Julian Assange faces further wait over extradition ruling
According to Mr. Assange's legal team, he could potentially receive a prison sentence of 175 years in the United States if found guilty.
The United States needs to ensure that Julian Assange will not face execution if found guilty, prior to the UK court deciding if he can challenge his extradition.
The court has postponed its verdict for a period of three weeks in order to allow the US government to comply.
According to US officials, the founder of Wikileaks put lives at risk by disseminating numerous confidential files.
The lawyers representing him claim that the lawsuit is a form of punishment by the government for his actions or beliefs.
Two judges, Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Johnson, announced in a High Court ruling on Tuesday that if the United States did not give assurances, Mr Assange could make an appeal based on three reasons.
The guarantees given are that the individual who is 52 years old will be safeguarded by and have the freedom to depend on the First Amendment, which is intended to defend free speech in America. Additionally, it is ensured that they will not receive unfair treatment during the trial due to their nationality and that they will not be punished by execution if they are found guilty.
The judges have granted a deadline of three weeks for the US authorities to provide guarantees, and there's a possibility of a hearing on May 20th.
Dame Victoria stated in the court's decision that if guarantees are not provided, they will allow an appeal to proceed without the need for additional arguments.
Provided that guarantees are made, we will allow the involved parties to present additional arguments before we reach a conclusive judgment on the request to appeal.
Nonetheless, certain points of the appeal application were rejected by the judges, which involved Mr. Assange's claims that he was being persecuted due to his political beliefs.
Assuming that his most recent plea is rejected, Mr Assange's legal options within the UK will have been fully used up. Consequently, he would need to resort to presenting his case before the European Court of Human Rights as a final attempt.
When addressing the group of individuals assembled outside of the courthouse, Stella Assange referred to her spouse as a "prisoner of politics."
She appealed to the government of President Joe Biden in the United States not to provide any guarantees and instead "discontinue this disgraceful lawsuit".
He has been accused of espionage in the United States due to his actions of releasing a large amount of confidential files during 2010 and 2011.
In the hearing that took place in February, the legal team representing Mr Assange put forth an argument claiming that he was being singled out for his uncovering of "crimes at the state level" and that his penalty was driven by political agendas.
However, attorneys hailing from the United States vehemently opposed the actions of WikiLeaks, asserting that it endangered the lives of individuals.
Stella Assange can't believe that the court has chosen to postpone her spouse's appeal, stating that she is completely taken aback by the news.
The legal team of Mr Assange has mentioned that if he is found guilty, he may be imprisoned for a maximum of 175 years. However, the American government has stated that a punishment of four to six years is a more probable outcome.
The reason why he was absent during the court hearing that took place in February is because of his poor health condition. Prior to the hearing, Mrs. Assange expressed her concerns about her husband's safety if he were to be extradited.
She informed the BBC that this situation is decisive in determining his survival or demise.
The High Court made a ruling in 2021 stating that Mr Assange could be extradited, despite arguments that his mental health was poor and there was a risk of him committing suicide while in jail in the United States.
The ruling made by the UK Supreme Court regarding the extradition order was confirmed by Priti Patel, who was the Home Secretary at that time, in 2022.
In 2022, his legal representatives made an effort to present his case to the European Court of Human Rights. However, the court did not give it attention and rejected it outright.
The parliament of Australia has approved a proposal urging the UK and US governments to free Mr Assange, but it does not have any legal impact on these governments.
