LONDON (AP) — After years of legal battles, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is facing what could be his final court hearing in London as he fights to avoid extradition to the United States on spying charges. Assange, known for seeking asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and later being incarcerated, has his fate hanging in the balance as the U.K. High Court considers his plea to block the extradition.
Assange, a 52-year-old Australian computer expert, faces 18 charges in the U.S. over the 2010 publication of classified documents by WikiLeaks. The charges include espionage and computer misuse, which could result in a prison sentence of up to 175 years if convicted. Supporters argue that Assange was acting as a journalist in exposing U.S. military wrongdoing and should be protected under the First Amendment’s press freedoms.
The legal process has been long and drawn out, with Assange seeking asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden for a rape investigation. Although Sweden dropped the investigation, Assange was arrested for skipping bail and has been held in the high-security Belmarsh Prison since then. His wife has expressed concerns about his declining health, including a mini-stroke in October 2021, and age prematurely while in prison.
If the London court rejects Assange’s appeal, he could be extradited to the U.S. British officials will need to approve the transfer before it can proceed. However, Assange’s legal team plans to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, but there are fears that he could be removed before a ruling is made. Supporters of Assange criticize the long and protracted legal process, labeling it as a punishment through excessive duration.
Assange’s ongoing plight has raised concerns about the impact on his mental and physical well-being, posing a life-or-death situation, according to his wife. His struggle highlights the complexities of extradition cases, international diplomacy, and the evolving digital age of journalism. With the outcome of his final hearing uncertain, the world watches as the saga of Julian Assange continues to unfold.