Julian Assange’s Final Appeal to be Held at UK High Court in February 2024

On 20-21 February 2024, Julian Assange’s final appeal against extradition to the United States will take place at the UK High Court. This two-day hearing may be his last chance to avoid being sent to the US to face charges related to his journalism exposing war crimes.

The news was announced by Declassified UK, an investigative journalism organization, on their Twitter account on 19 December 2023. The tweet included a link to an image that shows Julian Assange and the text of the announcement.

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has been living in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012, seeking asylum to avoid extradition to Sweden for sexual assault allegations. After seven years, he was arrested by British authorities in April 2019 and sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for violating bail conditions.

Following his arrest, the United States issued an extradition request for Assange, accusing him of conspiring with former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to leak classified documents related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The leaked documents, published by WikiLeaks, exposed human rights abuses and war crimes committed by the US military.

Assange’s legal battle against extradition has been ongoing for several years. In January 2021, a UK judge ruled against his extradition, citing concerns about his mental health and the risk of suicide if he were to be sent to the US prison system. However, the US government appealed the decision, leading to the upcoming final appeal at the UK High Court.

The outcome of this appeal is crucial for Assange, as extradition to the United States could result in a lengthy prison sentence or even life imprisonment. Supporters of Assange argue that his actions were in the public interest and that he should be protected as a journalist exposing wrongdoing. They fear that his extradition would have a chilling effect on press freedom and discourage whistleblowers from coming forward.

On the other hand, the US government maintains that Assange’s actions went beyond journalism and constituted a threat to national security. They argue that the publication of classified information put lives at risk and undermined the US military’s operations.

The final appeal at the UK High Court in February 2024 will be closely watched by journalists, human rights organizations, and supporters of Assange around the world. It will set a significant precedent for the protection of press freedom and the rights of whistleblowers.

As the date of the hearing approaches, pressure is mounting on the UK government to ensure a fair and transparent process. Advocacy groups are calling for Assange to be released from prison and for the charges against him to be dropped, highlighting the importance of safeguarding freedom of speech and the role of journalism in holding governments accountable.

Only time will tell what the fate of Julian Assange will be, but one thing is certain – the outcome of this final appeal will have far-reaching implications for the future of press freedom and the ability of journalists to expose government wrongdoing.

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BREAKING: Julian Assange’s final appeal will be held at the UK High Court on 20-21 February 2024.

The two-day hearing may be the last chance for Assange to avoid extradition to the United States for his journalism exposing war crimes. pic.twitter.com/fYB0ioie9D

— Declassified UK (@declassifiedUK) December 19, 2023

Source

@declassifiedUK said BREAKING: Julian Assange's final appeal will be held at the UK High Court on 20-21 February 2024. The two-day hearing may be the last chance for Assange to avoid extradition to the United States for his journalism exposing war crimes.

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