Julian Assange could be extradited to the USA – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

The United States issued an indictment against Assange after WikiLeaks published in 2010 500,000 classified documents that revealed the mysterious aspects of the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In January, a lower court in the UK said no delivery. The reason is that there was a risk that Assange could take his life if he was transferred to an American prison and tried there. The US appealed the decision, and two other British judges decided on Friday to comply with the US request.

In the United States, Assange faces up to 175 years in prison if found guilty of 18 counts, including hacking and violating the US Espionage Act.

Several rounds of court

After the classified documents were published, Assange visited Sweden. In November 2010, he was wanted by the Swedish authorities, on suspicion of rape and sexual assault of two Swedish women. The following month, he was arrested in Britain, but released on bail. The case was later dropped.

In June 2012, the British High Court confirmed that he could be extradited to Sweden. Assange was afraid that Sweden would extradite him to the United States and took refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London.

He remained at the embassy until April 2019 when Ecuador withdrew its protection against him. On the same day, the United States published an indictment of complicity in the data breach. Since then, Assange has been locked up inside the maximum security Belmarsh prison outside London.

Sad day for freedom of expression

The Norwegian Journalists Association reacts strongly to the fact that the British judiciary has opened for the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States.

– This is a sad day. British judges made the wrong decision when they opened the door for Julian Assange to be extradited to the United States, New Jersey leader Dag Idar Trigstad said in a comment.

He believes that the accusations against Assange pose a threat to press freedom, and that it is especially bad that the verdict comes on the same day that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to journalists who fight for freedom of expression and a free press.

“This is a serious setback for critical and investigative journalism,” Norsk Penn Whistleblowing Committee Chairman Ron Ottosen wrote to NRK.

“Assange faces 175 years in prison for revealing true information about US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Otosen writes.

prove the case

We will appeal this case as soon as possible, Assange’s fiancé says Stella Morris.

Describes the academic court’s decision as « Dangerous, misleading and dangerouslegal error» .

How is it fair to extradite Julian to the same country that planned his murder? Morris said.

It’s meant to cause a leak 2017 report that the CIA He had plans to capture Assange and might as well take him for days.

Assange has support groups all over the world. Among those committed to his acquittal were Rodette and Bjorn Moxness.

Assange exposed Western war crimes, torture, and illegal interference against other countries, which form the core of journalistic activity. And as punishment, he risks 175 years in prison, Moxness says.

That it happens on the same day the Courage Journalism Award is awarded is a huge contradiction. I think the Norwegian government’s silence on this matter is shameful.

Listen to Julian Assange’s Podcast – Hero or Villain? she has

He receives support from Russia

The Russian Foreign Ministry has called for a “shameful” ruling by a British court on the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States.

– This is a shameful ruling against a journalist and a public figure. It is another manifestation of the cannibal worldview of the Anglo-Saxon alliance, wrote spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova in the Telegram messaging service.