaked Iraq war files showed 66,000 civilians had been killed, and prisoners tortured, by Iraqi forces.

Mr Assange has been in prison since he was removed from the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2019 and arrested by British police, after Ecuador withdrew his asylum status.

He sought asylum in 2012 in the embassy, fearing US prosecution, and stayed there for seven years. He claimed he was a victim of human rights abuses and would face a life sentence if extradited.

The Supreme Court ruled in March that Mr Assange's case raised no legal questions over assurances the US had given to the UK about how he was likely to be treated.

Previously UK judges blocked his extradition because of concerns about his mental health.
Amnesty International said enabling the extradition to take place "would put him at great risk and sends a chilling message to journalists".

"Diplomatic assurances provided by the US that Assange will not be kept in solitary confinement cannot be taken on face value given previous history," general secretary Agnes Callamard said.

Former government minister David Davis said he did not believe Mr Assange would have a fair trial in the US.

"This extradition treaty needs to be rewritten to give British and American citizens identical rights, unlike now," he said.

A Home Office spokesperson said under the Extradition Act 2003 the secretary of state "must sign" an extradition order if there were "no grounds to prohibit the order being made".

"The UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr Assange," the Home Office added.
Of course she did. I'm surprised her ruling can be appealed even further tbh after the many court hearings it's already had.
As I predicted, she dragged her feet, taking two months to say yes. Should just hand him over then he's America's problem.
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