Stella Assange, the wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, demanded on Saturday that the British government not implement the decision to extradite him to the United States, believing that his fate now depends on a “political decision” that “will has an impact across Europe. “
The British court on Wednesday officially gave the green light for the extradition of the 50-year-old Australian to the American authorities, who want to try him for espionage, due to the disclosure of thousands of confidential and secret diplomatic and military documents, mainly for the American activity in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is now up to the British Home Secretary, Pretty Patel, to decide whether to sign the extradition order.
“We have four weeks to send our comments to Priti Patel before making her decision. “If he signs the order (…) we will be able to appeal on fundamental issues that have not yet been appealed, such as freedom of the press or the political motive for the prosecution,” Assange said in an interview with French. Agency on the sidelines of a demonstration in support of her husband in Brussels.
“The reasons for appealing to the United Kingdom are very limited, while the extradition agreement tilts the scales in favor of the United States, without allowing the examination of the American accusations (…). We will reach the European Court of Human Rights if necessary “, added the South African lawyer.
“This is a European problem: the heart of democratic values ​​is at stake; what is decided will have an impact on journalists around the world, everywhere in Europe,” he said, adding that a “window” had been opened to raise public awareness. to assess “political arguments” in London.
If convicted of espionage, Mr Assange could face up to 175 years in prison. He remains incarcerated in the United Kingdom, in the Belmars High Security Prison.
The founder of WikiLeaks was arrested by British police in April 2019, after the then Ecuadorian government revoked the political asylum he had given him for seven years, and he was imprisoned.
For Stella Assange, her husband’s fate is a “completely political” issue – it always has been.
In order not to upset Washington, London “limited itself to saying that it would let justice decide. “Now that the court has upheld the extradition order, there is no longer any pretext: the British government is called upon to decide in the coming weeks whether Julian will be extradited.”
While “the British government (…) condemns the war crimes in Ukraine”, it is called “to show if it is ready to extradite a journalist because it has reported war crimes”, he remarked.
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