[Dismas]

Britain's Supreme Court will allow Assange to appeal the decision to extradite him to the U.S., where he faces a number of charges relating to WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Monday was given the chance to challenge at Britain's highest court a decision allowing him to be extradited to the United States to face 18 criminal charges including breaking a spying law.

U.S. authorities want Australian-born Assange, 50, currently in jail in London as he awaits a ruling on his extradition, to face trial on 18 counts relating to WikiLeaks’ release of vast troves of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables which they said had put lives in danger.

In December, the High Court in London overturned a lower court's ruling that he should not be extradited because his mental health problems meant he would be at risk of suicide.

While High Court judges refused him permission for a direct appeal to the Supreme Court on their decision, they said his case raised an issue of legal importance that he could ask the United Kingdom's top court to rule on.

This means the Supreme Court will have to decide whether or not it should hear his challenge.

Read More: https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/wikilea...022-01-24/

[ConcernedCitizen]

According to this Jan. 3 article by Verso: https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/5243-th...the-editor

"Julian Assange is a victim of torture and inhuman treatment. This is a threat not just to Assange himself but to freedom of speech everywhere in the world. Nils Melzer’s book is the essential, utterly forensic analysis of this case.

It is clear that Assange will never face a fair trial in the courts, so this fights needs to be in the public sphere. It is firstly a damning indictment of the treatment of a whistleblower at the hands of powerful governments who seem to think themselves above international law. Secondly, it is a passionate defense of the first amendment, and a journalist’s right to publish the truth. Finally it is the private story of Assange himself and the sacrifices he has had to face – and continues to endure – in the pursuit of the truth.

The Appeal Court decided that Assange is able to be extradited to America, where he could face up to 175 years in custody. The US government have promised not to imprison him in a high security jail, but as Melzer argues, he remains a victim of torture and inhuman treatment. This is a threat not just to Assange himself but to freedom of speech everywhere in the world. Democracy itself is in the balance."

And this Apr. 20 excerpt from the NY Post about the trial that has sealed his fate: https://nypost.com/2022/04/20/judge-appr...y-charges/

"Judge approves Julian Assange’s extradition to US over spying charges.

It is up to Home Secretary Priti Patel to decide whether to grant the extradition.

The order comes after the UK Supreme Court last month refused Assange permission to appeal against a lower court’s ruling that he could be extradited.

The move doesn’t exhaust the legal options for Assange, who has sought for years to avoid a trial in the US on 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse related to WikiLeaks’ publication of a massive trove of classified documents more than a decade ago.

His lawyers have four weeks to make submissions to Patel, and can also seek to appeal to the High Court.

Assange lawyer Mark Summers told the court that the legal team had “serious submissions” to make.

American prosecutors say Assange unlawfully helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal 500,000 classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk."

He's basically being extradited to the US which conspired to kill him on multiple occasions and failed to raid the Ecuadorian embassy not long after he sought asylum.

From the same article:
"A British district judge had initially rejected a US extradition request on the grounds that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions. US authorities later provided assurances that the WikiLeaks founder wouldn’t be held in solitary confinement at a federal supermax prison that his lawyers said would put his physical and mental health at risk."

It essentially means that they fear he will attempt to harm himself if kept in solitary, which was the exact argument used against many whistleblowers before him. They say you're a risk to others if not held in solitary, then they move you to solitary citing reasons of safety, then they have you killed. It's not new. They did it to others and he's not an exception. I hope the truth wins out, and that he's released, but we all know that isn't happening without severe oversight and action on behalf of the people that literally want to kill him. They even admit it's politically motivated, and they're using every trick to get him put into a cell where they an torture him further and drive him to self-harm or diminish his spirit.

[mothered]

The courts obviously have very strong grounds for his extradition, so I don't see how an appeal (when everything Is clearly against Assange) can overturn their decision.

That's purely through my observation. Perhaps there are other circumstances that will hold up In court.

[Dismas]

Wishing him the best. Most countries unfortunately extradite to the U.S., regardless of appeals.

[laininthewired]

Hopefully they will stop pumping him with drugs.
But maybe its too late, many of his friends say he is really mentally fucked now. Who knows what kind of damage those prisons doctors have done to him.

[mothered]

But maybe its too late, many of his friends say he is really mentally fucked now. Who knows what kind of damage those prisons doctors have done to him.

He's certainly been mistreated, which Inevitably has an Impact on his mental state.