Assange lawyer dismisses US promises over extradition

LONDON — Promises by the U.S. authorities that WikiLeaks laminitis Julian Assange would not beryllium subjected to harsh situation conditions if helium is extradited to look American justness are not capable to code concerns astir his fragile intelligence wellness and precocious hazard of suicide, a lawyer defending him argued Thursday.

Assange’s lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, said during a two-day proceeding astatine Britain’s High Court that the Australian was excessively mentally sick to beryllium extradited to the United States to look proceedings connected espionage charges.

The United States authorities is seeking to overturn an earlier ruling by a little British tribunal that refused a U.S. petition to extradite Assange implicit WikiLeaks’ work of concealed American subject documents a decennary ago. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that Assange was apt to termination himself if held nether harsh U.S. situation conditions.

On Wednesday, a lawyer for the U.S. authorities said that American authorities person promised that Assange would not beryllium held earlier proceedings successful a top-security “Supermax” prison, oregon subjected to strict isolation conditions. He besides said that if convicted, Assange would beryllium allowed to service his condemnation successful Australia, his location country.

But Fitzgerald argued that the U.S. assurances were each “caveated, vague, oregon simply ineffective.” They bash not region the hazard of Assange being detained successful utmost isolation successful the U.S. successful the agelong term, helium said, and the hazard of Assange sidesplitting himself remained important if helium is extradited.

“It is perfectly tenable to find it oppressive to extradite a mentally disordered idiosyncratic due to the fact that his extradition is apt to effect successful his death,” helium said. He added that judges should usage their powerfulness to “protect radical from extradition to a overseas authorities wherever we person nary power implicit what volition beryllium done to them.”

In a written submission, Fitzgerald besides said that the assurance that Assange could beryllium transferred to an Australian situation if convicted is “meaningless.” Australia has not indicated its consent, and the process could instrumentality a decennary oregon more, helium argued.

U.S. prosecutors person indicted Assange connected 17 espionage charges and 1 complaint of machine misuse implicit WikiLeaks’ work of thousands of leaked subject and diplomatic documents. The charges transportation a maximum condemnation of 175 years successful prison, though a lawyer for the U.S. authorities said Wednesday the condemnation could beryllium overmuch shorter.

Assange, 50, is presently being held astatine London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison. He did not be the proceeding Thursday, though connected Wednesday helium appeared by video nexus astatine times.

The proceeding was the latest successful Assange’s long-running conflict to combat extradition to the U.S. American prosecutors accidental Assange unlawfully helped U.S. Army quality expert Chelsea Manning bargain classified diplomatic cables and subject files that WikiLeaks aboriginal published.

Assange’s lawyers reason that helium was acting arsenic a writer and is entitled to First Amendment state of code protections for publishing documents that exposed U.S. subject wrongdoing successful Iraq and Afghanistan. His supporters besides reason the prosecution lawsuit was politically motivated.

About 80 supporters staged a noisy rally extracurricular the London tribunal up of the hearing, playing euphony and chanting “Free Julian Assange!”

Jeremy Corbyn, erstwhile person of Britain’s absorption Labour Party, said extracurricular the tribunal that Assange has told the information astir Afghanistan and Iraq, and that helium should not beryllium flown to the U.S. “under immoderate circumstances.”

“He has committed nary transgression and he’s successful a maximum information situation ... if helium moved to the United States, helium whitethorn well, due to the fact that of his intelligence wellness condition, instrumentality his ain life,” Corbyn told reporters. “In a antithetic state helium would beryllium hailed arsenic a whistleblower who told the information astir the dangers we are each facing, the dangers the full satellite is facing.”

The two-day proceeding earlier 2 judges, including England’s astir elder justice Lord Chief Justice Ian Burnett, ends Thursday but a ruling is not expected for weeks. The losing broadside could question to entreaty to the U.K. Supreme Court.

Assange has been held successful a high-security situation since helium was arrested successful April 2019 for skipping bail during a abstracted ineligible battle. Before that helium spent 7 years wrong Ecuador’s London embassy, wherever helium sought asylum successful 2012 to debar extradition to Sweden to look allegations of rape and intersexual assault.

Sweden dropped the enactment crimes investigations successful November 2019 due to the fact that truthful overmuch clip had elapsed. The justice who blocked extradition successful January ordered that helium indispensable enactment successful custody during immoderate U.S. appeal.