April 17, 2024
2 mins read

Assange extradition moves closer as US provides assurances

The document says that a sentence of death will neither be sought nor imposed….reports Asian Lite News

The US has provided assurances requested by the High Court in London which could finally pave the way for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be extradited from Britain.

Last month, the High Court ruled that, without certain US guarantees, Assange, 52, would be allowed to launch a new appeal against being extradited to face 18 charges, all bar one under the Espionage Act, over WikiLeaks’ release of confidential US military records and diplomatic cables.

Those assurances — that in a US trial he could seek a First Amendment right to free speech and that there was no prospect of new charges which could see the death penalty being imposed — have now been submitted by a deadline which fell on Tuesday.

The document, seen by Reuters, states that Assange “will have the ability to raise and seek to rely upon at trial the rights and protections given under the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.” However it adds that a decision on the “applicability of the First Amendment is exclusively within the purview of the US courts.”

The document also says that a sentence of death will neither be sought nor imposed.

“These assurances are binding on any and all present or subsequent individuals to whom authority has been delegated to decide the matters,” it said.

There will now be a further court hearing in London on May 20, but his lawyers have previously described US assurances given in other cases as not “worth the paper they’re written on,” echoing similar criticism from human rights group Amnesty International.

Assange’s wife Stella, whom he married while in prison in London, said the guarantees did not satisfy their concerns, describing them as “blatant weasel words.”

“The United States has issued a non-assurance in relation to the First Amendment, and a standard assurance in relation to the death penalty,” she said in a statement.

“The diplomatic note does nothing to relieve our family’s extreme distress about his future — his grim expectation of spending the rest of his life in isolation in US prison for publishing award-winning journalism.”

There was no immediate comment from the US Department of Justice or a High Court spokesperson.

Last week, US President Joe Biden said he was considering a request from Australia to drop the prosecution, which Assange’s US lawyer described as “encouraging.”

It was not clear what influence, if any, Biden could exert on a criminal case, but the Wall Street Journal has also reported that discussions are underway about a potential plea bargaining deal.

Assange, who is an Australian citizen, has spent more than 13 years in various legal battles in the English courts since he was first arrested in November 2010.

To his many supporters, he is an anti-establishment hero who is being persecuted for exposing US wrongdoing and details of alleged war crimes in secret, classified files.

ALSO READ: Trump’s historic trial raises election questions

Previous Story

New testimony links pvt contractor to Abu Ghraib abuses

Next Story

Election campaigns come alive in Kerala

Latest from -Top News

Bangladesh dengue death toll hits 245 in 2025

Presently, 977 patients are undergoing treatment in Dhaka, while 2,793 are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Bangladesh…reports Asian Lite News One person died due to dengue in Bangladesh in the 24

Torkham remains closed for seventh day

Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following more than a week of intense fighting …reports Asian Lite News Amid escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Torkham border crossing

India expands naval reach amid Indo-Pacific tensions

India’s renewed naval diplomacy coincides with heightened activity by external powers in its strategic maritime neighbourhood….reports Asian Lite News Amid growing tensions in the Indian Ocean and evolving power dynamics across the

Beijing Targets Hong Kong Democracy

Latest annual UN report highlighted the growing and sophisticated trend of cross-border repression targeting human rights activists…reports Asian Lite News The United Nations, in its latest report on reprisals, revealed that two
Go toTop

Don't Miss

US concerned by S400 system arriving in India

But India’s emergence as a key partner of the US

US CRACKS DOWN ON INDIAN FIRMS

The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 274 targets, while