Supporters of Julian Assange have vowed to proceed the authorized combat to cease the Wikileaks founder being despatched to the US to face espionage fees after Priti Patel signed an order approving his extradition.
His lawyer Jennifer Robinson mentioned they might enchantment the house secretary’s determination and take their case to the European Courtroom of Human Rights if crucial.
She mentioned: “We have now 14 days and we’ll enchantment this all the best way.”
Mr Assange’s spouse Stella Moris, herself a lawyer, mentioned she would use “each out there avenue” to oppose the order, including: “I’m going to make use of each waking hour preventing for Julian till he’s free.”
She claimed the CIA had beforehand tried to assassinate her husband and mentioned he would doubtless kill himself if extradited. “Julian needs to dwell however he needs to dwell with the potential of freedom and the potential of being along with his kids and with me. He has causes to combat whereas he’s right here.
“If he’s extradited to the US, the circumstances he will probably be below will probably be oppressive. It’ll drive him to take his personal life,” she mentioned.
The choice was described as “a darkish day for press freedom and for British democracy” by Wikileaks.
“Julian did nothing unsuitable,” mentioned the group in a press release. “He has dedicated no crime and isn’t a prison. He’s a journalist and a writer and he’s being punished for doing his job.”
Assange’s spouse Stella at a press convention within the the Royal Over-Seas League headquarters in London on Friday
(Reuters)
The US has been searching for to place Mr Assange on trial since his web site in 2010 printed a sequence of leaks from military intelligence officer Chelsea Manning which pointed to wrongdoing by American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was charged by a federal grand jury in 2019 on 18 counts referring to the dealing with of categorized info.
Throughout a press convention outdoors the British Consulate in New York Metropolis on Friday, MrAssange’s father, John Shipton, urged the US to drop the prosecution. “All it’ll take is a straightforward phone name from [US attorney general] Merrick Garland to the house secretary in the UK to drop these fees. That’s all it’ll take. It’s not complicated,” he mentioned.
Mr Assange has been in Belmarsh high-security jail in London since April 2019. He was arrested after spending seven years within the embassy of Ecuador after breaching bail on an extradition order to face sexual offence fees in Sweden, which had been dropped later in 2019.
After a Excessive Courtroom ruling in favour of the US final December, Mr Assange’s extradition was formally accredited by Westminster Magistrates Courtroom in April.
A House Workplace spokesperson right now mentioned: “Below the Extradition Act 2003, the secretary of state should signal an extradition order if there are not any grounds to ban the order being made. Extradition requests are solely despatched to the house secretary as soon as a choose decides it could possibly proceed after contemplating varied features of the case.
“On 17 June, following consideration by each the Magistrates Courtroom and Excessive Courtroom, the extradition of Mr Julian Assange to the US was ordered. Mr Assange retains the conventional 14-day proper to enchantment.
“On this case, the UK courts haven’t discovered that it could be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of course of to extradite Mr Assange. Nor have they discovered that extradition can be incompatible along with his human rights, together with his proper to a good trial and to freedom of expression, and that while within the US he will probably be handled appropriately, together with in relation to his well being.”
John Shipton (proper), Julian Assange’s father, and Gabriel Shipton, Assange’s brother, outdoors the British Consulate in New York on Friday
(EPA)
Senior broadcaster John Simpson was one of many first to talk out towards the extradition determination.
“Journalists in Britain and elsewhere will probably be very fearful by the choice to extradite Julian Assange to the US – each for his personal well-being and for the precedent it creates for journalism worldwide,” mentioned Mr Simpson.
Quinn McKew, government director of the Article 19 marketing campaign for freedom of expression, mentioned: “The House Workplace’s determination to extradite Julian Assange exposes its complicity in undermining press freedom simply because it claims to be a world chief on freedom of expression.
“It additionally sends a worrying message to the world that journalists, activists and anybody who exposes essential truths about crimes – together with these dedicated by governments and companies – don’t deserve safety for his or her rights to impart info and communicate freely.
“Article 19 urges Priti Patel and the UK authorities to reverse this determination.”
Agnes Callamard, Amnesty Worldwide secretary common, mentioned: “Permitting Julian Assange to be extradited to the US would put him at nice danger and sends a chilling message to journalists the world over.”
Kaynak: briturkish.com
