Assange Extradition: The Next Steps
In a political move so unsurprising that it went almost undetected in the media, Priti Patel recently approved the extradition of Julian Assange to the U.S.
This is not the end of the road for the WikiLeaks founder. There will be appeals against the decision and it will not be surprising if the case eventually makes it all the way to the European Court of Human Rights.
In prior proceedings Assange’s lawyers argued against his extradition on the basis of his own health and well-being as well as the awful and inhumane conditions he would be subject to in the U.S. prison system.
Now, as this separate case makes its way to the High Court, we are likely going to see some of the same arguments again but set against a broader context of Assange’s right to freedom of expression and his protection from political extradition. To put it another way, this will be the real test of our justice system in the UK. Do our judges kow-tow to the U.S. who offer false assurances that Assange will not be subject to inhumane conditions even though similar promises have been broken in the past? Do they accept the argument that he will receive a fair trial even though such a trial will deliberately take place within a few miles of CIA Headquarters (home to the very people whose crimes Assange helped expose?)
I am not supremely confident but at least Assange will get a fair hearing and people like us will be able to hear the wealth of arguments against his extradition. It is an important factor that public opinion appears to be moving in Assange’s favour as his health deteriorates and the conditions he is being subjected to even in the UK are exposed.
In the recent French elections one of the biggest winners was Jean-Luc Mélenchon who said that if he was in charge he would grant Assange French nationality. In Australia (Assange’s home country) it was reported that around 70% of people support Assange so there will also be pressure on the new government in that country to act as well. In a strange twist of fate it might be a good thing for Assange if Trump is re-elected president in 2024 as he is rumoured to be in favour of pardoning the WikiLeaks founder.
The political and legal case in favour of Assange is overwhelming but whether or not it has the power to overcome the will of the U.S. establishment is another question entirely.
This week on the podcast we take a look at a recent immigration decision and think about it in the context of the Rwanda debacle.
Episode link: http://uklawweekly.com/2022-uksc-15/
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Marcus