"When a country commits a crime, the ability to publish the truth and expose the crime is crucial. On the 21st, Stella, the wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, asked the court to reject the extradition request of the United States at a demonstration outside the British High Court. On the same day, the court's hearing on Assange's extradition case ended, and the judge did not make a ruling, saying that it would be announced at a later date. In 2010, WikiLeaks uncovered a large number of classified documents about war crimes such as the killing of civilians by the U.S. military during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The extradition case of Assange has aroused great concern in the world, and demonstrations in many European countries have broken out in support of Assange. Many Europeans believe that how to deal with Assange has become a severe test that the West must face when promoting the so-called "liberal democracy" and human rights values. According to the German newspaper Die Welt, the United States has retaliated against those who have made public its scandals and the British judiciary has been reduced to this, and the Assange case shows that "freedom of the press and the rule of law are obsolete in the West".
On the 21st, British people held a demonstration outside the High Court to demand Assange's release. (Visual China).
"If extradited, he will die".
Assange's appeal to the United States for his extradition to the United States is nearing completion. Reuters said that the British High Court ended a two-day hearing on the 21st, which may be the last hearing of the legal proceedings over whether Assange will be extradited to the United States. If the court rejects his appeal, Assange could be extradited to the United States within weeks. According to CNN, this could be Assange's "last resort" to avoid being extradited to the United States.
Assange is currently being held in Belmarsh Prison in London. Assange did not attend the two-day hearing due to poor health. After the hearing, his wife, Stella, said the court's decision was a matter of life and death for Assange, as his health had deteriorated dramatically during his incarceration, and that "every day he was in prison, his life was in danger." If extradited (to the United States), he will die. ”
During the two-day court hearing, Assange's legal team applied for a re-examination of then-British Home Secretary Patel's 2022 decision to approve extradition to the United States. They stressed that the US authorities seek to punish Assange for exposing the atrocities of the US** and that Assange could suffer a miscarriage of justice if sent to the US. Assange is one of those targeted by the United States to bring impunity for the war crimes it committed in the notorious war on terror, including abusing the criminal justice system and cracking down on activists who are committed to trying to expose their crimes. Lawyers representing the United States argued that Assange's actions "could harm U.S. strategy and interests" and put the informant mentioned in the leaked documents at risk of "serious bodily harm."
Assange founded WikiLeaks in 2006 and exposed the war crimes of the U.S. military in 2010 by a large number of U.S. diplomatic cables and classified U.S. military documents during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. One of the passages in which the US military in Iraq shot and killed pedestrians on the ground for no reason in the armed *** was widely circulated. Assange immediately became a "thorn in the side" of the United States and was charged with 18 criminal charges by the United States. Once extradited to the United States, he faces up to 175 years in prison.
Many parts of Europe are in solidarity with Assange
Assange's next three possible scenarios", the German newspaper "Die Zeit" said that Assange will face three outcomes in the future: First, if the appeal is successful, his protracted litigation process in the UK will continue. Second, if the appeal fails, his lawyer may file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights. Third, if the appeal fails, Assange could be extradited to the United States in the short term. Lawyers fear that the Anglo-American may create a fait accompli before the European Court of Human Rights intervenes.
According to CNN, members of the legal profession believe that the United States extradited Assange for political purposes. The extradition of Assange to the United States violates the extradition treaty between the United States and the United Kingdom, which prohibits the extradition of "political prisoners" under paragraph 4.
Deutsche Welle said that the leak of relevant documents in the United States was not the responsibility of Assange. In 2010, WikiLeaks worked with the New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, Der Spiegel and many other companies to sort out the leaked documents from a journalistic point of view. If Assange is guilty, then so are these Western ** and journalists.
During the hearings, demonstrations demanding Assange's release erupted in London, Paris, Berlin, Rome and other parts of Europe. Outside the High Court in London, many people shouted "there is only one decision: no extradite". In France, 17 cities broke out in support of Assange's activities. Rome decided to confer the title of honorary citizen on Assange. Australian MP Andrew went to London to attend the hearing, and he said that he hoped that Britain and the United States would end the lawsuit. The Australian parliament recently passed a resolution calling for Assange's release, which was supported by Prime Minister Albanese. In the United States, 35 law professors signed a letter to the attorney general saying that Assange's prosecution and extradition violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution's provisions on guaranteeing freedom of the press and expression.
"The naked truth".
Regarding the Assange case, many Western non-** organizations have rarely accused the United States and Britain of this move as a threat to "freedom and democracy". The International Federation of Journalists and the European Union of Journalists issued a joint statement on the 21st, warning: "The continued ** against Assange is a threat to global press freedom." Amnesty International said: "The Assange affair is a matter of principle concerning press freedom and fundamental human rights. WikiLeaks has revealed human rights abuses, which are in no way criminal. Hal, the group's human rights expert, said: "If Assange is sent to the United States for trial, then global freedom will also be tried." ”
According to Sputnik, Assange did not "steal" classified U.S. documents, which were provided to him by leaker Manning. According to the report, Assange is an Australian citizen and WikiLeaks' servers are located in Sweden. The case linked the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the European Union. In fact, the West allows U.S. law to transcend its borders and arrest and punish anyone, of any nationality, anywhere in the world.
The naked truth", "Deutsche Welle" said that the indisputable fact is that the information released by WikiLeaks has put the United States in an extremely embarrassing situation. Hundreds of thousands of documents show the world from another perspective the undisguised bloody behavior of the US military. Hyde, a member of the Free Democratic Party of Germany, and more than 80 German lawmakers have sent a joint letter to the British parliament calling for Assange's release. He said that whenever he discussed human rights issues abroad, some people would use Assange's example to ridicule him, saying that Western countries were practicing double standards. Hyde lamented: "You hear it everywhere, and no matter how you explain it, it's useless. ”
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