WikiLeaks founder Assange starts final UK legal battle to avoid extradition to US on spy charges

[ad_1]

To his supporters, Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist who exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan and is entitled to First Amendment protections. They argue that the prosecution is politically motivated and he won’t get a fair trial in the U.S.His wife Stella Assange — a lawyer whom he married in prison in 2022 — says his health has deteriorated during years of confinement.“His health is in decline, mentally and physically. His life is at risk every single day he stays in prison, and if he’s extradited, he will die,” she told reporters last week.Assange’s legal troubles began in 2010, when he was arrested in London at the request of Sweden, which wanted to question him about allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two women. In 2012, Assange jumped bail and sought refuge inside the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he was beyond the reach of U.K. and Swedish authorities — but was also effectively a prisoner in the tiny diplomatic mission.

[ad_2]

Source link