Julian Assange 'too ill' to attend last-ditch legal bid against extradition

Summary

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is making a final bid to appeal against his extradition from the UK to the US in the High Court in London
Assange, who is not appearing in court because of illness, has been in a UK prison since 2019 and is wanted by the US for disclosing secret military files in 2010 and 2011
In 2021, the UK High Court ruled that he should be extradited, dismissing claims that his poor mental health meant he might take his own life in a US jail
In 2022, the Supreme Court upheld that decision and then-Home Secretary Priti Patel confirmed the extradition order
In today's hearing, Assange is seeking permission to review Priti Patel's decision and challenge the original 2021 court ruling
If he fails, Assange will have exhausted all appeal routes in the UK and will enter the process of extradition
He says the case against him is politically motivated and his lawyers have suggested they will take the case to the European Court of Human Rights if the appeal is turned down

Live Reporting

Edited by Johanna Chisholm and Andrew Humphrey

'This farce has to end' - Assange's wife speaks outside courtpublished at 09:57 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February
Media caption,
Watch: Stella Assange says her husband's case is "an attack on all journalists all over the world"
The rally outside the High Court has just finished and Stella Assange has walked across the road towards the court's entrance.
She is welcomed by applause, whistles and cheers as she gets to the front of the High Court where she stops, turns and speaks to the crowd and TV cameras.
"There is no possibility of a fair trial if he is extradited to the US," Stella says.
"He would never be safe."
Stella says the case against her husband is an "admission by the US they now criminalise investigative journalism".
"It is an attack on the truth and the public's right to know," she says, adding she believes what has happened to Alexei Navalny in recent days "can happen to Julian".
"This farce has to end," she ends.
Who is Julian Assange’s wife Stella Assange?published at 09:50 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Stella Moris is photographed with her sons Max, 3, and Gabriel, 4, before driving to Belmarsh Prison to marry Julian Assange at a hotel in London on 23 March, 2022
Lawyer Stella Moris, who we've just seen outside the court, married her long-time partner Julian Assange inside Belmarsh prison back in 2022.
The couple began their relationship in 2015 and have two children together. Both were fathered while he was living inside the Ecuadorian embassy.
For the wedding, Stella, who now goes by Stella Assange, wore a wedding dress designed by Dame Vivienne Westwood, who campaigned against Assange’s extradition before her death in December 2022.
Watch: We don't know what to expect - Assange's wife outside courtpublished at 09:42 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February
Nicky Schiller
Reporting from the High Court
Media caption,
Watch Julian Assange's wife, Stella, outside the High Court
Julian Assange's wife has just addressed the crowd here outside the court.
After Stella Assange said "Free Julian Assange" the crowd burst into a chant of "Free Julian Assange".
Stella said "we have two big days ahead" adding they don't know what to expect.
But, she said "the world is watching" and "they have to know they can't get away with this".
Stella ended her short speech saying "Julian needs his freedom and we all need the truth".
Unclear if Assange will attend hearing in personpublished at 09:31 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February
As we've been reporting, today marks the start of a two-day hearing at the High Court in London where Julian Assange's team will argue that he should be allowed a full appeal.
It is understood Assange would like to attend the hearing in person, but we don't know if that will be the case yet.
If he is not able to make it to the High Court, Assange will join via video link from Belmarsh Prison - where he is currently jailed.
The hearing could be his final bid to avoid extradition to the US to face trial over disclosing secret military files. Supporters of the Wikileaks founder say he exposed wrongdoing, but the US says Assange put lives at risk.
Press freedom supporters defend Assange outside courtroompublished at 09:22 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February
Nicky Schiller
Reporting from the High Court
Image caption,
Tim Dawson, from the International Federation of Journalists, addressed the crowd outside the High Court
Among Julian Assange's supporters are a number of journalists. I have been listening to them give speeches ahead of the case beginning.
John Rees, a visiting fellow at Goldsmiths University and founding member of the Stop the War Coalition, was one of those who took to the stage.
He stood up to say that this was "the most important press freedom case of the 21st century", adding that people should not be jailed for "telling the truth".
