TRANSCRIPT
A London court has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal against extradition to the United States on espionage charges
The decision is likely to further drag out an already long legal saga.
High Court judges Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson ruled for Assange after his lawyers argued that the U-S government provided “blatantly inadequate” assurances that he would have the same free speech protections as an American citizen if extradited from Britain.
The 52-year-old has been indicted on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over his website’s publication of a large number of classified U-S documents almost 15 years ago.
His wife, Stella Assange, says her husband has been under enormous pressure:
“While I was speaking to Julian, a guard knocked on on the door and I could hear the guard saying, 'oh, congratulations today. And, it's time to go to exercise.' And so our, our conversation, came to an end. But thankfully, it meant that today he was able to go out into the yard and enjoy the sunshine we have today. He was obviously relieved. He hadn't slept all night. And he is under enormous, enormous pressure. It's hard for all of us. But just imagine what it's like for Julian, who has been in Belmarsh for over five years, and who has had to endure this gruelling process from inside his cell and isolated from everyone and from a distance. So, it's a good, a very good sign today.”
Mr Assange has spent the last five years in a high-security prison after initially taking refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for seven years.
He was not in court to hear the ruling because of health reasons.
His US lawyer, Barry Pollack, said the ruling was "a significant milestone" in the long-running case.
“The United States should never have brought this case. It is utterly inconsistent with First Amendment values in all of the United States says that that it believes, and I hope that the United States will take a hard look at this decision and maybe reconsider whether they ought to be pursuing this fundamentally flawed prosecution.”
Mr Assange's legal team says he could face up to 175 years in prison if convicted, though American authorities have said any sentence would likely be much shorter.
U-S President Joe Biden said last month that he was considering a request from Australia to drop the case and let Assange return to his home country.
Wikileaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson says the court's decision sends a strong message to the U-S Government.
“It took a couple of hours, but the judges did came (come) to the just and the right conclusion. Julian Assange has now the right to appeal. And that in itself should send the right message across the sea to the Biden administration. Look there. You're on a losing ground. You're losing this case. If you want to save any form of face drop the case against Julian Assange. Drop it, right now.”
Supporters have welcomed the decision but many - like Information Worker Adriano Grasso - say the process is taking too long.
“It's good news because I know that the court accepted the appeal, but it's kind of bittersweet news, because still we don't know when the appeal will take place. And all this time - it has already been five years in Belmarsh, and seven years before (that) - and so Assange is still in prison. So yes it's good that we are moving towards a sort of solution, but it's taking still too much time.”
The Australian journalists' union, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance remains concerned there is no certainty an appeal will be successful, which would mean Assange could still be tried for espionage in the US.
MEAA Media Federal President Karen Percy says the High Court was correct not to accept assurances from the U-S about how Assange would be treated in their legal system.
Ms Percy says the ongoing prosecution is curtailing free speech, criminalising journalism and sending a clear message to future whistleblowers and publishers that they too will be punished.
The union is urging the Australian government to keep up the pressure on the US to drop the charges.
