The Australian founder of WikiLeaks, arrested five years ago in the United Kingdom, has since been detained in a London prison and is fighting his extradition to the United States.
The rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe expressed on Tuesday her “deep concern about the well-being” of Julian Assange following a two-day visit to Belmarsh prison in the United Kingdom. The Australian founder of WikiLeaks, arrested five years ago in the United Kingdom, has since been detained in this London prison and is fighting his extradition to the United States.
Prosecuted by American justice for having published more than 700,000 confidential documents since 2010 regarding American military and diplomatic activities, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, he faces up to 175 years in prison.
‘Deterring Other Whistleblowers’
“Assange’s harsh treatment risks deterring others who wish to report truthful information pertaining to armed conflicts,” said Sunna Aevarsdottir, Icelandic parliamentarian and member of PACE. “Whether or not he is extradited, his prosecution and lengthy detention already risk deterring other whistleblowers and journalists from reporting on various transgressions of governments or powerful private parties,” she declared in a press release.
Possible Extradition to the United States
On Monday, a London court must rule on assurances regarding the treatment Assange would face if he were extradited to the United States. If these assurances are not deemed satisfactory, Assange will be able to appeal his extradition, which was given the green light from the British government in June 2022.
If a last resort is not granted, Assange’s supporters have already warned that they will take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights in the hope of having the extradition suspended. In April, U.S. President Joe Biden said the United States was considering Australia’s request to drop espionage charges against Assange.
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