He was followed on the temporary stage by Tim Dawson from the International Federation of Journalists. Dawson told the crowd if Assange did go to prison it would make journalists around the world think twice about publishing stories.
Ultimately, he says, the case was about safeguarding free speech - an argument echoed by other speakers this morning.
Assange’s wife says he would not survive jail if extraditedpublished at 09:15 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February
Image source, EPA
As we wait for things to get under way, let’s bring you some comments Julian Assange’s wife, Stella, made in recent days.
Speaking to the Today programme on Monday morning, she said if Assange lost there would be “no possibility for further appeal in this jurisdiction".
She did however flag a possible plea to the European Court of Human Rights for an emergency injunction, but noted it would have to be done within 24 hours of a decision.
She said her husband was in a “very difficult place” physically and mentally, and "this case will determine if he lives or dies, essentially".
If convicted, his lawyers say he faces up to 175 years in jail. However the US government says a sentence of between four and six years is more likely.
Read the full story here.
Stella Assange spotted ahead of her husband's extradition hearingpublished at 09:13 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February
Nicky Schiller
Reporting from the High Court
I have just managed to see Stella Assange, Julian Assange's wife. She is about to go on stage and her team said she couldn't talk to me at the moment.
What will happen at the hearing on Tuesday?published at 09:08 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February
Image source, Reuters
Assange is going to the UK High Court on 20 and 21 February in what could be his final bid to avoid extradition to the US.
In this two-day hearing, Assange is seeking permission to review a decision by former-Home Secretary Priti Patel who approved his extradition to the US in 2022.
Assange will also try to challenge the High Court’s 2021 ruling that said he could be extradited, and dismissed claims that his poor mental health meant he might take his own life in a US jail.
Two judges will review an earlier ruling which refused Assange permission to appeal.
If the court rejects his argument, it could lead to the extradition process, but Assange’s legal team plans to appeal an adverse ruling to the European Court of Human Rights.
If he is successful, Assange will have more opportunities to argue his case before UK courts.
Assange's supporters gather outside courtpublished at 09:00 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February
Nicky Schiller
Reporting from the High Court
Image caption,
Protestors calling for Assange's release gather outside the High Court in London ahead of the two day hearing
I'm standing outside the court waiting for the hearing to start and dozens of Julian Assange supporters are starting to gather.
They're holding placards that read "Free Julian Assange" and "Press Freedom".
Some are hoping to be able to get into the court to see the proceedings but numbers inside will be limited.
I spoke to Ana who is German and lives in Sweden but flew over to join the other protesters.
Ana told me she made the journey to protect freedom of speech and said that journalists had to be able to speak out to power. She is worried there isn't much time for Assange.
Who is Julian Assange?published at 08:57 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February
Born in 1971, Julian Assange was raised in various cities throughout Australia before becoming involved in the hacking community.
In 2006 he founded the Wikileaks website, and went on to publish troves of documents exposing scandals including corruption in Kenya, Tibetan unrest in China and drone strikes in Yemen.
In 2010, it released a video from a US military helicopter which showed civilians being killed in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Wikileaks also published thousands of confidential documents supplied by former US Army intelligence analyst, Chelsea Manning.
In 2019, US authorities charged Assange with 18 offences including breaking into its military databases following publications on the alleged killing of civilians by US forces in Afghanistan.
Assange has been fighting extradition to the US ever since.
Hello and welcomepublished at 08:55 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February
Thomas Mackintosh
Live reporter
Today we’re due to hear the first day of what could be the final extradition appeal by the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange.
He’s wanted in the US for disclosing secret military files in 2010 and 2011.
If he loses this last-ditch hearing, he will have exhausted all legal avenues in the UK and will face extradition from the UK to the US.
Stay with us as we bring you all the updates and analysis from the Royal Courts of Justice.