Supporters of Julian Assange have vowed to continue the legal battle to stop sending the Wikileaks founder to the United States to be accused of espionage after Priti Patel signed an order approving his extradition.
His lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, said they would appeal the interior minister’s decision and take their case to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.
She said: “We have 14 days and we will appeal this to the end.”
Mr Assange’s wife, Stella Morris, a lawyer herself, said she would use “any means available” to oppose the order, adding: “I will use every hour to fight for Julian until he is free “.
She claims the CIA had previously tried to kill her husband and said he would probably commit suicide if extradited. “Julian wants to live, but he wants to live with the opportunity for freedom and the opportunity to be with his children and me. He has reasons to fight while he’s here.
“If he is extradited to the United States, the conditions under which he will be will be depressing. That will make him take his own life, “she said.
The decision was described as a “dark day for press freedom and British democracy” by Wikileaks.
“Julian has done nothing wrong,” the group said in a statement. “He has not committed a crime and he is not a criminal. He is a journalist and publisher and has been punished for doing his job.
Assange’s wife Stella at a press conference at the Royal Overseas League headquarters in London on Friday
(Reuters)
The United States is seeking to bring Mr Assange to justice after his website published a series of leaks in 2010 by military intelligence officer Chelsea Manning, alleging wrongdoing by US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2019 on 18 counts related to the processing of classified information.
During a press conference at the British Consulate in New York on Friday, Mr Assange’s father, John Shipton, called on the United States to end the prosecution. “All it will take is a phone call from [US attorney general] Merrick Garland to the Home Secretary of the United Kingdom to drop these charges. That’s all it will take. It’s not complicated, “he said.
Mr Assange has been in the Belmarsh High Security Prison in London since April 2019. He was arrested after spending seven years at the Ecuadorian embassy after violating an extradition warrant to face charges of sexual crime in Sweden, which were dropped later in 2019.
Following a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the United States last December, Assange’s extradition was formally approved by the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in April.
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said today: “According to the 2003 Extradition Act, the Secretary of State must sign an extradition order if there are no grounds to prohibit the issuance of the order. Requests for extradition shall be sent to the Registrar only after the Judge has decided that he may proceed after examining various aspects of the case.
“On June 17, after consideration by both the Magistrates’ Court and the Supreme Court, the extradition of Mr. Julian Assange to the United States was ordered. Mr Assange retains his normal 14-day right to appeal.
“In this case, the UK courts have not found that extradition of Mr Assange would be repressive, unfair or abusive. They also did not find that the extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and freedom of expression, and that while in the United States he would be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health.
John Shipton (right), Julian Assange’s father, and Gabriel Shipton, Assange’s brother, in front of the British Consulate in New York on Friday
(EPA)
Senior television operator John Simpson was one of the first to oppose the extradition decision.
“Journalists in Britain and elsewhere will be very concerned about Julian Assange’s decision to extradite him to the United States, both for his own well-being and for the precedent he sets for journalism worldwide,” Simpson said.
Quinn McQueen, executive director of the Article 19 campaign for freedom of expression, said: “The Interior Ministry’s decision to extradite Julian Assange reveals his complicity in undermining press freedom, precisely because he claims to be a world leader in freedom of expression.
“It also sends an alarming message to the world that journalists, activists and anyone who reveals important truths about crimes – including those committed by governments and businesses – do not deserve protection for their rights to disseminate information and speak freely.
“Article 19 calls on Priti Patel and the United Kingdom Government to set aside this decision.
Agnes Calamar, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said: “Allowing Julian Assange’s extradition to the United States would put him at great risk and send a chilling message to journalists around the world.
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