In the UK, the court has ordered the extradition of Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, whom the United States accuses of disclosing classified documents belonging to the state. The extradition to the United States of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, which published documents on the murder or torture of civilians on US military missions abroad, is now one step closer. ‘The court in charge in the UK has decided that Assange should be extradited to his country,’ according to DW. In order for the decision of the responsible court in Westminster to be implemented, it also needs to be approved by the British Home Secretary Priti Patel. Assange’s lawyers, on the other hand, have four weeks to appeal the decision.
REACTION TO THE DECISION FROM HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS
After the decision of the court in the UK, human rights organizations condemned the decision. The joint emphasis in the statements was that the charges against Assange were aimed at punishing a common journalistic practice, and allowing it to continue would jeopardize press freedom around the world.
“Publishing information for the public interest is the cornerstone of media freedom,” said Amnesty International secretary-general Agnes Callamard.
PREVIOUSLY..
Julian Assange had published secret documents related to his country’s military missions abroad, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan demonstrating the mistreated civilians, tortured detainees, and massacred civilians. The US judiciary, on the other hand, accuses Assange of stealing and publishing classified documents, thereby endangering the lives of US informants and spying. If found guilty, Assange faces up to 175 years in prison.
Julian Assange, who has been detained in the UK since 2019, founded WikiLeaks platform in 2010 and began to publish secret documents about the crimes of the United State’s in overseas military missions, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan
Assange, accused of espionage by the United States, has been on the agenda for a long time due to a harassment and rape case filed against him while he was in Sweden, where he resided before the UK, took refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, the capital of the UK, in 2012, was detained and arrested in 2019 after staying there for about 7 years.
On January 4, 2021, the British court rejected Julian Assange’s extradition request to the United States, and the responsible court decided that Assange was at risk of suicide if he was extradited to the United States. The United States, on the other hand, appealed the decision and filed an appeal. Commitments were also made such as that Assange, who is an Australian citizen, would not be subjected to “special measures,” that “appropriate clinical and psychological treatment would be provided,” and that he could “serve his sentence in Australia if convicted.” On December 10, 2021, the Supreme Court, finding the guarantees provided sufficient, overturned the lower court’s decision and ruled that Assange could be extradited to the United States.
