Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Thai Fighter Jet Bombs Cambodian Targets as Border Battle Escalates

23 hours ago

California Cannot Require Background Checks to Buy Ammunition, US Appeals Court Rules

1 day ago

Wrestling Legend Hulk Hogan Dies at 71, TMZ Reports

1 day ago

TikTok Will Go Dark in US Without Chinese Approval of Sale Deal, Lutnick Says

1 day ago

Meme Stock Surge Underlines Market Froth, Mostly Centered on Retail Investors

1 day ago

Fresno County Authorities Still Searching for Missing Mother and Infant

1 day ago

California Releases Teacher Data. It Shows Big Rise in Hispanic Teachers

1 day ago

Biting a Bat and 5 Other Wild Moments From Ozzy Osbourne’s Life

1 day ago

Henry Thompson Did Wonders for Fresno Airport, Leaves ‘Incredibly Big Shoes to Fill’

2 days ago
WikiLeaks Founder Assange Wins Appeal Against US Extradition
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 1 year ago on
May 20, 2024

Julian Assange has won the right to appeal his extradition to the U.S., prolonging the legal saga over his alleged espionage and computer misuse charges. (AP/Kin Cheung)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LONDON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal against extradition to the United States on espionage charges, a London court ruled Monday — a decision likely to further drag out an already long legal saga.

High Court judges Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson ruled for Assange after his lawyers argued that the U.S. government provided “blatantly inadequate” assurances that he would have the same free speech protections as an American citizen if extradited from Britain.

Assange Indicted on 17 Espionage Charges

Assange, 52, has been indicted on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over his website’s publication of a trove of classified U.S. documents almost 15 years ago.

Hundreds of supporters cheered and applauded outside court as news of the ruling reached them from inside the Royal Courts of Justice.

Assange’s wife, Stella, said the U.S. had tried to put “lipstick on a pig — but the judges did not buy it.” She said the U.S. should “read the situation” and drop the case.

“As a family we are relieved but how long can this go on?” she said. “This case is shameful and it is taking an enormous toll on Julian.”

The Australian computer expert has spent the last five years in a British high-security prison after taking refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for seven years. Assange was not in court to hear the ruling because of health reasons, his lawyer said.

American prosecutors allege that Assange encouraged and helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to steal diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks published.

Assange’s lawyers have argued he was a journalist who exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sending him to the U.S., they said, would expose him to a politically motivated prosecution and risk a “flagrant denial of justice.”

U.S. Government on Assange’s Actions

The U.S. government says Assange’s actions went way beyond those of a journalist gathering information, amounting to an attempt to solicit, steal and indiscriminately publish classified government documents.

The brief ruling from the bench followed arguments over Assange’s claim that by releasing the trove of confidential documents he was essentially a publisher and due the free press protections guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The hearing was a follow-up to a provisional ruling in March that said he could take his case to the Court of Appeal unless the U.S. guaranteed he would not face the death penalty if extradited and would have the same free speech protections as a U.S. citizen.

Assange’s Lawyers Denied U.S. Assurances

The U.S. provided those assurances but Assange’s lawyers only accepted that he would not face the prospect of capital punishment.

They said the assurance that Assange could “raise and seek to rely upon” the First Amendment fell short of the protections he deserved. Further, they argued that the prosecutor refused to say he would not challenge Assange’s right to use such a defense.

“The real issue is whether an adequate assurance has been provided to remove the real risk identified by the court,” Fitzgerald said. “It is submitted that no adequate assurance has been made.”

The court previously said that without the right to a First Amendment defense, Assange’s extradition could be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights, which also provides free speech and media protections.

U.S. Attorney Says Assange was Unprotected by First Amendment

Attorney James Lewis, representing the U.S., said Assange’s conduct was “simply unprotected” by the First Amendment.

“No one, neither U.S. citizens nor foreign citizens, are entitled to rely on the First Amendment in relation to publication of illegally obtained national defense information giving the names of innocent sources, to their grave and imminent risk of harm,” Lewis said.

Assange’s lawyers say he could face up to 175 years in prison if convicted, though American authorities have said any sentence would likely be much shorter.

Assange’s family and supporters say his physical and mental health have suffered during more than a decade of legal battles, which includes seven years spent inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London from 2012 until 2019. He has spent the past five years in a British high-security prison.

Commuters emerging from a Tube stop near the courthouse couldn’t miss a large sign bearing Assange’s photo and the words, “Publishing is not a crime. War crimes are.”

Scores of supporters gathered outside the neo-Gothic Royal Courts of Justice chanting “Free Julian Assange” and “Press freedom, Assange freedom.” Some held white flags aimed at President Joe Biden, exhorting: “Let him go Joe.”

Biden said last month that he was considering a request from Australia to drop the case and let Assange return to his home country.

Officials provided no other details but Assange’s wife said it was “a good sign” and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the comment was encouraging.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

US States to Get $608 Million From FEMA to Build Migrant Detention Centers

DON'T MISS

Trump: Strong Dollar Sounds Good but ‘You Make a Hell of a Lot More’ With a Weaker One

DON'T MISS

US Appeals Court Rejects Challenge to Washington Laws Concerning Transgender Minors

DON'T MISS

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

DON'T MISS

Trump Says He Has Not Considered Clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Felon in Connection With Drive-by Shooting

DON'T MISS

US Clears Way for $8 Billion Paramount-Skydance Merger

DON'T MISS

Thailand and Cambodia Exchange Heavy Artillery Fire as Border Battle Expands

DON'T MISS

Trump Says US May Not Have a Negotiated Trade Deal With Canada

DON'T MISS

Netanyahu, Trump Appear to Abandon Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations With Hamas

UP NEXT

Trump: Strong Dollar Sounds Good but ‘You Make a Hell of a Lot More’ With a Weaker One

UP NEXT

Thailand and Cambodia Exchange Heavy Artillery Fire as Border Battle Expands

UP NEXT

Trump Says US May Not Have a Negotiated Trade Deal With Canada

UP NEXT

Netanyahu, Trump Appear to Abandon Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations With Hamas

UP NEXT

Trump Says There Is a 50-50 Chance of Trade Deal With EU

UP NEXT

Amid Epstein Furor, Ghislaine Maxwell Seeks Relief From US Supreme Court

UP NEXT

Elon Musk’s Starlink Network Suffers Rare Global Outage. Orders Some Ukraine Services to Halt

UP NEXT

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

UP NEXT

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

UP NEXT

Israel and US Recall Teams From Gaza Truce Talks, US Says Hamas Not Showing Good Faith

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

55 minutes ago

Trump Says He Has Not Considered Clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell

1 hour ago

Fresno Police Arrest Felon in Connection With Drive-by Shooting

1 hour ago

US Clears Way for $8 Billion Paramount-Skydance Merger

2 hours ago

Thailand and Cambodia Exchange Heavy Artillery Fire as Border Battle Expands

2 hours ago

Trump Says US May Not Have a Negotiated Trade Deal With Canada

2 hours ago

Netanyahu, Trump Appear to Abandon Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations With Hamas

2 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Julian Jay Haymon

2 hours ago

Trump Says There Is a 50-50 Chance of Trade Deal With EU

3 hours ago

Amid Epstein Furor, Ghislaine Maxwell Seeks Relief From US Supreme Court

3 hours ago

US States to Get $608 Million From FEMA to Build Migrant Detention Centers

WASHINGTON —The Federal Emergency Management Agency is preparing to send $608 million to states to construct immigrant detention centers as...

4 seconds ago

An aerial view shows "Alligator Alcatraz" ICE detention center at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, U.S. July 24, 2025. (Reuters File)
4 seconds ago

US States to Get $608 Million From FEMA to Build Migrant Detention Centers

President Donald Trump speaks after disembarking Marine One, as he departs for Scotland, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., July 25, 2025. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
32 minutes ago

Trump: Strong Dollar Sounds Good but ‘You Make a Hell of a Lot More’ With a Weaker One

Family members and advocates gather inside the Lutheran Church of the Reformation near the U.S. Supreme Court after justices supported a Republican-backed ban in Tennessee on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, during a rally in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 18, 2025. (Reuters File)
44 minutes ago

US Appeals Court Rejects Challenge to Washington Laws Concerning Transgender Minors

A Tesla robotaxi drives on the street along South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, U.S., June 22, 2025. (Reuters File)
55 minutes ago

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell stands at the podium to address Judge Alison Nathan during her sentencing in a courtroom sketch in New York City, U.S. June 28, 2022. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

Trump Says He Has Not Considered Clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell

1 hour ago

Fresno Police Arrest Felon in Connection With Drive-by Shooting

Paramount Global logo is seen in this illustration taken December 17, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
2 hours ago

US Clears Way for $8 Billion Paramount-Skydance Merger

A Thailand's mobile artillery unit fires towards Cambodia's side after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery on Friday as their worst fighting in more than a decade stretched for a second day, in Surin, Thailand, July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
2 hours ago

Thailand and Cambodia Exchange Heavy Artillery Fire as Border Battle Expands

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend